Connected Christmas
In our house, we talk a lot about connection. Not just as a nice idea, but as something we actively work at. When our kids are overwhelmed or shut down or spinning out, we try not to launch into a lecture. We slow down. We sit with them. We try to reconnect.
Because we know—instinctively, and thanks to a few too many parenting books—that when connection is strong, everything else flows better. They trust us. We can guide them. Be a safe place when the world feels big and confusing.
It’s hard work. And honestly, a lot of the time I’m not as present as I want to be. I find myself half-listening while scrolling, or rushing through the moment so I can tick off the next thing. But I keep trying—because I know it matters.
And in the middle of it all—trying, failing, reconnecting—I keep noticing something bigger. The more we learn about how connection shapes our kids—how they grow, how they heal, how they handle the mess of life—the more I wonder if this isn’t just about parenting. Maybe it’s a mirror. Maybe it tells us something about how we were made to relate. About what we actually need. Not just as kids, but as humans.
That longing to be seen, soothed, safe, and not alone? I don’t think it goes away when we grow up. And I don’t think it’s something we’re meant to outgrow.
Which is why, at Christmas, I’m drawn to the way the story begins—not with commands from above, but with closeness. Jesus arrives not as an idea to understand, or a system to follow, but as a person. A baby, even. Small enough to hold. Needing holding. Not just near, but literally present in the dirt and noise of real life.
That’s what attachment theory tells us too, isn’t it? That humans are wired to seek connection. That security and wholeness grow best in the soil of consistent, safe love. That we learn to regulate not by being left alone to figure things out, but by having someone near who stays calm and kind while we fall apart. Someone bigger, stronger, and wiser.
It’s not just good parenting science. It’s the whole logic of how God chose to enter our world—fully human, fully present, right alongside us.
God doesn’t shout instructions from a distance. He comes close. Takes on skin. Moves into the neighbourhood. Becomes interruptible, observable, knowable. He joins us in the mess instead of waiting for us to climb out of it.
That’s the Christmas story. Not a theological concept to nod at, but a relational move that reshapes the whole world.
With God showing up in the most ordinary, human way possible. A child, no less—vulnerable, attached, dependent. Not above us, but beside us.
And in doing so, God meets that deep ache we all carry—the need to be truly known, truly loved, and never left. And Christmas reminds us it’s not a flaw. It’s part of what makes us human. And it’s part of how we reflect the One who made us.
And maybe what’s most striking, as I sit with this story again, is that God doesn’t just tolerate connection. He seeks it.
Before we even realise we’re lost or lonely, He’s already on the move—like a parent crouching low to find their child’s eyes. Like a friend who turns up without needing an invitation. He doesn’t avoid the mess or stay safe from afar. He enters it—risking rejection, carrying our pain, choosing presence over power. And with no pressure to perform, no demand to fix ourselves, He simply says: “I’m here.”
And maybe, if we’re quiet enough this Christmas, we’ll hear Him whisper it again: “I’m here. Right beside you.”
This piece was written forour 2025 Christmas Mini-Mag given to our Playgroup families.
A Softer December
The other morning at school drop-off, a kid wandered past wearing a full Santa hat — in early November — like it was completely normal. And in that moment, it hit me: oh boy… Christmas is speeding toward us, ready or not.
You can feel it creeping in. The “we really need to start the gift list” conversations. The flood of end-of-year invites. The kids coming home with glitter glued to their faces like festive war paint.
And meanwhile the December budget starts doing that thing where it looks at me like, “Good luck, mate.”
Honestly, most families I know (ours included) are carrying a weird cocktail of tiredness, excitement, overstimulation, and frayed nerves. It ricochets around the house. Kids absorb our stress; we absorb theirs. The whole thing is contagious.
So when I came across an idea from two writers I follow, Cyd and Geoff Holsclaw, it really stayed with me. They say families don’t just share a house; we share emotional weather. One person’s stress can feel like a cold front rolling in. One kid’s meltdown can be a sudden storm. It’s normal. It’s simply how families work. One person’s weather shifts the whole room.
They also point out that it doesn’t take much to shift things from gale-force to mildly breezy. Sometimes just one person being even slightly steadier can change the whole atmosphere. Even a small shift — a slower breath, a softer tone, one extra moment before responding — can change the temperature in the room.
There’s something about that idea that really moves me. I want my family to feel even a little more calm because of me.
But the truth is, I don’t always have that steadiness to give. I hit the wall. I get overwhelmed. And no amount of “trying harder” magically fixes that. At some point I have to admit I’m human — and being human means I need help.
For me, that’s where prayer comes in. Speaking honestly to the God who’s here, who cares, and who gives strength I don’t have on my own.
