Dealing with Christmas Chaos

“I can’t wait until Christmas is over.”
Sound familiar? We all feel the pressure. Seeking the perfect present. Wrapping the gifts just right. Setting an impeccable table. No wonder we feel stressful over the season.
What about changing how we think? What about instead of, I have to … say, I get to …?
Instead of I have to buy the perfect present, say I get to buy a present? So many people are all alone during the holidays. Consider what they’d give to spend a few hours with family members no longer near. And many people struggle with monthly bills and can’t afford the tiniest gift.
Instead of I have to wrap this box perfectly, you say I can wrap this box? People lose the use of their hands due to accidents, amputations or paralysis. Do you think they’d trade places with you in a heartbeat?
Instead of I have to set a perfect holiday table, you say I get to set a table for the holidays? If there’s food and clean drinking water at your disposal, you’ve among the luckiest people in the world.
Consider the original purpose of Christmas—the celebration of the arrival of the Messiah! Try to shake off the trappings of society’s materialism and press through to the beauty of simplicity. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:11 NIV.
Nothing changes until we change how we think. Let’s shake off the chaos by switching our focus.