Thanksgiving is a few days behind us and a new month begins. There’s something magical about turning the page on the calendar…and seeing how full the new month already is. We’ll celebrate a birthday, take classes, teach classes, celebrate Christmas and much more. Like I said the calendar is already a little intimidating. And I wonder…where do we find the peace in the midst of the chaos?

Isn’t that what we long for?

A reminder of that night so long ago. One filled with the lows of cows, the baas of sheep, the groans of a woman in labor, the sound of a heavenly choir.

Maybe it wasn’t so peaceful after all.

Yet in the midst of this season and everyone we experience, Christ encourages us to draw close to His side. To see the world through His eyes. To hear His heartbeat.

That’s one reason I try to put money in the Salvation Army kettles each time I walk by. If my kids are with me, it models a lifestyle of giving. But even when no one is watching, I want to thank Him for all that He’s given me — and giving to those in need is one way to do it.

It’s a tradition in our family that we decorate for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving. So we delved into that with the kiddos. It’s not all done, but the tree is up and the kids have trees in their rooms in various stages of decoration.

Then the card table was brought out and we set up an epic game of Settlers of Cataan. It was glorious to have a few days where we weren’t traveling and didn’t have a calendar full of activities. Having one little girl get her tonsils removed on Tuesday and one little man with Thanksgiving night stitches made it even more important to have the slow days to recover.

This week, Sarah Sundin, Tricia Goyer and I will post some ideas for how we can streamline and simplify Christmas. I’d love to hear your ideas. How do you focus on what’s most important at this time of year — especially when the calendar is pulling us so many directions?

But most of all, I wish you peace as you begin this year’s Christmas season.