This year I was more organized because of this wonder place!! If it wasn't for all of you here I would not have been as organized and prepared, so I at least want to do the HGP and keep up with all the lists. A day before Thanksgiving I had a terrible stomach flu, then after that I came down with a miserable cold which lasted for days. All I kept thinking about was Sparkle Nana writing about having a plan B for the holidays!! Well, because of being organized and some what prepared, I was still able to have a wonderful Christmas. Thank goodness for all the things I was able to do on Rudy Days!! This coming year I am really going to work on decluttering my closets and creating more space during this winter. This would have helped me to have room and space for the extra items needed for Christmas. Also, when I put everything away I am going to really organized the boxes so I can take out what I need just for the tree, then for around the house and my special dishes for entertaining. I also need to tweak my menus on Rudolph Days. Too much food and too little time to cook and eat it all lol!!
Ideas/Preparation For Christmas 2010
- Thread starter SparkleNana
- Start date
A minor inspiration....on Celebrate Me day in January, I may well order a tote from Land's End and have it embroidered with "Rudolf Day"...it works on both levels...and to me, that type of thing is a total indulgence...
Jampss, I froze some dough balls this year while making cookies, just to try it out...worked GREAT, and will do this again, as sometimes the recipes make too many cookies for our family. Seriously, I don't need 72 Soft Molasses Cookies at once in my house!
Jampss, I froze some dough balls this year while making cookies, just to try it out...worked GREAT, and will do this again, as sometimes the recipes make too many cookies for our family. Seriously, I don't need 72 Soft Molasses Cookies at once in my house!
Frozen dough balls make great gifts for elderly. My grandmother loved freshly baked cookies, but making a batch of dough was too much for her. She liked being able to make a dozen at a time. I'd give her 4 or 5 varieties and she could make a few of each to make up her dozen.
I've been thinking about this topic! I think...... that the more "unnecessary" stuff we have in our homes..... that it is just stuff lying in wait to "trip us up" for Christmas 2010!!!!!
We spend a fair amount of time throughout the year..... shoving it back into drawers and closets and shelves...... it's in the way so it isn't easy to clean those places.... so we sort of skip cleaning them......
And then.... right after Thanksgiving..... we get so BUSY! And we forget about shoving this stuff back into place...... and it spills over.... and our whole home gets cluttered and messy!
I think this unnucessary, extra stuff is sort of an "enemy" to our Christmas 2010 Peace and Joy.
So... I think I will try to get rid of it..... throughout the year. Sort of..... search and destroy. And.... search and donate.
What do you think? IIS it an enemy to our Christmas Peace and Joy?
We spend a fair amount of time throughout the year..... shoving it back into drawers and closets and shelves...... it's in the way so it isn't easy to clean those places.... so we sort of skip cleaning them......
And then.... right after Thanksgiving..... we get so BUSY! And we forget about shoving this stuff back into place...... and it spills over.... and our whole home gets cluttered and messy!
I think this unnucessary, extra stuff is sort of an "enemy" to our Christmas 2010 Peace and Joy.
So... I think I will try to get rid of it..... throughout the year. Sort of..... search and destroy. And.... search and donate.
What do you think? IIS it an enemy to our Christmas Peace and Joy?
I agree Sparklenana and I did alot of 'getting rid of' in 2009 (alot for me which might not be much for others... me & DH are kind of keepers) and I want to continue in 2010... it's so much easier to clean up when it's not overflowing everywhere.
I agree!! 2008 was a year of purging for me, as I was getting ready to sell my house, I think I let go of about 85% of what we had. Then last year I moved what I had left across the country to a much smaller house and all of my stuff is in the garage. Most I am keeping but I do believe there is room for more letting go. Plus, my dd went off to college in South Carolina, so I had to bring all of her stuff here with me that she wasn't bringing with her. There are several bins/boxes of "Sam's Stuff" that I really need to go thru. Most are things from her childhood that I know I'm going to have a hard time letting go of.
I need to re-arrange the garage and bring those bins to the front...even if I worked on one each month, I'll accomplish something.
I also need to get back into my filing system....and buy a shredder!
