by Jan Drexler
You know the song, “Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas”, right? Well, start humming and then add in the words:
Have a lovely, simple Christmas!
It’s the best time of the year,
I don’t know, if there’ll be snow
But the family will have cheer!
Have a lovely, simple Christmas,
And when you see your children smile,
You’ll know they’ll remember this
For years and years with bliss.
Look for the Spirit’s glow
Shining in your home,
This is what you’re waiting for,
The Savior Christ has come!
Have a lovely, simple Christmas!
And in case you didn’t hear,
You can simply
Have a lovely, blessed Christmas
This year!
Did you have fun with the sing-a-long?
But mostly, did you get the message?
Christmas is….Christmas.
And the message of Christmas is that Jesus came to earth…as God promised,
to live a sinless life…as God promised,
to make the perfect sacrifice…as God promised.
The manger and the cross. What more do we need?
When you’re planning your family Christmas celebration, remember that we don’t need all that stuff that we would like to buy….
Simplify your Christmas this year – hold on to dear traditions, but don’t fall into the trap of lights, candy, loads of food, and presents and more presents…
Give your family the gift of yourself….
…make cookies with your little ones
…read a book together
…play games together
…volunteer to ring the bell for the Salvation Army
…sing
…laugh
…play
Have a lovely, blessed, simply awe-filled Christmas!
Now it's your turn! What do you do to keep your own Christmas celebrations simple?
Today's giveaway to one commenter is a copy of my trilogy,
The Journey to Pleasant Prairie
and some lovely wall art to decorate your home!
Seekerville Advent Giveaway:
Good morning, Jan!
ReplyDeleteSimplifying is good for year-round, and especially this time of year! I think in my family we give each other thoughtful gifts--but we don't anywhere near "break the bank." Some people stagger out of the holidays deep in Christmas credit card debt to start the new year and are paying it off for the next 6 months. NOT a good plan.
We attend Christmas Eve services together and try to keep the season low key. Not saying YES to everything that comes along.
Thank you for sharing your holiday wisdom with us -- I love your song! :)
Good morning, Glynna!
DeleteSimplifying is good for us, and you're right - year-round simplification can help keep us sane. :-)
And that Christmas debt is the worst, isn't it? It becomes a Christmas headache. We decided years ago that we wouldn't put any Christmas presents on a credit card, and we've been thankful for that decision ever since!
Perfectly said, Jan! We've always tried to keep it simple, but it's funny and sad, actually, how much effort it takes to remain true to the real reason we celebrate. It also gets easier as our children get older. They want to watch Christmas movies, decorate the tree, bake cookies, and they don't need a ton of gifts under the tree. Thanks for sharing this post--and for the song I'll now be singing in my head all day long :)
ReplyDeleteIt will be going through my head today, too!
DeleteI'm surprised at how much we started missing having children around for Christmas. When they were young, we enjoyed the chaos but wished for a little bit - just a smidgen - of peace and quiet. Now that we have all peace and quiet, a little bit of child-like wonder and joy is what I seek.
I'm getting that this year, though. Head over to the Yankee-Belle Cafe to read about my Christmas job! (link in the banner above)
Thanks, Glynis, and Merry Christmas!
Jan, thank you for this timely post! Less is better!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Caryl! And Merry Christmas!
DeleteI loved the words to the song. I was singing 🎤. Thank you for sharing your heart. Merry Christmas 🎁🎄
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lucy! Your emojis are so cute!
DeleteI think we're going to have a Seekerville sing-along all day today!
I love this! About 10 years ago it hit me that I don't get to enjoy Christmas because I stress about it being perfect. That was the year I simplified and I've been enjoying it ever since. People don't care about the quantity. Deep down we all want the quality of time together and enjoying each other's company. Simplifying is the best way!!
ReplyDeleteI love this: "Deep down we all want the quality of time together and enjoying each other's company." Exactly!
DeleteMerry Christmas!
Hi Jan, I sang along :) good thing no one was within earshot, haha
ReplyDeleteI had knee surgery a few months ago, so in order to minimize trips up and down ladders and the storage room upstairs I decide to put up only half my decorations. And it's just enough! My brother is hosting the family party instead of it being at my house. So between these two things, I have more time to soak up the true meaning of the season without feeling so rushed and frazzled.
