This is the story of how to keep doing your ordinary work without feeling discouraged during the Christmas season.

The wonder of the holidays can be diluted when we have to balance it with the work we do that makes gifts and celebrations possible. This week Lisa-Jo and Christie unpack the reality that everything doesn't stop just because it's December. Instead there are still deadlines and work commitments and maybe that's actually OK too. Maybe we don't need to believe the Hallmark premise that everything stops around the holidays in time for hot chocolate and mistletoe. Maybe for so many of us the courage to keep providing for our families in the midst of the meaningful season is itself a good and generous gift.

This week we celebrate the holiday season that has to find a way to fit hand in hand with our ordinary, daily work. And we recognize that different lives have different rhythms of work and rest and there is no one perfect pattern. And we discuss how the work we're doing here on earth will likely bear fruit in the kingdom to come.

So, lean into your own timetable this season and let Christmas unfold slowly, and let your family and friends off the hook and give them permission to be themselves in the way they work and the way they rest too.

Books mentioned this week: Poetry by Gwendolyn Brooks Leaf by Niggle by JRR Tolkien Quotidian Mysteries, The: Laundry, Liturgy and "Women's Work" by Kathleen Norris

See more of Maplehurst and meet Christie here.

See more of Lisa-Jo's daily, ordinary chaos over here.

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Discover Lisa-Jo's books here.

This month only: pre-order Christie's new book Placemaker and receive a free gift!