Christmas all year long

It seems like once we reach Christmas evening, all the magic’s gone. . . . Is there any way we can experience the magic of Christmas all year long?

Merry Christmas!  And welcome to this very special episode of Joy in the Journey Radio.  By now much of the activity since Thanksgiving has dissipated.  Traditions have largely played themselves out, the gifts have been unwrapped, and people are enjoying a brief respite.

At the end of the day, you get what you give.  That’s just as true with Christmas as with anything else in life.  Those who truly savored the season were those who surrendered to the Savior and served others as He would.  Feeling His joy and peace is the real magic of the Christmas season.

But does it have to end?  It seems like once we reach Christmas evening, all the magic’s gone.  Is that because our traditions culminate on Christmas morning?  Is it just this time of year that brings the magic out?  Is there any way we can experience the magic of Christmas all year long?

The answer is a resounding yes!  The true magic of Christmas is the joy and peace that comes from Christ.  Every day we experience Christ, we rekindle the magic of Christmas with the warmth of His joy and peace.  If we do that every day, we can experience Christmas all year long.

Change your thinking

As with many other difficulties in life, experiencing Christmas beyond the Christmas season has root in how we think.  If we think about Christmas only as a time of year, then it’s only natural we feel the magic of Christmas when that time of year rolls around and don’t feel it when that time departs.

But change your thinking, and you change your life.  So what if we thought about Christmas not just as a time of year but a state of being?  We’ve talked recently here about joy and reaching after the state of joy rather than the feeling of happiness.  Feelings and emotions are transitory, temporary phenomena; they come and go like the weather.  But states are definitions of existence; they’re more permanent and therefore more satisfying to the soul.

If we thought about Christmas as a state of being, then Christmas wouldn’t be just something we do but something we become.  We can then experience the magic of Christmas all year because we will have become the magic of Christmas.

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Change your traditions

Our Christmas traditions can further obstruct us from experiencing Christmas all year long.  By tying our traditions to time, we also tie our experiences from those traditions to time.  This is the thinking we’ve just discussed.  But even if we transform annual traditions into daily rituals, we’ll still not feel the magic of Christmas every day if those traditions don’t point us to Christ.

Two weeks ago, we talked about the need to simplify our Christmas traditions so we can more clearly see the Savior and feel His love.  Experiencing the joy and peace of Christ is truly experiencing Christmas.  So naturally experiencing Christmas all year long means embracing simple traditions that focus us on Christ and His joy and peace.

By traditions, I mean daily rituals.  Certainly daily rituals of prayer and scripture study can help us focus on Christ and His joy and peace.  So can quiet moments of reflection and meditation.  Embracing such moments aligns us with the voice of heaven, making it more possible to experience Christ’s joy and peace.

Such moments can prepare us for prayer or help us better hear the still, small voice of the Spirit following prayer or during scripture study.  They can also help at the end of the day.  Taking a moment to reflect and meditate upon Christ and his joy and peace can calm the mind and body, allowing us to sleep better.

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Change your today

Other regular rituals can help.  While most of us won’t travel to the temple daily, regular temple attendance can help us to feel the joy and peace of Christ all year long.  I know the peace I feel inside the temple is deeper and more profound than I’ve felt anywhere else.

What other rituals can help you experience the joy and peace of Christ all year long?  And which ones will you adopt?  Whatever you do, dedicate a time and place to dedicating yourself to experiencing Christ through His joy and peace.  Then keep that sacred appointment with exactness.  You get what you give, so when you give everything to Christ, you get everything good you need in return.

The true magic of Christmas is the joy and peace that comes from Christ.  So become the spirit of Christmas.  By regularly returning to rituals that help you to feel Christ’s love, joy, and peace more powerfully, you can experience the magic of Christmas all year long.  And that will bring you more joy in your journey.

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You can listen to the monologue from today's episode of Joy In The Journey Radio here.  Please also feel free to continue the conversation by leaving a comment below.  Want to hear more?  Listen to the whole show by going to the show page for this episode.