I love the simplicity of more time and less "stuff".
A happy and blessed Christmas to you and all the Seeker/Villagers!
Tracey, I hope your knee is healing well!
DeleteWe've also simplified on decorations this year. Our reason is a time crunch rather than knee surgery, but the only outdoor decoration our neighbors see is our Christmas tree in the window.
DeleteI haven't decided if I miss the outdoor lights or not... We'll see how we feel about it next year!
Praying for complete healing!
Jan, I loved your song...and it's theme. :) I had great plans for a simple, still kind of Christmas. But, with my mom's fall about 10 days ago, I'm making lots of trips to help her and my father as she recovers in rehab. I had already planned to cut back on some of our Christmas activities to make time to write. Now, I've set aside writing to help my parents. And honestly? Though it's draining physically, I am grateful God has given me the opportunity to set aside myself to serve.
ReplyDeleteFor Christmas, our immediate family opens gifts on Christmas Eve. We open the gifts from my husband's side of the family and our boys open our gifts to them. Then, we drive up to spend the day at my sister's house. In the morning, it's just my family, and in the evening, extended family joins us for Christmas dinner. There will be lots of laughter and good food and hugs. I'm looking forward to it!
Jeanne, I understand feeling blessed by being able to care for your parents. I've been in that same boat for the last couple of years.
DeleteYour Christmas celebrations sound wonderful!
What a blessing to be able to care for your parents when they need you! You will never regret this time and service you're giving them.
DeleteAnd your Christmas plans sound like they're filled with family. What can be better?
Merry Christmas!
Jan, this is great. Some of my fondest memories of Christmas as a child were the simple things that included me.
ReplyDeleteNow as an adult and no family, I love to celebrate Christmas and so much I want to to, but as the month moves along, I am usually shortening my plans so I can still enjoy the season.
Last year it was Christmas cards that got cut when I got bronchitis. Now I am working on getting the cards out this week.
I find that it's so easy to make plans for Christmas during November...but then circumstances change the plans for us. Illness has reared its head in our family so many times during the Christmas seasons in past years, but as I look back, I know it's the celebration we were able to have that I remember, not the things we had to miss.
DeleteMerry Christmas, Wilani!
Jan, I love this post! I do believe you slowed my heart rate and lowered my blood pressure. :)
ReplyDeleteI've simplified on the cooking. No huge lunch or dinner like I used to do (think Thanksgiving repeated with beef). Now I focus more on the tradition of making biscuits and gravy for breakfast/brunch. Then I'll make a simple dinner--maybe in the crockpot.
I concentrate on simple meals for Christmas, too. This year I'm baking a ham (super easy) and the girls (daughter and daughter-in-law) are bringing side dishes. No bother, and not a ton of food, so there will be plenty of room for conversation.
DeleteIt's so easy to try and complicate this season, to squeeze EVERYTHING in. We said no to a couple different things, and just stayed home. One night, we loaded up with peppermint hot chocolate and drove around looking at lights and listening to music. We're decorating cookies tomorrow. So many memories wrapped up in the little things more than the presents under the tree.
ReplyDeletePeppermint hot chocolate and Christmas lights! Making memories. :-)
DeleteMerry Christmas, Amy!
Hi Jan, I loved this sing-along and I am determined to simplify this year. I am downsizing my baking, much as I love the different desserts and delicious candy. Our waistlines and good health will thank me later. I want our memories of Christmas 2018 to be ones that involve time together and just not me in the kitchen!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Jan and thanks for the chance to win some enjoyable reading!
Oh, I know what you mean about the baking! Everyone in our family has their favorites, and when I make all of them we are inundated with cookies and candy for a month!
DeleteMerry Christmas, Connie!
Thanks Jan for the new jingle! I have baked cookies with my littles and we will pack some tins for neighbours and their teachers at school. I love spending time with them in this way and seeing their joy at doing something for others. (Lee-Ann B)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like so much fun, Lee-Ann! We deliver cookies to our neighbors, too. It has become a tradition on our cul-de-sac.
DeleteThis made me so happy.... I love the simple things that make Christmas special, I think that's why I love writing prairie romance... and stories about people struggling because then I can bring out the best side of humanity. Or the worst!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen you strip away all the unnecessary trappings, the true spirit of Christmas can shine through. That's true for the rest of our lives, too. I'm with you on those prairie romances!
