Christmas is almost here! Can you "feel it in the air"? The holiday season is special for so many reasons, most of which involve the coming of the Savior and time together with family and friends. In this Christmas UPGRADE, I want to help us focus on two things: Christmas is a time to receive and a time to release.
Christmas Is a Time to RECEIVE.
All throughout the Christmas season we receive gifts—not just on Christmas day.
1. We receive the gifts of Christmas cards.
Yes, they are gifts, reminding us of those we love.
The first Christmas card, according to Smithsonian Magazine, was sent out by a British educator, Sir 
Henry Cole, who had 1,000 copies of a card printed. The card had an artist's design of a holiday table with family members and smaller images of people helping the poor. It said simply: A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year To You." Unfortunately, the card included young children enjoying what looked to be glasses of wine, and some thought Cole was encouraging underage drinking!
In a time when people were used to writing very long letters at Christmas—which were hard for busy people to find time to read—the innovative "Christmas Card" was considered a time-saver choice.
Cards evolve in the late 1800s, spurred on, in part, by card publishers' contests for new designs. Then Christmas cards became valued collector items. The modern Christmas card industry began in 1915 when three brothers published their card at The Hall Brothers Company, which would change to Hallmark ten years later. (You can read more about the history of Christmas cards here.)
2. We receive gifts from our neighbors.
There are many ways we might interact with neighbors at Christmas. Our neighbors tell us they love the gift of our Christmas display—a large, lighted nativity scene—as they drive up the hill toward our house. I know what they mean. After a tough day, seeing that cheerful display as I come home feels like a gift.
It's been our habit to give Christmas treats to our neighbors every year. It's so fun to see the happy expressions as they receive our gift. But, to our delight, we have received goodies from them as well.
Over the years, the neighborhood Goodies Exchange has cultivated friendships far sweeter than the simple treats we share.
3. We receive the gift of kindness.
(Setting aside the nasty shoving and rudeness of some Christmas shopping experiences), the Christmas season—which begins informally right after Thanksgiving—is typically a time for compassion and kindness.
Once we have received the kindness of God through Jesus (Ephesians 2:7), the grateful overflow of that miraculous gift is giving to others. We give generously and cheerfully because we have received so much from God, and Paul said our kind generosity will again overflow—in "many thanksgivings to God" (2 Corinthians 9:11-12).
There are many creative ways to use our spiritual gifts to offer kindness at Christmas. Our Christmas kindness might manifest itself in serving or helping others, like volunteering at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Or taking time to visit an elderly shut-in, and take them a meal. Or writing to encourage a prisoner who recently received Christ.
It might also show up as we take out our checkbook. Ministries often experience a significant rise in funds from financial gifts during the holidays—and it's not only because of tax-deductions. At Christmas, we remember and support the ministries that we feel are doing God's work in God's ways. And we all have our favorites.
4. We receive the gift of music.
We love the Christmas carolers who stroll through our neighborhood, singing "Angels We Have Heart of High" and "Noel." We can attend church Christmas concerts. And the music channel on our television plays Christmas music 24/7. As I'm wearily typing this late at night, I hear "Jingle Bells" in the background and the peppy tune is a gift that energizes me.
But there's nothing like Christmas hymns. My favorite ends with "O Come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord." Let's be sure in this Christmas season we are offering worship that our Father can receive with joy.
5. We receive the gifts under the tree.
This is, of course, is a given in most homes—even if the number of packages has decreased in a tight economy. You no doubt have memories of your Christmas Eve or Christmas Day time of "unwrapping" gifts (after mom spent hours wrapping them).
The seasons of life may change how our material gift-giving looks, but it's always a joy to think about the recipients and try to find an appropriate gift for each one. Planning time together, creating new memories, is part of this Christmas gift.
6. We receive and remember the most precious gift of Christmas.
We must never forget that Christmas is a celebration of the coming of the Savior—sent as a gift to us (1 John 4:14; John 3:16). He was not simply a babe in a manger. He was God the Son, come to us for a specific purpose and it was Good News! Jesus would die for our sins—taking upon Himself the punishment we deserve—to redeem us from sin, guilt, and death.
The Bible says of Jesus,
He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness (1 Peter 2:24).
That is the most important gift we can receive—a gift that determines our eternal destiny.
Have you heard and received the Good News of God's gift to us? If not, you can read more scriptures about that here.
Christmas Is a Time to RELEASE.
We certainly have many things to receive at Christmas—and you may be able to think of other gifts I've left out. But I also think there are some things we should release.
1. Release the stress that has built up.
I don't know about you, but from mid-Thanksgiving on, my stress level amps up considerably. Scary news on the TV, the crowd-crazed shopping, holiday preparations and decorating, baking . . . you get the idea.
I have to spend extra time with Father God to help me release that stress. The verse I embrace at this time of year is part of Psalm 46:10 that says "Be still and know that I am God.
The Message version sounds like exactly what I (and maybe you?) need:
Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.
Take some deep breaths, do some simple body stretches—especially your neck and shoulders where stress can take up residence—and release your stress to the Lord, grateful that He can carry every burden and give peace and stability in the midst of every struggle.
