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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

3 Ways Cassie Solved the Christmas Stocking Nightmare

by Chautona Havig · 4 Comments

Confession time.  Cassie hasn’t dealt with Christmas stockings yet.  I mean, c’mon.  April Fool’s Day just passed.  And for all her faults, Cassie’s no fool.

So why’s she spouting off about Christmas in April?  Well, because in this alternate timeline, I’m in November, and stocking season is just around the corner.  EEEP!

I sat down with Cassie and grilled her for ideas for a more eco-friendly stocking experience, and she showed me that a lot of what we do is easily translated!  So, I asked her to do a guest post for me on the topic.  Here she is with:

3 Ways Cassie Solved the Christmas Stocking Nightmare

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

3 Ways Cassie Solved the Christmas Stocking Nightmare

Hey, thanks for having me here on your blog!  I asked Think what he wanted to say to everyone and based on his silence, I think he’s just asking for a nice, warm scarf for Christmas.  He’s always so cold.  Like, you touch him and your fingers freeze!  Scariness.

But I’m supposed to be telling you my Christmas Stocking ideas.  You know—about that nightmare that stocking stuffing can be! What to find, will there be enough to fill it up–too much?  Let’s face it: it can be overwhelming.  It’s especially true when you’re trying not to contribute to the ever-increasing piles of land-fillers otherwise known as stocking stuffers!

First: Get creative and find eco-friendly replacements.

eco-friendly, christmas, eco-friendly christmasWhat do most stockings include?  Well, my parents always, always, always put in a new toothbrush.  As I got older, they added in my favorite toothpaste and sometimes sample mouthwashes or dental flossers.   So, starting with stuff like this, just choose more eco-conscious ideas.  Go for things like wood toothbrushes with natural bristles over plastic ones with plastic bristles.  The same is true of toothpaste.  Get those cool toothpaste Bites instead of toothpaste. Go buy some Dental Lace .  #soundslikeathong #wellitdoes

And this goes for all kinds of stuff. You can do things like shampoo bars, brushes (with wood handles and boar bristles), or even the Kooshoo  hair ties made from organic cotton and natural rubber.  Just teach your kids to take REALLY good care of those things, because they’re pricey.  But here’s the thing.  I figured out that half the problem with hair ties as far as eco-stuff goes is waste.  #alltiedup

We lose them suckers everywhere. 

In the couch, in the car, on the sink and it gets knocked into the toilet.  Hey, I’ll just be honest here.  Think is sporting one as a sports band around his head.  And I think this is where that idea of choosing to make “better” decisions is just as important as a zero-waste decision.  Because women are not going to give up their hair ties. That means the question becomes, “How can we reduce the waste instead of eliminating it?”  #sustainablesustainableliving  #justsaying

Kooshoo is it.  Well, unless you just want to start picking up all the ones I see in the Walmart and Target parking lots.  I mean, that’s an option.  I guess.

It works for everything, though.  Find what you do buy now and see if you can find an alternative that will last longer, took fewer resources to create, won’t end up in the landfill, or some combination of those.  #woolsocksforthewin

Second: Stop stuffing just to make it look full.

I had friends whose parents were all about tons of presents, and that included stockings that overflowed with… well, junk. It’s like they bought out the entire dollar store just so the kid would have their over-sized stocking full of… stuff.

Look, I get it. They’re called stocking stuffers for a reason.  I can hear moms protesting now.  “If I don’t have a big stocking, Johnny won’t feel loved.”  #nottrue

Hint city.  Buy bigger stuff, then.

Socks.  Seriously, stuff that stocking with socks.  Find ones wrapped with sticky paper instead of in plastic bags if you can.  Costco sells K.Bell socks.  Awesome things.  Cheap.  And no plastic.  They also take up a boatload of space.

Put tiny things in reusable boxes.  Seriously.  If you buy a pair of costume jewelry earrings, then stick them in a box.  Wrap it up (I’ll deny I ever said to use wrapping paper!)  Make it nicer to look at and fill up that stocking faster.  #momscancheat #itsnotasin #Jesusisthereasonafterall

3 Ways Cassie Solved the Christmas Stocking Nightmare

Or maybe you could do something even cooler.

Change how your kids perceive stockings by changing how you perceive it.  It’s all about education, about talking, and about showing them that you want them to have special things but that you don’t want to be wasteful in the process.

You can go slowly.  Cut it back by 25% this year. 50% next year.  75% the next or maybe even go whole hog then.  Whatever it takes.  And whatever it takes, make it special.

Christmas can be the “most wonderful time of the year,” but we often make it stressful and disappointing by our unreasonable expectations.  Redefine those expectations—both yours and your kids’.  One at a time.  #moreblessedtogive #stuffersnotlandfillers #redefineexpectations  #babysteps

And third: Don’t be a Scrooge!

3 Ways Cassie Solved the Christmas Stocking Nightmare

Scrooge is the anti-hero of A Christmas Carol. Seriously. Yes, he comes around at the end, but no one likes him.  He has a terrible attitude until it’s scared out of him.  Why would you want to be like that?

