5 Steps to Soul Rest in the Hustle of the Holidays

The holidays are upon us. I love the smells of pine and mulled cider. The sight of sparkling lights and glittering packages. The sounds of Christmas carols and jingle bells. The tastes of hot cocoa and Christmas cookies.

But along with all of these wonderful things, the holidays can also arrive with a ton of stress.

This is especially true in the age of social media when everyone posts pictures of their perfect family outings. When we see Pinterest posts of dazzling decorations and fantastic food. We may feel pressured to not only do it all but to do it better.

This threatens our soul rest. It prevents us from experiencing Christmas in “heavenly peace.”

So how can we find soul rest even in the hustle of the holidays?

Here are five ways I’ve found that can help:

Evaluate

Evaluate what is most important. Talk with your family and come up with a list of the five things that are most meaningful to you. You might discover no one cares about the annual trip to see the city’s Christmas tree or getting tons of presents. Highlight the traditions that are most important. Put those on your holiday calendar and consider dropping the rest.

Simplify

Simplify your traditions.  When I was growing up, my family entertained a lot and my mother made sure we had plenty of treats for all the visitors. Every December we baked and decorated hundreds of cookies. When I grew up, I tried to carry on that tradition. But now I’ve simplified Christmas baking to only three types of cookies–my family’s favorites.

Some other ways we simplify: We put up a Christmas tree, but don’t put up any outdoor decorations. My husband and I have agreed to exchange only one hand-made gift. We send out an “Epiphany Letter” after the holidays instead of trying to send out cards before Christmas.

Choose

Choose a more peaceful holiday. After you’ve identified your most treasured Christmas traditions and simplified them, other activities and invitations are sure to arrive and threaten your peaceful Christmas. At each new opportunity, determine is this added activity will enhance your Christmas peace or unravel it. Choose peace over hustle and bustle.

Let Go

Let go of guilt and comparison. Once we’ve made the choice to have a peaceful Christmas, Pinterest posts of perfect Christmas trees will appear. We’ll see Facebook photos of friends out ice skating. We’ll be tempted to think we should be doing those things too. But let’s not false guilt and joy-stealing comparison derail us from our choice of a peaceful Christmas.

Focus

Focus on Jesus, the new-born King! Christ came to bring us soul rest. He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Because of His humble birth, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection, we don’t have to strive for acceptance with God. We don’t have to work hard to get to heaven. We simply receive God’s gifts of faith and salvation. When I focus on that fact, I find rest. Rest from working for approval, attention, and acclaim.

Some ways to focus on Jesus: Read a Christmas devotional. Reread the Christmas story in Luke. Listen to Christian Christmas music while you’re cooking dinner. Stop for a moment in the middle of the day to thank the Father for the gift of His Son.

Jesus invites me and invites you to let go of the hurry and activity of the season and rest in His love.

Next step: Make a list of your most meaningful Christmas traditions. Find ways to simplify some of them. Choose a peaceful holiday season. Let go of guilt and comparison. Focus on Jesus, the newborn King!