My soul wants a Spirit-filled Christmas, but my to-do list overwhelms the need. My current list reads: Prepare for Thanksgiving and all the kids coming home. Take care of my grandson one day a week. Finish my writing projects for December and January. Work on the Christmas cards, shopping, and decorating. Complete my Bible study and reading through the Bible (to be completed 12/31/24). Exercise and eat better before my next doctor’s appointment in the first week of December.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Christmas—jolly music piped in stores, twinkling lights chasing away the encroaching darkness, wreaths adorning doors and welcoming visitors, and the smell of Christmas cookies wafting through the kitchen.

How does one find time to savor a Spirit-filled Christmas?

I’m offering ten quick tips to do just that. They should take only ten minutes of your day.

1. As you drive from the shopping mall to your local Target, tune into a Christian radio station. Many of them play nonstop Christmas music starting on Black Friday.
2. Place an e-reader or Bible by your bed. Before you get up, spend five minutes of daily reading from Luke 1-2:38 in December.
3. When you feel stressed, ponder what it means that Jesus is Immanuel, “God With Us.”
4. Stay off social media through the end of this year, and turn off notifications on your phone. Instead, grab a cup of hot chocolate, sit in your favorite chair (with fluffy slippers), and tune into what God might be saying to you.
5. Start a conversation with your family at the dinner table. What does it mean to you that “God is with us.” How does this knowledge affect your life?
6. Breathe Scripture as prayer: Breathe in, and say, “Don’t be afraid.” Breathe out: “for look, I proclaim to you.” Breathe in: “good news of great joy.” Breathe out: “that will be for all the people.”
7. As you sit in the carpool line, turn off the radio, put away the phone, and be silent. Ask God to pour His peace into you.
8. Turn off all the lights except the Christmas tree lights and marvel at how light dispels darkness. Remind yourself that Jesus is the Light of the World. Ask Him to chase away any darkness in your life.
9. Read a children’s Christmas book. Silly, I know. But didn’t Jesus say to come to Him with child-like faith? Sometimes, we need to simplify the message of Jesus’s birth.

10. Sing and dance. Sing along to your favorite Christmas hymn. Play a Christmas CD (I’m dating myself), or create a playlist on Spotify and dance or sing along. There’s something about singing and dancing that causes my Spirit to soar.

Here’s a bonus that will require more of your time. Attend a Christmas Eve service at your church. My favorite moment is when the congregation of weary shoppers sings “Silent Night” while holding a single candle. The tiny lights brighten the sanctuary for one holy moment and overwhelm the darkness.

I sigh and believe that all is calm and all will be alright.

Let’s block out time this season to celebrate the most sacred of nights.