Christmas will be here in a few short days.  If you’ve been searching high and low for the perfect present, we hope you’ll realize that it just cannot be found in the store.  You cannot purchase it, but it is a gift that will be treasured long after the decorations have been boxed back up and stored away until next year.

What is this I speak of?  It is the gift of time.

Everyone is so busy in the world today.  They are pulled this way and that way, and everything crowds in around them.  Is it any wonder that people feel so stressed in general, but especially around the holidays?

What if we all just slowed down?

What is the harm in that?

Why do you have to go more, do more, or be more?  Why can’t you just be still?

The bible tells us to be still and know that He is God.  Do we need anyone else’s approval or permission to just be still?  It’s right there in God’s word.

If we’re troubled, just be still and know that He is God.

If we’re stressed, just be still and know that He is God.

If we feel like there is no end in sight and no way to overcome the pain in our lives, just be still and know that HE is God!

And, what better time to be still with the ones that you love than at Christmas?

Slow things down a little this holiday season and give the gift of time!

Why rush through your days trying to get everything done when you’re already stressed to the max?  Guess what?  You don’t have to!

No one is putting pressure on you to be perfect or get it “just” right or even to have your house perfectly decorated like pictures in the Better Homes & Garden Magazine.  No one is pressuring you to cook like Betty Crocker or Paula Dean.  Just do the best that you can.

Don’t let this holiday season pass with you always being in a tizzy and falling into bed exhausted at night just to do it all over again in the morning.  Slow down and allow yourself to enjoy this very special season with your family.

That’s what it’s all about!  Family time!!

Stop long enough to play with your children.  The added decorations don’t matter.  No more lights need to be strung around your house.  No more decorations need to be added inside either.  Take time now to snuggle with your family in front of the fireplace.  Turn the lights down, put on a few scented candles, and enjoy the lights on the tree as you have hot chocolate and read Christmas stories or watch them on television.  OR better yet, gather around to sing Christmas songs!

The month of December is flying by, and Christmas will come and go so fast it will make you wonder where all the time you thought you had has gone.  Before you know it, you’ll be tearing down that Christmas tree and packing everything away only to sigh heavily and wonder what happened to YOUR happy holiday.

Don’t let this happen to you and your family.  Make time for them.  They are all that truly matters any way.  It’s not about presents under the tree.  It’s about the presence of God in your life and the presence of your family within arm’s reach to give them a snuggle, a hug, or a jab in the rib as you tickle them playfully or let them ride on your back like a horsey.

Take time.

You’re making memories and leaving a legacy.