How often do we go through life on auto-pilot? Racing from one demand to the next? Christmastime can be the worst of all. As we add to our normal schedules, shopping, wrapping, decorating, baking, visiting, perhaps parties and kids performances….whew! It’s tiring just to think about! But mindfulness is the important practice of stopping and really thinking consciously about what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. And mindfulness at Christmastime is especially important.
Being Mindful about the Holidays
Is Christmas really about all the gifts, wrapping, and outward trappings? Of course not. Is it about outspending your neighbor? I certainly hope that isn’t the case.
Christmas is about Christ come to earth as a gift of love. It’s about loving others as well. Those gifts…are to show appreciation and how much we care about the people in our lives. And we can do that from the heart without spending extensive time and resources.
Christmas is about the joy, hope, and peace that come through Christ. And if we let ourselves be robbed of these precious commodities, Christmas quickly loses its value and becomes nothing but a source of stress.
Take Time for Mindfulness
So take time to slow down and think this Christmas season. Enjoy an advent devotional to prepare your heart for the coming of Jesus. You can download our free version here. Meditate on the Christmas story. Imagine yourself in the place of a favorite character in that exquisite account of God coming to earth as a babe in a manger. Really listen to the words of those Christmas carols playing everywhere.
Put your focus on that love, joy, hope and peace. Give thought to blessing others, but don’t get overcome with the busyness. Enjoy your loved ones as much as you can.
Give Mindfully this Christmas
And as part of your mindfulness at Christmastime don’t forget to bless others. Yes, it’s true. It’s more blessed to give than to receive. But perhaps the biggest blessing comes from giving to the poor and hurting, not just to your friends and family who have everything they need. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
This Christmas remember to give the best gift of all, the gift of love and encouragement to someone who truly needs it. By partnering with Operation Blessing you can give to those who need it most around the world through clean water, hunger relief, medical care, and disaster relief. Give a special Christmas gift here. Choose a specific gift from our Giving Catalog here. Or donate and receive our Christmas Around the World tradition and recipe book here.
We wish you all a joyful—and mindful—Christmas.
Free Christmas Crafts Booklet Offer
Enjoy Christmas by exploring Traditional Christmas Craft projects with this free guide. This guide offers International craft project instructions for multiple projects. Projects include everything from holiday beads to Christmas Origami.
