The holidays are once again upon us - you know, the next six weeks where we are supposed to be full of thanks, peace, love, good cheer, comfort, joy and happiness. No pressure there, right? On top of all that, we have to some how keep on top of our regular lives - job deadlines, paying the bills, taking care of the kids or perhaps taking care of your elderly parents. Is it any wonder that so many struggle with depression and anxiety and that suicide spike during the holidays?

I'm not being cynical, just real. For many, the holidays tend to be a dreaded event rather than a treasured one. If you are one of those that are immune to the stress of the season and just can't relate this post isn't for you and I encourage you to just move on. For the countless others who unfortunately can relate, I want to encourage you and share some tips that I have learned that will help you not only survive the holidays, but actually find some peace, joy and comfort in the middle of all the chaos typical of the season.

#1 - Stop trying to be happy and instead learn to be content.
We have been told all our lives that as Americans, we have the right to be happy. It says so right in our Constitution. I believe this is one of the main culprits to our unhappiness. Happiness is a feeling but contentment is a mindset. Feelings are dictated by circumstances and cannot be trusted. Contentment, however, is based on the truth and stays constant regardless of our circumstances.

I have found that the pursuit of happiness is self-centered because it is rooted in getting what I want. I hate to break it to you, but you are destined for a life of disappointment if this is what you are living for. Contentment is not centered on what you can get but what you can give. It is the great paradox of life that Jesus taught us in Matthew 16:25 that says, "Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it."

This holiday focus on others rather than yourself and it will go a long way towards bringing some much needed peace and joy in your life.

#2 - Dig a grave and have a funeral.
Come again? You heard me - dig a grave and have a funeral. I know what some of you are thinking right now. You are thinking of an actual person you would like to put in a grave. That's not what I'm talking about but you're almost on the right track. You will never truly be able to enjoy the holidays until you first bury your personal hurts and grudges and tear up your lists of who did you wrong. I do over 50 funerals every year and can't begin to tell you how many times I see people weeping at the grave of a loved one wishing that they had buried a long held grudge because they now regret the years of relationship that that grudge robbed them of.

Don't be that person. I can tell you with 100% certainty that some day you will be forced to deal with that grudge you hold whether you like it or not. It is your choice whether you will weep with regret over someones grave or embrace them with tears of joy by choosing to bury that grudge and move on. Either way, the only way grudges are dealt with is at a funeral. It's a lot easier to lose a grudge and bury it now.

It's true that I don't know what you have been through. I don't know the pain and disappointment you have endured but God does and he showed us personally how we can overcome our grudges. Instead of holding us accountable to the things we did wrong, instead of holding a grudge, he showed us grace. He buried our wrongs with his son, Jesus, and gave us grace instead. I know how hard it is, believe me, but it's not impossible. It takes courage but you will find it is worth the effort. It requires giving up a lot but I promise you the payoff will make everything else pale in comparison.

Start this holiday season with a big funeral and then celebrate in the new found joy and peace that will follow.

There you have it - 2 simple steps to enjoying the holidays. Those are pretty big steps, I know, but these 2 steps are really what the holidays are all about anyway - about being thankful and celebrating a Savior that gave his life so that we could live. This holiday season, may the Living Lord go with you. May he go behind you to encourage you, beside you to befriend you, above you to watch over you, beneath you to lift you from your sorrows, within you to give you the gifts of faith, hope and love, and before you to show you the way!