The Christmas Question

What do the kids want for Christmas?

Where shall we celebrate Christmas?

How far shall we travel for Christmas?

Who shall we invite for Christmas?

How much money shall we spend this Christmas?

What food shall we cook for Christmas?

Many people are currently investing time and effort answering the questions above and scrambling to make sure those answers are implemented appropriately. It’s as if the structure, direction, and quality of our Christmas depends on how we answer those questions.

But what if it isn’t so? What if the Christmas we create for our family depends less on thernanswers we produce and more on making sure we ask the right question? What if thernmost important question isn’t even on the list?

What if this year we asked a different question as Christmas approaches? What if we first asked: What do I want from Christmas? Wouldn’t all the answers to the questions above change depending on what we want from Christmas?

How would you structure your holiday season if you decided you wanted family solidarity from Christmas? Would you create time to play a game together, listen to music together, bake cookies together, sit quietly together? Would you add more tradition, ritual, and bonding activities to the mix? Would you invite different people, spend your money in different ways, and prepare the food differently?

What if you wanted spirituality or peace from Christmas? How would you put the phrase, “Peace on earth, good will toward men,” into your Christmas plans? Does the holiday season include a place where your family and friends can find a relaxing, peaceful environment? Is your home a place of meditation and calm reflection? Can your children be at peace in your home?

What if you decided what you wanted from Christmas was relaxation? Would you slow

down and enjoy the moment? Would you abandon the frenzied effort to do it all? Would you jump from house to house making sure every relative or friend is included in your holiday visit? Or would you make holiday decisions based on a pace that works for you and your family?

What if you decided that appreciation was what you wanted from Christmas? Could you design activities to move your focus from lack of what you have to the plenty that already exists in your life? Can you help your family find joy in the fact that you are able to be together? Can you appreciate the opportunity to travel to visit relatives and embrace the meal you share? Would you give more thanks for what you have today, for who you are today, for the special blessing your children are today?

Maybe you want a closer relationship with Jesus, a reconnecting with your spouse, or a sense of tradition from Christmas. Whatever it is that you want, you can create it if you take the time to ask the right questions. Create the holiday season you long for by deciding now what you want from Christmas.

Happy holidays!