The holidays are an exciting time of year filled with family, gifts, and LOTS of food. The holidays can be expensive, and it's really easy to get distracted by all the material aspects of the holidays, especially Christmas. You get caught up buying gifts for parents, children, siblings, significant others, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, the list goes on and on.
But, besides all of this spending, whats's the point of the holidays? What makes them so special? Does everyone love the holidays as much as we do? These are all questions that we should stop and ponder during this busy time. To help keep you focused during the holidays, here's a list of 5 things to remember on during the holidays.
1. Not everyone has people to celebrate with.
We often take for granted the family and friends that we have to share in the joy of the season with. Some people, however, are not as lucky. There are people who will be spending the holidays alone. Take a moment during the chaos of your own life and think about doing something nice for someone you may not know well, or even at all.
Bake Christmas cookies for neighbors you've never talked to, hand out candy canes to your co-workers, or even pray for those that won't be spending the holidays with the people they love. You never know what someone may be going through this season, and a little kindness can go a long way.
2. Not everyone can afford to celebrate the holidays.
Have you ever stopped, before you're about to enjoy your delicious Christmas dinner, and thought about people who can't afford to buy food for their family? Have you thought about how hard it must be for a parent to tell their children that they can't afford to buy them Christmas presents? Have you thought about how many go outside without a winter coat or proper shoes?Food, warm clothes, and even presents are all things we take for granted.
There are so many ways to help those in need. Donate clothing that you don't wear anymore, send cans into school with your children when their schools do a can drive, volunteer at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Overall, the most important thing is to thank the Lord for giving you so many blessings, and remember that not everyone has them.
3. Retail workers are only human.
I can't stress this enough. I know you want your presents to be in on time for Christmas (even though you didn't order them until the week before), I know you want your son to have that red Nike shirt in his size (even though the store doesn't have it), I know you want to be able to use two coupons (even though it's against store policy), but none of these problems are the fault of the retail workers.
During Christmas people become CRAZY. When going in to a store, take a deep breath, and remember that the workers in the store are only human. They can't control everything, and if something goes wrong it's not their fault, and Christmas will not be ruined (no matter how much it feels like it in that moment).
4. Stop and enjoy the season.
Everyone says that the holidays fly by so quickly. This year take some time to go out with your family and enjoy the Christmas lights, enjoy the holiday music (even if you've heard the same 5 songs about 70 times), have a Christmas movie night with your family. The saying "stop and smell the roses" is so relevant during this time; stop and enjoy the season. It's going to be over before you know it, so don't miss your chance to soak it all in.
5. The real reason for celebrating is Jesus.
This is absolutely key. The real reason for Christmas is not for people to give and receive presents, or to bake cookies, or to listen to music. It's to celebrate the most amazing gift that the Lord has ever given us; his Son. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16.
God sent Jesus down to the earth to die for our sins, and Christmas is a day to celebrate the birth of our savior. Don't let the material parts of Christmas cast a shadow over what's really important.
