December has made its appearance. Though many of us have been preparing for Christmas with decorating and shopping before today, it is now December and Christmas is only twenty-four days away.For so many December is such a busy and stressful month. We have the decorating, shopping, baking, planning, parties and so much more that we stay extremely busy and get stressed out.
The thing is, we don't have to be so busy. We don't have to get stressed out. We can eliminate those feelings.
My dear bloggy friend, Traci, posted the other day about Letting Go Of Holiday Stress and how she was not going to do Christmas cards this year as way to eliminate some Christmastime stress.
Here are a couple of other tips that can help you stay peaceful in a stressful time:
- No matter how busy you think you are, no matter how crazy things get, never, ever forget to have your quiet time with God. He is the reason for this season, after all.
- Be sure to get enough sleep. You know how many hours your body needs to function properly. Make sure you go to bed on time each night. And if possible, try to go to bed an hour early once a week. An extra hour of sleep is always a blessing.
- As my bloggy friend, Traci, did, go through your normal routine of Christmas and see if there is anything you can eliminate, like cards or attending a party every weekend.
- Instead of stressing over gifts, think of what a person really needs. Try getting gift certificates for hair cuts, oil changes, gas cards, etc.
Sweet Blessings~
Linking with:
Thought Provoking Thursday
Grace Café
Proverbs 31 Thursday
Koinonia Community
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Stopping by from Thought Provoking Thursday!
ReplyDeleteGreat suggestions on staying stress-free. Music always helps me. Hand selecting the music I listen to each day has helped me tremendously. And I love handmade gifts. I would love to give them. But if I'm being honest, they stress me out! the pressure. I'm not super crafty, so the creativity involved is too overwhelming. And I've decided to be okay with that. :)
These are great tips! We're trying the idea of writing the list to give before writing out a list of wants, among other Advent devotions and little crafts leading up to Christmas.
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts Jenifer! I think we all tend to allow ourselves to get swept up in the "hustle and bustle" this time of year. Taking a step back and evaluating things we can "slim down" can make a huge difference, and allow us to more properly focus on the wondrous event this season celebrates.
ReplyDeleteHave a Blessed Day!
I love your encouragement today, Jenifer. We must never let ourselves be too busy to spend time with God.
ReplyDeleteGreat post sister! We don't do Christmas cards or any of that "Christmas stuff" and this year I was mainly stressing about gifts and how we were going to afford them SO we've taken out the stress and aren't buying gifts this year instead we're givingour time, our hearts, our love. I'm definitley making this a Christmas to remember and working at growing even closer to God.
ReplyDeleteI am TRYING not to compare myself with everything that everyone else is doing. We've got plenty of Christmas happenings going on here, and if I can be content with what we do, it will be so much better. There is never an end to potential, so sometimes it can feel discouraging if we don't measure up. Nonetheless, I am trying to keep perspective and do the things that are good for our family - the things we enjoy. :-)
ReplyDeleteAll of your ideas are wonderful. I don't usually have any problems with too much going on at Christmas time, sometimes it's more the opposite. I love the Christmas season and I enjoy the company of friends and family especially at this time.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Cindy
Yes I agree the most important is to always have your quiet time with God, if possible, first thing in the morning, so it doesn't get waylaid by other "important" stuff! Patsy from
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Thanks for the great ideas.
ReplyDeleteJenifer:
ReplyDeleteThese are very good suggestions. Too often I'm so caught up in the "busyness" that I forget to slow down and consider what Christmas is really about.
Blessings,
Joan
Great tips... I thinking about what I can cut out. Often we do what we think is expected of us. This is definitely one of those years where I need to focus on the important and cut out the urgent. Thanks for getting me thinking :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you posted this. It's really quite simple, isn't it? We just need to do it: one of your tips at a time, this year, then next year, and voila! Sweeter, more meaningful Christmastimes each year. I'm workin' on it! Thank you, and God bless!
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