Sowing for Harvest

Dear Friend,

Are you a pre-Thanksgiving or post-Thanksgiving Christmas decorator? This has been a topic of fierce debate among celebrators of the birth of the one true God for YEARS. My family always waits until after Thanksgiving to decorate, just because we like to keep the traditional fall Thanksgiving vibes and they clash with my preferred bright winter/traditional esthetic. I can’t judge those on the other side of that debate though, I used to start our Christmas season on December 5th and the day of decorating has slowly crept up to Black Friday. So who knows, maybe I’ll be a Christmas in July sort of gal in a few more years.

Things feel differently this year, for the first time, I saw many families hastily decorate their homes and yards on November 1st! It felt like everyone went, “Whew, Halloween’s over, CHRISTMASTIME!!!” as they dashed to the basement and pulled a reverse Grinch. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. The closer I’ve drawn to God, the less I care for the often demonic-looking decorations of Halloween. But why is everyone so hasty with Christmas this year? The Black Friday in-store sales were huge and there were people lined up in their cars for miles waiting to get into parking lots, it was like I woke up from my turkey coma in 1995.

I keep seeing reels on social media about how moms are the source of all the Christmas magic. That if we lie down on the job, it won’t get done, there will be no presents under the tree or pie to pass. And let’s be honest…it’s mostly true. We have so much pressure on our shoulders at Christmas. All this hustle and bustle to and fro, hosting and sledding and reading stories and decorating and shopping and cooking and baking and and and you get the point.

All you mamas out there embodying the roles of the Proverbs 31 woman, Santa, and the Ghost of Christmas Present, go ahead and pat yourself on the back, have a chestnut latte and take a deep breath! You can do this! You are doing the too often overlooked and underappreciated kingdom work that sets the stage for the joy of an entire season and countless memories for your kids.

But you know how all that eggnog and gingerbread can quickly add up on the scale if we don’t somehow find the time and energy to hop into a workout? So too can all the hustle and magic-making weigh down our own spirit and joy if we don’t find the time and motivation to get into the Word each day and get down on our knees and thank God for the family to make magic for and the means to do it.

¹⁰He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” [Psalm 46:10]

I know a lot of messages around this time of year surround the ideas of destroying gift-getting greed by giving and serving those less fortunate. Trying to keep up the Joneses or get attention through decorations? Boot pride through prayer and acts of humility. Struggling with holiday calories/bills/dates? Reel in gluttony of food or drink or shoes or romantic partners by fasting. These are all important messages that many people need to learn at some point in their lives.

¹⁵Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. [James 1:15]

But what do you do if you are just feeling overworked and less joyful during the busiest time of year? After some years of striving to give my children the greatest celebration of Christmas I can, I realized that my children could tell when I was truly rested and joyful vs when I was just pretending to be. They didn’t ask about it but I noticed that they were a little different in their celebration, almost as if they were trying to cheer me up by being silly and rambunctious. This of course likely just made me feel my exhaustion even more.

I think these times of stress require some serious self-regulation to get through. What makes you feel excited and joyful, even in the face of exhaustion? How do you fill your cup? I’ve tried bubble baths, I got overheated and bored in less than 10 minutes. I’ve tried watching a movie by myself, only to miss my family and feel guilty for leaving them. The only thing that I’ve tried and found success in that doesn’t require me to leave or feel guilt in any way is diving straight into the Word or a women’s bible study.

²⁷So he answered and said, ” ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” ²⁸And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” [Luke 10:27-28]

Where there is a will, there is a way and it may require you to make the time and energy to work out your spiritual muscles even when you’re exhausted. You know when someone that needs help should turn to God for strength. So why would you not ask for help when YOU need it?

¹“I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? ²My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” [Psalms 121:1-2]

So whether you decorate before or after Thanksgiving or on Christmas Eve, your joy during the celebration of Christ’s birth is the real tradition your children will pass on to their children someday. I hope this helped!

Love,

Eileen