HHP 2014 - Year in Review

[happy2bme]

The celebrating is over, decorations have been put away and it is time to think about how the HHP Plan worked for Christmas 2014.

So, what worked and what didn't work for you using the HHP Plan this year??

 

[happy2bme]

What worked for me:

EVERYTHING!! Seriously, I would be lost without this plan - I can't imagine getting through Christmas without it.

What didn't work for me:

should have started baking earlier
bought too much food
will not make Prime Rib for Christmas dinner
write everything down as I think of it, don't rely on memory

I am sure there is more, but that is all for now.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

The plan is such a gift! I've given more thought and added to my original list.

What worked:

• I simplified the gifts and the gift list.
• Dh and I sat down in November to set tentative dates (and snow dates) to get a tree, bake cookies and go out shopping. We put it into Google calendar. It helped us immensely with over scheduling.
• Setting up pop-up email reminders on Google to find stockings and hang them up saved me from looking for them on Christmas Eve.
• I set hard deadlines for those things that didn't get done earlier in the plan due to the family getting sick and a death in the family.
• I gave myself permission not to run around like a chicken without it's head after Dec. 18th.
• Gifts get stored in the attic. In early December, I wrap after the children head up to bed. I use one roll of wrapping paper until the paper runs out. Each gift gets a tag. I place all the gifts for one child in a huge black trash bag. That helped immensely.
• We used cookies for dessert after serving appetizers and a big dinner. It was enough for those who wanted something sweet without eating too much more.
• Most of the decorations from years past never made out of storage this year. In spite of that, the house was still decorated and undecorating was made much simpler. I think I may do that again.
• Freezing meals in the Oct. and Nov. helped with the busy December evenings. Also menu planning around busy days helped.

What didn't work:

• I baked an extra batch of gingerbread cookies. I could probably have made one batch of another type of cookie in its place.
• The chicken could be prepared earlier in the day or even the night before.
• I remember on Christmas Eve morning that the Christmas dishes were in storage. It added to the work that had to be done for hosting Christmas Eve dinner. I will have to set up a Google email reminder to take them out in early December.

 

[Cindylouwho]

I made a bunch of comments on the other thread, but in regards to this specific plan, it is an absolute God-Send. It is perfect as long as I follow it and has made such a huge difference in our holidays.

However, this year I was behind in my Christmas Shopping and was really caught off guard with an early-arriving puppy. Big change next year is I will HAVE to start the shopping earlier. No waiting til Thanksgiving and the lists. The trick will be knowing what I am getting and making those decisions earlier. Not so easy with teens!

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Cindylouwho,

My oldest is a teen. It is difficult to get the shopping done before Thanksgiving. I have asked for emails with pictures/links of things she likes. It doesn't mean that she will get it, but it does give me ideas. She does like to be surprised too so I try to pay extra attention to her likes/dislikes in the fall so I can pass the word onto "Santa."

 

[aggy]

I have no real complaints. Everything went smooth thanks to the plans.

The only downside was waiting (more like putting off) shopping for gifts. Thank goodness everything I was looking for, I was able to get despite my slacking.

 

[happy2bme]

I have a 20 year old and an 18 year old and I just can't shop early for them.

Their tastes change quickly and they have their own money to buy stuff they want. I pay close attention to things once Fall comes and make lots of notes.

This year DS asked for nothing - he had no ideas. He said whatever I bought would be fine with him. It sounds like it would be easier this way, but trust me, it wasn't.