Find Peace & Joy This Christmas: How to Eliminate Chaos & Overwhelm
This time of year can feel both exhilarating and overwhelming. Where are you right now? Are you excited or are you overwhelmed? In this post, you will discover ways to eliminate chaos and overwhelm and find peace and joy this Christmas.
Thanksgiving was late this year. Suddenly, it’s December, and you feel behind. Our daughter had a baby three weeks ago and I spent two weeks with her family, came home for 4 days, and returned for Thanksgiving (she lives 6 hours from us).
It was wonderful and I was overjoyed to have spent that time with her sweet family, but now I’m feeling behind in my Christmas preparedness.
We returned home Saturday around lunchtime after Thanksgiving. I thought for certain I would spend my day decorating for Christmas.
However, I have to admit that I spent the day on the couch watching football and napping off and on. I was exhausted. And guess what, that is okay! Rest was what my body needed.
I could have sat there and felt bad about myself, but I didn’t. I let myself rest and my heart found peace knowing that tomorrow is a new day.
This is now the second time in the past week that I had a plan for decorating our home, and it didn’t get done. I had to let it go.
Perhaps you are in that space right now. You have your decorations up, but not one Christmas present bought. Maybe you don’t have any plans for December yet, and you’re like I’m so behind!
First, take a deep breath. It’s okay. It will get done, and if it doesn’t, that is okay too. I promise life will continue and everything will be alright.
Getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas is NOT what God wanted for us as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.
How To Eliminate Chaos & Overwhelm
Make A Plan
Where to begin? Overwhelm can paralyze you and get you stuck. Take some time today to write down everything you need/want to do this season. Put that list in order of priority. You’d be surprised at how much this helps to clear your mind.
First, establish all the must-dos. What HAS to get done? I find it hard to move forward when my mind is in chaos, so writing things down helps clear my mind and helps me move forward.
For me right now, I feel like I need to decorate first. Decorating gets me in the mood for Christmas and motivates me for the season. Play Christmas music, dim the lights, and light a Christmas-scented candle. Pine scent is my favorite.
In my post, How to Transition Your Home for the Holidays (And Not Lose Your Mind) you will find a more detailed list of helpful hints to prepare your home for the season.
First, create a clean slate. What do I mean by that? A clean slate is making room for Christmas. In my home, I put away Fall, dust, vacuum, and mop. My mind feels freer to create a warm and cozy Christmas home when I have a clean palette to work with.
What about you? If you’ve already decorated, what is next on your list? Pull out your planner or calendar and fill in all your commitments, parties, celebrations, etc.
Writing them all down and making a plan can help you organize your life and mind for the season. You can then start adding deadline dates of when you’d like to have tasks on your list ticked off.
It doesn’t have to be the exact day, but at least you have a goal to shoot for.
I like to have people in our home at Christmas. I can’t think of a better time and reason to entertain and celebrate with others.
Do you get to the end of December and wish you’d engaged more with family and friends? Now is the time to get those dates on the calendar.
Make a list of who you would like to have over. It could be friends you haven’t seen in years or a neighbor you’ve lived next to for 10 years and never had in your home. Do it!!
Invite your guests on different days of the same weekend. Get your home ready and invite different groups on different nights.
A good friend shared this method with me years ago, and it works. Clean your house once and keep it clean for one weekend. I’ve done this and it’s so fun.
Reevaluate
We’ve dumped our minds of our to-dos, filled in our calendar, and invited guests. Now what? Look over that dump list and determine what is important to you. Whatever is at the top of that list, get it done ASAP.
Have you heard the phrase “Eat The Frog”? “Eat the frog” is a productivity concept that encourages tackling your most challenging or important task first. The idea is based on a quote often attributed to Mark Twain:
“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”
Get the hardest thing done first. Eat that frog! Ticking off that list one by one will help you feel accomplished and successful, and motivated to keep moving down the list.
Determine what must-dos are must-dos, what are “you’d like to do”, and what is the dream. By organizing your thoughts and devising a plan, you will free your mind from chaos and overwhelm.
Set Realistic Expectations
If you are like me, your list is always too long. I always think that I will get my Christmas decor up in one day. It never happens. It takes three or four days because, like you, I have other responsibilities.
It’s not likely I can devote an entire day to decorating. And, if you have kids at home, it’s definitely not likely.
Keep It Simple
If you invite people into your home during the holidays, keep it simple. What if you just had hors d’oeuvres and dessert or a charcuterie board?
If you are having a family with young children, get pizza, and do brownie Sundaes with crushed candy cane on top or S’mores with a kitchen S’more Maker.
By the way, I always keep on hand a box of Double Chocolate Ghirardelli Brownies for occasions like this (Costco has them). They are the best boxed brownies on the market.
Use paper plates! Paper plates can be festive and add fun to your table. Oh, and they make clean-up a breeze, which is always nice!
Inviting guests into your home is a great training ground for your children. It provides them with an opportunity to share their home, engage in conversation, and work on communication skills.
I delve into this topic more deeply in my post How To Prep Your Children For A Social Gathering
Take time to evaluate your traditions. If they are overwhelming, then scale them back. I am a huge advocate of traditions. See my post 32 Family Christmas Tradition Ideas: Make Memories.
Traditions are what keep a family tethered together from generation to generation. That being said, if completing them is causing you stress, it might be time to reevaluate.
December doesn’t have to be chaotic and overwhelming. This is something we often do to ourselves. If you love Christmas and you have the energy of a 20-year-old, then go all out and do it all. However, if you feel overwhelmed, then keep it simple.
Don’t overfill your calendar. Don’t stress about making your home look like a Hallmark movie. If you don’t get Christmas cards out this year, let it go.
Let It Go
If there is something you need to let go, let it go. I am still deciding if I will send Christmas cards this year. For me, right this minute, it feels like a no, but maybe next week I’ll feel more caught up and decide yes.
With a let-it-go mindset, you will free yourself from the guilt and stress of having to do it all.
Find Peace & Joy
Christmas isn’t about getting it all done and creating the most perfect Christmas. Honestly, overwhelm can steal your joy and peace this Christmas. Remember, Christmas is about Jesus and his birth. It’s about peace on earth and goodwill to men.
I can’t imagine God wanting your home to be a place of chaos and overwhelm when the true meaning of Christmas is peace & joy.
Focus on the real reason for the season-Jesus. Focus on that glorious night so long ago when Jesus was born to a virgin in a manger. The simplicity of that night is not lost on me.
It is so easy to rush through the season. Before we know it, we are in January, and it is all over. Can I remind you to be present this season and take in the sights and sounds of the hope of Christmas?
Whatever way you choose to celebrate this holiday season, remember, if you have lost your peace and joy, it’s time to reevaluate. It’s time to eliminate the chaos and overwhelm and find peace and joy in the real meaning of the season!
Merry Christmas, Sweet Mamas. May your December be filled with peace and joy!
Kim 🎄
How to Transition Your Home for the Holidays (And Not Lose Your Mind)
