I love the holiday season. It’s a stretch of days where food and family take center stage, and if
we’re not careful, the birth of Jesus can get treated like an extra chair at the table instead of the
main dish. But the truth is the opposite: the holidays only make sense when Jesus is first.

For many of us, this season is packed with gatherings—work parties, family dinners, cookie
exchanges, school concerts, New Year toasts. If you’ve got a big Catholic family like mine, there’s
always somewhere to go for noisy fellowship and delicious food. And if your calendar is quieter
this year, you’re still invited to the greatest feast of all: the Mass. Every soul is welcome at the
altar of Jesus all season long—don’t miss it!

The Eucharist is the heart of every holiday

The word Eucharist means thanksgiving. That means every Mass is a holiday of gratitude,
whether it’s Advent, Christmas, New Year’s, or an ordinary Tuesday in December. Each time we
go, we are saying thank you to Jesus for His providence, His mercy, and the saving Sacrifice that
holds our lives together.

And this feast we’re invited to is bigger than anything we pencil into a planner. It’s Eucharistic—
lifesaving with eternal consequences. You have a VIP invitation to the table of your redemption.
A free plate of saving grace is yours just for showing up. Jesus keeps offering Himself, again and
again, because He loves you.

The holiday trap: excuses and idols
In the Gospels, Jesus tells a parable about a master who prepares a great dinner. The invited
guests start declining one by one—too busy, too distracted, too wrapped up in property, work,
relationships. The master is enraged, not because he’s petty, but because the refusal is tragic.
They are turning down what they need most.
Sound familiar? Holidays make it easy to build a life of excuses:
 “Family’s in town.”
 “We’ve got so much to cook.”
 “We’re traveling.”
 “It’s the only day we can sleep in.”

But Jesus is still inviting. And the season is still testing our priorities. Even good things—food,
wine, entertainment, family traditions—can become idols when they start outranking Jesus in
practice. Jesus is stern about this for our good. He’s saying: Stop the excuses. Come to the Feast.
Put Me first.

Fast before the feast, pray through the season

This is where Delay and Pray becomes your holiday survival plan. Eat to plan, exercise, pray, get
coached or watch a replay—don’t just leave it all behind. Sugar consumption will work against
you—not for you. Limit it as much as you can for a spiritual purpose.

You don’t have to white-knuckle your way through December. You can delay the impulse to
medicate stress with sugar, alcohol, or endless snacking. Then pray for the grace to live the
season with discipline and joy—so your heart stays fixed on the birth of Jesus, not on the buffet
line. Ask your Guardian Angel to help you with this!

Spiritual fasting can’t be done solo. You need the tools Jesus gave His Church: daily Mass when
you can, monthly Confession, weekly Adoration if possible, intercession of the Saints, a daily
rosary, and Scripture in the morning before the noise starts. That’s not “overachieving.” That’s
how you stay free.

Enjoy the good gifts like a Catholic

A holy holiday isn’t a joyless holiday. It’s joy that’s rightly ordered. Food is a gift. Wine is a gift.
Celebration is a gift. But none of them are Jesus.
So yes—fill your plate with good things. Enjoy the cookies. Sip the eggnog. Have the family
brunch. Take the walk. Play the games. Laugh loudly. Love people well.
Keep to your Eat, Fast, Feast Rule of life as much as you can. Plan a fasting window, then eat in
meals—fill your plate mainly with protein and veggies, followed by a sweet treat if you need it.
If you at least loosely make a plan and follow it most of the time, you will come out ahead in
January—and still be praying for miracles right through the holidays!

The holidays are not just about food. They’re about freedom: freedom to worship Jesus,
freedom to love rightly, freedom to live as sons and daughters of the Father because of the birth
of Jesus.

So, this season, Delay and Pray your way through every party and platter: delay the sugar, pray
for the grace, and rejoice in the feast Jesus has invited you to—now and forever.