How A Full Holiday Calendar Can Be Ok (Especially If It Includes Peanut Brittle)

With the holiday season upon us we must pay such close attention to our schedules and dates. It gets full. It gets crazy. It gets busy. We’re already filling our calendars with things we love to do and people we love to do them with. Is anyone else unable to make one single plan without your calendar handy these days?

With a focus on gatherings and parties and family and friends, this holiday season is always busier than others. We get decent breaks between most other holidays throughout the year. Have you evernoticed, though, that there are three major holidays that focus on gatherings and parties, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, in a time span of only 36 days. That’s a lot of baking, shopping, traveling, planning, eating and loving in a short amount of time. The calendar fills up quickly.

You’ve probably heard about how Jesus is the reason for the season. How we need to leave space for Christ on our calendars. How we need to make sure we have margin enough to worship. Those are all good thoughts to consider. I haven’t always been good at managing my holidays well but in my older and wiser years, I have come to carefully schedule and consider my baking, shopping, traveling, planning, eating and loving within these 36 days as a part of my worship. It’s still busy but Jesus is the reason. Christ is in my calendar. My busyness is His business.

Our busyness should be about His business. ~Andrea Stunz

Today I start filling orders for peanut brittle. I make it every year and have made it to sell for a few years now. It’s a tradition handed down from my grandmother to my mom to me. I use the traditional method of heating until the boil is just right and the sugar spins a floating thread and the peanuts smell and look just the right amount of roasted. I love the 30 minutes of standing and stirring that each batch takes. I love using the pan and spoon I’ve used for 27 years. The same type of pan and spoon my mom used. The handle on my pan broke off one year and my dad welded it back on for me. Stories upon stories… I love pouring it up and knowing in that exact moment of that batch is going to be perfect or not. The making of peanut brittle will fill every spare minute of my week but I love doing it. I love thinking about the person I’m making it for, praying over their holiday and reminiscing about my past holiday memories and sharing this traditional goodie with those I love.

So as I consider my calendar this holiday season and as you consider yours, the question I am posing is not whether your calendar is too full but what your calendar is full of. Is your calendar full of worship? Do you need to clear a few committments and make some space for Christ or is Christ in all of your committments?

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

Wishing you the happiest of calendar-filled and heart-filled holidays!

~Andrea