2015 - HHP - Week 17 - Celebration

[Holiday_Mom]

Ladies,

This is it! This is where we wanted to get to back in September. Maybe it looks different than you thought. It's ok. Make the best of it and CeLeBrAte!

Here are the final prep ideas for the week.

http://christmas.organizedhome.com/house-holidays-plan/17-celebration-week

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Things are looking good around here. Just small stuff here and there to do.

Household

• Begin to work off the Christmas Eve menu and prep list. (I've fine tuned the list to show what to do in Mid December, Dec. 22nd, Dec. 23rd and Dec. 24th. These had been on slips of papers from over the years and tucked into my Holiday binder book. Now, it's in Google Docs this year and printable.)

Holiday Prep

• Review gift list and make sure all gifts are wrapped.
• Final grocery shopping for Christmas Eve menu
• Download pictures on to computer.
• Charge camera batteries.

Still to Do

• I'm caught up!

 

[happy2bme]

WooHoo!! We made it!!

Mary, I love your message!!

You are so right - life happens and things might not be what we want them to be at this time, but it is OK.

Enjoy and Celebrate!!

 

[happy2bme]

My list for the week:

Household Checklist:
follow minimum maintenance plan - DONE

Holiday Prep Checklist:
plan New Year's Eve menu - DONE
plan New Year's Day dinner - DONE
bake one more treat - DONE
Christmas Eve Day - trip to grocery store for fresh items - DONE

 

[Cindylouwho]

Well, I finally got some sleep and things are more possible now. Also the last scheduled activity was Saturday and I was SO relieved. This has been the biggest year of unexpected events cropping up EVER. Pretty much turned my 2 weeks of prep into about 4 days. Just pulled the last of my Amazon orders. Only paid extra shipping on one. But it will arrive 12/23 and so I can relax.

I'm over here scratching my head on the day. Just as everything was about to calm down here, some of DD's teenage friends started falling apart. Tis the season, you know. I think I have mentioned that DD picks up troubled friends like stray puppies. She is such a kind soul. And these are good kids - in rotten circumstances. It is just amazing to me how many trouble youth are out there. So two in particular are in high need this Christmas - they are not related to each other either. Families that aren't there for them, families with substance issues, suicide attempts etc. Soooo sad. So instead of wrapping and baking and settling down we are going to pull on our rain boots and see what we can find to put under the tree for them and .... I suppose, get them over here. And THEN we'll bake cookies and somehow make it all work. Priorities, right? True meaning of Christmas? Right? .... She says with a sigh, and a smile, and a headshake, and ..... okay.... lets go make this happen and get them in a warm house. Right? Right! Make. It. Happen.

And I'm off. More later.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Cindylouwho - It sounds like the "perfect" Christmas is the one you have now - being "present" to those in need (and need comes in all shapes and sizes). Now that is a gift...

Mel - How was your shopping? We are supposed to get rain, rain, rain for the next few days. I went out today to get the rest of the groceries to avoid the rain and the traffic tomorrow. There were a lot of shoppers at the store already.

School is out for everyone here so I will have some extra helping hands now.

Done:

• Grocery Shopping

Still to do today:

• Finish gift wrapping
• Finish dusting/mopping/sweeping/vacuuming/cleaning windows

 

[Holiday_Mom]

I'm just about done through the list for today. This time tomorrow, we will be in full swing with our Christmas Eve party. I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Thanks for the support along the way.

:tree2: :elf2::santa3:

 

[happy2bme]

Merry Christmas, Mary!!!

Enjoy your Christmas Eve party and have a wonderful Christmas Day!!

 

[luludou]

Merry Christmas Holiday Mom! Enjoy it all

 

[Cindylouwho]

Waking up on Christmas Eve. Working on my first cup of coffee and laying out my battle plan. Will go post on the Chit Chat thread later today.

Insanely busy last couple weeks. Made our decisions on our big purchases only in the few couple days (DH was being very indecisive). Made it all chaotic trying to pull it together. (Computers and technology -- so,...yeah. Complicated.)

I've decided I'm going to rethink my strategy on stocking stuffers. And will post a separate thread on that next week. So more on that later.

So the HHP works -- the house is put together. All is pretty much done - except for this last big item stuff which has been a real monkey wrench. Got a commitment from DH that all tire kicking will be done by Halloween next year so that things can be finalized by Thanksgiving. (I doubt that will happen but I did get a tire-kicking deadline on the calendar for 2016). Finished last of shopping yesterday and just need to pick up fresh grocery items today for Christmas dinner. DH and I will be wrapping a good chunk of the day and then will take the kids to church early this evening for the Christmas Eve service. Looking forward to that because it is CALM.

Had a little Christmas moment last night with young DH. I got home after dealing with the whole computer thing for most of the day. As I'm putting down my purse and taking off my shoes, young DH comes out, gives me a hug and says "Mom, I want to go shopping". DS doesn't "do" shopping - at all. It is painful for him. Hates stores. He really didn't have anything he needed to get and town is a half hour away. I had SO much wrapping to do. Then it occurred to me we really hadn't been out together with all the shopping and Christmas lights. He had taken care of his gift-giving earlier in the month and it was pretty quick. So he hadn't had the whole "experience" this year of going and wandering with hot cocoa and looking at the lights. He'd declined going when the rest of us went. And here it was 2 hours to bedtime on the 23rd and he wants to go. :-O

Any other time I seriously would have said no, but its Christmas so I said yes and pulled my boots back on. Back into town we went. And it was great. And we had such a nice time together wandering around the stores and looking at the lights. Hot cocoa turned out to be Jamba Juice but hey, it was what he wanted. Anyhow, just a nice magical night with my youngest. Love that.

 

[happy2bme]

Cindylouwho,

I am really happy that you were able to have that special time with your youngest. What a wonderful memory you will always have.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Oh, Cindylouwho, that just made me tear up. I get caught up in the details and forget that time with the children is sometimes the best gift. Thanks for the reminder.