When it comes to thawing turkey, we’ve got your back with these guidelines garnered from Butterball and Cook’s Country:
How to Thaw a Turkey
If you have 3-5 days, follow this guide:
Move the turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator.
Leave it in the wrapping it came in.
For some reason which I don’t know, Butterball says to thaw it breast side up.
To keep it from leaking all over everything else in your fridge, place it in a large baking pan or tray.
Allot a day for every four pounds of turkey. That means a twelve-pounder will take three days, a twenty-pounder will take five days, and, if you’re roasting Big Bird, you should probably start thawing in July.
How to Thaw a Turkey at the Last Minute
If you pulled the major oops and forgot about your turkey until the day before you need your bird (or the day of), follow this guide:
Leave the bird in the wrapping.
Plop the frozen bird in water. Make sure it is completely covered. You can use a cooler, a five-gallon bucket, the sink, or, hey, your bathtub. Changing the water frequently will speed up the process.
This method requires an hour for two pounds, so, again, 12 pounds is 6 hours, 20 pounds is 10 hours, Big Bird is–you know, this roasted Big Bird talk is morbid and disgusting.
When your bird is thawed, you have two to four days to get it from thawed to cooked, so don’t get too distracted and forget about your bird.
Just so you know, the term “last minute” is figurative. If you literally forgot to thaw the turkey until the minute it was supposed to go in the oven, turn on the game, order pizza, and invite everyone back tomorrow. It will make a great story to tell your daughter-in-law when she forgets to thaw her turkey.
If you’re interested in a super juicy bird, don’t forget to brine your turkey.
Okay, this is your time to “shine.” What’s your best “forgot to thaw the bird” story?
My story: I’ve never forgotten to thaw a bird, but I did set one inside the garage door when I came home from the grocery store and forgot it there…for days. Why didn’t I notice it? Apparently, I rarely used that door, and also it was a buy-one-get-one-free sale, so the other turkey was getting all the pre-Thanksgiving TLC. We smelled found it eventually.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning I make a commission if you order through these links. My policy is that I’ve gotta like a company a whole lot to tell you about them. Any profit I make at TSHM buys homeschool materials for my seven “road scholars.” If you don’t want me to profit, delete your cookies before purchasing. Mmmm…cookies.
I’m always telling you to make everyday memories with your loved ones, to simplify your life so you have time to live your life, to prioritize people over possessions, over passions, even over popcorn and pie.
Today I’m sharing a company that can help you preserve some of those memories you create. Why now? Mother’s Day is just around the corner, Father’s Day and Grandparent’s Day are nipping at its heels, I’m sure your anniversary and a few birthdays are in there somewhere, and then, BAM, it’s Christmas!
The company I want to tell you about is called Blurb. I’ve been a Blurb affiliate for a while now, and I have always kinda sorta deleted all their emails as they came in. But then I saw a book that my cousin made through Blurb and wow-holy-cow was that ever gorgeous!
So I started paying attention to the Blurb emails, and wow-holy-cow-and-its-calf, those people are always having sales! They’re like Kohls!
Finally, I checked them out for myself, and wow-holy-herd-of-cattle, they are organized, user-friendly, and offer quality products.
What does this have to do with your Mama?
Mother’s Day and, BAM,Christmas are just around the corner. If your mama is anything like this mama, she doesn’t want stuff, except for maybe a new slotted spoon to replace the one small hands left behind in the sand dunes of Idaho where it masqueraded as a shovel for a day. Oh, and your mama wants chocolate, the 85% dark that doesn’t give her…ahem…aroma.
Why not give her a personalized book instead, like one of these:
Compile her favorite recipes and create a cookbook.
Gather memories from all her children and grandchildren with pictures and drawings.
Write a letter-book to her. It could be called, simply, “Dear Mom.”
Is she a poet or an artist or a great story teller? Gather her work into a book.
Make a photo album of something special to her–a wedding, a trip, time with you.
Select pictures of her favorite pet and write about him, or include blank lines for her to fill in.
