Alexandra Kuykendall knew she had to do Christmas differently.
Her job required a significant amount of her time, and her children and husband wanted a good chunk of the rest. Add to that visitors who were staying in her home and the usual accoutrements of Christmas – food, gifts, decorations, etc. – and she was overwhelmed.
After the holidays, even a non-committal, “Fine,” felt like a lie when friends and co-workers asked her, “How was your Christmas?”
She encountered something all of us go through at one time or another at Christmas. We “over special” the holiday. We work so hard to make Christmas special that everything Christmas is really about fades into the background.
Profound concepts like love, joy, and peace are everywhere at Christmas, yet we experience none of them.
Is it possible to have realistic expectations for Christmas and to enjoy the season without the burdens we place on ourselves that bury our schedules, our finances, and our emotions under stressful demands?
Alexandra performed an experiment to find out.
She discovered that Christmas entered humanity’s story when things weren’t perfect. Christmas enters our lives every year when life isn’t perfect.
When we’re able to focus on the gifts that God has given us in the midst of the burdens we carry right now, love, joy, and peace leap from the background into the forefront of our lives.
Christmas is all about the light of the world entering into our darkness.
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Relishing the Christmas Season,” Alexandra Kuykendall explains her experiment, and shares how it helped her intentionally explore the themes of Advent leading up to Christmas.
You can hear the program on your local radio station, online, on iTunes, via Podcast, on our free phone app, or you can watch the program on our YouTube channel. Rediscover the wonder of the holiday and the reason we celebrate.
Alexandra speaks to women’s groups around the country on parenting, faith, and personal growth. She’s also the author of Loving My Actual Christmas. If you’d like to read more, we’ll send you a copy of her book for a gift of any amount. (For more information, visit our website.)
Our offices are closed today, but you can visit our online store any time.
We’d also like to help you learn more about the reason for the Christmas season, Jesus Christ our Savior. Check out our free online booklet called, “Coming Home: An Invitation to Join God’s Family.”
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