I heard something on the radio the other day that was just totally disheartening.

Fifty percent of America wishes we could just skip over Christmas and not celebrate!

That is so sad for many reasons. And I know why so many feel that way!

Because Christmas has become so commercialized!

There is so much pressure to do this and that and to buy presents that it all has just become a burden for this 50%.

In short, they’ve forgotten the true meaning of Christmas.

But, you know, whether we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas or not, I think we are ALL vulnerable to one day feeling this way because of all the pressure that is put on us from our culture during the Holiday Season.

I am bound and determine to keep Christmas what it was meant to be – a celebration of the birth of my Savior, Jesus Christ!

And here’s how I am trying to accomplish that:

1. Shopping – I try to “Christmas Shop” all year long. Honestly, I didn’t do a great job of doing this this year, probably because shopping with two little ones isn’t something I do too often. But on years I do do this, it takes so much pressure off. Plus, I am able to truly enjoy the gift of giving because as I see something that reminds me of someone, I buy it for them, instead of scrounging around last minute trying to cross off names on my Christmas list!

2. The Three Gift Rule – We give our girls 3-4 Christmas presents each year and that is it. If Christmas is about celebrating Jesus’s birth then there is no reason for them to have 10+ gifts under the tree! We give them more on their special day – their birthdays. But Christmas is Jesus’s birthday and if gold, frankincense and myrrh (3 gifts) was enough for Jesus, it is certainly enough for my girls. Plus, I don’t want 20+ new toys in my house every December! Oh, the clutter! Nor do I want to pay that bill. Cut back on gift giving and it will cut back on stress.

3. Running from House to House – We simply don’t do it. Both sets of our parents live within 20-30 minutes of us, which means, we can see both sets of the family at holidays which is very special. However, we don’t go see one side of the family only to pack up everyone and everything and run to the other side hours later! We all get together in one location and have a big, happy, family gathering at either my parents’ house or Dave’s parents’ house. This year we will be at Dave’s parents’ house and my side of the family will come there. It truly is a big, happy family gathering and a true blessing that all of our family jumped on this idea when we first presented it to them!

4. Just Say No – It is amazing how the calendar for December fills up so quickly! I get our calendar and look it over and make sure it isn’t “too full”. That is a measure that will be different for each family. My “too full” may not look like your “too full”. I had to say no to one of the Christmas parties we were invited to because it was just “too much”. I don’t want the Christmas season to pass by in a blur as I run my family from this activity to the next. There is something about just staying at home and having a family Game Night with hot chocolate (or something like that) one night than feeling like you must attend every single party and every single activity you have been invited to from December 1st to New Years! Take some pressure off and politely decline to attend some of the activities and feel your stress decrease!

I, for one, am NOT one of those 50%. I LOVE this time of year. No matter what our culture has done with Christmas, we all still have the power to make Christmas be for our families what it was meant to be.

A celebration of that holy night so long ago when Jesus Christ was born!

- Elaine