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Unplug the Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Joy Back into the Season | 
 enlarge | Authors: Jo Robinson, Jean C. Staeheli
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
List Price: $12.95
Buy New: $10.36
You Save: $2.59 (20%)
New (32) Used (52) Collectible (1) from $3.40
Rating:  13 reviews
Media: Paperback
Edition: Rev Sub
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 208
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.7 x 7.3 x 0.4
ISBN: 0688109616
Dewey Decimal Number: 394.268282
UPC: 043144109611
EAN: 9780688109615
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Now in its 13th printing, Unplug the Christmas Machine remains one of the most comprehensive guides to managing Christmas stress and combating commercialism. Jo Robinson and Jean Coppock Staeheli give readers solid advice on how to make their celebrations more spiritual and less materialistic. Practical discussions, such as shopping lists, holiday recipes, and family activities, meld with deeper issues, such as how to teach children that Christmas is more than a present or how to find meaning in the holiday when you're not especially religious. Robinson and Staeheli even delve into the mixed blessings of Christmas homecomings to help readers pass the true holiday stress test.
Product Description
Nine years and thirteen printings later, Unplug the Christmas Machine is still the undisputed guide to creating a joyful, stress-free holiday season. Revised and filled with new material, this book will enjoy even greater popularity in the years to come. In the pages of Unplug the Christmas Machine, Jo Robinson and jean Coppock Staeheli answer the questions they have heard most often in their many years of talking with people about Christmas, such as: "How can I reduce the stress of preparing for Christmas?" "How can I make our celebration more spiritual and less materialistic?" "How can I get my husband to be more enthusiastic about Christmas?" "How can I get my wife to relax and enjoy the celebration?" and "How can I help my children see that Christmas is more than just presents?" Readers will turn to this book for inspiration and practical advice year after year. Sixteen years after it first appeared, this perennial favorite is still the book that thousands turn to for sound, no-nonsense advice on how to combat Christmas commercialism and create a joyful, stress-free holiday season. The authors answer all the most commonly asked questions, from "How can I reduce the stress of preparing for Christmas?" to "How can I teach my children that Christmas means mote than just presents?" and many more.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
Unplug the Christmas Machine August 9, 2008
Excellent - I plan to re-read it again before Christmas! Gets you centered and away from the frenzy of Christmas.
If I just buy enough... July 18, 2008
...then I'll be happy.
I have an unscientific observation. It seems to me the further away someone feels from the "perfect Christmas", the more money, time and resources they devote in pursuit of this unattainable perfection. Speaking from personal experience- there is not enough money, time, or resources that can produce this magical Madison Avenue promise.
It's July, and I just bought this book in the clearance section at Half Price Books ($2.00). Perfect timing!
The book had me at the preface. Although the women/men assigned roles do not reflect my life, I am able to hear the message that lies beyond the language.
To the authors: I've taken the Christmas Pledge and have started to gently share it with my family and friends. Thank you for standing up, speaking out.
If I just buy enough... July 16, 2008
I have an unscientific observation. It seems to me the further away someone feels from the "perfect Christmas", the more money, time and resources they devote in pursuit of this unattainable perfection. Speaking from personal experience- there is not enough money, time, or resources that can produce this Madison Avenue experience.
It's July, and I just bought this book in the clearance section at Half Price Books ($2.00). Perfect timing!
The book had me at the preface.
To the authors: I've taken the Christmas Pledge and have started to gently share it with my family and friends. Thank you for standing up, speaking out.
 celebrate intentionally January 31, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Unplug the Christmas Machine is a thoughtful look designed to help individuals become more intentional about how they celebrate the Christmas season. Based on data, observations and research into how individuals and families approach the Christmas celebrations, the authors have suggestions based on real thought that intends to remind people what their real goals are in Christmas celebration and what they can do to achieve those real goals.
Taking neither a secular nor an especially religious approach to how Christmas is celebrated, the authors are consistent in their desire for people to be intentional in how the holiday is celebrated. For example, they show through their research, the oft-repeated desire for the holidays to be more family centered, is encouraged by a slower approach to celebration, where different individuals in a family are encouraged to participate, rather than just one or two to carry the load.
The markers of modern Christmas - a big family meal with lots of gift giving and a smattering of religious observation are observed in the book as something that has sapped the life of what should be a restful, heartfelt celebration. Certainly stresses in families, due to divorce or other separating factors, combined with the notion of what Christmas is supposed to be, from the retail marketers contribute to how Christmas is often more trouble than it is worth for many. What these two authors have contributed is reminding people to achieve an enjoyable season by being intentional in their observances and by unhooking their daily lives from being passive consumers of the retail economy, and making holiday celebrations more focused on enduring truths; for as the authors point out, Christmas ends for retailers on December 26th, because they have nothing else left to sell the consumer. But for someone unplugged from a Christmas machine, it can be a season joy because it is based on the things that individuals value most: faith, family, rest at home and opportunities to serve others.
This book is recommend for families and individuals who are looking for ways to think through their Christmas celebrations in a more meaningful way.
Applies to all November 26, 2007
Even though this is not a new book, it remains a good baseline for those who are overly stressed during the holidays. If each of us is honest and answers the posed questions truthfully we can all relax and enjoy the holiday rush. Each chapter validates how we feel and takes away the feeling that "I" am the only going through this emotional time. I am trying to follow the idea of doing less gift giving and truly appreciating why we have Christmas. While doing this it is easy to become more open minded and understanding about those I plan to spend time with during the holidays.
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