My wish for your holiday season

hey there hi there ho there!

Whether you are ready or not, the Holiday season is upon us. Travel plans are being made for Thanksgiving dinner, the stores are stocked with turkeys, hams, and stuffing mix. Ornaments, trees, garland, and lights are all sparkling on the shelves. Gift guides are being posted on blogs, Amazon deliveries are being made all over the place. It has begun! If you are like some people, your Christmas tree is already up in your house! I've already started listening to Christmas music, and my shopping list is already complete.

I have mixed feelings. I am so excited to celebrate this holiday season with two healthy babies + no postpartum stress. I can't wait to make the season magical for my little boys and see the magic of Christmas through their little eyes! I'm also experiencing the stress of finances over the holidays, deciding where to spend money and how to still make the time fun and have the traditions without overspending. I'm also dreading remembering some of the hard things from last Holiday season. I'm sure you feel some of the same things! I thought I would share my heart for this season, in order to give both you and I the right perspective.

It is so easy to get caught up in the things of the holiday season, I feel like more so now than in the past. The sales are everywhere, the push to buy the *right* gifts, the *best* gifts, to host the fanciest, most put-together Thanksgiving meal. There is a lot of pressure in this season to keep up with the Jones. It can be easy to feel like we won't give our families the best holiday unless there is a mouth watering meal with the most beautiful set dining table, and piles and piles of gifts under the tree. The world has made this season about things. There is no wrong in taking joy in giving and receiving gifts and wanting to host a beautiful Thanksgiving meal. Those things are still good, but they shouldn't be our focus, and our joy in this season shouldn't be dependent upon the success or failure of those things. So here's my wish + prayer for you and I in this holiday season.

My dear friend,

I pray this season is full of laughter.

The past two years have been exceptionally challenging for all of us, and devastation is everywhere. Whether you have faced your own personal hardships this year, or you are simply burdened by the heaviness of the world, I pray you find laughter this season. I pray your time with friends and family is light and joyful, and memories are made all around.

I pray this season is full of peace.

The worries and business of life are ever present whether it's Christmas or not, but I pray that this holiday season you feel peaceful. I pray you take many evenings to sit under a cozy blanket with loves ones and sip hot chocolate. I pray that you lay the financial, mental, and emotional burdens and the pressure to "keep up with the Jones" at the feet of Jesus and relish in the pure goodness of God.

I pray this season is full of gratitude.

I pray your heart is full of gratitude this season, not just because its Thanksgiving, but because you are truly grateful. I pray you see the abundant blessings in all areas of your life. I pray that instead of feeling behind and not good enough, that you see that God has given you all that you need and that is enough.

I pray this season is full of togetherness.

After 2 years of isolation and loneliness, I pray that you and your most loved ones are able to come together and sit around the table sharing the joys and memories of the years past. I pray that you are able to hug those you haven't hugged in a while, and make new memories with your people.

I pray this season is full of celebration.

Celebration of all the good things God has given us. Celebration of the beautiful sacrifice God made by sending His Son to us. Celebration of the fact that God loves us, that He came to earth to live as a man, that He SAVES us. I pray this season you remember why. Remember why you have a beautiful family, why you have a feast to eat, why you have clothes on your back. Remember why you have hope.

I pray this season is full of heart, not things.

I pray that this season you remember that it is not about the amount of gifts under the tree, or the most stylish Christmas decor, or the most fantastic traditions. I pray this season you know and embrace that we should focus on the love, joy, and hope that Christ has given to us.

My friend, I pray this season is good, and that though you may be struggling and missing someone, that you can still find hope and joy and peace.

Happy Holidays, Friend. May they be just that.