Journal Your Christmas Giveaway

Do the words "sane" and "holiday" even go together? I don't think so. I always say with a husband, a dog, a big old house, 6 kids and a partridge in a pear tree..it's the jolliest of times.. I dont think I'd use the word "sane" in any aspect of my life.

I am writing lists. Lot of list.

It will be a crazy season as we will be moving my mother cross country to live near us. BUT my intention for the holiday period is to take time regularly to create, play and just enjoy my family. Lots of take-away in our future :)

i really want to keep things simple and not put any unrealistic expectations on myself. i'm giving myself a budget and sticking to it this year. i want to teach my kids the real meaning of christmas and why we celebrate christmas. i want to teach my kids it's not about the fancy presents we give each other or how much money was spent on one another but that we spend this holiday together as a family. thanks for the awesome giveaway opportunity.

I'm going to try not to procrastinate this year & get things done in advance so I can enjoy the holidays more.

Shopping done by Thanksgiving! . . . Maybe :)

If I can finish shopping by Nov 30, I'd use the time to finish up homemade gifts and decorating.

A more sane holiday around here starts with me not having such high expectations. If I go into it expecting it to turn out like a magazine article, I will be disappointed. So...simplify.

I loved doing the December Daily album last year. It really kept my Christmas spirit up during our first season of "empty nesting." I think Shimelle's class is the perfect partner! I loved my daily focus on Being Present each day, journaling about what's important, and enjoying those little moments which really help alleviate any stress.

I plan on keeping everything as simple as I possibly can. Planning meals ahead and sharing the bulk of the cooking makes it less stressful for everyone, and we do gifts just for the kids:)

I'm excited to help my kids use their imaginations to make gifts this year. Less rushing around buying and more time creating and wrapping together will keep me sane!!! :-)

I want to plan out things more in advance this year. I altered a pocket size notebook to help me keep track of all my lists so that I have them with me when I am not home.

I like to keep myself sane shopping-wise by getting it all done in one day for the things that I'm buying anyway. I also just sit down one afternoon with my favorite Christmas music (Harry Connick, JR) playing and wrapp all of the gifts at once. Getting these over all at once saves me a lot of headache.

I have no idea but like every year before this one, I will just do my best one day at a time. Just like my Dad tought me.

Wow....lots of comments above. For me, I am beginning my first December Dailys (and will probably go through the 12th day of Christmas). I am so excited to spend this time, starting now, with my 2 year old granddaughter. The holidays through the eyes of a "grandchild" are AWESOME!! I also will attempt to keep things simple and homemade (gosh, I just sounded like Sandra Lee).

I have already started on the handmade projects I'm making for gifts this year - which will be a huge help! I always wait until the last minute and then rushing things...I'm very proud of myself this year! :)

Would love to win, thanks for the chance! Gabriel

We are in the process of moving so all the Christmas stuff is packed. We are going to have a simple tree with simple homemade ornaments and a much slower pace this year.

I'm hoping the fact that I've finished much of my holiday shopping early will make my holiday a bit less stressful this year. I also hope to make this year my first December Daily year...I'm excited to work on my album!

I am trying to focus on being present for the holidays rather than the presents. I have also decided to tone down on the decorations..very minimal. Of course, I have a grandson who is crawling around the family room and putting everything within reach in his mouth...another good reason to cut back on the pretties.