***Holiday Planning, 2019***

[Harmony]

I learned one thing. Make a list of the gifts and while packing up, make sure each gift is wrapped and put into the boxes or bags to take with us. I couldn't find one gift card but found when I came home that it was still in my wallet from when I bought it, unwrapped etc. So DGSon has been notified and we laughed about it and it is ready in an envelope with a note ready to go out in the mail tomorrow.

[blessedw2]

happy after Christmas all!
going over my list of:
what didn't work.
I did not have a limit on budget this year. big big big mistake.
we had animal emergencies, ordering in bc diets had to change... i made too many beef items. I wasn't thinking. we rarely eat beef. dd older also struggles now with higher fat items. you would think she wouldn't have a problem.

I ordered in bc I hadn't planned 2 people meals - I was so busy and by the time dinner came I didn't want to cook.

Also what didn't work - letting family off the hook regarding telling me early enough what they wanted.
I also bought dh weather tech (from the girls and I ) for his suv after he mentioned he wanted to get it but then he really didn't want it. He is a very difficult man to buy for.

waiting on getting wrapping paper bc I thought I could find cheap durable paper. not having enough tags and labels.

not having a list when I go to a favourite place in town. It's so special that I get lost in it and spend way way too much money.

I was shocked on how rushed I was and how much money I used. I hadn't planned on plane tickets back and forth for dd younger.

Animals - special needs cat and old dog is not a good combination - vet bills wow

balance and not focusing on my health. that will change next year. I was so busy that I just made it to the end of the day.. what an excuse.

What worked:
christmas Cards
most gifts but spent too much money
had the tree bought with girls and then I decorated it all the way
Christmas carol was lovely
kept it simple on bringing food (I wanted to make gingerbread, my family's alsacienne dish, special appetizers.) I decided to let it go after both dd's said leave it behind.
wrapping presents ahead of time was lovely
contacting family. I have been making it a priority to contact my cousins the last 10 years and I am glad I did.

next year make soups as part of freezer dishes
maybe plan menus for the month of November and December.
Hire a cleaning team once in November and once in December ahead of time.
Continue dejunking.
HAVE A BUDGET AND STICK TO IT. just because other people wait until the last minute doesn't mean i have to be desperate to go over my budget. talk to the family ahead of time.

I did buy (on sale) two white elephant gifts for next year already. I will put them in a white box and mark what they are.

[Nancy]

I put the stockings, santa hat, and gift bags in the large frosty popcorn tin.

Got the last gift cards delivered yesterday, dson had other gifts for his girls as well so it did not matter that they were not there
Befor Christmas.

Dd called to find out where I had gotten that delicious smoked salmon it was a hit!

[Harmony]

Well, here more worked than didn't work. That was a good thing. We got really really lucky and didn't get sick, either of us.

One thing, keep an eye open, make a list of what we'd like when people ask. Otherwise we end up with really different stuff as people struggle to get us something. There isn't really anything we desperately need at this stage in our life. But I did go out a couple days after I got home and got something I really needed. Why didn't I think of that before?

We started the end of November making a couple gifts that took quite a while. Need to try to think about that all the year through, certainly before the last month.

Last year I got wrapping paper 1/2 price day after Christmas, also cards. This year I got my cards after we got back home, so that was good again. I have half that wrapping paper left for next year too. It was a huge roll.

No holiday will ever be perfect, too many things can happen. But I'm calling 2019 a success!