Slowing Down to Enjoy Christmas
Inside: The Christmas season doesn’t have to be crazy. Here are my six tips for slowing down to enjoy Christmas–without sacrificing joy.
I often write about living the simple life, but when it comes to making Christmas plans, I’m like a hungry woman on a run to the grocery store. Before heading inside, I’ve convinced myself that I’ll just pick up a basket to fill, but once I clear the doors and look around, my resolve skitters off, hiding behind the jumbo tins of flavored popcorn. I’m grabbing one of the big carts. Suddenly, my inclination is to load it up with seasonal activities until I can hardly push it. Several large cans of shopping and lunch with family. A few bags each of festivals, church plays, and recitals. A couple of cartons of craft shows and fashioning my own ornaments. A ten-pound sack of cooking, baking, and making. A couple of cans of parties tucked in around the sides, plus filling out the top with movies, decorating, and TV specials. And, if I balance my cart just right, I might squeeze in that DIY wreath project from Pinterest. . .
My December calendar can quickly go from calm to chaotic, spinning out of control. But here’s the reality—I don’t have time for everything I want to do. Not even close. And even if I did, the result wouldn’t be pretty. I’d find myself overwhelmed, frustrated, and frazzled, complaining and enjoying very little of the season. What I’ve learned about myself is that I need my downtime.
So how do I balance what I’d like to do, what I have to do, and what I can reasonably do with the time and energy available? I use the following tips.
Make a list of what’s most important. What do I want to do? What brings me and my family the most joy? Which traditions, events, foods, and activities would I like to include? Who do I want to spend my time with? These questions help me prioritize.
Of those parties and gift exchanges that didn’t make the main list, I decide which ones are obligations and which ones I can politely decline.
Embrace convenience. I buy frozen meals or make large batches of a family favorite for busy days when I have little time to cook. I’ve also been known to purchase the pre-made break-apart cookie dough when I need to bring something to a gathering. While I appreciate the time and effort it takes to make something from scratch—I do this often myself—I’m also equally delighted with those savvy shoppers who have a knack for finding just the right festive foods to bring to a party.
Do tasks incrementally. Often I’ll keep the wrapping paper, tape, and bows handy to wrap a few gifts at a time. I extend my baking over several days. Pickles and jams were made back in the summer, so they only need to be packaged for gift baskets. Breaking tasks into smaller parts helps me get the job done little by little.
Practice wellness. In the busyness of the season, it’s easy to let go of those daily good habits. To remind myself, I’ve come up with an acronym: REV—rest, eat healthy, vitamins. If I want to keep up with the extra activities I have planned, plus maintain a good attitude, I need to get enough sleep, make healthy food choices (mostly), and take my supplements. I’m also mindful to get plenty of water and some exercise. Being on the go this time of year usually takes care of the latter. If I feel the start of a sore throat or sniffles, I’ve got a tube of Airborne handy to keep me from getting sick.
Keep up the daily routine. Morning coffee with my devotional and checking my email. Reading. Unwinding in front of the television before bed—these are a part of my everyday life. They help me relax and stay sane, which goes a long way in keeping my stress level in check. My routine balances out the hectic times.
Remember the reason for the season. Spending time with the people I love and care about, giving to those less fortunate, and, most of all, celebrating Jesus’ birth—these give my life meaning and put the “why” in the choices I make every December.
While I’m still tempted to load up my cart with the annual Christmas “goodies” of celebrations, crafts, parties, food, and fun, being mindful of what truly matters and prioritizing accordingly results in a less stressful more joyful Christmas, not only for me but for those I love the most.
How do you manage seasonal stress? Tell us about it in the comments.
Related posts:
A Rural Girl’s Favorite Things Christmas Gift Guide 2018
A Rural Girl’s Favorite Things Christmas Gift Guide 2017
The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 1: Return of the Hillbilly Christmas Wreath
Finding my Pace: Slowing Down to Enjoy Life
Posts from a year ago:
The Story of the Hillbilly Christmas Wreath
Make Our Healthy Butternut Squash, Apple, Cranberry Bake
Inside: Colorful and tasty, our healthy butternut squash, apple, cranberry bake is the perfect side for winter suppers. You might even take a second helping and call it dessert.
Beautiful, isn’t it? If you can call a casserole a thing of beauty. It tastes absolutely wonderful! And the smells? A treat when you come in from the cold!
I had meant to post this recipe right before Thanksgiving, but it didn’t happen that way. The ingredients, colors, aromas all fit nicely under that fall-harvest category. But the truth is that I make this several times over the course of fall and winter, usually paired with my mother-in-law’s simple recipe for pork loin roast. (One of these days I’ll have to include it.)
