Simply Christmas by Tama Fortner

 

About the Book:

Thirty-one encouraging devotions to help busy moms pause and ponder the true miracles of the Christmas season–the wonder of a Savior who would leave heaven to save us and the love of those who share our home.

Between holiday baking, hunting for the perfect tree, decorating, preparing for visiting relatives, and making sure everyone gets the ideal gift, Christmas can be anything but peaceful for a busy mom. Too often, the stress and busyness of the season make it difficult to find time to just sit and reflect on the wonder of the Savior’s birth.

If this sounds familiar, allow Simply Christmas to be your personal invitation to slow down and savor the beauty of the manger this year. These thirty-one devotions are not dated, so you’re welcome to begin reading anytime–whether that’s on December 1, Christmas Eve, the day after Thanksgiving, or the middle of July–without even a smidgen of guilt or shame.

Accompanied by seasonally inspired full-color photographs, this thirty-one-day devotional brings a bit of calm to each day through a short reflection and Scripture, together with points to ponder and fun ideas for simplifying your Christmas traditions.

My Review:

This devotional is a good one for busy moms. The devotions themselves are short and can be read in just a few minutes. I like how Fortner reminds us to let go of appearances and the pressure to live up to others' expectations. I like her suggesting we snatch quiet moments and that we collect treasures in our hearts, like Mary. Taking a hot chocolate break is a fun suggestion. My favorite devotion was encouragement for when we mess up and lose out temper.

There are practical tips included to help simplify the season and keep the focus on Jesus. We are given permission to not consider decorations a competition but rather bundle up the kids and take a drive to see the effort and time others have put into their decorations. My favorite tip was the grandparents giving reasonable gifts, the rest of the money going into a college fund. Another great tip was how to survive those Christmas parties.

This is a good collection of devotions helping us keep our focus on the reason and meaning of Christmas. There are a few good tips to keep the season simple as well.

You can watch the book trailer here.

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You can read an excerpt of the book here.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

 

About the Author:

Tama Fortner is a bestselling writer with more than thirty-five titles to her credit. As a ghostwriter, she has collaborated with some of the biggest names in Christian publishing to create inspirational books for children, teens, and adults. But her greatest accomplishments happen in a happy little home on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee, where she lives with her family and an incredibly lazy dog who doubles as a footwarmer. Photo: © Rachel Baldwin Photography

Ink & Willow (an imprint of Penguin Random House), 128 pages

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review. The rest of the copy of this post was provided by the publisher.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)