Brain whirl calmed

All is calm, all is bright.

Then, why do I feel panicked the week before Thanksgiving?

This is not even my Countdown app. Who installed this?

Or this one? Also, not my app. Someone is seriously excited around here.

 

I am experiencing mama brain whirl. Although I routinely take quiet moments for centering, my mind refuses to shut off at night. For the past two nights I have been awake at 1 am working on creative projects or trying to figure out what kind of Jesse Tree I want this year. White? Champagne? Realistic? A bunch of branches stuck artfully in a pot?

I don't think Jesus is highly concerned about how I decorate our home for Christmas. I can see this in my mind's eye. In my heart of hearts, I know what's important, and yet, I can feel myself sucked into the whirlpool of holiday busyness before the turkey is even carved. I tell my soul to be still. I pray for an ordered mind, and I put a plan into action.

Here's how I am combatting the desire to panic (in the name of worship and Hallmark moments):

1. New devotional material-

Ann Voskamp, author of One Thousand Gifts (which focuses on the practice of gratitude), has written a new devotional just for Advent. I like the reflective nature of her writing and I am smitten with the downloadable paper ornaments that come with the book and tell the story of Jesus's family tree. There is even a children's picture book version which Amazon has coming my way.

 

 

2. Calling all elves: enlisting my able-bodied children to haul and dust and sort the Christmas decorations from the attic. They can prep teacher gifts just the same as I can (and they are gifts for THEIR teachers in the first place).

3. Music to craft by: holiday creating is more enjoyable for me with a soundtrack of festivity.

Listening to the words of carols helps me to pause and remember why I'm baking, wrapping, shopping, and crafting in the first place.

 

4. Saying no to things that I don't really want to do. We have declined joining friends (that we love) at events that we have loved before. I am now okay with not doing every tradition every year.

5. Surveying the family: When I asked what traditions really mattered to my husband and kids, I was astounded at how very little they came up with. Either they have forgotten most things, or they are not as important as I once thought.

6. Keep a list of these revisions in a holiday notebook. Last year I noted that the kids fought over who ate one another's advent chocolates. Some children could not handle the waiting and sneakily ate the entire calendar in a few sittings. Lesson learned. No calendars really necessary (even if you can find them on sale for a dollar). Same thing with the Christmas crackers. I am apparently the only one who got anything out of the tissue paper hats and jokes inside. I like the international flair, but the rest of my family do not care to be Brit impersonators. No need to pick these up on super-bargain clearance either.

7. Don't insist that everyone participate in everything. My husband is not as enamored with song and dance as I am. No White Christmas theater ticket for him; we called it a girls' night. No Into the Woods movie ticket for his stocking. I don't care anything about deer hunting. So we allow one another to go our separate ways and not assume that every activity is equally joyful for each other.

8. Compacting celebrations- We are deeply thankful that my mom likes to cook an amazing Thanksgiving spread for a crowd. Both sides of of family gather as one, and then four hours later we crawl back onto our own couches in a Tryptophan coma.

 

9. Draw names- our kids draw names for secret Santa. They are horrible at actually keeping a secret, but they like shopping for someone. (And one person is easier on the budget.) This person is also the object of their secret service. During the holiday season, they are to practice serving one another and secrecy (still working on this part).

10. Quiet moments or dates with each person in a family. A date for Andy and I is no longer a night on the town, but a cherished moment to sit on our couch and drink cocoa in our pajamas. A date with my son could be reading graphic novels together (which I hate and he loves). A date with a daughter could be taking her to shop for her secret Santa or a Starbucks run. Small moments instead of big gifts. Experiences over broken parts in January. Gifts of learning something they wish to try.

 

 

11. Praying for others- using the Christmas cards that come in as a chance to remember families that have touched our lives, and to ask God's blessing on them. Using the ministry appeals that come in to pray for ministries and missionaries all over the world. We are using this box of prayer cards sent out by Samaratan's Purse to pray over the distribution of Christmas Shoeboxes around the globe.

 

 

12. Moderation - as soon as the twinkle lights go up in the neighborhood and the temperature drops below 70, the kids start asking for cocoa - which is great, but not every night. Having friends over is great, but not every weekend. Spending money is fun...until you've spent the budget. Having a little talk with ourselves to be generous but not gluttonous. To enjoy each moment as it comes instead of rushing off to the next one.

All is calm, all is bright.