Christmas Revival Guide

Holiday traditions are wonderful. Except when they stop. Or when you realize they never really were as joy-filled as they appeared to the onlooker. But you can radically change how you celebrate Christmas. We do not have to just survive Christmas.

This Christmas revival guide will walk you step by step into a celebration infused with energy, joy, and peace.

Five Steps to Revive Your Christmas Celebration

I first realized we needed a holiday makeover after a major move. Attempts at traveling back to recreate what we had known fell flat. We found that you really cannot go back. Maybe you have experienced this too.

Or maybe a major change in your family has caused you to think about how you celebrate Christmas. Or wonder who will be with you.

Perhaps sadness permeates your very thought of Christmas.

This might be a perfect time to revive your celebrations too.

The guide has questions to help you. I have jotted down some of my thoughts as examples.

I encourage you to think about your unique situation and answer the questions as you read the guide.   

You might want to consider praying before you begin.

Step One: Examine Your Current Celebrations

• What words best describe your anticipation and preparation of Christmas?

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My words were rushing and pressure. Our schedules were over-filled, and we had too many commitments.

• Where is most of your energy expended?

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Much of my energy was spent traveling, shopping, cooking and cleaning (ugh). Followed closely by attending social events.The weeks leading up to and including Christmas day seemed like a whirlwind. Intense and at times chaotic.

• How do you feel during and after Christmas?

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I was left feeling exhausted, deflated and often disappointed. I am being honest here. I hope you are too.

• Which activities do you enjoy?

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I found purchasing or creating gifts for people who were in need to be energizing.

I enjoyed attending extra church services.

Found areas to work on? Then come with me into Step Two.

We are on our way to a Christmas revival!

Step Two: Determine What You Want to Celebrate

Your actions and where you spend your money can help you determine what you are celebrating.

• What do you celebrate currently? (Warning, this could be surprising)

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Mine showed I was primarily celebrating family and friends. And yes, I was surprised.

• What do you want to celebrate?

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I want to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Rejoice in His freely given gift of grace and salvation. I want to draw closer to Jesus by studying how He fulfilled the prophecies of the Messiah.

I want to include but not celebrate family and friends.

• How do you want to feel at the end of your Christmas celebration?

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Calm, peaceful and feeling closer to Jesus than I had at the beginning.

We have just done some hard work. But we have formed a vision of a new Christmas celebration. Its time to move to step three.

Step Three: Establish New Traditions

Traditions may take years to establish. But the good news is that you can break them quickly. Identify the ones which do not support your new vision of Christmas celebrations. And then remove them.

The timing is up to you. If it works best for you, just make one or two changes a year, do that. Ready for a dramatic change? Then go for it!

Now we are ready to have some fun creating new ideas. Let’s get started!

• What traditions will you remove?

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We removed early morning gift-giving (our children are grown), the tradition of buying gifts for everyone and a meal prepared and cooked by only me. My family embraced the idea of helping!

• Decide how busy you want to be. Are you energized by rushing? Then add lots of meaningful things to do. Need time to reflect and rest? Then build in empty days. It’s your schedule, so make it fit you and those you celebrate with. Don’t feel pressured by the expectation of others.  

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I enjoy my Christmas celebrations best interspersed with rest days.

• Carefully select activities designed to help you celebrate what you identified in Step Two. Examine all the opportunities you have with your new lens. If one does not fit, just politely say no.

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• Put the activities and events on a calendar. This will help you make sure you have given yourself just the right number of breaks. You will have a visual reminder not to overschedule.

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This year I have chosen to do Christmas baking for 6 people.  I will complete the baking by the second week of December. I plan go to only one Christmas fundraiser and two Christmas music events at churches. I am doing a self-paced Advent study. We have selected two agencies to purchase gifts for. We will draw names in our family for gift-giving. Our Christmas meal will be traditional, and everyone has graciously agreed to help. Done and Done!

This schedule leaves just the right amount of white space on my calendar. I have time to focus on Jesus and can share my love with others at carefully selected events.   

Now you have a plan which allows you to participate, at your pace, in activities that bring you joy.

Since you have carefully selected meaningful activities you will feel energized not stressed or exhausted.

I feel calm at the end of this process. I hope you do too!

Keep going, we have almost completed the Christmas revival.

Step Number Four: Don’t Be Afraid to Try New Ideas

It is important to be flexible when you are reviving your Christmas or any other holiday. Try new things. If they don’t work, view them as an adventure, not a tradition.

• Enlist the people involved to help come up with creative ideas. Is it time to change where you meet? What will you eat? Who does the cooking? What new activity would be fun to add?

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Last Christmas we added an evening Christmas Eve service. I realized not everyone would want to go. I did not let their choices stop me from participating in and enjoying the service.

Our food was prepared collaboratively.

Our gift-giving changed dramatically. We drew one name each and we bought or made that person a gift for under $25.00.

We also introduced a board game night.

All the changes were successful except the board games. It was an adventure and will not become a tradition.

Step Five: Relax, Jump in and Enjoy

Prepare to enjoy Christmas!  The first year we made changes I found this difficult. You may understand if you have not enjoyed this season before or for a while.

With your new plan, put aside old expectations of failure or disappointment. Go boldly forward and enjoy the celebration.  Remember, if something does not work, you don’t have to repeat it.   

I hope this Christmas Revival Guide puts energy, joy, and peace into your celebration this year!

Photo credits: Simon Matzinger, Carolyn V on Unsplash, Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash