I like to read these two volumes first before Christmas, sometimes in coordination with Celebrate the Wonder, to glean new ideas and remind myself that Christmas celebrations are not delineated by Hallmark ads, the settings of china and fancy foods in the monthly women's magazines, and television commercials.
Jo Robinson and Jean Staeheli wrote the classic of this genre, Unplug the Christmas Machine, about not responding to these picture-perfect and often stereotypical features of what the perfect Christmas must be. Advertising only brainwashes us into thinking that if we buy a certain item or certain brand, our lives will be changed, when really it is ourselves that must change. Another important fact emphasized is that we cannot change other people; we can just cope with people as they are or strategize celebrations that may defuse potential problems (don't serve alcohol at a party where Uncle Barney is present, lest he get drunk and ruin the occasion, etc.).
The Christmas Survival Book (formerly The Christmas Book) by Alice Slaikeu Lawhead runs along similar lines, with some amusing line drawings as chapter headings. She also encourages people to make Christmas what you want it to be, not what you are told it should be. There are chapters about being alone at Christmas, whether because of negative or positive reasons, and also about those singular Christmases, where crises of health or an emotional nature have interrupted the holiday.
If Christmas has become a maddening round for you, I heartily recommend either or both of these books, as well as the Kristin Tucker book Celebrate the Wonder, which is filled with ideas for projects, meals, Christmas planning, Advent and Epiphany ceremonies and details Christmas customs in other cultures. It is a very plain book, but crammed with content and some Victorian line graphics that are very beautiful.
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