One week! One week! Can you believe Christmas is in one week!? I’m sure you’ve been hitting the holiday parties and concerts and festive fun all month now – and in terms of our health, we know that we can still make good choices, even in the midst of all of the Christmas chaos.
Consider these healthy holiday tips:
- Drink a big glass of water and have a healthy snack before you go to a party.
- Use a small dessert plate for those calorie-laden appetizers.
- Fit even small amounts of exercise in whenever you can.
- Enjoy the holiday specialties – but in small bites – and save the splurging for those really special treats that you TRULY enjoy!
But, come on, y’all…. It’s CHRISTMAS! Aggghhhh! The excitement of it all is just too much! When we were young, Christmas was all about the presents and (for most) the arrival of this magical person bringing the gifts.
My dominant love language is definitely not gift-giving (and honestly, receiving gifts is kind of hard for me as well.) I’ve been told I have a very expressive face – and I’m so Type A that I can’t hardly stand surprises. Like can’t stand them so much that … (I can’t believe I’m admitting this!) … I’ve been known to secretly open my gifts and tape them back shut, just so I can make the appropriate, appreciative response with my overly expressive face regardless of what my mind may be thinking… That’s awful, I know…
But those gifts… that’s all we thought about when we were little. That’s what made Christmas exciting.
Then that excitement kind of fades as we age…
But – here’s the really exciting part – as we mature in our faith, that excitement for gifts returns when we realize that Christmas IS all about the gift – the greatest gift ever given. The birth of our Savior. With joy, we celebrate the anniversary of that gift every year at this time.
The idea of gifts comes full circle. It’s no longer about the material gift – but that very simple gift of a baby in a manger gives us something else worth more than all the gifts in the world… His mercy and forgiveness, His grace and love, His peace and joy.
So for this next week, as we likely finish the shopping and the wrapping and finding the perfect placement for those presents under the tree, may we not lose sight of the most amazing gift of all – Jesus.
“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
Here’s to finishing the holiday season healthy and strong, and finding our focus on the best gift of all!
Everyday Faith + Fitness 