It's almost December. Here are my plans.
It feels kind of like I just finished with my summer bucket list and now it's December. What the what??
I'm going to do a brain dump of what I want to do in December here, and if you want to do the same, feel free to have at it in the comments!
Buy and decorate a Christmas tree.
We'll get a real one from the local fire department (don't worry, it gets composted by the county after Christmas. No landfill for the trees!)
Although, if we let the Christmas tree dry out, and then chop it up, it would make for some fun fire pit material (pine needles burn so dramatically. Like last year's Christmas wreath.)
Hmm....
Listen to Christmas music.
(at least, while Joshua's not at home. He gets tired of Christmas music pretty fast. 😉 )
We use Pandora for this, which is great because a) it's free and b) you can make customized stations.
Decorate sugar cookies with our kids.
This is a long-standing tradition that our teenagers have not gotten too old for. Yay!
Writing this reminds me...I need to buy candy eyeballs.
Eyeballs will really up your cookie game, people.
Put up outside lights.
The first warmish, dry day we get, this is on the agenda. Way better than doing it in the cold!
Bake some gifts for neighbors.
Gonna need to do one gluten-free option for one of my neighbors. But I'll probably go full-hog gluten for the rest, because, bread.
Make a calendar for Mr. FG's grandma.
I usually do this every year, but I didn't last year! I need to rectify that. Luckily, I already started. But before I finish, I need to get a snapshot of all six of us for the December photo on the calendar.
(Good thing my nose has shrunk from its previous Very Swollen state!)
Go see Christmas lights.
I'm not sure if we'll just drive through neighborhoods or if we'll visit a display...but either way, I'd like to make it happen.
Be kind. And not crabby.
If I get cranky during the Christmas season, it's usually because I am trying to do too much stuff. So, if Crabby Kristen comes out, I'm going to try to remember to take something off my plate.
Better to not get a Christmas something-or-other done than to be an unpleasant household member.
Remember that nothing is all good or all bad.
(I wrote a whole bunch of words about that concept here.)
No Christmas season or outing or gathering or family activity is going to be all good, because we're a bunch of imperfect people.
But luckily, it's usually not all bad either. Life is a mixture, and it's good to adjust expectations accordingly. Some things will go wrong, but some things will go right too. So, I'm going to expect some bad and enjoy the good and remember that the good/bad, easy/hard combo is NORMAL.
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I would love to end the month with fewer toys in our house rather than more. I'm already overwhelmed by the number of toys, so we've committed to getting each kid one or two bigger things that they really want rather than lots of little things. If I can get through the toys we have before Christmas and do some serious paring down and donating, we could end up with a reasonable amount of toys, which the kids actually like and play with, after Christmas, which would be awesome.
This is a thing that definitely improves with age! I'm down to only two children who play with toys anymore, and it's pretty sweet.
So, hang in there...better toy days are coming!
I have a 1 year old and the sheer amount of stuff people give her that ends up discarded quickly is amazing. We do need to do a purge sometime soon, though.
This sounds like an awesome list to me! I cannot BELIEVE it's almost December. I'm freaking out a little bit at how unprepared I feel for the holidays. Womp womp. This year we're making homemade gifts for one side of the family, and while that'll be a lot of fun, it does add a bit more stress to the affair!
We just purchased an artificial tree for $80 on sale at Home Depot. I've never actually had a real tree, but Mr. Picky Pincher had never had a fake tree. For us, a fake one was the least amount of hassle. As an added bonus, we can reuse it every year. 🙂 We decorated the tree with ornaments that I inherited from my parents, so there was no cost to decorate the tree!
And of course our new kitten Zap promptly un-decorated the tree, but at least he's getting into the Christmas spirit. 🙂
Hi Kristen! Is the first time that I comment on your page 🙂 but I've been a follower of your page for a few years now. I wanted to ask you: what is your usual budget for Christmas gifts for your kids? Thanks so much!
So glad you commented! Welcome!
When they were littler and our budget was tighter, we spent about $50 per kid, but right now, it's more like $100 plus stocking stuffers.
Thanks so much for the quick response! I love how thoughtful are the gifts that you give to your children. I actually have Calico Critters stuff for my youngest this year and I'm so excited. This year I've been trying to be careful not to overspend and get my girls stuff that they really want but to not spend a fortune. Each year I try to be more conscious about it. Next year I'm going to try the $100 budget, that sounds super reasonable and you can get some pretty sweet things with that amount. Wishing you and your family a blessed Christmas!!
A lot of our to do items are the same. Two that differ: 1) I want to make Christmas candies with my mom. Some of those will become gifts. 2) I want to make cinnamon Christmas ornaments (the kind made with cinnamon and applesauce as the dough) for our tree and as Christmas gifts for my kids to give to teachers at church, neighbors, etc. They make the house smell heavenly!
