The Best Gift to Give your Neighbors this Holiday Season

Just today, I was talking to a sweet mom who was starting to feel the pangs of anxiety regarding the holiday season. Halloween is days away, Thanksgiving is weeks away, and Christmas is only two months away. Shopping, travel, health, work, family gatherings, extra cleaning, cooking, and expenses are just a few things that are on many of our minds. All these extras, many that we love and some that we dread, cause us extra stress and even perhaps anxiety. And guess what? We are not alone. Many others around us are feeling the same. Other feelings around the holidays include depression and increased grief for those missing loved ones, especially during this time of year.

As we communally enter the holiday season filled with joy, laughter, stress, sadness, and so much more, we can give ourselves and one another a beautiful gift. A gift that is truly a gift as it is free and brings with it no expectation, shame, or judgment. What is this gift? It is the gift of grace. 

In Christianity, grace is defined as undeserved favor. It cannot be earned; it is something that is freely given. Grace is a kindness — to ourselves and others.

For this holiday season, I would like to encourage you to start each of your days with the gift of grace first to yourself. One way you might give yourself grace is to remind yourself of the first stanza of the Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change; 

courage to change the things I can; 

and wisdom to know the difference.

Grace for yourself might be forgiveness for mistakes or harsh words spoken and remembering Lamentations 3:22-23:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Grace for yourself might look like remembering it’s okay to say no, and it is more than okay that your life doesn’t look like the Instagram post that sent your heart and mind into comparison and discontent.

As you give yourself grace, you can extend it to your family and loved ones, remembering they probably feel their version of holiday stress and demands.

As you continue giving yourself grace, you can extend that grace to your neighbors on the road, at the grocery stores, post offices, and other places you may frequent during the holiday season. The places where grace will be received and appreciated are unending! How about grace for your local barista, table server, gas station attendant, or salon worker? Where can you give away undeserved favor and kindness?

This season, finances may be tight, time may feel stretched, and bodies may be tired, but grace can always be given away for free without adding more stress to your life. Giving grace to yourself and giving it away to others can bring refreshment and joy to your soul.

Matthew 22:37-39 reminds us to love our neighbors as ourselves. So, this holiday season, intentionally show yourself some love by giving yourself grace and then giving it to others!