Get Ready to Set Your PACE this Holiday Season!

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A few years ago, I realized that we forgot to pray at our Thanksgiving celebration! Blame it on having five grandbabies, ten siblings, three significant others and a partridge in a… you get it! The place was crowded, but we missed the opportunity to show our gratitude…on Thanksgiving. Have you been there? Rushing, prepping and missing the main thing, again.

That year, I decided we had to make a change. No more rushing through the Holiday Season. My heart’s desire was to be intentional about Christmas. I wanted to set aside time to focus on Christ, before Christmas Eve.

Are you looking for a restful Holiday Season too?

I shared with the readers of The Homeschool Minute, about how I found a way to be intentional during the holidays and reach your goals, find rest and get to the New Year with a little more peace.

We set the PACE for the Holiday Season, instead of the season running us. Setting the PACE, is a simple four step process I used to help us refocus, define our goals and to stay on track all December. My goal was to focus on the meaning of Christmas, but you might want to avoid getting derailed from your homeschool plans. Maybe you want to be a more organized host or spend the break focused on your family time.

No matter what your goal, setting the PACE will help you reach your goals.

Grab the printable above with the step-by-step reminders to help you create a December plan.

Setting Your PACE in Four Easy Steps

P – Principle Focus

What is your Principle Focus this December?

Knowing your goal will help you create a plan unique to your family. What left you feeling rushed, frustrated or disappointed over the last holiday rush? Knowing what you DON’T want to repeat can help you make great changes this December. Choose ONE principle focus this year.

A – Activities

There are four week in December. Choose an activity for each week that will support your goal in a meaningful way. In the past, to help my family focus on Christ in December, I purchased Advent cards to read together.

What Activities can help you reach your goal. Think about including the whole family and making it fun for them to help you.

C – Calendar

Picking an activity is not enough. I learned that the first year I purchased Advent cards. The problem was, I did not create a clear plan to use them in an intentional way. To my frustration, most days they were forgotten or rushed through.

Last year, I purchased a beautiful Advent Tree for the dining room table. I showed the kids the tree and set it up in the main room. I shared with the family about my goal of focusing on Christ throughout December and asked them to help by participating with the tree at our evening meal time. Sharing a set time to do the activity was a game changer.

Some days, when I was not home, I returned to see that the ornament for the day was hung up on the tree. It felt so good to know that the whole family was coming along to help me with my goal. That December truly was a season of joy and gratitude, because we set aside time to act on our goal.

E – Evaluate

No plan is complete without evaluating. In our homeschool, we have a set check out procedure. When I neglect this meeting time, the kids almost always slip a little more behind than normal. Evaluating helps us be honest about how we executed the plan.

Don’t be frustrated if you fell short of your goal. When we failed to read the Advent cards I bought. I assessed why that was not enough to help us. The next year, I made the changes of setting a specific time, and inviting the kids to participate with me. It took two years for my goal of a Christ centered December to become a reality, but if I had done nothing, I might still be frustrated. Instead, I’ll be unpacking our new family tradition and looking forward to adding some new activities this year.

As always, I wish you a Holiday Season of Rest and I hope that you set your PACE this year!

I look forward to sharing more articles in the New Year about evaluating your homeschool year and getting back on track from the Holiday Break! If you want to stay informed of new articles be sure to subscribe to get them first!