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SIMPLE LIVING 101

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Christmas Alternatives

Facilitator: Marigene Chamberlain

Objectives:

  1. Each participant (family or individual) will analyze what their Christmas practices reveal about why they celebrate Christmas.
  2. Each participant will deepen his/her understanding of Christmas as a time to celebrate God's action in history.
  3. Each participant will develop a plan for further action related to creating a Christmas celebration that reflects Christmas as God's action in history.

Themes:

  1. Christmas: Why do we celebrate it?
  2. Celebrating God's action in history
  3. Making our Christmas practices celebrations of God's action in history.

 

TEACHING GUIDE: Total time is 1 hour and 15 minutes

1. Content -- Christmas: Why do we celebrate it?
Activity -- Prior to event, individual work
Teaching Guide -- 1.1 Prior to the event, distribute Work Sheet #1 to the participants and have them fill it out.
Additional Resources -- Work Sheet # 1

Activity -- Plenary (15 min)
Teaching Guide -- 1.2 In opening session, have participants share new insights about themselves and their Christmas tradition which they gained through Work Sheet # 1. Make a list of the reasons we celebrate Christmas as revealed from Work Sheet # 1.
Additional Resources -- Newsprint and markers

Teaching Guide -- 1.3 Systematization: Why we do what we do at Christmas

2. Content -- Celebrating God's action in history
Activity -- Group work (20 min)
Teaching Guide -- 2.1 Using Work Sheet #2, discover why people in the Bible celebrated their holidays.
Additional Resources -- Work Sheet #2; Bibles

Activity -- Plenary (10 min)
Teaching Guide -- 2.2 Receive reports and organize responses on newsprint. [reports were picture of the celebration]
Additional Resources -- Newsprint and markers

Teaching Guide -- 2.3 Systematization: People in the Bible celebrated God's action in history -- to remember God's action in history

3. Content -- Making our Christmas practices celebrations of God's action in history.

Activity -- Individual work (10 min)
Teaching Guide -- 3.1 Using Work Sheet # 3, reflect on how our tradition and practices are related to God's action in history.
Additional Resources -- Work Sheet #3

Activity -- Group work (5 min)
Teaching Guide -- 3.2 Share your thoughts with your group. Name one thing you would like to change about the way you celebrate Christmas to better reflect your understanding of God's action in history, your history.

Activity -- Plenary (10 min)
Teaching Guide -- 3.3 Each group shares one thing at a time Round Robin. Keep list on newsprint.
Additional Resources -- Newsprint and markers

Teaching Guide -- 3.4 Facilitators share resources from Alternatives, handouts, display table.
Additional Resources -- handouts, display table

Teaching Guide -- Evaluation (5 min)

 

Handouts:

Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?
Let's Talk about Christmas
Bibliography
Principles of Voluntary Simplicity
Guidelines for Alternative Giving
Cost/Analysis Form
Discussion Guide: What Makes a Perfect Christmas?

Display Table:

Books
Simple Living Works! eMailing list sign-up sheet
Congregation's Advent booklet
Handouts

 

Work Sheet # 1

Christmas: How and Why do We Celebrate It?

  1. What are the traditional elements of your Christmas holiday celebration? Look through this list and cross out the ones that you do not take part in and add those that are uniquely yours. (You may wish to list specific activities in the spaces provided.) Please use a pencil or a pen with black ink.
    Gift exchange
    Christmas stockings
    Outdoor decorations
    Decorating the house
    Holiday baking
    Home entertaining
    Christmas activities at church
    Family religious traditions
    Ethnic traditions
    Cultural events
    Singing or playing music
    Charitable activities
    Other special family traditions
  2. Analyze your Christmas holiday tradition by stating what is the primary focal point of each element: relationships within the family, relationships beyond the family, relationship with God. Write your answer in each block of the gird using red ink.
  3. Continue to analyze your tradition by indicating how much time you spend on each element: lots, some, not much. Write you answer in each block of the gird using blue ink.
  4. Using this list of elements and your analysis, how would you describe the reason for your having a Christmas holiday tradition. In other words, from this list and analysis, why do you celebrate Christmas?