Write a children’s book in which she is the star. Let your children illustrate it.
Put together a memory book of a missed loved one.
The sky is the limit. Well, actually, your imagination (with the creative help of Pinterest and Blurb) is the limit, which might be higher than the sky.
Remember, I said they’re always having a sale? Always may be a slight exaggeration, but only slight.
Christmas is just around the corner. While your kids are enjoying sweet dreams of stuffed stockings and presents under the tree, you’re suffering through nightmares about your budget shattering like Humpty Dumpty on an off day. It’s a legitimate fear. Through some strange twist of cosmic irony, people who are religiously responsible with their finances eleven months out of the year, often ditch reason and overspend when Christmas temptations roll around.
Not this year!
Today I’m over at Stacy Makes Cents sharing ten money-saving principles for the holidays (and all those other days) to help ward off holiday-induced budgetary dementia and financial frazzle.
Holiday shoppers are running around in a frenzy of excitement and spending, their eyes on the latest deal. Christmas trees are being put up, and all eyes are on the twinkling lights and the ornaments. Christmas baking is beginning, and hungry eyes are eyeing the sweets and treats.
Let’s pause to consider one thing: with so much distracting us during December, how can we focus all eyes on the manger?
I am super-excited to interview Amanda White, creator of Truth in the Tinsel: An Advent Experience for Little Hands. She is sharing with us her ideas for using Truth in the Tinsel to focus our children and ourselves on the manger while still simplifying Christmas.
At The Simple Homemaker, we’re all about simplifying life to regain the joy in our family, faith, and, this time of year, Christmas. How does Truth in the Tinsel help maintain a simple, joyful Christmas season, despite adding another activity into a busy time of year?
Well, Truth in the Tinsel can seem overwhelming because when was the last time you did a devotion and craft with your kids 24 days in a row?! But that’s exactly why Truth in the Tinsel is such a great activity–Christmas is the best time to lead your kids to Jesus. The stores, the television and even people’s front yards are celebrating Jesus’ birth. We can either choose to go along with all their celebrations and be swept away with the craziness or choose to slow down a bit, focus on spending time with our family and on the most important story of all.
My goal in writing the book was to empower parents. I wanted to give them a tool or vehicle to tell their kids about Jesus and his birth. The book includes detailed supply lists, easy tutorials and minimal “hard work” on your part. I’ve written the hard parts so you can do the fun part!
I know you offer printable ornaments to simplify Truth in the Tinsel for busy parents. Are there other ways it’s adaptable for people who don’t have the opportunity to do this nightly? For example, some parents work odd hours or only have time on weekends. Some grandparents would love to do this, but only see the children for a few days during the holidays. And some didn’t find this terrific program until the week before Christmas, like us two years ago!
I know not everyone (myself included) can do every single activity! 24 days is a long time! So, first of all–give yourself permission to not do it every day! You will be too busy one day and that’s fine! Just pick up where you left off!
I’ve also included alternate schedules in the back of the book. There is one for just 6 days that cover each of the traditional Scripture passages. There is a 10 day version that focuses on just the people/characters of the story. And even one for 7 days that is about the prophecies about Jesus and his life.
I’d love your ideas for long-distance Advent fun with Truth in the Tinsel. Could grandparents, for example, Skype the lesson with a grandchild, and the child can color the printed ornaments and show Grandma and Grandpa on Skype the next day?
Oh my goodness, I totally love that idea! I’ve always thought it would be fun–especially with multiple kids (like do you really want 5 of the exact same ornament?!) to give your ornaments as gifts. You could deliver them to nursing homes, use them as gift toppers or even box a few up and ship them off to Grandma for her tree! And you could include photos of the kids making the ornaments!
I’m sure readers share stories with you about how Truth in the Tinsel has made their Christmases more focused and joyful. What is your favorite story?