2. Release any ideas of a "perfect" Christmas.
You know what I'm saying, right? Those homey paintings of people celebrating a perfect Christmas without a care in the world are wonderful, but do they match up with our reality?
The only perfection we'll ever know is the Lord (and maybe a family hug). So give up the "perfect Christmas" drama.
While it's true that at Christmas we have many opportunities to create beautiful things and memories, life also goes on—with babies that spit-up on your holiday sweater right before a party, car parts that suddenly break down, a fall that puts you in a healing "boot," a batch of expensive-ingredient cookies that burn in the oven. . . just crazy stuff. Bad stuff.
Not-at-all-perfect stuff.
And that's OK. Life itself is a beautiful thing. Life is to be savored and appreciated every day.
If you don't believe that, ask someone with a newly-diagnosed terminal disease. They would probably tell you something like: "I'm going to cherish every day I have left!" or "Every day above ground is beautiful and blessed."
Take a moment to look around you at your Christmas decorations. Look at photos of loved ones. Think about a Christmas activity you'll be part of this year—even if it's online. Express your profound gratitude to God for all your blessings.
In that moment, Christmas might even FEEL perfect.
Just remember that it's not;
and if you try to create perfection, you might come close,
but as the Amish say, "Only God makes perfect things."
3. Release the memories that haunt you.
We all have memories. Most are good. But the bad ones, the uncomfortable ones—we need to let those go. Christmas is as good a time as any to release memories that haunt and hinder us, and we can do it as we focus on the Savior and what He did for us.
Every shred of guilt and shame needs to be released; and the Bible teaches that we can let them go when we have God's forgiveness in Christ. His sacrifice on the cross completely covers every sin (Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 1:7) and removes our guilt and shame (Romans 8:1).
Logically, we don't need to "forgive ourselves" either, because He has already forgiven us (Ephesians 1:6-8; Psalm 103:12). We simply need to believe and rest in that truth.
Then, though we are positionally forgiven, we need to agree with God about our daily sins (1 John 1:9) and live in that freedom of restored fellowship with Him.
- If sins have piled up, unconfessed to God, it's hard to walk in complete peace.
- Unconfessed sin creates NEW BAD MEMORIES!"
- So keep short "sin accounts" with God, confessing sins as the Holy Spirit brings them to mind.
Maybe we need to release some anger or bitterness by forgiving others (Colossians 3:13). Lounging in the memories of past sins or offenses—by you or against you—will never do you any favors.
A word about our enemy. Satan loves to torture our thoughts about past sins (even though the Christian has been freed from his grasp). My counsel is:
When Satan comes knocking to remind you of sins and pile on guilt, ask Father God to remind him where he's going!
Then rest in the truth that God sees and knows, He forgives with great mercy, and He will make all things right when we see Jesus and live forever with Him.
Another way to release past memories that haunt us is to gratefully use them as teachable moments. Ask God what you can learn from them. Extract the teaching and leave the rest behind.
4. Release the dreams of the past.
This might seem like a strange one. Did you have some big dreams that never panned out? Maybe circumstances kept you from fulfilling your dreams. Or maybe God had bigger things in store for you, but you couldn't see that at the time, so you were disappointed and discouraged.
Maybe it's time to release some old dreams and allow God to create new ones for you.
Some dreams are still worth pursuing, even if they require great persistence. Other dreams may have crumbled or not come to fruition for any number of reasons.
I had many dreams before my diagnosis with multiple myeloma, and I thought I had plenty of time to achieve them. The weakness, infections, and side effects from drugs changed all that.
But I can dream new dreams tailored to my current circumstances—receiving those dreams from God because He knows what I can handle and that I can achieve them with His help.
It's important for believers to have God at the center of our imaginings for new projects and ministry because our lives are His and He desires to work in and through us. As it says in Ephesians 3:20 (NLT):
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
The purpose of Christians is to glorify Father God and enjoy Him now and forever. We set goals that help us do that with wisdom and humility, knowing that "the plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance" (Proverbs 21:5 MSG).
So this Christmas, release old, stale dreams and allow God to give you vibrant new dreams for your growth, other's good, and His glory.
Christmas truly is a good time to RECEIVE the blessings that come our way, but also to RELEASE those things that hinder and stunt our growth or our ability to glorify God in the present.
Christmas Blessings, Friends!
Is there something you need to receive with gratitude? Is there something you need to release—again, with gratitude?
Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is a speaker and author, 
and the creator the blog, Upgrade with Dawn. She is a regular columnist at Crosswalk.com. She and her husband Bob live in sunny Southern California, and Dawn has traveled with Him in Pacesetter Global Outreach. They have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.
Graphic of Christmas gift, courtesy of StockSnap at Pixabay.
Graphic of the first Christmas Card from Smithsonian Magazine, article, "The History of the Christmas Card," Dec. 9, 2015.
Graphic of Norman Rockwell's "Merry Christmas, Grandma," in an article at Laura Jaen Art, "Top 15 Christmas Artworks from Throughout History,"