Christmaslvr -- these recent years have been years of HUGE changes, both for you and for your beloved daughter! 2010 should be a VERY interesting year.... for both of you! New year, new decade, new states to live in... the list goes on and on. You are NOT in a rut! Things are NOT boring! Please keep us updated.... we all need change in our lives, to keep us from getting stale!!!!1
I got a little behind this year as I had hurt my back late November. I really struggled to get things done and as a consequence was quite stressed. This year I am going to do things as early as possible. If I have all the gifts by November I will wrap rather than wait. Cleaning will be done Sept/October and that will have to do. I refuse to run around at the last minute trying to get things done. Even though my family was a great help while I was unwell, the main preparations for Christmas fall back on me and as such I should do things when it suits me.
I love this, SparkleNana! My goal for 2010 is to DECLUTTER everywhere in my home. I'm glad we'll be on this journey together!!!
As for getting in the spirit throughout the year, I also use my Christmas movies and music to "set the mood". DH thinks I'm crazy, but it really does work for me! Also, since I put together several Christmas in July boxes, they need to be planned out a few months ahead and that gets the holiday juices flowing - even in the humid summer weather!
Also, it seems that my DS(4) is going to be a holiday person, like me!
He wants to decorate and celebrate every holiday to the fullest...that makes it so much more fun...a partner in crime LOL!Colleen in PA
Colleen -- you are so lucky to have that scrumptious little 4-year old angel in your life! How fun to celebrate with him! And yes -- many people (including our beloved hustbands) cannot understand how much the Christmas spirit can help us all year! That's perfectly OK -- we have our big MHh Family who DO understand!
Sweetpumpkinpye.... I completely agree! Since WE do the bulk of the Christmas prep...... then WE get to arange the work to suit ourselves! And it just happens to suit us to work -- and enjoy the work -- all year long!
I have been wondering how Christmas 2010 will be different from Christmas 2009..... NOT for our individual families...... but for the world. The junk-filled, competitive materialism seems to be dwindling in daily life. The "real values" of Christmas seem to be coming to the forward in public life.
OK -- back to the nitty-gritty of our own backyards. Or... you know what I mean!
Sweetpumpkinpye.... I completely agree! Since WE do the bulk of the Christmas prep...... then WE get to arange the work to suit ourselves! And it just happens to suit us to work -- and enjoy the work -- all year long!
I have been wondering how Christmas 2010 will be different from Christmas 2009..... NOT for our individual families...... but for the world. The junk-filled, competitive materialism seems to be dwindling in daily life. The "real values" of Christmas seem to be coming to the forward in public life.
OK -- back to the nitty-gritty of our own backyards. Or... you know what I mean!
I've been getting some great 2010 ideas from this thread. I have quite a list going and one of these days I'll post mine. I do have a question though. For those of you who buy the Christmas stamps each year, around what time have you gotten them in the past? I'd like to add this to my Christmas planner, but not sure of when.
TIA!
TIA!
Holiday stamps come out in October every year. The Postal Service usually posts pictures of them at the end of the summer on their website...www.usps.com
you can also order your stamps online.
HTH!
Also, it seems that my DS(4) is going to be a holiday person, like me!
My son is a Christmas-head too. I think it's funny because we gave him his great grandfather's first name as his middle name and his great grandpa was a huge Christmas fan. I think some of this is taught and some of it is just inborn.
SparkleNana said:
This really strikes me as so interesting today and I'll be thinking on your post for the rest of the day I think. I'll probably come back to comment on this.
I am thinking about wrapping as I buy / make as well. So I don't forget what's inside, I'm thinking about taking a digital photo and filing the pictures in a folder on my computer desk top. then I would put a number on the back of the gift tag that would correspond to the picture I took.
"Crunch Time" has hit here! And I am going to try to learn some lessons from THIS "Crunch Time" -- lessons that can help us during our BIG CRUNCH TIMD - Christmas!
This particular time combines the busiest ever of my dd's work-at-home business -- with an attack of a stomach virus on dd and one of her children. (Everyone hopes it does NOT spread.) I have ben helping with driving children places, laundry, errands, etc. We are all tired and overwhelmed. Are there any lessons in all this?
And -- have you learned any lessons from your own "Crunch Times"?
The FIRST thing I have learned is.... the less "junk" or clutter that you have in your home.... the better it is for you during your Crunch Times!
If you have "wearable" clothing in the drawers and closets -- that is so much easier than pawing through too small, ripped, clothing you can't wear.... in order to come up with something you CAN wear.
