Get Ready for Christmas 2009: Tips and Tricks for a Stress-Free Holiday Season

[Humble Beginnings]

Rae,

I so enjoy this thread it helps me get into the Christmas spirit. Christmas has never been a good time for me due to loosing my mother around christmas and because it's been financially hard to buy gifts for my girls in the last few years. Your post make me think of it differently so for that THANK YOU!

 

[raebates]

Today is October 2. There are 84 days until Christmas.

My family has started asking too and I find that each year it gets harder and harder to come up with ideas.

Good point. In recent years I've added more and more consumables to my wish list. I love lotions and potions. On Saturday, when The Furry Guy and I go out to look for things to add to our lists, one stop will be at Bath & Body Works. If gourmet coffees and such are more your style, put those on your list. Don't hesitate to add gift cards for your favorite restaurants to your wish list. Consumables are a good idea, too, if you're having trouble figuring out what to buy for someone on your list. Older relatives might enjoy stationery and stamps. Edible gifts are great because they can either be eaten by the recipient or shared with holiday guests. My brother and his wife are really hard for us to buy for. Their lifestyle is very different from ours. One thing I know they like is wine. They have a large, decorative bowl filled with old corks. I found a great trivet at KarmaKiss.com. It's a center circle with 8 corkscrew spokes. You add your own corks to the spokes to create your trivet. That will make a nice complement to their bowl of corks. On Black Friday I'll make a stop at a shop I trust and ask for help selecting a nice bottle of wine that fits our Christmas budget. All I'll need to do is wrap everything nicely, and we'll have something special for them.

 

[raebates]

Rae,I so enjoy this thread it helps me get into the Christmas spirit. Christmas has never been a good time for me due to loosing my mother around christmas and because it's been financially hard to buy gifts for my girls in the last few years. Your post make me think of it differently so for that THANK YOU!

Carol, I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm glad you're finding value in this thread.I'm approaching the holidays with a bit of trepidation this year. I lost my good friend to ovarian cancer in February. She made me look like Scrooge when it came to Christmas. For the last several years we had gone on a trip together at the end of October, starting our Christmas shopping in earnest. It's going to be hard this year to put that mourning aside and really embrace the joy of Christmas. At least I know that she's celebrating Christmas with the guest of honor this year.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 3. There are 83 days until Christmas.Take time now to look over your Christmas card list. Are all of the addresses up to date? If not, you’ve got plenty of time to call or email your friends and family to find the correct address. I think it’s so frustrating to be addressing cards and realize that my cousin has moved and I don’t have her new address (or, worse yet, get the card addressed and then realize it’s not current). A quick check now will help to save lots of frustration.

 

[NooraK]

Even worse, you send it out, it comes back and you find out your friend didn't tell you they moved!

 

[raebates]

Yeah, there's no prep available for that one.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 4. There are 82 days until Christmas.Decide now what you'll do if you receive an unexpected gift. It happens sometimes. Someone who has never given you a gift before gives you a gift. What to do? Some people keep a stash of wrapped, fairly generic gifts on hand for just such an occasion. Others simply offer their thanks and write a nice note. Either is fine. You just need to decide now how you'll handle things.Because of some of the things The Furry Guy and I do, it's not unusual for us to receive an unexpected gift. Years ago we made a decision. We never give a gift with the expectation that we'll receive one in return. Why would we assume that someone else had that motive? We offer our sincere thanks, then write a note thanking them properly for their thoughtfulness. We never feel guilty. I mean, after all, how would you feel if your gift made someone feel guilty?One confession, though--we do keep a couple of generic gifts on hand and ready to give. This is because it isn't unusual for our son to invite a friend or two to spend Christmas with us. I don't like for someone to sit in my home while everyone else is opening gifts and not have a thing to open. Most of his friends are big coffee/cocoa fans, so some mugs with goodies inside work well. If they aren't all given away, we can always use them or eat the goodies and donate the mugs somewhere.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 5. There are 81 days until Christmas.

