Loving my Actual Christmas by Alexandra Kuykendall

Christmas in September! Why not?? No, seriously though, I love celebrating Christmas all year! I listen to Christmas music in July, watch Christmas movies on any random day, and I put my Christmas tree up at the beginning of November. I. Love. Christmas. For some people, Christmas can be a stressful time because they just have too much on their plate and forget about the real meaning of Christmas. Or if you are like the author of this book, you may be grieving the loss of someone you love which makes it hard to feel like celebrating. If either of these things are true for you, you will enjoy this book. The author performs an experiment of sorts to scale back on Christmas and focus on the most important parts of the season. Kuykendall divides her experiment into sections focusing on the Advent ideals of hope, love, joy, and peace. I can relate to the author in the terms of wanting to be in control of all situations. But the truth is, GOD is in control. And if we accept that each day, not just Christmas, will be more joyous and we can better serve Him. I really liked the concept of this book and I think it offers great advice and tips for helping you to focus on Jesus this Christmas season and let go of some of the so-called "obligations" that are stealing your joy. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for my honest review.