I hear stories all the time about how kids are begging to read the Bible every day in December, how kids can tell the entire story of Jesus’ birth at just 3 years old, how parents and kids felt closer with one another after doing Truth in the Tinsel together each night, how churches brought parents together when they gave the ebook as a gift, how kids will talk about the stories and ornaments in the middle of the year and more. But one of my favorite stories is a little boy who was just 4 years old asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior because he was so intrigued and impressed with learning that Jesus came into the world to to be a light in the darkness (this is day 1 in the ebook). He recognized the own darkness in his life and asked Jesus to be the Light in his heart. How cool is that? A mama was purposeful enough to do the devotions with him, talk to him and God’s Word did what God promised–grew and produced results in that little boy’s heart. It wasn’t anything hard, just reading stories and making crafts. Who knew that could make an eternal difference?
Do you have any final thoughts for my readers, my happy crowd of simplifiers trying to make life less complicated, especially at Christmas?
Simplifying, to me, doesn’t always mean getting rid of everything and being still. Sometimes it means focusing. It means cutting off the fat, the unimportant and frivolous. I hope that’s what Truth in the Tinsel can encourage parents to do at Christmas. To cut off the frivolous parts of Christmas and put a laser-focus on the things that are most important.
Thank you, Amanda!
Personally, my family has used Truth in the Tinsel with our seven children for two years now. Not everyone in our brood fits the recommended age, but you’re never too old or young to hear the message of the manger or to spend time together. Some of my children made fancier or simpler crafts that they improvised, and some skipped the crafts and merely listened. It was a wonderful experience, and no, we didn’t do it every day. It’s easy to pick up anywhere and jump in, just like Amanda said.
Giving electronic gifts used to mean giving electronics. Now it means sending a file through cyber space to someone else’s stocking electronic device. I can’t entirely wrap my mind around this, but two things about it I really love:
No wrapping paper mess.
Books…lots and lots and lots of books requiring very little money or shelf space.
So how does one give ebooks as gifts, especially with Christmas around the corner?
Allow me to offer you my simple ideas. (If you’re looking for something complicated, Non-Techie Mama is burying her head in the sand.)
How to Give Ebooks as Gifts
Sending a PDF from your computer:
Write an email to the recipient.
Click “attach file” or whatever your email provider uses, such as a paperclip icon.
Delete the ebook from your own files. Why? Because you purchased one license to that book, and by having two copies, you would be breaking copyright law and could go to jail forever. Okay, that last part’s a lie, but the authors did work very hard to write that book, and you’re robbing them by duplicating it.
Gifting E-reader Books
If you are sending a Kindle book as a gift, check out Amazon’s thorough and simple gifting guide. Remember, recipients do not need a Kindle to be able to read a Kindle book on other electronic devices, such as a PC or smartphone. They can download the free Kindle reading app.
If your recipient prefers Nook books (that’s so Seussian), check out Barnes and Noble’s gifting page…although I personally don’t find B&N’s Nook options as user-friendly as Amazon’s Kindle world.
How To Give Ebooks to Non-Techies
Face it, not everyone is totally in love with the technological age. That doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of the affordable gift-giving potential of ebooks. Simply print the bundles front and back and package them in an attractive and useful manner. Some ebook authors post the pictures at the end of their books instead of interspersed throughout, in case you want to save ink and skip the pictures. Savvy.
Copyright alert: If you print the entire book to give away, you must still delete it from your files. Otherwise it’s like photocopying an entire book for someone else. Not legal! If you only print a recipe or a poem or a bit of encouragement here and there from different books, that’s no different than copying over a recipe from a hardcopy book. Just make sure you give credit to the author always! At least, that’s how I understand it. If my next post comes to you from the penitentiary, don’t take my advice.
Here are some printed ebook gifting options. Any appropriate ebooks would do. This is just a sampling of my ideas to trigger your creative side:
Give Crock On: A Semi-Whole Foods Slow Cooker Cookbook and 15-Minute Freezer Recipes together in a binder as a baby shower gift, and ask all attendees in advance to bring along their favorite “no-time-to-shower-or-sleep” recipes to add to the binder. You could add a crock pot or a freezer to make it extra helpful. Okay, forget the freezer.