This butternut squash, apple, cranberry bake would also make for an easy side to bring along for the family gatherings, too. Easy, I say, though I do know working with butternut squash can be challenging. But there are ways around cutting into the hard uncooked flesh of the butternut. Some cooks briefly microwave the squash in increments of several minutes until the rind is soft enough to cut. (Make sure and pierce the rind before you try that!) I usually pre-bake mine just enough to be able to slice through it. That would cut down on the overall baking time of this recipe, as the instructions reflect using uncooked squash. Easiest of all is if you are fortunate enough to find cubed butternut squash in the refrigerated areas of your produce section.
A word about the other ingredients. . . Tart apples work best in this recipe, and when it comes to tartness, I reach for a Granny Smith. They hold up well in baked dishes and what a pretty color to greet you on your kitchen counter as you’re waiting to use them! As for the cranberries, I routinely keep a stash of them in my freezer because they keep so well and for so long there. (Shhh. . . I’ve actually kept them around for a year or longer without any problems.) The other star in this recipe, which didn’t get a top billing in the recipe name, is the richly-flavored pecan. Or rather pecans, as you’ll want to be generous with adding them in this bake. You can make the recipe without them, and it will still be great–just not to the level this dish is with the inclusion of my favorite nut.
Have I talked you into making this recipe yet? Okay, then, let’s get to it!
- 4 cups (approximately) of butternut squash, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
- 1 large tart apple (I leave the skin on)
- ½ cup of fresh or frozen cranberries
- ½ cup of pecan pieces
- 6 tablespoons of erythritol/stevia blend, like Truvia (or ½ cup sweetener of choice)
- 1 teaspoon of molasses (if using brown sugar substitute or brown sugar, omit this)
- 6 tablespoons of butter
- 1 tablespoon of flour (can omit if gluten is a problem)
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of nutmeg
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Layer squash cubes into an ungreased 7 X 11 baking pan.
- Add apples and then cranberries and pecans.
- Mix sweetener of choice, flour, salt, nutmeg, and molasses and sprinkle evenly on top.
- Dot with thin slices of butter on top.
- Bake 50 - 60 minutes.
A few notes about this recipe. As previously stated, if using a different sweetener of choice or even brown sugar, you’ll want to use a half cup. If that sweetener is a brown sugar substitute or even brown sugar, leave out the molasses. (The molasses is used to mimic brown sugar for those who find the sweetener version a little pricey.) You can leave out the flour if you or your loved ones have a problem with gluten. If you happen to have partially baked your squash to make it easier to cut, you’ll probably want to start checking your casserole at about the 30 minute mark. When my squash is partially cooked, the bake typically takes about 40 minutes. But, remember, all ovens are different! If the top is golden brown and you can insert a knife into the a piece of fruit easily, then it’s done.
Enjoy the recipe and celebrate the cold weather months ahead!
Do you have a go-to favorite casserole for the fall and winter months? Tell us about it in the comments.
Related posts:
How to Make Chicken Bone Broth
Simple Suppers: Classic Broccoli Cheese Soup
My Top Ten Must-do Fall Activities
Posts on the blog a year ago:
Taking End of Season Garden Notes
The Story of the Hillbilly Christmas Wreath
Wake-up Call, Missing Dad, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
Inside: Wake-up call, missing Dad, and when the leaves finally leave. Catch all the latest fresh from the farm.
November Wake-up Call
I’ve been sleeping later than I should lately. Blame it on night-owl tendencies and insomnia, but I’ve been struggling to get out of bed. And when you’re fortunate enough not to have anywhere you have to be most mornings, the lure of Dreamland is particularly hard to resist. But one morning I managed.
And I did something else remarkable. I quickly got dressed in layers, readied my camera, and hurried outside to beat the sunrise. Nothing like a rush of cold to wake a body up–even better than my morning cup of caffeine.
All is quiet at this hour. A hush settled over the farm, a kind of reverence.
The early morning offers a reward for those who wipe the sleep from their eyes and greet the day. If you happen to wield a camera, that reward is greater still. The golden hour, as photographers know it, bathes the world in a lovely golden light, which adds beauty to the ordinary. Nature’s highlights. And I snap away, moving from one subject to the next.
There’s just something about starting the day this way. Paying homage to creation.
And the One who created it.
Missing Dad
When I think of November, I think of Thanksgiving and Veteran’s Day and deer season. Flocks of geese and black birds seeking southern homes. But mostly I think of Dad. His birthday is actually on Veteran’s Day. For the past two years Mom and I have marked the day by celebrating him. This year we ordered pancakes in our favorite restaurant–mine pumpkin, hers buttermilk. He would have wanted corncakes, though.
