By Heather Tabers

If you google “surviving the holidays”, you’ll find tips for every group of people imaginable- diabetics, single women, divorcees, addicts, parents of special-needs kids, skiing enthusiasts, people watching their budget, people watching their weight, people with anxiety issues, fashionistas, bakers, and home decorators, to name but a few. Most of us, no doubt, fit into at least one of those categories. But how do we approach the holidays… and not only “surive” but make the most of the holidays, as Christian women??? Here’s some help…

1) Lay your expectations at the cross. My Thanksgiving table never looks like a Norman Rockwell painting and that’s ok. Let it go. Don’t strive for perfection as you prepare for the holidays. Ask God what He wants to do with your special day! He’ll blow you away!

2) Pray for your people. We all have people- people at work, in our family, in our neighborhood- that don’t know the Lord. Holidays are a GREAT time and a perfect opportunity for loving on our people. Begin praying now for divine appointments with these people and opportunities to share Christ with them. Ask Him now who He wants you to reach.

3) Keep your focus on Christ. It’s really easy to get distracted with everything that makes the holidays so fun. Don’t forget why and WHO you’re celebrating.

4) Make a date night with Jesus. With all the baking, shopping, wrapping, cleaning, packing and decorating that needs to be done, it’s easy to overwhelm your calendar. Make sure you schedule yourself some time with the Lover of Your Soul. After all, it’s Him we are celebrating.

5) Be thankful. Don’t just say the words, show it generously through your actions. Give to the less fortunate, help in a soup kitchen, send a shoe box of toys to a child in another country, invite a widow over for dinner, bring gifts to an orphanage, babysit for a single mom, send a card to a soldier over seas, visit a veteran in the hospital. And then continue doing such things after the holidays are over.