Being eco-conscious isn’t something to worship.  Look, I’m all about going all-out when you take on a project.  I think everyone knows that. But if you aren’t careful, you’ll make that stocking and what’s in it more important than the person you’re giving it to.

So buy that “Makeup Eraser” with its crazy amount of packaging (well, if you buy it from Costco instead of Amazon) instead of the small package of makeup wipes.  It might make an initial withdrawal from the landfill reserves, but it’ll pay back hugely later.

If you have a choice between candy wrapped in plastic or in aluminum foil or a box, well then that’s kind of an obvious choice.  But if Skittles are your husband’s only candy vice, buy the stupid Skittles.  Give the guy a break.  Oh, and here’s a hint.  Buy the giant bag.  It’s less plastic in the long run, and it fills the stocking faster.  #jumboforthewin #becauseSkittles #bereasonable

What does it all mean?

You might have fewer items in that stocking this year.  Maybe.  Just make sure that you choose both things your loved ones will want and things that you can feel good about.  Not just because it won’t’ languish in a landfill for a few centuries and still not decompose.  No, I was kind of thinking about how it won’t end up in a landfill at all, because hey.  Let’s face it.

Most of that dollar store stuff does.  Like the week after New Year’s.  It’s kind of like how I was going to throw away all those glasses after my New Year’s party.  Ouch.  #ouch #lessonlearned #youcanthrowitinmybankinstead

So there you have it.

Cassie’s 3 ways to solve the stocking stuffer nightmare.  I wonder how many I’ll pull off myself.  I’m suspecting quite a few since they were all requests from my kids.  😉

I’d like to throw in a fourth.  I just want to be careful with how I state this. 

3 Ways Cassie Solved the Christmas Stocking Nightmare

We do Christmas in our family.  By some standards, we do it BIG.  By others, not so much.  Every year or two, I get an email from someone asking why we celebrate Christmas.  Haven’t I studied the origins?  Aren’t I making it all about “getting stuff” and not about Jesus?

Trust me.  I’ve studied.  I’ve worked through it, over and over.  And in the end, celebrating is something I still feel strongly about.  HERE’s partly why.

But that doesn’t mean that we–including me!–shouldn’t reevaluate every now and then. And it doesn’t mean that instead of stuffing a stocking for your kids for Christmas, you and your kids can’t stuff a “stocking” (read: box) for a child somewhere else in the world.  So maybe it’s time to change it all–and check out Operation Christmas Child for next year’s stocking fun.  My bestekids LOVE their annual tradition of filling a box for another child somewhere!

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Comments

  1. Andrea Rossignol says

    November 17, 2018 at 9:35 am

    But Cassie, you forgot oranges and nuts! They take up a lot of space, are consumable so you don’t fill your house with stuff, and come in biodegradable wrappers!

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      November 18, 2018 at 3:42 am

      They’re my faves, but she seemed to think no one did those anymore!

      Reply
  2. Joy @ Real World Bible Study says

    November 16, 2018 at 7:22 pm

    #cassie’shashtags

    Also, Friday brain read this:
    Well, unless you just want to start picking up all the ones I see in the Walmart and Target parking lots. I mean, that’s an option. I guess.

    It works for everything, though.

    As this:

    Well, unless you just want to start picking up all the ones I see in the Walmart and Target parking lots. I mean, that’s an option. I guess. It works for everything, though.

    ———————————————————————————

    My mom always puts school supplies in stockings. I’ve definitely gotten socks. (By the way, grownups love “boring” Christmas presents like clothes. Especially while paying off debt.) And I remember always trading with my siblings for so-and-so’s favorite candy.

    Here’s a great space-taker-upper-stocking-stuffer: TOWELS. #4 would love that, right?

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      November 18, 2018 at 3:48 am

      I love that you remember what #4 did. Got a complaint today. Apparently, she’s now counting plates and bowls when people come over so she can find out where they go. #2son’s friends have taken to hiding some every time now. Let the chaos commence.

      Reply

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Episode 42: A Chat with J'nell Ciesielski
by Chautona Havig

The cover got me first.  It was “my” Madeline, but of course, no one could tell if they didn’t know the photographer’s work. So, combine WWI, poppies, and “my” Madeline… well, I had to read it, right?  Yeah. Among the Poppies (review here) by J’nell Ciesielski was the best debut novel I’ve ever read.  Bar none.  I became an instant fan of J’nell Ciesielski that day, and I’ve read everything she’s written ever since.

So, when I heard about her newest release, of course, I wanted to read it.  I wanted to talk to her about it–all the things. So, let’s talk about this book.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

My First “Top Book” of 2021 Begins HERE!

I had a wonderful discussion with J’nell about her newest release (as in releases TODAY!), Beauty Among Ruins, about her vision for writing Christian fiction, and the goals Thomas Nelson/Harper Collins has for some of their Christian fiction titles/authors!

