A Note from the Author

This book is for life, not just for Christmas.

Think of it as a quiet retreat from all the noise, and a guide to honoring a special season without sacrificing your well-being. I hope it inspires connection, belonging, self-care, nourishment, and joy, and a little bit of festive magic.

This collection of stories, advice, and ideas is based in the belief that there is no single way to approach Christmas. It brings together all kinds of Christmases, celebrated in all kinds of ways by all kinds of people.

It’s a portrait of us as human beings, pausing in the rush of life to celebrate, to acknowledge those we love and those we miss, to mark the passing of another year, and to make peace and pies, marmalade and memories.

A gentle word of warning—this book offers no military strategy for executing the perfect Christmas. It is more likely to compel you to ditch half your plans and open up space for spontaneity. It will make you question convention and inherited tradition in order to shape a celebration that recognizes what you really need and treasure most.

It will also encourage you to use the precious time between Christmas and New Year’s Day to reflect and plan. By the end, instead of heading into January exhausted and lethargic, with lingering dissatisfaction and a credit card hangover, you can go forth feeling rested and rejuvenated, with fresh motivation and a hopeful heart.

The world shifted in 2020, and times have been challenging in many ways. May Calm Christmas be a lantern leading you through the darkness of winter, back to the real enchantment of the season. I hope it brings much joy.

Wishing you a Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Beth Kempton

Devon, England, 2020