Save money by putting together inexpensive gifts like the ones I give to the fellow volunteers in our children’s ministry. I use ribbon to tie together a package of microwave popcorn with two packets of hot cocoa mix and top it with card that says:

Merry Christmas!
This world can be a cold and difficult place, yet you warm the hearts of children with God’s love and compassion—just as cocoa takes the chill away on a cold day. You show children the richness of God’s Word, and it tastes sweet and good to their souls.

The fragrance of Christ you carry with you is as enticing and unmistakable as freshly popped popcorn. And like these tiny corn kernels, you plant seeds of truth—seeds that’ll one day explode into righteous living and overflow with the glory of God. Thanks for all you do to touch kids’ lives.​

Gifts like this cost pennies apiece (especially when I buy the supplies in large quantities at Sam’s Club) but let people know how much they mean to us.

 

[wadesgirl]

KMart had a sale on Dora stuff this week. I decided to get my youngest niece's shopping done and out of the way. Her bday is 5 days after Christmas so it's nice to get it all done at once. First time I thought of Christmas this year!

 

[raebates]

KMart had a sale on Dora stuff this week. I decided to get my youngest niece's shopping done and out of the way. Her bday is 5 days after Christmas so it's nice to get it all done at once. First time I thought of Christmas this year!

Congratulations on getting an early start. My nephew's birthday is in early December, so I usually buy his birthday and Christmas stuff at the same time.

Yesterday I got a great idea for my mom. I saw a Prayer Jar. It was a wide-mouthed, thrown pottery jar with a cork stopper. It came with a package of printed prayers. I'm going to combine that with another idea. I'm going to purchase a container that has two compartments. I'll be scouring the craft stores for something attractive to use. I will print up slips of paper with scripture (personalized with Mom's name whenever possible) and a corresponding prayer. Those will all go in one compartment of the container. Each time she pulls out a prayer, reads it, and prays the prayer, she'll move that slip to the other compartment. Once she's read and prayed for them all, she can shake up the container and start over.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 6. There are 80 days until Christmas.Some of the Christmas magazines are on newsstands now. Check them out. When you find something you like, tear out the page and file it by type (recipe, crafts, gift ideas, etc.) or scan it into your computer. That way you can toss the rest of the magazine into the recycling bin instead of creating your own towering stack of magazines. Plus, it will be a lot easier to locate that great idea when you want it if you don’t have to read through 183 magazines.

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

Oh I love this idea! I've been trying to figure out a way to reduce the clutter at home...those mag articles do pile up! Thanks for the tip!

 

[raebates]

Today is October 7. There are 79 days until Christmas.The weather’s cooling here. I’ve dug out my warm clothes. As I’ve switched my wardrobe, I’ve been taking inventory. I’m making sure I have appropriate outfits for upcoming holiday events. Think about what you’ll be doing during the holidays. Do you have a company party to attend that requires eveningwear? Do your kids have the matching outfits you like to use for your holiday photos? Make sure that you have clothes for all of the things you’ll be doing, and make sure they’re all in good repair. Is anything stained beyond repair? Does everything fit, or does it need to be altered or replaced? Do you have all of the accessories (jewelry, shoes, handbags, etc.) to complete the outfits? Right now cool-weather clothes are starting to hit the sale rack. Plus, you have plenty of time to take your time making choices. You’ll be less likely to overspend or settle if you start now.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 7. There are 79 days until Christmas.

The weather’s cooling here. I’ve dug out my warm clothes. As I’ve switched my wardrobe, I’ve been taking inventory. I’m making sure I have appropriate outfits for upcoming holiday events.

Think about what you’ll be doing during the holidays. Do you have a company party to attend that requires eveningwear? Do your kids have the matching outfits you like to use for your holiday photos? Make sure that you have clothes for all of the things you’ll be doing, and make sure they’re all in good repair. Is anything stained beyond repair? Does everything fit, or does it need to be altered or replaced? Do you have all of the accessories (jewelry, shoes, handbags, etc.) to complete the outfits?

