Well here we are in December. The Thanksgiving holiday is behind us and the Advent and Christmas season lies ahead. We hear the songs that are calling this the most wonderful time of the year, but it can sometimes feel like the busiest and most hurried time of the year. There are just so many details to solve, so many social gatherings, so many responsibilities. We can end up feeling so rushed that we’re unable to settle into the good news that this season is all about.

And what is it all about?

Jesus has come to be “God with us.” Immanuel. In my hurry, I forget that God is always with me thanks to the gift of Jesus’ life and the empowering presence of God’s Spirit helping me experience his presence.

So, as a way to help us enter into this “God-with-us” reality, I want to share some thoughts about how to unhurry our holidays.

A few years ago, when An Unhurried Life was published, I contributed to an article for the Christian post titled “Top 10 Ways to Have an Unhurried Christmas Season.” I’m going to take some time here to unpack those 10 ways in this episode.

Now these suggestions are not meant to add a whole lot more tasks to your already-too-long holiday to do list. I’m hoping instead that you’ll find one or two of these ideas to be a way to approach this holiday season from a different spirit—with a more unhurried, relaxed, and peaceful heart.

Our Ten Ways to Unhurry Your Holidays Summarized:

1. Enjoy a few sips of your morning coffee or tea for five minutes without doing anything other than enjoying the moment.
2. Take an evening walk in your neighborhood and enjoy the decorations that may be up. Make it a stroll. Feel the crisp air on your face. Engage all of your senses.
3. As you are preparing to buy a gift for someone, slow down enough to ask yourself, "What would they enjoy? What would bless them, encourage them, enrich them, help them?" See if you can resist the temptation to make gift purchasing an exercise in efficiency, but rather an offering of love.
4. Slow down enough to look a salesperson in the eye and thank them for their help. Bless them in the midst of what is a likely a very frantic season for them.
5. Give yourself the gift of one morning to wake up without an alarm clock going off.
6. Take a moment at the end of a day to think back over it. What are you grateful for? Say thanks. What was hard? Ask for help. What do you wish you did differently? Ask for forgiveness.
7. Take the opportunity to spend a little time with someone whose needs are greater than yours. The needs might be financial, emotional, physical, etc.
8. At a Christmas party or holiday gathering, be more present to others by listening well to what they are sharing. Ask questions that express interest and care.
9. Take a moment to read the story about the birth of Jesus (Lk 2:1-21).
10. The prophet Isaiah described Jesus as a child who would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Which of these names hits closest to home for you? Carry it with you through this holiday season.

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