Tired-Mom Advent: The Most Wonderful Time of the Stinkin’ Year

A friend asked me today on email how my Advent was going. I may have remarked it was still tightly sealed with the rest of the decor in the garage.

My lack of decorating thus far allows me to ignore the fact that I would like to be preparing my heart.

I reflected to her what I’ve been thinking of lately: that all the (now! Even more!) effort to make a sparkly Christmas for my kids sometimes tragically results in a generally annoyed, overexhausted mom. (Remember the sand art brownies debacle?)

My friend graciously responded in kind–something about how a twinkly, meaningful Advent sometimes dissolves into, “Hurry up! Get in here so we can read our Advent story and prepare our hearts quickly for the coming of Lord Jesus before I hurry you into bed so I can grumpily do the dishes!”

(I had no idea other moms were saying this, too.)

Maybe I should finish it off with a Grinchy “My heart’s an empty HO-OLE!” Come to think of it, maybe I am the Roast Beast?

Shauna Niequist puts it this way in Present over Perfect: “To put it plainly, my desire for beautiful, sparkly Christmas moments was edging out my ability to live well in my own actual life.”

So I’m wondering what I should possibly say no to this Christmas.

I wonder if less tinsel and hoopla and we-should could lead to the kind of Christmas I actually want my kids to remember: A mom whose smile is genuinely wide rather than stretched. A mom listening to Jesus rather than cramming him in. A heart preparing him room even more than I prepare all those teacher gifts.

It’s advent. Want to decorate inside with me?

Like this post? You might like Deeper: 12 (Free Printable) Journaling Ideas for a Christmas of the Soul.