Tips For a "More" relaxed Christmas Season

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!!!

I refuse to be stressed out about it...to that end....here is what I do to enjoy the entire month.

1. Shop early...I REFUSE TO SHOP ON BLACK FRIDAY!!!! Usually I am done by Thanksgiving. I also do a lot of my shopping on line.

2. I have a revolving, constant running, wish list on Amazon so that I don't have to struggle remembering what people want/need and it makes it easy for out of state family to buy for Sam.

3. Have a budget and stick to it. I remind Sam (often) that he is very blessed and a lot of kids don't have the wonderful advantages that he has and that Santa doesn't give you everything you want, so you need to prioritize what you want. When he gets a little older we plan on volunteering at the mission so he can see how the other half has to live.

4. Wrap early. I'm usually done with this by Thanksgiving too.

5. Plan the BIG meal early....and if possible eat at your sister's house (THANKS GENIE!), so you only have to bring a couple side dishes.

6. Decorate early...I decorate the day after Thanksgiving and take down on December 26th.

7. Ship early....and make this a part of the budget.

8. Declutter....we especially go through the toys. Sam decides which ones he doesn't play with anymore. We put them in a large black bag and leave them by the fireplace and at night (after we are sleeping), Santa picks them up to give to less fortunate children.

9. Address your Christmas cards early and then write a couple every night. I have them done by Thanksgiving and mail them on December 1st.

10. Enjoy the simple things. Spend a night driving around looking at the pretty lights. Sam loves this. We get dressed in pajamas, pack hot chocolate and enjoy the free show. We also watch all the Christmas specials, Christmas carol, read Christmas books, play in the snow (...yes, occasionally we get some....) and bake cookies. We also have Elf on a Shelf starting this year. I am so excited to see Sam searching for our little friend.