{"id":1920,"date":"2018-11-21T11:20:15","date_gmt":"2018-11-21T17:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/craigfinnestad.com\/?p=1920"},"modified":"2018-11-21T11:20:15","modified_gmt":"2018-11-21T17:20:15","slug":"pretty-good-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craigfinnestad.com\/?p=1920","title":{"rendered":"A Pretty Good Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m excited about the next month at The Water\u2019s Edge<\/a>. WE are going to be talking about and experiencing Christmas.<\/p>\n

Christmas is a season some people wait for all year. It is a season other people dread. Christmas is a pretty neutral experience for others.<\/p>\n

Christmas is described by many words: exciting, lonely, spiritual, busy, festive, wonderful, stressful, peaceful, relaxing, expensive, magical, and obligating.<\/p>\n

Many try to make Christmas perfect. From the perfect wrapping paper wrapped perfectly covering the perfect gift. Everybody perfectly gets along. The food is perfectly prepared. No concerts, parties, or gatherings are missed. All the events are all filled with joy and there is still plenty of downtime to relax and take if all in. Everything goes better than planned and it is perfect.<\/p>\n

The Myth of a Perfect Christmas<\/h2>\n

The Perfect Christmas is a myth, you know. It won\u2019t happen. A package will arrive late. The cookies baked too long. One of the kids won\u2019t be smiling on the Christmas Card. You won\u2019t get to spend as much time with a loved one as you want because they are at the in-laws this year.<\/p>\n

When perfection is expected, stress is created. When perfection isn\u2019t achieved, disappointment happens. Stress and disappointment are not God\u2019s plan for Christmas.<\/p>\n

So what if we looked at Christmas differently? What if pretty good was good enough? Joy would replace stress. Contentment would replace disappointment. What if our relationships improved a little bit, we became a little more patient, we let go of some control, and we experienced a whole lot more wonder?<\/p>\n

Pretty Good is Better than Perfect<\/h2>\n

Pretty good sounds better than perfect.<\/p>\n

So this month we are going to prepare for a pretty good Christmas. A Christmas that the Christmas card is imperfect, if it even gets sent out. A Christmas that we buy less but give more. A Christmas that gives us more happiness than anxiety. A Christmas that gives us rest and excitement for the new year. A Christmas that we can experience the birth of Jesus and his rebirth in our lives.<\/p>\n

I invite you to join us in person and online. Who knows, this Pretty Good Christmas might be your best one yet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m excited about the next month at The Water\u2019s Edge. WE are going to be talking about and experiencing Christmas. Christmas is a season some people wait for all year. It is a season other people dread. Christmas is a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[87,134,122],"class_list":["post-1920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-waters-edge","tag-anxiety","tag-christmas","tag-perfectionism"],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n