2015 HHP - Week 16 - Nearly There

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happy2bme

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Household Checklist:
- continue with regular cleaning schedule

Holiday Prep Checklist:
- finish wrapping
- finish baking

DD will be out of the house a fair amount this week, so I will finally be able to get the wrapping done. There are only a couple more things I want to bake and they won't take too long to do.


 

Holiday_Mom

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I had a funeral last weekend and ever since, I've been off kilter with where I'd like to be. We cut our tree down yesterday and had to rearrange our family room to make it fit. Usually that's done before we get the tree. The rearranging took awhile but it's done. We finished decorating the tree this afternoon.

Cindylouwho - How are things looking with your parents?
Mel - Good luck with the wrapping. I've been trying to get family's wrapping done when they are out too.

Household
  • Print off Christmas cleaning and preparation timeline. Done
  • Do work as listed on the timeline.
  • Do a final pre-holiday whole-house clean. Done
Holiday
  • Make cookies
  • Make Christmas Stollen Done

Still to do
  • Work on Christmas cards. May send out less cards than other years at this point. Done
  • Continue holiday decorating. I can not believe how far behind I am this year.
  • Wrap family gifts. Hope to do this on Monday and Tuesday.
  • Check out grocery store sales for ingredients for Christmas Eve Menu. Would like to get this done sometime between Wed. and Fri.
 
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happy2bme

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Mary,

I have been frustrated to no end about not getting the last of the wrapping done. This is because I HATE wrapping and just want to get it done.

I can't get mad at DD for being home, she has been finishing up this term of college and studying for a final exam. She hasn't been working much either, so that hasn't helped. We are currently living in a one bedroom house with not a lot of extra space, so there aren't a lot of places that I go to wrap.

My plan is to get the last of the wrapping done Wednesday night when she is at her staff party.
 

Holiday_Mom

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Mel - I use to get all my wrapping done at night when the kids were little but now that they stay up later doing homework, it makes it difficult to get wrapping done. I may have to start wrapping in my bedroom since that is the only room that has a door. It is not the ideal situation but if I get desperate, then I'll have to that.

I got two batches of cookies made and half of gingerbread cookies iced tonight. I am so happy! I will finish up icing the gingerbread tomorrow. There are still more cookies to bake but this is a good start.
 

happy2bme

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That is a great start!! Good job!!
 

Cindylouwho

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I'm really off too. Picked up DH from airport last night and am just dragging. Stressed because I lost lots of little pockets of time too -- I expected to have ALL last week and this week to finish up and get the wrapping done and such and last week just got blown with unexpected things coming up. This shouldn't be a surprise. It is always something

DH set up a camera at my elderly father's house though - so at least I can see what is going on. Will give it a few days to see how things are going. I can access it from my phone so that is pretty nice.

The house is all put back together after the kids help this weekend. Got nothing else done on the Christmas front. So the list moves to this week. Got DH to agree to at least 1 part day to help me wrap.

On the wrapping -- I carry things back and forth to a back room and yell out that everyone has to close their eyes while I'm walking across the house. They want the surprise so they are good about closing their doors til the presents land under the tree. The majority of the wrapping will have to be while they are home at this point. Disappointed that I'm scrambling to get stuff done. How on earth is this POSSIBLE with the kind of lead time I give Christmas? Probably the perfectionist in me that is my downfall. I want to get just the right things. The first 75% of the shopping goes really well and then I take FOREVER on the last 25%. Also, I had several unexpected things land on my schedule that I try REALLY hard to protect. Man, just no getting around it this year.

Breathe..... Really I just need a good night's sleep. It will all probably seem more possible tomorrow.

THIS WEEK:
Finish shopping.
Christmas cards and letter out.
Kids' school buddy gifts put together
Buy Silver ribbon for wrapping paper
WRAP WRAP WRAP
 

Holiday_Mom

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Cindylouwho - What a neat idea to set up a camera. Technology is incredible these days.

Ah, yes, the perfectionist tendencies shine this time of year, don't they? I'm really working on letting things go of expectations or at least lowering them. I've found that sometimes I need to take a break from my list and doing something relaxing for myself and then I feel the tension slowly release. I met up with someone today which seems counter intuitive at this time of the year. When I got back home, instead of feeling stressed because I just lost some more time, I felt so much better because I did something for me.

A good night's sleep really does help. I'm *trying* to get to bed by 10 pm each night this week. I've noticed a pattern these last few years of burning the candle at both ends and then getting sick on Christmas Day or just after Christmas. I'm thinking that if I eat right and get enough sleep, then I have a good chance of being well on Christmas.

I finished icing the gingerbread cookies and started on wrapping the gifts. I think that tonight I will work on the cards that are left.
 

happy2bme

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I agree - sleep is so important. I haven't slept well for the last couple of nights and I am really feeling it.

DD and I planned on baking cookies this evening, but the kitchen is being worked on, so that is now on hold until tomorrow.

UGH!!
 

luludou

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I agree with the sleep pattern before the holidays. I'm trying real hard to go to bed earlier too.. but it's proving difficult! Starting Friday night I will be on vacation 2 weeks.. had thought of coming in the 22nd and the 23rd but then I will not be rested.. so no I will stay home (I have lots of vacation days to take)

I still have a few gifts to wrap.. but mostly it's done and I do have a few days at home next week. DH wil be there with me and I'm hoping he will let me go along with my 'restful and peaceful' Schedule.
 

happy2bme

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I baked another batch of cookies tonight. I have one more new recipe I want to try and then I am done!!
 

