Thinking About Christmas

I love your ideas so far for the kids. My grandma use to give us personalized pencils every Christmas growing up, miss those times.

I might get my stuff out early this year just because I can't remember all the new things I got at the end of the year. Want to play with my decorations more this year and put out new stuff.

The kids have written up their wish list and I'm going shopping this week to get a head start. This is pretty early for me. Usually we don't think about xmas till well after Thanksgiving.

Thanks for sharing with us and I will keep checking your pinetrest for more ideas.

OMG I remember personalized pencils!! They were my favorite!! And I love what's on your Pinterst board. Our daughters are only a month apart and we are thinking of getting her the little school and dollhouse too!!

And my husband refuses to see a Christmas decoration before December....sigh. If it were up to me I'd keep them up all year long!!

It does seems to me as Christmas is just around the corner faster then expected. Working on my December Daily made me start actually thinking wow it wouldn't be too long before I will be using this. I actually started a list and already started telling the kids that they should start thinking about what their letters to Santa will be but also want to do something new w/them this year which is via JC Penny where we could be an angel for a child in need and that is one thing I want them to experience & not think Christmas is only about gifts so this weekend we will sign up and get our Angel.

we collect a new book for the holiday each year--favorites include anything by Jan Brett -- 2 new favorites are "the Christmas Mystery"about a magical advent calendar and "Letters from Father Christmas" by JRR Tolkein--we have a "Demdaco" polar bear that appears in different places in our home throughout the holiday-- causing mischief (as in the Tolkein story!) love this time of year!

I never gave the pencils much thought but that's at great idea! We do books every year starting from Halloween to Christmas. I love getting new books in general so every year we get a new one (or two) to read. I think the Kindle is an awesome thing but when it comes to my kids there is nothing like a real book!

BTW - I just got your SC kit for the 25 days album and OMGosh!!!!! It is SO awesome! I love it and I cannot wait to do this with you! It's just such a cool idea and I can't thank you enough for sharing it with us :)

I only have a few more items and then I'm done shopping. I try to get this done before Thanksgiving. It's less stressful that way. We decorate the evening or day after Thanksgiving too. It's a tradition that my grandmother started.

Just ordered the book! Thanks

Love the book idea...my daughter is a avid reader so every Christmas I buy her a new book or two:) UGH Christmas decorations...I am not feeling it Ali. Once I get going I will be ok...I thing its really because I have SO much I don't care to use anymore, but your still going through that "stuff" to get the stuff you do want to use. I feel SO guilty to just throw away. BUT why not if I don't use right?? Thanks so much for ALL your ideas and inspiration.

Those books are amazing. Yes, pulled out the Christmas list this week (while I am on holidays) - now know exactly what I have left to make (lots of quilting, sewing and crocheting still left to do), my December Daily is ready to roll and excited to decorate a new home for Christmas!!
I love Christmas so much!!!

Love the book! My daughter has an uncommon name, so I'm always on the look out for things that can be personalized. The pencils are great too. My mother was a second grade teacher and used to give out personalized pencils to her class every year, so I would always get a set too. Great memory. :-)
I have been thinking about Christmas tons lately. Besides working on December Daily, I have also started my Christmas Card letter, worked on photo books and calendars to give as gifts and put the address labels and stamps on my Christmas card envelopes.
I can't believe I just admitted that.

Wow--you are way ahead of me! I am still struggling with my DD. I have done it for a number of years and this year it doesn't seem to want to go together. I think the paper I picked might be a little busy--and that might be the problem--somehow I will make it work and then I can get to the shopping. Love Christmas books--my kids are in there 20's and they still read the old Christmas books every year when they visit.

These are great ideas. I've been browsing online, and picking up a few things along the way. Tractor stamps from etsy, this book Otis and the Tornado - things for my little tractor boy. My Christmas project for this year is to make a set of advent envelopes and tags, five of them, that we'll use to celebrate this season. My plan is to hang them side by side. Each week we're going to read the verse inside and do some service oriented project - our thanks for his gift. Things like volunteering for a mobile pack event with Feed my Starving Children, taking can goods to the local food bank. I'm looking forward to doing these things as a family, most with our four year old, and helping to teach the gift of time and putting our hands to work for God. Each week we'll flip one advent tag over to reveal J E S U S. On Christmas we're going to bundle the envelopes with twine and put them under the tree. So happy to being starting this new family tradition.

Love the book, just completed my order!
I've ordered Cricket magazine for my 9 year old little girl & Cricket's Babybug magazine for the 18 month old little boy. My Mom & Dad gave me Cricket magazine for Christmas when I was 9.......I still have them!
Can't wait for Christmas.......love the season & all that is Merry & Bright!!!

Hi Ali, great idea! I started jotting down some of the things my kids have been eyeing for a while....they both want an ipod touch!! I know simon likes StarWars Legos and so does my son he might like this year's Star Wars Lego advent calendar. Last year my kids had the Knights one and they couldn't wait 'til the end of the day to find out what was behind each little door.

Found a coupon code online for free shipping for the Christmsa book happyholiday

I am so excited for the Holidays, I have already gotten out decorations! When I was a kid I loved anything with my name on it. Since my name is unusual personalized items were very special. Happy Holidays!

Check out the children's book, The Night Tree by Eve Bunting. It's about sharing with animals on Christmas. This was a favorite of our family for years--we planned Christmas Eve activities around getting popcorn strung and pinecones slathered with peanut butter. So fun to do in our backyard!

I think you're on to something Ali...myself and alot of my friends are starting early this year (even 'tho it is almost 70 here in New England today and I'm going to do the last of the outside painting). Have already asked girls for their xmas lists and told them Santa needs his letter early this year...would be nice to be done before the real craziness sets in!

Am definitely going through the decorations this year...moving has me in a big organizational mode!

Definitely already in the Christmas spirit here. It seems to happen earlier and earlier every year. And now having two small kids, I had gift ideas on the brain since Labor Day and felt the need to buy them ASAP so the popular ones don't sell out. Thanks for the children's book suggestions! I need to refresh our book advent 'calendar' this year.

My parents, sister, brother-in-law, husband and I have been doing a Secret Santa exchange for the last 3 years (saving the major gift giving for all the kids) and we are picking names in a couple weeks. I need to get working on my own wish list. :)

Hi Ali,

if you are looking for more book ideas (adult) check out the list of books my book club has read. The books are listed based on how we rated the book (1-5).

http://goshery.typepad.com/goshery/book-list.html

I usually wait until early December to decorate but I'm hearing about lots of people decorating already!

My daughter, husband and I are avid readers so books are a big part of our Christmas. Now that my daughter is older we still buy her the books from her wishlist but we started a new tradition last year of buying her some antique books at Christmas and she was so thrilled with them, while on vacation we hit up the antique store for some books for this year and I love this new tradition!