Silent Night… Holy Night… All is calm… Draw near to gaze… Come and Worship… Saints before the alter bending… Rejoice, with heart and soul and voice… O tidings of comfort and joy… this Holy tide of Christmas doth bring redeeming grace… the world in solemn stillness lay… O hush the noise, ye men of strife… O rest beside the weary road… How still we see thee lie… deep and dreamless sleep… Fall on your knees… the Spirit felt its worth… one seems to hear words of good cheer from everywhere filling the air… (all these words are from Christmas Carols)
DO THESE PHRASES DESCRIBE YOUR CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION?
December used to be the busiest month of the year for me. From church events to personal parties and performing at other people’s events to… I don’t know what all. But by News Years Day I was so exhausted “Peace on Earth” seemed a distant memory.
This year I am slowing December down. My calendar is mostly empty and I will be keeping close to home and just relaxing and taking it much slower. We are planning to have a Christmas Hour every day where we do just a little something as a family to enjoy the celebration of Jesus. Read a story, play a game, or just sit in front of the fireplace and watch the lights on the tree flicker. I’ve turned down a bunch of speaking engagements despite the financial need to do them and postponed several projects to January and expect to get very behind on e-mail.
Why? Because I want to experience a December where my family is truly really FIRST like it never has been before.
All I want for Christmas this year is some peace and quiet.
Enjoy this video:
Let me encourage you to not overbook this month… leave some blank days on the calendar. Have some days where all you do is enjoy the day. Put off anything that can be put off. Before every urgent thing ask yourself, “Come June, will it matter whether I did this in December or January?” You might just find yourself doing some GODLY PROCRASTINATION!
(Thanks to Alan Phillips for the video posted on his blog.)
Great post Karl! I am going to use the idea of doing something each day with my family that has to do with Christmas, I don’t know why I had not thought of this before, so basic I love it. I am glad that you were able to use the video, it’s a pretty cool video.
Bummer, I paid $20 dollars to purchase this video for our worship team! I didn’t know it was on You tube! Alan, it is a great idea and has been done for centuries! It’s called advent!