A Faith & Preparedness Post

Despite your best efforts… here we are again.

One week before Christmas, and everything is piling up. Gifts to buy and wrap. Food to purchase and prepare. Parties to give and attend. The calendar is bursting, your energy is shrinking, and your to-do list has officially declared victory.

I get it.
You are swamped.

But before we lose ourselves completely in the whirlwind, let me gently ask:

Did you forget somebody?
How about Christ?

He is, after all, the reason for the season.

If your heart feels distracted, tired, or pulled in too many directions, here are five simple ways to turn your focus back to Christ this Christmas—no overwhelm, no perfection required.

Read Your Bible (Even One Short Passage)

You don’t need an hour-long quiet time to reset your heart. Just open your Bible and read something that brings you back to the true meaning of Christmas.

Here are a few easy places to begin:

• Luke 1–2

• Matthew 1–2

• Isaiah 9:6

• John 1:1–14

Read slowly. Let the words settle.
Even five minutes can reorient your spirit toward gratitude and awe.

Listen to Advent Music (Not Just Christmas Noise)

Advent is a season of preparation—a time to ready our hearts for the coming of our Savior. Not only His birth long ago, but the promised return of Christ. Advent music gently draws our attention back to hope, faith, and worship.

Set aside the cheerful noise of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “All I Want for Christmas Is You” for a moment. There’s nothing wrong with them, but they don’t prepare your heart the same way.

Here are beautiful, worship-filled Advent selections:

Albums & Playlists

• Advent at Ephesus — Benedictines of Mary

• O Come O Come Emmanuel — Classical/Choral mix (Spotify & YouTube)

• Lauren Daigle – Light of the World (EP)

• Sovereign Grace Music – Prepare Him Room

• Chris Tomlin – Glory in the Highest

Where to Find Advent Music

• Spotify: “Advent hymns,” “Advent worship”

• YouTube: “Advent playlist,” “Advent hymns choir”

• Apple Music: curated Advent collections

Play it while you drive, wrap gifts, or clean.
Let the music do its quiet work.

Share the Christmas Story Through Books

If you have younger children or grandchildren, take a moment to read them books that anchor the season in Christ—not only Santa, snowmen, or stockings.

Children’s Books About the Christmas Story

• The Christmas Promise — Alison Mitchell

• The Story of Christmas — Patricia A. Pingry

• The Crippled Lamb — Max Lucado

• Room for a Little One — Martin Waddell

• The Stable Cat’s Christmas — Christina S. Vrba

And if your kids are grown and your house is quiet, don’t worry—you can still enjoy Christ-centered Christmas reading.

Adult Christmas Reads (Not Secular Romance)

• The Women of Christmas — Liz Curtis Higgs

• Hidden Christmas — Timothy Keller

• The Greatest Gift — Ann Voskamp

• God Came Near — Max Lucado

These books help us slow down and reflect. They bring our attention back to the heart of Christmas: Emmanuel, God with us.

Take Christ to Someone Else

Yes, the season is busy.
Yes, you already feel overwhelmed.
But sometimes the best way to reconnect with Christ is to carry His love to someone who needs it.

Think of:

• A shut-in

• A widowed neighbor

• An older family member

• Someone spending Christmas alone

• Someone who has had a hard year and won’t say a word

They may never voice their loneliness, but a short visit, a warm conversation, or even dropping off a simple plate of cookies can remind them that they are seen and loved.

And here’s the secret:
You may discover you needed the visit just as much as they did.

Simplify One Thing That’s Stealing Your Peace

Choose one thing—just one—that is draining your joy or distracting you from Christ.
Then release it.

• Cross one event off your list

• Skip a complicated recipe

• Let go of the guilt about not sending cards

• Say no to one more shopping trip

• Drop the expectation of a perfect Christmas

When you remove what drains you, you create space for what matters.
Peace often arrives not by doing more, but by doing less with intention.

Closing

Christ doesn’t ask for a picture-perfect Christmas.
He asks for our hearts—tired, busy, overwhelmed as they may be.

This week, choose even one of these practices and let it draw you back to Him.
Christmas is coming.
Let’s make room for Christ.