Holiday survival tip # 4 - Strive to be Mary in a Martha world
My mother was a very social woman. One Christmas, she decided to host a Christmas Open House. From about mid-October until the party date in early December, preparations were being made. We cleaned the house with toothbrushes and a fine-toothed comb top to bottom until every surface glistened. We decorated the house with garland and lights until every room twinkled with Christmas. We selected the perfect mix of traditional and contemporary Christmas songs to play in the background. Mom baked for what seemed like an eternity (and we were NOT allowed to sample!). The refreshments were laid out on our Christmas plates, neatly arranged around the matching Christmas-patterned plates and flatware. She spent the last several hours before guests arrived primping and preening herself to look fabulous in the glow of the candles and garland. Everything was perfect. Once guests began arriving, Mom could be spotted running from here or there to refill the ice, replenish the punch, take more appetizers from the oven, more crackers, more chips, more drinks. Her feet never stopped moving. And until the last guest grabbed her coat, she was in constant motion. When the music stopped, the candles were extinguished, and the dishes were put up, she realized that she herself had not eaten or partaken of the eggnog, nor had she spent any real time visiting with the guests she had invited weeks earlier. She was so busy making the party look, smell, and taste amazing, that she hadn't actually been at the party.
It's hard when you're the host/hostess, and you want so badly to ensure your guests are enjoying themselves. You spend hours in the kitchen preparing the food to absolute perfection. You spend hours cleaning the house to make sure it feels clean and comfortable. You spend an hour or two sprucing yourself up, and you'll spend hours cleaning up afterward. But how much time did you spend with your guests?
This holiday season, resist the urge to strive for perfection. Chances are, your guests didn't come to judge your appearance, the appearance of your home, or the quality of your food. They came to spend time with you. So, make sure you spend time with them. Enjoy them. Treasure them.
When the lights go out and everyone has gone home, no one will be talking about how spotless your house is or how professional your catering was - but they'll remember if you sat with them, talked with them, shared a laugh over some hot chocolate with them. This is why we gather at the holidays in the first place, right?
Holiday survival tip # 5 - Call ahead for best service
Ladies, lets get real for a moment. For most of us, the pride of who we are is reflected in our home. We want it to be a place of warmth, love, comfort and welcome. But if we're being honest, we can also admit that at times it can be a place of chaos and mess. And in those times that most closely resemble the path of destruction left by a hurricane, the last thing we want is for someone to show up at our doorstep, suitcase in hand, and see the disaster we call a home. Yes, we're going to talk about uninvited guests.
First of all, I'm not one who loves surprises. The idea that anyone would show up at my house unannounced sends my heart racing. I don't like being unprepared. I am very much a "Martha" of my time. Uninvited guests don't usually get the full "welcome" experience. And that makes me sad for them. So, I generally believe it's a little bit rude to show up and expect to receive room and board and see my smiling face. I would definitely prefer that you don't show up without giving me a heads-up. But, it happens.
If you are the guest who shows up without advanced notice, be the kind of guest who comes prepared with low expectations and a gracious heart. Know that your hosts didn't intend for you to be stuck on the couch, but they didn't have time to prepare anything else. Your hosts didn't intend to call out for pizza, but the gourmet meal they wanted to serve didn't include a portion for you. Simply put: they didn't know you were coming.
The holiday season should be one of fellowship and love. Respect one another enough to realize that your host needs to know you're coming, and your guests need to feel welcome no matter how much - or how little - advanced notice you received.
Above all else, dear friends, please don't get stressed out about your guests. This is a season of love and fellowship, not stress and frustration. Jesus wants us to gather together, in his name, to rejoice in what our Heavenly Father has given to us in this special season - grace. So, give some to your guests.
My mother was a very social woman. One Christmas, she decided to host a Christmas Open House. From about mid-October until the party date in early December, preparations were being made. We cleaned the house with toothbrushes and a fine-toothed comb top to bottom until every surface glistened. We decorated the house with garland and lights until every room twinkled with Christmas. We selected the perfect mix of traditional and contemporary Christmas songs to play in the background. Mom baked for what seemed like an eternity (and we were NOT allowed to sample!). The refreshments were laid out on our Christmas plates, neatly arranged around the matching Christmas-patterned plates and flatware. She spent the last several hours before guests arrived primping and preening herself to look fabulous in the glow of the candles and garland. Everything was perfect. Once guests began arriving, Mom could be spotted running from here or there to refill the ice, replenish the punch, take more appetizers from the oven, more crackers, more chips, more drinks. Her feet never stopped moving. And until the last guest grabbed her coat, she was in constant motion. When the music stopped, the candles were extinguished, and the dishes were put up, she realized that she herself had not eaten or partaken of the eggnog, nor had she spent any real time visiting with the guests she had invited weeks earlier. She was so busy making the party look, smell, and taste amazing, that she hadn't actually been at the party.
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42
It's hard when you're the host/hostess, and you want so badly to ensure your guests are enjoying themselves. You spend hours in the kitchen preparing the food to absolute perfection. You spend hours cleaning the house to make sure it feels clean and comfortable. You spend an hour or two sprucing yourself up, and you'll spend hours cleaning up afterward. But how much time did you spend with your guests?
This holiday season, resist the urge to strive for perfection. Chances are, your guests didn't come to judge your appearance, the appearance of your home, or the quality of your food. They came to spend time with you. So, make sure you spend time with them. Enjoy them. Treasure them.
When the lights go out and everyone has gone home, no one will be talking about how spotless your house is or how professional your catering was - but they'll remember if you sat with them, talked with them, shared a laugh over some hot chocolate with them. This is why we gather at the holidays in the first place, right?
Holiday survival tip # 5 - Call ahead for best service
Ladies, lets get real for a moment. For most of us, the pride of who we are is reflected in our home. We want it to be a place of warmth, love, comfort and welcome. But if we're being honest, we can also admit that at times it can be a place of chaos and mess. And in those times that most closely resemble the path of destruction left by a hurricane, the last thing we want is for someone to show up at our doorstep, suitcase in hand, and see the disaster we call a home. Yes, we're going to talk about uninvited guests.
First of all, I'm not one who loves surprises. The idea that anyone would show up at my house unannounced sends my heart racing. I don't like being unprepared. I am very much a "Martha" of my time. Uninvited guests don't usually get the full "welcome" experience. And that makes me sad for them. So, I generally believe it's a little bit rude to show up and expect to receive room and board and see my smiling face. I would definitely prefer that you don't show up without giving me a heads-up. But, it happens.
If you are the guest who shows up without advanced notice, be the kind of guest who comes prepared with low expectations and a gracious heart. Know that your hosts didn't intend for you to be stuck on the couch, but they didn't have time to prepare anything else. Your hosts didn't intend to call out for pizza, but the gourmet meal they wanted to serve didn't include a portion for you. Simply put: they didn't know you were coming.
The holiday season should be one of fellowship and love. Respect one another enough to realize that your host needs to know you're coming, and your guests need to feel welcome no matter how much - or how little - advanced notice you received.
Above all else, dear friends, please don't get stressed out about your guests. This is a season of love and fellowship, not stress and frustration. Jesus wants us to gather together, in his name, to rejoice in what our Heavenly Father has given to us in this special season - grace. So, give some to your guests.
Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
1 Peter 5:14
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