How to Schedule an Amazingly Calm Christ-Centered Christmas

Christmas is coming–How are you scheduling it

Christmas is coming. It does every year. How will this year be Christ-Centered? How will this year be different? As I write this, there are 12 weeks to Christmas. If we are planning, let’s plan to be ready early. Let’s plan some margin in, and for the interruptions, which are inevitable, and so that we can have some time to do special things that we haven’t even thought of yet! This is an 8-week series with a Schedule for each week that if you follow, you’ll be pretty much ready for Christmas by Thanksgiving.

• There are 12 Weeks to Christmas
• Start Now and you can be done planning by Thanksgiving
• You CAN have a Calm Christ-centered Christmas this year! 

Click on the links below to Read all the Posts in “How to Schedule for a Calm, Christ-centered Christmas” (8-Weeks’ Schedule):

• Week 1:  How to Schedule an Amazingly Calm, Christ-Centered Christmas
• Week 2: 12 Steps for a Calm, Christ-centered Christmas, Week 2
• Week 3: How to Get Organized for the Holidays
• Week 4: How to Actually Have a Wonderful Christ-Centered Christmas
• Week 5: How to Keep Christmas the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
• Week 7:  How to Get Organized for a More Meaningful Christmas

How to Schedule an amazingly calm christ-centered christmas

It’s going to be a different Christmas because it’s 2020, but how can we make it different in a significantly good, Christ-centered way? First, I advise you to aim to be pretty much ready for Christmas–at least the major things done–by Thanksgiving. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?

Right now we have a little more than 8 weeks left until Thanksgiving.  Normally I would recommend 12 weeks of prep, so you can plan for that next year, still finishing up the major plans by Thanksgiving! It’s ok to obtain your goals in steps! All or nothing is another stress-producer, joy-stealer, and lie that you need to rid yourself of. 

This year learn the ropes, practice, and next year add a month on at the beginning to have an even more calm, Christ-centered Christmas! It’s important to decide what that looks like for your family. It will look different and mean different things to each individual and family. You will also learn to tweak, so this isn’t a one-size-fits-all schedule. 

Disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links, which just means that I may get a small commission if you click on an affiliate link and as a result make a purchase. I only recommend products and services that I use myself, know to be excellent quality, and/or know will help and benefit you! 

I encourage you to make it yours. With 8 weeks instead of 12, you may  need to work faster, skip something, or do more work up front, have a few very busy weeks at the front end, perhaps, or make a plan to work right up to Christmas to get everything done. I don’t recommend that last option. 

Remember that everything takes longer than you’d planned. And, to make a schedule that plans for interruptions, because they will absolutely come! Next year plan to start earlier. I recommend beginning September 1st. But, this year, just start now. What I’ve learned is, “Work with what you’ve got!” This year especially.

Let Me encourage you you can do it

What does a Calm Christ-Centered Christmas look like

Here’s the Schedule for Week 1: September 25, 2020 – October 2, 2020 (if you start later, you’ll just end closer to Christmas)

• Write out your goals, including all the things
• Make a budget including all the things (a free budget app you might find helpful, is Everydollar.com by Dave Ramsey–not an affiliate, I just love it:): don’t forget things like postage and shipping, tax on gifts, hospitality expenses for parties and gatherings, hosting company and extra groceries and ingredients for Christmas baking
• Write out who you need to give gifts to, with an estimated amount to spend next to each name, to fit with your budget

“I ask whether you pray because diligence in prayer is the secret of eminent holiness.”

Wendy Gunn

• Decide if you will give Christmas cards, and make the list of who to send them to
• Gather addresses (can you hand deliver some?); make a Master Christmas address list on the computer in an Excel spreadsheet or a Google sheet (the latter works well if others will contribute and update addresses)
• Buy Christmas cards (with a distinctly Christian message–Dayspring has a nice selection of boxed cards–plan to buy them for next year at the after-Christmas sale:) and Christmas stationery, if sending a letter (Subscribe! So you don’t miss when I share with subscribers my template for an evangelistic message that you can add into your letter for all the recipients who don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ! You may be the only one who brings the True Reason for the Season into their lives this year!)

