The calendar has turned and we are here…November!

Our schedules will likely start to fill, our spending increase, and tensions might run a bit high. Don’t worry, this Christmas can be different. You may not be able to control everything, but you can control a few key things that will help you set up your Christmas for success. Now is the time. Better to be talking today about how you want Christmas morning to look, than on the way to church Christmas Eve.

Here are a few things I have for you – and likely for some of your friends:

*Loving My Actual Christmas: An Experiment in Relishing the Season. This little book cohronicles my attempt to love this Christmas a little more. Not the one I wish for, but the one that actually is. If you are strugglingwith your circumstances this year, wondering how you will ever enjoy “the most wonderful time of the year”, this is what I have for you. (Bonus: For MOPS moms it is 50% off at Direct2church.com. Just use the promo code MOPS18. That makes it $5 a copy!)

*Planning worksheets. Need to decide what’s most important this season? I have the Big Rocks Planning Worksheet. From party planning to money managing, I have tools that can help you set it all up well. These are found on my website here for free.

*A corresponding Bible study is also available for free. It takes the Scripture found in the book and dives a little deeper. God’s words to us can keep the sanity in Christmas insanity as we remember why we do all of this crazy making in the first place. Find it here to download (yes, also free).

*Want to send some friends a little encouragement? How about some Christmas themed notecards? I think you’re seeing the pattern here. You can find them to download here.

*I’m looking for a few friends to go through the book with me this Advent season. If you’re interested, leave a comment below and let me know your favorite platform for group discussions. I will announce our plan in the next week. Because together we can find some more hope, love, joy, and peace this Christmas, regardless of what is right in front of us.

My fellow Christmas orchestrators, I know Christmas can be stressful. We likely can’t elminate ALL the stress of the season, but we can put it into perspective. Because God came to show the world his unending love, not so that Target might have a strong quarter. We can do this, together we can love our actual Christmas.