Project #1 – What Do You Want Your Christmas to Look 
Like
Proverbs 19:21
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”
I know, I know. You want to dive in and start checking things off your list since it’s going to be a busy few weeks. I get it.
But, I want you to spend ten minutes determining how you are going to spend those next few weeks.
If we can go into the holidays being intentional about how we spend our time, physical and emotional energy, it truly will be the key to a more sane and sacred celebration.
Brainstorm about what is important to you. Some years, I’m looking for Joy. I want to experience that deep, abiding Joy that only comes from God and being with His people.
This year, it’s a little bit different; I’m all about the Peace. Between chaos in my ministry, chaos in our home lives, chaos in my husband’s job and a triple shot of chaos with my mom’s health, I need that peace that passes understanding. Here is what my mission statement looks like:
For Christmas 2011 I will share God’s peace with my family, my friends, and people I meet and I will to be done with my prep by December 20th so that I can experience peace during our celebration. I will read the Christmas story each morning of December.
And yes – I believe that God can deliver that – even during while at the mall. In December.
I’ve got a free resource to help you brainstorm and come up with a sentence (or two) about your intention this Christmas. Just go to my Facebook Author Page to download it (we’ll be putting all of our goodies up there!)
For a chance to win a copy of THE HUSBAND PROJECT sent to any address on your Christmas list (and it will be wrapped and a gift enclosure card will be added with your note!) tell me on my FB author page or here at the blog write your one sentence mission statement in the comments by Friday, November 25th. I’ll announce the winner next Monday!
My plan for Christmas has changed in just the last several days. My husband found out he was losing his job. He also has recently become more interested in the Lord (not having any exposure prior to marrying me). So I am taking this year as and opportunity to share with my husband and 3 small children the true meaning of Christmas, and real Christmas Carols, hopefully creating new traditions that stay with us forever.
My mission this Christmas is to soak up the family time. My son will be leaving for bootcamp in May and I know Christmas will be different from now on. He may be in another city or state or even country. This truly is my favorite time of year and I can’t wait to see what this year holds for us!
my Christmas mission statement is to remember the reason for the season!
My kids are very young, so we are still in the tradition-creating phase. My goal this year is to make Christmas magical. I’m envisioning lots of hot chocolate, story telling, and snuggling.
I am already feeling stressed from holiday activities. Your Christmas Project is an answer to many payers and just in time. I have my notebook started with its beautiful cover. I am awaiting further instructions . Please help me get organized. The first thing I have done is make a master grocery list for Thanksgiving dinner. Every year, I pull out the same recipes for items we have every year, but I have made a list of the items that I need to shop for in order to make each recipe. I can cross off the items I have & shop for the rest. I look forward to your Project to help reduce the holiday stress.
This year Christmas is going to be about keeping it simple in order to focus more on the time spent with our family.
We are going to my inlaws for 2 weeks. We live in CA, they live in IL. So instead of rushing around doing a big to do about all of it. We are going to keep it simple and focus on spending time together.
My daughter just turned one, so Christmas will be a bit different than in the past. We’ll read Advent devotions together like these: https://sites.google.com/site/rdecamp/home
To sum it up in a short mission statement, I’d say:
Create meaningful Christmas traditions as we relax and rejoice as a family.
I want to rest in God’s peace so I’m able to enjoy time with my friends and family. A simpler Christmas where we enjoy each others company, laughing and making fun memories, not worrying about the things on my to-do list. To have the focus be on Christ by doing a Christmas devotion through out Advent; The Journey: A Season of Reflections.
I want the peace of mind this Christmas for my family and me. I want the Holidays to be about Jesus and NOT the gifts or commitments. My grandfather is passing on during this Holiday season and we need to remember what is really important 🙂
This has been a year of adjustment. A few highlights include… the large brain tumor that came packaged with cognitive thinking issues and a driving restriction. Our blended family of four children living at home (my main ministry) shrunk to become a home of one child, practically overnight. And after recently receiving an exciting job opportunity, we are now preparing for my husband to live away from home for a six month job training. Thank God we know the absolute sovereignty of our Lord JESUS! He is good all the time, no matter what.
