Journal Your Christmas Giveaway

I think the most sane way for me to celebrate is to find ways to make my life easier so that I can stay home and enjoy more family time. I hope to accomplish this by purchasing mostly getting gift cards for the kids in the family that we give gifts to (rather than actual gifts...I think they enjoy this better anyway), decorate a little here and there rather than all at once, do prep work for Christmas ahead of time, order cards early and update my mailing list early. Not waiting til the last minute is a definite way to reduce the stress. Oh, and relax...always got to remind myself to chill and not stress out about the small stuff.

I love Christmas... I now live quite away from my family and friends so have to plan Christmas quite well so that I get a visit 'back home' to deliver pressies and cards... also we have a get together too which is fun and my children love it... also means I have to be organised here so that I don't leave things to the last minute. Making the planning, the shopping and organising it all fun is the most important thing... and I try to do stuff with the children too.
Enjoying people is the most important thing of all!

This year I have already starting Christmas shopping as well as wrapping and I'm almost done. That way the stress of shopping is all done. It will give me more time to just relax and enjoy the things I really love with my family. I find if you can get a handle on the little things that really stress you out closer to Xmas then you'll be better off.
Thanks for the chance to win.

I have a horrible memory. I make the elderly look like the Mensa masters of memory. Sadly, I feel that I simply don't remember enough of my Christmases. Now that I have a 3 year old angel girl and a bouncing baby boy prepping to make a grand entrance in February, I am driven crazy with terror by how much I don't remember. This year, to allow myself a more sane Christmas, I plan to take a group of pictures every day. Even if they sit in a box (or a CD) labeled "Christmas, 2009" until I have grand-babies of my own, I will have more peace of mind knowing that my memories are not lost.

Nothing too crazy going on here. It's just the three of us. I just have so many photos from last year, first Christmas, that I am still trying to finish albums and pages.....Maybe I can do better this year.

We plan to make things a little crazier this year. My twins are two now, and my husband and I have so many things we want to share with them. We are using this holiday season as an excuse to spend tons if warm fuzzy time together, and do lots of fun activities. I have my master list, and it's growing!

Our Christmas will be a little more insane this year than normal. My niece is getting married on Jan 2nd - so all "celebrations" are revolving around that this year! But the class sounds fun!

I am excited that my daughter will be home this Christmas as she was overseas last year. I really want to 'up the ante' this year and try to make the whole month special. It may be the last Christmas we have together as a family.

My plan to stay 'sane' for the holidays is to remember what it's really about and spend time with family & friends. I'd like to get a head start and make a few things - for family & friends I think would enjoy something hand-made/altered. I will also be doing your Dec Daily - for me and my family to remember our Christmas.

A couple things I have been thinking about are: cutting down the baking that I do, and also getting an early start on holiday shopping. And to get me more focused on what I do to celebrate this time of year, I also plan to start a december daily album--but it would be cool to take a class as this would be the first year I attempt to create an album about the Christmas season.

After my mom's battling with breast cancer this year, I'm planning on celebrating the season and life this year. No stress about gifts and last minute shopping. And I'm definitely going to take lots of pictures so that I can remember the best Christmas EVER!

We are leaving town - going on our first family vacation on a cruise ship.

I am looking forward to sharing simple traditions we began with our now five year old daughter with our six month old son. I am also vowing to get all the grading done for fall semester before they are due so I can relax that week before Christmas!

I'm going to start early to avoid the insanity!!!

I've often thought about doing this class and haven't YET! As for making things a little more sane, we have cut way back on the gift giving and spend more time with friends and family enjoying holiday related outings and creating memories since most of us don't need more "stuff" anyway!
This is a wonderful giveaway!

Travel..instead of having everyone at my place :0)

I am so excited for christmas this ear... for no special reason. I already made my december daily album.

Each year, I try to pick up gifts for people throughout the year & not wait until November or December rolls around. I can usually get most of the gifts by mid-November. This leaves more time for holiday baking, home-made gifts, family time & Enjoying the Moments!!! I would love to find out more about how to document the memories of the season! :)

That sounds like a fun class. Thanks for the giveaway.
We will be traveling this year, which always adds to the chaos. I think preparation and remembering to keep things simple will be the key to sanity this year.

I am going to plan and then trim away excess activities and stress whereever possible after thinking very clearly about what is most important to us.