Christmas is Coming!!!

As you prepare for the holidays this year I encourage you to take time to enjoy every moment.  Cast off the temptation to plan more than you should, buy more than you can afford, and cram every activity on the list into your schedule.  Before everything goes crazy spend sometime thinking about what is most important to you at this time of year. What do your want your kids to remember about Christmas at home?

Do you have special extended family activities you enjoy?  We have friends who go to see the play ‘The Christmas Carol’ every year.  Grandma & Grandpa, Mom & Dad, aunts & uncles, brothers and sisters, cousins and little ones attend.  They have been doing this as long as they can remember and it is a precious time for all.  They select the date sometime in September and include dinner out just for fun.

Some families find a new set of pajamas under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve for each family member from Grandma.  They put them on and all the Christmas photos are of kids in new matching PJs.  So much fun!!!

Others make it a habit to go to the mountains to celebrate together.  In Southern California, where we live, this is the only place you could have a White Christmas and to many this is an important part of the holiday.

Our family has invited friends and family to a catered Christmas Eve dinner in our home.  Our Christmas Day activities are usually just family so this is a way to share with others whom we love while protecting our family time.

We attend a church that has a Christmas Eve service, as many do.  Remembering why we are celebrating the holiday gives depth and meaning to our festivities.  When attending this service we have the opportunity to share our best wishes with our church family, with whom we have shared our lives for many years.  This makes our Christmas celebration all the more rich.

The possibilities are endless for how you and your family choose to remember the holidays.  Be purposeful in making plans that bless and encourage you.  You will have traditions from your families of origin which you will want to continue as well as new ideas you enjoy!  Plan ahead and have so much fun!!  I would love to hear your special family activities!   JUDY

 

 

 

 

Early Suggestions for Christmas Gifts From Baby

Here are some tried and true ideas for Baby’s gifts to family and friends.  They take a little pre-thinking, so I encourage you to order the kits, set the prints, and mail early.   Hand and foot prints of your children are something you keep forever.  Comparing them each year as your children grow remind them and you of how small they once were!  Be sure to label the child’s name and the year on the back of each ornament.

The kits below are available over the internet or through stores such as Target and Bed, Bath, & Beyond.   They use marshmallow pre-made dough so you have no mixing or mess.  When I made our first set I did ornaments for both hands and both feet.  So cute!

JUDY

 

Pearhead Babyprints Ornament By White

$9.99 nearby·In stock

Bed Bath & Beyond

Available online

bedbathandbeyond.com