(First step in exercise adapted from Unplug the Christmas Machine Workshop by Jo Robinson & Jean Coppock Staeheli)

 

 

Work Sheet # 2

Celebrating God's Action in History

 

  1. Divide the group into small groups. Each small group will study one passage, answering the questions and preparing a report. When the small groups give their reports, everyone may complete the chart.

    Biblical Passage -- Exodus 12:21-27

    Name of Celebration

    Reason for Celebration

     

    Biblical Passage -- Esther 9:20-28

    Name of Celebration

    Reason for Celebration

     

    Biblical Passage -- 1 Corinthians 11 :23-26

    Name of Celebration

    Reason for Celebration

     

  2. Questions for reflection in the groups:
    1. What is the name of the celebration?
    2. Why was that celebration started?

     

  3. Present a report (a drawing) of your conclusions in the plenary as indicated by the facilitator.

     

  4. After each group has reported, answer the following questions:
    1. What is the common thread in each celebration?
    2. Why did the people in the Bible establish religious holiday traditions?

 

Work Sheet # 3

Where Do We Go From Here?

 

At Christmas, we celebrate God's action in history, our history. God's actions are always transforming actions that move us towards abundant life. (John 10:10, John 20:31, Exodus 3:7-10, Genesis 1:1-3)

 

  1. Review Work Sheet # 1. How well does your tradition reflect God's action in history (the birth of Jesus the Messiah)? Explain.

     

  2. How well does your tradition reflect God's action in your own life? Explain.

     

  3. What could you change about the way you celebrate your Christmas holiday tradition so that your tradition would better reflect God's action in history and in your own life? Why? How would you change it?

     

  4. Share with your group one thing you will change about the way you celebrate your Christmas holiday tradition.

 

Alternatives Mailing List Sign-Up Sheet

Please print legibly your name, address, phone and email.

 

 

What is Alternatives?

Simple living Works! continues Alternatives' mission of "equipping people of faith to challenge consumerism, live justly, and celebrate responsibly." Started in 1973 as a protest against the commercialization of Christmas, it focuses on encouraging celebrations year-round that reflect conscientious ways of living. Throughout its 30-year history, Alternatives has led the movement to live more simply and faithfully. The many staff members and volunteers of Alternatives have developed many different resources, organized an annual Christmas campaign, held the Best and Worst Christmas Gift Contest, led numerous workshops, and reached countless people with the message of simpler, more responsible living.

SimpleLivingWorks.org includes almost all the material produced by Alternatives on simple living and related subjects, such as hunger, the environment, media literacy, etc. We are frugal, no longer producing resources on paper.

[Alternatives for Simple Living was known simply as Alternatives.]

As an all-volunteer organiozation, SLW! does not sell anything nor solicit donations. All of its resources are free.

E-mail: SimpleLivingWorks AT yahoo DOT com
On-line: SimpleLivingWorks.org

(from ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living, "Flex Talk".)

Principles of Voluntary Simplicity

  1. Do justice.

    There are three levels of working toward justice. 1) Symbolic acts, like giving up a meal, help change us though they do not alleviate another's hunger. Education and worship are largely symbolic acts. They feed our spirits and minds. Symbols are powerful. 2) Sharing our resources of time, money and energy are small steps to alleviate another's situation. 3) Systemic change, which is more complex, requires recognition of a need for change by communities and governments. It requires conversation, negotiation, a commitment to cooperation, and constant pressure from caring people. We encourage people to work for justice in all three ways...to give money to charity and to work for Big Change by pressuring governments, but not to jump over the first step: gettng one's own life in order.

    Live simply that others may simply live.

     

  2. Learn from the world community.

    We have a great deal to learn from people in Third World countries, people we may think of as primitive or even pagan. Most of them live simply by necessity, not by choice.

     

  3. Nurture people.

    We find meaning in life through our relationships with God and with people, not through stuff.

     

  4. Cherish the natural order.

    This is the environmental component. Reduce, reuse, recycle and restore.

