| Choosing to Be the Light This Christmas Season |
| ” The light that inspires kindness and hope reveals truth before it can be passed on” Bryan Dodge |
| The Christmas season arrives each year with its familiar blend of excitement and stress, joy and chaos, connection and conflict. Amid the gift wrapping, meal planning, and calendar juggling, there’s a deeper opportunity waiting for each of us—the chance to be a light in the lives of the people we love most. But what does it really mean to “be the light” during the holidays? It’s not about perfection or grand gestures. It’s not about hosting the flawless dinner party or giving the most expensive gifts. Being the light is about something more fundamental and more powerful: it’s about choosing, in very intentional ways, to let the best parts of who you are shine into the lives of your family members. This isn’t a one-time decision or a single act of kindness. It’s a spirit you carry with you—one that brings peace, love, joy, kindness, unity, and gratitude into your home. It’s about showing up as your best self, even when things get difficult, and especially when your presence matters most. Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” The Gift of Peace in a Chaotic Season When we think of peace during Christmas, we might imagine a quiet evening by the fireplace or a silent night after everyone has gone to bed. But real peace—the kind that transforms a home—looks quite different. Peace doesn’t always mean silence, and it certainly doesn’t require everyone to agree on everything. Being a source of peace means staying calm when the holiday stress starts building. It means being the person who takes a breath before responding when tensions rise over seating arrangements or whose house to visit first. It means choosing to listen—really listen—instead of immediately reacting when someone shares a frustration or complaint. Peace means offering understanding instead of judgment when your sister-in-law is running late again, or when your teenager would rather text friends than help with decorations. When you bring peace into your family, you create a home where others feel safe to be themselves, valued for who they are, and truly heard when they speak. This kind of peace is a gift that keeps giving. It creates space for authentic connection and meaningful conversation. It allows others to let down their guard and simply enjoy being together. Love That Shows Up in Small Moments Love during the Christmas season doesn’t always look like the dramatic gestures we see in holiday movies. More often, it appears in the small, consistent ways we show up for the people in our lives. Love might look like a warm hug when someone walks through the door, tired from travel or overwhelmed by the season’s demands. It’s the sincere “I’m glad you’re here” that makes someone feel their presence truly matters. It’s doing something thoughtful without being asked like refilling someone’s coffee cup, clearing their plate from the table, or remembering exactly how they like their holiday traditions. These small gestures of love remind your family members that they matter to you. They communicate that your relationship with them isn’t just obligation or routine—it’s something you treasure and invest in. Love like this doesn’t cost money or require elaborate planning. It simply requires attention, intention, and a heart that wants to serve. The Contagious Nature of Joy There’s something remarkable about joy—it spreads. When you approach the Christmas season with genuine joy, you create an atmosphere that lifts everyone around you. Joy comes through when you share laughter and recall good memories from past holidays. It shows up when you choose to focus on gratitude instead of stress, when you notice the good in others and take a moment to tell them what you see. Joy is present when you pause to appreciate the twinkling lights, the smell of cookies baking, or the sound of familiar carols. This doesn’t mean ignoring difficulties or pretending everything is perfect. Real joy can coexist with challenges. In fact, choosing joy in the midst of imperfect circumstances like when the meal doesn’t turn out quite right, when plans change unexpectedly, when family dynamics are complicated, that’s when it matters most. Joy has a remarkable way of lifting everyone up, even during difficult times. It reminds us why we gather in the first place and helps us keep perspective on what truly matters. Kindness as the Evidence of Love If love is the feeling in your heart, kindness is that love made visible. Kindness is what others see and experience when they interact with you during the holiday season. Being the light through kindness means practicing patience when the grocery store lines are long and tempers are short. It means forgiving quickly when someone snaps at you or forgets something important. It means offering help before someone has to ask for it, and giving words of encouragement when you notice someone struggling. Kindness softens hearts. It disarms defensiveness and opens doors for deeper connection. When you consistently show kindness, you create an environment where others feel safe to be vulnerable, where mistakes can be made without fear, and where relationships can deepen and strengthen. The beautiful thing about kindness is that it often inspires more kindness. When family members experience genuine kindness from you, they’re more likely to extend it to others, creating a ripple effect throughout your entire family system. Building Unity in Diversity One of the most challenging aspects of family gatherings is navigating differences. Different political views, parenting styles, life choices, religious beliefs—families contain multitudes of perspectives and approaches to life. Being the light means helping create unity without requiring sameness. Unity is about togetherness, not uniformity. It’s about finding common ground while respecting differences. You build unity when you help connect people, when you bring family members closer by highlighting what they share rather than what divides them. This might mean facilitating conversations between relatives who don’t normally talk, finding activities everyone can enjoy together, or gently steering discussions away from divisive topics and toward shared memories and values. Unity is the glue that holds families together during the busyness and potential chaos of the season. When you focus on creating unity, you remind everyone present that family bonds are more important than winning arguments or being right. You model the truth that love can transcend disagreement and connection can survive difference. The Transforming Power of Gratitude Gratitude might be the most powerful tool you have for being the light this Christmas. When you lead with gratitude, everything shifts. Gratitude helps you remember why your family is important, even when they’re driving you crazy. It allows you to appreciate the moments you have together, knowing that time is precious and these gatherings won’t last forever. Gratitude enables you to recognize the gift that each person is—not despite their quirks and imperfections but including them. When you approach the season with a grateful heart, you naturally become less critical and more accepting. You complain less and appreciate more. You notice blessings instead of focusing on burdens. Gratitude keeps your heart soft and your perspective clear, even when things don’t go according to plan. What It All Means To be the light this Christmas season is to become a source of warmth, hope, and connection for the people you cherish most. It’s a conscious choice to let the best parts of your character illuminate the lives around you—just as a single candle can brighten an entire room, or a guiding star can show the way through darkness. This calling doesn’t require you to be perfect. It doesn’t mean you’ll never feel stressed, frustrated, or overwhelmed. Being the light is about what you do with those feelings—how you choose to respond, who you decide to be, and what you allow to guide your actions. It means showing up with a heart that communicates: “I’m thankful for you, and I want our family to be stronger because I’m in it.” This Christmas, you have an opportunity that extends far beyond presents and parties. You have the chance to create lasting memories, to strengthen bonds, to heal old wounds, and to build new traditions. You can be the person who brings calm to chaos, who offers love in tangible ways, who spreads authentic joy, who practices consistent kindness, who builds bridges between people, and who leads with genuine gratitude. The world outside might be dark and cold, but within your family, you can be a light—warm, steady, and bright. That choice, made intentionally and lived out consistently, might be the most meaningful gift you give this season. Not just to your family, but to yourself as well. Because in choosing to be the light for others, you’ll discover that you, too, are transformed by its glow. |
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