How to Pull Your Home Together for Christmas

Let’s just take a deep breath for a moment here.

It’s been a crazy few weeks, but it’s time to turn our attention to Christmas. We’ve only got five weeks to pull our home together, give or take a few days. Does that make you panic a little in your head? As I went to double check the remaining number of weeks on the calendar I noticed that (surprise?) next week is Thanksgiving here in the U.S. (how in the actual world does that keep slipping my mind?). So, basically we’ve got a few days and then pretty much, it’s going to suddenly be Christmas.

It’s fine.

I feel like I have really good excuses for living in a frazzled home. Not that I don’t feel frazzled for other reasons, too, but we don’t even have a kitchen in our house right now. We have multiple layers of remodeling dust on our dining room table and chaos everywhere. There are contractors in my house every morning ready to greet me as I emerge from the bathroom with a towel on my head.

It’s been pretty unsettled around here and will probably be that way right on through the holidays. My house doesn’t even feel like my own home right now, so part of me feels like just letting it all go and hiding in my bedroom until the contractors finish their work in January.

But I was reminding myself again this morning that no one else but me is going to get this house together in time for Christmas (er, Thanksgiving?). So, the time is nigh for me to pull myself and the house together and do this.

Your home (like mine) might be in its own state of chaos for whatever reason. I get it. Don’t worry, it’s all grace here.

But how do we get our home from chaos to Christmas with so little time left?

Because I’ve been a home decor blogger for nearly ten years now, you might be anticipating that I will tell you how to get your tree decorated and your house spic and span in the nick of time. While I love to help women with simple ways to do that fun stuff, too, I’m actually here to remind us of what matters more. If we start our plans by re-ordering our priorities we will have all the inspiration and energy we need to pull our house together.

• Creating a peaceful home for Christmas starts in our hearts.
• A warm and festive house has less to do with the holiday decorations we put out and more to do with the love we pour out.
• Pulling together a fabulous party shouldn’t steal our joy or prevent us from gathering our people together.
• The gift of simply being present is more important than the presents.

Amen? Our own expectations might be too high and the days left on the calendar probably feel far too few, but we’ve got this. If we take our long to-do list and simply write Jesus there in the number one slot every day, we’ll have all we need to pull our home and heart together in every way that counts.

I’m excited for Christmas, are you?

Let’s do this.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5 NIV