Journal Your Christmas Giveaway

Less sane...I am going to adopt your motto of , It is OK! To me that means, everything does not have to be perfect in order for it to be meaningful and full of love! Thanks for an awesome blog and inspiration!
Staci

I turn 29 this December and feel that I'm only just starting to live some of the Christmas magic. Christmas in Australia is quite different from all those lovely winter images we see at this time of year, so I've always had a hard time with the lead up to Christmas, because quite frankly it just never seemed Christmassy.
For my Canadian husband, who has a harder time than me finding Christmas in Australia and for my 14 month old son I plan to make the most of the December (1 through 25). We don't have a lot of money but there are free activities at the library, etc. that we will be taking full advantage of. One of the activities I'm really looking forward to is taking my little man on the Christmas train in a local department store.

I've started present shopping already. That will help keep me from being crazy at the last mintue trying to figure out presents.

We are going to draw names at Thanksgiving for people in our family so we only have to get one gift instead of several. That will cut way down on the stress of holiday shopping!!

christmas eve brunch and emailed christmas cards

I hope to keep it simple & make lists-especially of pictures I REALLY want to get...I forgot that last year! I want to enjoy the holidays with my kids as much as possible....

You know, I really don't have a good answer to your question. Do you? ;) I had a quiet Christmas with just DH/kids, and my Mom. Suddenly, we have 8 other various family members joining in here and there, and I just don't know how everyone will be accomodated. Literally: we have a 3 bedroom house! So yeah, Christmas is on my mind and I'm brainstorming/problem solving. But I'd love to take Shimelle's course anyways!

What a great giveaway---the perfect way to remind me to journal the holiday season.

For me sanity at the holidays is about keeping things as simple as possible.
This year I did some traveling that is usually attempted over Christmas a bit earlier so it wasn't pressing as a necessity. I enjoy being HOME at Christmas so between my husband's work schedule and other commitments, it worked out this could be the case this year.
Thankfully my parents aren't so much about being together at Christmas as they are that we spend some time together as a group, so we are heading there at New Years, well after the craziness of Christmas has settled. This is a tremendous relief.
I'm keeping decor simple this year, maybe just one room of decoration instead of all over the house.
I'm not wasting creative energy giving handmade cards to people who don't appreciate them, but spending extra time for those I know will. Is anything more frustrating than a loved one or friend saying something like 'she has way too much time on her hands if she can make this'...??? Ick...Dollar Tree here I come!
Overall, since there won't be many guests in my home this year, I'm keeping up with housework, but not busting my tail to be perfect at all times. I just want to 'BE' and soak in the beauty of the season and God's blessings of a wonderful family and good friends. I plan to spend copious amounts of time in my studio and keep up with my walking/jogging schedule!

To stay sane this Xmas season I plan to enjoy it through my 18-month-old son's eyes. Watch the lights sparkle, dance to music, marvel at the snow...

Last Christmas our life was crazy with house renovations, and preparing to move to a new country to live, on top of the usual end of year activities. With most of our possessions going into storage, and not a lot of room in our new apartment it didn't make sense to get lots of new 'stuff' for xmas. Instead we set aside money to purchase annual family passes (zoo, museum etc) in our new city. Although I think there was some initial disappointment with the lack of new toys I know that all of us - kids and parents, have very much enjoyed our family outings this year. It also increased appreciation for the gifts that were received (and was a lot less stressful!) I am hoping that this will become our new family christmas tradition.

I think this year I should attempt a Christmas album. I am having a break from work and will be able to enjoy and plan more for Christmas. Which means more time with my children and husband.

As we are going home for Christmas to see all my family and friends, I just want to have things simple. So am going to go into it relaxed, as i did all my christmas cards and christmas daily back a couple of months ago so that has let go alot of stress. Plus i did my christmas shopping back in june when we were home for a quick two week holidays. So i now I will enjoy the wrapping and decorating the gifts. I love wrapping presents!

I have to say that our holiday season is never really crazy...with school out and no traveling for us this year, I imagine it actually being very relaxing. I only do what I want to do and what we can afford in regard to decorating and gift-giving, and we spend lots of time just being together. The year I am focusing on a few things like we did last year---things focused on giving and celebrating the season---and the rest is just hanging out. To me, Christmas is about slowing down, not speeding up. ;-)

Last year I made too many candies and cookies, made all of my cards, and did the December Daily project. I felt a little too busy and got to the point that I was doing it to get it all crossed off my list. This year I am planning on using premade cards, making fewer types of cookies, and simplfying my December Daily album.

We are going to start our beach holiday a few days prior to Christmas this year. It gives a bit of time to unwind so we can really enjoy the day.

It's our first Christmas in a new home. I plan on getting a lot of details like decorating and gift buying and maybe even the cards done in November so that we can take the time to just be together as a family and cherish everyday doing simple things like baking cookies and watching Christmas movies with the glow of the tree in the background. And I pray, as I remain calm and peaceful my 3 kids will learn about the beauty of this season and the birth of Savior. My kids are 5, 3, & 1 and we are all still adjusting to being in a new house, I think this Christmas will really make it begin to feel like home and I know that Mommy's mood sets the tone. Journaling is so refreshing to me, I'm excited to begin working on my December daily album.

It's amazing how the ads on TV are already into Christmas. I'm so very thankful that both my kids don't go to extremes with their families. This year, I've decided not to get all caught up with getting the cookies made. I don't need them and if they're around the house, I'll eat them!! So I'm taking a pass. I'll spend my creative time with my papercrafting!! What better way than to journal Christmas!

I plan to scale back on holiday expectations this year, and focus more on being with those I love. Less "stuff" and more "people."

sounds like another wonderful way to document and enjoy the season of family