Archive for Christmas
Simple Wrapping
Posted by: | CommentsIf you are tired of the usual printed Christmas paper that rips too easily, you can try some of these simple wrapping ideas:
Use old jewelry as bows
Beautiful wrapping, most starting with plain paper
(from Pinterest)
Get creative with what you already have
Wrap things with string and a little greenery
Or use pom poms and buttons
Wrap in towels or large cloth napkins
Paper bags and ribbons ala Apartment Therapy:
What are your favorite ways to wrap?
Simple Christmas Decorating
Posted by: | CommentsDecorating isn’t one of my favorite parts of Christmas but I like how it looks when it is festive. So I have simplified my decorating. Besides replacing some Christmas balls last year I haven’t gotten new decorations in at least 4 years.
Some simple ideas:
- Put Christmas books on plate racks
- Use Christmas balls – I have some hanging up, one in a plant, on door handles, in a large glass dish, in candle holders in the kitchen, on a geode holder in the bathroom, in a bowl in the office.
- Use nature – pinecones, fruit, flowers, cinnamon. This page has great use of natural objects, I especially love the Noel Room.
- Put what is most important to you this season front and center. For us it is the nativity scene.
- Candles all over to make things bright
- We took some decorations off our wooden shelf in the living room and replaced them with those old, heavy, snow globes (the pictures are my great-grandparents)
- Bowls of old fashioned hard candy (for those with no toddlers)
- Keep most of the decorations in the box, except your favorites (better yet, declutter them)
- Decorate by color – this year it was red and gold, so I was able to find these colors around the house like a big red mug filled with caramels. Another year it was country blue and red. Another year it was burgundy and gold.
- Driftwood and stars if you don’t have room for a tree: http://sweetpaul.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/12/holiday-countdown-dec-6th.html
- I love this Scandanavian Christmas
Do you have any simple decorating tips?
How You Get Good Family Stories
Posted by: | CommentsThis past weekend, my husband and I went searching for tracks to drive on in our new, used Jeep. We came to one extremely bumpy dirt road with deep grooves. At the beginning I braced for each bump. But, quickly found out that by tensing my body I made it feel worse.
Instead, I loosened my body and let it flow where it wanted to go. My head bobbed, my waist danced from side to side and I didn’t feel nearly as clobbered.
(Not our Jeep, but you get the picture)
This is a good way to look at the upcoming holiday season. Turkeys will burn, toys will be sold out, you’ll forget to send a card to someone. Expect that things will get screwed up. And go with the flow. They aren’t the disasters we make them out to be when we are over-stressed. In fact they are often the stories for future holidays.
Remember when mom got strep throat and we ended up eating turkey pot pies for thanksgiving? Remember the snow storm where we slept in a gas station parking lot because all of the hotels were filled? Remember how badly you wanted tickle me elmo? And they were sold out, but you got so excited a month after Christmas when you finally got it. (All true stories for me)
What if this year you relaxed? If you didn’t get worked up over the little things? I want you to really be happy and merry this season.
***
Photo by: W Silver
If you want a Simpler Holiday plan:
Do you want a holiday plan that doesn’t have you do a million things you just don’t have time for?
I’ve tried the holiday plans that are online. But, I never finished them. Having simplified my Christmas I didn’t use many of the parts of those plans. And they just made me feel guilty.
Would you like a simpler holiday plan ?
I created a plan that I use to keep my holidays organized without overwhelming me.
Bundle it with the Simple Annual Plan to help plan your year ahead.
Simple Holiday Plan PLUS the Simple Annual Plan Bundle
Or get the holiday plan alone: Simple Holiday Plan
Aligning Your Spending with Your Beliefs
Posted by: | CommentsI just got back from a local diner that has the best hamburgers around. It’s been there since 1924 and has 50s music playing. The owners and waitresses called many people by name. A grandpa was there with his young grandson. A group of of people that work together put tables together. An older lady hung out at the counter chatting with the owner. The place was very clean. My meal was probably $2 more than it would have been at fast food, but it was worth it to me.
I prefer to spend my money at local shops even if they cost a bit more. As we go into the holiday spending season, where do you plan to spend your money? I would rather get 1/2 a pound of candy at Mainstreet Sweet Shoppe, then get a pound at Sam’s Club. I love to get presents at Out of the Box game store since my daughter goes there on free game nights.
I no longer keep money in a big bank, but instead use a credit union where they welcome me by name every time I enter.
I love it when I can buy something environmentally friendly and chemical free. And I am willing to pay a little more for that.
When you buy less stuff, you can buy according to your beliefs easier.
It’s time to budget for the holidays and start making your lists. What can you buy locally or that aligns with your beliefs?
You can make a difference with your spending.
Spreading Holiday Cheer
Posted by: | CommentsStop all your prep work for a minute. How are you feeling and acting? Are you tense? Irritable? Snippy?
What if you let go of some of the prep? Or maybe do it with music and laughter?
One of the greatest gifts you can give your family is your light and presence. The to dos aren’t worth breaking the peace.
How can you be a light to your family?
