Apologies for this being somewhat late! This week went right off the rails and I’m playing catch up in a lot of ways. Luckily I’ve had a little time to blog today. But while this week hasn’t been ideal, it’s probably a very good example of why aiming for space in Advent is so important. Let me explain.
Creating space allows flexibility
It’s pretty self explanatory, but if you don’t cram your calendar full of activities and ‘to dos’, you have space to meet what life throws at you. This week, we ended up having some illness, sleepless nights and some emotional times (probably linked to that lack of sleep). Not a lot of peace! It was in no way ideal. It certainly didn’t line up with my plans for a really focused prayer life in this last full week of Advent.
But because we had cut things out, we had the space to manage that. We needed to sleep, so we could do that without cancelling plans, or dragging ourselves to events while exhausted. My to do list is still there, but I tried to space things this Advent, so it’s manageable closer to Christmas.
This week hasn’t been what I wanted it to be, but it also hasn’t been a total train wreck either. Mostly because we had the space to flex with the random things that so often happen.
Christmas is a busy time, so focus on what’s important
Decorating, baking and celebrating are great. I love them, and they bring a lot of joy to Advent and Christmas. They can also be great ways to bring the family together. However, they can also steal time from your loved ones and peace from yourself.
It’s easy to get caught up in expectations about how your house should look, what foods you should prepare and the gifts you need for others. But if those things are wearing you out and distracting you from others, they might have taken up too much room. It’s hard to let go of high expectations (I’m a perfectionist, so trust me, I know it’s hard!). However, it is so important to having healthy relationships with our things and our people.
When you’re old, reflecting on your life ( or on your deathbed), are you and your loved ones going to remember how pristine your house was or how perfect the table setting was for Christmas? Or are they going to remember the conversations, the sitting quietly together, the laughing around a silly game or joke? I think you know where this is going.
Build space for yourself. Go for a walk. Sit with your family and a cuppa. Read a book, enjoy your garden. If that means you cook one less type of Christmas biscuit or don’t deep clean the fridge, that’s ok. You’ll be ready to tackle things with more energy in grace if you’ve had a rest. And I promise no one is going to be judging your baking efforts on Christmas morning!
