Patriot Moms

Submitted By Marissa Henley, Patriot Mom

I tried something new this year. In October, I read on a friend's blog about how she and her friends encouraged each other to finish their Christmas preparations (shopping, wrapping, cards, decorating) by December 1. When I read that, I knew immediately that it would be a great idea for me. Since having kids (maybe before, but I can’t remember life before kids), I find myself stressed out every December.

By Christmas day, I am exhausted and overwhelmed, I haven’t cracked a Bible open in weeks, and I know I’ve been too consumed by all the work to spend time talking to my children about Christ’s birth. Not exactly how I should be preparing my heart or my family to celebrate the birth of our Savior!

This December, I was going to visit my sister and newborn nephew for 5 days right before Christmas, so I had already gotten an early start.
When I read my friend’s December 1 goal, I kicked it into high gear and got it done. Here’s how it all went down:

Early October: Asked for wish lists from family members
Mid-October: Started shopping (was almost entirely done by mid-November), using Amazon.com and other sites with free shipping to save time Late October: Bought outfits for kids’ Christmas picture Early November: Took Christmas card picture, updated Christmas card address list
Mid-November: Started wrapping gifts; wrote Christmas letter, got cards printed, got return address labels, stamps, etc.
Thanksgiving week: Addressed Christmas cards, finished wrapping gifts Weekend after Thanksgiving: Decorated house, cards were ready to mail
December: Talked about Advent with the kids, Christmas crafts with kids, baking, holiday gatherings, school parties, cleaning, travelled to Utah

As you can see, December was still pretty full. It was a little more chaotic than I thought it would be, due in part to my pre-Christmas travels. But I knew it would have been so much worse if my shopping, wrapping and cards hadn’t been done! Next year, I'd like to simplify December even more by doing some baking and freezing in October. I hope to have one signature item that I pull out of my freezer and take to all the holiday parties. (Like fellow PCCA mom, Lynette Duncan, who spent December providing us all with the most scrumptious cinnamon rolls ever.)

If you found yourself overwhelmed and exhausted this Christmas, consider joining me for the December 1 Challenge 2010! Make a timeline now so you are ready in October or September or whenever you need to start to give yourself time to enjoy Advent and prepare your heart to celebrate Christ’s birth. I want that to be my purpose in doing this: not to impress others with my organizational skills or be the first Christmas card you receive, but to make time to mediate on the incarnation, the Word made flesh, God coming to earth to save His people from their sins.