     

  5. Non-conform freely.

    Resist the pressures created primarily by advertising. We have permission to follow our religious principles, our faith, instead of our culture, instead of advertisers who pressure us to buy things we don't need, probably dont' even want, and that break down on schedule.

 

What Voluntary Simplicity is Not

  1. Voluntary simplicity is not a list of rules to follow; it is about personal responsibility, consciousness, awareness.
  2. Voluntary simplicity is not romanticizing poverty.
  3. Voluntary simplicity is not "living on the cheap."
  4. Living simple is not simple. It requires constant vigilance.

(Material from ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living, "Flex Talk".)

 

Bibliography

L'Engle, Madeleine. The Twenty-four Days Before Christmas. New York: Dell Publishing, 1984, 1988.

Mueller Nelson, Gerturd. To Dance with God: Family Ritual and Community Celebration. New York: Paulist Press, 1986.

Recommended by Alternatives

Longacre, Doris Janzan. Living More With Less.

Longacre, Doris Janzan. More-With-Less Cookbook.

Reclaiming Christmas packet.

Schlabach, Joetta Handrich. Extending the Table: A World Community Cookbook.

Sing Justice! Do Justice!

Traveling to Bethlehem: Advent & Christmas Calendar.

Christmas Alternatives

Evaluation of Biblical-Theological Reflection

 

Respond to this evaluation as a group. Read each objective. Then decide on a ranking (poor, good, excellent) that describes how well we reached that objective. Then explain why your group chose that ranking.

 

Objective # 1: Each participant (family or individual) will analyze what their Christmas practices reveal about why they celebrate Christmas.

 

Ranking: Poor / Good / Excellent

 

Explain your ranking:

 

Objective # 2: Each participant will deepen his/her understanding of Christmas as a time to celebrate God's action in history.

 

Ranking: Poor / Good / Excellent

 

Explain your ranking:

 

Objective # 3: Each participant will develop a plan for further action related to creating a Christmas celebration that reflects Christmas as God's action in history.

 

Ranking: Poor / Good / Excellent

 

Explain your ranking:

 

What is the most important thing you learned?

 

 

Christmas Alternatives

Facilitator: Marigene Chamberlain

Program Evaluation

 

Excellent / Good / Average / Fair / Poor

Facilitation of program

Introduced topic and clearly stated the objectives

Knowledge of subject

Showed humor, enthusiasm, & vigor

Stimulated interest of participant

Responded to questions effectively

Involved participants as much as possible

Kept discussion on topic

Use of teaching aides

Overall performance of instructors

 

Program content

Applicable to your situation

Overall reaction to the program

 

 

What would you add, delete, or change?

 

 

Additional comments:

 

 

 

 

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"Unplug the Christmas Machine" workshop

I have recently taught the "Unplug the Christmas Machine" workshop, by Jo Robinson and Jean Coppock Staehli. I was the group leader and facilitator for Memorial Presbyterian Church's mid-week religious study, ROOTS (Religion On Other Than Sunday). I am also a member there, an elder, and chair the CE Committee.

We met in 3, 45 sessions. We had a general group meeting, and then broke into small group discussion for 30 min. Because this was a church group, I added Scripture readings for each week. The breakdown follows.

Week 1: Talk about Christians and Christmas dilemma, and that it is very appropriate for groups of Christians to struggle with this issue- together- in a faith community. Talked about the structure of the 3 weeks. Asked "Today is Nov. 3- there are 52 days until Christmas. What are 3 words that come to mind when I say that?" (This was a good opener, got people talking.)Talked about "Knowing who we are, and Whose we are." Used Shirley Guthrie's Christian Doctrine, p 4. Scripture Texts: Isaiah 43: 18-22, and Romans 12: 1-2. Broke into small group discussion. (people were given inventories to fill out as they entered. They were told to look at and discuss "The Spirit of Christmas" section at this meeting, but to do the rest of the inventory as homework.

