***Holiday Planning, 2015***

[blessedw2]

Great work finding a turkey even though u wants a breast !

We are still far behind re decorating- dd younger is making homemade pasta today

So- I am stressing a bit well half way a lot
Things done:
presents done and wrapped and separted to households
Groceries for Christmas Eve and day bought
Hair cut appt Tuesday
Have pet food
Mailed presents last week
Delivered presents for people traveling
Bought tree
Christmas cards done
Thanked the people who helped all this year -


HAVE NOT decorated tree - it's still lying on my floor on its side - I wonder if I can decorate it that way


Need to wash my laundry and have outfits ready
Need money lol don't we all
Put tomatoes in paper bag for ripening
Haven't baked cookies- no gingerbread house this year that's ok

[Nancy]

2016 Cal. Came in the mail last week.
I turned the turkey over.
Need to make jell o.

[Harriet]

blessed, you gave me a smile

So- I am stressing a bit well half way a lot

tree - it's still lying on my floor on its side - I wonder if I can decorate it that way

Smiling, mostly because I am stressing with you.

HRH says, "next year we are starting in November." Evidently, he really is this clueless. Of course I started in November. How can he not know that? lol

This afternoon I got what may be my last shopping done in the form of an A mazon order. As I started to "check out" it said everything would be delivered by Dec 23rd, which is perfectly fine since our first get-together for gift giving beyond our household is the 27th. I noticed one item was going to arrive on the 30th, though, and just decided I didn't need it. Went back into the "cart" and deleted. Back to check out and - whoa! - now the things were going to be delivered by the 24th! This was discouraging to me. I didn't want to be looking out the window for a delivery and wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve. I can only hope that the practical delivery of things doesn't really change that much because of what my screen says from one minute to the next.

The tree is decorated, the mantle decorated, the little nativity done. A good start on the rest of the room. But still with boxes half full of decor and half empty.

I gave my best idea for a gift for HRH to ds when he asked. Sigh. Actually, that just shows how much I love both of them, because both will be happier as a result of that than if I had kept the idea for myself.

Nancy, I have not yet started calendar shopping but that sure is a good idea. As far as the decorative one in our LR, it is on another year's December and I didn't have time to find the right dates! I figure, if anyone notices, I'll tell them it was a puzzle I set out and they are the ones who solved it.

[Nancy]

(Blessed & Harriet)
H is off Christmas Eve so he is off 4 days in a row. Just found out no TotN here tomorrow sigh. I did not know till last minute Fri. she was not coming & they think they are keeping me in the loop we will keep U posted was what I heard last before the baby came. She is off work so less for me during the holiday season. I want to use this time well. We might be having a white Christmas here.

Got the food items we will need for Christmas meals. Decide on which Christmas dishes to use get the clean and ready. X Then there is New Years.

[Harriet]

The flat-stored bows you pull/fluff out yourself, that I had ordered from the Current Catalog, do turn out to be helpful. They stop me obsessing over bows. Big and full, and so much cheaper than what's in bags at stores here. Dd17 likes them so much, she's vowed to keep a stash. I've used them for the 9 children's presents for the family gathering at dfirstmil's.

Those 9 I already packed into a large cardboard box, as soon as HRH signed the tag cards. It was such a puzzle to figure out how to pack them so they wouldn't shift, that when I figured it out I didn't want to undo my work. So I'll probably leave them in there. Only two presents are so deep underneath others that I'll have to carry their bows along. I've already got them taped to a small sheet of wax paper, plus have scotch tape in a baggie. So as soon as I arrive I should be able to quickly get them all under the tree and ready.

Every year I tell myself - no large presents to travel! Every year I have just as tough a time finding things for little children that aren't large. Sigh. Sometimes I think I know the size and it's different - usually larger.

The gifts for everyone here will have homemade bows. Several of these my dds had gathered and made sure to pack back for me from last year and I just added a few curls so they'd go with this year's wraps. The thin ribbon that's used to pull those flat-stored bows into a puff curls nicely, and was put to use by adding as little curls to other bows.

