CHRISTMAS AT THE WAFFLE HOUSE

My resolve has grown stronger over the years to simplify Christmas. But I didn't know how simple it could actually be -- until one Christmas Eve when the plane we were in had to make an emergency landing. It was December 24, 2010, and we would end up having the simplest Christmas of our lives.

But that wasn't necessarily our plan. We had planned to take two of our sons and fly to Indianapolis, where our oldest son lived with his family. We would land in Indianapolis, buy food for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner, and surprise them by caroling to them just as it got dark.

We boarded the plane the morning of Christmas Eve and checked one large duffel bag with everyone’s presents in it. We had been in the air for about 2 hours, when we heard this over the intercom: “Folks, this is your captain speaking. I wish I had good news for you, but I do not.”...

DO YOU HAVE ROOM -- LIKE YOU'VE NEVER HEARD IT BEFORE

I've been waiting a long time to have someone record a new version of "Do You Have Room?" About a year and a half ago I started thinking -- wouldn't it be great if I could find a male a cappella group to record it? So I looked online and my top choice were these guys: Eclipse 6.

They performed in the 2002 Winter Olympics closing ceremonies, and with Toby Keith at Stadium of Fire. To start with.

So I crossed my fingers and emailed them. The worst they could say was, "Um, no."

5 DOS AND DON'TS FOR SIMPLIFYING CHRISTMAS

Oh Christmas. I love it so much. But every year at this time, I have to recommit to simplifying it, because as you know, it can quickly get out of control…and then instead of celebrating Christmas, we merely try to get through it. 

So in the interest of doing more than just getting through it, here are five of my favorite tips for keeping Christmas simple:

EASY CHRISTMAS CRAFT

I've tried over the years to simplify Christmas. 

Every year for the last 20 years, I've hung a lighted wreath in every window. It's super pretty, but it takes a really long time. This year, I just decided not to do it. 

I did this, instead:

I was done in about 20 minutes. Easiest. Craft. Ever. 

And then my kids began suggesting names for this guy. These made me laugh:

THE "W" IN CHRISTMAS?

Children at a Christmas Play / C. David Lynch

Great Christmas story from Bella. I know you'll like it.  


The "W" in Christmas (author unknown)


Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations --extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

NOT HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Harmony Farm House by Karen Masters

Here's a great story from one of my readers, Donnette, who wrote to me about the time their young family was moving from Alaska to Idaho at Christmastime.

We had a tough time of it and traveling was slow with 4 kids in a VW Rabbit pulling a trailer containing all of our earthly possessions. We had left Alaska with every intention of being home with our families for Christmas, but with unforseen circumstances, mostly flat tires on our trailer, that was not to be.

HOW TO TEACH 'THANKFUL'

This is how to teach the Thankful song without visual aids, melody maps or any other complicated learning tool. 

*I will say up front I’m not a fan of complicated visual aids or melody maps. I think they just steal your precious time and may distract the children more than help them. 

To help the children learn the melody of any song, do these four simple things: