What happens inside of you when you hear the first Christmas song of the season?
Before I get all scroogy on you, yes, there are some really really good things about this time of year, things like…
- Snuggling up with the kids and watching Home Alone movies and Elf over and over — with homemade hot cocoa of course. (Any other good Christmas movies I should add to my list?)
- Certain favorite Christmas songs get me out of my scrooge-like mood and thinking about the Baby who came here to earth for us.
- The smell of the Christmas tree, now that is awesome. For years Kent wouldn't let me talk him into an artificial tree, but we finally made the switch last year, just so we can have it up longer without a huge mess. And now I can still have the wonderful smell through the house, and not from toxic pine-scented candles — instead we can use this essential oil blend!
- Getting together with family and of course the excitement of the kids, that makes it all worth it.
- Side note: I just asked our son what is his favorite part of the holiday season and I thought he'd say presents or something, but he said, “the snow”. 🙂
But alas, with anything good there is the not-so-good, here's what stinks about the holidays:
- I'm NOT good at figuring out what to get people. There are those, we all know them, who have the gift-giving gift. They find the perfect thing without even trying! They keep an eye out all year and just happen to find exactly what the person will love. Those people tick me off as I bumble through the stores, with no idea of what the heck I'm doing. Just tell me what you want and I'll go buy it! If anyone has tips for how to do better at this, I'd love to hear them.
I just read an article from my friend, Amy, that helped redirect my thinking so I could have a better perspective. She said, “When we go to the store, the library, the office or some other place — getting groceries, picking up books or doing our job is secondary. Primary is living out the Gospel — smiling, holding a door open, waiting patiently in line and offering to help, or a word of encouragement to another are beautiful ways to spread joy and keep Christ in Christmas.”
- Figuring out what to make for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners, or get togethers with friends and family, used to be a pain in my backside. “What can we make that is reeeeeeally good, but without all the crappy ingredients?” And then if you had people with food sensitivities at your shindig it was extra tricky. But I have to say that nowadays this is SO much easier! There are tons of recipes now that are actually good for those with food allergies, and I can pretty much adapt most any recipe to a real food version with no problem! Get my book for help with that. 🙂
- I'm sure I'm not the only one who really misses loved ones who have passed on at this time of year. I'm especially still really missing my Mom, this will be our 3rd Christmas without her here, and she was a BIG part of making the holidays so special. But knowing I'll see her again makes a world of difference. (Thank you Jesus!)
What about you, what do you love about this time of year and what stinks for you?
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Dawn says
I love the holidays and have many, many amazing memories from my childhood from which to draw upon. Christmas movies and music always bring them out. I’m not a fan of gift giving. I think the season has become tainted by consumerism when it should be about spending time together like when I was a kid. The only thing that really stinks for me is that my family (parents/sibling/nieces) moved across the country and I do not get to see them every Christmas. As a person doing GAPS travelling is not the easiest right now, but my husband and I sure do enjoy snuggling in and celebrating together. If we get snow all the better!
Merry, Merry to all!
Kris Slager says
I love everything about this season and there is not one single thing that I dislike or dread or stresses me out. In fact, there is absolutely no stress in our family this time of year. “HOW?!” you ask? Well, I believe we have total control over what we allow into our lives and our minds.
I believe the real change began when we got rid of television, listening to the radio, and – most recently – got rid of social media. Instead of being talked at, preached at and told what we’re supposed to think, feel, and do, we look inward at what we truly value, what (Who) brings us true peace and joy, what really matters. Those are the things we dwell on and build on.
Also, we’ve never made gift giving and getting a big deal. We always and only bought our children 2 or 3 meaningful and inexpensive gifts. The adults in our family trades names so each person (or in our one-income situation: our family counts as one person) gets a modest (no more than $25) but meaningful gift. We don’t do parties or a huge meal. Instead, Christmas Eve is snack night which is heavy on fresh, raw foods and only a few cookies as a treat. Nobody goes broke and nobody goes home with a bloated, achy sugar belly.
Introspection and reflection are the norm in our home in December as we remember our Savior and the PEACE He brings.
KitchenKop says
Kris, I love this, you’ve really got it figured out and I will try to learn from you!
Kelly
jmmatlock says
This post was sitting in my inbox forever for me to “find time” to read it. HA! Time. Can I have THAT for Christmas?
Let’s see: Christmas tree – The original fake tree my husband and I bought the first year of marriage finally got replaced (20 years later) 2 years ago. We bought a new fake tree from Balsam Hill (the 7′ Blue Spruce, no lights) and as much as I miss having a real tree, I have to admit this is a GOOD Christmas tree. You have to get pretty much on top of it to realize it isn’t real. Growing up we had real trees every year, but only because in November, before the ground froze, my dad would dig up the Blue Spruce that was about the right size (root ball and all) and plant it in a giant planter, then bring it into the house after Thanksgiving dinner. The tree would spend the season in the house, then the rest of the winter in the greenhouse, and my dad would replant it as soon as the ground thawed. Between the sap, the watering mess, the needles, and the expense of buying a tree that’s going into the trash, I can’t justify buying a real one, so we make due with other Christmas-y scents (ever tried 1/2 cup of mulling spice in a pan of water over low heat on the stove??? A.MAZE.ING!)
Christmas movies: The Family Stone (not entirely family friendly, but husband and I watch it every year). All the Santa Clause movies are fun and sweet. The Navitity Story usually gets watched on Christmas Eve. The Christmas Card (I think it’s a Hallmark movie) is one of my must-watch-every-year movies (family-friendly). Both versions of Miracle on 34th Street, One Magic Christmas (with Mary Steenburgen), The Ulitmate Gift, and Scrooge (with Albert Finney). If you have cable, the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel have some good ones. My favorite is A Season for Miracles. And the only place I can find my other favorite is on YouTube, but if you can get past the awful quality, “Always Remember I Love You” with Patty Duke is really good. And if you have Amazon Prime, the movie Paper Angels is available free right now and it’s one of the better Christmas movies I’ve seen in a while (I don’t know why everyone has decided that Christmas=romance, but this was a nice break from all that).
On to the other stuff!
I love holiday music (the good stuff, at least. Creepy songs like “Santa Baby” and such can just die, in my opinion. I’ll keep O Holy Night, Carol of the Bells, and the like.), spectacular Christmas light displays (growing up, our Christmas Eve tradition was to go to/perform in the Christmas Eve service, go out to dinner at our favorite Chinese Restaurant, drive around town for a couple of hours looking at all the lights, then come home and open our “Christmas Jammies” presents so we could wear them to bed) and getting the chance to be extra-generous, especially those opportunities where I can be a sneaky giver (like paying for the cars behind in the Starbucks drive-thru). Growing up, my family always participated in a community performance of Handel’s Messiah. I was singing it by the time I was eight, and in high school, my string quartet began playing with them. I miss that SO much. All the performances around here are “choosy” (you have to be in a certain orchestra or a member of a certain church to participate), and I really wish I could go back home some year for November/December so I can play with that group again.
The hard parts of Christmas for me are:
1) My husband’s family and the whole gifting experience. It seems like no matter what I try, I can’t plan well enough or have enough good ideas to satisfy them, and no matter how hard I try to make good suggestions, my kids still end up with “stuff” (and believe me, we’ve tried everything, including setting up wish lists on Amazon, asking for experiences instead of gifts, and more).
2) Not seeing my family. Grew up in New Mexico (currently living in Indiana) and most of my family is still there. We used to spend every other Christmas with my family, but as our 4 kids got older, our schedule no longer had enough flexibility for us to have the 2-3 week long visit we used to do, and it is SO expensive (driving because flying is twice as much) that it’s hard to justify the expense for a visit that allows us less time with family than we spend on the road. (Also, with older kids comes more expensive activities, so we really cannot afford the trip and do those other things).
3) It goes TOO fast. Last year, I was so frustrated with how horribly busy things were that I went into our digital family calendar and blocked off from 6am-10pm of every single day between November 20th and December 31st as “Christmas Break” to remind myself to not schedule ANYTHING during that time unless it was absolutely necessary. So far we’re doing much better than usual – no doctor’s, dentist’s, etc appointments, that compete for our time, and we’re finding time to do things we love and want to do, like helping with a local charity that provides gifts and meals to families who can’t really afford to have a “nice Christmas”. But I still can’t believe we’re only 17 days away from Christmas. (On top of the time thing, this year the entire season feels kind of surreal. My husband lost his job in October and hasn’t had any success finding a new one, so our family’s Christmas will be “in spirit only” this year. It’s really bizarre to not be shopping and wrapping right now. Normally the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales are where I finish up my gift-shopping, and it sort of killed a little part of me not to be able to take advantage of some of those deals!)
I hope your season is wonderful, Kelly (and family). If you lived closer, I’d invite you over for some (raw milk and fresh pastured eggs) eggnog, and some homemade cookies. 😀
KitchenKop says
Jennifer, this is one of the most informative comments EVER, thanks so much!!! And if I lived closer I’d totally take you up on that! 🙂
Love, Kel
Heather Wormsley says
We love the season, as a family. It is steeped in family traditions we have knit together over the years. What I detest is the outside pressure we always feel to buy presents. We have very little money and give gifts to each other throughout the year, as the Lord provides opportunity. We hate feeling the pressure of “you must give gifts NOW”.
Kathy Rogers says
I agree about all the buy, buy, buy. We focus on our family and our home and let the rest of it go. Not important. I learned a long time ago, being a military wife overseas, Christmas is in the heart not a date on a calender.
Our local churches have free programs, choirs, little plays with live animals etc. and we go to as many as we can. These are the things of this world that are worthy of my time and energy. The rest is just noise. Keep focused on Jesus, get to your knees frequently and don’t forget to smile at others and say, “I love you,” to those close to you.
As for Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays, we have friends that don’t celebrate Christmas as they’re Jewish or others Jehovah Witness. I say Merry Christmas and send Christmas cards and they say Happy Hanukkah or Happy Holidays. They love getting our Christmas cards as they know this time of year is very important to us and they like being included in our celebrations. I don’t care what they say as long as they say it with kindness and a genuine smile. Those wishes are just words it’s the person behind those words that matters to me.
Merry Christmas
Patty Jaynes says
What I love about this season is the freedom to celebrate the birth of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Everything else falls so far in second place, even the wonderful time spent baking with my children! Must watch video is The Grinch, the original animated version with Boris Karloff. Our tree is put up with The Muppet Christmas Carol – so much fun and sticks to the original story surprisingly well! A Charlie Brown Christmas reminds us of the reason for this season.
As for the artificial tree, do you have a shed? Until our house addition with a basement, we had no room for all our Christmas decorations and kept them in our shed. The outdoor decorations still are stored there.
Good grief Scroogy folks! Slow down and enjoy the season. Shop online if you have to give gifts (staying within your budget will eliminate most stress!) and only go to stores for the Christmas atmosphere, if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Take a few minutes to pamper yourself and recoup, then make your family time count. If you feel like Scrooge, take a deep breath and count your blessings.
KitchenKop says
Good advice, thanks Patty!!
Kelly
Joyce says
My fake tree stays decorated, wrapped in old sheets, and taken upstairs. Easy peasy.
I give everyone money. The size and color is always right.
The idea of buy buy buy irritates me to no end. It is so much fun to listen carefully all year long….then buy the gift and give it then and there.
Yes, I tend to be a Scrooge at holiday time. I truly enjoy showing surprise when someone wishes me a Happy Holidays. My response is, “Do you mean Merry Christmas? That’s what I’m celebrating.”
KitchenKop says
Love it, Joyce! So about the tree, you’re lucky you have a whole extra room to keep your tree in all year! We’ve still got kids in all our rooms. (And I’m enjoying it while I can.) 🙂
Kel
Soli says
I’ve been making more gifts and for some I also give charity donations. When I discovered Heifer International a few years ago I started making gift donations, and they give you cards you can print out and gift to the people. So this isn’t something like the Human Fund. 😉
This weekend I am hoping to start a batch of homemade limoncello. Just need to figure out who will be the recipient(s).
Kevin N Lisa Campbell says
I Love limoncello! Can u recommend a recipe?
Lisa
Jill says
Oh! I don’t think anyone has mentioned A Charlie Brown Christmas!
Kelsey says
Besides White Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life, two that haven’t been mentioned that are musts are Scrogged (Bill Murray at his finest) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the animated version). Growing up, after the Christmas Eve festivities with extended family were over, we would get in our pjs and curl up by the fire, watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas while sipping sparkling cider. My husband and I still do it even though we don’t have kids yet. 🙂
kitblu says
I get so tired of Christmas songs that by the time arrives I could scream. One chain store in Canada started the music on the weekend and got so many complaints that they stopped. Power to the people!
(most wanted the music delayed until December although a few people just wanted one artist’s song banned!)
Peggy says
We only give gifts to immediate family and grandparents. The grandparents get…food! I make quarts of soup, stock and stews; cake-in-a-jar; liver pâté; any good, healthy food I can think of, and freeze it. All year long they can go get “fast food” from their freezer instead if the drive-thru.
One of the great things about homeschooling is that you can make some traditions for your family that you never had time for before!