He’s been on my mind a lot lately. He wouldn’t have been happy about the early snows, worried about things like frozen pipes and animals in the cold. He would have made sure to break holes in the ice for the horses and feed them enough hay. For a man born as winter approached, he never had much appreciation for the season.
Nowadays we don’t have much to look after around the farm, so it’s been easy to keep an eye on things. I’m sorely in need of new boots, though, and have been wearing his. They’re too big, and I feel a little clumsy in them. His shoes always have been too big to fill.
I also have the hooded sweatshirt he wore that last year of his life. For a long time it still held his scent, but when I went to put it on with the change in the weather, I noticed it no longer did. Still, it’s his, and wearing the boots and the sweatshirt makes me feel close to him.
I believe that when a loved one goes to heaven that God sometimes passes along messages from us to them, if we ask. And I’m asking. I’m asking that He tells Dad I love him and miss him and think about him often, particularly now. In November.
And one more thing: Yes, Dad, the heat lamp is on over the water pipes in the milk barn.
When the Leaves Finally Leave
I feel a little cheated this year, if I’m being honest. I sat down and actually figured it out–we really didn’t have much of a fall. The leaves didn’t start turning until after we got back from Maryland–around October 22. Then we got an amazing show for the next two weeks–up until the first snow on November 8, which came so much earlier than we’re used to here. It’s rare to have snow on Thanksgiving, and, in fact, I maintain that I’ve seen more snow on Easter than on turkey day, though both aren’t common. But what I noticed was that once the snow came, any color in the trees quickly faded over the course of a few days. And then the leaves fell.
But it was lovely while it lasted, however brief that was. Just that I’m not quite ready for the change. I like to gradually move toward winter while I’m in the midst of all my Christmas activities. Not Thanksgiving. Though, actually, the temps Thanksgiving Day were fairly warm.
Which makes me wonder what the weather will be like this Christmas. Somehow I wouldn’t be surprised to see people in shorts out washing their cars. I’ve seen that happen one year, too.
Are you ready for winter? Tell us about it in the comments.
Related posts:
Early Harvests, Seasonal Signs, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
My Top Ten Must-do Fall Activities
Surviving Frost, Roasted Bean Mondays, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
Swirling Patterns of Blackbirds, Posing, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
Posts from a year ago:
A Rural Girl’s Favorite Things Christmas Gift Guide 2018
Inside: The Christmas Gift Guide is back again, my short list of favorite things, some practical, some unique, always affordable, and, of course, recommended and loved by this rural girl.
*By the way, this post contains affiliate links. What that means is when you click on these particular links and purchase something, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps me to pay for the cost of this blog. Thanks for your interest!
We’re back again and ready for the festivities–fun shopping days and leisurely lunches discussing family celebrations, crafts, food, and decorations. (Coming to you soon in the 12 Posts of Christmas, starting December 14.) Not to mention our plans for the Hillbilly Christmas Wreath 2018 version. The Rural Girl’s Favorite Things Christmas Gift Guide is the kickoff to the season, and this year’s list reflects my typical practical side as well as that part of me that loves the small simple treats in life. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Gifts Under $20
The LANG Companies Cows Cows Cows 2019 Wall Calendar, $15.24.
In my house it wouldn’t feel like a new year without my favorite calendar hanging on the wall! Growing up on a dairy farm, I became quite attached to cows, and you might even say I love them, though we don’t have any around the farm anymore. So I have to get my cows any way I can.
Not a fan of cows? LANG offers a wide variety of calendar favorites. Take a peek here to see what else they offer.
Daily Guideposts 2019 Large Print: A Spirit-Lifting Devotional, $13.38.
Want to know how I start every morning? Coffee and my favorite devotional. Here’s the description from Amazon’s website:
“Daily Guideposts 2019 centers on the theme ‘In the Shadow of Your Wings,’ based on Psalm 91:4, and is filled with brand-new devotions from fifty writers. Each day readers will enjoy a Scripture verse, a true first-person story told in an informal, conversational style, which shares the ways God speaks to us in the ordinary events of life, and a brief prayer to help focus the reader to apply the day’s message.”
Zolia Vera’s Pumpkin Molasses Bar | Pumpkin Spice Soap, $6.95.
Emily bought me a bar of this soap, and I loved it so much! I savored it, using the bar sparingly toward the end until it was just a sliver. Thing is, upon finding the website, I realize now that I could have actually just ordered more–which I plan to do in the very near future! If you’re a fan of the Victorian and Edwardian eras as I am, you’ll enjoy the lovely packaging as well. These soaps and beauty products hearken back to this simple time, using the wisdom of those creating soaps and beauty products back then. Allison Humeniuk handcrafts these soaps and products herself, with natural ingredients. Win, win, win!
Yankee Candle Large Jar Candle, Christmas Cookie, $17.99.
