Tag: Christmas

Sometimes it’s the little things about Christmas that bring me peace during an often chaotic time of year. Here are a few of my favorite little things…

Decorations made by my daughter. She did this last year at daycare. So tiny.

My Norman gift tags. I found them when my husband and I were in Vegas for our anniversary. Have you ever been to a Kitson store? They’re fantastic!

Our humble Christmas light display, because we just couldn’t be the house with no lights.

The fact that my husband never puts tags on gifts, but I suspect this little gold box is for me.

A girl who is way too exhausted after our annual drive around town looking at Christmas lights.

Evenings spent by the tree.

What are your favorite little things during the holidays?

One of my favorite parts of the holidays is sending and receiving cards.

This year we did things a little differently and sent out a Thanksgiving card instead of a Christmas card. I felt the need to give Thanksgiving a little shout-out, and we had just completed my daughter’s autumn-themed photo shoot.

There’s just something so heart-warming about opening the mailbox and seeing an item that is not a bill or a Sirius radio ad.

And nothing says “holiday spirit” like this card from a dear friend.

The inside:

This year I displayed all our cards on this iron wall-hanging that stays up year-round. My daughter enjoys looking at the brightly colored greetings.

How do you display your Christmas cards?

To you parents out there who have jumped on the Elf on the Shelf bandwagon, I applaud you, and I enjoy seeing your pictures of the elf’s silly antics on my Facebook newsfeed.

(Image from bedbathandbeyond.com)

However, I am glad my daughter is too little to understand the Elf on the Shelf thing this year. Furthermore, I hope this trend has gone by the wayside by next Christmas.

For one thing, this elf kind of creeps me out.  His beady eyes peeking out at me from the garland on the mantel make me uncomfortable. Peeping Tom, anyone?

The Elf on the Shelf is the commercialization of Christmas at its finest. The story is the elves show up to watch children for Santa in the days leading up the Christmas. The starter kit retails for approximately $40. Then there are accessories to purchase such as the elf’s letterman jacket and couture T-shirts for the little guy to wear.

Plus, during an already busy time of year, parents are now expected to concoct a funny and interesting activity for the elf to be doing every morning when their children awaken.

How stressful!

What happened to the value of the idea that “Santa is watching”? Isn’t that enough to encourage good behavior during the holiday season?

If you’re having fun with the Elf on the Shelf, I have no judgment. But if you’re stressing yourself out trying to manage yet another holiday expectation, cut yourself some slack and issue the Elf on the Shelf an eviction notice.

Confession: I almost didn’t put up my tree this year. With my busy work schedule and active toddler, the thought of hauling the totes of decorations up from the basement and putting it all up seemed too much.

But a good friend who is the busy mother of two boys under the age of three, said “do it.” And I’m so glad she did.

I kept it simple this year. No outdoor lights. Decorations only in the living room and dining room. Careful placement of the tree behind the couch to create a barrier from little hands.

I made sure all our Christmas books are close at hand for evenings in front of the tree.

Of course the girl was a lot of help.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend making holiday plans, attending festive events, or just curling up with a mug of hot chocolate and a cheesy Christmas movie. We have a Christmas party to attend and will be riding on the float of our small town’s parade of lights. ‘Tis the season!

This post was also featured on Faith-Filled Parenting. Check out Christa’s great writing on that site!