Week 2: Welcomed everybody, asked about the inventory homework. Elicited responses- gave a few anecdotes (some from the book) Talked about ritual as a container for the sacred, if we let it, and how we can choose our rituals and make our own rituals, if we are mindful. Scripture this week was Mt 1:18-25, and Joshua 24:14-16. Read Shirley Guthrie's Christian Doctrine, p 235. Did additional questions for church groups in small group discussion (exercises 2 and 3 were given as homework)

Week 3: Welcomed everybody, reviewed where we've been and what this weeks discussion will be. Scripture was Zephaniah 3: 14- 16, and Luke 2: 15-20. Read from Gertrude Mueller's To Dance With God, p. 110. Talked about Goals/objectives for holiday. All weeks were closed with prayer.

Enclosed also is the resource list used, as well as the blurb in the Sunday Bulletin. Reception was very good, as was attendance. This Wednesday evening group is a mixed age and gender group, so we got lots of feedback and view points. Hope this helps!

Be Well.

Nancy Meehan Yao

 

QUESTIONS

1. What would Christmas be like in your house if there were no gifts at all?

 

2. If Jesus had been an invisible guest at your house last December, what would He say about the way you celebrated His birthday?

 

3. Jesus first concern was always for the poor and needy. In what ways does the commercial celebration make it difficult to share His concern during the holiday season?

 

4. If Jesus were joining your church, how would you redesign your church's Christmas celebration?

 

5. Is it easier for you to be in touch with your spirituality at other times of the year?

 

6. What does it mean to you to "celebrate Jesus' birth"?

 

(from Unplug the Christmas Machine: Jo Robinson and Jean Coppock Staehli)

 

RESOURCES

Print:
Unplug the Christmas Machine (book) Jo Robinson and Jean Coppock Staehli Leader's Guide free in SLW! Archives
Hundred Dollar Holiday: Bill McKibben written by a church-goer; his (and his congregation's) struggle to reclaim a Christian Christmas
To Dance with God Gertrude Mueller Nelson about making new rituals and celebrations as a family and a faith community
SimpleLivingWorks.org for Alternatives' Advent calendars, and other guides and resources for alternative celebrations (weddings, birthdays, etc.)

Online:

Postconsumers.com helps for voluntary simplicity
SimpleLivingWorks.org Alternatives' successor web site
pbs.org/opb/affluenza/ the PBS site about "affluenza," the video about always wanting more... also has links, questionnaires, etc.

 

 

R.O.O.T.S. Program for November

Life too stressed? Christmas losing its meaning? Want to simplify your celebration? "UNPLUG the Christmas MACHINE" Preparing for Christmas tends to be a time of stress, scurrying, shopping, worrying and stress!! Try some peace this season with the guidance of this program, led by Nancy Meehan-Yao. Meet in the Chapel promptly at 5:30 on Wednesday, November 17th. 'UNPLUG THE Christmas Machine" will be the theme for our discussions beginning each Wednesday in November -- 5:30- 6:15 p.m. Join us FOR R.O.O.T.S. EACH Wednesday AT 5:30 P.M. WE'RE LOOKING FOR YOU!




Simpler Living as Spiritual Practice, Saturday, September 23, 2006, 9 am-4 pm at Grace United Methodist Church, Tunnel Road, Asheville, NC sponsored by Holy Ground featuring Susan Carlyle

Is your life's pace too hurried? Are you surrounded by too much clutter? Does your daily living resonate with your values? This conference is designed to reflect on these issues and others as we gather to share and learn through presentations, small group discussions and workshops.

Simple living is conscious, mindful living. It means choosing to say 'yes' to what matters in our lives and 'no' to all that creates unnecessary busyness. Simpler living redefines the abundant life in ways that understand that less is more. It allows us to create daily rhythms that nourish us and our relationships.

In this workshop, we will consider how simple living is spiritual practice, and learn some practical tips for implementing simplicity in our daily living within our home, hearts, and community.

Participants may choose three of these small group sessions to attend:

Managing Money
Clearing Clutter
Simplicity and Food
Simple Celebrations
Sabbath Keeping.

Cost is $65 which includes a simple vegetarian lunch.

We ask each workshop attendee to bring a mug & cloth napkin. Call Holy Ground to register: 828-236-0222.

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