Countdown to Christmas: Day 9 Worry

Countdown to Christmas Day 9, Worry. Yesterday I talked about stress and how I worked to eliminate excess stress during the holidays. Today, let’s discuss Worry.

Countdown to Christmas: Worry

Oh come on now, I mean. What would we have to worry about at this time of year? Other than EVERYTHING!!!!  

How are the kids going to behave at the Christmas programs? 

Are they gonna behave at Great Aunt Sue’s? 

Who is gonna get sick? Does Janie have a fever? 

Is everyone gonna get along at the holiday gatherings? 

Did I buy enough for everyone? Buy too much? Spend too much? Will I be able to pay for it next month? 

And the list can go on and on….

Ugh….

Remember these verses? 

““This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you — you of little faith? So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat? ’ or ‘What will we drink? ’ or ‘What will we wear? ’ For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”Matthew 6:25-26, 28-34 HCSB

https://bible.com/bible/72/mat.6.25-34.HCSB

And yet…… we still worry. 

Worry is talked about so many times in the Bible and yet…. 

Can we really control whether or not our kids are perfect angels everywhere we go? No. Sometimes, they, like we, have bad days and well… they make mistakes. Should we do our best to train them up to behave well? Absolutely. Is there consequences for misbehavior? DEFINITELY. 

The Bible also talks about how we are to train up our kids and discipline them, so absolutely we need to train our kids. 

Sometimes our kids get overwhelmed with all the emotions of the holidays too. And cutting them some slack at this time of year, is not a bad thing. 

So let’s chat about some things we can do to head off the worries. 

1. Plan ahead. Yep.. Plan ahead. I said it. Me, historically the one who is the “fly by the seat of her pants” kinda person. A “Free Spirit”. 

I repeat my phrase: plan ahead. Think about what the kids are doing and keep in mind that they could be hungry, tired, overwhelmed. Plan for those situations. Does everyone just need a snack and a nap?? 

Likely. 

As far as all the rest, again, plan ahead.

• 2. Think about your budget per person for Christmas and then stick with it. The best plan is to save up all year or purchase gifts throughout the year. Do your best to not go into debt just trying to impress people. Its not gonna help you worry less! 

• 3.  Make a plan for if the holiday gathering isn’t going well. Set in mind just what you need to do in order to escape as needed. And then don’t worry about what others will think! If things are not going well, and you need to leave for your own peace of mind, then get out. 

And do not feel guilty or worry.

Rather, rejoice that you set yourself a healthy boundary and stuck with it!!

• 4. Kids get sick at the holidays. Its just how it goes. There is not one thing you can do about it other than treat it as it comes. Worrying about it will not change that at all. All the family gatherings with all those new people, spreads illness too. This also falls under “Plan Ahead”. Be prepared with supplements to boost immunity during this time. My favs are always Vitamins D and C, but don’t forget Elderberry and Echinacea.

They always have and always will. One year, we accidentally spread the chicken pox. My oldest came down with it at a family Christmas party. That night was the first sign of illness. The next day, he was all broke out with chicken pox. It spread through out the family that year. I felt terrible!!  Could I have done something different? No. I had no idea he was coming down with chicken pox. It happens.

• 5. People’s responses to their gifts. You can only do the best you can. That’s why there is such a thing as “gift receipts”. Include the gift receipts in the gifts and let them decide what they want to do with their gifts. You did the best you could. 

Do the best you can do this holiday season. Enjoy every moment and don’t worry about everything. 

I know, I know. Easier said than done sometimes. 

Make a conscious choice to not worry and to get into a place of peace. It will make this holiday season much happier for you and for those you love! 

Stuck in a pattern of worry? Let’s chat.