Day 1: LOVED

Day 1: LOVED (+ 2 Vital Questions to Ask NOW)

Each day during The PURSE-onality Challenge: "A Holiday-Ready Heart" in October, Untangling Christmas by Karen Ehman and LeAnn Rice, will be our give-away prize!  

Enter via the Rafflecopter at the end of the blog post or click here to enter!

http://purseonalitychallenge.blogspot.com/2012/10/day-1-loved-2-vital-questions-to-ask-now.html

The “Ideal” Christmas

Imagine your ideal Christmas Day:  

• Who would be with you? 

• What would you do? 

• How would things look? smell? taste? sound? feel?

• What "one thing" would be required to make it the ideal Christmas Day for you?

My "one thing" is laughter. 

Forget the decor, the food, the gifts (unless they’re gag gifts!) 

For me, sitting around sharing stories, telling jokes, and laughing our fool heads off is the most important thing that happens on Christmas Day.

But that’s just me. 

I’m a Sanguine PURSE-onality, and my primary goal in life is to have fun.

For my Melancholy mother and husband, their ideal Christmas Day centers on perfection.

My Choleric daughter and aunt’s ideal Christmas Day involves control.

My Phlegmatic son’s “one thing” is peace.

We each have “one thing” we need, above all else, to have the ideal Christmas Day.

Holiday Expectations

Advertisers play on our “one thing,” luring us into believing that if we spend money on this decoration, this gift, this event, then this Christmas will be the one when…

When what?

• When that hyper-critical relative suddenly says something positive?

• When we go to the closet, easily pick out an outfit, slip into it, and feel fabulous?

• When the spouse one who hates gift shopping finally surprises us the “perfect present”?

• When the house magically de-clutters, cleans, and decorates itself?

It’s so tempting to fall into “this Christmas…” thinking. 

Which is nothing but a set up.

Expecting Christmas to meet my PURSE-onality needs is a set-up for disappointment. 

Holiday Disappointment

When I take a so that approach to any aspect of the holidays, I’m guaranteed to be disappointed.

• I need lots of attention at the party so that I’ll have fun. (But fun fades.)

• I need my house properly decorated so that I’ll feel that everything is perfect. (But perfection gets spoiled.)

• I need to get everything done efficiently so that I can feel in control. (But control is just an illusion.)

• I need to keep everyone happy so that I can feel at peace. (But peace only lasts so long.

The holidays are NOT about me getting my needs met.

No day or season can meet my needs.

I can not get from the holidays anything I do not take with me going into them.

(In fact, the needier I am going into the holiday season, the more disappointed I’m going to be by the end!)

Holidays Are About Giving

The “one thing” we each need, above all else, is LOVE.

All of our “this Christmas…” thinking?

We’re chasing love.

All of our so that trying?

We’re chasing love.

We’re chasing love when we could be celebrating the day that Love came to us!

Love came to us.

"Even before He made the world, 

God loved us and chose us in Christ 

to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” 

Ephesians 1:4

We are loved.

We don’t need to go chasing after love during the holiday season. 

We don't need to do anything so that we will be loved.

We celebrate because we are loved!

And instead of needing to get that “one thing,” we can each contribute the “one thing” that’s so important to us. 

Sanguines can contribute fun.

Melancholies perfection.

Cholerics control.

Phelgmatics peace.

Not so that...

...but because: 

we. are. loved.

2 Vital Questions to Ask NOW

Now would be a great time to discuss this question with family members and friends to see what similarities and differences show up! 

1.  What are my expectations of the ________ holiday? (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, etc.)

2.  What is my "one thing"?

Your Turn!

• Which of your expectations do you want to re-evaluate this year?

• How do your family members' expectations differ from yours?

• What's your "one thing"?  How does it differ from your family members'?

• Anything else on your heart?