So fun to hear about your fun things to do this season. I've got a question for you. I'm in the middle of a Christmas tree light problem.:/ I saw the picture of your pretty tree and thought I'd ask you, how you string your Christmas tree lights? I'm in the process of removing two strings that blew out (although they are the type that if one light goes out, the rest doesn't - even changing the fuse didn't resurrect them) and I'm wondering if I should just remove all of them and start over with new lights. I have an artificial tree and I have tons of medium sized white lights all over it, but I can literally feel the heat from it. One burned out light had a melted bit of tree stuck to it. I'm wondering if I should buy LED lights, eventhough I don't like the look of them, but if they last a long time, maybe I'd change my mind. However, my main question is, what is the best, easiest way to string lights? I've spent so much time going up and down every limb and then they burned out. I'd love to hear how you actually string your lights, what size of light you use, what type of lights you use, etc. Thank you so much for your fun, positive, and encouraging blog. P. S. Your cute red highlights in your hair are so festive.
I'm not speaking for Kristen here, but we go round and round the tree instead of each limb, kind of "draping" as we go, keeping the rows close together to avoid gaps. We switched to LED lights a few years ago, and we really enjoy them. All lit up, against shiny ornaments, they look very star-like to us. Plus, less fire danger and much less electricity. To each his own, but that's how we do it.
Oh, and we've yet to lose a single light on our LED lights. We even use the outdoor LED's for the exterior.
Aww, thanks for the compliment about the highlights.
We always get a real tree, and we just go round and round the tree, kind of draping as we go. So, I'm going around the tree, not up and down the limbs, if that makes sense. I string them the same way you'd string garland around a tree. I hope that helps!
I haven't switched to LED lights yet, because our incandescent strings are still going. Once they die, though, I'll probably make the switch to LED. I'm guessing that'll be the best option for longevity, and I bet they are starting to make LED Christmas lights that don't look quite as blue as before.
Thank you so very much. I truly appreciate yours and JD's responses. I think I'll remove the working strands and go buy LED lights and begin again. I want to be smart about it for the long run. And, I'm actually looking forward to your method of tree lighting. You are so helpful and I really do appreciate it. Off to Home Depot to buy more lights.
I'm just beginning to decorate.
I got really lucky this year though. One of the stores here was getting rid of the very last of their Christmas stuff at the end of May. A really odd time, but whatever.
I bought a new tree for 20 cents. In the end, I grabbed 4. One for me, a spare for my daughter's future classroom (she's studying to be a teacher), one for a friend, and a 4th that will be combined with some decorations and some gifts to be a gift for a mother and her children who have left our local domestic violence shelter to make things a tiny bit easier for a family that is struggling.
That's the major part of my plans for now. I'll work on our Christmas once that's done.
Wow! Twenty cents is a SCREAMING bargain. Yay!
Kristin: So glad you are really on the mend. I wanted to compliment you on your respectful, loving inclusion of you and your husband's grandparents. I'm sure yours are really getting on in years, and you manage to figure out super thoughtful ways to stay in touch - not gifting them with physical "stuff" they no longer need or want to have to maintain but with letters and calendars.
I am going to put " be kind, not crabby" at the top of my list.
I own a small bookshops and working retail at the holidays takes a lot of energy. Our customers are great and we are happy to make extra effort for them a the holidays.
But in years past I would also try to do all the other holiday things and end of up crabby and crazy!! Starting a couple of years ago I decided to be mindful about the holidays and pick what brings me joy, and ditch the rest.
So we will be:
1) hanging lighted stars in the window, putting white lights along out path, and on the house. ( done!)
2) enjoying making homemade gifts but not obsessing about them being perfect or making something for EVERYONE
3) enjoying small holiday gatherings with my knitting and book groups. I will not be attending large 200 people open house type parties.
4) cutting a small tree from our property and decorating with our well-loved ornaments
5) making time to get outdoors for a walk or ski during the limited daylight ( we live in Alaska)
6) enjoying the occasional treat but remembering that eating healthy= feeling better and hopefully avoiding the inevitable crud that circulates this time of year
Hi, where in Ak do you live? I live in Anchorage & am crazy about books & small bookstores. What bookstore do you have? I take it you live in a smaller town as Anchorage doesn't even have small bookshops anymore I don't think. I get a lot of books at thrift stores & trade at Title Wave in town.
Back in 1994 I worked at a local Waldenbooks for a winter, I so remember the Christmas season! It was my first time in retail, wow!
Since my husband never got to put up a tree of any kind growing up, as they always travelled home for Christmas to someone else's house, he would be one unhappy man to forego choosing a real tree, so we will be getting and decorating a real tree. Sometimes we buy potted ones -- we have three growing in our yard right now from past Christmases. The potted kind are only about 4.5 - 5 ft. tall, but the pot adds another foot or so, so they aren't too tiny.