Right now cool-weather clothes are starting to hit the sale rack. Plus, you have plenty of time to take your time making choices. You’ll be less likely to overspend or settle if you start now.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 8. There are 78 days until Christmas.Are you ready for holiday guests? Take a critical look at your guest room (or the corner of the basement you use as a guest room). Is everything clean, fluffed, and ready for guests? Do you have plenty of decent towels? We have a small basket with things like toothbrushes and sample-size toothpaste, deodorant, and such that we leave out for guests.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 9. There are 77 days until Christmas.Christmas wish lists are great. They are especially helpful for those with whom you don't have regular contact (like, in our case, The Furry Guy's nieces). However, they're no substitute for listening. If your BIL continually talks about his favorite NASCAR driver, keep that in mind. If your aunt mentioned a favorite designer, make a mental (and then an actual) note. Don't count on remembering. Write it down. Also, be sure to keep a list of clothing sizes, color preferences, hobbies, and interests for each person in your immediate family. This way you'll be able to customize gifts to each recipient. You'll also be able to take advantage of sales.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 10. There are 76 days until Christmas.As you can tell I'm all about Christmas. That said, don't get so focused on Christmas that you miss out on the fabulous now. Enjoy the seasonal change that's happening now. If you celebrate Halloween really celebrate. Take time in November to be truly thankful for all you have. Embrace today.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 11. There are 75 days until Christmas. Are you going to offer any special services for your Christmas customers? If so, now's the time to get the word out. I have a wish list in every guest pack now, so I can help my customers get what they want for Christmas. I’ll be offering free gift wrap for every wish list order over $50.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 12. There are 74 days until Christmas.Start working on your holiday menus now. If you’re thinking of trying something new, make it at least once before the holidays start to ramp up. That will give you a chance to tweak the recipe to suit your family.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 12. There are 74 days until Christmas.

Start working on your holiday menus now. If you’re thinking of trying something new, make it at least once before the holidays start to ramp up. That will give you a chance to tweak the recipe to suit your family.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 13. There are 73 days until Christmas.Once you start wrapping gifts, be very careful. Don’t mix up those tags. I recently read about a holiday disaster in which a woman mixed up her tags. The pretty, lacy bra that was supposed to go to her recently engaged friend went, instead, to her 90-year-old grandmother. Grandma was so excited about the unusual gift that she didn’t have the heart to ask for it back. Don’t let this happen to you. Be very careful.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 14. There are 72 days until Christmas.I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Take a close look at your calendar now. Block out some personal time. Think about what you really want to do. If you’d love to take one day just to bake cookies and make a gingerbread house, put that on your calendar now. If you’d like to take one day to watch a marathon of Christmas movies put it on the calendar now. If you’re trying to squeeze it in once the holiday season is in full swing you’re not likely to find the time. You need to make the time now. People are always saying they want simpler holidays. This is one of the easiest ways to get that. Blocking out down time will help you avoid that frazzled feeling in December.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 15. There are 71 days until Christmas.Start to pay really close attention to those grocery flyers so you can stock your pantry now with non-perishable foods for your holiday feasts. Canned goods and most frozen foods will keep for several weeks, so pay close attention to sales and stock up. This will help ease your budget, making room for those perishable items you’ll need to purchase at the last minute.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 16. There are 70 days until Christmas.

Buy your Christmas stamps soon. The cutesy ones are on sale now. The religious art ones will be available October 20. There are several advantages to buying them now.

• You’ll have them when you address your cards.
  
  
• You won’t have to wait in lines during the holiday season.
  
  
• You can be sure they won’t be out of the ones you want.
  
  
• You can start using them at the beginning of the season so you won’t still be using them in February.

