It’s that time of year once again—Christmas time! Baking cookies, shopping for presents, listening to Christmas music...it’s our traditions that truly make this time of year magical.

And is there any Christmas tradition more nostalgic and magical than watching a classic Christmas movie? “Home Alone” and “Christmas Vacation”...we all have our favorites because we all enjoy watching the craziness of a Christmas movie play out on screen. But, more often than not, that same craziness can end up playing out in our own lives—we struggle with things like identity and purpose—and suddenly it’s not so entertaining! So how do we survive the holidays when our world starts to play out like a Christmas movie?

Poor Clark Griswold...all he wants is a picture-perfect family Christmas where nothing goes wrong and everyone is happy. Is that too much to ask for? Many of us are exactly like Clark—setting up unrealistic expectations that no relationship or event can ever live up to. How can we start to temper and manage our expectations in a truly healthy and godly way?