🌟 Slow Down for the Savior: Choosing Presence Over Pressure This Christmas

In the beginning, it was overwhelming. The routines, the lessons, the expectations — everything felt heavy, and I constantly asked myself:

“Is the daily stress worth it? Are the fights over academics worth the tears, the tension, the rushing?”

But somewhere along the journey, something shifted.
Not in my children — but in me.

I realized that life is short.
And childhood is even shorter.

And when I looked at my children — their growing hands, their unique personalities, their longing for my time — I knew that I needed to choose differently.

💛 Choosing Presence Over Perfection

As a mom, I had to ask myself:
What will my children remember about their childhood?

Will they remember the worksheets we argued about?
Or how frustrated we were trying to finish a lesson before dinner?

Or…

Will they remember our conversations?
Our laughter?
Our small adventures?
Our shared moments?

I realized that presence mattered far more than perfect academics.

So I became intentional.
I slowed down.
I chose memory-making over pressure.
Relationship over routine.
Connection over perfection.

✈️ Choosing Experiences Over Material Things

Instead of filling our home with new things, I chose to fill our children’s lives with new experiences.

That meant saying “no” to certain purchases so we could say “yes” to traveling with them.

We explored, learned, laughed, and discovered the world together.
There were long drives, shared meals, silly jokes, unexpected detours… all the little things that felt ordinary at the moment but became precious in hindsight.

Now that my two eldest are adults, I see how worth it it all was.

No material gift compares to: being together in a new place, hearing their laughter echo in nature, watching them grow through experiences and creating memories that time cannot erase.

🌿 The Beautiful Realization

Now, as my children grow older and their time with us becomes limited, I treasure every moment even more.

Even though they are adults, I still grab every chance,
every small window, every unexpected free day to spend time with them.

Because these moments are precious. And soon, God-willing, those moments may include new people: daughters-in-law, a son-in-law, and someday… grandchildren.

And just thinking about that future makes my heart full.

Traveling with them, laughing with them, praying with them  and watching our family grow. These are the memories I want to keep building for as long as God allows.

🎄 Slow Down for the Savior

As Christmas approaches, this truth becomes even more meaningful.

The first Christmas wasn’t hurried.
It wasn’t extravagant.
It wasn’t loud.

Maybe that is the invitation for us this season:
To slow down.
To savor our families.
To choose what truly matters.
To treasure the people God has entrusted to us.

Because gifts fade.
But memories stay.
And love lasts.

💛 A Christmas Prayer for Families

May this season draw us closer to God and closer to one another.
May we choose presence over pressure,
experiences over things,
and intentional memories over busyness.

And may our homes be filled with the warmth, joy, and peace that only Jesus — the Savior we slow down for — can bring.

From my family to yours,
let’s make this Christmas one our children will remember.
Not because it was perfect —
but because we were present.