The Final Project: Simple Christmas

Wow. It has been an amazing year of organizing and simplifying. I have enjoyed working through the Simple in '16 projects with you and appreciate all the accountability and great ideas that you've shared with me. You are the wind beneath my wings (or something a little less corny). But you really are. So thank you!!

Are you ready to tackle our very last project for this year? Drum roll please.....

Christmas Gifts That Aren't Toys

Yeah. I'm the mean mama who doesn't want a bazillion toys for my kiddos for Christmas. They have so many toys. I don't mind a few new toys mixed in with practical gifts, but I really love the gifts that aren't just toys. My cozy home loves those kind of gifts too.

My Favorite Christmas Decor

The I absolutely LOVE seeing how people decorate their homes during Christmas time. I might be the creepy lady who drives by houses slowly at night and tries to peek in your windows from the street to see your lovely Christmas decorations. Please still love me after that confession. ;)

Organized Holiday

I am always on the hunt for ways to make our lives simpler (especially around the holidays!) and I kinda like love obsess over organizing. So y'all don't be too mad at me when you find out that what I'm about to share with you is actually for next Christmas. Yes, you read that right. Next Christmas. Please don't stop reading. I promise it will be worth it. 

Over the years I've found a couple of ways that I organize the holidays that have made it soooo much easier!! These are small, simple things that require little effort or time but make a BIG difference in my stress level. And many of them are things that you might already be doing!! 

1. I take pictures of my holiday decor.

I really love to decorate for Christmas...especially now that we have children. Like really love it. I actually force myself NOT to go to the Christmas section at Hobby Lobby because I could blow our whole budget picking out new pretties. I usually change 1 or 2 things each year just to keep it fresh. But for the most part, I keep our Christmas decor the same. And last year (after I changed a few things) I decided to take a few quick pictures on my phone of where and how I decorated. So this year, when I pulled out all our decorations (and got super exited about some things that I forgot I had!), it was super easy to decorate because I didn't have to stop and think about where I had put everything the year before. Mind blowing, I know. Why didn't I think of this before?!?

2. I keep a running list of gift ideas. 

We have a relatively small extended family. So buying gifts doesn't really stress me out. And I enjoy purchasing things that I know someone I love would enjoy. I also really love not having to budget for all those gifts in the months of November and December. So I keep a running list of ideas and purchase them throughout the year. In fact, I saw something this week that is perfect for someone in my family (even though we've already exchanged gifts this year). So I put a sticky note on it and put it in the Christmas tubs for next year. Y'all probably think I'm crazy, but when I open that tub next year and already have several gifts in it, I am going to be one happy mama! 

3. I keep notes for future holiday outings. 

If you read my post earlier this month, you heard about how we pick 1 or 2 fun holiday activities to do each year. There are always other fun things that we want to do, so instead of feeling like we're missing out, I keep notes for next year. Some friends of ours did something this year that I had never even heard of so I added it to our list to try out next year. And I think it is super budget-friendly too (which is even better in my book!). My family looks forward to the different holiday activities each year!! 

So there you have it! That's my organized holiday. Nothing fancy. Nothing difficult. Just simple. 

Be on the lookout for some fun things on the blog in the next couple of weeks. Someone very cute in our house has a birthday coming up soon and I have some fun New Years posts coming up too! Until then, Merry Christmas from my family to yours!!

Simple Holidays

Whew! I was burning the candle at both ends last week. I over-committed, over-planned, and about ran myself (and my family) into the ground with busyness. Anyone else? This time of year should be fun, not stressful. Keeping it simple is truly what my heart desires so that is why I am choosing to be intentional in slowing things down this holiday season. I am writing down some of the ways I am going to do this to keep myself accountable (feel free to steal any or all of these ideas for yourself!). 

1. Just Say No

Like many other things in life, we have a choice over our schedules. Some families love to go, go, go. If this is you, by all means...GO! Some families need more downtime (like mine). So if you are finding that you are feeling stressed this holiday season, just stop. Say no. It's ok. Please know that I say this to you in love, not judgement.  

 

Now, don't get me wrong. We love to participate in fun holiday activities like everyone else. We just do it in moderation. We usually pick 1 or 2 fun holiday-ish things and say "no thank you" to the rest. In the past, we've done breakfast with Santa, the Polar Express experience, ice skated around the big tree at the Galleria, gone to tree lighting ceremonies, visited live nativities, and a handful of other things. These were all super fun, but we don't feel the need to do them every year. We just don't. This year we went to the Gaylord ICE Exhibit for the first time (it was amazing!). We also went to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens when we visited my family for Thanksgiving (also super amazing!). So remember, just say no. Your family will thank you...and so will your checkbook. 

2. Advent Devotions

A few years ago I was invited to participate in a Jesse Tree Advent party. There is a devotional book called The Advent Jesse Tree ("A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit." Isaiah 11:1). Basically, you read a devotion and place an ornament on a tree each day until Christmas. We exchanged ornaments at the party so we would each have all 25 ornaments for the daily devotions. I have been doing this advent devotion with my children each year since that party. I'll admit, I do modify it some to make it more child-friendly, but my children really love it. We call it our Jesus Tree because each of the devotions points to Jesus. I am so glad I stuck with this advent activity because this year, my children (especially Channing) remember the ornaments and the Bible stories that go with each one. Many times they tell me the story themselves! That fills my heart with such joy that I can't even describe it! I love it that they are hiding God's words in their hearts (Psalm 119:11)! It's not too late to start an advent devotion with your family. In fact, I was late starting ours this year. So we just did several days at once. :)

3. Keep Traditions Simple

I think traditions are so fun at this time of year. I also think we can get carried away with traditions. I don't want to have a million different traditions that I have to make a to-do list just to keep up with them! We only have a couple of things we do each year consistently. And they are pretty easy...

 

First, we have pictures made with Santa. We love that the children have pictures with the same Big Guy each year and this particular Santa is super sweet with the children. But even though this is a yearly tradition for us, we put minimal focus on it. 

Second, we do all our cooking during the day on Christmas Eve that way we can relax and enjoy Christmas Day (and I don't have to be in the kitchen and miss out on all the fun!). We also always go to the candlelight Christmas Eve service at our church where we sit in the back with all the other parents who are trying to keep their little ones quiet and entertained. I love our little country church and all the people in it!!

 

And lastly, we spend Christmas Day at home in our jammies. Just the four of us. We take our time opening gifts and eating all day on the food we cooked the day before (hooray!). We relax and enjoy our blessings. Now I know, this may not be possible for many of you who have both sides of the family right down the road or across town. But for us, we don't have any family local. We set up this tradition when we first had children and it just kind of stuck. We like to wake up at our house on Christmas morning with our Littles and enjoy that time together for as long as we can without worrying about rushing from one house to the next. Will we spend every Christmas like this from here on out? Probably not. But right now, we like the peacefulness of not traveling or having visitors on Christmas Day. This is our favorite tradition and we look forward to it every year. 

4. Remember the Reason for the Season

Yes, I know. Everyone says this. But do we really do it? Honestly, sometimes not. In the hustle and bustle of Christmas parties and activities, I can forget that none of that really matters without the birth of my Savior. And guess what? He is your Savior too. God sent his Son to the Earth to be born (and eventually die and be resurrected) to save the world. This is the greatest gift we could ever get. We don't have to do anything to receive this gift except believe and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord. (Romans 10:9-10)

More than anything, I want to keep our holidays simple. I want my children to think of Christ's birth before they think of Santa. I want them to believe in the miracle of His birth more than the mystery of Santa's reindeer. I want them to have the opportunity to slow down so they don't miss it. I don't want to miss it either.