Creating a Simply Joyous Christmas

By Melissa AuClair

What do you want to do to make Christmas special and memorable? Go caroling with friends? Throw a Christmas party? Make gifts with all the pictures you've taken? Have time to spend with the people you love?

If you have a creative bent, there's no better time to do something with your creativity than during the Christmas season. Whether your skill lies towards watercolors, photography, baking, decorating or throwing a party, you've got exactly what it takes to create a fabulous Christmas.

Don't let circumstances (or feeling like you don't have enough time) keep you from having a great holiday.

Create a fabulous Christmas, lovely handmade gifts, and be ready with a plate of cookies for Santa even with less than two weeks to The Big Day.

It comes down to throwing out the detail (that means you can toss the 42-point to-do list), get some focus, turn on Nat King Cole and get creating.

In this quick read, Creating a Simply Joyous Christmas, you'll discover:

• Why it's easy to do things at the last minute at Christmas
• Directions for an easy Christmas map: your go to direction guide for the week before Christmas
• How to "batch" gifts to make more with less time
• Easy Ways to throw a Christmas party in less than 48 hours
• Fun icebreaker games for the Christmas party
• Why Winter Wreaths are Seven Times better than Christmas wreaths
• More than 30 gifts to make and give

Merry Christmas and Happy Creating!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuClair Publishing
• Release date: Nov 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386663201

Melissa AuClair

There's a lot to love about the holidays, but the stress and too-much-to-do-busyness I can do without! After several years of trying to do it all, I jumped off the holiday craziness and initiated a re-do in my holiday practices. It's my goal to encourage you to say no to the unnecessary, say yes to the most important and reclaim the holiday season -from Thanksgiving to New Year's- as the most wonderful time of the year.  When it's not the holiday season, I help busy women experience more creativity and beauty-filled lives with art and lifestyle classes and workshops. Get inspired in your own journaling and painting, take a free mini-workshop, see the selection of classes and more at www.thecreativeseason.com.  You can also say hello to me on Instagram @melissa_auclair

Book preview

Creating a Simply Joyous Christmas

Ideas & Inspiration to Celebrate the Season with What You Already Have

When I'm not enjoying the joys of the Christmas season, you can find me painting, creating joyful journals, developing online courses and live workshops. To find out more and receive a session of an online art workshop, sign up at The Creative Season

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

Creating a Simply Joyous Christmas by Melissa AuClair

Published by AuClair Events & Publishing

2nd Edition 2018

All rights reserved

Creating a Simply Joyous Christmas

Introduction to the 2016 Edition

It's been two years since I first wrote this book on celebrating Christmas. In that time, I've changed websites and switched businesses. A lot can happen in a few years. 

Because of these changes, the book needed some tweaks. Links needed to be updated. There has been changes to the content, including adding more ideas in the DIY Gift section and the chapter on creating a Christmas vision board and/or Christmas map.

The original title of the book, `Twas the Week Before Christmas: DIY Christmas Decor, Party & Gift Ideas for the Last-Minute Creative reflected where I was at the time of writing it. I was moving (again). The desk I set the laptop on was either the bed or a pile of moving boxes.  A lot of life felt reactive, with things in my work and personal life in constant flux.

Nonetheless, I was determined to live in the present season of Christmas with every bit of joy, creativity and falalalala I could muster.

Some things have changed in my life since then.  More than the external, I've shifted in my attitude about Christmas. More and more I find myself going with the flow and not minding it, being more spontaneous with holiday season and finding joy in some of the simplest yet profound moments. 

And so, it seemed right that a new title should be given to this little book of Christmas ideas and inspiration. It's less for the frenetic Christmas-holic who's desperately trying to cram lots of stuff into the season (there's no judgment, that's been me for most of my life). Creating a Simply Joyous Christmas: Ideas and Inspiration for celebrating the season with what you have is for the person who wants to celebrate the season in the fullest.

Right where you are.

With exactly what you have.

Less frantic and more joy. Less searching for the right stuff and more using what we have...and collaborating with others to fill the gaps.

As the book was updated, there's a lot about me that hasn't changed.  I imagine it's the same for you. If you've picked up this book, there's something inside of you wanting to discover and recreate the wonder of Christmas.

I bet you and I have a lot in common. I still love Christmas. I love baking until late on Christmas Eve. Receiving Christmas cards thrills me as does being invited to a quirky Christmas party. There's nothing quite as sweet as laughing and celebrating with new and old friends with peppermint mochas. Eating sugar cookies with my coffee on Christmas Day delights me. The struggle with procrastination and impulsiveness is real. It's still sometimes more fun to browse through craft magazines than do what's in them.  I love getting together with siblings and watching all the Christmas movies. 

Does any of this ring true for you? You and I would have fun talking about Christmas together. Christmas-enthusiasts are my kind of people: the wonder seekers, the joy lovers, the givers. Christmas is all about the giving. You make Christmas special with your gifts and your unwillingness to let cynicism invade your spirit. I appreciate you so much.

If I had to sum up what I've learned in the past few years, I'd say it was these 3 things:

1. Be present to the season and experience life where you are in it. Gratitude for what we have now and being aware of the gifts around us increases the joy of the season. It's taken me a lifetime to learn this.

2. Do as much seasonal activities as possible with other people.

3. One of the best ways to experience the wonder of Christmas is to make it a special time for others.

May your Christmas be sweet and full of many surprises this year. May your parties be festive, and may you not break the bank in planning them (lots of ideas in chapters 8 & 9 for that). May this Christmas overflow with laughter and wonderful memories no matter where you are.  May joy be yours.

Merry Christmas,

Melissa

November 2016

Introduction: Who this book is for & why you should read it

I realize Christmas comes at the same time every single year. For some reason, however, I'm not very good at planning and preparing in October and November. I know I should, especially because I like to make gifts.

It just doesn't happen.

Most years, I haven't achieved everything I wanted. The worst years are the years when I was trying to do too much and being anxious about it. I not only didn't get the right stuff done, but I also lost out on the joy and wonder of the season.

If you've picked up this book I'm guessing you're:

a)  A procrastinator like me

or

b) There’re only a few weeks left until Christmas and you're wondering if there's a shortcut to getting the shopping, decorating and entertaining pulled off.

Or maybe life has gotten in a way. Perhaps, like my brother and sister-in-law, Mark and Angel, you just moved after the landlord decided to sell the house they were renting. Now it's all systems go to try to throw together Christmas for you and your family and you're sorely tempted to call the whole thing off.

Maybe you've had a health crisis and are finally getting better- one week before Christmas.

Maybe work has been absolutely nuts...and nothing has been done for Christmas. You love the season, and want to make it special, but with limited time and energy, can that really happen?

Can You Make Gifts, Throw a Christmas Party & Decorate for Christmas when Time and Resources are short?

Can one really make gifts, throw a party and have their home in a semblance of Christmas order in a short period of time?

The short answer is yes. Yes, you can.

In fact, you can do it in a few weeks or even less.

That's what normally happens to me. A few weeks before Christmas, I go into high