5 Ways To Prepare Ourselves for the Holiday Season and A Few Practical Ideas

How A Little Bit of Forethought Can Enhance Your Celebration and Pull You out of the Comparison Trap

The Holidays are fast approaching and we are beginning to look at calendars, prepare budgets, save recipes and make plans. This year is very different for us because not only are we in a new state but my in-laws will be out of town that week so we are really on our own this year. Some new friends have invited us over and we are looking forward to celebrating with them.

Since we are still living at my in-laws and being here this long was not in my plans, all of the normal things I would do for the season are on pause and in storage. I did have the forethought to pull out the thanksgiving books so I am really happy to have those here. There are a few resources I have purchased over the years and saved them on my computer

• Treehouse School House has been a delight to follow over the years and she creates beautiful, thoughtful and intentional products and resources that have really blessed our homeschool. She has a 2 week Thanksgiving Curriculum called “A Treasured Thanksgiving” which includes, a booklist, poetry, art, scripture, and a complete curriculum that would bless children of all ages. Even if I don’t follow the schedule exactly, I appreciate looking through it and getting some ideas for the upcoming days.
• Celeste Clark has lots of products and my favorite for this season is her Thankful Tree Printable. The leaves and other images are so beautiful and exactly the look that I love for my home. She has a simple brown paper tree which is so easy to duplicate. Last year we printed a bunch put them in a ziplock bag with pens and string and hung them on a tree along the walking path in our neighborhood and created a Thankful Tree in our neighborhood!
• Years ago I created a playlist of songs of thankfulness and have added to it over the years. This playlist has blessed our home and hearts and I am happy to share it with you.

Now that the practical has been addressed, this past week I was presented with a question about celebrating Thanksgiving with my kids at church and I heard a great talk about how knowing the Names of God can enhance our worship and help us in our times of need. As I was listening I was thinking about how much my celebrating has changed over the years and matured. I still do a lot of the same things but the heart motivation behind what I do has been refined. At this time of year, comparison can set in and we can look around and we can quickly become discontent, feel inadequate and unhappy with our circumstances. Every moment of our day can either turn our eyes to our away from God, knowing that one piece can equip us to fix our eyes on Christ.

1. Play To your Strengths that God has given you. When it comes to celebrating we are each different and bring our own personalities to our home, some people are so gifted at bringing nature inside and arranging it beautifully, some delight in making elaborate meals, others can effortlessly throw together a party and bring people together, some love to keep it really simple around their home. Think about what you love to do and what your strengths are and go in that direction. It will be easy and fun and way less stressful. You carry your personality wherever you go and can glorify God with that. When jealously or discontent bubbles up in your heart, say out loud what you LOVE about what they did and rejoice in the strengths that God gave them!
2. YOU celebrate and worship this season and then bring your children into that. Don’t just create experiences for your kids, create experiences of worship and celebration for yourself and invite your kids in. If you love to sit read Psalms of Thanksgiving with a cup of tea, do that, and invite your kids to join you. If you love morning walks to pray, do that, and invite your kids. If you love baking and cooking, do that and share part of yourself with your kids and share the tradition and memories If you dislike going to the library and decorating turkey cookies from the grocery store, don’t do that! It’s not a race or a competition about HOW to celebrate the season, I would encourage you to have your celebration produce worship.
3. Think about how you are being instead of what you are doing. Don’t get me wrong, that you are doing does matter, but more is caught than taught during our days. If you are busy creating a fun thanksgiving breakfast and craft extravaganza for your kids and you are up late, frazzled, uptight and angry, that is not a great experience for your family. If all you can do is pour cereal and write 1 thing you are thankful for on a napkin for your kid but do it with peace and joy, then do that. Strive to be a kind and loving mother. Simplify and pull back your plans until your heart is able to have peace and rest and it will bless your home and actually I have seen that I am able to think more clearly, be more organized and members of my family will actually offer to help me do things because I am pleasant to be around. Funny how that works.
4. Redeem the moments of your day. Think heavenward and out of the overflow of your heart your mouth will speak. Speak of how the dead leaves all around you reminds you that because of the curse everything dies, how sometimes letting go of things can make way for new blessings, how trees that have bare leaves aren’t dead, they are being prepared to burst forth life. As you bake cookies talk about how God has a perfect plan for your life too and He desires to do a good work in your life. How a kind words are like honey, good for the body and sweet for the soul. When you are brewing tea recall how beauty and growth take time and lots of waiting and “hot water”. Like the tea leaves we must be willing to go where God takes us and sit in hard seasons of trial and waiting to bring forth something lovely and useful in our lives. How just like we are eagerly waiting for water to boil, tea to steep and then cool down, all creation is groaning and waiting for the return of Christ. Talk about the Godly things that are rolling around in your mind with your kids or challenge yourself to think about things throughout your day might turn your heart to Christ.
5. Create The Atmosphere of Your Home. Think about the 5 senses and how to tailor them to the season. What smells, textures, sounds and surroundings are unique to this season and fill your home with that. Make the experience of being in your home one of seasonal delight and a reminder to the whole body that goodness is here and growing with anticipation. Swapping pictures in the frame, cozy blankets, specific playlists, seasonal smells and other things unique to you will bring delight to those you are around.

Enjoy the seasons as they come and whenever and however you celebrate keep watch over your heart with all diligence for from it flows the springs of life. What ways have you prepared your heart for the impending season? I’d love to hear from you!