Take a copy of 21 Days to a More Disciplined Lifeor One Bite at a Timeto a local printer to have it wire- or plastic-bound and give it to any mom out there, because I can’t think of one–except maybe my super amazing sister-in-law–who doesn’t need a little extra guidance toward simplifying and being disciplined while remaining super fun and awesome!
Use ribbon or twine and a whole punch or a sturdy “paper-capable” sewing machine to bind a copy ofMy Buttered Life: Personal Care edition and gift it with some supplies.
Purchase Truth in the Tinsel: An Advent Experience for Little Hands, print the ornaments, and give it to someone you love or a young mama at church. Present it around Thanksgiving, so they can enjoy the activities throughout December.
You get the picture. Print them attractively or practically, and make it the entire gift, add a few supplies or related items, or add it to a bigger gift as the icing on the Christmas cake. You are limited only by your creativity…or by my creativity if you’re not thinking at all.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you live in my house, do not read this. I’m serious. Do not read! I’ll know if you do, so click away. That goes for you, too, Honey! (Insert angry eyes.)
Okay, folks, it’s officially the last minute. If you forgot the stocking stuffers, I’ve got your back with some great ideas–or at least some bulky ideas that will take up space.
My criteria for stockings are as follows:
Is it affordable? Better yet, is it an item from the regular budget that can be used as a gift? (Such as food, personal care products, clothing, hair accessories, and other necessities, spruced up a bit.)
Is it junk that I will want to throw away 13 seconds after it’s opened? No junk allowed!
Will they like or appreciate it?
Is it light enough that the combined weight of all nine stockings won’t rip my husband’s hand-crafted mantel off the wall? (That’s a biggie.)
I interviewed everyone in my family, including the dog and nephews, and copied their ideas down as they spewed them simultaneously. That gives you the perspective of a husband/dad/manly man, wife/mom/country girl, two teen girls, two tween girls, two tween boys, a young boy and girl, a sweet, shnoogly little kissable baby with chubby little toes I could just eat up (a-hem…excuse me), and a dog. If you have teen boys…well…good luck, cuz I got nothin’. Many of these can cross over into other categories, but I won’t be repeating them in this list.
Freebie ideas or things that would otherwise be a part of your regular budget are in bold.
Here are the results of my extensive research and some pics from the year I stuffed my hubbies stocking for free, so, uh, the “Kiss Me” lip balm was for my man, not my daughters.
For the husband/dad/manly man:
(Stephen, I’m not kidding. You better not be reading this.)
Things you always “borrow” from him (for me it’s pens and nail clippers; to make this option free, hunt up all the things you’ve “borrowed” since last Christmas, tie them up in a ribbon, attach a tag reading “stolen merchandise” )
Things he is always losing (chapstick and nail clippers)
Something he can eat that you usually won’t buy due to cost (pistachios, for example)
Gift cards
His favorite bad-for-you snack, which, considering recent events, should maybe be a Twinkie this year (My man says Werther’s that he doesn’t have to share.)
His favorite treat that you make him
Something to fit with his hobbies or interests (my man is a professional musician, so we have given him fingernail hardener, guitar picks, a tuner, guitar strap, strings. For yours it might be ammo, rock climbing chalk, golf tees, clicker batteries, mouse pad.)
No socks or undies! He says they take up too much room–his stocking is the smallest in the family, but if he had a big ol’ stocking, I’d pad it with some socks. (I think I will anyway, since the laundromats across the country have been eating holes in his.)
Pretty negligee…for the wife…yes, in the hubby’s stocking (consider your kids’ curiosity levels before pursuing this idea)
A key to a Harley. (Nice, Honey! How’d you slip that in there? Is there even such a thing as a nine-passenger Harley?)
For the wife/mom/country girl:
Okay, family, you can read this section.
