The Christmas season arrives each year filled with promises of favorite traditions, festive gatherings, and precious time with the people we love. But woven into all that anticipation can be a quiet pressure to make everything just right: the ideal gifts, the flawless meals, the beautiful decorations, the picture-perfect memories. Unfortunately, somewhere in the middle of all that striving, we can often miss the quiet, tender moments where God’s presence is already at work.

The very essence of the message of Christmas is that we don’t need to make everything flawless. Instead, as we focus our hearts on the true reason we celebrate, Jesus Himself, He allows us to bear the fruit of the gospel in our homes even when nothing seems to be going “as planned”.  When Christ entered the world, it was in a humble stable- not a perfectly decorated home. The story of Christmas is proof that God does His greatest work in the messiest of moments.

Your home doesn’t have to be spotless for God to draw near.
Your plans don’t have to go smoothly for a holy moment to unfold.
Your family doesn’t need to be perfectly behaved for grace to abound.

Let the manger remind you: God shows up in the real, not the ideal. Your children don’t need a perfect holiday; they need a perfect Savior.

Here are a few gentle reminders to help your family choose presence over perfection this year as you prepare your hearts and homes for Christmas.

• Presence means slowing down- Perfection often leads to frantic striving. Presence is patient and intentional. How does this look practically in your home? It might mean saying “yes” to one meaningful activity and “no” to five other activities that would just leave you rushing around. It might mean missing a holiday party to spend a restful night at home. It might mean prioritizing family advent readings even when your children are wiggly and distracted. It might mean forgoing the fancy dinner recipe for an easy throw together option so that you can sit down and really connect with your children. It’s choosing depth over busyness, connection over chaos. It’s noticing and appreciating the small moments—a kiss under the mistletoe with your spouse, the sound of your children’s voices, cuddling up on the couch with a good book—that can often go unnoticed in the rush. Presence means simply showing up, fully, in the ordinary rhythms of your home, even if that means you do none of the “Christmas-y” things this year.

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• Presence means embracing imperfection - The cookies might burn. The Christmas card may not get mailed. The ornaments might break. Someone might have a meltdown on Christmas Eve (possibly even you). These moments don’t ruin Christmas; they humanize it. Let us not forget that Jesus came to this earth as a human, not so that He could model perfection for us (though he WAS perfect), but so that He could “sympathize with us in our weakness” (Heb. 4:15) and so that we might come to Him as our perfect righteousness. It is precisely in our weakness that the Bible tells us He is most glorified. We could have all the things “perfect”, yet our hearts could completely miss the point of Christmas. This year, let the imperfections bring you to His feet with a heart of gratitude for living the perfect life you never could. Ask Him to give you the eyes to see the joy in all of it- The cute little fingers dipping into the cookie dough and the excitement of baking together (even if you burn a few), the way your husband looks at you in the family picture (even if no one else ever sees it), the lesson in the way the pieces of the ornament are carefully glued back together. In every laugh, every tear, every crumb on the counter, and every mismatched gift under the tree, may you sense the nearness of the Perfect Savior who came for you.

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• Presence means remembering- When you stop striving for flawless moments, you’re free to dwell in the miracle of Emmanuel—God with us. The simple turning of your heart towards Him- remembering why He came and truly worshipping Him for the gift of His Son- is the ONE thing that is required of you this season. Everything else is just icing on the cake. Try building small, sacred habits that continually draw your family back to this truth this year. Here are a few ideas:  
  
  • Follow an Advent plan together as a family. (We have included a few of our favorites). Light a special candle each night or morning and spend some time reading and discussing it. Activities are extra fun, but try to focus on Scripture reading and worship above all other things.
  • Prioritize attending church each Sunday.
  • Don’t neglect your own quiet time. When life gets busy, it’s easy to skip out on what matters most. Don’t forsake the best thing for lesser ones. Fill your heart with His presence first, so you can lead your family toward Him.

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