How to Have a Sacred Holiday Season
Christmas is the holiday for which we all know we should celebrate the “real meaning,” but many of us struggle to know how.
The culture does a fabulous job of giving us ideas on how to make it more magical and fun. The culture also gives us full instructions on how we can spend more and fill our calendar fuller than we prefer.
However, if you are anything like me, the culture will also leave you standing on Christmas Eve, holding your candle, singing Silent Night, and realizing, I’ve missed it. I’ve missed what this day is all about. And shame would tell you, as it did me, that it’s too late to redeem this day.
I’m here to tell you today that it’s not too late. It’s not too late if every Christmas before this was not just knee-deep in cultural celebrations, but over-your-head deep. It’s not too late if you are reading this on December 20, or even Dec 26. We move forward in faith, knowing shame isn’t from our Father. He is in the business of making all things new, including how you celebrate him at Christmas.
So as we move forward in faith, let’s live out Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” To live a life that isn’t conformed to this world, but instead transformed, doesn’t mean you have to abandon all the traditions you have loved or completely shift your ideologies about Christmas. Instead, it’s coming to the Father with open hands about past traditions, our current plans, and our hopes for the future. It’s letting him shape and reshape things, allowing him to add and take away other things.
Here are a few ideas to get you started as you ask the Father to help you celebrate him more this Christmas as he continues to transform your mind:
Lean into his Word more at Christmas (do an Advent study!).
For whatever reason, most women give themselves grace during the holidays when it comes to spending time with God. I see this even with Advent resources that are being marketed with sayings like, “We know you are busy, so try this super easy and fast devotional.” Sister, I wish we were in person so you could see the love in my eyes for you as I say this: you are worth more, and Jesus is worthy of more as well. Don’t go easy on yourself this season. I even encourage the women who do my Sacred Holidays Advent studies--He Is or For All (available on Amazon)–to do their study with a group. Yes, we encourage women to lean in even more to studying God’s Word this Advent. This is transforming our mind over conforming our calendar. We say no to more parties so we can say yes to gathering with women to encourage one another in the Word as we study and celebrate that He Is For All! We all have the same hours in our day; it’s up to us how we use them. Let’s not be victims of our schedules this year!
Use Advent candles in your home.
This is hands-down the best thing, next to studying Scripture, you can do for yourself and others around you–family you live with, roommates, co-workers, etc. The same way the twinkly lights of the Christmas tree stir our hearts with the love of this season, the Advent candles will do the same for your heart for God. You start with five candles, and each week, starting the fourth Sunday before Christmas, you light another candle, and then the final one on Christmas day. You start in darkness to remind yourself that without Christ, we are hopeless. And then, as you light a new candle each day, you will see how the closer we get to the Light of the World coming to earth, the brighter our way gets. Finally, on Christmas Day you will be amazed to see the light, having just experienced the darkness, and your hope in Jesus will be increased knowing that he came to bring light to the darkness! For more on Advent candles, watch this video.
Say no more, so you can say yes better.
We already talked about this a little bit in regard to choosing to do an Advent Bible study, but this advice carries through all parts of the holidays. There isn’t a right or wrong approach to this–there isn’t a list of things to say yes or no to. Ask your Father what you should say yes and no to, and then walk in obedience towards that. This is how we allow him to transform our minds–we ask him to give us discernment to do his “good, pleasing, and perfect will” (Rom. 12:2).
Some specifics you might want to start with:
- Are there any activities or plans you need to say no to (even if you already RSVP’d yes)? Any you should say yes to or start doing yourself?
- Do you need to spend less money this year? How can you better budget this year and not go into debt or spend excessively?
- Are there relationships in which you need to do some forgiveness work before you see the other person? Are there relationships in which you need to seek to love more intentionally?
- What do you want to do with your time with the Lord this season? Should you get a Sacred Holidays Advent study or join a group at your church?
I hope these suggestions encourage you and give you a great headstart on making your Christmas more about loving Jesus and others. One final encouragement with which we begin the book, Sacred Holidays: Less Chaos, More Jesus: take baby steps. I know we all want to do it all and do it perfectly–there isn’t such a thing. One baby step at a time. Push yourself to do what you know you need to do, but don’t put the burden on yourself to do it all this year.
Let’s go make our holidays sacred—holy and set apart. If you found this article helpful, we’d love to celebrate with you and see how you are applying it this year. Be sure to tag @sacredholidays and use #sacredholidays. You can also grab your copy of Sacred Holidays: Less Chaos, More Jesus by Becky Kiser anywhere books are sold online and in Lifeway stores.
is the Founder and CEO of Sacred Holidays, a ministry dedicated to connect the heart of women to the heart of God during peak seasons of women’s lives (the holidays they celebrate). She is a certified Myers-Briggs Personal and Executive Coach. She is addicted to ice tea and nail polish, loves Texas summers, and usually is reading 3 books at the same time (although it’s a lot of picture books these days). She lives in the Woodlands, Texas with her husband, Chris, and their three daughters: Karis, Moriah, and Chandler. They aim to live out Jesus’ instruction to love God and others.
Photograph © Lukas Langrock, used with permission
