Last Updated on March 21, 2018

Every October as the Christmas decorations come out all over town (which is just craziness), I become newly energized to provide the best Christmas ever for my kids.

THIS YEAR I’m going to do all those crafts I bought 10 years ago.

THIS YEAR I’m going to start the advent calendar on the first day of Advent rather than the 12th day.

THIS YEAR I’m going to bake every one of those cookie recipes I have crammed into my cookbooks.

THIS YEAR I’m going to make homemade gifts for everyone.

THIS YEAR I’m going to wrap everything before Christmas eve.

THIS YEAR I’m going to…. Well, you get the idea.  I’m always THIS YEARing it as if my not baking 35,000 Christmas cookies completely ruins Christmas.  The reality is that my kids are happy with the Christmas season.  We have traditions which have become even more important now that I’m a single parent.  Being a single mom makes some things more difficult but I’m pretty sure we women can make anything difficult, complicated, and guilt inducing if we try hard enough … honestly, we might not even have to try!

So here are my plans – hopefully realistic plans – for THIS YEAR:

  1. Spend intentional time with my children as individuals – one on one Christmas shopping, one on one reading and snuggle time, one on one early morning hot cocoa and quiet time… whatever would encourage that child.
  2. Stress less about presents.  I know … easier said than done. As simplistic as it sounds, we just gotta get our focus on Jesus – really.  It’s up to us to make the change in our family from crazytown on Christmas morning to Christ on Christmas morning.
  3. I’m going to host one party for everyone.  It’s not going to be my usual ridiculousness – too much food, too many people, and too much clean up!  It’s going to be a celebration of Jesus – it’s going to focus on being with the people we love rather than simply entertaining everyone we know.
  4. Watch as many sappy Hallmark Christmas movies with my oldest daughter as I can.
  5. Baking is going to be special time with my family, for my family and as a blessing to others.
  6. Those ridiculous boxes of crafts I have in the basement – they are coming out, getting dumped on the kitchen table and I’m just gonna let my kids enjoy themselves.
  7. Someday when all my preschoolers are grown, I’ll do a Christmas letter, until then… email will have to do.
  8. Sit quietly in front of the Christmas tree with a cup of tea and a good book – at least one night.

Those are my Christmas resolutions for THIS YEAR.  I’m just overwhelmed and exhausted enough that I might stick to them.  Oh, I hope so!

Sue Birdseye is an author and communicator who shares the adventures she has on her unexpected journey of single parenting. She went from the typical “picket fence” kind of life to being a single mom to five beautiful children. She has learned what it means to be totally dependent upon the Lord and how beautiful that dependence is.

Her change of life circumstances has led to a passionate desire to encourage and bless other moms no matter their life circumstances. She has been active in her community as a foster/adoptive mom and public school teacher. She has also been part of her church’s worship, discipleship, women’s, and children’s ministries. She is an avid book reader, a game night hoster, and an early morning writer. Her book “When Happily Ever After Shatters” is the story of how God stepped into her life and the lives of her children just when everything seemed to be falling apart. She hopes that her writing will encourage, bless, and maybe even make someone smile.

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2 Comments

  2. I almost stopped reading with: "THIS YEAR I’m going to start the advent calendar on the first day of Advent rather than the 12th day." No reason to go on; I was so satisfied.

    You have such a way of validating much of what I do and beat myself up over! Once we did pull out the Advent calendar close to or on day 1. This yr it was yesterday :(.

    Thank you and God bless!

    Reply