The good news is that holidays don't have to be expensive, meaningless, or too much work. They don't have to add to the stress level. Rahter, they can be occasions to connect deeply with oneself, with one another, and with nature; to express creativity and appreciation; to laugh, eat, and make merry together.

Simple Pleasures for the Holidays is filled with inspirational stories of people around the world who enjoy the simplicity of the holdays and know how to achieve a sense of household peace. According to the Trends Research Institute, simplicity will be the social movement of the next ten years. As they seek simpler lives, people are beginning to realize that they need to pursue emotional fulfillment and a sense of connection to nautre, themselves, and one another -- and that the acquisition of material goods cannot bring contentment. To those ends, Simple Pleasures for the Holidays is about simplifying celebrations and making them more about the heart. In the face of today's spirit-draining pace of life, the book is a welcome reminder that joy and rejuvenation come from sharing holidays with friends and family.

Simple Pleasures for the Holidays includes recipes, games, decorations, and ways to make easy crafts and gifts that will enhance each holiday and draw generations of celebrants together. Taking readers through the entire holiday season from Halloween to New Year's, Seton offers ideas for homemaking -- from bath salts to cranberry punch -- that increase the holidays' joy and meaning without straining the pocketbook or the earth.