“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”
― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

I love this quote by Dr. Seuss. We all know that Christmas isn’t really about the tinsel, lights, candy, presents, or incessant holiday baking. Really. We know that.

And yet I think it is easy for many of us to be so caught up in a whirlwind of activities, we’ve blinked and it’s New Years Day. Christmas can come and go without a pause, it seems.

I’m a firm believer in Advent – taking time out during the month of December to to wait…to make room in our hearts for Christ and His bountiful love to fill and overflow us.

To ensure that we focus on what is most important to us, we have to be intentional about shedding any, um, unnecessary tinsel 🙂

Here are 8 Tips to help you make time for what is most important this month:

1. Plan ahead – Wait! you may think! it’s too late to do that now. Au contraire, my friend! What do you really want to make time for this Christmas? Quality time with friends or family members?  Reading Scripture and in prayer? Visiting a special site or participating in a service project close to your heart?

Set out to make those activities highest on your list. Plan out the most feasible times for these things to happen and commit to it.

2. Don’t feel pressure to do things just because others are doing them. Today I got the cutest Christmas card in the mail. A gorgeous family photo with a well-thought out letter summarizing their year. I loved it! Am I going to write a letter, get pictures printed, address envelopes, and send them out?

Maybe not. If I have time I will, but it’s not the most important item on my list, so you may all be getting a Christmas email from our family this year 🙂 And I’m okay with that!

3. Choose to attend events and parties that are the most enjoyable and meaningful for you and your family. This is a time of year when your email inbox may be overflowing with invites, which is a fabulous problem! Again, don’t feel like you have to say yes to every one of them.

Choose those that will be fun and meaningful without taking away from needed down time in the midst of the activity.

4. Buy fewer gifts, but make them more meaningful. Growing up, my family members purchased one main present for each person from the other and put some thought into it. When we go to open them, we spend more time really enjoying each one rather than opening 50 gifts and not even remembering who gave us what.

This simplifies the gift-giving process and also means that when I look for a gift for one of my daughters, I’m not just going into Target and buying whatever cute thing I see. I want to choose something she will really delight in and use regularly.

NOTE TO PARENTS: This approach also de-stresses your life because there are less toys to clean up and less clutter around your house.

5. Buy gifts online whenever possible – We have this beautiful thing called the internet that allows us to search, find, click, and ship in only minutes. It saves us trips to crowded stores, impulse purchases, gas money, and headaches.

I like to get a hot cup of something, turn on some festive music, and knock out my shopping – shipping all over the country for FREE with Amazon Prime (2 day shipping, nonetheless!) in a matter of a few hours.

Bam. Done. More time for other things.

6. Enjoy the people around you – I know it’s hard sometimes 🙂 But if you have a huge crowd invading your home for a week (and you aren’t that thrilled about it) make a choice beforehand of how you are going to handle any relatives annoying comments or behavior.

7. Steal some time away – alone – Take a walk alone at night and enjoy the silence while looking at the lights in your neighborhood. Get a cup of coffee at your local coffee shop and take a time out. Do something that is relaxing and rejuvenating for you personally.

8. Don’t sweat the small stuff! – So the tinsel never got hung? You had to give store bought cookies to the neighbors instead of your homemade peppermint bark? It’s okay. Really. Don’t sweat the small stuff!

What is your favorite aspect of the Christmas season? How have you made time to slow down and focus on Christ in this time? I would love to hear from you!