Comments on: 5 reasons I won’t be simplifying Christmas this year

By: Embracing and Savoring an Imperfect Holiday Season | FIRSTPRESS

Embracing and Savoring an Imperfect Holiday Season | FIRSTPRESS — Sat, 09 Dec 2017 17:08:18 +0000

[…] Maybe it’s getting 50 people together or having a different event to attend every night. Maybe simplifying the holidays is simply not your […]

By: lauravanderkam

lauravanderkam — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 14:02:44 +0000

In reply to ARC.

@ARC – I love the idea of December pajamas. One problem of giving holiday pajamas for Christmas is that they don’t get much use! I may look into that for next year…

By: ARC

ARC — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 16:16:22 +0000

In reply to Diana.

Our holidays are much more enjoyable with some planning ahead – In October or November, I schedule a music performance (or Nutcracker) for us all to attend, and any local holiday events for the kids. This year they are going to ‘breakfast and crafts with Santa’ and a Holiday Art Workshop which we signed up for back in September 😉 I order their ‘December pajamas’ and any new Book Advent books in early November and aim to wrap all of the Book Advent books before December starts. (In the past I’ve wrapped just a few and scrambled to get ahead of it in December and that was stressful and not enjoyable.) Planning out all these fun things pretty far in advance really makes a huge difference to how magical and fun the holiday feels to me (and to the kids, of course). Also now that we have kids (and an enthusiastic neighborhood), we feel some “pressure” to get all the holiday decorations up by the end of Thanksgiving weekend, which actually is nice to get that all done in a short period of time instead of letting it drag out through the beginning of December. Ali Edwards, a popular scrapbooker, runs a project called “December Daily” where you create a scrapbook in real time during the holidays, and she advocates actually setting it up ahead of time so you’re just popping in your photos and writing a few words as you go. The idea is that you’ll have a completed scrapbook by the end of the month. Doing this ahead of time also helps me think through our holiday “activity schedule” early and gets me excited for the holidays.

By: Ruth

Ruth — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 17:45:45 +0000

In reply to lauravanderkam. Because I won't be singing with our church choir and orchestra, I bought a ticket to the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra's song along Messiah concert!. They have 4 soloists, and the audience songs the choral parts! What a concept!

By: Patricia

Patricia — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 01:07:42 +0000

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. This year, I have started a new business and am thrilled to have the time in December to plan wonderful and meaningful activities with friends and loved ones. I agree with you – we shouldn’t use “busyness” as an excuse for sitting on the sidelines during this wonderful season. Personally, I’m getting rid of the activities and practices that no longer suit my lifestyle and embracing long-forgotten and new ideas that provide joy while building relationships and memories. Thank you and happy holidays.

By: Diana

Diana — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 20:06:34 +0000

Ohhh….I love this sentiment! I LOVE Christmas and most things associated with it but also on my own terms, you know? My favorite parts are usually things like frosting cookies with my husband and son while we watch the classic tv specials (Charlie Brown, Rudolph, etc.) or wrapping presents next to the Christmas tree. But I also start prepping in late October so December can mostly be for the enjoyable stuff and not the stress!

By: lauravanderkam

lauravanderkam — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 17:28:29 +0000

In reply to Anne. @Anne- I think she had me at the cold oysters, served on the front porch.

By: Anne

Anne — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 16:18:49 +0000

I also loved the December issue of Living magazine… and had the exact sentiment of wishing to be invited to her Bedford Christmas party. Or at least a fly on the wall!

By: Meghan

Meghan — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 00:49:17 +0000

In reply to lauravanderkam. Ha, probably so. They need to read 168 Hours, then!

By: SHU

SHU — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 23:24:07 +0000

Even though I tend to get sucked into some minimalist ideas . . . I love everything about this post!

Some things just don’t need to be simplified.