And she brought forth her firstborn son,
and wrapped him in swaddling clothes,
and laid him in a manger;
because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:7
The Christmas story began with travel. Mary and Joseph traveled. The shepherds traveled. Later, the wise men traveled. All these years later, your family is most likely traveling or hosting family who are traveling to see you. Being with family requires making some room.
Hearts seem most open and tender to the gospel during the Christmas season. That means this is a great time to love on neighbors, friends, or co-workers, and intentionally look for ways to share the love of Christ. Loving on others requires making some room.
Christmas is a sweet season for cultivating special family time. It offers wonderful opportunities to launch new (or continue old) traditions with your children, and to train them in missions and ministry opportunities. Investing in our family requires making some room.
Perhaps we are more eager to make room when the room is somewhat clean and tidy. Perhaps we are more willing to find room in our schedule when our environment is orderly. And that’s where our ‘Do It’ List can be your great helper. (Not quite as fabulous as having round-the-clock help like the Proverb 31 Lady, but possibly the next best thing!)
This month’s free ‘Do It’ List download completes our first 12-month cycle. If you began with us in January, you’re reaping the blessings of a more orderly home, freed up from the burden of wondering what to do next and just letting the tasks flow on auto-pilot. If December is your first month with us, you’re beginning at a wonderful time. The holidays offer great opportunities … but may also find us stressed and overloaded with full schedules, increased responsibilities, and more ideas than we have resources to complete. We hope and pray this tool helps alleviate some of the burden, allowing you to seize opportunities to love on others during this Christmas season.
Our ‘Do It’ List has three main sections—one each for daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. One of our monthly tasks changes out each month. Our December monthly task is the Holiday -INGs: shopping, wrapping, baking, mailing, hosting, etc. There may be other -INGs on your list, but we are going to drill down on these five. Before jumping into any of these, some planning will be helpful. Let’s call this advance planning the -ING ABCs:
- Add to your calendar.
Look at your December calendar and block off an entire afternoon (or two) at a minimum for each -ING. Depending upon how many gifts you need to wrap or how many cookies you need to bake, your specific -ING may need to stretch to a full day or even two.
- Buy supplies ahead of time.
If it’s wrapping day, you need to be sure you have paper, tape, and tags. If it’s baking day, you’ll need plenty of flour, sugar, chocolate chips, etc. Make your list and be ready.
- Commit to the Schedule. When you chose a day for bakING, commit to keeping your -ING date as you would a dental appointment or lunch date. Make it a commitment and make it happen.
Here are some thoughts to help build in success for your -INGs:
- ShoppING: The November 8 post Jump-starting Christmas might offer a few tips for this first -ING. If you capitalized on the all Black Friday sales, be sure to log all those finds and make your list of what is left to purchase. Look at your WrappING date and be sure your ShoppING dates is at least a week ahead, allowing ample time for on-line orders to arrive.
- WrappING: Clear the kitchen table (or set up a long folding table) and gather your gifts and wrapping supplies. Depending on how much wrappING you might be able to get through both White Christmas and It’s A Wonderful Life before you wrap it up. (Pun intended.) I love watching my favorite Christmas movies while wrapping. Also, check out Bridgitt’s post from last Christmas for some fabulous tips for creative gift wrap.
- BakING: Making the list of what you plan to bake is essential. Check and double check your ingredients to ensure you have everything you need. Will you do a plate of cookies for the neighbors? How about your husband’s co-workers? The ladies at Bible study? Your homeschool co-op leaders? Nothing communicates love like homemade cookies! You can add 4-6 to a sandwich bag or arrange an assortment on a Christmas-themed paper plate. Of course, you will need an ample supply for your family, as well.
I find it helpful (and efficient) to double or even triple the recipe for 3-4 of our favorites. The dough can then be frozen, and I can thaw and bake as needed each week during the holidays. Alternately, you can bake and then freeze. Allow cookies to cool completely after baking, stack carefully – consider using wax paper between layers – and use a freezer-safe, airtight container. Just remove what you need as you need them. (Caution: don’t be surprised if they seem to evaporate from the freezer!) - MailING: If you have packages or Christmas cards to mail, your goal should be to get everything out early. The earlier the better. Not only will this ensure your items arrive in plenty of time for Christmas, it will save you time (the closer to Christmas, the longer the lines) and money (mailing early avoids paying extra for Express or Priority delivery). You can find the 2018 Holiday Shipping Dates from the US Postal Service online.
Be sure to save a cardboard box or two from your online orders to re-use for shipping gifts. You’ll also want to check your supply of packing tape and labels to ensure you have everything ready for mailing day. - HostING: We often have good intentions and fabulous ideas for opening our home and heart during the holidays. Let’s make this year the year it really happens! The last assignment Jesus left for us was to go and make disciples. Using the venue of our own homes, we only need go across the street to extend the invitation. Thanks to the help of the ‘Do It’ List, we can throw open the door with confidence on the day we host our guests. You can make this evangelistic by sharing the gospel, or create opportunities for fellowship by inviting other believers. Here are some ideas:
- Cookies & Coffee – Invite the ladies in your neighborhood. As you enjoy dessert together, ask the ladies to share about a Christmas memory or tradition from their growing-up years. This will not only give you insight into their spiritual background, but be a great lead-in for your to share your own personal Christmas traditions as you focus on the birth of Jesus.
- Christmas Caroling – Invite the youth group or Sunday School class to join you for caroling at the nursing home or in your neighborhood. Then host everyone for hot chocolate afterward.
- Christmas Movie Night – Invite college students and/or singles for a movie night. Serve popcorn and apple cider. Plan for 3-4 discussion questions after to help unpack the movie and guide the conversation to spiritual topics and share the gospel.
For more ideas on sharing the gospel at Christmas, look for my upcoming post, Making Christmas Missional, in less than 2 weeks.
Your life, your schedule, and your home may all feel like there is “no room in the inn.” Would you pray about making some room this Christmas to love on others and share the gift of our Savior? What better way to keep Christ in Christmas, than to make a little room?
Download your copy of this month’s ‘Do It’ List:
December 2018 BLANK ‘Do It’ List
Click to learn more about the daily, weekly, and once-per-month tasks on the ‘Do It’ List.
