Alexandra Kuykendall - Loving My Actual Christmas: An Experiment in Relishing the Season

Does the hustle of the holidays threaten to knock the merry right out of your Christmas? Too many tasks and too little time are often a recipe for a yuletide disaster. But before you toss out the tinsel and give up altogether, grab a mug of hot cocoa and read Loving My Actual Christmas . Alex Kuykendall has crafted a rescue manual that will enable you to save your sanity as you savor the Savior, focusing on the true essence of the season.

Karen Ehman , Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker; New York Times bestselling author of Keep It Shut and Listen, Love, Repeat

Do you love Jesus but secretly dread Christmas? This is the book you need in order to fall in love with the season again. While reading this book, I found myself regaining the same sense of wonder I had when I was a child on Christmas morning. Alexandra Kuykendall is like your personal Christmas elf. With humor, winsome stories, and practical ideas, she will help you put the happy back in your holidays.

Jennifer Dukes Lee , author of The Happiness Dare

Alexs book is like a breath of fresh air. She shares real-life struggles we can all relate to. More than that, she provides practical help and inspiration to help busy moms just like me shape this season into one we can truly celebrate and enjoy. I highly recommend this book. In fact, its going to be one of the first gifts Ill be buying and sharing this holiday season!

Tricia Goyer , USA Today bestselling author of over sixty books, including Where Treetops Glisten

Women give birth to Christmas. ( Pant, pant! ) Well, actually, one woman literally gave birth to the very first Christmas, and ever since, we women have been cocreating Christmas in our homes, families, and cultures. We long to remember the real reason for the season, celebrate it, andheres a thoughtenjoy it as well. But oh my, how to do so amid the mess of real life? Alexandra Kuykendall takes us on a quick trip to what matters most in her book Loving My Actual Christmas . In this short and practical read, she offers perspective and fun while also ladling out a healthy helping of doable .

Elisa Morgan , speaker; author of The Beauty of Broken and Hello , Beauty Full ; cohost, Discover the Word; president emerita, MOPS International

Slowing down in life is hard enough for women, but slowing down during the Christmas season seems to be the worst. Yet thats the time when theres so much joy, love, and peace to be celebrated within our homes with our actual, real-life people. Alexandra shows us how she took on the challenge of loving the Christmas season and how we can do that as well. As a mama of four, I know that theres nothing I want more than to love Christmastime with my family! Thanks for showing us how we too can take on this challenge!

Jamie Ivey , host, The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey ; author of If You Only Knew

If you ever get the chance to read anything written by Alexandra Kuykendall, take it. She is a gentle, trustworthy storyteller who lives the words she writes about. In a noisy world, I deeply appreciate her thoughtful, grounded voice.

Emily P. Freeman , author of Simply Tuesday

Of all the Christmas gifts you will receive this year, reading this book may be the most significant. Do you want a Christmas filled with memory-making rather than crazy-making? Do you want the holiday to be about the real rather than the artificial? Then join Alex in her four-week experiment to love (not stress about!) your actual Christmas. Using the pillars of traditional Adventhope, love, joy, and peaceshe offers the chance for meaning and contentment to replace hurry and frazzled.

Krista Gilbert , author of Reclaiming Home ; cofounder, The Open Door Sisterhood; cohost, The Open Door Sisterhood podcast

I wish I had read this book eighteen years ago when our family began celebrating Christmas! Be freed from the chains of unrealistic expectations and soul-sucking busyness, while stepping into the beauty and life-giving force that is the celebration of Jesuss birth. Prepare to rethink your celebration and truly love your holiday this year.

Cherie Lowe , author of Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Every After

Alex had me laughing through the pain of identifying all too well with the expectations of a perfect Christmas. She reminds us to go easy on ourselves and those around us, offering gifts of hope, love, joy, and peace throughout the season.

Sarah Harmeyer , founder and chief people gatherer, eighbors Table