Five Minute Friday – prompt word, five minutes, just write. No overthinking, no over editing.

This weeks prompt word is DIFFERENT

“This year it’ll be different”

Famous last words those.

Lets hope it will be.

Lets hope we have all learnt a thing or two over the years about staying sane and actually enjoying Christmas.

Little things like

• not expecting everything to be perfect – ourselves, others, the food, the gifts, the moments because they never are and we’re certainly not
• not trying to do ALL the Christmas things and be at ALL the Christmas places
• doing the things we love that are meaningful to us and our family and forgetting the rest
• not worrying about what other people are doing or making or buying
• not blowing the budget
• saying no sometimes instead of yes and just giving ourselves a minute
• not having too set an idea about how things are going to turn out because we all know by now there’s nearly always a loose canon sitting ready to go off somewhere
• enjoying the moments  –  imperfect and chaotic as they often are
• laughing at ourselves

But

Ask me how I’m doing in about a weeks time and I might tell you a different story.

Christmas sure has a way of doing crazy things to us.

So if you run foul of the best of your Christmas intentions this year – if your calm and zen like attitude makes a sudden left turn and leaves the building  – its OK , it happens, your in good company.

Ellen Griswold said it kinda straight

“I don’t know what to say, but its Christmas  and we’re all in misery” (National Lampoons Christmas Vacation)

We can all relate – so if your heading that way – – –

give yourself some grace,

God is in the business of grace, its His speciality and Christmas laid bare is about God’s grace putting on skin and embracing us in human form.

So give yourself some grace today and give the people around you some too. Take a breath, take a moment – a good few if you need them. It’ll all be OK. Watch “Elf“, have a laugh, phone a friend, take a walk  – any or all will do you the world of good and remember

Next year it’ll be different.

Happy Christmas friends xx

You can read what other people have done with there five minutes here.