The race to Christmas has begun. It isn’t easy to find quiet when there is so much to do during this season.
My usual routines slide because the day is crowded with too much other stuff: shopping, parties, cooking, cleaning, and addressing Christmas cards. Don’t get me wrong. I love Christmas. The season is joyful and beautiful, but I need space for stillness too.
If you are like me, we’ll need to intentionally find space and mute the noise and distractions around us.
Here are a few ideas to seek silence.
- Hire a babysitter or ask a neighborhood college student to come over for 30 minutes. This is not the time to do your Christmas shopping but to go to a quiet place and breathe.
- Hide in the bedroom or closet for five minutes. (Desperate times call for desperate measures.)
- Designate a quiet time during your day and include the kids. Help them understand you need quiet time. They must stay in their room, but they can build with blocks, look at books, or play a video game. Set a timer. When it goes off, everyone can come out.
- Read an online devotion. I recommend She Reads Truth. It’s a five-minute read.
- Pray before you get out of bed in the morning and when you get into bed for the evening. Ask God for help in the mornings and thank him in the evenings.
- In the carpool line, turn off the podcast, put down the phone, and breathe. Ask God to fill you with his peace.
- Re-read the Christmas story and ask God to “Open your eyes to the wonderful thing from his word” (Psalm 119:18).
- Be still and listen. When the Christmas to-do list pops up, write it down, then proactively direct your mind back to stillness and listening. What is God telling you?
- Give yourself permission to soak in the bathtub with candles and soft music or read a book snuggled in your favorite blanket.
- Sip on your favorite hot drink after the kids are in bed. Put away the electronics, enjoy the Christmas tree lights, play Christmas music, and stoke a fire in the fireplace.
A Bonus: Attend a Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. This evening is my all-time favorite. Don’t pass up this service, no matter how busy you are. You’ll be glad you attended.
May you find quiet this Christmas season to reflect on what matters.
How do you find quiet during this season?