February: Valentine Surprises can become Christmas Goodies!

Hello, Christmas Lovers!

It's the month of love, and Valentine's Day is almost upon us!

Did you find a special recipe during the Christmas season that you didn't have time to try? Maybe you could pull it out and make it for Valentine's Day. If it's a hit, then you'll have a new dish/dessert in your portfolio for December!

February is a good time for trying new recipes, at least in the northern hemisphere. It's winter and cold outside, keeping us indoors. The Super Bowl is over now, so there's not much left to do this month. You might as well experiment in the kitchen. :-) My daughter learned how to make cake balls last month, and she's making new flavors this month. This is something that we know will be a big hit come Christmas. Everyone who has tried them has raved about them! The more she makes, the easier it becomes. That right there is a great reason for trying new holiday recipes now rather than waiting until the bustling month of December!

My daughter's red candy coated peanut brittle

For those of you without a passion for cooking or candy-making, find something else creative to do with your time this month. Perhaps art is your passion. You might experiment with designs for homemade Christmas cards or gift wrap. Why sit on the couch facing the TV in your Snuggie, when you could be getting a head start on Christmas 2011?

Bright Idea: On Valentine's Day or the day after, check the clearance sales for bargains on items that would work as Christmas gifts. Love isn't just for Valentine's Day, you know! I'll be looking for red candy sprinkles that can be used on cakes, cookies, and candies!

Have You Had Snow Recently? Will You See Snow Again Soon?

Ornaments on the Snow

I love snow -- just can't get enough of the sparkling white stuff! Since I work from home and my daughter is enrolled in an online school at home, snow doesn't throw off our schedule. It just enhances it. :)


A week ago we spent the week snowed in. It was a wonderful experience, and it gave us time to  do more cooking and to try a new recipe. We made red velvet cake balls, and I'm gleeful to report that they were awesome! They will be great for Valentine's Day, and they will be perfect for Christmas. 

Red Velvet Cake Balls - like candy!

Snow is in the forecast again. I didn't think to tell you earlier, but I'm telling you now. If you get snowed in with the power still on, you will have the perfect opportunity to try new recipes that you might enjoy during your Christmas festivities. As it so often happens, we can't find the time to experiment with new dishes and desserts in December. We may have found some promising recipes, but time ran out, and we stuck to our old faithfuls and tucked those promising recipes away for next year. Well, untuck them! Get to the store while the roads are still clear and collect your ingredients. Then when it snows and you're stuck at home, you can make the most of it and whip up some new foods. 


By the way, if you get snowed in and your Christmas decorations are still up, you might want to go ahead and pack those away. February is fast approaching. I know snow makes you want to lie on the couch, eating and watching movies and sporadically gazing out the window, but please do yourself a favor and accomplish a chore or two while you have the chance. You'll be glad you did.

January Head Start!

Leo the Cat at the Front Door

The Christmas decorations are mostly put away. For me, this is quite an accomplishment. In the past it's been closer to the end of the month, and occasionally into the first or second week of February before I've handled that time-consuming chore! Now I'm sitting up in anticipation of seeing the promised snowfall. I almost want to run get my Christmas lights and put them back up so I can take "Christmas" pictures in the snow! Have you ever done that? A few times in my life I've staged a Christmas photo in January. One was when we brought our first baby home from the hospital one January 3rd. He was born early in December with some health issues, and the agency didn't let us know that we had a foster baby waiting until after the holidays were over! Well, in my mind no child should miss his first Christmas, so I put a little elf cap on his head and sat his carseat in front of a fake fireplace decorated with poinsettias, and I took his picture as if it were still Christmas. 


Anyway, you know why I'm writing, don't you? Christmas clearance sales began the day after December 25 and have continued into January. Have you taken advantage of any? You can snag some sweet deals on cards, gift wrap, party supplies, decorations, and other Christmas items! Buy these things now and put them in your designated "Christmas corner." When the holidays roll around again, your money can go toward gifts and groceries rather than these other "essentials" that every Christmas-lover simply has to have!


I got two boxes of Christmas cards at 50% off -- the store was almost out of these, and I knew they wouldn't last until the 75% markdown. I went back to the store when the holiday clearance was reduced to 75% off, and I got two different boxes of cards -- cards that I had liked but had seen that they had plenty left during the 50% off sale. I'm all set on cards! 