• Sign ⅓ of your Christmas cards
• Decide when and where you will take your Christmas photo, and make the arrangements–will you need a photographer?
• I recommend putting out fall (specifically Thanksgiving) decorations in September. They don’t have enough time to be enjoyed before the Christmas decorations come out. I usually take my fall decor out, including all the decorations that encourage thankful thoughts and grateful hearts, the first week of September, but do it now, if not already done.

This is Week 1 of the 8-week plan I have prepared for you! Join me each week here as I share the Week’s Schedule for “How to Have an Amazingly Calm, Christ-Centered Christmas.” Check back for Week 2 and each coming week! Comment with questions or share what you do! Let me know when you finish the items on the list and I’ll let you know, too, and head over to my Facebook page to share! Pictures, too!

What’s the point of a Christ-centered christmas?

The goal is Jesus. The objective is to focus on Christ. Not to look good. Not to indulge my flesh. Not to make others envious.

Take your motivations and heart before the LORD, ask Him forgiveness, and then ask Him to give you HIS goals for a Christ-Centered Christmas. We all need to do this, because none of us has completely pure motives, right? and we can all work on this! 

I want a stress-free life. I’m the first one to admit that. But, it’s not going to happen, depending on how you define stress. How do I know that? Scripture tells me in no uncertain terms that “in this life you will have tribulation.” “Count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations…” And, looking at Jesus, my Example, his life was anything BUT stress-free, again, depending on how you define it. If my life will contain the fruit, the Spirit-filled activity that God desires, it will also have the intensity, the busyness at times, of Jesus, and His disciples, and the stress, if you will.

But, that doesn’t mean I have to be anxious, worried, feel like I’m going to have a nervous breakdown, etc. Look at Jesus’ birth. It definitely wasn’t all smooth-sailing, and “picture-perfect.” But, it went exactly according to the Heavenly Father’s plan. We get the idea that as a Christian, life should be smooth-sailing, and that we will always have everything under control–if we’re doing it right. But, that’s not what I’m saying.

It’s All About the Birthday of Jesus Christ

One thing I’m sure of: it’s all about Christ. Whatever we’re celebrating, if we celebrate Christmas, His birthday is what it’s about. It’s honoring Him. Let’s find out what that will look like and mean in our family. Please don’t set up a list of rules, or see this schedule as a list of rules that will make you righteous, and expect others to follow it, too. Please don’t set up your own righteousness, establishing a list of do’s and don’t’s that you MUST follow, in order to achieve righteousness, in your own eyes!

Stop believing the lie that the christian life is perfect

The idea that, as a Christian, life should be smooth-sailing all the time, and that we will always have everything under control, is a total fallacy. And, I don’t know who started that myth, but it has taken a firm hold on Christian women. Maybe because it sounds so good. If only I could have all my ducks in a row. If only all my laundry could be done, folded and put away all the time, then I’d be a success. And if it isn’t, then I’m a failure. 

Study Jesus’ life. If His family thought He was losing it, because He was so busy He didn’t even have time to eat, then you will also have times like this. Perfection is not the goal, and, while having order in our homes is a good thing, the idea that there’s a perfect balance you think you can obtain–and then live in–is a myth.

We can be orderly, calm, and loving to our family, but everything going perfectly in order for Christmas to be good, is a fallacy.

I can have menus planned for months in advance, and make tremendous meals that my family raves about, and have children who rise up and call me blessed, while the house is decorated like Better Homes and Gardens and is perfectly clean, but is that the goal? And, what else will be sacrificed in order to accomplish that goal? Set goals you accomplish, after prayer, study of God’s Word, and with your husband, for your family.

Share in the comments what you do to have a calm, Christ-centered Christmas, if you’ve been successful at this, and share over on my Facebook page, too!

Click on the links below to Read all the Posts in “How to Schedule for a Calm, Christ-centered Christmas” (8-Weeks’ Schedule):

• Week 1:  How to Schedule an Amazingly Calm, Christ-Centered Christmas
• Week 2: 12 Steps for a Calm, Christ-centered Christmas, Week 2
• Week 3: How to Get Organized for the Holidays
• Week 4: How to Actually Have a Wonderful Christ-Centered Christmas
• Week 5: How to Keep Christmas the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
• Week 6: How to Be an At-Home Missionary this Christmas
• Week 7:  How to Get Organized for a More Meaningful Christmas