Book excerpt: Encounter the sacred in the ordinary and not-so-ordinary of the holiday season with this beautiful book of blessings. For so many of us, the season leading up to Christmas is a time of huge expectations, huge busyness, and often huge grief. Ordinary Blessings for the Christmas Season, from gifted poet and empathetic pastor Meta Herrick Carlson, is a beautiful collection of prayers, poems, and meditations to help us recognize the holy beneath the hustle and hibernation of the season. While we travel, spend time with family, contend with consumerism, confront grief, and soak up joyful moments, the blessings in this book are a lovely companion for all of us who are looking to access the deeper meaning of the holidays The book includes blessings for all the ordinary and not-so-ordinary moments of the season, like addressing Christmas cards, setting boundaries with family, shoveling snow, and the first Christmas without a loved one. Also included are blessings dedicated to beloved nativity characters like Mary and the magi, blessings for each of the twelve days of Christmas, and a beautiful collection of sacred-word-inspired blessings that readers can use as daily Advent readings, connecting us to the ancient story of Christmas. Let this beautiful little book be a reminder that the holy can be found in the routine and the ritual of the holiday season.