Christmas is my favorite holiday.  For many years, starting in October, I would buy tons of magazines and pour over them, looking for entertaining and decorating ideas.  Decorating gave me pleasure, and so did buying gifts for my family.  I remember one Christmas Eve, my mother-in-law helped us wrap presents. It took us until midnight to finish and I’ll never forget her asking, “Do your kids really need all these presents?!”

As I look back, I recognize we often went overboard in our celebration of Christmas.  I had fun decorating and buying presents but most of the time was stressed out, worrying about the party I was throwing or about having enough food and gifts for Christmas Day that, sadly, I couldn’t fully appreciate the real reason for the season: Celebrating Jesus’ birth with family and friends. Today, if I could speak to my 30 or 40-year-old self, I would tell her to relax.  No one is judging you on your decorations, food, or presents. In fact, the best present we can give each other is to BE Present. 

Here are 10 ideas to help you Be Present this holiday season:

1. Bring food to a friend who is ill, or just visit them and play a game of Yahtzee.

2. Take a drive with a friend or family member to look at Christmas lights.

3. Instead of throwing a party for 50, throw one for 8. Get takeout, relax, and enjoy good conversation.

4. Volunteer with a friend at a homeless shelter or food pantry.

5. Go to a Christmas concert and bring a friend who may not have much family around.

6. Handwrite a personal message on each holiday card you send.

7. Bake and decorate sugar cookies with your kids or grandkids.

8. Celebrate Advent and reflect on the words Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

9. Go to your local Christmas Eve service and soak up the serenity and peace of Jesus’ birth.

10. Celebrate Christmas Day with your family and invite one or two people who are far from their own.