 

[AJPratt]

Thanks for doing this, Rae. I am trying to get my act together.

 

[raebates]

You're welcome, Anne. I enjoy it, and t helps me to keep on track.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 17. There are 69 days until Christmas.Don’t get derailed on your healthy habits during the holidays. If you’re headed out to a party, eat a light, healthy snack before you go. It will be harder to stick to just one cookie if you’re famished. Make sure to schedule time to exercise. Those extra indulgences won’t do as much damage if you’re continuing to exercise and keep your metabolism revved.Make your choices wisely. If you wait all year for Aunt Sue’s famous triple-layer death by chocolate cake, go ahead and have a small slice. Just don’t eat ¼ of the cake or have helpings of every single dessert. If it’s the rich, creamy twice-baked loaded potatoes that call your name, have a little. Just don’t combine that with three dinner rolls and seconds of every starchy side dish. Oh, and since we're so close to Halloween, remember this. One Hershey Pumpkin Spice Kiss has about 24 calories. A whole bag has about 1,470 calories.

 

[ChefLoriG]

if I spent about 12 hours on the treadmill I could work off that bag of kisses....

 

[raebates]

Today is October 18. There are 68 days until Christmas. If you’ve got someone on your list who’s difficult to buy for, try thinking outside the box. My brother and I could not be more different if we were raised on separate continents. In addition to the fact that we have very different taste and interests, he and his wife live a much more affluent lifestyle than we do. (In other words, they have lots more money.) It’s always a struggle to figure out something for them. Last year I gave my brother a memory. When we were kids we’d watch the Christmas specials together. We’d have popcorn, Hershey bars, and Pepsi in Slush Mugs* while we watched all of those 1960s TV specials. Those specials are on DVD now, so I bought a few of our favorites. I found a set of 4 Slush Mugs and packaged those together with the DVDs, some popcorn, and some bottles of Pepsi. I included a note saying that I hoped he would be able to build some of the same kinds of fond memories we had with his own family. *Slush Mugs have an internal sleeve (kind of like the Chillzanne products) that you freeze. You pop that sleeve into the mug, then add your drink. Soon slushy ice begins to form on the sides. I always scraped mine down so it got all slushy quickly. My brother let his sit until it was almost solid. If you search online you should find them if they interest you.

 

[Gina M]

What a great idea Rae! And to get a chance to have him start a new memory with his own children (with something that meant alot to him from his own childhood) - priceless!

 

[raebates]

Today is October 19. There are 67 days until Christmas. Is your tree decorated with ornaments filled with meaning? Do you have a record of those? Last year, as I was putting away the ornaments, I wrote down when, where, why, and from whom we got each ornament. This way we’ll always know why we have the weird squirrel ornament on our tree.

 

[Gina M]

We do something similar Rae. When we are putting up our ornaments - I always tell the kids the significance behind the various ornaments (first one they received, one from a trip etc.) - I should really write them down or do a scrapbook page of the ones that are most special so that future generations will know about them!

 

[raebates]

That was our thought, Gina. When our son was younger we decorated the tree together and talked about each of the ornaments. He's now 23 and living a long distance away. Some of them I'm sure he'll remember. Many he won't. Once The Furry Guy and I are gone, the list will give our son more information about the ornaments so he can decide which ones he'd like to keep and pass along.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 20. There are 66 days until Christmas.Is your master gift list ready? This is one of the best ideas I’ve ever come across. I found it years ago, and it really helped to simplify my shopping. I keep my list on the computer, transferring information to my purse organizer (aka My Other Brain) for shopping. This way I can easily update it from year to year. Start with the obvious ones (spouse, kids, parents, siblings), then add people as they come to mind. Include everyone. We do goodie boxes for neighbors, newspaper carriers, and postal carriers. That group is on the list. This also helps me to stick to my Christmas budget, since I have someplace to figure out how much I can spend on each person/group.

