How to deal with the “newness” of Christmas

The Christmas season can be filled with sugar cookies, predictable Christmas

movies, too many mall visits, and the continued question, “Did my package come

today?” Christmas is when we celebrate the new arrival of Jesus on Earth! Yet, some of

us find ourselves between celebration and challenges this season. For some, this is the

first Christmas they have experienced a new void of a family member who is no longer

alive. This Christmas season finds some of us with challenging family dynamics,

challenging job dynamics, financial strains, and perhaps some anxiety about what is to

come. How do we deal with the newness of the Christmas season when we are met

with new challenges and continued grief that we certainly did not ask for?

Commit to one action a day that you know will lift your spirit.

Watch the Christmas movie, see a Christmas light show, or send that draining person's phone call to voicemail. Whatever your one action is, commit to it because you deserve to be encouraged in this season. The great tennis player Arthur Ashe once said,

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

This timeless wisdom helps deal with new challenges at Christmas.

Wherever you are, commit to one small action that can encourage you. One small

change today can shift your perspective and help you see hope this season.

Learn to be appreciative of your now!

Although some of us are dealing with a newness this Christmas season that is not pleasant, do your best not to overlook the present moment. Now matters; each

second matters, each minute matters, and every moment you have matters. This Christmas Season may have given you the gift of unwanted newness, but what lesson can I learn? How does what I am experiencing help the person I’m becoming? Do I have any connections who have gone through something like this or something similar that I can connect with? Asking these questions can assist in shifting your perspective from wishing to be done with

your now to appreciating your now.

Realize everything doesn’t have to be figured out today.

Recently, someone revealed to me that depression happens when we focus on the

past, and anxiety heightens as we focus too much on what is to come. As we shift and appreciate our now, we must learn to embrace some uncertainty. One of my

favorite Peloton instructors, Tunde Oyeneyin, says, “Embrace the beauty of uncertainty. It’s a place of infinite possibility.”

It is vital for us to feel deeply and make room for the truth that all of our

challenges, problems, or grief will be solved instantly. Finding solutions and

implementing them takes time. Life is a process, so while the newness of the Christmas Season may not be the greatest, that doesn’t mean there are some good things

around you. Instead of only focusing on the new challenges, sing a new song, try to

build a gingerbread house, spend some time with family and friends, and enjoy what is

good around you!

When met with new issues, the temptation is to focus solely on these issues to get them

out of our lives as quickly as possible. However, as much as we want these challenges

to leave, we don’t always have control over their exit. So, I invite you to find some joy in

this season. Realize that everything is not horrible. Don’t forget you are one of the

reasons that Jesus came to earth. Don’t allow the challenges of a season to cause you

to overlook the reason for the season, and that is Jesus! So be intentional, embrace

what is good, and give yourself some grace. You deserve to enjoy this Christmas

Season!