Things that are continually plundered from her purse (small tissue packs, chapsticks, a nail clipper, chiclets)
Little things to make life easier (like a flashlight keychain for her keys, or how about one of those remote buttons that unlocks the van for her, because chances are her arms are full of children and groceries…you know, hypothetically, if, also hypothetically, her husband felt he should have the easy button instead of her; you know, she might hypothetically not be able to let that go)
Some moms love jewelry, some moms don’t. For some practical jewelry, how about Teething Bling, a teething necklace that Mom wears. I love mine!
Homemade coupons for a meal cooked by Dad, a massage, etc. are always great, but in my experience they have NEVER EVER EVER been redeemed, because Mom feels too guilty asking, or everyone seems too busy, so if you give this, follow through without making Mom ask…please.
Clip her coupons. If she’s a coupon clipper, do the work yourself on her behalf and pop them in her stocking…neatly, of course.
Her favorite treat that she would never buy or make for herself, you know, like dark chocolate-covered almonds, or maybe almonds…covered in dark chocolate.
A gift card with orders that it must not be spent on food, toilet paper, or diapers.
Something for her hobby, and a gift certificate for three uninterrupted hours to pursue said hobby. My hobby is napping.
For the teens:
Girls, you know you’re getting coal, so don’t bother reading this.
A treat or snack they would not normally get (chocolate bar, chocolate-covered nuts, chocolate, gum…chocolate-flavored)
Special pen, art tool, guitar pick, bow resin, anything to support their passions or hobbies)
Chapstick or lip gloss
Stuffed animal or other toy or item they enjoy (make it extra special and free by fixing up an old favorite from early childhood and regifting it.)
Things that usually have to be shared (nailclippers, uhhh, other stuff)
Pomegranate or other “treat” fruit. (A neat old man in the grocery store hyped up Jazz apples to us this year, which are more expensive than our usual picks, so my kids are getting Jazz in their stockings.)
A gift certificate to Redbox for,perhaps, five movie rentals of her choice
A note from my teens: toothbrushes and underwear have now achieved “lame” status, but fun socks are still good. Personally, I think a new toothbrush or toothbrush head is fab!
Nice personal care items, like a mud masque or hair accessories we wouldn’t normally spend money on. Make a gift certificate for a girls’ night.
Key to the car…your car, not theirs…because there’s nothing simple, affordable, or last-minute about a car.
SD card for their cameras or…oh, I won’t even pretend to be tech-savvy here. Just some gizmo that techies need and that will fit in a stocking for not very much money, okay!
Something useful, like a new cami in a different color.
Something hobby related, like drawing pencils or new thread…or a flame thrower.
Puppy (Is this to fit on the Harley with the rest of the family, Girls?)
For the Tweens:
Avert your eyes, children.
Chocolate
Chapstick
Fun socks
Stuffed animal
Small toy (make it free by passing along a favorite from your childhood)
Toothbrush
Homemade treat
Reading light
Something from their collections, if they have one.
Activity booklet
A coupon to get out of a chore (thanks to my nephews for this great idea).
Puppy (um, I’m detecting a theme.)
For the kids:
Ice skates, roller skates (seriously, kids, how big do you think a stocking is). How about a homemade gift certificate to go ice skating (or for any other family activity).
Chocolate, fudge, or caramel, especially a big box of chocolate not to share (Can you tell my four-year-old wrote this list?)
Snack or favorite fruit
Spinny toothbrush
Hair pretties. Restock the hair bands and ties that get lost throughout the year, or cut some ribbons.
Bandaids. Get the ones with pictures.
Favorite movie
Small version of their favorite toys, like a Lego mini-figure, matchbox car, or small doll (Make it free by passing something down from older siblings or your own childhood collection.)
Stuffed cat or dog
Keychain flashlight to hook to their backpack or to hang on a hook by the bed
Puppy (Attention, please! We are not getting a puppy…are we?)
For Baby
Something recognizable, like a favorite toy or “wooby”
Something recognizable and edible, like a banana
Her favorite book from her collection, or pass one down from an older sibling.
If your baby is big enough, a container of something she can eat without help. Think immediate gratification, and also preoccupation while the other children are saying “Mama, look-it!”
