This is a great book for those that want a fresh start and new approach to the holiday season. While this book does require a little work, as there are questions to reflect on, there's a lot of great information that helps you explore the why behind your holiday celebrations. I really enjoyed the way this book asked me to take time to reflect on past holidays before looking into how to change my approach to the next season.

I recommend this book to everyone that will be experiencing a different holiday season, perhaps this year, and anyone that would like to look forward to the holiday's season of cheer rather than stress.

Now this is a great self-care read! Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton encourages the reader to take a step back and examine how they approach the Christmas season. Subsequently, the reader can adjust their approach to the holidays and reduce the amount of stress they experience while truly relishing in the calm and joyous moments. This book focuses on the lead up to the holidays, Christmas celebrations, and then preparing for the New Year.

As someone who absolutely loves Christmas but also finds the holiday season more and more stressful each year, it felt like this book was written for me. This book really made me reflect on why the Christmas season is important to me and what aspects I value. I now have a clearer picture of how I want to approach the holidays in way that focuses on the simple and meaningful joys while letting go of unnecessary obligations and stressors.

I really appreciated that the author acknowledges that this time of year is often stressful and many people experience grief. It was refreshing for it to be normalized that everyone experiences Christmas differently and that there isn’t one correct way to approach the holiday. The tone of the writing was always inviting and warm. I was also happy to see that Kempton referenced studies and statistics to back up her claims throughout the book.

This is a book that I’ll be revisiting every year before the holiday season to recenter myself and reflect on what I value most throughout the holidays. I can honestly say this book will help me to have a Christmas that is more calm than years past. If you often feel overwhelmed by Christmas and are wanting to enjoy it more, I highly recommend reading this book!

This book showed me a different way of thinking about the Holiday season. As someone who is truly Christmas-obsessed, I tend to revel in the Christmas spirit and festivities of the season, so there isn't too much about preparing for the holidays that makes me stressed. That being said, this book had me evaluating what it is about Christmas that I value most and considering how I could approach the season to maximize the things that bring me joy and minimize anything that does cause stress, particularly in such an uncertain and difficult year. Kempton also provided valuable thoughts on how to handle this typically joyous season if you've experienced a difficult year, or how to support a loved one in that circumstance. And I appreciated her final chapters on taking time to slow down, relax, reflect, and dream for the New Year after Christmas passes. Reading this book had me feeling both calm and festive, ready for the upcoming holiday season but aiming to celebrate in a mindful, meaningful way!

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Three sections of the book go over Anticipation, Celebration, and Manifestation of Christmas. It covers 5 stories of Christmas (basically 5 reasons for celebrating) and has you chart out how much you identify with each, and that directs which parts of the holiday season you focus on. The book also asks you to think about the events, food, and gifts you really want to do/give and focus on those, and let the rest go. There are a lot of personal stories and anecdotes in the book, describing holiday situations others have gone through.
I think I was expecting the book to have simpler advice, or at least ideas that were easier to implement. It felt like a lot of work was being asked of the reader, before you even got to ways to calm your season.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A good reminder to slow down and enjoy the season.

Beth does a great job of giving really specific questions to work through to decide how you want to spend your holidays. She offers exercises that will allow you to slow down and appreciate what you love about the Christmas season while giving you permission to let go of what isn't serving you. I think a lot of these thoughts could be applied to life in general not just Christmas or the holiday season.

My main issue with this book is her point that Christmas doesn't have to be connected to religion or Christianity. Christmas is a religious holiday so I'm not sure what point she is trying to make then. If she didn't want it to be about a religious holiday she could have written a very similar book about New Year's or just the year in general.

Overall, i think it had some helpful tips if you are working on curating your life the way you want especially in the craziness that is 2020.

Thank you for the publisher and Negalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest reivew.

A lovely book a guide to enjoying the holidays in a calm stressless manner,The author has written a helpful guide with lots of great ideas.#netgalley #scribner.

