3 short, final reminders before Christmas

and something I'm excited for in 2024

Hi there. What’s the best way to wish someone well just a few days before Christmas?

I hope you’re heading to Christmas more like this:

And less like this:

I know your brain may not be thinking 2024 at all yet, which I get, but I wanted to share that I’m writing something I think you’ll love as a companion to Woven, and it’s coming here to the newsletter in January. 

Since Woven came out in August, I’ve gotten so many kind notes along these lines:

Do you keep your phone in dark mode like I do?

I’m still a bit stunned by them, because of course I wanted Woven to be helpful, but then God does the thing where it does indeed help. To hear that the book is offering healing for grown ups and a way forward for kids is just–WOW.

I also recognize that because I wrote the book with kids in mind most of all, there’s still a chance to walk with adults for their own sake even more intentionally. 

I know the timing is odd, but I could’t wait to tell you—in January, I’m really excited to be offering a Reweaving Devotional Series here.

Who is Reweaving for? Reweaving is for any adult whose web of faith has experienced breakage. That breakage may be small or big, it might feel exciting, hopeful, disorienting, or sad. 

Perhaps things you thought were true about God’s character or how to read the Bible have changed. Or faith practices that used to work don’t work anymore (and maybe it even feels like nothing does).  Or something in your life circumstances has impacted your faith in a significant way.

Breakage is not bad. It’s inevitable. But webs are resilient, and they can be rewoven.

It’s true for the spider. It’s true for your faith. 

How will the series work? Reweaving devotionals will arrive in your inbox each day for 21 days. These extremely short reflections will revisit key ideas and themes from Woven, but with an eye towards us grown ups. They’ll help you tend to strands that have broken in your own web of faith and new experiences or ideas that might need to be incorporated.

Think of it as a chance to revisit Woven without a full re-read, with the focus being your own story, instead of also having half your brain on the kids in your life.

What does Reweaving cost? The devotional series will be behind the paywall in the Kids + Faith Community. 

These folks receive weekly emails, 25% off at the Kids + Faith Resource shop, and special courses & series. 

But it felt important to me to also make a small shift there, and it’s this– if a paid subscription (it’s $30/year or $5/month) isn’t in the budget, for whatever reason, just let me know and I’ll add you to the subscriber list.

I’m really looking forward to this series and hope you’ll join in. And now, with the countdown nearly done…

Yesterday I wrapped up a message to one of my best friends by saying that I’m at the point of Christmas where I’m trying to let my kids be as excited as they are, knowing that a good chunk of that is about presents, without getting all intense and crying out, “REMEMBER JESUS!”

So here are 3 things I’m reminding myself between now and Monday, and I thought they might be helpful to you too:

1. Things don’t need to be heavy handed for them to be meaningful.

While I say my kids are excited, we’re talking level 12 of 10. And yes, some of the excitement is presents, but I shouldn’t sell them short. 

They do know the Jesus part, and it matters to them. The four big elements that build family faith culture– rituals/traditions, experiences, relationships, exploring the Bible–we have a Christmas version of that that we really enjoy. It’s sustainable and fun–it’s doing less on purpose. So I shouldn’t sell our efforts short either.

Maybe you’ve done less this year than you have in the past, or think you should do, or meant to on December 1. Don’t cram it in now. 

Or, perhaps you’ve done less on purpose, but it’s weirding you out, this lighter way, and you’re wondering if it’s enough. It is. You don’t need to plan or do more by Monday.

Kids can care about and connect with God at Christmas even with all the other pieces in play.

2. Ask again: What stays, what goes, what slows?

I came up with this framework to help me think about Dec 1-Jan 7 (when school break ends). But now I’m using it again just to think about now until Christmas. 

For the next few days, what stays, what goes, what slows?

For me, the calendar is pretty much set and staying. What goes is a list of non-essential “getting ahead” things I had on my list that can happen in January. And our at-home pace is slowing. More movies, for one. But also, we are at an age where I can declare book time and everyone can spend a chunk of time quietly reading.

There is still time to intentionally pare back to the essentials, so that those essentials can really shine.

3. It's OK that my kids want celebration. 

Sometimes grownups want contemplation, but kids want celebration. Grownups act like contemplation is the most spiritual, so we need to be sure kids consider the depth of the meaning of Christmas.

But maybe we don’t need to constantly try to maximize “depth”. Like roots into soil, we grow deeper with time. It’s true at every age. In the same way we cannot push or pull roots deeper, but only tend the soil, we cannot push or pull our kids’ faith.

And also, I’m not sure contemplation > celebration. I’m not sure contemplating is deep and celebrating is shallow. Celebration is a wonderful and appropriate response to Christmas, even, perhaps especially, because of how hard things are in the world.

Here’s what I mean. Two Christmases back, I wrote:

Weary? So was a girl pregnant amidst scandal, having to settle for truth without proof, at least at times.

Desperate? So was Israel, for the end of Roman occupation.

Unsure if God will ever really show up? So were so many people who must have wondered if God's action in the past might be just that--past.

Afraid of the way the powerful might act? So were the residents of Jerusalem, knowing Herod's rage.

Longing? So was the world.

You don’t have to be anything different this Christmas.  God comes.

For so many reasons, this Christmas may be hard and heavy for you.

And God enters in. God draws near. God is with us.

God comes. That’s celebration worthy. So the shepherds let it spill out and the Magi are besides themselves with joy even as they know how hard things are. 

And you may or may not have that in you this year, but if the kids in your life do, let them.

Celebration is what happens when hope gets the wiggles.

The shepherds did it. The Magi did it. Our kids do it. Maybe, if we let them lead us, we can too.

Remember,

• things don’t need to be heavy handed for them to be meaningful.

• ask: What stays, what goes, what slows?

• it's OK that your kids want celebration.

Celebration in my family looks like a huge scavenger hunt each Christmas. While ours lasts an hour with every clue trick in my book, I also made a slightly shorter, more versatile one for you.

Eight clues and puzzles lead kids around your home, all while 8 characters from Christmas tell the story of Jesus’ arrival. It’s as simple as print, hide, and go. Find it in the Kids + Faith Resource shop for $6.

Reweaving will begin the week of January 8. You can join the Kids + Faith Community anytime before then to get the daily emails.

Woven: Nurturing a Faith Your Kid Doesn’t Have to Heal From, will still arrive in time as a gift for Christmas, perhaps to a new parent, a friend who could use encouragement, or the grandparents you want to better understand where you’re going.

However you come to Christmas, may God meet you there with love, peace, and joy. May God remind you that you are not foolish to put your trust in this baby. Nor are you selfish for celebrating. For our God has come, holy disruption to the power of evil. And so, may God bless you with hope.

Amen.