A pocket pack of tissues she can pull out and shred (Thanks to my amazing sister-in-law for this idea.)
A sippy or bottle if your baby uses either…filled with whatever your baby drinks. Since my little ones nursed, and I don’t fit into a stocking, a sippy of water worked. It was just a sippy from our cupboard that they knew was theirs.
An ornament to start her collection…or a football to start his career–ha ha. That was a joke. Laugh.
Stuff it with diapers 🙂
Don’t get her a puppy.
For the dog:
He likes food
He needs flea and tick control
He does not need expensive toys that he’ll only rip the squeaker out of
He gets a few of his old tennis balls thrown in.
He is not getting a kitten, although that would be interesting
This is a long-ish read, so feel free to click through to the section you want. The Christmas Card Chaos Alternatives are at the bottom. But you’ll be missing some good stuff…or at least some stuff. Lottsa stuff.
I love Christmas cards. If you put chocolate on one end of a balance scale and Christmas cards on the other, chocolate would win, but it would be really close.
As much as I love receiving Christmas cards, I like sending them even better. That’s why this confession may surprise you. I stopped sending formal Christmas cards 7 Christmases ago.
My Family’s Christmas Card History
I used to totally get into Christmas cards, newsletters, and photos. I enjoyed the creative process, but not the stress and time involved. So what happened?
I was expecting my fifth baby around Christmas 2005, homeschooling, unpacking from our second move in a year, and prepping for extended-stay houseguests. Plus, I was suffering from anxiety-related ailments. Something had to give. It was a close call between ousting our guests or the Christmas cards, but in the end I dumped the cards. It was the right decision…according to my houseguests.
The next year, it occurred to me that I had been investing a disproportionate chunk of time perfecting cards for people I hardly knew anymore at the expense of my family and health. Sure, the relationships had been priorities at one time, but the children pulling at my skirt were priorities right now.
My Philosophical Assessment on the Christmas Card Insanity (In other words, why?)
Why do we do that? Why do we expend time, stress, and money every December to paint our family at its better-than-best, however distorted that image may be?
Perhaps we want the world to believe we have it together because maybe, just maybe, that will validate our efforts and struggles and downplay the failures we might feel are unique to us.
We might also feel that our very real and messy lives need to measure up to the images implied in the perfect family photos and elaborate cards, which I sometimes feel are posted online only to make us moms without capes or halos feel less than adequate.
A Little Reminder About Reality Versus the Internet
Nobody’s Christmas cards include pictures of mommy moods, toddler-tantrums, teen scowls, and scorched suppers, but that doesn’t mean they don’t happen…often while trying to capture that perfect family photo, ironically. And nobody rolls out of bed looking like that Photoshopped beauty on the card. (That’s why bloggers don’t blog on live TV. Plus it’s boring watching people type.)
Reality and the Internet don’t always often mesh. Remember that.
A New Philosophy on Christmas Cards (It’s genius…okay maybe it’s just common sense.)
We still like giving cards, but we’ve taken it down a notch or five. Here’s how.
1) We no longer have a card list as long as Elastigirl’s arm. We keep it down to a few special people, such as grandparents. Just because I’m someone’s friend on Facebook does not qualify that person for a spot on the Christmas card list. Sorry!
2) Perfection is not a goal. Enjoying the process together is.
3) If it gets to be too much, we stop, even if we’ve done everything but put a stamp on ’em.
Here are some of the tactics we’ve employed over the years to keep it reasonable and fun.
1) Last year, my firstborn made and sent Christmas cards as the family ambassador.
2) I’ve replaced December weekly homeschool letter writing assignments with card writing. Six kids of writing, drawing, or scribbling age plus mom over four weeks, that’s 28 Christmas cards. Not bad.
3) I purchase discounted cards after Christmas for my kids to use as thank you notes. It’s sort of like a holiday card…only with gratitude. Who doesn’t love gratitude!
