CHRISTMASES PAST, LOOKING BACK
I discovered Beth Kempton’s treasure of a book, Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year, one serendipitous afternoon at the library in December 2019. As the month went on, I eagerly read page after page and found so much solace and wisdom in her stories and ideas. It has become one of my favorite books and is quite unique as an intersection of two of my favorite topics: self-care and Christmas.
I love Christmas; I always have since I can remember. However, there have also been times when Christmas became a very exhausting time that was filled less with joy and peace and more with hustle and noise. This was especially true for me during December mid 2000s, the first Christmases of our family as new expats who would travel from Singapore to Manila for the holidays. Because it was the early years of us living abroad, many of our friends and family were eager to see us during our visit. We found ourselves going out, driving around, shopping and meeting family or friends almost everyday for about three weeks. While we loved catching up with many of our dear friends and family members, eating our favorite food and visiting our old haunts, some or all of us (Hubby, two kids, nanny, me) would be fatigued or even sick before the holiday ended or as soon as we got back to Singapore. Perhaps my then young kids were naturally more resilient so they just bounced back into their routines after our trip, but I remember feeling like I needed another holiday after our holiday (which, of course, I could never get!).
After the first few Christmas holiday trips, I started learning how to scale back and to slow down, even a little bit. I started to ease the pressure on myself and to give myself permission to stay home and to say no once in a while. And it has led to a happier Christmas time for me.
CHRISTMAS DURING A PANDEMIC
As with everyone else in the world, my family will have a very different Christmas this year. No flights to book and bags to pack. No family reunion at my sister’s house and meetups with college buddies at Bonifacio High Street. No lunches at Pancake House and dinners at Café Mary Grace. No stocking up of our favorite Filipino goodies like ChocNut, Goldilocks Polvoron, and Edelyn’s Greaseless Peanuts. No midnight mass at the Church of the Gesu. No out-of-town drive to Laguna or Tagaytay. A Christmas time away from Manila, from extended family and old friends.
How do we celebrate Christmas now during this unusual and unrehearsed time of our lives? How do we go about this holiday season that’s traditionally filled with happy, colorful places and lovely, familiar faces, with exchanges of hugs and kisses as well as food and gifts but is now expected to be tempered by pandemic health and safety protocols, by sadness and grief over personal and practical losses? Can we not feel lonely or isolated while we’re staying physically distant and safe but in some ways deprived of the company of our loved ones? Are we allowed to show fun, laughter and abundance while the world is still in the clutches of a pandemic? Is it selfish, insensitive, tone-deaf? While facing pandemic fatigue day to day, can we nurture a holiday spirit and keep it alive and kicking in our hearts, in our bellies, in our homes? Do we still want to?
CHRISTMAS RENEWED AND REDEFINED
Author Beth Kempton offers 3 ways, 3 activities for finding joy and calm this Christmas time.
- Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year – I will reread the book because I remember the peace and comfort it had given me the first time I read it.
- Christmas Care Package – a free online collection of resources from author Beth Kempton that can help us plan for a calm, satisfying holiday time
- The Calm Christmas Podcast with Beth Kempton – a podcast where the author talks about ways to create a more meaningful and nourishing celebration, something that sounds especially timely for celebrating in the midst of a pandemic.
Through her book, care package, and podcast, she shares stories and exercises that can help readers and listeners discover their own Christmas histories, values, and desires. I read, listened, and wrote things down last year while following her Calm Christmas offerings and I discovered that family and friends have different experiences and expectations around Christmas and that we can find ways to make it beautiful for us as family, as friends, and as individuals. And it starts with knowing, respecting, and celebrating each one’s Christmas stories and sentiments.
I will be rereading this heart-filling book and I’m excited to listen to Season 2 of the podcast. These are two of the ways that I am going to prepare myself for another pandemic Christmas. I hope you find your way to a calm Christmas season that’s truly filled with peace, joy and love.
Last Updated on April 24, 2022 by lea