How to Get Organized for a More Meaningful Christmas

How to Get Organized for a More Meaningful Christmas. Have a schedule, plan, and execute your plan. This will free your mind and time so you can think about and be able to create a more meaningful Christmas for your family. Who doesn’t want Christmas to be more meaningful? When you get organized, you will be able to focus your family’s thoughts on Jesus’ birthday, think of ways to speak their love language, and have a Christ-centered Christmas. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?

With this in mind, I created a set of Printable Lists for a Calm, Christ-Centered Christmas (choose from an assortment of designs) to put up on your fridge, with check-off boxes, to keep in your notebook, or put in your purse or bag, so you know exactly what you’re supposed to be doing at any given moment, and can see the great progress you’re making as you cross off or check those boxes! Here is a sample of what you’ll get:

We’re in Week 7 of the Series on “How to Schedule For a Calm, Christ-Centered Christmas.” If you’ve been following this series and doing the things, you’re getting organized– making significant headway on your list–and crossing things off! You have a sense of peace! You are freeing up space in your brain, and you’re getting time and energy back! That freeing-up experience makes it possible for you to be more creative. You can think about what’s important and see the big picture instead of just constantly absorbed in the urgent-gotta-do-it-now things! 

You have to get organized to be able to do those special things for your family

Be encouraged! When you look at this list and see all those checked boxes, it’s an amazing feeling! Each thing that gets done boosts your confidence! This year you can have a more calm, Christ-centered Christmas!  Which means you know how to have a more Meaningful Christmas. You can make lasting memories for your family. You have so many ideas of things you’d do if you had more time or energy! And you dream of your Christmas being filled with meaningful scenes of family time together. 

Get Organized First, Free Up Brain Space, Plan Meaningful Activities Your Family Will Love

Have you gotten the Christmas Planner to go with this Series?! You can be ready this year! You want to get this Planner to bring peace and calm to your Christmas celebration and help you make it special and meaningful.

“Choosing ways to celebrate Christmas that speak your family’s love languages will make it an especially meaningful Christmas.”

Wendy Gunn

Read all the Posts in “How to Schedule For A Calm, Christ-centered Christmas” (8-Week Schedule):

• Week 1:  How to Schedule an Amazingly Calm, Christ-Centered Christmas
• Week 2: 12 Steps for a Calm, Christ-centered Christmas, Week 2
• Week 3: How to Get Organized for the Holidays
• Week 4: How to Actually Have a Wonderful Christ-Centered Christmas
• Week 5: How to Keep Christmas the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
• Week 6: How to Be an At-Home Missionary this Christmas
• Week 7:  How to Get Organized for a More Meaningful Christmas
• Week 8: How to Celebrate Christmas and Stay Calm

Using Your Family’s Love Languages Will Make It More Meaningful

When you know and speak the Love Languages of your family, you can plan how to make this Christmas more meaningful for each one. When you plan Advent activities, decide which things to include and which to cross off your list (Yes, it’s okay to cross things off, even if they’re “traditions” if they don’t help you celebrate Jesus Christ’s birthday!) You know your family is unique, and there are activities that will specifically speak to the heart of each one of them in a special way. 

For example, you can invest more time buying or making the perfect gift for the family member whose love language is “receiving gifts.” The daughter, whose love language is quality time, may thoroughly enjoy a special tea time (with a card table and cute tablecloth, a teapot, and a plate of cookies that the two of you enjoy alone together). Or if you want to keep it super simple, just arrange to have a one-on-one time for that child to have you all to himself–that child talking alone with you at bedtime on your bed, for instance. You know your child and your family, but you get the picture!

Spend Time Together As A Family To Share A Meaningful Christmas

Of course, spend time together intentionally with your family. This is really the most meaningful. Do things as a family. I would encourage you to make one of the defining characteristics of your family the fact that you do things together. All of your family members will enjoy spending time together, but the family member whose love language is quality time will especially like this activity. 

Take time to read aloud books that touch your hearts and speak of the real reason we celebrate Christmas. The family member whose love language is physical touch can curl up next to you, and this will fill that emotional tank of theirs! Choose books and stories carefully! 

I immediately think of stories I’ve read in past Christmases that encouraged Godly character–for instance, one that demonstrated selfless giving is The Christmas Box The Gift ?? (story of a young couple who sacrificially give to make Christmas meaningful to the other one.  And a great read-aloud for this time of year is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. These times of reading character-building books (living books) together will be a priceless memory for all of you!

This is an 8-week Schedule For a Calm, Christ-Centered Christmas. I have given you ideas for what to do each week in order to be done with your major Christmas preparation by Thanksgiving. If you are beginning when this post is published, you still have time to complete the 8 weeks by Christmas! Or if you come in later, just do as much as you can–every bit will help! Plan to Celebrate Christ this Christmas! Here is the Schedule for Week 7. Find all the posts in the Series listed below!

• Buy ¼ of your Christmas gifts; Will you give to a child in need this year?
• Ship any out-of-town or out-of-state gifts
• Buy Christmas stamps now, if the post office didn’t have them before or  you haven’t done so already
• Fold, stuff, stamp, and prepare to send your Christmas cards right after Thanksgiving
• Wrap gifts and prepare to mail/ship those that need time to get there
• Shop for Thanksgiving, if hosting; prepare food ahead, tell others what they can bring; let others share in the work and giving
• If hosting guests for the holidays, check out the bedding situation and declutter bedrooms. Link to hostess needs, guest room post, bedding link

Week 7 Schedule: What to Do This Week for a Calm, Christ-Centered Christmas (You’re nearing the end!)

• Celebrate All-Saints Day (Read about the origins of this holiday–we don’t celebrate Halloween:)
• Spend time as a family: Have your kids help decorate, wrap, and shop; Read great living books about America’s 1st Thanksgiving.
• Plan how you will celebrate Advent, and look through your supplies, replenishing candles, purchasing a book, or whatever you need to do to be ready.
• Finish writing your Christmas Letter and try to include an evangelistic message.
•  Print out a sample of your Christmas Letter on plain paper to see if it will fit and prints well within the boundaries of your Christmas stationery.
• Begin stuffing your Christmas cards if there will be no letter.
• Print out the Christmas letter if you have written one.
• Write a personal note in the cards or letters that need one
• Consider beginning your holiday baking and freezing to frost, or finish later.
• Emphasize thankfulness in your family during the month of November. (Prepare by getting “A Thankful Thoughts Journal” Get one and print a copy for each family member! They also make great gifts.)
• Send a note of thanks with a page of copy work (a Bible verse that your children copied) from the Journal or a favorite verse to someone you know who’s sick, or to an elderly neighbor, grandparents, or someone who you know is probably especially lonely at this time.
• Read great living books (this counts as school!) Here are Thanksgiving Book Recommendations!

This is Week 7 of the 8-week Series on “How to Schedule For a Calm, Christ-Centered Christmas.”

Read all the Posts in “How to schedule for a calm, Christ-centered Christmas” (8-Week Schedule):

• Week 1:  How to Schedule an Amazingly Calm, Christ-Centered Christmas
• Week 2: 12 Steps for a Calm, Christ-centered Christmas, Week 2
• Week 3: How to Get Organized for the Holidays
• Week 4: How to Actually Have a Wonderful Christ-Centered Christmas
• Week 5: How to Keep Christmas the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
• Week 6: How to Be an At-Home Missionary this Christmas
• Week 7:  How to Get Organized for a More Meaningful Christmas
• Week 8: How to Celebrate Christmas and Stay Calm