Photo credit: Krisph @ stock.xchng
We’ve been intentionally counting our blessings this year. This is true in our parenting, our business, our service to others. Christmas is a time to count our blessings. But when we get all wrapped up in the shopping, the cards, the wrapping, the cleaning, the baking, the planning… Oh my! Things can get out of whack really quickly. We end up feeling overwhelmed, just wishing that the holiday season would wind down so we can get life back to normal.
Well that’s no way to enjoy the holiday season.
So this year, instead of getting stressed, we’re scaling back. We’re going to enjoy Christmas and all that comes with it. Jason & I just had a conversation today about this very topic. I think we’re both on the same page, making our family’s personal mantra for this year ‘slow down and enjoy what really matters.’ Here’s our plan.
1. Choose activities wisely.
We have SO many worthwhile activities to choose from. There’s caroling, The Nutcracker, driving around to see Christmas lights, programs at church, homeschool group programs. The list goes on and on. This year, instead of cramming in as much as we can, we’re going to choose the ones that we all want to do. Then we can spread them out over the weeks and truly enjoy each activity.
2. Be realistic about projects at home.
Today we talked about possibly setting up another tree in the family room near our homeschool area. That would be awesome. It would be fun. It would also require some major moving of things so that we can make room. We’ve already committed to cleaning out the storage area where we keep our Christmas decorations. One project at a time. That means that the extra tree will most likely have to wait until next year. And we’re okay with that.
3. Set reasonable expectations for baking.
This might sound like a crazy one to you, but it’s crucial that I do this for myself. I love, love, love to bake, especially at Christmastime. When I start through the list of cookies I want to make, the stack of recipe cards piles up. This year, we’re each going to choose one or two favorites. We’ll stick with those. I noticed that last year, most people went back for seconds of our cutout cookies. So we’ll make more of those and skip another kind or two. Baking is fun. Stressing over doing a ton of baking is not.
4. Count our blessings.
We’re blessed. Oh so very blessed. When things get hectic and I start to feel stressed, all I have to do is stop and think about all that I have to be thankful for. No, the cookies that are slightly blackened on the bottom are not important. My family and friends are what really matter.
This holiday season, Mercy is reminding us to stop and reflect on what we’re grateful for. They want us to share our blessings with others. In fact, they’ve set up a special place for us to all share our blessings, OurBlessingsCount.com.
Mercy’s goal is to remind us that ‘Our greatest blessing is to see others blessed.’ So let’s pause for a moment, list our blessings, and share them with others. Let’s count our blessings together at OurBlessingsCount.com.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Mercy. The opinions and text are all mine.
