Does it ever surprise you how quickly the days go by leading up to Christmas? I don’t know how it always amazes me, but it does!
It’s like a runaway train…
a snowball going downhill, getting bigger and picking up speed as it goes!
It’s a good kind of runaway train, but it can be hectic. It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle and lose sight of the real meaning and purpose of the holiday.
It takes effort and planning to keep the emphasis on the true meaning of Christmas! So, starting next year *wink*, here’s what I plan to do to reduce my stress and increase our enjoyment of the holiday:
- Start earlier – I do say this every year. Sometimes I let other family members influence my resolve to start preparations early. I must tune out the voices that say ‘Let’s get through Thanksgiving before we start getting ready for Christmas’, and ‘It’s too early to get the trees and stuff down from the attic’.
- Make a schedule – It really does help me to literally write out the steps I need to take to have our home ready for the holidays.
- Take time for yourself and for family – Don’t get so wrapped up in trying to be perfect (Ok, I know this is me – preaching to the choir), that you don’t take time leading up to the big day to enjoy the season! Christmas is more than just one day… it’s the whole month!
- Get to a stopping place – I remember when I was in college, studying architecture and interior design, it seemed that every project I did never ended. I could keep perfecting, keep modifying indefinitely. I had to reach point where I said ‘Enough’ and just let it go.
I hope these ideas will help you to slow down and enjoy this season a bit more. It’s not too late for this year, either! Call it a day and take the family to the park or the Christmas Parade. Have everyone come over for a bowl of chili and bake Christmas cookies. Make an event out of some of the tasks you have to do!
And just for fun, Balsam Hill offers some ways to keep track of those days in a most lovely and visual way! I am honored to participate in the Balsam Hill Countdown to Christmas. Yes, they’re known for their awesome trees and greenery, but did you know they have advent calendars? Pretty ones!
They were kind enough to share an advent calendar with me… no other compensation was made, and all opinions and written content here are my own.
You can personalize this one too, so rather than our name, I chose to simply say ‘Merry and Bright’! Because I am at the stage in life where I am starting to think about handing things down to my daughters, so that influenced my decision not to monogram it… but you certainly could put your family name on it. I love this one, it is a muslin-colored woven fabric with 25 cute little pockets for holding treats to open each day leading up to the big day!!
To make this 25 day blog hop even more fun, Balsam Hill is giving away 25 gift cards worth $100 each, 1 for each of the days on an advent calendar!! Be sure to follow this link and enter the Countdown to Christmas Giveaway!
You may have gotten here by way of Tammy at One More Time Events. If so, thanks for clicking on over to Sondra Lyn at Home. And be sure to hop over and visit Jen at Pink When to get her thoughts on the days leading up to Christmas!
Here’s wishing you a joyful, stress-free Christmas Season!
Copyright protected by Digiprove © 2015