Christmas Printables
Posted by: | Comments
To make it easier this season, there are wonderful printables that creative people made and share with us.
- Gift certificates – for getting out of chore cards, rent a movie day, dinner out with Mom, stay up 1/2 hour later, etc.
- Games, puzzles and crafts for kids to do on their vacation
- Gift tags for presents
- Christmas cards, more cards and card templates
- Letters from Santa
- Paper ornaments
- Christmas cutouts for decorating
- Flyers, cards and invitations for parties
- Christmas lessons
- Homemade Christmas gifts
- Christmas song lyrics
Decluttering for the Holidays
Posted by: | Comments
If most years you bring more stuff into your life for the holidays, it may be time to do a little pre-holiday decluttering.
Kids’ Toys
Let start with the kids. Which toys have they outgrown, no longer play with, never liked? Are any in good enough condition to donate? Take the kids when you donate so they can feel good too.
Electronics
If you’ve been upgrading your electronics regularly, you probably have old versions of what you have. Now is a great time to try to sell them on Craigslist or Ebay so they can become other people’s gifts. This goes for old phones as well.
Decorations
As you put away the Thanksgiving decorations go through your box to see what you never used this year. Do you plan on using them again?
As you get out your Christmas decorations, see what hasn’t been out of the box in a few years. Do you really need them still?
Linens
How many holiday towels and pot holders do you need? Are they taking up too much space for something only used once a year? Do you have too many sets of guest linens? Maybe some are old enough to get rid of.
Last years Christmas cards
Pick out a few and save the letters you want, but let go of the rest. Christmas cards make nice gift tags if you cut out the pictures and print To: and From: on the back.
Clothes
Let go of Christmas seasons past. If it no longer fits you or the kids you may want to give it away. Go through your tacky Christmas sweater pile and see how many you really need. And make sure all out of season clothes are packed away.
Finally, remember the one in one out rule when you get Christmas presents. If you get a book, let go of a book. If you get a new shirt, let go of an old shirt. Keep your home decluttered by seeing decluttering as a process – not a one time event.
***
Photo by: Milena Mihaylova
Simplifying for the holidays? Try my $2 Simpler Holiday Plan
Simpler Holiday Plan
Posted by: | Comments
Do you want a holiday plan that doesn’t have you do a million things you just don’t have time for?
I’ve tried the holiday plans that are online. But, I never finished them. Having simplified my Christmas I didn’t use many of the parts of those plans. And they just made me feel guilty.
Would you like a simpler holiday plan ?
I created a plan that I use to keep my holidays organized without overwhelming me.
Plan includes:
- a checklist for each week
- simple steps to take to create the holiday you want
- short cuts and simplifications for many holiday tasks
- questions to help you decide what is important to you and your family
- worksheets and forms
Simple Holiday Plan
$2.00
4-week program to organize and simplify your holiday
Silent Night
Posted by: | Comments 
Christmas as an adult can be exhausting and overwhelming. Shopping, cooking, writing cards, shopping, baking, entertaining, shopping.
But, one night in December is different from the whirl of the other nights for my family. We hold our “silent night”. Early in the season we mark the date and make sure everyone is home that evening.
Silent Night begins after dinner. We turn on the tree lights and we light candles around our living room. All the rest of the lights in the house are turned off. No music, TV, and other noise is allowed. No one talks. We cuddle on the couch together under a blanket and watch the lights dance. Our minds settle. We become relaxed and peaceful. The children’s eyes glitter from the candlelight. Contented smiles warm their faces. They remind me of adoring angels.
When we are ready, we each sit in the living room reading an inspirational book. We read by the glow of the candles as in times past. I always read the Christmas story in Luke. Something new is revealed each time. The kids enjoy Christmas stories like a “Little House Christmas” or “Angels and Donkeys”. Afterwards we pray silently thanking God for this season.
Softly someone starts singing, “Silent Night.” Others join in singing barely above a whisper. Our music fades away at the end of the chorus and we are quiet again. We listen to the silence for a few more moments.
Without a word, we blow out the candles, until no light remains but our tree lights. I can hear our breathing. The darkness seems to bring with it even more silence.
Then the silent night is over. We give each other hugs and turn on the lights. We continue our night- doing homework, chores and Christmas planning. But, we are all a little more quiet, a lot more peaceful and still glow from the light of the candles.
***
Photo by Student of Rhythm
The Christmas Police
Posted by: | CommentsGuess what – there is no Christmas police.
You can decide not to…
- Bake cookies
- Put up a tree
- Decorate
- Spend more than you have on gifts
- Make your own stockings
- Stay up to midnight finishing homemade gifts
- Cook twice as much as you need
- Go to the party
If it doesn’t matter to you or your family you can say no. And if your family says it all matters, ask them what matters most. (If it truly, truly matters to them they can always do it themselves.)
You can decide to…
- Celebrate with just your immediate family
- Make one kind of cookie
- Ask for help with the holiday dinner
- Spend the night in
- Finish up things after Christmas
- Enjoy
- Laugh
- Connect
Breathe and let go.