4) We have occasionally resorted to the Merry Christmas email. It doesn’t have the same impact that an in-your-hand stamped piece of mail does, and I don’t like to do it, but then I remember my priorities. Plus it keeps the brown hairs brown a little longer and doesn’t tax the budget.
5) Online card companies have great deals this time of year, sometimes sending personalized cards on your behalf for a ridiculously reasonable fee. (Don’t ask me how they stay in business.) I jump on the freebie offers, like this one for ten free personalized cards from VistaPrint this week, because I’m cheap like that. (See the bottom of this post for a giveaway.)
6) My favorite approach is to cover our table with craft supplies for a week (dinner on a blanket on the floor, anyone?), and let the kids go crazy. We then sign our names to whatever hasn’t been permanently glued to the table or wall, stick it in an envelope, and mail it…sometimes in March. It’s fun, and, more importantly, we are spending that time together.
7) We haven’t set foot in a photo studio in years, because I’ve determined it’s inhumane. My husband hates it. My kids hate it. And I don’t like the real tears and fake smiles. We opt for personality over perfection. When we want a family photo for cards, we set up the camera at home, get a dozen shots, and call it good enough. Sometimes we use a picture someone else took of our family. Sometimes we don’t send pictures at all. (If they want to know what we look like, they can visit, for Pete’s sake.)
Borderline Torture – See the Four-Year-Old
8) Instead of writing out cards, we’ll make a phone call. Any willing children can say “hi,” or I’ll kick up my feet (actually I pace) and chat for half an hour. I’ll mention that we’re not doing Christmas cards this year, but I still wanted to connect. I don’t actually say “connect,” though, because that sounds kinda like I’m trying to sell insurance.
9) Rather than sending cards to who-knows-who just to show off our amazing kids, we take a look around. Can we use cards to serve others, putting a smile on a lonely person’s face? That was sort of rhetorical.
10) Last year the kids helped write a family newsletter. They drew names and wrote about the sibling whose name they drew. We never finished the newsletter, but we sure had fun not getting it done!
I’d love to create a Christmas card DVD with a slideshow of our year set to my husband’s music. It would include the year’s highlights, as well as the major fails that keep us real. I’d edit in clips of my children singing and reciting Christmas greetings, and an off-the-cuff, Hollywood caliber reenactment of the Christmas story, with a cameo appearance by Tom Selleck as Angel Gabriel.
That’s the plan I formulate in my head before I get out of bed. Then I open my eyes and realize I still live in reality, so I scrap the whole idea and embrace simplicity…and sanity.
My real plan is a little different. Because I have to make a few big announcements to people that I would otherwise have to contact individually, I opted to do a simple newsletter. The children will write about themselves, I’ll handle the updates, and my artistic daughter can illustrate it so we can print in black and white and use less ink than photos would. Plus then my artist can make me look ravishingly young and leave out the grey hair. (What’s that I said about keeping it real?) Whether or not that will get out by Christmas is yet to be determined–okay, it won’t. But that’s okay. There’s something special and unexpected about an after-Christmas card.
A laid-back approach to cards, a shortened recipient list, and willing family participation make card-giving a low-stress family affair. Okay, I’ll admit it’s even fun!
I’d love to see a turn-around in America where moms stop trying to outdo each other and instead encourage each other on this shared journey of parenthood. Trying to make ourselves look better than others not only makes them feel insecure, but it makes them try to outdo us, which, if they succeed, will make us feel insecure and necessitate our having to ramp it up next year. Do we really want to go there?
If you have people in your life who feel like it’s a competition to outdo one another, let them win! Their cards may appear better than yours (and more expensive and time-consuming), but while they were slaving over cards, you were making sugar cookies with your kids and chatting on the phone with your favorite Grandma. So…who really wins?
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My Family’s Christmas Card History
My Philosophical Assessment on the Christmas Card Insanity (In other words, why?)
A Little Reminder About Reality Versus the Internet
A New Philosophy on Christmas Cards (It’s genius…okay maybe it’s just common sense.)
10 Alternatives to the Christmas Card Chaos
