Homemaking and Other Practical Topics
Have a Merry January
By Mrs. Kimberly Eddy
Oct 27, 2006 - 4:20:00 PM

Only October, and it's already starting: the Christmas shopping season! What starts slowly in September and October comes to a pinnacle in December, then crashes down with a thud come January. Many people are so focused on having a Merry Christmas that they don't plan for a Merry January, too.

A Merry January?

Yes! That is an old-fashioned phenomenon where the Christmas Credit Card bills don't come rolling in one January afternoon with the rest of the mail. A merry January is the sort of celebration one has when her children are not over-stimulated from excessive amounts of expensive and fancy gifts, yet still not content. A merry January comes when families learn that contentment in Christ--not the quest for more--is the source of Joy that lasts past the dead Christmas tree and biodegrading garlands.

You can have a merry January when your focus is on the right things and you don't swim in guilt over gifts you bought or didn't buy, who was left off your Christmas card list, and all the things you were planning on doing but got too busy to actually do. A merry January can be had when we don't rush around so much in December that we could practically sleep through the entire month of January, if only we could.

I have found that this phenomenon is not just related to how we spend money during the holiday shopping season, but also how we spend our time. The holidays, even when we don't intend them to, can become so frantic and busy that meaningful family time is cut to a minimum. Instead of reflecting on the past year and thanking God for all He has brought to our family during that year, we barely have time to eat together, pray together, or even see each other because of all of the busy activities that pull each member of the family in different directions.

I know that last year, without realizing it, we had become busy through activities our children were each invovled in. Most of December was a blur of driving different children to different rehearsals, parties, caroling expeditions, and piano practice. When all was said and done, one of my children looked at me and said, "Let's not ever do it this way again!" (Amen!) The problem wasn't that caroling, Christmas plays, and concerts are somehow wrong, because they aren't. The problem was with what it did to our family at that time. Every family has its own level of "busyiness" that is is comfortable with, and we apparently exceeded our limit last year.

Whether or not you believe that the Birth of Christ occured on December 25th, what we are celebrating is the best Gift He ever gave to man: The miraculous Incarnation! He gave the gift of Himself, clothed in flesh--God with us, Emmanuel. I firmly believe this is the best gift we can give to our children as well: the gift of time with mom and dad and pointing our children to Christ, rather than hustle bustle and too many gifts.

One solution that has worked well for our family is introducing traditions that bring the family closer together and closer to the Lord. Please listen carefully. I am not talking about family traditions that just add more to mom's never ending to-do list, leaving you frazzled and panicked at the thought of not having things just so. Many times, even if we slow down on our outside activities, we get bogged down with "traditions" that focus more on the external staging of it all than they do on the whole purpose: enjoyable family time. Don't just lengthen your to-do list, stay up late with your many preparations, and then get testy over the messy house and imperfect decor. That is not what I mean by a meaningful family tradition.

Christmas Shopping by Stefan Mart (1933)