Slow-living at Christmas Time…Who’s in?

What do you first think of when you hear “old-fashioned Christmas”?

• The Little House on the Prairie Christmas story?

• Cutting down your tree in the woods?

• Bundling up to go to the nursing home to sing Christmas carols?

One thing is for certain when you consider an old-fashioned Christmas THE PACE WAS SLOWER.

There weren’t all the things that fill our calendars now. It might shock you to find this out but when I was a child growing up in Bolivar TN there we hardly ANY after-school activities for children. That was just 50 years ago.

And speaking of the pace begin slower….Christmas didn’t start until the day after Thanksgiving even in the stores. When we went out the DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS to Black Friday shop that was the first Christmas tree you saw out in the stores.

Did you know that even at the turn of the century, coming into the 1900s, most people didn’t even bring in a Christmas tree until Christmas Eve? (If they did that at all.)  They lit them with real candles, and they only did that for one day. That was extravagant enough to do for a day; they sure wouldn’t have done it longer. They also mostly lived in one—or two-room cabins with big families. They didn’t have space.

Look how much has changed in 100 years. Our thinking is so short-sighted sometimes.  It is amazing to look back 50 or 100 years and consider the changes that have taken place.

I was talking with my mom about the holidays when they were growing up and they commented how the big holiday meals were cooked all week long. Most women had one oven and they didn’t think they had to cook a thousand things in 24 hours. They paced themselves. Most things were from scratch and there weren’t pecan pies you could just pick up in the store.

Now people have multiple kids in multiple activities all of which think it’s a great idea to have a Christmas party. The dance class, cheer class, karate, football, baseball, soccer team, the club parties. And we add in our book club party, Friendsgiving, dirty Santa, and sorority get-together on top of all that. Everybody’s work has a party. And on top of all that we are flitting some little trouble making elf all over our homes every day all while making 10 million cookies to swap. I am exhausted just typing this.

50 years ago there was NONE OF THIS.

Our school class might have had a party. Mom sent cookies or pretzels. Kool-Aid and a plastic pitcher to school with me in my backpack. There were no room moms. We didn’t need them because we didn’t do all the crap they do now. I do not feel slighted in the least that my mom wasn’t at our class party because no mom came, I have no memory of my parents in school for early any reason. Either someone was sick or in trouble. And I am going to be honest with you, I don’t feel slighted in the least that our lives were simpler.

We made crafts during December at school. We used lots of glue and glitter on mounds of red and green construction paper. It was fun.

And the pace was even slower for Mary and Joseph. The Jesus’s people were and still are a community-driven people. They didn’t travel a ton and many lived their lives in and around their village. They had labor intensive slower-paced lives. You could only go as far as your feet would take you and mostly that was to the well, temple, or market.

Life moved slower.

Meals were at low tables and people relaxed on the floor to eat. It was a communal table with family and friends eating together. It took a while to cook everything and very few things were instant

One of my favorite memories of the holidays was when my sister, Missy, and I decorated the Christmas tree, turned off all the lights in the house, and laid on the floor beside the tree. We sang Christmas carols. It is still a precious moment to me.

What is your pace like these days?

Did you know you can change it?
You have permission to say “No, thank you. We can’t do that this year.”

No more explanation. Yes, there will probably be people who try to push back. They don’t get to be the boss of your holiday plans. Make a margin to just enjoy your family. Keep it simple. Get face to face. Do simple activities.

• Read holiday books together in front of the tree.

• Sing carols.

• Play a board game.

• Make cookies together as a family.

• Watch a favorite Christmas movie.

• Draw the Christmas tree.

• Wrap presents together as a family.

It isn’t about having things to do. It is all about slowing down to connect.

What does your family like to do that is simple, during the holidays? Share with us in the comments.