And Kristen, don't count on using the tree as a fire starter -- so many trees are sprayed with flame retardant now, that you might never get that thing to burn, even when it is dry as toast. I speak from experience.
We plan to go see the lights at the Suwannee river, where there is a display every year.
We hope to go to the Lessons and Carols service at church.
If the weather cooperates, I'll make divinity. I might make chocolate hazelnut truffles, too.
I've already started my fruitcake, made without candied fruit or citron, both of which I hate.
Starting tomorrow, I'll start writing a few Christmas cards each evening, then mail them all together about 2 weeks before Christmas. I send out cards each year -- I get the cards for free -- because I have a lot of old relatives to keep up with. For examples, I have an uncle who is 96 and an aunt who is 94, and quite a few in their 80's. They love getting cards.
My family and I will definitely be at the Christmas Eve service at church, which is a wonderful service.
I'll start wrapping presents early, too, so I'm not rushed on Christmas Eve.
And last, but not least, I'll make the filled, three-layered Christmas Lane cake that is a tradition in our family. It takes about half a day to make it, but is so, so good.
Hi Kristen! I've been reading for several years, but this is my first comment. Love you, girl. Thanks for writing. The "nothing is all good or all bad" is great, and so true, and helpful to think about as I work through something that's been bugging me today. You are great and im thankful that you share your life, your ideas, your struggles and joys with this community.
Aww, thanks for your encouragement! I really appreciate it, and I'm so glad that my writing has been helpful to you.
We have an artificial tree which will NOT be put up this year. We don't have the space and my 1 year old would destroy it. I keep joking that we'll just take some pictures in the Christmas section at Sears and call them "our trees."
We will be making Christmas cookies at some point. I'm not sure how much the little one will contribute but we will try.
I already made Chex Mix so that's done off my list.
Other than that, we don't plan on doing all that much. We'll just let traditions happen, I guess.
Ah, you have lots of years in the future to bake with her, and each year, she'll get more and more involved.
I'm positive she'll be up for contributing by eating cookies this year. 😉
Is the cookie picture the one where you had us guess who made which cookie? That was great!
Yep, some of those were in the contest! We'll do another one this year after we decorate our cookies.
I'm really looking forward to going out for a night on the town to see the Nutcracker Ballet with my daughter and mother-in-law! She is taking us for our birthdays which are both right around Christmas. I love gifts that are experiences instead of stuff! Also looking forward to decorating our homemade Gingerbread house. It is never perfect and always fun. Thanks for the great post. 🙂
Love the "be kind, not crabby!"
I love, love, love this time of year. I finished my shopping early this year, so now will enjoy all the fun activities with friends, family, the kids and grandkids. I am having my annual gingerbread house party this weekend. As the grandkids get older, this just becomes one of my favorite things.( Although this year's will be held at my daughter's house so I can spare my brand new carpeting!) I also plan on taking my DH on lots of fun dates this month. He is one of those that gets the holiday blues. I am going to try to make this season a happy one for him!
No time to post a whole list today, do this is more of a progress report. The tree is up, garland on, and a few ornaments so far. Most shopping is done. Next week, I have a holiday luncheon for about 140 ladies that I'm in charge of part of, if that makes sense. I've scrounged 15 clear plastic pitchers (with three to go) from thrift, garage sales and friends. I made 150 Candy Cane Reindeer Ornaments for same. I can't believe I have that much done and it's not even December yet. Woot!
"Nothing is all good or all bad" and your try not to be crabby items go together for me as I am sure one of my children will decide to not have a good time at one of our fun time Christmas activities. I will need to try and remember to not get crabby about one of them being crabby. I have been known to proclaim, "We came here to have fun so have fun for crying out loud!" For the record, yelling at someone to have fun never works.
We are already all decorated up here but we look forward to driving through the local lights display and maybe going to our town's tree lighting ceremony tomorrow. My sister in law and I are going to have a baking day in a few weeks which I am really looking forward to. Other than that, I can't wait for family to come into town. I don't have any sisters, but my husband has two brothers and the three of us wives are very close. They are some of my favorite people in the world so I can't wait to see them as we don't live close. Other than that, we are pretty low key around here.
1. Finish gift shopping (I'm currently about halfway finished. Yay!).
2. Get everything wrapped by December 17.
3. Make cookies for the neighbors.
4. Make Christmas ornaments with my kids.
5. Put up Christmas tree (DONE)
6. Make Christmas cookies with my kids.
7. Watch at least five Christmas movies, including Elf, A Christmas Carol, Home Alone, It's a Wonderful Life, and The Holiday.
