Christmas is over and the question hangs in the air… “Now what?”
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Every year it’s the same. Once December 25th passes you sit there and wonder “what now?”
Most of the time you ask this question and then just continue to sit on the couch because you’re too exhausted to do anything else.
It’s weird to try and transition back into a “non-Christmas” mode.
Decorations need to come down, you scale back on the music and need to stop eating all those chocolates. But seriously, what comes next?
Christmas is Over, Now What?
In terms of the calendar, there isn’t much that happens in the weeks that follow Christmas.
There’s New Years, which can be exciting if you’re into that. (I’m not.)
Especially now that we are parents. If I go to bed past 10pm I’m totally wrecked the next day. So we won’t be staying up or going out anywhere. And after that it’s just back to school and into full blown winter.
I will be planning E’s birthday, which is mid January. So that gives me something else to focus on, which is nice.
The let down after Christmas can be hard if there’s nothing else to look ahead to. But I struggle come February. It’s cold, it’s still pretty dark and I’m so done with snow. It can be hard to keep that happy outlook.
And yet the Christmas season should continue to give us hope all year long. It is such a wonderful story that doesn’t just end with the manger scene. The books and movies end there with the manger scene but we know the story goes on.
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Of course when it’s cold out and you have to get groceries and your fingers are frozen trying to buckle your toddler in and your window wipers are frozen to the windshield…you aren’t thinking about that wonderful “hope” from the Christmas story. Life can be tough and mundane.
And yet it is in these mundane days that we still need to look for hope. It’s our day-to-day lives and how we choose to live them that makes the difference. Christmas offers a season of hope and love to look forward to, after that it is up to us to not let it fizzle away.
Hope in the Everyday
One of my favourite book/movie quotes says just that:
“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found it is the small, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay…small acts of kindness and love.”
Gandalf (J.R.R Tolkien, The Hobbit)
We can’t do Christmas every month, it would be overwhelming, but we can be kind everyday. We can hold on to the hope of Christmas and look for ways to continue spreading it, even if it’s in a small way.
I think that’s what the hope of the Christmas season is really about. It’s not just for one day, or one week but for the whole year. And it’s up to us to carry it through.
I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. There are days when we don’t feel very loving or hopeful. We get tired and run down, people annoy us in stores or at our jobs. Our kids make a mess just as we are about to put a meal on the table and then refuse to eat it because it has gotten cold while you were cleaning.
The list goes on.
Disappointments, cancelled plans, bad news, it all sucks the life out of us. It can be hard to pull ourselves back up, to find the joy that was so easy to see at Christmas time. We can do it though.
Focusing on the good. Focusing on being thankful. Focusing on what God has promised and continues to promise.
Focus on loving those children and enjoying the chaos of motherhood, with the love God has poured into you.
Then acting on that. Giving grace to the slow person in the line ahead of you. Holding the door for someone at the store. Putting recycling bins up your neighbour’s driveway so they don’t blow away. Reminding yourself that your kids are at a stage that won’t last forever.
Continue to grow in gratitude this year with Ann Voskamp’s guided journal “Gifts and Gratitude”
And beyond that it’s enjoying the little things in our lives. White snow. Birds flying through the air. The smell of freshly baked cookies. An email stating your package has arrived. You get the idea.
So I hope that in this post-Christmas season there are still things you are able to enjoy.
Don’t get caught up thinking we need a big event to be hopeful and loving. It’s our everyday lives that can offer hope and love if we only look for it. And if you see an opportunity to share some kindness, don’t hesitate to spread it.
In this time when we ask “Now what?” be reminded of the good God has given the world and that it is your job to spread it!
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