My “Yay!” is cold weather, snow and fireplaces (none of which we get here) and my “Boo!” is the constant selling and discontent the season threatens to dredge up. It’s a battle we don’t fight other times of the year.
amber jackson says
I usually choose to buy or make a few small things for my family, this year the girls are old enough that we will be making ornaments with small pictures in them of the girls, they will get a few items that they need and maybe a toy. Last year I went all out and it was stressful. My biggest problem is getting presents in the mail and deciding what to cook for the meals.
Colleen says
Sorry to be Ebenezer Scrooge, but what about not buying any presents (except for kids)??? When you work outside the house it’s a juggling act (at best) – the few days off, school closed and what to do with the kids, the relatives, the gift buying, the cooking, the decorating, lack of sleep…it’s just not fun!!! It’s all about buy, buy, buy. I lost my holiday cheer years ago.
Erin says
We practice “buying just for kids.” I think Christmas is for the kids 🙂
Diane says
YES, those are my families favorites too, Elf and the Home Alone Movies! Of course I love all the old classics like It’s A Wonderful Life too. This year we’re doing Christmas differently, we’ve purchased tickets to The Lion King in NYC for March and we’re taking the kids there and spending a couple of days sightseeing (they’ve never been). The only “gifts” they’ll get at Christmas are their stockings (my kids are 11 and 16 btw). To make Thanksgiving relaxing for ALL of us we’re going to a local restaurant that does a home style Thanksgiving buffet. For years I stressed out over the holidays and trying to “do it all”. I’m so over that 😉
Jeanne says
White Christmas and Little Women are two of the first Christmas movies my daughter and I watch. We also start the season with watching Holiday Inn from which the song White Christmas originated. My husband and I always watch midnight mass while we wait for Santa to visit. And yes, even though we have teenagers and a soon to be 21 year old, Santa still comes to our house!
Liz says
How could I forget WHITE CHRISTMAS?!?! It’s my FAVORITE!
Liz says
Holiday movies we enjoy…. Miracle on 34th Street (the original), It’s a Wonderful Life, The Bishop’s Wife (both original and remake), Jingle All the Way, The Santa Clause, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Christmas in Connecticut… I know there’s more. Mike and I watch (very irreverently) Christmas Vacation every year. We also enjoy The Holiday, but I wouldn’t recommend either for kids.
I’m glad I’m not the only Scrooge out there — I dislike all the buying. In recent years we’ve reduced it dramatically in our extended families — we just get together without a gift exchange. My biggest pet peeve is when I hear people say they are going to “do Christmas” with different family members. They mean they’re going together and exchange gifts, but I despise the wording “do Christmas”.
Last year I spent lots of time listening to the Bible while I wrapped gifts. It greatly enhanced my Christmas spirit!!
Jill says
Gotta add It’s A Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street (the old one with Natalie Wood) to the holiday movie list! Glad you mentioned Elf, or I would definitely have add it! 🙂
For Christmas gift ideas, here’s a link from last year to some easy, quick homemade gift items from Food Renegade: https://www.foodrenegade.com/quick-handmade-gifts/ I made the lip balm, bath salts, and taco seasoning to give last year and they were a hit.
Another great, easy, homemade Christmas gift I’ve done is cinnamon ornaments. Mix 1 cup applesauce, 1 1/2 cup ground cinnamon (I like to combine it with ground cloves), and 1/3 cup white glue (like Elmers) into a dough. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, then roll out between two sheets of waxed paper (not too thin) and cut with Christmas shape cookie cutters. I like to sprinkle with very fine gold glitter, but that’s optional. Poke a little hole on top for the string to hang it up with, and let dry for a few days, flipping over if they start to curl up around the edges. They smell amazing and are pretty darn cute! If you use small cookie cutters, you can make a ton of them cheaply (get the cinnamon/cloves in bulk).
This year I think I will try making soap for the first time (and giving my first batch away as gifts)! I had been thinking about learning how and last week a sweet acquaintance of mine “out of the blue” offered to teach me! (Sort of out of the blue–I sell some handmade personal and home care items at our local farmer’s market and she is also a vendor. She was planning on making some soap for Christmas gifts and thought it might be something I’d be interested in learning, given the other things I make).
KitchenKop says
What fun ideas & these would be great projects to do with the kids!
Jill says
Definitely. Years ago, I actually did the cinnamon ornament project with a ton of kids at our local homeschool homemade Christmas gift activity day and the kids (and moms) loved it! I made a bunch of recipe cards up on 3 x 5 note cards to take home in case they wanted to make a batch on their own.