DeleteHi Jan:
ReplyDeleteI like simple. I think I'm a minimalist at heart.
However, is it really simplification that is desired in this case? Would it be better to simplify Christmas by doing nothing celebrative except exchanging checks on Christmas Eve or day?
Some of my most cherished Christmas memories are of having the whole family go out to find a Christmas tree then coming back to decorate that tree with popcorn strings that one of us strung together with needed and threat, allocating tinsel placement, putting the ornaments from many Christmases past on the tree one by one, even spraying snow to the highlight the tree as a finishing touch. Of course there was plenty of apple cider and Christmas music to enjoy.
I think that as long as what we are doing will be cherished long afterwards, then not being simple can become a virtue.
Just make sure that what we are doing reflects the 'reason for the season'.
Vince
That is a great memory, Vince!
DeleteTo me, keeping a celebration simple doesn't mean being a minimalist. It's preserving the core of the celebration by not letting unwanted details cloud the true meaning of the action.
In the case of your cherished memory, you hit a key point - your whole family was together. There is the core. The rest of it, decorating the tree, drinking the cider, and singing or listening to the Christmas music, was the vehicle for that core memory.
Wishing you the merriest of Christmases, Vince!
Jan, when it comes to Christmas, I rarely do simple. Unless I'm forced to, like last year. So, we did the tree, I made a few of our favorite treats (as opposed to the whole repertoire)… But mostly, we were just together. And even if we' hadn't been, we would have been so in spirit. Above all, we reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. And there's always joy in that.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an interesting point: If going "all out" is what you truly enjoy about the season, and it doesn't get in the way of the true meaning of Christmas, is there any reason to change?
DeleteI wrote the words to my little Christmas song several years ago in response to friends/relatives who weren't able to enjoy Christmas because they were trying to fulfill everyone else's idea of the perfect Christmas. But it's different when you're doing it for your own enjoyment...as a gift to your family.
Have a Merry Christmas, Mindy!
I seem to have done less this year (less decorating and baking and I didn’t send cards) but not sure if it’s in the spirit of simplifying or being more of a Scrooge. I do enjoy the increased family time that we have during the holidays. Making memories with the family as we celebrate Christ’s birth. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteMaking memories is the best way to celebrate! :-) Merry Christmas to you, too!
DeleteHey, Jan, LOVE the revised jingle -- I never thought of that when singing secular Christmas carols with my kids, but then I never remembered the lyrics to any song anyway! ;)
ReplyDeleteOne of the best things we did to keep Christmas simple was adapt Advent Conspiracy in our lives, an international movement that our church in St. Louis was always a part of. The motto for AC is: Worship Fully. Spend Less. Give More. Love All. The idea is to give more of your "presence" than "presents," which I think is a wondeful idea! Here's the link if anyone would like to check it out:
ADVENT CONSPIRACY
HUGS and MERRY CHRISTMAS, my friend!
Julie
I checked out the Advent Conspiracy link - it does sound like a good way to keep Christmas simple.
DeleteHugs right back to you, Julie! And Merry Christmas!
Thanks for sharing your ways of keeping Christ in Christmas. I have several Nativity scenes and even though they aren't expensive they are precious. When my granddaughter was almost two I bought her a Little People Nativity set. She is now almost five and she loves telling the story of Jesus's birth as she plays with it.
ReplyDeleteJan, here's wishing you and yours a Merry blessed Christmas! Our two kids are all grown up and the daughter is on her own, but our Christmas traditions have always been pretty simple. I make a big meal (I love doing it) and toast each other with sparkling cider and we watch as many Christmas movies as we can. We do all we can to celebrate the whole reason for Christmas, remembering Christ of course :-)
ReplyDeleteWe have an almost five-year-old grandgirl so she's learning all the traditions too. And of course, she gets the majority of presents, but as grandparents, we're suppose to spoil her right? I'm amazed even at her age she knows who Jesus is and always points out the baby in the manger when she sees the nativity. She even told us not too long ago: "Santa isn't real, but Jesus is"...out of the mouths of babes.
I love this time of year and the anticipation of celebrating Christ's birth day and His work of salvation in our lives! Please add my name to the hat for your prize giveaway, thanks so much.
Merry Christmas!