It is my favorite time of the year! Christmas has been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember, and I am just so excited to celebrate it with my one-year-old this year! He was only 2 months old last year, so I know this year will be way more fun.
Every year, I try to remain intentional because the season goes by so fast. I feel like I’m trying to make time stop for just a moment, but it keeps flying past me. So today, I want to share 5 tips to prepare your heart and home for Christmas. These tips will help you (and me!) to remain intentional so that we can soak up every moment. Let’s begin!
Related: How to Thrive as a Single Girl During Christmas
Do an Advent study
First up, one of my favorites. I LOVE doing Advent studies. For about 15-20 minutes per day, I am intentionally sitting still to focus my heart on Jesus and the story of Christmas. It is so fun and so special, and there are so many studies out there to choose from. I have done Ann Voskamp’s The Greatest Gift for the last 5ish years, and I absolutely love it. The writing is beautiful, the truths are profound, and it doesn’t take long to read through. I highly recommend it. This year, I am doing the Daily Grace Co’s Advent study. I haven’t done it before, but I love everything else that the company has put out, so I’m sure it’s great. They have so many Advent resources for the whole family!
I’d love to hear your favorite Advent study, or one that you are going to try this year.
Decorate your home intentionally
This past year especially, I’ve been trying to intentionally decorate my home and make it feel inviting, cozy, and simple. Christmas decor is my favorite, but I try to remember that less is more so that it doesn’t feel overwhelming. There are two reasons for this: first, it is not so overwhelming to have to set up and take down, and second, it allows your home to feel curated and beautiful.
This year, Forest Decor sent me a handmade nativity scene that perfectly ties in with my philosophy. It is small and beautiful, but it also helps keep our focus on why we’re celebrating. Y’all, this nativity set is handmade out of real forest wood. I just think it’s so cute! You can browse the different options that they have here!
Slow down
Our lives are so full and so busy, and like I mentioned earlier, it is so easy to feel like Christmas is just slipping through our fingers. Slowing down has to be an intentional choice. For me, when I feel like I am not living in the present and able to enjoy the moment right in front of me, the first thing I do is delete Instagram and Facebook from my phone. It is so distracting and takes up time that could be spent making beautiful memories. How can you slow down this season? Is there something you can say no to or distractions you can eliminate? Or is it just a heart posture of intentionality that needs to be cultivated? I encourage you to do some soul searching this season to see how you can slow down and truly focus on what matters most.
Plan plan plan!
I am such a planner. It is November 6 as I write this and I already have bought 90% of my Christmas gifts. There are 2 reasons for this: I just absolutely love giving gifts and get so excited to pick them out, and I also want to plan ahead so I can just enjoy the season without having the task hanging over my head. It also helps to give time for orders to ship if you are buying gifts online. You don’t have to necessarily buy gifts as early as I do, but I really encourage you to sit down and have a planning session. Write out ideas for gifts for everyone on your list, text people to ask them what they want if you need to, go ahead and order what needs to be ordered. And don’t just focus on the gifts- what activities do you want to do this season? Are you wanting to go see Christmas lights? What Christmas parties are you going to? When is the small town parade? Get all of this written in your planner or on your calendar and order any tickets that you need to so that you can stay organized and not have it all floating around in your head. It will help so much as you seek to remain peaceful and joyful this Christmas season.
Hilary from Old World Home has a beautiful Christmas planner that may be helpful for you. I haven’t used it because I have my own methods for planning, but it looks amazing!
Remember why we celebrate
Lastly, amid the busyness and lights, it’s important that we just remember why we’re celebrating. If you are already doing the above points, like slowing down and doing an Advent study, you’re in a great position to be able to remember why we celebrate. But when you’re stressed or overwhelmed with everything that needs to happen during the Christmas season, take a moment to pause and remember why. Sometimes that means that you need an attitude change, and other times that means you need to say no to something. You don’t have to do allll the things to get the most out of Christmas. Celebrating our Savior is enough.
I hope you all have the best (intentional) Christmas season!
In this with you,
Tags : Christmas, encouragement, home, homemaking, lifestyle
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