This Christmas I will continue to focus on what I “have” INSTEAD of what I “have not”. I will not let the enemy steal my joy. “I will put my hope in God! I will YET praise Him my Savior and my God!” Ps.42:11
The written word is powerful… thank you, Kathi, for encouraging us to write it out!
I want to worry less about Christmas and enjoy all of the Church Functions available. I want to enjoy Christmas and have less stress this year than in years past. I want to be able to share the wonder of Christmas with my family both here and also with my Soldier who will not be home for Christmas.
This Christmas season, I want to share the love of Christ with all I meet, as well as my friends and family. This year, I am looking forward to sharing Christmas Eve with my siblings and their families, my grandma and my fiance. We haven’t had a family Christmas since our mom passed away in 2004, so I’m very excited!
Our LORD Jesus IS THE GIFT. I pray that all my choices about time, attitudes, gifts, activities and traditions for my growing family of 5 (ages 6, 3, 5 months) and my ailing grandfather. I pray for the discipline to be “present” and wholehearted in Him. I ask for His spirit to reflect His coming at Christmas and the peace to let all the other things of “this world” not His kingdom fall away this cherished season.
This Christmas Season I want the Joy of knowing The LORD is my Banner because He is going before me in this Holiday season. I want to know the peace that passes understanding. I want His Joy to come to my world.
My husband left me this year – in April but he still come to visit the children at least once a week, and it’s all very amicable. Most Christmases for me have been very fraught affairs sadly, but having Jesus at the heart of it for me has made the difference, as time and again he shows his faithfulness to me in difficult circumstances. But despite everything I still want to show love and kindness to him even though he doesn’t love me and so I invited him to christmas dinner to which he said yes. So my heart has been hurting this year but I look to Jesus and my prayer this Christmas is for Christ to shine out of me in loving service in Christ’s name to my family, esp my estranged husband, and my children aged 24, 22 and 12.
Not what you asked but had to share…
Daughter 8yo: When is Christmas?
Me: next month
Her: exactly?
Me : 5 or 6 weeks, why?
Her: I can’t wait, I want to be ready! I’m so excited!
Me: why?
Her with exasperation: it’s Jesus’s birthday!!!
Me with a smile: What about Santa?
Her: well that’s what’s so great, it’s a celebration of Jesus so why not celebrate with presents!!!!
Me giggling: can’t argue with that.
My plan for Christmas 2011 is for the Peace and Joy of the Lord to dwell in my household.
My theme for this year is Silent Night Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright. We lost a good friend this year – spent Easter with him and his wife not knowing that would be the last time we saw him. For Christmas we will be hosting his wife, daughter (my sister-in-law) and grandchildren, and hopefully his son. Also, my youngest son will be deploying to Afghanistan in July and will be there next Christmas. My mission is to minister to my family and friends and let them know how much I love them, and not take anything for granted. I’m trying to think of gifts that are more sentimental than material and would love some suggestions.
This year I will develop simple traditions that remind our children and grandchildren of the true essence of Christmas. We will celebrate God’ s ultimate gift of love by expressing love and kindness to others in our daily interactions.
This year I want my children to know the season is not about getting more things to be thankful for, but being thankful for the things we have. My mission is to enjoy Christmas more simply, and be present in each moment.
This year I want my christmas season to be about Jesus. I also want to share with my boys the real reason we celebrate Christmas by sharing The Christmas Story with them daily. The pressure of gifts, visiting all our family, cooking and hosting gets too overwhelming and I want to slow down this year. Focus on traditions more and not everything else.
I am usually about done with my shopping and all is wrapped by Dec 1. Not this year though. My goal for 2011 is to be done with shopping and gifts wrapped by Dec 10th. My mission this season and going into the new year for that matter is to Live more SIMPLY and to have JOY and share that with others!!! Our true JOY comes from Jesus!!!
Love it Chantel! I want to live more simply, but I know it takes a lot of planning. Looking forward to hearing your tips!
This Christmas season I want to share the Joy of the Lord with my family and others, the joy that only comes when you are focased on him and not on things of the world. I will make sure that every day my kids hear about the real reason we have christmas. I would also like some peace, so I plan to have everything for christmas taken care of by Dec. 22nd.
I’m with you Emma! Looking forward to what you have to share!