Christmas 2019 Assessment

Christmas 2019 has officially ended. All the hustle and bustle of lights, tinsel and bows has been put away (hopefully) until Christmas time comes around again this year. There’s always more that we would have liked to have accomplished. At least there is for me. There were holiday programs, plays, musicals and concerts that could have been scheduled into the season. There were cookies, cakes, and candies that could have been made. The many tasty looking recipes that weren’t made that we’ve seen and posted to our boards in Pinterest, or that we’ve dogeared in magazines and/or our own cookbooks. There were missed chances of giving and volunteer work. However, before we can think about fitting these things into next Christmas’s schedule, we need to figure out what worked and what didn’t this last Christmas. January is the time to reflect on what was meaningful and joyous, and what was missing and needs to be adjusted for the upcoming season. Grab your notebook, a pen and a cup of coffee and let’s assess what worked and what didn’t.

What made Christmas 2019 special? What traditions does your family do that renews your spirit each year? do you celebrate Advent by lighting candles or reading scripture nightly? Do you like to use a Christmas countdown calendar with tiny windows to open that possibly contain a candy treat inside? Have you started any new traditions? Did you try something new like a Christmas Exchange Game? Did you draw names because your family has grown larger? Also, if you did something to help make life easier such as getting your shopping and wrapping done early or if you were able to prepare freezer meals and/or treats ahead of the season, you would want to make a note of that.

Next, you’ll want to think about what didn’t work. What took away from the joy of the season? What proved to not be working anymore? Are there traditions that are no longer relevant to you and your immediate family? Do you no longer have children at home but have grandchildren (or grandpets)? These different situations may require some tweaking on how you approach these traditions and even cause you to come up with new ones. If you felt overwhelmed and stressed during the holidays maybe you could take steps to ease some of the stress. Order some or all of your gifts online or through catalogs. Take advantage of those cyber Monday deals. You could start a gift closet (a stash of gift items) for the games and other small gifts that you find throughout the year. Begin earlier to locate special dates such as upcoming Christmas programs and concerts and make note of them on your calendar. Buy tickets early if possible.

Did you feel that your family observed the spirit of the season? Would you have liked to volunteer more or begin volunteering? Maybe you would like to promote the season of giving by doing charitable work or giving to others? There are many ideas to help with this. You can fill a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. You can help a family in need by filling the wishes on an Angel Tree. You can also Google volunteering and find many more opportunities in your community.

I enjoy looking back at the previous year’s Christmas activities. It’s always nice to see where I can make small (or large) changes to improve our enjoyment of the season. I hope these suggestions work for you. Even if it’s just carefully wrapping each gift with a hand-tied bow or singing Christmas carols more often, I hope you and your family can experience the magic and joyful expectancy of the blessed Christmas season!