Journal Your Christmas Giveaway

We are undergoing major renovations to our home right now. We started in the summer but all deadlines have been pushed back (as is typical in the construction world!) so that we will be cutting it very close to Christmas. For this reason, I cannot decorate ahead of time, I cannot prepare a lot of baking ahead of time, I cannot entertain ahead of time, so I cannot get all stressed over making every detail just so! In the event that our renos are finished by Christmas, then I will partake in these wonderful things, but if not, then I am not going to stress over it, just take the holidays as they come and enjoy every moment of it, even if the Christmas tree does not get up until Christmas Eve!

I plan on planning! I always overspend because I don't keep track of what I have picked up already. I want to start baking earlier. There never seems to be enough time to do the things I want to do but this year I am going to prioritize.

We usually have appetizers instead of a sit down dinner with everyone so excited. Then I usually have a few games such as counting M&Ms in a glass figurine and they get to keep the gift then, and this year, we may add getting a crazy gift for each other that would be out of their element! It's a little bit zany and sane all at once! Merry Christmas!

I only wish things were going to be more sane this year. We are going to Disney (for the first time) from December 12th thru December 20th. I think it will add some magic to the holidays. My goal is to get all my shopping done and presents wrapped before we leave so we can enjoy the holiday. I think that I am even going to put my tree up at Thanksgiving. Won't my husband love that. Wish me luck.

To help make Xmas more sane I am going to do what I do every year: have all shopping done before Thanksgiving!

I am planning a more sane, heartfelt Christmas this year - as every year I have such huge expectations that, I feel like I cannot measure up to what I expect of myself and others. dumb huh?
We have cut out the running around to be at everyone else's house. Christmas eve is our special family time (all day) - starting with brunch and fun int he afternoon. Then a special supper together - hubby, myself, our 4 grown children and their little families.
Love your work, ideas and daily blog. And love Shimelle's (followed her for a long time too).
Cheers
(Canada)

I plan to take some time for myself, snuggle by the fireplace with a good book, take a bubble bath, do yoga and have a nice candleight dinner with my honey. That is one way in which I will keep my sanity during the busy season. My word for the year is Mindful.

I don't care if it is chaotic or sane. I just want to be with my family and enjoy every single moment with them. Life is way too short to worry about the small stuff.

I've decided to Christmas shop with simplicity this year. Instead of worrying and searching for the perfect gift, I am accepting that there is no "perfect." I am shopping with a limited budget, sticking to it, and getting creative with gifts this time.

This holiday season will have a little different perspective. I have always wanted to volunteer, and I made the plunge to help a great organizaiton in our community. My whole family will be getting into it over the holidays. My 9 yr old son is super excited about helping others. Now, we get to have the wonderful family holiday fun- and also know we are giving a little too.

Now that my children no longer believe in Santa, I hope enlisting their help will make this holiday season more sane!

I'm determined that this year the holidays will be a wonderful time for my family. I'm making most of my holiday gifts since I do not like shopping this time of year and also I would like to use up a lot of my scrapbooking stash. For my boys(2 & 4), I follow the "something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read" Last year was the first year I did it and it was wondeful. They weren't overwhelmed by getting too much. We are also going to donate clothes and toys to our local woman's shelter again. My husband and I enjoyed that the most of all.
I would love to win Journal Your Christmas. It sounds so fun!

This will be my first year not just enjoying Christmas but documenting it. I can't wait
to capture my Mama and Daddy's love for
us,
my brothers' excitment and
my little sisters' beauty in red!
Precious memories I'm determined
to stop taking for granted NOW
regardless of my age or ability.

I plan on "having a plan", keeping it simple and enjoying the family time!

This will be our first Christmas without Grandma Eleanor, who died in February. I am not sure how it will be. Perhaps we can make it more sane by simply focusing on helping all of us through this experience.
Thanks for the opportunity.

I love this giveaway, and the chance to take back Christmas, enjoying the real mystery and magic of the season! Thanks for the opportunity!

I love the december daily. I did one last year and I'm planning on doing one this year as well.

going to remember this year that everything can't be finished in one day and it is okay if it takes me a week to decorate the house and I don't have to feel bad about it!

Making a plan well in advance, already starting to flip through my cookbooks and start buying presents already!

I plan to do what makes me and my family happy during the holiday season, to do the traditions that we started years ago and that we love and to not worry about the rest.

This is something I've been thinking about for a while actually. My holiday cards are addressed and almost ready to go once we have our photos done. My shopping is just about finished and I only have a couple of crafty projects to finish up so that I will have everything wrapped and ready to go by Thanksgiving weekend. I'm hoping that by having two of my biggest stressers out of the way I will be able to relax and be more present to do more fun and meaningful things with my family this year. I never seem to feel up to completing my Dec. Daily album with everything else on my to do list so I hope that this is my year. Combining your album idea with Shimelle's prompts could be just the thing! Thanks!

Simplify, simplify, simplify.....I need to do less and put family first. I always try to have everything perfect and come Christmas I'm exhausted!

December has always been a crazy month for me. Every month is crazy but December is the craziest. Along with Christmas, we have 3 family birthday's to celebrate and I also teach at a local scrapbook store, host scrapbook classes at my house and attend crops and classes (and I work a full time job). This year, I am clearing the calendar of all classes, crops and teachings so I can spend all my free time doing fun holiday things with my family. They miss me enough during the year that I am devoting myself to them. Hopefully I can continue to do that throughout next year. I definitely need to slow down and try not to do everything all the time. So, to make December more memorable this year, I am letting go and slowing down. Thanks Ali for a chance to win.

Honestly, our holiday season is not hectic at all! We enjoy it and don't let it get crazy. We decided when we got married 9 years ago, that we wanted the focus to be on the holiday and family and not on retail madness and entertaining, and we have stuck to the promise! It is a wonderful time of year when we get to enjoy one another! I love that you are offering not only the class spot, but one for a friend, too! That is just so neat to me! What a wonderful way to give!

Simplify everything is my moto for this year. Gifts made and bought early, less cookies, more time to enjoy the season. Thanks again for you daily inspiration!