When the overwhelm hits — the tight chest, the short fuse, the “everyone please stop touching me” moment — I’ve learned I can ask for help. I need to ask for help. Out loud or in my head. Nothing poetic. Just, “God, I’m tired. Help.”
That simple honesty is the only way I’ve found to step into who I’m trying to be for my family. Not by nailing it, but by receiving the help I need. Help from the God who is never exhausted, never unkind, and never rattled by the things that undo me.
And here’s what I keep noticing: sometimes the smallest shift in me becomes the smallest shift in my kids. They borrow my steadiness the way they borrow my phrases and habits. That’s the aim — not perfection or a magical December or curating some serene “family vibe.” Just tiny moments where the day softens. And our kids feel it. They take it in. They borrow it for themselves.
So if this season already feels like a lot, you’re not doing it wrong. You’re just human.
And asking for a little help, even a whispered prayer in the car or the laundry, might be one of the kindest things you do for yourself and your kids this Christmas.
This piece was written for our 2025 Christmas Mini-Mag given to our Playgroup families.
Roster Update
In response to our current season and new rhythms as a small church, we have adapted our Sunday Roster to better define the roles and responsibilities required for our Sunday services, including some changes to expectations for supplying morning tea.
Please take time to read the descriptions and pray and think about how you can regularly serve, either for yourself, as a couple, or by inviting your children to join with you to serve as a family. You will notice we have included a pre-service prayer time at 9.35am — this is an open invitation to join us in prayer for the service — perhaps the most important 'job' of all!
During this time of being a small church our hope is that everyone will be part of the team on Sunday mornings to assist with the smooth running of the service. This not only lightens the load for those who currently do these jobs each week, but it grows our sense of belonging as church, helps us have a culture of serving alongside each other, and is a practical way we can love others during our time together.
In short, it is one way we live out our church values together! Thanks in advance for joining with us and signing up below!!
Love always,
Lisa
Role Responsibilties
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Arrive 9.15am, set up sound and laptop
Be ready for prayer together at 9.35am
Take care of sound during service and assist Aaron/Julia with media as needed
Use laptop for lyrics display during worship
Assist children who want to help with media
Pack down media gear after service and put away
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IMPORTANT ALLERGY INFO: NO peanuts and 1x Gluten Free option please
Supply milk (2L, full cream) and morning tea for approx. 24 people
Food guidelines - think simple but yum! Such as baked goods from the supermarket bakery department - 2 dozen biscuits or muffins or donuts; or a plate of cheese, crackers & fruit. If you prefer to bake that’s great, but a trip to Woolies on the way to church is just as appreciated!
Arrive 9.15am, put on the coffee urn and hot water urn; set up tables with tablecloths, decorations, tea and coffee supplies and food (keeping GF option separate from other food)
Be ready for prayer together at 9.35am
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Clear up the food and drinks tables, including both urns and any other items used for morning tea.
Collect all dirty dishes
Wash and dry dishes using the sterilizer in kitchen
Pack up all morning tea supplies and put away (take note of anything that needs to be replaced/refilled and tell Lisa)
Take tablecloths and tea towels home to wash and return for following Sunday service
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Arrive 9am, assist with setting up chairs and tables required for service
Bring out gear and tubs from the store room, put in correct areas for kids church, morning tea, welcome table and media.
Be ready for prayer together at 9.35am
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Arrive approx 9.30am or earlier - stand near entrance of building and greet people as they arrive
Visiting people or first timers - accompany inside and invite them to make a tea/coffee or introduce them to someone to chat to (if appropriate)
Let Admin (Lisa) know if we need more welcome/new person chocolate for Welcome Table
Come in and join service at approx. 9.55am in case people arrive later than start time
Help with pack up and put away gear from Welcome Table
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Must have all Child Safety training and requirements up to date
Arrive 9.30am to meet Kid’s Church leader and get plan for the morning
Join prayer together at 9.35am
Make sure all parents sign in their children as they arrive at kid’s church
Assist Kid’s Church leader, adhering to all Child Safety Procedures throughout service
Stand at door and wait for parents to sign out their children BEFORE any child leaves the room at the end of the service
Help tidy up and put away Kid’s Church tubs
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Purchase juice, bread and GF crackers for communion
Arrive 9.15am to set up communion supplies and fill communion glasses
Be ready for prayer together at 9.35am
Assist with cleaning up and putting communion supplies away after the service (take note of anything that needs to be replaced/refilled and tell Lisa)
Chocolate Gift for teachers
We're saying thanks to some real local heroes!
If you'd like to join in on the fun and bless some schools, play centres or kindies near you, you can download the label, print it*, wrap it around a block of chocolate and deliver it!
*If you don’t have access to a printer, get in touch with Aaron and you can pick up some from him :)
