****Holiday Planning, 2013****

[BookSaver]

The party was fun, food was great, gifts were well received.

The only change for holiday prep I would like to do for next year is to put up decorations. I didn't get any of them out of storage this year because of various other deadlines. Goal for next year is to make sure decorating will be one of the high priority projects for fall and winter.

[Nancy]

I have quite a few tweaks I need to make.
I think I forgot how to do a holiday meal. Did not have enough chairs rounded up, or serving dishes prepped and ready, or serving spoons. I miss my helpers too. Dgson was not up to speed on the drill of holiday helper so some training is in order.

At least the food was good.
Left the onions in the car I bummed a ride from. Subbed apple like I used to do and got more onions so it worked out.


I added a tweak to my plan.

[Ivy]

Sorry about the onions, Nancy.

Booksaver, it sounds like you had a good day, too. Like your plans for decorations for next year.

Our pork roast dinner that DH fixed was good, DD took a nap after our early dinner, since she was tired. I napped before dinner, twice. Once, I got woke up, in the recliner when DD said, "Oh, are you NAPPING?" I woke right UP! Then fell back to sleep in my recliner again. We laughed about it.

DD loved her infinity scarf, I mended her afghan after washing and drying it, and she brought me lovely books, many of them classics. I had room made for them in 1 cabinet with 2 shelves waiting for them. So they're not cluttering up the house at all.

I love the holidays!

[Harriet]

Don't forget that this is a great place to kind of "debrief" yourself about the season, and warn - I mean tell yourself about what you need to change in the future.

Me? I need to warn my future self, no kidding! I have had an exhausting time of it for the last while. A lot of things went wrong that I hope could never happen again, but they really set me back. Specifically, a pet getting hospital-sick plus having the same surprise company show up night after night during the same time so that I couldn't get the tree decorated until late in the month. Of course, I had already given over extra time to more extensive work than usual on the Christmas cards. That would have been okay if nothing went wrong later. As it was, everything had to be pushed back, and I was still wrapping gifts, with the cards we'd received not displayed yet, and racing with the calendar.

Next year, I hope I'll remember to simplify Christmas cards we send. Really ♥ love ♥ the Oct 31 goal of finishing them. Can't say enough good things about it. This year I was working on them by the 31st, though not finished. If I hadn't gotten that head-start I would really have been frantic. The best thing for me to remember is the same card for everybody, the same sticker on the back for everybody, even the same stamp for everybody. I came close to that this year, but there were still some decisions to make and redoing those envelopes. Some, I thought, needed a certain photo included, some needed the address of a cousin added, a note, etc. I just take too much on myself. Perfectionism.

I did get the tree at the exact planned calendar date, up and watered. Not my fault that everything went wrong shortly after that, so that it took so long to decorate. But worth realizing that there are no guarantees, so be flexible.

Gift wrapping also got perfectionistic. Can't quite see how I can cut back. Just one gift for each child and in-law child, and one or two gifts for each grandchild, but the wrapping just seemed to go on and on. Of course, I had already taken 9 wrapped gifts to the first-in-law party. One thing that crept up on me was the gifts for the friends' 3 children. We've exchanged with this family since dd15 and their oldest dd were born. Next year I need to get that buying done earlier.

Teacher gifts - mostly no. Good intentions, but only one of the 5 teachers got a gift, a replacement for a knick-knack on her desk that had broken. Hopefully dd has been able to express appreciation all year long.

Thinking back to Thanksgiving, letting ddil have the meal at her house once was fine. Inviting dcousin was a good idea - the right thing to do. I was happy to hear again that ds28 asks the blessing so confidently and nicely. That's so comforting to everyone but especially warms his mother's heart, reminding me of his father.

Big doings tomorrow, so I may have more warnings ... um - advice - for myself!

[Nancy]

Holiday gathering on Sun. For ds & dgd bday, h. Has to work sigh this season the callenge has been scheduling eve. With advance time slots stuff comes up and changes happen with inlaws. SIGH time to let that go.
I have three no make that 4 bday gifts to get ready before mid. Jan.

I don't do cards except to mom and sent a thanksgiving card to 1 pen pal I exchange cards with.

I remember last yr. How I tried to eat at nine p.m. and it was too close to my other med. On New Years had a bs crash around mid nite, so will not repeat that! (All the snacks around a mine field for dieters.)

We to had colds / flu in Nov. So that effected gatherings here as well.

[Ivy]

Harriet, You're so full of such good ideas and great suggestions! Thank you!

I believe this year, since we couldn't find Christmas cards at Costco we liked, it was a good thing, how I'd found oodles of older cards, from charities, leftover from deceased MIL's things, cards of ours from past years, etc... was a money-saver. Also, I'm glad I got the cards started before Thanksgiving and mailed on Dec. 2, although for my pen pals, I mailed to them after Thanksgiving, to get them done earlier and out of the way. But next year, I am hoping DH and I can go to Hallmark or agree on something at Costco, in the way of cards, by doing it EARLIER, rather than waiting for and hoping for better cards to come in later.

I'd like to continue to crochet the 3 youngest grandchildren each 3 gifts, for Christmas, but to start earlier this summer. It's hard to balance writing stories with reading and crochet for the holidays. I'd love to finish up a specific UFO, to give as a gift. It'll be a beautiful Granny lap robe.

As far as nibbles, I didn't do too bad this season, I weigh within a 3-Lbs. range that I weighed before Thanksgiving. I need to be more wise in the new year, hope to do more holiday baking in 2014, but not too much.

I'd love to make some kitchen items into sets, for pen pals, or make infinity scarves if they're still "in". I need to invest in better gift labels or make some pretty ones by hand. I'd love to make some rubber stamped card sets for pen pals, for gifts, too. Time-consuming, I know, but I have tons of supplies and it's ridiculous to let them go to waste. I need to invest in the smaller mailers, about the 6" x 9" size, too, for card-set gifts.

I believe it may be a holiday tradition for the dfamily to all meet at Dson/Ddil's home, for a celebration because they have to bring 2 cars to our home, since they have 7 kids, 2 parents. When we all go to their place, they have a long home-made 14-foot (guessing) dining room table, to sit the 13 of us. It's wonderful, brunch there was great, their kitchen's set up for it, too. I'd like to be able to bring foods to it, which would be a dump 'n' bake cake, some cookies, and perhaps bring some eggnog for them. We don't do alcohol, but eggnog's fun and festive.

ONE HUGE MISTAKE I've made throughout the holidays, is how I've been staying up until midnight - 1 a.m. It makes me groggy in the a.m. and move so slow. It makes getting everything done harder. So I'd try to not eat past 8 p.m. and would try to be in bed no later than 11 - 11:30 p.m. I need to think of my health, mood, perkiness, and energy. Also, I've made the mistake of not exercising everyday, so I'd be more proactive during the holidays in 2014. I may make myself a "Mind Map" poster out of bristol board and colored markers, to post in my office, to give me some encouragement and keep me at a more proactive and positive aim. Health is so very important during the holidays. It's not an excuse to let it all hang out, splurge on sugar, be inactive, and I hope to change in the holidays when they come and plan for it in my day runner, for part of my monthly goals, all year. In fact, now is the time to sit down and pre-plan goals out for the entire New Year, to help myself with my goals, etc... Thank you, Harriet, for getting my brain to do thinking!

[Harmony]

Wow, I missed this whole thread for 3 months. Course, things were pretty dicey back in October, I still wasn't feeling too perky. November we both had the flu and then Thanksgiving plans went sour and we ended up alone because of our germs. Then right after that we had family drama with someone we still haven't figured out completely, and the worry of that took a whole lot of energy.....

And I really can't put my finger on how I got all that I did accomplished and on time. Got huge amount of cookies baked. All the gifts bought and wrapped a couple days before deadline and whole house cleaned. That was all accomplished during a very busy church time with a couple funerals to help with, and meals to people, and cleaning another's house...

I wish I'd made notes along the way. I know it was a huge help that toward the end I felt better with more energy than I've had in a year... and it was a huge help that one DD stepped up and did lots more, like baking her own cookies for a change and not needing me to bring pies up... and hosting everybody at her house. It was easier just going to her house and not stopping for a night at other daughter's or not going there afterward...and coming back just before lunchtime was just right. Other years we've gone out around the town and it was just too much after the big holiday.

I forgot today to look for Christmas cards on discount. I always buy my cards a year early so I never have to pay full price. I will look on my way home from church Sun. and hope they are not all gone. I usually get gift wrappings then too, but I might have enough for another year here anyway.

I feel bad for those whose gifts didn't arrive in time for Christmas. I'll just bet people will be ordering earlier next year if they can. My one Inet purchase came the sat. before, so that was nice. I also checked my lists and I was not one who used a debit card at Tar get. I may be rethinking my use of that card. Discovered an easy way to keep track of holiday spending that worked really well this year, I will do that again.

[Ivy]

I planned some goals for the New Year using the KISS method = Keep It Super Simple. I put away Christmas decorations in the main/guest bathroom, will do the powder room and great room within the next few days.

[Harriet]

Here's my general "debriefing" post for the holidays and if I think of extra things I may come back in and add them.

Some decor that didn't get out this year, that I hope may have its turn next year. Ceramic lighted tree, my late dh's Santa banner, Christmas Carol merry-go-round, largest nutcracker decoration.

Would like to add more ball shapes to the tree ornaments. Blue would be nice. The few blue balls I have are especially pretty, but I keep using the red because they are unbreakable.

Cannot emphasize to myself enough that the rule of cards finished by Halloween is self-protective. By the way, credit given to Katie Leckey for that, I think - see below *

Buying holiday paper plates, etc, is not helpful if the menu still turns out to be hot foods. Try to plan at least one menu that is festive, but works for paper plates.

Buy a lemon for the hot wassail next year.

Buy planners earlier. If you have to buy online (and our calendar store nearby had closed, so I did have to) you will have to wait a week.

* Need to remember this short credit, by CEO, explaining Holiday Grand Plan

Written by Katie Leckey with contributions from the Prodigy Homelife Get O group in 1992-1993, the HGP is the Web's oldest Christmas organizing plan.

[Nancy]

So skippaple:

I did not eat late and still had a low so that plan did not help.

Speaking of help I did not get the helpers had to do it alone the meal on Christmas eve. H. Had to work. Not sure what to do about that. Dgson is the right age but not trained when they came not early enough to help they are always late. ... if the tv is on he slinks off to watch it in the living room. Sigh! Sil was out of town until 7:00 we were done with the main part of the meal. Can you say disaster? But it all worked out.

What did work reading the scripture before opening gifts.
Dson & fam. Were no show w/ no explanation no call until after the fact bb practice scheduling messed up visitation &dson did not get his time w/ dgds. I need to face the fact that stuff hapoens and I need to let it go and get over it no wonder I did not want to put forth extra effort for it.

But at least I was not alone. Sigh...might need to rethink it. Thanksgiving did not work bc of illness this yr.

I need to pray about this.
Cash worked for gifts after the cc card thing w/URM stores went through that 2x had to get new card twice this hol. Season. So glad I do not do on line shopping for gifts.

Bdays are handled.
I use my tablet for a calander option synced w. fam. Members for games & such. Through Google works with one of our kids. The other one not so much.