Are You Ready for Christmas?

How many times have you been asked that question so far this year? I didn’t count, but since Thanksgiving it feels like every time I take my daughter to an appointment, run errands, or interact with someone I don’t really know—I get asked, “Are you ready for Christmas?”

This year in particular, I’ve struggled with how to answer that question. After giving it some thought—and deciding to write this blog post—I realized I finally have a good answer for next year. I’ll share that with you in a bit.

This year has been difficult for many people I know. There has been hurt and pain, loss, tragedy, and a long list of circumstances that have affected my family and those I care deeply about. For us especially, this has been a year of significant change. The holidays—and really, life moving forward—look very different than they once did. I’m not ready to share all of that publicly just yet, but I can say this: there hasn’t been much gift buying, very little decorating, and few traditional Christmas activities for us this year.

Don’t get me wrong—we have still experienced some festive moments. We attended the town tree lighting, went through a drive-through nativity, put up our tree, and added a few decorations. But overall, we are keeping things very low-key this Christmas.

So, when someone asks me if I’m ready for Christmas, I usually assume they’re asking about gifts—how many I’ve bought, whether they’re wrapped, and all the usual things. At first, I was caught off guard because it felt really early to be “ready.” Stores were putting out Christmas items around Halloween, after all. So I shrugged and said no, because I wasn’t even ready to make plans for the season yet.

By the second or third time I was asked, my response shifted to something like, “That depends on what you mean.” Last Christmas, my perspective on gifts changed. It wasn’t about being cheap or even about finances—though that is our reality this year. It was about returning to what Christmas is meant to be and trying to teach my daughter that she already has everything she truly needs.

Last year, I decided we would each receive just one gift. They were meaningful (and somewhat pricey) gifts, and yes, I still stuffed her stocking, but my intention was to make Christmas Day about Jesus. I did something completely out of character for me: I surprised my family by giving them their gifts on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. 

I won’t be doing that this year. But I did carry on a tradition a dear friend introduced to me—lighting candles on a cake on Christmas morning and singing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. There’s no judgment toward believers or non-believers who don’t prioritize that. That’s not what this post is about. This post is about Jesus, about my walk with the Lord, and about my growing awareness of how commercialism has pulled us away from what we’re truly celebrating. 

My daughter is 13. She’s still very young minded and at heart and looks forward to gifts on Christmas morning—and that’s okay. That will likely be her focus until maturity brings a different perspective. But that doesn’t mean I have to make that the focus, and it certainly doesn’t mean I’ll allow gifts to be opened before we acknowledge the birth of our Savior. I can’t force my child to understand the importance of this day, but I can model what I value. And I can pray for her and trust God with the rest.

This year, I’ve also continued a tradition I adopted from my grandma: a full-on Christmas cookie baking bonanza. Who doesn’t love homemade cookies & fudge? Honestly, baked goods will likely be my gifts going forward—aside from gifts for my daughter. Baking brings me joy, and I love blessing others with food. But even joyful things can become stressful. I was severely ill last weekend and couldn’t start baking until two days before our staff meeting, where I wanted to bring cookies as my gift. I stayed up until 10 p.m. the night prior finishing the last batches and didn’t even get to the fudge yet (made that just yesterday).

Was it necessary? No. Would anyone have been upset if I didn’t bring cookies? Absolutely not. And if they were, that wouldn’t be worth my time or energy. I think that pressure I put on myself is exactly why I want to step away from gift-giving expectations and lean more into quality time—whether that’s a phone call with someone far away or a coffee date in person. I don’t know about you, but I’d take time with a friend over a physical gift any day.

As we enter the final days leading up to Christmas Day, try not to pressure yourself to prepare everything perfectly. We exhaust ourselves—staying up too late, overspending, running ourselves ragged—and in the process, we miss the true meaning of Christmas. What does it gain us to kill ourselves over prepping the house, the food, and the gifts when the 26th comes and there’s just dirty dishes and wrapping paper to clean up? 

So, you’re asking what my response will be next year, to the question so many people ask every December? The other day, I shared with a friend what I believe is the perfect response for the future when someone asks me if I’m ready for Christmas:

“Why yes, I am. I’m ready to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

I imagine that response might shock some people, but that’s not my intent. The truth is—I am ready. This week wraps up Advent, and I’ve been walking through a study with a friend. Advent is about preparing our hearts to acknowledge Jesus’ birth. Am I fully prepared to honor what was done for us? Probably not—nothing I say or do could ever truly capture it—but I am ready to celebrate Him.

I pray that each person reading this is blessed and able to experience peace and joy in this season as well as the upcoming new year. And I also recognize that many of us carry pain, and for some, the holidays only magnify it. For that, I pray healing and comfort over you from our Lord.

Merry Christmas.

Happy Birthday, Jesus. 💛