When the Season Feels Busy but Your Soul Feels Empty
The holidays are meant to be enchanted, with lights, laughter, and happiness. But let’s be honest…..sometimes, they just feel heavy.
At first, you begin off with excitement, list-making, wrapping and packing, planning, but before you finish your calendar, your energy, mood is used up, and your spirit feels anything but peaceful. You are either doing shopping, cooking, or even managing family expectations, and you mumble something to yourself, Lord, where are You in all this?
You’re not alone.
Millions of Christians make this declaration each year, “This Christmas, I will concentrate on Jesus. But life comes, and then you are just running on fumes, not faith.
But what if this year could be different?
So what would you do to get your heart ready, as well as your house, during the holidays? What will you do this Christmas, to make it less about hustle and more about holy moments – where your soul takes the moment to touch the presence of God again?
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Before you put the lights on, or you lay the plans of the party, take time and prepare your heart. When the heart is focused on Christ, then all the other things start to fit in.
We can start with a few easy but effective ways of doing that, together.
How to Prepare Your Heart for the Holidays as a Christian
1. Start with Stillness: Create Space for Christ Before the Chaos Begins
Before the invitations begin to roll in and your to-do list gets out of hand, take a deep breath and create a little space for God.
Jesus used to creep into secluded areas and pray (Luke 5:16). If Jesus needed time to commune with the Father, we certainly should have time for Him too.
Try this:
Wake up 10 minutes earlier. Prepare a hot cup of coffee or tea. Seat yourself close to your Christmas tree or a window. Mutter, Lord, I welcome You to my December.
You do not require any fancy words – just honesty. Request Him to soothe you, re-arrange your values, and fill your days with His peace.
Until we make time for stillness, the season will always have its way. However, when we begin with stillness, our hearts remain anchored regardless of the busy life.
2. Let Go of Unrealistic Expectations
We’ve all had the image of how Christmas is supposed to look like, the ideal meal, the ideal family photo, the ideal scene where all looks like a Hallmark film.
But real life? It is usually sloppy, unforeseeable, and flawed.
The fact is, Jesus did not enter a utopian environment either. He was born in a barn -with hay, animals around, and the noise of a frosty night. Yet that imperfect place became holy ground.
Psalm 46:10 is a reminder to us, ”Be still, and know that I am God.
It is sometimes necessary to prepare your heart towards the holidays by letting go of the strain to make everything perfect.
This year, do not make reaching perfection your goal; rather, strive for the present.
Since your family will not keep in mind the matching napkins, they will keep in mind the laughter, your peace, and your joy.
3. Reconnect with Gratitude — Even When It’s Hard.
Gratitude is like sunshine dissipating winter clouds–it warms the heart even in cold times of life.
According to 1 Thessalonians 5:18, you are supposed to give thanks in every situation because it is the will of God in Christ Jesus.
That does not imply that you have to be grateful for everything, but you can be grateful for everything.
Attempt at maintaining a Gratitude Journal this Christmas. Write down every morning one thing that made you smile, or one way you have seen God faithful to you this year. It might be about something so simple as a silent night, or the smell of pine, or how a worship song touched your heart.
The more you thank God, the more you know that He is around, even in the mess. It is appreciation that turns ordinary moments into sacred ones.
4. Recenter Your Traditions Around Worship
Traditions can be beautiful… but sometimes they become routines. The tree, the gifts, the meals — they can all lose their meaning if Jesus isn’t at the center.
This year, invite Him back in.
Before decorating your tree, read Luke 2 as a family and talk about the real meaning behind the lights and the star. When you bake cookies, thank God for the sweetness of fellowship. When you hang a wreath, remember His eternal love — no beginning, no end.
If you send Christmas cards, include a Bible verse or a prayer of blessing. If you host a dinner, pause before the meal to share a short devotion.
It doesn’t have to be fancy — it just has to be intentional.
When you make worship part of your traditions, the holidays stop being a checklist… and start becoming a celebration.
5. Choose People Over Perfection
Let’s face it — the holidays can bring complicated emotions. Old hurts resurface. Family tension bubbles up. And sometimes, loneliness hits harder when everyone else seems joyful.
But preparing your heart for the holidays means making one powerful choice: choose love anyway.
Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
That might mean forgiving someone who hasn’t asked for forgiveness. Or inviting someone who feels forgotten. Maybe it’s simply choosing patience when things don’t go as planned.
Remember — Jesus entered a broken world, not a perfect one. When you extend grace, you reflect His heart.
So, instead of trying to control every detail this year, try to connect. Smile more. Listen longer. Let people feel the warmth of Christ through you.
6. Give Generously — Not Just Gifts, But Yourself
Gift-giving can be wonderful, but it’s not just about presents — it’s about presence.
Acts 20:35 reminds us, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Ask God the way He desires you to give this season. Perhaps he is asking you to donate food to a nearby shelter, sponsor a child, or even just buy someone some groceries anonymously. Perhaps what you were meant to do is to be there, with a word of encouragement, with arms outstretched, or a prayer.
It is not about the amount of money a person gives away; it is all about love.
When you give without a sense of duty but rather with compassion, your heart begins to take the image of the giving nature of God.
And the best thing is this: any act of kindness, however small, is a seed of hope in the heart of some other person.
7. Reflect, Release, and Renew
As the year winds down, take a moment to breathe — really breathe.
Look back, not with regret, but with gratitude for how far God has brought you. Even if this year wasn’t perfect, He was still faithful.
Lamentations 3:22–23 reminds us, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning.”
Set aside one quiet evening before the New Year to sit with your journal or Bible. Ask:
- What did God teach me this year?
- What am I ready to release?
- What new thing is God preparing me for?
- Write it down. Pray over it.
And as you close the year, let God fill your heart with new hope for the one to come.
Conclusion: The One Gift God Really Wants
When the lights are dimmed, the wrapping papers are opened, the music stops, what is left is your heart, at the end of the day.
You may have the loveliest furnished home, the finest dinner, the best plans… but when you are in a hurry and get your heart, you shall not hear the voice of His presence.
God does not desire your performance; He desires your presence. He does not want your perfection– He wants your attention.
Bring Him your heart this Christmas, weary, wretched, and open. He came to that sort of heart.
And as you go, you will discover that peace is not under the tree.
It is in the Savior who hung on one.
So slow down. Light that candle. Whisper that prayer.
Ready your heart- because Christ is at hand.
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