a stress free christmas

I love Christmas. I come from a long line of Christmas lovers. I believe it started with my Grandmother. She was married in December and had a "Christmas" wedding. She would always make Jesus a birthday cake and the grand kids would gather around and sing Him "Happy Birthday". My mother starts listening to Christmas music in October and designs and decorates our church every year, always before Thanksgiving. She is so talented and I love to see all of her amazing ideas come together. They have definitely passed this love on to me, in fact, most of the women in my family are crazy about Christmas. We start pinning ideas in July, buying every Christmas magazine we can get our hands on and it just progressively gets worse until we are neck deep in Christmas by October. 

I say all of this with affection except for one thing: stress. I am usually a hot mess by December 26th. Saying that I will NEVER attempt to do that much for Christmas again. Until next year comes. Then the sick cycle starts all over again. I suffer, my husband suffers, my family suffers. Does this sound familiar to any one? Lord, I hope so. I would be so disappointed if I was the only one that brings this on myself. 

So here is my plan for this year: plan ahead. I know you were hoping for a big secret plan, but that is it. That is my secret, to plan ahead. 

The Bible says this: "The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty." Proverbs 21:5

 I don't know about you, but I would like some abundance this Christmas. Abundance of joy, love, peace and cookies. I am tired of living in the poverty of stress, disappointment and anxiety. 

So here it is, my plan for this Christmas:

1. Focus on the reason. 

I know, it sounds totally cliche', but let's face it, most of us forget why we are doing all of this in the first place. Let's get our priorities straight this year. When we make Jesus first in all we do, including celebrations, everything else will fall into place. This season is about Him. God, choosing to clothe himself in skin to come and save us. Oh, that I may not take that lightly. That I may not forget how amazing He is, and how much He loves me. 

2. Plan the calendar & learn to say NO. 

This is something I have learned to do over the years. If we plan our December calendar early, it is much easier to say no to extra volunteering opportunities, parties and relatives coming to stay. We always volunteer at Operation Christmas Child and have a few other traditions that we always do. If we've already made our plans, we stick to them and stress stays away. 

3.  November Prep

This is a biggie. If we plan ahead in November, then there is less stress in December. 

This includes:

Cleaning

If you do one big, deep clean you should be able to get by in December with wipe-downs, vacuuming and a bit of tidying. Here is my list:

Wiping down all baseboards and doors

Wipe down all kitchen cabinets

Wipe down all inside of drawers 

Wipe down all kitchen appliances 

Scrub floors

Cleaning carpets/rugs 

Windows 

Blinds 

Vacuuming behind/under furniture

Organizing

Organizing can be a huge chore. If you have a closet/cabinet that is a total hot mess and it is going to take days to organize,skip it. I am referring to coat closets, linen closets, ect. You can tackle your clothes from 1995 after the New Year. 

Organize closets

Organize cabinets 

Organizing baking supplies and replenish supplies needed

Baking

Christmas baking is one of my most favorite things of the season. I love to bake, bake, bake and give it to friends and family as gifts. This includes family members that live all over the country. That can add up to a lot of time. If you can make part of the recipe before hand, and freeze it, it will save you so much time. This is what I will be making ahead of time this year:

Orange Rolls

Gingerbread

Pie Crusts

Molasses Cookies 

Buckeyes 

Hot Cocoa Cookies 

Decorating Plan

Come up with a decorating plan now. Are you going to need to make anything such as a wreath or centerpiece? Will you be using the same decorations or do you need to replace any? Do you need to replace the lights you used last year for the tree or house? These are all things to be thinking about in November, before it is time to decorate. It is so much more fun when you don't have to run to Hobby Lobby every 5 minutes for more ornament hangers. Here are a few things I will be making:

Trees in Mason Jars

Kissing Ball 

Advent

Village in a Jar

Gingerbread Man Garland 

(click on the picture to link up to the project) 

Giving

Giving is so much fun, but it can get a little overwhelming. I like to separate my giving into different categories:

Store-bought

Homemade

Baking

Now I can make a list of what I need to make and bake, then I'm not overwhelmed and trying to figure out what I am going to give everyone.

Christmas Cards 

I look forward to doing a Christmas letter and picture every year. We have so many loved ones that are not near us, and I like to make sure they know we are thinking about them, especially during the holidays. Here is my checklist:

Find addresses for people that may have moved, or new additions to my list

Make and print labels for cards

Type up letter

Think of poses for picture/plan outfits 

So there it is, my plan. I'm looking at it now and realizing how completely insane I am. My hope is this year we all remember why we celebrate and that no matter how big our checklist is, we have a Savior that loves us and wants us to love others. 

Blessings, 

Dainele