New Devotional: Unwrapping the Best Gifts of Christmas

Are you sensing the anticipation that comes with the holidays, which is just around the corner? Neighborhoods are gearing up for trick-or-treaters, while businesses are busy preparing for holiday sales events. The Houston area has many holiday markets, with the Houston Ballet’s Nutcracker Market taking front stage. It’s one of my favorites (I have my ticket!), especially with friends, my sister, and my daughters. The decorations boast loudly of delight and excited anticipation. All in hopes of our finding the best gifts Christmas offers.

But not everyone is full of delight and excitement. Instead, the holidays remind them of what isn’t. Of who isn’t present this year. Where is the joy? An election precedes this year’s holidays. Our economy is not in great shape and almost everyone struggles financially. Many are desperately looking for work. Where is the hope?

The holidays also mark the end of school semesters. Final exams loom for many. One of my daughters is researching against a deadline as part of her PhD work. The assignment is so intense, talking about it creates more stress. Where is the peace? And the loneliness. For some, social interaction is more difficult during the holidays. They desire deep relationships, but building them is out of reach for many. For the introvert, the press of people is more than they can bear.

I get it. I get all of it. 

I understanding having so much on your plate that adding holiday expectations can be too much. I understand loss and having that empty place setting at your Thanksgiving table. As a writer, sometime loneliness is all-consuming. We can get so caught up in our craft that we neglect tending to significant relationships. Then, when we need them, it takes more effort to reach out. Which, depending on the situation, can require more than you think you possess.

Step in, Christmas Advent—an intentional shift mentally and emotionally from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Advent begins on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, with each week focusing on a different theme: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Many churches and families create a simple Advent wreath, complete with candles representing each theme. Each Sunday, an additional candle is lit. We did this for several years when our children were young. 

I love Christmas Advent. Each year, I work through an Advent devotional or Bible study to make sure my focus is on Jesus. This settles my heart and keeps me from being distracted by the abundance of shiny things! For the most part, I love them! But it’s easy to get distracted by activities and lose focus.

To help us keep our focus on Jesus, I wrote Unwrapping the Best Gifts of Christmas: The Advent Promises of Our Faithful God, a devotional to encourage your heart and help you find renewed hope, reclaim your peace, experience restored joy, and sense God’s redeeming love. These are gifts He wants you to have. Of all the things under your tree this year, these are the best gifts of Christmas, and they don’t fade with time. In fact, these gifts deepen and anchor our faith. 

Each week centers on one of these topics, showing how God made specific promises in the Old Testament regarding Christ’s birth and fulfilled each one in the New Testament. Knowing God keeps His promises helps us trust Him with our futures. And oh, how we need that today!

You can learn more here. Unwrapping the Best Gifts of Christmas is available today, October 22! Available in print or e-book.