December Pearls of Encouragement for
Christian Working Moms
Welcome
Blog Comments
Article – How to Have the “Perfect”
Christmas
Final Thoughts
Welcome
Welcome and Merry Christmas to all you
faithful Christian Working Moms who read the Newsletter,
we are not at over 1200 subscribers. I consider it
a true honor to write to you every month. Let me thank
you for being there and your warm words of encouragement.
May God truly bless you this Christmas season with
his undeniable love and care for you. One more thing
the CWM newsletter and interview will now be posted
on the website under archives. Also, the article is
posted on the Blog for you to make comments as well.
Blog Comments
Come visit the Christian Working Mom
Blog at www.kimberlychastain.com/my-journal.
Recent topics have been: How to handle Christmas Stress,
How you keep Christ in Christmas, “Perfect Mother”
examples and Confessions of an Exercise Dropout. If
you would ever like a certain topic started on the
blog just send an email to Kimberly@kimberlychastain.com
with Blog in the subject. List a comment or topic
you would like to start. Come encourage and support
other Christian Working Moms.
Article – How to Have
the “Perfect” Christmas
Many of you may have seen this article
I have written before. I decided it is still pertinent
for today. So, forgive me for using a previous article.
There is another Christmas article on the website
entitled, “Maybe this Christmas will be different”.
That article addresses difficulties with dysfunctional
families at Christmas time. You can find the article
at www.christianworkingmom.com
under free articles. Enjoy the article.
How to Have the "Perfect"
Christmas
"This year will be different. I
vow I won't get stressed out over presents, parties,
cards, Christmas plays, putting up the tree and decorating,
and all the many other tasks of the season. I will
remember the true meaning of Christmas."
Do you find that all the Christmas chores
steal your joy?
"For unto us a child is born"
- Aahh the miracle of birth. The true miracle of our
Savior's birth. As Christian mothers we are doubly
blessed to celebrate Christmas. We know the joy and
pain of childbirth. We can imagine an exhausted Mary
looking at her truly perfect, holy baby.
How can we recapture the joy and the
simplicity of the first Christmas?
Following are some suggestions for making
this the "Perfect" Christmas
1. Decide how you want your family to
experience the true meaning of Christmas. Ex. Will
you help another family with presents? Our family
now has a tradition of doing Christmas boxes for Samaritan's
Purse. Our children love picking out items for the
box and praying for the child who receives their box.
2. Prioritize what is most important
to you. Maybe you can't do it all. You may choose
not to send Christmas cards, but do a New Years note.
3. Decide what parties you can and cannot
attend. Sometimes as a family we may rarely be home
in December. So much for family time.
4. If you have young children, remember
how important, normal routine and
sleep schedule are for younger children and you. Taking
a cranky toddler shopping is not a good experience
for anyone.
5. Decide what traditions you want for
your own nuclear family. Sometimes we are so busy
going to extended families' homes we don't get to
start our own family traditions. Try to have a leisurely
Christmas morning with children enjoying their toys
before rushing off to anywhere.
6. Start a tradition of celebrating
Jesus birthday. Ex. Happy Birthday Jesus cake, reading
the Christmas story before opening presents, or children
having their own child size Nativity set to play with
and tell the Christmas story.
7. Set a limit on Christmas spending
and stick to it. Don't celebrate Jesus'
birth by being in debt in January.
8. Take time to pray and think about
the most precious gift of all. Often our
quiet times are the first to go when we get so busy.
Using an advent calendar
with children will also help them focus on the true
meaning of Christmas.
9. Be kind to yourself. You may not
be able to do everything like your Mom did. Perhaps
you can make slice-and-bake cookies with your children
instead of homemade cookie dough. Your children will
remember the fun of decorating cookies, not who made
the cookie dough.
10. Remember that you are not superwoman
and you can't do it all. Sit down with your husband
and decide who can do what on your list. Children
can help put stamps on Christmas cards. Be kind to
yourself and rest in our Savior's loving arms.
I don't know if you or I will have the
"Perfect" Christmas, but we can make a conscious
effort to focus on our Lord. Things will go wrong
and we will get stressed, but we need to keep our
eyes on Him. We need to show and teach our children
that Christmas is not about Santa and receiving gifts.
Christmas is about the ultimate gift that we can never
repay. So, I wish you a "Perfect" Christmas
with Christ' birth as your focus, and that you would
be kind to yourself. Set reasonable expectations for
yourself and experience the true joy of Christmas.
Final Thoughts
I do pray you can spend time with your
children this Christmas season just goofing off and
enjoying one another, not in harried way, but in a
relaxing way. Stay in your PJ’s all day one
day and enjoy being “bums”.
Till next time,
Kimberly Chastain
Kimberly Chastain, MS, LMFT is the Christian Working
Mom Coach and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
She is the author of 2 ebooks that can be found at
www.christianworkingmom.com.
For a free, initial coaching session send an email
to Kimberly@kimberlychastain.com.
