Maybe in your world, 2023 has been one heck of a roller coaster. But not like a smooth, theme-park-grade roller coaster. We're talking about a faded, rusty, carnival-worker-rigged contraption that hasn’t been inspected in months and rides like a blind, spooked horse.

You may be metaphorically sore after this year.

Here’s the thing - you may want to eat squirt cheese from a bottle and binge-watch Netflix for the next month, but you can’t. Why?

It’s Christmas.

Your house may look like the North Pole barfed on every wall. Kids are making their gift lists with rabid fury. And everyone seems so absurdly happy.

(Really, Hallmark Channel? A happy ending every time?)

So. How do you deal with hurt and disappointment and not be the total sopping wet blanket that you may feel like you're being? How do you save Christmas for you and your family?

We have a plan that we hope helps.

Step 1: Pull an Elsa.

That’s right. We went straight Disney character reference on you. But it’s important: Let it go.

Whatever hardship you've faced this year, mistakes you've made, hurt you've felt - give yourself some grace, and let it go. If you live 2024 in 2023’s shadow, it’ll be a mere echo of what it could have been.

Now, this is way easier said than done. If you need to let it go, your process may involve lots of prayer and counseling.

Step 2: Don’t be Silly.

No pithy phrase or cultural reference quite sums up our point better. You’ve heard the definition of insanity: doing the same thing and expecting a different result? Yeah. That's silly. I know we've been literally insane this year at times, and you may feel that way, too. So in 2024, we plan to do something different.

Who you lean into for counsel, how you spend your time, where you show discipline, and how much you let others’ opinions drive your emotional car are all areas where we can do something different.

Step 3: Find the Joy.

Christmas isn’t about you. It isn't about us. Christmas isn’t about kids or what they want for Christmas. Christmas is about joy. Joy in hope. Christmas, the celebration of Jesus’ birth, means that we can hope for a better 2024 because we have a loving Father who sent his only Son because he knew we were going to be a total train wreck on our own.

We won’t let our attitude trump our heart.

Instead, we want to truly be grateful for all the things that went well this year. And we want you to show your kids and families that even when things don’t go our way, joy can be found in every season ... even the seasons you’d like to forget.