Let’s start with this book: Beauty Among Ruins.  Guys… this book. Lily and Alec just hit the top tier of favorite characters ever. Not only that, but J’nell Ciesielski adds depth and richness to her cast by having supporting characters that I’m dying to know more about.  Sequel perchance?  I’d love that. Just sayin’…

We learned the history of the book, how it got its title… hint, the original was hilarious but um… yeah.  Not one that I’d grab off the shelf unless I saw J’nell’s name on it!), and some of the research she had to do to keep her from using the hackneyed old solutions to familiar problems in early 20th century England… well!  WHEW!

Oh, and speaking of those problems… One of J’nell’s most brilliant skills is taking the spine of a story you think you’ve read before and turning it into something fresh and new. For example, in Beauty Among Ruins, you have an American heiress, an aristocratic family who are floundering to keep up the family estate, a crumbling manor house turned into a hospital, and wounded soldiers.  Sound familiar?

It’s not. And that’s the brilliance of J’nell.

Add to that a storyline that keeps you guessing and full of rich history that never weighs you down with preachiness (seriously, preachy fiction isn’t just for Bible. It also happens with science, politics… and history!

Speaking of preachy fiction…

As much as I loved talking about her book, one of the highlights of the interview is getting an insider’s understanding of where Thomas Nelson is taking some of their fiction.

I’ve been an outspoken critic of the lack of spiritual content in the Christian Fiction coming out of Thomas Nelson in recent years. When you buy “Christian fiction,” you expect to find something other than just “clean fiction.”

In my discussion with J’nell, she described the publisher’s goal of using fiction with a Christian worldview and subtle elements to bridge the gap between Christian fiction and the general market. Knowing this is the plan rather than just a watering down of faith or something. Knowing that those elements are woven into subtext to be a gentle reach to readers who otherwise might not pick up Christian fiction makes that lack of overtness much more palatable.

Additionally, J’nell didn’t just write a “clean” book. The spiritual elements are in there. They’re just layered into that subtext. I found myself going to the Bible to see what it said about several things.  This is what I want from my Christian fiction.  I don’t’ need a token prayer or Bible verse.  Those do nothing for me. But give me something to chew on for a while, and I’m thrilled.

J’nell Ciesielski does that beautifully and has from the very first book of hers I read.

She also told me about a book coming out this summer… The Ice Swan.  Isn’t that cover GORGEOUS?

I’m so excited about Beauty Among Ruins  that I’m also giving away a copy of J’nell Ciesielski ‘s book to one commenter.

Go to https://chautona.com/because-fiction-42 and tell me if you’ve ever read anything by J’nell and what your favorite was if you have. I’ll try to draw next week when I do episode 43.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episode 42: A Chat with J'nell Ciesielski
Episode 42: A Chat with J'nell Ciesielski
January 13, 2021
Chautona Havig
Episode 41: A Chat with Jennifer Pierce
January 5, 2021
Chautona Havig
Episode 40: My Favorite Book of 2020
December 8, 2020
Chautona Havig
Episode 39: A Chat with L.K. Simonds
December 1, 2020
Chautona Havig
Episode 38: Dan Smith & Saving Ebenezer
November 24, 2020
Chautona Havig
Episode 37: A Chat with Sara Beth Williams
November 17, 2020
Chautona Havig
Episode 36: A Chat with Jennifer Beckstrand
November 10, 2020
Chautona Havig
Episode 35: What Is This NaNoWriMo Thing All About?
November 3, 2020
Chautona Havig
Episode 34: 5 Cheap & Easy Ways to Feed a Book Habit
October 27, 2020
Chautona Havig
Episode 33: 2020 Christmas Collections
October 20, 2020
Chautona Havig
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I get you, Keith. I get you. Justified Means: book I get you, Keith. I get you.
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Who wouldn't want it?  Justified Means: book one Who wouldn't want it? 
Justified Means: book one in the Agency Files, is on tour with Celebrate lit. Visit celebratelit.com to find a link to follow the blog tours and check out the reviews. 
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Reposted from @becausefictionpodcast Episode 42: A Reposted from @becausefictionpodcast Episode 42: A Chat with J'nell Ciesielski

I had a wonderful discussion with J'nell about her newest release (as in TODAY!), Beauty Among Ruins, about her vision for writing Christian fiction, and the goals Thomas Nelson/Harper Collins has for some of their Christian fiction titles/authors!

Stay tuned for more in depth show notes in just a bit!

© © Chautona Havig 2020
@jnellciesielski
#becausefiction
#podcasts
#Christfic
#christianfiction
Kind of depressing but true... Justified Means: bo Kind of depressing but true...
Justified Means: book one in the Agency Files, is on tour with Celebrate lit. Visit celebratelit.com to find a link to follow the blog tours and check out the reviews. 
#christiansuspense
#christianfiction
#Christfic
#KindleUnlimited
Justified Means: book one in the Agency Files, is Justified Means: book one in the Agency Files, is on tour with Celebrate lit. Visit celebratelit.com to find a link to follow the blog tours and check out the reviews. 
#christiansuspense
#christianfiction
#Christfic
#KindleUnlimited
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