Tags so far are my thrifty standbys : blank unlined 3x5 cards , folded once and with a sticker on the front. I print a child's name in large printing, so they can read it themselves, either under or over the sticker, however it looks nice. And then inside there's plenty of space to write "from".

[Nancy]

I have given away gift bags some I made some shiny but not used went to a good home. Still one gift to assemble. And 3 bdays in early Jan. So it is not over for me!

[blessedw2]

I am throughly clapping bravo - Harriet and Nancy and all - we made it! U made me laugh too d Harriet when ur Dh said u should start in November - lol they really don't know do they - I had the same thing w my family!

My dds are sweet but clueless as is dh re the work that goes into the holidays as it's always been done for them- they pop in - for a few ornaments, getting the tree, making cookies.

Dd older kept saying I was obsessed w Christmas- shopping and planning - my family thought it was effortless all these years- I must have done an awesome job all these years that I made it looked easy! I am evil - I waited to decorate bc no one was there or thought I was too focused when I asked to bring boxes up etc -

So this year
My tree had lights on it - I got it up (only after the old cat got stuck in the netting lol poor thing) - did younger put up one ornament- yep that's it!

I had all the lights on outside which my family enjoyed

I took care of all the presents early and wrapped them right away- I took care of what must b done - again my family thought I was too focused on finishing shopping but the day before Christmas Eve dh asked me if I bought presents lol) -

Christmas Eve my house was a wreck but I was dressed and looking spiffy- I had all the presents in the car - food in the car - presents for our family wrapped waiting for Xmas morning. I sat in the car and watched my family running around trying to get their things done-maybe I should tell THEM to start getting ready in November lol!!!

[Harriet]

blessed, I loved hearing all that! Made me smile.

Nancy, no it is certainly not over for me either. Tomorrow is a big day for us, and then I am not sure how long dd35's family will be staying with us.

And what is really not over is my "debriefing" in this thread about what I may want to remember for next year. That's important.

Let's see- BookSaver has New Year's gifts she'll be giving, too. Want to hear all about that.

I'm trying to figure out how in the world to continue having the Christmas we expect without having the last-minute stress.

Was thinking about the Rudolph Club idea and working on the 25th of every month toward Christmas. Something like that, anyway.

[blessedw2]

❤️ D Harriet
Hi d book and d Nancy well done dear ladies!!! Gosh we are good

D Harriet have fun w ur family staying over
( I agree - trying to plan for the Christmas we expect w/o the stress - is a quandary)

I think d Nancy was the one who suggested the Rudolph club for savings - it was a blessing - I just started a savings account

[blessedw2]

I made some me decisions for next year that will make Christmas easier

What worked
Putting up lights in October
Saving each month
Wrapping the next day after shopping
Keeping a list of what was bought
Keeping receipts
Listen to wants through the years
Don't listen to negative voices - just smile and continue on my work
Building up on supplies from target so I don't have to do in December when I haven't the money and it's too busy


Buying gift cards in September for my girls that I know are consistent wants same w Starbucks gift cards
Having labels ready for Christmas cards



What I want to do
Crafts each month - have them done in November or put them away
Grab bag fun - look through year and buy through year
Buy tide - one extra each month and give to church collection at Christmas time
Make birthday packages: cake mix candles birthday etc to give to food shelter when my family's birthdays come around
Bring Christmas boxes up to 3 season room on November 1
Make cookie dough early

Things that won't change
Presents as we don't pull names until thanksgiving
Won't do again pre cooking for holiday meals - it takes up too much room I. Freezer and by Christmas it was gone

Things that did not work at all -
Not setting a date when things should b done for the holidays- I will set a date that will work well w my family and if they won't take the time and I will let it go as I did this year - I don't think that the girls will want the lack of decorating we had this year.

I packed two bags for giving to the street pan handlers and got stuck holding them and the person I have one to wasn't really wanting or needing - I will have to rethink this one