A lot of people in our area woke up with great anticipation yesterday morning. A local Christian radio station began playing Christmas music. Every year they jumpstart the season with carols and holiday songs, drawing attention to Jesus’ momentous birth.
Actually, 93.3 FM Cincinnati is not the only entity to begin the celebration in November. Have you seen the first Christmas commercial yet? The first store decorations? The eggnog in the grocery dairy section?
Even as Thanksgiving barely comes into view we welcome this season of well-loved customs, heightened joy, and delightful anticipation. But many of us will also experience exhaustion and frustration. We overextend ourselves in order to provide…what? A Norman Rockwell Christmas presented by Martha Stewart? (I’ve certainly been guilty of striving for that.)
Author and friend, Jody Collins, has a better idea.
In her book, Living the Season Well, she suggests: simplify and savor.
Simplify the to-do list; savor the wonder.
And then she offers creative, common sense ideas for doing just that.
Her book is not a prescription, as in, “Here’s what you need to do in order to celebrate Christmas in a meaningful way.” Instead, Jody presents a buffet of possibilities and recommends we start small, start now with those ideas that stir our interest and seem doable.
For example, call a family meeting to discuss setting limits this year. You might decide to:
- Hang fewer lights–maybe even no lights–on the front of the house.
- Purchase a pre-cut Christmas tree nearby instead of at the U-Cut lot miles out-of-town.
- Brainstorm ways the children can help, such as stuffing and stamping the Christmas cards.
Such changes will make more room for “Finding the Heart of Christmas” (the title of Jody’s introduction).
Possibilities include:
- Adjust our views (and the views of our children) about giving and receiving presents. After all, she reminds us, “it’s not the presents but his presence that matters (p. 109).”
- Turn off the screens—phones, tablets, televisions, and computers–for an hour each day in December. Savor the quiet; cuddle up with a good Christmas book to enjoy as a family. Jody lists worthy titles to choose from.
- Mark the weeks before Christmas with an Advent wreath. Jody gives basic instructions, but also includes a list of resources, especially helpful if this custom is not part of your tradition.
Another of Jody’s recommendations: Slow down the celebration. Instead of the huge climax of December 25, followed by an equally huge let-down the next day, ease through the descent by observing Twelvetide—from December 25 to January 5. Jody offers delightful ideas for “savoring the moments” as the Christmas season wanes.
In just over one hundred pages, Jody takes us from Thanksgiving to Epiphany, showing us how to “tune our hearts to look for Jesus throughout the Christmas season, as we intentionally hold a space for him to come” (pp. 29-30).
Her suggestions lead the way to a Christmas of more joy and less busyness, more delight and less stress.
Sounds awfully good to me.
(Living the Season Well is available at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com. Check out Jody’s blog, too, at www.jodyleecollins.com for more of her faith/life discoveries. You won’t be disappointed!)
Art & photo credits: http://www.pexels.com; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.amazon.com; http://www.flickr.com; http://www.geograph.org.uk.
From the Inside Out 
Nancy, Another Blessed one and I agree completely. I love also the Hallmark
Christmas Movies and look forward to them. I do not want to leave out Thanksgiving and Thanking Our God but love Advent and preparing for Jesus birth. This year’s Advent study is Because of Bethlehem by Max Lucado. Looking forward to preparing with the study on Sunday morning and Wed morning. Now been leading studies for over 60 years God is so good all the time. Hope you and Steve are well. Love and Blessings, Janet
What a crowning achievement, Janet, to have taught God’s Word for over 60 years!! Wow. No doubt you’ll enjoy Because of Bethlehem. Max Lucado is an inspiring, gifted writer. Steve and I are well and greatly blessed. Thank you, Janet!
You will love the study! I led our women’s Bible study through it last year 🙂
You said you have been leading studies for over 60 years? … my heart is drawn to yours, dear sister!
Nancy, what a delightful recap of my little red and white book. I’m always so tickled by everyone’s different take away from reading “Living the Season Well.”
Thank you for sharing it with your readers.
You are more than welcome for the share, Jody! It’s a pleasure to recommend your informative, helpful, and inspiring book.
Oh Nancy, this does sound awfully good to me, too! You just gave my soul a release vent … I started feeling anxious the other day after walking into a big store and everything was screaming Christmas. I am taking a deep breath after reading your blog and will have to look into Jodi’s book! Thanks for sharing (and helping us releave some pressure!)
I’m glad you’re going to check out Living the Season Well, Heidi, I know your heart will resonate with the ideas Jody presents. Plus, she includes some fascinating history about Christmas Past.
One thing I will be savoring is our friendship, now deeper since we met in person. I feel a deep call to simplify and savor right now – Advent is a great time to do that too. the book sounds great.
Oh yes, Jean, our friendship is one to be savored. God brought us together quite miraculously, I think!
Great advice, Nancy.
I saw my first Christmas commercial yesterday and got stressed out 🙂
I saw my first Christmas commercial in mid-October, while visiting family in Texas. Evidently, Texans not only like to do everything bigger, they like to be first, too! 🙂
That’s funny, Nancy. The first Christmas commercial I saw was for Ford pickup trucks 🙂
Such a very worthy post. Several years ago Mom and I decided to cut back on some of the very things you mentioned above. I haven’t put up a tree since 1997; however, I do decorate with inside lighted floral arrangements, etc. Outside decorations have been reduced as well. When it gets to the point of allowing Christmas to stress us out…we are truly in danger of missing the whole point…dedicating our thoughts and time in celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus!
You’re already living the season well, Cheri! May Advent and Christmas 2017 be delightfully wondrous for you and your precious family.
Thanks, Nancy! Praying that you and yours also have a blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.
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