I went to another store's sale and got a set of ornaments for my daughter, whose tree was sparsely decorated this year. She had graduated to a full-size tree and just didn't have enough ornaments to cover it, so next year she'll be all set. I also bought a good-quality snowflake stocking to replace my cheap one that started falling apart. The 75% off sales are the best time to buy stockings for the mantle! The expensive ones often don't sell out at full price, so you can get a quality product for little money. 


I bought holiday paper plates and napkins. I used some for a New Year's Day gathering with friends, and the rest I saved. They don't take up much space.


The last purchase I made was two books written with a Christmas setting. My mother loves to read, and I know she will enjoy receiving those books to read during her Christmas break. 


Not only am I now prepared with cards that I could send right after Thanksgiving (if I do things right), but I've also started shopping for gifts. I wouldn't buy perishable items this early, but there are some standard gifts that keep well. Books, candles, ornaments, mugs, photo albums, snow globes, etc. When you can find these at 75% off, and you haven't already spent yourself into the red, it's smart to get started on your gift stash. 


Just remember, it's not a bargain if you already spent your money. I wouldn't want you to get into debt with your holiday shopping if you don't have the spare cash for it. It's worth keeping in mind next time around, though. It's a great idea to save some money for the January sales, andit  gives you that much less to shop for come next November and December!

What have you done so far this month to get a head start on Christmas 2011?

My Carolina Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Has your Christmas been picture perfect? I didn't always take my own advice, and I paid the price. However, I DID get all the presents wrapped before Christmas Eve this year. So what if it was the night of Dec. 23? At least I got to bed at a decent hour on Dec. 24 and didn't sleep half of Christmas Day away! LOL One of these years, I'm going to wrap them as I acquire them. I'm always surprised how many hours it takes to wrap what looks like a small pile of gifts!


News Flash: Upstate South Carolina had the first Christmas Day snowfall in 47 years! Woooooooooooooo!!! It was a peaceful addition to the day. But it hasn't stuck yet. (My company, who traveled from out-of-state, is worried about the trip home in a few days.)

I'm already making plans to "do" Christmas better next year.  How about you? Do you want to take another trip around the sun, preparing for Christmas All Year Long?

#15 - November still: If You Enjoy Driving Around Looking at Christmas Lights...

In this month's copy of "Thriving Family," I found a de"light"ful idea that I have to share with you. It suggested making Christmas thank-you cards to drop off at homes displaying a manger in their yard. It's done like a game: your family goes driving to look at neighborhood light displays. Someone spots a nativity among the decorations. You stop the car so that one of you can run up and leave a thank you card at the door of the house. If you have children or grandchildren, they can be in charge of making the thank you cards. All you have to do is drive! Think of the pleasure the homeowner will have upon discovering the note. Think of the fun of hearing the kids exclaim, "I see Baby Jesus! Stop the car!" What a fun way to spread a little Christmas cheer, and all it costs is pennies for a few art supplies, since you were going to drive around looking at Christmas decorations anyway.


How do you spread Christmas cheer during the holidays?

#13 - November: Preparations Continue

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! The temps in the sunny South have dipped to the 30s at night. Frost and snow sightings have occurred to the north of us. Yes, Christmas is fast approaching! Does that knowledge fill you with dread or anticipation? How prepared are you? For me, gifts are nearly done, but I should go ahead and wrap them. My always accidental, annual “tradition” of wrapping in the wee hours of Christmas morning steals some of my natural joy! This year will be different! I mean it!

Now is the time to prepare your family’s Christmas newsletter – if you plan to send one out. Now is a good time to address the envelopes for your Christmas cards as well. You can do that while watching TV or waiting for appointments; any time when you will be away from home with nothing to occupy your hands is an opportunity to get ahead with holiday preparations. Last year I carried my address labels, return address labels, stamps, and card envelopes with me so that when I had a free moment, I could apply everything to the envelopes. 

Now is also the time to start working on your December calendar. What annual traditions do you need to include so that you don’t forget? Are there live nativities, cantatas, parades, holiday light displays, etc. that you want to see? Is there an office Christmas party or two? Do friends invite you to a drop-in one certain weekend every December? If you or someone in your family loves to get out and celebrate with others, you may have a lot on your calendar. If your family prefers relaxing at home more than joining the hustle and bustle of Christmas, then your calendar may be fairly clear. The reason we've been working all year long on Christmas plans is to free up our time for the month of December so that we can enjoy the season our way, whether that’s throwing parties or attending them, driving around town looking at the Christmas decorations, making and baking, getting involved in community service, or just kicking back and watching Christmas specials while stringing popcorn and sipping hot cocoa in front of a glowing fireplace!

