Have Yourself a Simple Little Christmas!

Some folks equate celebrating with elaborate and expensive events. Or they may think of "simplifying" as a cheerless exercise. But simplifying and celebrating really DO go together, especially at Christmas. These resources,  distributed by Alternatives for Simple Living, will help you prepare for an Advent and Christmas season with emphasis on relationships rather than stuff.

Gifts That Make a Difference (BK 6IX 015)

Make your gifts count twice, once as a present and once for a good cause. This handy little guide allows you to make choices from hundreds of unique gifts, such as toys, stationery, foods, holiday items, desk supplies, clothing, and crafts, while shopping from your own home. All the gifts are purchased through non-profit organizations, so your purchase directly supports the non-profits in which you have a special interest. Hundreds are represented, such as American Diabetes or Cancer Societies, Back to Nature, Friends of the Earth, Habitat for Humanity, Heifer Project, Greenpeace, Cousteau Society, Church World Service, SERRV, UNICEF, World Wildlife Fund, and more.

A Simple Christmas (BK 5AX 181)

Are you looking for simpler ways to celebrate Christmas and enjoy festivities that mean more and cost less? You are not alone! Author Alice Chapin offers a wealth of ways to scale down holiday celebrations, while keeping the spiritual heart in the holidays. "Christmas is not about glitz and money; it’s about reaching out to others, giving from the heart."

 

Simplify and Celebrate (BK 5AX 180)

Subtitled "Embracing the Soul of Christmas," this resource is filled with idea you can use to reclaim the joy and peace of the Christmas season. It offers activities and reflections based on the biblical story. If you feel overburdened by the demand to be joyful while dragging yourself high and low looking for the perfect gift, this book might be just what you need.

TRACKS IN THE STRAW (BK 5AX 178)

Author Ted Loder gives voice to unusual witnesses to the nativity: a midwife who helped Mary, an observant donkey, a tent-bearer to the Magi, and others. Their unique perspectives encourage each of us to explore the deeper meanings of Christmas.

 

CLOTH FOR THE CRADLE (BK 5AX 179)

This book contains a wealth of resources: litanies, monologues, poems, prayers, scripts, and symbolic actions to enrich the worship experience.

 

 

Let There Be Stuff for Christmas
(Sung to "Let There be Peace on Earth")

Let there be stuff for Christmas,
And let it pile up around me.
Let there be stuff for Christmas --
Our stuff it was meant to be!
With cash and with credit,
Catalogs and stores,
Let us buy what we long for --
Let us buy more and more!

Let there be stuff for Christmas,
Presents for you and me!
Let there be stuff for Christmas,
Stuff really fills us with glee!
Who wants something simple?
Or living spiritually?
Let us get more and more stuff:
The focus is me, me, me, me!

To shop each moment --
And buy each moment --
And acquire eternally.
Let there be stuff for Christmas
As long as there's lots for me!
(Written by Jackie Stein for Alternatives for Simple Living; for a free catalog of ideas for simpler living, 
call 800-821-6153, or visit www.SimpleLiving.org.)