Holiday_Mom

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Great job, Mel!

I have the teacher and service gifts staged. My children attend two different schools. The last day before break is on Friday. They will bring them in on Thursday and Friday. My other child finishes next Tuesday so we'll deal with the rest of them later.

That was all that gone done yesterday. I got two emails from the two principals stating that we were to check our children's hair for lice. UGH! Thankfully, everyone here is nit free. The girls are wearing their hair in buns and braids until Christmas break. What a "lousy" way to spend the evening. ;-)


:tree2:
 

happy2bme

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Mary,

Nothing says Happy Holidays more than a lice check.

Glad your crew is nit free.
 

Holiday_Mom

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LOL! Ain't that the truth!

Did anyone hear a choir of angels singing "Hallelujah?" I finally got the Christmas cards written, addressed and stamped. They are going out in the mail tomorrow.

I got more gifts wrapped. Every time I think I'm finished, another unwrapped gift appears that I forgot to do.

Tomorrow I will make the stollen. While it is rising, I will focus on cleaning the house on the first floor.

Teacher/Service gifts start leaving the house tomorrow.

Off to print the Christmas cleaning and prep timeline...
 

happy2bme

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The wrapping is done!!!

I repeat...

The wrapping is done!!

I am so glad that job is finally finished. Since I don't have anywhere to hang the stockings, I put them in a cupboard. After I wrapped the stocking stuffers I decided to stuff them and put them away until Christmas Eve.

What's next??
 

tanya

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I have fallen off the wagon with posting in this thread- life just kind of took over!
We are in pretty good shape for Christmas- Most of the house is really clean- probably more thanks to the cleaner than to me- but because of the pups it gets dirty again super fast! OH well! I like a clean house but I love my pups more! The house is not as well organised as I would probably like- my fault but I can live with it- its school holidays here and life is very relaxed from late Nov to early Feb.
Im happy with the tree and the decorations. Shopping is finished- need to pick up some wine/ champagne. The bulk of the wrapping is done. Was going to do it tonight but just can't be bothered now.
Small party planned for Monday evening- just a few friends and some of DS's mates from school with their parents- not a big deal and we are having fresh seafood mostly and I am having it catered. It was not really planned it just kind of happened so very casual.
Some of the craft did not get done- but again I can live with it. It was not for gifts as such - just for me to enjoy doing- it can wait til later in the year.

All in al Im pretty happy with Christmas plans this year.
 

Cindylouwho

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Relatives flew through (midnight airport pickup so not in bed til 2am -- second airport run this week - the late nights are exhausting me). M U S T sleep! All is possible if I can just sleep. Will try for that tonight.

Did our first "night shopping" with DH last night as DH will be on overtime now and for much of the coming week. This will be a technology year for us because all of our electronics are not playing well with each other. This Christmas we are fixing that. But you know anything with computers and technology is complicated.

Our schedule is really loaded this year. It's like Whack a Mole with the number of things that keeping getting added to the schedule! I try hard to avoid night shopping and I block out these 2 weeks -- and somehow the world missed that memo. Yes, that "burning the candle at both ends" really sucks it out of you. I did that for a couple years and decided it just wasn't worth it. Now I dedicate a certain number of hours in the day and the later part of the day goes to the family. Keeps me sane. Except for last night -- because now DH is going to be on overtime. Sigh.

That said, today's goal is get the last of the shopping done that I haven't been able to pull off and set up for a wrapping marathon tomorrow morning with the few hours I have DH tomorrow.

Tanya - You are out for the holidays? That must be so nice to have school out at this time of year. :)

Where's Ellen? Ellen -- how are things going?
 

tanya

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Cindy,

Christmas is our long Summer break. I love it but it is all I have ever known. I love Christmas being school holidays but it is tricky to have all the gifts for DS done early- before he finishes school for the year. But I do love long summer days and evenings at the beach.

It does force you into getting stuff started as teacher gifts have to be out before the school year ends. Although DS does get a longer break than some other kids- he goes to a private school. They run slightly longer school days each day and have compulsory Saturday school sport activities for 20 weeks per year, Those added hours equal longer holidays at Christmas and extra time off for term breaks- which works well for our family but not for others who have full time working parents.
 

Holiday_Mom

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The stollen is baked. The first floor got to "company ready." I know that will not last for even two days here but I neglected the cleaning last week and it showed. The timeline prep. sheet is printed. I gathered dry ingredients for two batches of cookies.

Grocery store sales circulars arrived in the mail today. I will look through them for the Christmas Eve menu items

After school tomorrow, we will make sugar cookies. I'm sure there will be more gifts to wrap too.

Mel - Awesome! I can hear your relief.

Cindylouwho - It's great you can go out with your DH to shop. Each year I am hopeful that dh and I can do that but it never works out.

Tanya - How nice to have summer break at Christmas. It seems it would be more relaxing compared to what we are use to in the U.S. Also, no worries about trying to get to the store before the roads are covered in snow. On the other hand, warm weather at Christmas time would be a big adjustment.
 

happy2bme

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Mary,

You are making great progress!!

Good job!!