Peace on Earth… but have you seen my to‑do list?

By Ruth Bradshaw

I found a book among my Christmas decorations titled “How to Have the Best Christmas Ever!” Do you feel that pressure too? Every year it has to be better than the last. More magical. More memorable. More wondrous.

It’s easy to start believing Christmas depends on me. On the right presents, the perfect food, matching pyjamas, remembered traditions and a well‑behaved Elf on the Shelf. Miss one thing and it feels like Christmas will be ruined.

Have I bought all the presents? Ordered the turkey? Booked everything on time? Remembered everything?

It can feel frantic, chaotic — and not very peaceful at all.

These aren’t wrong things to think about. I’ve thought them all myself (though thankfully Elf on the Shelf hadn’t been invented when my children were small!). Remembering the turkey matters… but is this really what Christmas is about?

Christmas isn’t all about you.

Or maybe it’s all about the children? I remember the pressure to buy the present — the one everyone else had. Yet by January it was forgotten, broken, or clutter at the back of a cupboard. One year, fed up with it all, I wrapped up old toys the children had forgotten about and gave them back. “I used to have one of these!” they said. Pressure gone. Parent win.

So if Christmas isn’t about us, and it isn’t about our children — who is it about?

Christmas is about Jesus.

The Bible calls Him the Prince of Peace — and that’s exactly what we’re longing for in the chaos. Jesus is not another task on the list; He is the one who lifts the weight of it. If He is King, then Christmas does not rest on our shoulders.

When Jesus was born, He wasn’t placed in a peaceful, perfect setting. He was laid in a feeding trough, surrounded by animals, noise and mess. Not a place fit for a king — yet this was God’s plan. Peace entered the world right in the middle of chaos.

So what does this mean when the to-do list is still long and the pressure still real? It means I don’t have to save Christmas. I don’t have to make it perfect for it to be meaningful. If Jesus is King, then the weight is not on my shoulders. If He came into noise, mess and disruption, then my chaotic kitchen, forgotten traditions and imperfect plans do not push Him away. Peace comes not when everything is done, but when I remember who is in charge. I can pause, breathe, and loosen my grip, because the Prince of Peace has already come — and He is still with me in the middle of it all.

Luke’s Gospel says of Jesus:

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32–33)

This is why He brings peace. His kingdom doesn’t depend on our performance. It doesn’t end when Christmas Day is over. It lasts forever.

Earlier this year I met King Charles. He looked surprisingly ordinary — just a man in a suit — yet he is still king. Where Jesus was born doesn’t change who He is either. In fact, His humility makes Him even more wonderful.

Meeting King Charles made a nice story. Meeting King Jesus changes everything — not just life, but eternity. Being His friend brings security, safety and peace, not only at Christmas but always.

Some people may say, “He is not my King.” That doesn’t change who He is. Jesus is King whether we recognise Him or not.

So as you watch nativity plays, sing carols and wrap presents, pause and ask yourself: Who do I say Jesus is? Just a baby in a manger — or the King of Kings? The Saviour? The Prince of Peace?

You don’t need a perfect Christmas to find peace. You just need the right focus.

Christ is the reason there is Christmas. Without Christ, it really does become just mas — or a mess.