8. Make a photo calendar.
9. Make family photo Christmas cards. (DONE)
10. Send Christmas cards.
11. Take firstborn on Polar Express train ride.
12. Help kids pick out charity to send a gift to.
13. Get a new Christmas wreath for our front door. (The old one was worn out, and the front door looks a little sad without a wreath.)
14. Get a couple poinsettias to decorate the house.
15. Set out Christmas decorations around the house.
Forgot one............
16. Set up Nativity scene with the kids and read from the nativity passages in the Bible.
The eyes on your cookies are so cool! Love them 🙂
One Christmas, some years ago, I found myself so overwhelmed by all the demands I'd placed on myself I was literally in tears as we all sat down to dinner together on December 25. So not what the season is meant to be about!
As a result, I shed many of my self-imposed holiday expectations - perfectly decorated home, both inside and out, holiday cards, filled stockings for everyone (even though no one lives at home any longer), lots of beautifully wrapped presents, all meals made from scratch, midnight services even though I am NOT a night person, and hosting from Christmas Eve through Christmas night.
Now I focus only on what I truly enjoy about this special season, meaning I lightly decorate the inside of my home and leave the outside to my husband, gifts have been significantly downscaled in quantity, stockings disbanded, meals simplified, and hosting duties shared with my now-grown-and-on-their own daughters.
Added to my list instead are activities that give me joy - attending a friend's annual tamale making party, attending oodles of holiday concerts and plays, hosting a holiday lights walk through our festive neighborhood that culminates in dessert back at our house, and resurrecting an old tradition of hosting a cookie exchange party for the ladies in my neighborhood.
Prioritizing experiences over things has really tipped the balance back to now looking forward to this time of year instead of dreading it. (!)
Hi Kristen, Good to know you are feeling your usual self again !
I know you buy Calico critters and I saw one of your readers mention it being part of their Christmas shopping list.
I showed my daughter Sonia-Zoe's collection on your blog and she wants them now. 🙂
While looking around online, I realized Michaels sell Calico Critters that can be bought at 1/2 price using their 50% off coupons (coupon is good until this Saturday). Their 40% off coupons would come in handy after Saturday. Just wanted to let you know.
Oh! I had no idea Michael's carried those...I've never seen them before.
After seeing your comment, I checked online again and today it says "Out of stock"
for most Calicco critters toys.
I called our local Michaels and it seems "some" of their stores carry them "seasonally".
Sorry for getting you excited over nothing!
Maybe you could look for them at your local store next time you shop at Michaels.
Also, we have been getting a steady supply of coupons from JcPenney.
Their 10$ off 10$ or more &
10$ off 25$ or more
coupons on top of sale prices have helped us save quite a bit at the store and online too!
I know you don't do coupons much but thought you mind find this worth considering.
P.S. Your blog helps me in many ways everyday and I just feel this need to "give back" in someway way to you and your readers. Thank you for your time !
These are a tasty holiday cookie... that happens to be gluten-free http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Basler-Brunsli-Chocolate-Almond-Spice-Cookies
I love this ,time of year although it can get pretty stressful.
1. Although Thanksgiving is not in December, that is when my to do list begins. My oldest daughter and I cooked and transported dinner to my mother-inlaw's this year. She is 93 and just can't cook that big meal any longer. We will be doing the same thing for Christmas dinner. Lots of baking.
2. Instead of fighting crowds on Good Friday, that is now our annual craft day. We make ornaments, soaps, and hard rock candy. Lots of fun.
3. I have several granddaughters in baton, so we will be going to their performances at parades, caroling, and parties. There will also be Christmas programs at the elementary school where 5 of them attend. Lots of Christmas songs.
4. A few of my colleagues and myself are making a shopping trip next week. Lots of friends.
5. Since I have such a large family, I try to make a many gifts as I can. Lots of crafting.
6. We attend Christmas Eve service at our church, before everyone in our immediate family congregate atheist house. We play games before exchanging gifts. Lots of worship and family fellowship.
7. After Christmas comes a massive cleanup to ready the house for our New Year's Eve party. My husband cooks his famous prime rib and shrimp dinner. Many family members stay to play games before ringing in the new year. Lots of fun again.
As you can see, this is a very busy time of year for me and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Australian traditions are a bit different. We have very few decorations out. I refuse to go down the snowy path. Today will be 40 degrees, so 100 plus, it looks ridiculous. I have hung a battery lit wreath on the front door and that is the lights done in my book.
Today we will bake another dozen or so Christmas cakes for my daughter to take to work. I have a pudding to do. Finally I will face ours! I make shortbread for my boy as he loves it.
Happy Christmas everyone.
I always wonder about that...all those Christmas songs about cold and snow must make no sense when you live in the southern hemisphere!