 

[tbsigma94]

Thanks Rae, maybe your daily reminders will get me off of my butt and moving. My little one turns 4 on January 5th so I have a lot of planning to do and gifts to buy! I need someone to keep me on my toes!!!! Thank You!

 

[kcmckay]

You know I love this thread and last year I said it was going to get me on track and this year too. But I've come to realize that my absolute favorite thing about Christmas besides getting together with family is finding the perfect gift for everyone. However, I don't have the oppurtunities I used to. My nieces get spoiled pretty well since there are only 2 of them. We've never bought for my husbands side of the family, we always spend with my mom's small side of my family. My brother and sister in law always say if we feel we need to buy for them to spend it on the girls instead. My sisters in CA and I'm in NY and we agreed not to exchange gifts for the cost of shipping and all that. At my Aunt and Uncle's house where the usual people in attendance are myself, DH, Aunt and Uncle, 1 cousin and her fiance, and her fiance's parents and my brother and fiance maybe unless they go to her family instead. We decided a few years ago instead of trying to find gifts for everyone we would just buy a $10 gift per person and do it chinese auction style. It's lots of fun but I always just get 2 generic gifts that I wouldn't mind ending up with. It takes the fun out of shopping. My DH super easy to shop for not shy about wish lists at all. However, this year since we are shopping for our first house I think that will be our gift to eachother. We'll probably just get eachother something small to open christmas morning. But since next year we will be settled in our new house I'll have the time and means to plan more parties and things of that nature.

 

[raebates]

Katie, since the thrill for you in in the hunt, you could add a little excitement to the hunt. With a $10 limit, why not challenge yourself to find the best $10 deal? I've been able to buy $30 and $40 items for $10 by combining sales, rebates, and such.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 21. There are 65 days until Christmas.Get ready to wrap. Gather your supplies together. Don’t forget the scissors. Take inventory. Make a list of what you’ll need to purchase. Purchase at least twice as much tape as you think you’ll need. It won’t go bad, and you know you always underestimate how much you’ll need. Don’t be the person who has to tear that last ½″ of tape into 8 tiny pieces. If you need to mail out packages, this is a good time to take inventory of those supplies, too. One of the many blessings of having a PC business is that it’s usually pretty easy to find boxes. 

 

[raebates]

Today is October 22. There are 64 days until Christmas.Check the bathroom. Do you have plenty of toilet paper? Are there clean, accessible hand towels? When you know that people are coming, be sure to check. It’s one thing if your family has to do that duck-walk across the bathroom. It’s another if it’s the new neighbor you’re just getting to know.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 22. There are 64 days until Christmas.

Check the bathroom. Do you have plenty of toilet paper? Are there clean, accessible hand towels? When you know that people are coming, be sure to check. It’s one thing if your family has to do that duck-walk across the bathroom. It’s another if it’s the new neighbor you’re just getting to know.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 23. There are 63 days until Christmas.Books are a great gift for children. If you’ve got children on your list, check out the local bookstore and see what’s available for their age group.If you’ve got really young kids on your list, I have a suggestion. A new friend of mine just got her first book published. It’s What Will I Be When I Grow Up? How God Made Me Somebody Special, by Susan Snyder. It’s available through any bookstore (brick & mortar or online). For more information about the book you can go to http://www.susan-snyder.com. Feel free to tell her you heard about it from me. No, I don’t get anything; She just likes to know how word’s getting out.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 24. There are 62 days until Christmas.Do you have any empty terra cotta pots lying around? They make great centerpieces or decorations. Just put a tall, fat candle inside, then fill around it with greenery. Of course, you always want to make sure that the flame of a candle can never, ever, every come in contact with anything flammable. Be very careful about what you surround a candle with.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 25. There are 61 days until Christmas.Two months, people. Two months. How are your plans coming along? If you aren’t almost done with your shopping, set dates now for dedicated shopping trips. You might even consider making the first one a reconnaissance mission. Before the crowds start making it difficult to really see what’s out there, stroll through malls and boutiques looking for inspiration. If you see that perfect gift for your niece, you can pick it up, but don’t feel like you have to buy anything. Just get ideas. This way you can be focused on what you want to purchase on your other shopping trips. The Furry Guy and I are headed out today for a little Christmas scouting. There's a nearby Christmas shop and we'll be spending some time talking about ornaments and decorations that we could give or just buy for ourselves. We aren't planning to buy anything, just scout.

