Magical Holiday Home

Happy Rudolph Day!  Since January is Christmas Notebook Month, you still have plenty of time to get your notebook in shape before the end of the month!  It’s also a good time to organize your thoughts about Rudolph Days for 2012. Make a short list for each of the Rudolph Days 2012. Try to remember to include ONE thing for fun…ONE thing for organizing, and ONE thing to actually DO.   I hope your 2012 is off to a GREAT start!!

Whether you use a simple purchased notebook like Kate over at Wannabecrafter or a binder like Fawndear it’s time to think Christmas Notebook!

There are so many pretty crafty ones out there….if you are inclined to create one:

At Pretty Paper Book

At Poppypaperie  there are step by step directions to creating this one with a little composition book. So cute.

At Eighteen25  more step by step directions for creating a notebook!

At Forever for Always No Matter What you can take a peek inside her notebook to examine the different sections and see the lists and pages she uses!

It’s time to think notebooks!!!

Traditionally Rudolph Day runs from the 25th of one month till the 25th of the next month. Then here at MHH we decided to give every month a focus..like January is “It’s Christmas Notebook” month. So I’ve been talking with the ladies in the Magical Holiday Home forums and we decided that calendar months work better for us as far a monthly topic/area with a special focus along the way on Rudolph day itself.  So if July is “Stocking Stuffer Month” that runs from July 1st to July 31st. Rudolph Movie Club picks will still be posted on the 25th of each month and we will have special little ideas of things to do on Rudolph Day itself.

I’m looking forward to a GREAT 2012 with a little holiday prep all year long. I must say 2011 went splendid..so now let’s keep moving forward!!

It is Wrap It Up Month! The goal for Rudolph Day this month is to finish wrapping gifts or at the very least have a wrapping day and get as many wrapped as possible! No more staying up late Christmas Eve wrapping gifts. The goal is to have Christmas Eve free for enjoying family and friends!

Advent Calendar: Time to get your calendar ready!

Elf Arrival: Is your elf ready? Do you have him or her where you can find it? Is your arrival letter written and do you have the gift from the North Pole that the elf can bring? If not…pull off some elfish magic and get them ready now!

Christmas Cards: Get out those cards you made or signed back in July, finish addressing them, add a newsletter or note if you like and put them in a basket or box ready to mail December 1st! Don’t forget to buy your stamps early.

I always feel as if the holiday season really kicks off with Halloween or our annual Halloween BooBash. This year we tried something totally different. Usually our BooBash is outside but every year you have to worry about the weather and someone always feels it is too cold! So this year I decided to move the party inside with a Haunted Dinner Party. This meant I had to limit the guest list a bit but it seemed to work out.

We set up tables draped in black cloth and that spooky cloth you can buy at Halloween for decoration. We used skulls, bones, spider webs, and other assorted Halloween decor to create a spooky atmosphere. We had tons of candles and a couple night lights but it was still pretty dark.

The guests arrived and were seated by a mean Mistress of Darkness (me).  Next they had to pick the items they wanted in each course of their five course meal. Now they didn’t really know what they were picking because they had names like Exotic Blubber and Satan’s Staff.  After their selections they were served. Some people did not pick wisely and ended up with a course that consisted of a napkin, two forks, two olives and a glass of water. LOL.

No one was allowed to save their plastic ware for the next course but, of course, the sneaky little devils tried to! After each course the table was cleared and the next course served! The whole process took about an hour and twenty minutes (including the time they took to write down their choices). During the serving the portions were very small but afterwards everyone could fill their plates with whatever they wanted. It was a blast!!

Everyone commented on how much fun they had and I must say the Mistress of Darkness added to the fun because she was VERY mean to the guests. “Sit down maggots!” and if they complained she took away their chair and they had to stand for a bit!

It’s Gift in a Jar and Basket Month: Are you making some gifts in a jar or putting together gift baskets? If so this is the month to pull them together! Buy jars or better yet, go on a search of resale shops and find an odd assortment of jars. I love the treasures I find in resale shops! while you’re at it…look for baskets too, at a fraction of the cost! Decide on the ones you will make this year, create a master list and buy ingredients and items!

Master Gift List: It’s time to check the list again. Just like Santa, checking it twice. Add a space for checking when you wrap the gift. This will also help keep track of what is already wrapped and what still needs to be!