Thursday, November 18, 2010

14 Ways to have a Fresh and Festive Holiday

The holiday season is quickly approaching and it is time to start planning! Twittermoms and Snuggle have teamed up and are asking for bloggers to post our own fourteen tips on ways to have a fresh and festive holiday. As I am a HUGE holiday girl, I have bunches of ideas! I hope my ideas help someone!

1. Plan things out on paper! When you write things down, you are less likely to forget something and you can always go back to your list and make changes!

2. Start early! Do not wait until the last minute to start preparing for the holiday. You only stress yourself when you procrastinate! Start early, then relax and enjoy!

3. Let your kids help! Even the smallest child can help! Give them the chance to join in the fun of decorating and even in the chores of cleaning!

4. Bring a little outside indoors! Decorate with some of nature's beauty! Holly and berries are beautiful when displayed...Keep away from small kids!

5. Don't worry about missing a few photos...Concentrate on enjoying the holiday with your family. Photos are great, but not at the expense of missing everything!

6. Get some rest. Do not try to do everything yourself! If you get over-tired and end up sick, no one will enjoy the holiday! Pace yourself and rest...things will get done!

7. Want photos of your kids in their Christmas best? Take the photo BEFORE you leave the house...or before anything is eaten...or played with! You're more likely to get a CLEAN child this way!

8. About a week or two before you decorate, clean and declutter! You might be surprised how much this will help. It's much easier to decorate a clean house than a dirty one!

9. Visit Santa Claus!! Take the family to the mall and visit with Santa! Everyone can use a little more magic in their lives, and Santa can do that for even the grinchiest person!

10. Break out the holiday movies and enjoy them with your family! Nothing is more heart warming to me than watching holiday movies with the ones I love!

11. Send Christmas cards. Take the time and actually write to the people you are sending them to. Re-connect with friends and family you have not seen in a while! You'll be surprised what good a card can do!

12. Go outside and play with your kids and pets! Every time I go outside and play in the snow with my daughter, I feel like a kid again myself! Nothing beats the feeling of love your kids give you when you spend time with them!

13. Set a budget and stick to it! Do not put yourself in the poor house trying to buy everything and make the perfect Christmas. The perfect Christmas is one you spend with the ones you love!

14. Say thanks! Be thankful for what you have...your family, friends, home...it is all important! And remember, the reason for the season. I know everyone has different beliefs, but for me,
JESUS is the reason for the season!

I hope you enjoyed reading my list! I certainly enjoyed compiling it for you! Wishing everyone a safe and blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Snuggle blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

1 comment:

Claire said...

I would add - ask your family what they enjoy most about the holidays. You might be surprised to find out that the things they think are important are not necessarily the ones you're spending all your time on.