Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year

A Little Book of Festive Joy

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Pub Date 20 Oct 2020 | Archive Date 31 Dec 2020

Description

A delightful guide to a holiday season filled with mindfulness, self-care, and joy.

At the end of a difficult year, what if this December were soothing instead of stressful? Celebrate a new kind of holiday season this winter—one where you radiate calm and cultivate delight. A calm Christmas is filled meaningful interactions, special gifts, and thoughtful observations of annual traditions.

This enchanting guide embraces festive preparations and authentic celebrations, and then ushers in the New Year in a holistic, nurturing way. Author Beth Kempton gently encourages readers to prioritize holiday hopes and take a slower, more mindful approach. Kempton also provides helpful suggestions for making the most of the hush of winter and recommends using this quiet period to retreat, reflect, set goals, and aspire toward a better year ahead.

Filled with personal stories, tips, and advice for staying serene, Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year offers a cozy retreat from the pressure of striving for perfection. Instead of starting the New Year exhausted, in debt, and filled with regret, you will rejoice in the memories of the season and feel rested, rejuvenated, and inspired.
A delightful guide to a holiday season filled with mindfulness, self-care, and joy.

At the end of a difficult year, what if this December were soothing instead of stressful? Celebrate a new kind of...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781982151850
PRICE $22.00 (USD)
PAGES 288

Available on NetGalley

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Average rating from 36 members


Featured Reviews

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 :)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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"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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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This is a lovely book that shows us how to make our lives more peaceful, at Christmas as well as all year long. I liked the author's approach to having us think back to favorite memories to incorporate into our current situation. She bids us to pick the most treasured activities and ideas to make things special today. Thank you to Netgalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

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Start this Christmas season off right. Eliminate stress and invite calm this season using this great little book of joy! Practical, easy to implement, as well.

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I am a lover of list and planning ahead and organization. I really assumed before I started this book that I wouldn't pick up too many ideas. WRONG! Beth Kempton has such an interesting insight into a meaningful holiday season and start to the New Year! This book packs a punch in a short amount of pages and I gathered oodles of ideas to make this season less rushed, more joyful and more thoughtful.

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Really enjoyed this handy book about being more mindful during the holidays. So important this year due to all that we're dealing with right now with a raging pandemic. It is a magical self-care read and I highly recommend it!

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This book was everything I hoped it would be! Beth Kempton is such a brilliant writer and I will definitely be reading more of her work! The research that was woven into this charming book about the festive joy of Christmas was so well-done. I discovered so much about the topic of Christmas that I had never even pondered. I loved every single chapter that spanned from the traditions and history to mindful giving. This book is just what I needed as I tend to get a little anxious (as many do) around this time of year. It will help, inform, and charm all readers! I will recommend this magical book to everyone!

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This is a great read for reclaiming the magic of Christmas by reflecting on activities and rituals that are meaningful to you and your immediate family.

During COVID year (2020), many of us are reducing our holiday plans for health and financial reasons. Even though my family doesn’t normally celebrate at home (we travel to big family gatherings), I treasure the increased alone time I have with my husband and daughter this year. I plan on incorporating the author’s tips for this year and beyond to have more time to relax and establish new traditions that reflect our values.

And last but definitely not least, I loved the author’s descriptions of food and nature!

I am a library paraprofessional and received an advance reader copy of this book.

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Calm Christmas and Happy New Year: A Little Book of Festive Joy by Beth Kempton is a helpful book. It is set up with many elements that are designed to assist in bringing a stress-free holiday. As you go through all the things that are involved this month many things are involved in this time from planning, decorating, shopping and even coping with loss. The author understands and mentions ways in her guide to help readers slow down and enjoy this time. It can be a busy time, but she wants to help you feel calm. It is a good book.

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A lovely addition to the compendium of books people need in order to lift their spirits and energy during the holiday season. Kempton kept the material fresh and energizing, avoided the kind of repetition and 'stretch' content that you might see in other books of this type. Definitely a worthy choice to keep on your bookshelf to grab when the holiday season gets rough for you.

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