7 Ways to Pursue Joy This Holiday Season
Merry Christmas, my friend! If you’re reading this post, you’re likely missing some of the joy normally found this time of year. The holidays can be difficult for so many reasons, and the older we get, the easier it can be to let this season slip by. We can often miss sight of what Christmas is really about. In Ruth Chou Simon’s new book, Emmanuel, she writes:
“In a season so filled with stuff and earthly treasures, a posture of joy, formed by that ‘which is truly life,’ as we read in 1 Timothy, teaches us to long for heavenly treasure rather than the things of earth.”
I’m not knocking the gifts, decorations or anything else about the holidays. (In fact, I quite enjoy most of those things.) However, I don’t want those things to overtake why we actually celebrate Christmas. While some of my suggestions below are about the lights and cliche Christmas things, the purpose behind them is to bring lightheartedness and fun alongside the rejoicing of Christ’s birth! I’m fighting for presence and joy this season, and I hope I can help you do the same…
Wear some Christmas socks! Maybe this seems silly, but perhaps that’s the best part! I mentioned it briefly last year in our favorite holiday traditions blog, but wearing Christmas socks is one of my favorite personal traditions. From Black Friday through Christmas, the only type of socks I’ll wear are Christmas ones. (I own a lot of holiday socks.) While I’m not necessarily suggesting you do that, it might boost your holiday cheer to look down and see some holiday socks adorning your feet every now and then. You can find them nearly everywhere these days, so grab yourself a pair to promote some jolly feet!
Read an advent study. I know we’re nearly halfway through December, but it’s never too late to pick up an advent book or Bible reading plan. You can always start from whatever day it currently is, or you can start from the beginning and read it into the new year. There’s never a bad time to celebrate our Savior’s birth!
This year, I’m reading through Ruth Chou Simon’s advent study Emmanuel. It’s beautifully illustrated, and it only takes a few minutes each day to read through the pages and reflection question. If you don’t have the money for another book, there are plenty of free advent resources online, like this advent email from Cru or this 20-day Bible plan from Organic Christian Living.
If you’re grieving someone or something this holiday season, do something that honors them. Every day is difficult when you’re missing a loved one, and the holidays can be especially hard. The holidays seem to expose the void even more than usual. We can still honor our lost loved ones even in our grief. Reinstitute a holiday tradition you shared, or start a new one that will remind you of that person. A woman I follow online recently shared about her own journey of grieving her mother; to honor her this Christmas, she found a small picture frame ornament and put inside a picture of her mother when she was a young woman. What a lovely way to be reminded of someone special during the holidays.
Hang up some Christmas lights inside! There’s just something about twinkle lights that make a space cozier. Whether colored or soft white, Christmas lights automatically set me at ease and bring a smile to my face. That’s why I have some form of holiday lights or decoration in every room in my house. I even put a Christmas wreath on my Jeep’s spare tire!
Enjoy a hot cup of your favorite drink, and look at Christmas lights. If you live anywhere near a town with a historic district and/or square, then it’s likely there are outdoor Christmas lights to be enjoyed. One of my favorite birthday (December 17!)/Christmas traditions is getting a hot cocoa from my favorite coffee shop and walking around the square to look at lights. You can also do a driving tour of different neighborhoods! One of my best friends and I would drive through the wealthy neighborhoods when we were in high school to admire the fancy Christmas light displays. I think admiring Christmas lights brings back some of the childhood magic and awe of Christmas.
Do fewer things holiday season! Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. As a married person, I now have twice (maybe even thrice!) the amount of holiday gatherings and events to go to than I did before getting married. It often makes my head spin, and I feel like the holidays rush by. Perhaps that’s also just a normal part of adulthood. That’s why I am making a point to only say yes to the things that really matter to me this holiday season, and I’m encouraging you to do the same.
In Denika’s most recent post, “How to Cultivate Presence This Holiday Season,” she talked about prioritizing what really matters, and she included some insightful journaling questions to help you process it. That post is actually what catalyzed my motivation to slim down my holiday schedule this year.
If, after realigning your priorities, you find something is missing… this could be an opportunity to spend more time with friends and family, or even spend a night in. Watch your favorite holiday movie, and play games or work a puzzle together! If you’re not into holiday movies (sad because I love the Christmas classics), put on a different movie or some music you love, enjoy some snacks, and do whatever feels best to spend quality time with your loved ones.
There are so many ways we can spend our time during the holidays, and I hope this helped you find a new way to sprinkle in extra joy! Even if you don’t implement one of the above ideas, my hope is that it helped you think of other ways to cultivate joy in your life.
As a bit of a Christmas fanatic myself, I’d love to know, what are you doing to pursue joy this holiday season? Let me know in the comments below! I’m praying you embrace the holidays as they are this year, and that God would bless you with joy in whatever circumstances you find yourself in. Merry Christmas, my friend, and happy new year!