Nothing gets me in the Christmas mood more than putting on a Christmas classic music CD and lighting a scented candle. This one’s a particular favorite for me because it makes the whole house smell like I’ve been baking. I’ve also given these as gifts–not to mention gifts to myself! If Christmas Cookie isn’t your thing, here are a few more seasonal favorites from Yankee Candle.
Gifts Under $30
While I like the hand soap just fine, the star of this bundle is the Kitchen Lemon Hand Lotion which I adore! I first discovered it when someone put it in the women’s rest room at my husband’s work. I found myself using the lotion every time I visited and enjoying the lingering lemon scent. The fact that it’s made from actual olive oil, so good for my skin, is a plus, and, surprisingly, this lotion doesn’t have that greasy feeling I hate in some hand lotions. If you love lemon-scented things, you will love this lotion for the extra pampering it gives chapped hands in the winter season.
Okay, I’m cheating a little with this listing. This recommendation doesn’t come from me but rather from Emily who is thoroughly pleased with this recent purchase of hers. She’s raved about the rice cooker to me and uses it all the time. Not only can this little gem make 2 – 8 cups of cooked rice, but it can also steam meat and veggies while rice cooks below, has programmable digital controls, keeps food warm, and is excellent for soups or chili. Plus the flash rice function cuts cooking time up to 50 percent. A 15-hour delay timer is great for flexible meal planning, too.
Gifts Under $50
Mona B Upcycled Identified Canvas & Leather Crossbody Bag with Coin Purse, $43.99.
I fell in love with Mona B. handbags several years ago, and this crossbody is one of my favorites. The neat thing is she (or the company?) keeps creating new and different upcycled bags, and I’m such a fan of all her (their?) creations. If you’re not partial to my pick, here is a sampling of some her cool designs. . .
AncestryDNA: Genetic Testing Ethnicity, $49.00. (JUMP ON THIS IMMEDIATELY TO GET THIS PRICE!)
I actually purchased this a couple of years ago for my fiftieth birthday and was both surprised and fascinated by the results. For me it met a need deep in my core of finding out who I am, something hard to put into words, really, but something so worthwhile to discover.
I’ve been pleased with the continual strides Ancestry is making in this area. Recently my results were updated because the more sampling they do, the better they are at matching specific DNA origins. Plus with the recent updates, they showed me the migration patterns of my ancestors and the stories behind their journeys. One of the things this latest update brought out was that I was part Norwegian. But the odd, but not really odd, part of it is that I’ve been to Europe before, but I had often thought if I went back I’d like to see Norway–this before finding out I’m part Norwegian. Like I said, a need that goes deep into the core of who we are. . .
All that said, if you are late to read this post, you’ve likely missed out on this fantastic price. However, I have a feeling they will bring back a fairly decent price in December or extend this offer, though I have no guarantees of either. Even at full price, which is just about what I paid for it, it is so worth the investment in yourself!
Gifts Under $100
Fitbit Alta HR, Black, Small (US Version), $79.95. (Also available in large for the same price.)
This device has literally changed my life. No exaggeration. I came into 2018 knowing I needed to get more exercise and take better care of myself, and my Fitbit has helped me attain those goals and actually lose 20 pounds. Not only does it track my steps, but it tells me my heart rate, calories burned, miles, and active minutes. The app for phone–or in my case my Kindle–syncs with my wrist device to help me keep track of other things as well, such as water intake, sleep, and daily exercise. I also have reminders set for things like time to wind down for bed and time to get up hourly and move (between the hours of 9 – 6, in my case). You can also track food intake and weight, though I only do the latter. . . Honestly, I can’t say enough about how much this fitness tracker has helped me!
Keurig K-Compact Single-Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker, Black, $60.26.
Our previous Keurig lasted many, many moons, and because we do so much pour-over coffee, we looked at other methods for hot water on demand. After much deliberation, I saw this model on sale at Walmart, purchased a red one, and we’ve been happy ever since. I like that I have the flexibility of using k-cups, should I see a flavor I like, but for the most part we use it for our hot water needs, mostly pour-over coffee, sometimes tea. The slim model is a plus for me, as the old model was rather large. Perfect for Hubs and me. (Oh, and this model turns itself off after a while, though not too soon if you’re in coffee consumption mode, which I much appreciate.)
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So there you have it, the Rural Girl’s Favorite Things Christmas Gift Guide 2018. . . Now go forth and shop!
Have you started shopping for Christmas yet? Tell us about it in the comments.
Related posts:
A Rural Girl’s Favorite Things Christmas Gift Guide 2017
The Story of the Hillbilly Christmas Wreath
Winter Skies, Making and Baking, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
Posts a year ago on the blog:
How to Prepare Strawberry Plants for Winter