If your cupboards have food that you WANT TO eat.... that is better, than having cupboards stuffed with foods you bought on sale... and really DO NOT want to eat.
If the surfaces in your house aren't already covered with clutter..... when things get put on them during Crunch Time...... it will be easier to find what you did put down while frazzled!
OK - that is my first thought. Talk to you soon with more thoughts (hopefully).
This particular time combines the busiest ever of my dd's work-at-home business -- with an attack of a stomach virus on dd and one of her children. (Everyone hopes it does NOT spread.) I have ben helping with driving children places, laundry, errands, etc. We are all tired and overwhelmed. Are there any lessons in all this?
And -- have you learned any lessons from your own "Crunch Times"?
The FIRST thing I have learned is.... the less "junk" or clutter that you have in your home.... the better it is for you during your Crunch Times!
If you have "wearable" clothing in the drawers and closets -- that is so much easier than pawing through too small, ripped, clothing you can't wear.... in order to come up with something you CAN wear.
If your cupboards have food that you WANT TO eat.... that is better, than having cupboards stuffed with foods you bought on sale... and really DO NOT want to eat.
If the surfaces in your house aren't already covered with clutter..... when things get put on them during Crunch Time...... it will be easier to find what you did put down while frazzled!
OK - that is my first thought. Talk to you soon with more thoughts (hopefully).
More thoughts about how an unexpected "Crunch Time" can affect our lives..... and our Christmas celebrations!
This week.... our extended family had three days of really intense (and unexpected) "crunch time". A huge surge in work -- combined with a virus -- which sickened two family members.
We pulled in all our resources.... and luckily, this "crunch" only lasted for three days. Three exhausting days.
Any lessons. which might help us in our Christmas preparations?
The three exhausting days ended last night. However.... today was also a basically "lost day". I was so tired....... that I was only able to do minimal routines and appointments/errands. So the "lost productivity" was not only the three "crunch" days.... it was also today..... the 4th day.
So... we don't just jump back into our normal, full-speed-ahead. Instead -- we also need some sort of recovery time from a crisis.
Any other lessons learned?
In this crisis.... it was wonderful to have family members and good friends who stepped up to help! Having friends who WILL help us.. probably depends upon US being "helpful friends" to these same people.
Frankly... there are "friends" who will always urgently ask for OUR help..... and will NEVER find it convenient to help US in a crisis. As the decades have gone by, I have become weary of these one-way relationships. I have minimized my time/interaction with these "often needy... but not interested in reciprocating" friends.
And I have built many additional, newer friendships with people who ARE interested in reciprocating relationships.
I have a "rule of thumb". Think about a friend who sometimes asks you for help. Would you feel comfortable calling to ask to borrow that person's car in an emergency? If you would NOT feel comfortable, I believe this is a "one-way" friendship.
There is room for different kinds of friendships in our lives.
I just want to b sure that I have plenty of "reciprocal" friendships in my life.
This week.... our extended family had three days of really intense (and unexpected) "crunch time". A huge surge in work -- combined with a virus -- which sickened two family members.
We pulled in all our resources.... and luckily, this "crunch" only lasted for three days. Three exhausting days.
Any lessons. which might help us in our Christmas preparations?
The three exhausting days ended last night. However.... today was also a basically "lost day". I was so tired....... that I was only able to do minimal routines and appointments/errands. So the "lost productivity" was not only the three "crunch" days.... it was also today..... the 4th day.
So... we don't just jump back into our normal, full-speed-ahead. Instead -- we also need some sort of recovery time from a crisis.
Any other lessons learned?
In this crisis.... it was wonderful to have family members and good friends who stepped up to help! Having friends who WILL help us.. probably depends upon US being "helpful friends" to these same people.
Frankly... there are "friends" who will always urgently ask for OUR help..... and will NEVER find it convenient to help US in a crisis. As the decades have gone by, I have become weary of these one-way relationships. I have minimized my time/interaction with these "often needy... but not interested in reciprocating" friends.
And I have built many additional, newer friendships with people who ARE interested in reciprocating relationships.
I have a "rule of thumb". Think about a friend who sometimes asks you for help. Would you feel comfortable calling to ask to borrow that person's car in an emergency? If you would NOT feel comfortable, I believe this is a "one-way" friendship.
There is room for different kinds of friendships in our lives.
I just want to b sure that I have plenty of "reciprocal" friendships in my life.