I enjoyed this slim advice volume. Very useful and would make a great gift.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

"Calm Christmas and Happy New Year" by Beth Kempton is a mindful experience into the chaos most call the Holiday season. Shortly after Halloween, it seems Christmas planning begins even with Thanksgiving festivities. With the premise of offering a plan to help ease the stress self-induced holiday season, I found the book enlightening. The "joyful guide embraces all of the festive holiday build-up and then welcomes the new year in a holistic, nurturing way", page 1. I found this sentence resonating with me throughout the beginning of the book. Not only did I have a positive outlook on the tips and techniques to prioritize my family and work events, but also a newfound hope of enjoying the season. Kempton does mention that there is no single way to prepare for Christmas.
Sharing the five stories of Christmas allows the reader to experience Kemptons's personal family traditions and experiences as well as offering a moment to pause and self reflect on your own connection to each story. With questions and the opportunity to gain knowledge on how to create your own "Christmas Constellation" that was enjoyable. Finding natural rhythms and the mindfulness of the joy and comfort that you seek each holiday season is what really kept me reading that and the Christmas magic. Yes, I believe that Christmas does hold a little magic of its own. The energy and the feeling between family, friends, and neighbors are palpable.
Finding the true pause of the season between Christmas Day and New Years Day does offer some hope to spending time with family and friends. Pausing for reflection of this crazy 2020 year and hopeful of a new year and what it brings. Mapping the New Year does offer a tool to help organize and really look into what YOU are wanting to ensure that the next year will be more mindful and moving forward. I highly recommend this book for anyone in hopes of approaching the chaos of the holidays with a little more peace and mindfulness.
I was given an advance digital copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

The author has written a handy “keep calm and have a Zen Christmas” guide, more mindful than faithful. She teaches how to de-stress during a hectic season via self-awareness, rejuvenation and connection. This message could be applied to any stressful time, with tips on how to cultivate joy no matter the circumstances. I love the idea of quietly enjoying Christmas, then entering the New Year fully rested and at peace. Happy holidays!

5 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 20 Oct 2020

Thanks to the author, Scribner and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#CalmChristmasAndAHappyNewYear #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book. It is so nice to read a book about the holidays that isn't trying to tell you how to do all of the things so your have THE MOST PERFECT HOLIDAY EVER!!! It's nice to read a take that understands that not everything needs to be, or can be, picture perfect and that wants to help you embrace the holiday you can obtain that works best for your life. I'm definitely going to be recommending this book to my friends.

This book had a lot of great tips for how to enjoy the holidays in a calmer, less stressed way. I enjoyed reading it and I got some good advice.

This is such a lovely book with helpful advice re: how to keep calm in the madness of the holiday season! A must-read for anyone who has difficulty staying organized and peaceful during the busiest time of year.

I really enjoyed this book. At first, I thought it was going to be some type of devotional, but it was so much more. the author gives tips on how to enjoy Christmas more and gives exercises. I picked this book because I needed something positive to read during this pandemic. I give it 5 stars :)

The promotion for this book says it provides advice for “staying calm and connecting with others,” as well as “provides a cozy retreat from the pressure of striving for perfection.” It sounded perfect for me.

However, in the introduction Kempton states, “... but Christmas does not have to be connected to religion.” She points out that almost half of the Americans who celebrate Christmas do not even consider it a religious holiday. Kempton herself lives Devon, England. And notes about the author state that she is a dedicated student of Japanese life. All that just doesn’t add up for me. As a Christian living in America and celebrating Christmas as a religious holiday, this is not the book for me.

I did read the entire book. The focus is mainly on being “mindful” - with many references to Kempton’s Japanese experiences.

I was offered an advance digital copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

I really enjoyed this book and it definitely put me the Christmas mood. The author's way of writing is very calm and relaxing. She gives several good tips on how to make the holiday season less stressful while sharing personal stories. Would recommend!

This is a delightful book full of great ideas to implement to have a more calm and beautiful holiday season. I can’t wait to try some of the recommendations out this coming Christmas!