Search Results for: blog when do you decorate for the holidays

Inexpensive Ways to Countdown to Christmas

My 8-year-old adores her Snoopy countdown to Christmas calendar… and her wooden Advent calendar… and her chocolate-filled Advent calendar… and well, you get the idea.  My kid is obsessed with counting down to December 25th. While I enjoy seeing her excitement as she tears open the doors to her various candy-filled chronicles, Advent calendars don’t come cheap.  Neither do secular versions featuring syndicated cartoon characters. Fortunately, there are ways you can celebrate the coming of Christmas without going broke.  For example: Paper Chains:  Kids can craft a countdown to Christmas chain to help them visualize how many days until Santa’s … Continue reading →

Balancing the Holidays: Simplify, Blend and Schedule

I don’t know about you, but December tends to be the busiest month of the year.  There is so much to do, so many preparations to make, gifts to buy and a house to clean. Yet this is also the time of year for being with family.  So how can you balance it all?  I think it comes down to three things:  simplifying, blending and scheduling. Let me explain.  First, simplify.  What are some things you can skip doing?  Are there areas of the home that really don’t need to be cleaned? Could you cut down on the amount of … Continue reading →

What Feelings Does Your Home Bring?

What feelings do people experience when they walk into your home? Does it feel cold and stiff, as if they have walked into a museum and they can’t touch a thing? Or does it feel warm and welcoming? I don’t think we give much thought to the feelings evoked in others when they step through the door of our home. But it’s something you might want to consider, especially with the holidays just around the corner. Colors can speak a lot about you. Bold, vibrant colors or patterns may be your thing but keep in mind that for others, it … Continue reading →

Do Your Pets Factor into Your Holiday Plans?

Do you make your holiday plans around your pets? That’s an assertion that the Associated Press recently made in an article: pet owners revolve their late-December events around their pets. Examples given by the AP include taking holiday-themed photos of pets, using these or other pictures with the animal for seasonal cards, buying pets gifts (the article maintains that just over half of pet owners do this), and even creating special menus for the pet so it can have a holiday meal alongside its human family. There are two sides to this: one, in which a little holiday cheer is … Continue reading →

Preventing Injuries as You Prepare Your House for the Holidays

Whoever thought that decorating your home could be dangerous? Well according to the “U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,” injuries from holiday decorating and decorations are on the rise. I read that many people are cut from shattered glass ornaments and falling from ladders while trying to put up lights or other holiday decorations. Burn injuries and deaths are also issues when it comes to fires caused by candles or Christmas trees. No one likes to think it could happen to them but we really do need to keep safety in the back of our minds as we prepare our homes … Continue reading →

Buying Christmas Gifts for Your Ex Husband

When you are divorced and the holidays roll around there is the question of who to buy gifts for. Do you buy a gift for your ex husband? Your ex in laws? What about your little nieces and nephews? I know I didn’t want to buy anything for my ex husband but I felt it was important for Hailey to give her father a gift. As for in laws, mine had passed away so that wasn’t an issue. The big question was what to get her father. I wanted Hailey to be able to share at Christmas, I wanted her … Continue reading →

More Ways to Save Money During the Holidays

So, you’ve already filled inexpensive glass vases with lemons, limes and oranges to add pops of color to your holiday dinner table. And you’ve used the trick of arranging peppermints in a silver dish to save on costly Christmas decorations, but now you need more ideas to preserve your budget this holiday season. Here are a few money-saving ideas to help you keep more green in your pocket as we countdown to Christmas: Paper Rules: Instead of investing in high-priced seasonal decor, cover frames with Christmas-themed wrapping paper and add some bows to complete the look. Or, use patterned scrapbook … Continue reading →

Make Your Own Holiday Cards

The holidays are quickly approaching. Have some fun this year and make your own holiday cards. You can also make thank you cards, birthday cards or whatever card you need based on the instructions below. Supplies: Plain pack of cards and envelops. You can find a pack in the scrapbook section of your craft store. Acid free card stock or scrapbook paper. You can find packs of paper in small sizes or the large size in the scrapbook section of your craft store. Scissors. For a more decorative touch you can use Fiskars Paper Edgers Scissors. Tacky Glue Embellishments: ribbon, … Continue reading →

How to Spice Up Your Holiday Party

Tired of the same ol’, same ol’ Christmas parties that feature tone-deaf Uncle Jack singing karaoke in the corner and Aunt Lucy forcing you to try her latest tofu creation? Then, consider hosting your own holiday fiesta this season with a spicy theme. If you don’t want to go whole hog by hosting an extravagant costume night (think elves, reindeer and Christmas movie characters), then go simple by decorating in a single color and having guests dress in red and green. Other theme options include: Hawaiian Christmas I was born and raised in Hawaii, and while we don’t typically greet … Continue reading →

Adapting to the Holidays as a Married Couple

Our neighborhood held trick-or-treating last night to avoid going out on the Sabbath, and my kids had a ton of fun dressing up and heading out to collect their loot. I took them around, and my husband stayed home to hand out candy to those who came to our house. This is very representative of our personality styles. I’m the one who likes to go out and do things. I can more comfortably navigate my way through social circumstances, and because I’m the “mean” parent, I can herd four overly excited children up and down the street. My husband likes … Continue reading →