Well, it’s time to start thinking about Christmas already! What a joy it is to get in the Christmas mood and spirit and reflect on the sort of “beginning” to the story of our salvation (even though God had it planned all along…). As the days go by and I get older (how pathetic do I sound right now), I keep realizing how important it is to think about Jesus all the time. It’s disturbing how we grow up on distractions, and how even when you want God to be the center of your thoughts and life, it’s so hard to break free from everything else that we’re told and taught to focus on.

I think one of Satan’s biggest tools is distraction. He can so effortlessly stop or “freeze” so many of us in pursuing a relationship with God or moving forward in our relationship with God as it gets pushed to the back-burner. We hear the Christmas season is supposed to be full of joy and peace, and I always cringe hearing how it’s not for so many people because they’re doing all the cliche things—living life on distractions, focusing on everything around the Christmas season but not the essence of the Christmas season itself.

All I’m trying to say is, if you want peace and joy in life, you can’t run on distractions. It is incredibly counter-cultural—and downright rebellious—not to, but that’s the point of being followers of Christ; we are supposed to be rebelling against what the world does. I know for me personally, I can’t keep whining about how I feel down when it’s my diet of distractions feeding me. If I want to have the peace hardly anyone has, I have to do the things hardly anyone does—focus more on Him. As my mom always says, “Make the God bubble bigger; make the world bubble smaller.”

That could be the subject of multiple blog posts, though, and I want to keep this one lighthearted. Here’s the encouragement: getting rid of distractions doesn’t have to be as daunting as it seems. You can start right now. Maybe you have to work on some things, but play some festive Christmas music in the background that is about Jesus. Let the adrenaline of having to rush things be replaced by the calm and true festivity in these songs. Consider them part of your new Christmas playlist that you can listen to over and over again this season so that, in moments of chaos, you can be reminded that it doesn’t need to be that way. You can take time right here, right now to focus on the true King of the world, the One who delivers peace, joy, and good news to all.

I love these Christmas songs I’m sharing with you, and I intend to play these on repeat because I’m not one to listen to Christmas music all year long, even though these songs are excellent enough where you definitely could. I’m embedding my playlist below so you can add it to your library or save songs from it. I hope you all have the most wonderful Christmas ahead!

Try to remember this, no matter what you’re going through: it doesn’t matter how perfect life is or isn’t. The story of the world began with Jesus, and it ends with Him; there was good news then; there’s good news now. I know life can feel incredibly painful at times, and I don’t know the extent of what you’re all going through. Last year was a rough one for us with my dad losing his mom shortly after the holiday season. I can promise you, though, that life doesn’t hurt forever and that, literally on the darkest nights, peace can break through. It did when God came down to be with us then and forever, and He will walk you through every moment from here on out into His glorious presence forevermore. There’s calm in the night, peace for the days, and joy forevermore. If you find yourself thinking about all this other crap in the world, try not to. Try to instead read His Word, talk to Him, read Christmas devotions, and really immerse yourself in His story that saves. He came to give you life abundantly with Him, and He won’t let you go (John 10:10, 28).

Also, if you don’t hear from me on the blog for a while, don’t worry; I haven’t forgotten about you all or abandoned my writing! The next post I’m writing is my recap of my trip to Las Vegas, and it’s going to be a long one and take a bit of time to edit photos for and write up (full transparency: when I say “edit photos,” I’m mainly just adding my brand’s preset to make them look a little more ~pink~ because clearly we don’t get enough of that on this website, and they just jive with my branding a little bit better and get tweaked for clarity, but I don’t really change my photos other than that, and if you ever want me to post originals, just say so). I’m really excited for that one, though; I think you’re going to enjoy it because I already was telling my cousin all about it, and she said she loved hearing my storytelling of it. I will see you then, and I hope that’s not in the new year…haha…but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is. Love you all! Always message me if you need to talk or want me to pray for anything specific!

My Christmas Playlist

• “Christmas Canon” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra—I saw this group in concert, and they are incredible! My mom can’t get over how they lied to us about coming back to Des Moines again (they never did, but I think one of the main guys passed away). I like several of their songs; they’re mostly instrumentals, but this one has some lyrics, and it’s probably my favorite because I’ve liked it my whole life. I used to imagine having a book trailer set to this music. It’s soothing, pretty, and hopeful.
• “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono—this is not a religious song, per se, but a little fun fact about me is that this was my favorite Christmas song as a little kid. My mom used to joke about it being my dad’s favorite song (she did that with “Last Christmas”, too), and I didn’t understand sarcasm at the time so I really thought it was, but it did end up becoming my favorite. I included it on this playlist because I still love it, and I think it has a nice message of hope, peace, and joy. I like how it portrays Christmas as the season where you forget all the bad things going on in the world and take time to rejoice and begin again. Because of Jesus, we should always be doing that!
• “Ring Christmas Bells” by Ray Conniff and The Ray Conniff Singers—this is one of my newer favorites; I could actually see myself using this as a foreshadowing song in a movie based on my books (I imagine all music to my stories—the mind of a writer, haha). This one is about Jesus and His coming to earth, but it foreshadows His second coming, too, and the actual music of this song couldn’t be done better. It’s got this eerie quality to it that not only signifies the joy and peace of His coming but also His power and majesty and glory, which is a part we can sometimes water down but shouldn’t.
• “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” by Marcy Priest—my church played this for one of our Christmas services, and I thought it was perfect for that. This sums up the meaning of Christmas with beautiful melodies and singing.
• “Believe” by Josh Groban—another song that isn’t exactly religious but still shares the value of faith, this is from my favorite Christmas movie of all time, The Polar Express! I’m already so ready to start watching Christmas movies. Tonight, in fact, I’m going to have some hot chocolate with little marshmallows and red frosted Oreos that Mom and I bought at the store today. I really need to rekindle the joyful, childish faith I had with wonder and awe at every turn of life, and I love this song for that because it reminds me of the importance of having faith and believing in God and His promises. It’s an absolutely beautiful song. The first beginning notes…you can literally feel the wonder, awe, nostalgia, and magic of the season. It’s like I can relive all the memories and joy of my youth from this time of year.
• “I Still Believe in Christmas” by Anne Wilson—I LOVE this gorgeous song. The message is perfect for so many of us who can still feel down about the state of the world and life’s heaviness. This is especially one I recommend if you’re going through a challenging season during the holidays; again, we will believe what we consume, and if you make Christ’s voice the loudest, He will keep you in His peace and joy.
• “We Need Emmanuel” by Brandon Heath—this is another comforting song that is honest about how hard our lives and hearts can be even around Christmas because life doesn’t get easier when the holidays roll around. This song is great for helping you feel seen with that and process it while still speaking hope and encouragement to your heart.
• “Christmas Is Here” by Stars Go Dim—I love this little festive song about Jesus and getting excited for the true meaning of Christmas! I love jamming to this one; it’s fun and upbeat, perfect for rejoicing in the season.
• “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” by MercyMe—I love the imagery of this one, setting the stage for Christmas. Another great tune with lyrics that encourage over Jesus’ coming to earth.

This is all I have in the playlist right now because I actually haven’t added a ton of Christmas music to my library. It’s not because I don’t love it; I love listening to it on the radio, but I just haven’t gone through and added or explored a lot beyond that. I’m going to do that in the coming months, though, so be sure to save my playlist or this post for later! I’d love to hear your favorites so I can add to mine! Thanks for reading.