Five ways to keep Christ in Christmas

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  But it can also be the most stressful time of the year.  Shopping, card writing, final exams, concerts, pageants, work and family parties, grab bags, cooking, baking, and all other festive chores and celebrations come towering down on us during this short season. 

But where is Christ among this list?  It’s a shame how secular Christmas has become and how we allow ourselves to get so stressed out to the point of forgetting the true reason for the season!  Below I offer five simple suggestion for keeping Christ, and your sanity, this Christmas. 

1)      Get an Advent Wreath (no, it’s not too late)

Whether you are living alone, with a roommate, or your family get a wreath and light it!  The most appropriate times to light it is when you eat dinner and/or when you pray.  I have an advent wreath in my room that I light every time I sit down and pray (once in the morning and once in the evening).  This simple, and decorative, action keeps you grounded in the spiritual season of Advent.  

2)      Get a Nativity Scene!

Don’t just get a nativity scene for decorative purposes but use it for prayer!  “No one, whether shepherd or wise man, can approach God here below except by kneeling before the manger at Bethlehem and adoring him hidden in the weakness of a new-born child.” (CCC #563)  I have seen a number of nativity scenes at Walgreens for very inexpensive prices.  And if you have the option, don’t put Jesus in the manger until Christmas day. 

3)      It’s ok to have you Christmas tree up.

Even though Christmas doesn’t begin until December 25 it’s ok, in my opinion, to have a Christmas tree up in your home.  It allows for you to fully enter the joy of the season.  Just because it’s Advent doesn’t mean we can’t joyfully await the coming of Christ in the manger.  So put up your Christmas tree and make it fun!  Listen to some carols, drink some eggnog (with some rum), and even watch A Christmas Carol!  Make it a fun evening with friends/ family.

4)      Go receive the Sacrament of Penance

Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of Christ.  We clean our homes before the guests arrive for our parties, we clean our kitchens before we start baking and cooking, and so we need to clean our souls for when Christ comes into our lives in this very personal way.  The King of Kings and Lord of Lords lowers himself to being born of a virgin in a barn.  He becomes one of us.  God becomes man.  He enters our lives in a powerfully personal way and we need to be ready physically and spiritually.  Cleansing our souls of the sin we have committed is the best way to prepare spiritually for Christ coming again into our lives.

5)      PRAY!!!

When you feel stressed, overwhelmed, under-appreciated, or just tired then you need to share that with Jesus.  Hand over all your worries, cares, suffering, and joy to Christ in prayer and he will be there with you to care for your pain and increase your joy!  Even taking five minutes to just pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be is enough to calm and center yourself.  This can be done in the car as you await a parking spot at the mall or waiting for your guests to arrive. 

Of course all five of these suggestions are built on the foundation of receiving the Eucharist weekly on Sunday.  The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith and so it is essential to receive the Eucharist and pray the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass each week.  This is the #1 way to prepare for Christ coming…attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass each week on the Lord’s day to give him thanks and praise! 

 

I hope these suggestions help you to keep Christ in Christmas.  May you have a prayerful Advent, a very Merry Christmas, and a Blessed New Year!