7 Weeks Till Christmas: Organize Your Family’s Holiday Calendar
Photo: Country Living
1. Write down some descriptive words. Take a few minutes before the craziness of the holidays sets in and physically write down what the holidays should MEAN to you. What do you WANT the holidays to be above the presents and lights? It doesn’t matter what Martha Stewart’s Christmas scene looks like if its not what is best for YOUR FAMILY. For us I came up with the following:
I want Christmas to be: Warm, Comfortable, Happy, Magicaly, Sentimental, Special and a Spiritual Experience.
2. Update your Calendar. Go to your calendar NOW. Write down all of the events that you have for your kid’s schools, activities, church, plays etc. Get it all down on paper so you can reference it and not overbook yourself. Now… research the things you WANT to do to make your holiday “word wishes” come true. Is there are special play or ballet you make a day of? For us, in our family, we MAKE time to go to the living nativity Walk Through Bethlehem, at our church. We also love to go to the Southern Lights and this year I am DYING to do a Cookie Exchange (a la my friend Ali!!! She did one last year and it was one of the best experiences of my entire holiday!). So those are things I will carefully map out to make sure that we have time for them!
3. Evaluate your Commitments. Is there is enough WHITE SPACE on your calendar to leave time for you to ENJOY the holidays?
4. List the rest of your priorities. Nothing like “get in the car and flee the city to the beach!”. For me these are my other priorities. Schedule “family” Christmas time for each of our families and extended families. Yes this may take some balancing but its worth it for my kids to know that they are loved and to feel the warmth of the season that I remember so well from being a kid! Bake Cookies! A LOT of cookies! Namely like 100 dozen! We bake from the minute Thanksgiving dinner is over until after New Year’s brunch. Make and Take Christmas gifts to Ky’s doctors. Sleep in on New Year’s Day. Have brunch with family on New Year’s. Drive around and look at Christmas lights while the kids eat cookies and drink hot chocolate. Play in the snow. Just PLAY. Work a puzzle. Make Monkey bread!
5. Smile, Laugh, Relax. Don’t force yourself to be so BUSY enjoying the holidays that you forget to ENJOY them. It does happen so remember to slow down, sit back and feel the magic!
For the full article and to see more great tips on organizing your Holiday Schedule visit SimpleMom.net
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