Christmas can indeed be hectic, especially with kids’ excitement over Santa. But adults contribute to the frenzy: We decorate, cook, entertain, drive to a zillion holiday events, shop, wrap, stand in endless lines… Sometimes we turn Christmas into what today’s vernacular might label “a hot mess.”
Sometimes we’re so determined to fill our kids’ lives with rollicking traditions and memories that we forget how Jesus might want us to celebrate.
I’m just speculating, of course, but I think He might want us to reach out to the downtrodden at this sparkling time of year when there are many who are lonely. The scriptures tell us repeatedly to serve the widows and the poor, to remember those in prison, to stop accumulating material goods, and increase our giving.
There are many around us—even in our wards—who would love to be included in some aspect of the holiday. If your kids re-enact the nativity, maybe they could come over for some warm apple Wassail, and watch the performance. You might be able to help drive them to buy gifts, then help them wrap. Including them for Christmas dinner might be a gift your kids will never forget.
One of the quietest Christmases I recall was when we did a “Sub for Santa,” buying gifts for a needy family in the stake. We took our four kids to Toys R Us and let them buy for children their same age. There’s honestly a different kind of excitement when they’re shopping for someone else, and imagining their surprise and delight.
We also bought robes and sleepwear for everyone, kitchen items, groceries, things we knew they needed. Then we wrapped them, filled some black trash bags with the gifts, and quietly drove to their home. It was just getting dark, and we tiptoed to their porch, where we gently placed the items on their porch. Then we rang their bell and scurried back to our car, parking some distance away, where we could peek and see them.
The porch light went on. Out came the parents, who looked in the bags. Then came five or six children, all looking at one another in amazement. Broad smiles spread across their faces as they began lifting gifts out of the bag.
And the voice of our eight-year-old son in the back seat is one I will remember forever. “This is best day of my life!” he shouted. No Christmas morning of presents under the tree could compare to that singular feeling of selfless giving.
President Dallin H. Oaks has said, “We need quiet time and prayerful pondering as we seek to develop information into knowledge and mature knowledge into wisdom.” Think how many times you have felt the stirrings of greater understanding as you’ve taken a quiet moment to study the scriptures.
There’s beauty in silence, especially if you live in a snowy area where the landscape seems to absorb all the city sounds, and you can simply be in the moment. It’s not hard to find quiet places, and to teach our children to cherish those times when the world and its pressures are far away. It’s just you and the quiet. It gives us time to think more deeply about the Savior, all He did for us, and how much He wants us to come back.
A good question to ask ourselves is, “How can the Holy Ghost talk to me if I’m always talking?” Or shopping, or herding the kids around, or listening to blaring music? A wonderful gift to give the Lord might be some quiet time with Him. Time when we’re not hurrying, just listening.
Quietude can find us when we’re just watching the snowflakes fall, or the sun set, or gazing at the glow of lights on our Christmas tree. Yes, you might have to schedule it, but this could be the moment when you get answers to your prayers. Personal revelation could finally break through the buzz, right?
Grandparents could take a quiet walk with their grands, pointing out little things that parents are often too rushed to notice. There’s something inspiring about being a little tyke with a great, big, ol’ grandpa or grandma making time for us. It’s an unhurried memory they won’t soon forget. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf has said, “We would do well to slow down a little, focus on the significant, and truly see the things that matter most.”
Like so many things, the key to having some quiet reflection during Christmas, is to take charge of our own schedule. Carving out some peace as we celebrate the very Author of Peace, makes perfect sense. Christ often went off alone, and we can seek that same solace and rejuvenation. And guess what? It’s a lovely tradition to pass down to our children, as well.
Hilton’s book, A Little Christmas Prayer, is the perfect Christmas gift. Sometimes it takes a child to raise a village, and this tale teaches anyone, of any faith, the magic of gratitude. All her books and Youtube Mom videos can be found at jonihilton.com.
