Imagine, for a moment, this setting. Underneath your perfectly decorated, u-cut tree lies a mountain of gifts adorned with matching bows. A miniature train zig zags between the tin soldiers’ boots, keeping time to the strains of “Jingle Bells” playing in the background. You can almost smell the chocolate happiness wafting through the air, can’t you? Gazing at your children in their matching PJs, you sigh with contentment, having met everyone’s expectations for a “perfect Christmas.” 

To be sure, holiday traditions can foster family identity and create shared memories. Who wouldn’t want to roast hot dogs over an open fire and sleep under the tree on Christmas Eve like our family? Although well-meaning, traditions can become obligatory and burdensome, taking on a life of their own. Our frenzied efforts to purchase that perfect gift or bake piles of holiday sweets can come at a cost, not to mention the pressure to be continually jolly, merry, and bright. No wonder the holidays tire us out.

Our Lord Jesus undoubtedly experienced the pressure of traditions and expectations during his time on earth, embracing some and rejecting others. Over simply evaluating the pros and cons of a particular tradition, his lens for whether or not to engage focused wholly on obedience to and worship of the Father. Mark chapter 7 records the Pharisees’ accusation of Jesus’s disciples eating with defiled hands. In response, Jesus exposed their misaligned focus on man-made words and actions when he said, “You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”¹

Consider also Mary, Lazarus and Martha’s sister, who set aside Martha’s expectations to focus on the one, necessary thing, the “good portion which will not be taken away from her.”² To Mary’s ears, the loudest voice in the room belonged to Jesus. The posture of her heart gravitated toward Christ.

A final aspect to consider as we anticipate the holidays is our human limitations. 

In his book, You’re Only Human, Kelly Kapic observes that  “we must learn the value and truthfulness of our finitude, eventually getting to the point where we might even praise God for our limits.”³ Could it be that we don’t have to do everything? Is it okay to decline another holiday party invitation? Or forgo mailing out Christmas cards this year? Or simplify your holiday menu? Acknowledging our finitude can free up emotional and mental capacity to, like Mary, attune our hearts toward Christ. 

With the approaching holiday season, how can we proactively lead our hearts and wisely steward our time amid the deluge of family and cultural traditions? How can we walk out the balance between sacrificial service and our finitude? How do we keep a quiet heart while having a blast? Here are a few questions we can ask ourselves as we navigate the coming months:

• What are my emotions communicating? Irritability, delight, fear, guilt, grumbling, contentment,⁴ all speak. Emotions are a good barometer of the heart.
• What is my capacity? Is my cup too full of holiday fun? Do I need time to disengage and recharge?
• Is my heart attuned to Christ? In the busyness of the season, have I lost sight of my first love?

Delight yourself in the LORD,
And he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD; 
Trust in him, and he will act…
Be still before the LORD 
And wait patiently for him.”

Psalm 37: 4-7

Footnotes:

1. Mark 7:8 (ESV). All other Scripture citations will be taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. ↩︎
2. Luke 10:42 ↩︎
3. Kelly M. Kapic, You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2022), 11. ↩︎
4. https://sola.network/article/diagnosing-your-emotional-health/ ↩︎

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