10 Ways You Can Enjoy An Intentional Christmas

magi Yesterday I asked a question: Who Else Wants To Finish Strong?

The question referenced my 2009 resolution about Living Intentionally and proposed the notion of an Intentional Christmas. After I posted the article and listened to feedback, I decided to be a little more specific about what I meant.

“Intentional” simply means making conscious choices about my attitudes and how I invest my time and energy. I hear a lot of talk about getting “caught up” in the holiday hustle—that’s the opposite of intentional.

So how can we finish the year by enjoying an Intentional Christmas? Here are a few thoughts.

Take a bit of time each day to think about the Christmas story. I’m a big fan of journaling, so maybe a Christmas journal would help. Try to take a purposeful journey to Bethlehem, whatever that means for you.

Play Christmas music, and stop occasionally to listen. Let the music remind you that the universe celebrated and glorified God [Luke 2:13-14] on that holy night.

Ponder a nativity scene. Let your mind travel back to that night. Immerse yourself in the surroundings. Perhaps you might choose a specific character and try to imagine his/her thoughts and feelings. Let yourself experience the paradox of a common event in humble surroundings that literally changed eternity.

Try this multiple times with different characters. Talk with someone, or write in your journal, about how that character’s perspective is unique and distinct from the others.

Place every gift you give or receive at the foot of the manger. The first Christmas gifts were treasures, carried a great distance at great personal sacrifice and risk. [Matthew 2:9-11] Purchase, give, and receive with that mindset.

My personal commitment is to avoid any sense of “obligation.” As I shop and choose, I want to release the sense of “getting it done” and imagine treasures placed on the floor of a stable.

Some other possibilities:

Give a gift that doesn’t involve money. Offer the treasure of your time and help to someone who’s struggling.
Give a gift to someone you don’t know. Make it a reminder that the Magi followed that star to worship a complete stranger.
Give to someone who will be completely surprised. Perhaps this is an opportunity to mend a broken fence and reach out in love to an adversary.

Share your thoughts about Christmas with someone. Sit down over coffee with different people over the next few weeks and have a real conversation about Jesus’ birth. If you’re doing a journal, record what you discover.

Put some small object somewhere that’ll remind you of Jesus’ birth. I’ve placed a small star near my computer where I’ll see it several times each day. For some reason, this year I’m intrigued by the journey of the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12), and I hope to read and learn about their search for an unknown child. Perhaps I need to make my own pilgrimage during this month.

Make some Chrismons. If you don’t know about Chrismons, you can google the word. This web site explains a pretty simple Chrismon project. This might be a cool family or small group project that could become a yearly tradition. Hang the on the tree, decorate the house, or give them as gifts. Do a little research and discover unique symbols, and use them as journal or conversation starters.

If you’re counting, you’ll note that I’ve missed my promise of “10 suggestions.” That’s intentional, designed to illustrate the last point.

Don’t allow others’ expectations become your obligations. You know what I mean—December quickly becomes “the holiday season” with its hurry and hassle. Even the fun stuff can become items to check off the list before rushing to the next task.

Busyness prevents reflection and contemplation. It’s the enemy’s tool, a subtle way to take our eyes off the star and distract us with tinsel and lights and parties and cooking and shopping and …

More than anything, an Intentional Christmas means deciding and choosing based on principles. Being intentional isn’t always easy, because it means setting priorities that may conflict with “the way it’s supposed to be.”

Please don’t try to do all of the things on my list. Maybe you shouldn’t do any of them. They’re just one guy’s thoughts. I’m sure you have better ideas, and I hope you’ll share them with others as a comment at the end. Perhaps you’ll contribute the wisdom that’ll help someone you’ll never meet to enjoy a more Intentional Christmas.

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. [Matthew 2:9-11]

What’s your thought about a way to make Christmas a bit more intentional?