As I listen to this classic American Christmas song, I wondered if that’s just not about the best way to celebrate the birth of Christ.

In Matthew 11:28, 29, Jesus offers peace and rest to those who will follow Him.  Yet, when it comes to celebrating His birth, peace and rest are two qualities often missing from the celebration.  Between decorating, cooking, baking, parties, shopping, wrapping, worshipping and all the other Christmas Season must-do events, we often become haggard, tired and frustrated.  Some of us even breath a sigh of relief when Christmas is over, because the most-stressful time of the year is gone.

But, should it be this way?  Would Christ want us greeting His arrival with stress and busyness or with quiet contemplation or with restful peace?  I  believe that allowing Christmas to become stressful completely misses the point of who Christ is, and what He wants for us.

So let me invite you to evaluate the next two weeks and deep six anything that’s going to keep you from experiencing Christ’s rest this Christmas.