 

[raebates]

I'm proud of myself. Today I finally got my list of Christmas ornaments and decorations typed up. I'm keeping the list along with the stories attached to each on an Excel spreadsheet. (I made the list longhand last year as I was putting everything away.)Also, today The Furry Guy and I purchased two ornaments. Each year we purchase an ornament or two to commemorate the year. This year we purchased a green and red snowflake that looks like it came straight from the imagination of Dr. Seuss and a bottle brush pig. The pig is in memory of my Pig Butt Buddy Beth. We also came up with a couple of good decorating ideas. The first is our adaptation of a decoration we saw. It's basically a dozen or so red, metallic beads threaded onto stiff wire. The beaded wires are then just stuck in among the branches. It looks cooler than it sounds. The second is a way to display the additional cards we receive. Last year I made a set of 3 ribbons that display the cards, but they don't hold nearly enough. This year I'll be attaching small, black binder clips to a garland at 6" intervals. The garland will be draped around a doorway. As additional cards arrive I'll clip them to the garland with the binder clips. Isn't that brilliant?

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Well, Rae...you inspired me. :angel:

I actually bought about 2/3 of Micah's presents this week (thanks to the one stop shopping of Costco!), and got a good start on our Shoebox Gifts for Samaritan's Purse. Of course, those have to be done by Nov. 15th, so I'm not that far ahead...but usually we are scrambling the day before they are due, so I feel like I'm ahead of the game!

 

[NooraK]

I need to get on the ball...We have a three panel screen that is like a french memory board (ribbons stretched across in a diamond pattern) and we use that year-round to display pictures and cards. Currently is has pictures of Markus at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months, and (still) has his 1st birthday cards on it. At Christmastime I'll put the cards on it as they come in.

 

[raebates]

Congratulations, Becky! That's a nice start. Noora, there's still time.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 26. There are 60 days until Christmas.How’s your video library? Now is a good time to start watching for that old favorite that usually sells out before you get a copy. You probably know that some of those childhood classics like Charlie Brown and Frosty are now on DVD. Keep your eyes open for your favorites.

 

[raebates]

One of the reasons I do this countdown is to spur myself to do the things I'm suggesting that you do. Today I started my first draft of our family newsletter. I went through the bags I'd stashed away last year from the after-Christmas sales. And, I took a look at my master shopping list to evaluate how much more shopping there is to do. I have a lot of it done. There's a bit that needs to wait until Black Friday. There are only a couple of people/groups for whom I'm still searching for ideas. I looked at the projects I need to do, and I'll be picking up the last of the things I need to complete those. I'm feeling ahead of the game. Oh, part of getting out those things from the after-Christmas sale is getting out the Christmas cards. I've checked my list twice, and I'm ready to start addressing cards. I should be able to get that done (several cards a day, when there's time) by the end of next week.

 

[raebates]

Today is October 27. There are 59 days until Christmas.Think about scheduling a pajama day. Take one day during the holidays to stay in your jammies all day and watch Christmas movies and specials. It’s a relaxing day for you, and your kids will love it.

 

[pampchefrhondab]

Great idea - I'm going to try scheduling a day with the family!

I've started my shopping. Got a lot done yesterday! My kids are more expensive now, but easier - they just want one large item!

I'll be doing my Christmas cards this Sunday. The following weekend I'm going to make up some cookie dough and freeze it.

 

[raebates]

You're doing well, Rhonda.