*** Holiday Planning 2025 ***

[trissie]

Harriet, a couple years ago I discovered that our postal service (mind you, I live in Europe) has a service that allows you to create a greeting/seasonal card with photos and texts online, and prints them and delivers them for you. I can even upload a special excel sheet with multiple addresses and it gets sent to everybody on the list! It may not be as personal as handwritten and hand-addressed cards, but it saves my sanity and still says "I think of you in the season"

[Kittykatt]

Harriet and Trissie, thank you for the reminder about Christmas cards. They are a struggle in our house. DH doesn't like writing them (I would prefer he writes to his family and friends?) doesn't like the cards I buy and refuses to have anything to do with our newsletter. ( Yes, I know, I'm not really a fan of newsletters, in am ideal world I would much rather add a personal note to people's cards, but it just takes far too long,.and then we miss the cut off for the 2nd class mail and end up having to send them 1st class, which is truly eye watering!)

I *think* I started creating a family card somewhere (Snapfish? Free Prints?) at the beginning of the year, which would be preprinted. We'd still have to stick the address labels on and stuff the newsletter inside,.but it would certainly.save a lot of stress for me. That's something else I need to revisit this weekend!

[Harriet]

Goodness, trissie, that is a fascinating service for them to offer, and so efficient! Also sounds like fun.

Kittykatt, I did a family card that way for Mother's Day one year for only about 5 people (Snapfish? I am a little vague on that, too, but I think so). Frankly, it was a little expensive per card for so few, and took me some time, but the cards were so well-received as a memento with a half-dozen images, it was worth it. ddil and ddolder loved it! And so much better than the gifts we had considered for older recipients, for instance, because they really didn't want the clothes we would have given.

In our house, it is HRH who has the excellent handwriting, so usually I go to a lot of trouble and get everything ready and then go to him to sign. For years, our Christmas Cards (except for years when I didn't feel well enough for planning) have been paintings by ddyounger, who has an art degree. She's done women shepherds with sheep, a cardinal on a branch, little children Carolers with teeth missing, a Madonna in swooshing watercolor. You would think I was relieved of responsibilities those years, but I had to nag, nag nag to get those done. She is such a procrastinator. But now she and dsonil have their own household. I asked HRH if he would paint us something this year. He is doubtful about that idea. He painted once in 1976, and thinks he's rusty.

I don't think I really want to do without cards this year, because I had to last year and was kinda down about it. Cards are the one thing we do that gathers a larger group of our loved ones into one shared remembrance, rather than just a few folks we can see/entertain in person. I would really like to get them out into the world earlier than later, too.

The ornaments are in a baggie, hidden away.

I've been perusing fun ways of sewing bookmarks again, since I am always hooked on making bookmarks and they will go into envelopes if they need to.

Right now, the orange antique quilt our children call The Halloween Quilt is hanging on the den wall and will until Nov 1.

[Kittykatt]

Thank you for the encouragement, Harriet! Your cards.sound really beautiful, but I understand the pressure of having to remind people to do their "part".

I had a look on Snapfish yesterday,.and they do some flat cards (not folded) and a very reasonable price, including the envelope. I agree, the traditional folded cards *are* expensive. I found a very attractive Christmas tree design, with 6 boxes for a photo ( 2 for each cat - I know DH won't want any of himself to go on it, and I can't just put me in - that would look very odd!) so I've put one together and saved it, and I'll see what DH says when he gets home. And, of course, there should still be space in the envelope for the newsletter (I need to start thinking about that soon as well!)

[Nancy]

I'm working on seasonal rotation clothes this week.
It's been a job but putting away summer things has helped me to have room to get
out the winter warmer items. Plus some donations got bagged up as well yea!

New things this year /
Donations $ going earlier in the year for the Christmas Connection
with St. Vincent De Paul / Catholic Charity in Sept. around my bday
when the fire dept. does the boot drive. I missed the boot thing and
did in person donation when I was shopping. It's easier than trying to round up cans of
stuff for the donation boxes around town for me.

In Oct. before turkey day $ to dson who has a Costco card
and does shopping and I do not have to worry about too many cream pies for example &
they can get what's needed. [I can take dev. eggs I like mine not smoked LOL!]

This more timely thing works as dson has a drop box for payments of his business & I
just did an envelop with a "love mom" in return address part and "for tky day" on the address part
sent a text that was there. It was appreciated! Win win!

I'm remembering how my mom would send a check for holiday dinner and how much that was
appreciated as she lived across the country from us. A great gift and saved on postage.

[blessedw2]

I havent' been able to be here but cheering you all on. I will come back to do ya hoo's, well done, and cheering all of you individually! wa hoo to all of you!

[Harriet]

My dd27 and I got out to the North American craft store chain, Michael's, which purchased the "intellectual property", meaning rights mostly but also physical items, of JoAnne's. JoAnne's is (was?) a N.A. sewing store mostly, although also yarn and other textile art. It's been greatly missed since bankruptcy. She and I found that, at least local to us, JoAnne's has not been gathered in to the stock there yet. Ramblinrose says not in her area in Florida, either. The branding and signage is there, called "The Knit and Sew Shop", but fabric isn't there yet, no cutting tables, and just a space/wall that says sewing machines will be coming. Yarn aisles looked wonderfully stocked to me, but I don't know for sure if there is more now than there was before the purchase.

Dd27 is going to make some decoupage ornaments this year. She found Mod Podge that says it is glossy but unlike the other glossy MP will be able to take the dishwasher. She doesn't think anything she is doing will need a dishwasher but was impressed that it was marketed as being that durable, so she'll try it. I have no idea what the ornaments will be - she does such a range of arts and crafts it could be anything.

I replenished my dark red thread, nearly used up in the ornament project.
Also bought a roll of "lite" Heat N Bond fabric bonding.
And 4 colors of simple felt for a craft I've been thinking about.

They did have wool "felting", btw, which has become a popular textile art, but I didn't need anything that lovely, just fun childhood type felt for a cheerful Christmas idea, if I should happen to get around to it.

The "lite" H N B replaces a similar project I already had but is old. That's for potential Halloween mini-projects and a Christmas one for which I doubt I'll have time but don't want to be short on materials. It says, "Sewable" and that sounds promising. I don't know that my old one made that promise.

[Nancy]

Thinking on this
What would you put in a New Year's Eve basket?

I'm considering some options same up with a few ideas.
Sparklers for the kids / gkiddos.
Cheese Meat mustard sauce cheese roll crackers snacks
a few treats
hot cocoa.
Add blue and white tissue paper some gold accents.

[Harriet]

Nancy, for New Year's basket question, what about a small planner, stickers that would work for a planner, pens that would work for it.

Hearing from ddolder and ds and all the grands living at home will be dropping by here for a trick-or-treat moment for Halloween night, Friday. That's 5. I've only heard that the two youngest in each family have a definite new costume. DangerBoy at college - won't see him even at Thanksgiving, they are thinking, although his mother and brothers will drive there briefly. I may send him something.

I have some starts on bookmarks made for them all, but I don't know if I'll get them done. Could be just the expected treats instead. Appts for me at a distance both Wed and Thurs puts a cramp in my style to get ready for much more.

[Nancy]

Harriet I luv that idea thanks!