“Be prepared” is the Scout motto. Let’s claim it as our motto too! I hope this month you will finalize what you can, be it gifts, cards, decorations, or the activity calendar. Be sure to devote a fair share of your attention to Thanksgiving (if you are an American) as well and make the most of that day and enjoy your family, your blessings, and your memories.  It’s a holiday that deserves more time and attention than it gets.  Imagine what the world would be like if we all devoted more time to remembering our blessings and the One from whom all blessings flow.

Happy Thanksgiving, my fellow Americans! Happy November, everyone! I wish you happy thoughts and clear heads, focus and motivation, and above all, peace. 

Brenda's Top Ten Frugal Gift Ideas

A friend asked for tips for frugal gifts, and so I compiled a list to share with you in case you have more family than funds but still enjoy giving gifts. Because my love language is gifts, I can’t stand not having something to offer; it’s how I express my love for friends and family.  From the years of being a poor newlywed to the years of being a struggling single parent, I’ve found thrifty ways to satisfy my desire to provide presents for my loved ones without going into debt. One way is to shop throughout the year, starting with the January clearance sales! When I see a good deal on something I know someone on my list would enjoy, I buy it and stash it in my gift cabinet. Spreading out the spending like that helps a lot. My friend Ann does something similar; she buys gift cards throughout the year, stockpiling them as gifts to give when December rolls around! That’s a smart move that is gentler on the budget than buying them all at once.

However, it’s a bit late in the year for that advice to be helpful for now.  If a moth flew out of your wallet the last time you opened it, maybe you’ll like a few gift ideas on the following list, or maybe they will help spark an idea of your own!

Brenda’s Top Ten Ideas for Thrifty Gift-giving

1. Photo collage in a thrift store frame – Walmart.com can take 20 or so photos and automatically arrange them in an 8 x 10 collage for cheap. (So can Walgreen's, which often has a 50% off special.) You may be able to do the same on your computer. Either way, it makes a cool gift! You can usually find cheap photo frames that are new, but you might find a unique one in a thrift store that is good as is or that you could paint or decorate to suit the recipient’s tastes. It all depends on how crafty you are and how much time you have.

2. Homemade cookbook – if you enjoy cooking and others enjoy the pleasure of eating the dishes you’ve made, you might put together a cookbook. This is an especially thoughtful gift for your young adult kids who are out on their own and might be missing your home cooking. I once gathered family recipes and compiled them in a family cookbook to share with my relatives.

3. Since we’re on the subject of food, consider gifts of jar mixes for homemade soup, cookies, or muffins. You don't even have to know how to cook to put this type of gift together. You can find recipes online and at the library. You’ll have to create a tag to go with this gift so that the recipient knows what ingredients to add as well as how to turn the mix into a delicious treat!

4. We’re not done with the subject of food yet.  Do you can foods or otherwise enjoy cooking? Canned preserves, jams, and jellies are a sweet treat, and nothing tastes better than my mom’s home grown, canned green beans! Yes, that’s right; I’m saying that my eyes would light up if I found some of those green beans under my tree! I’ve given my own homemade peach butter as gifts. Other ideas are gifts of homemade cookies and candies, bread, muffins, or croutons. Yes, croutons! My daughter and I discovered the joy of homemade croutons this past summer and have plans to bless others with that joy this Christmas. Last of all are jar cakes – cakes baked directly in a canning jar in the oven. The batter from my favorite recipe makes 6-1/2 jar cakes! (We eat the half cake ourselves – a bonus!) When properly sealed, these can be saved and eaten a month or two later. I’ve seen them sell in stores for $12; making them yourself saves big bucks.

5. Made of food items but not edible are cinnamon-applesauce dough ornaments.  My son made some in kindergarten. Fourteen years later, they still smell of cinnamon! You can easily find the recipe for these ornaments online. Use cookie cutters for the ornament shape and a drinking straw to cut out a hole for hanging. You can add a touch of gold or silver paint for added interest.

6. Homemade candles – When I was little, my mom used to make candles to give as gifts. She made round snowball ones (I don’t know how) and tall pillar candles using empty Pringles cans as molds and broken crayon pieces for coloring the wax. If you buy supplies with half-off coupons in the Sunday paper, this would be a frugal but pretty gift and not time-consuming, either.

7. Especially for kids: an arts/crafts kit you put together. Any time Mom wasn’t sure what toy a child would like, she’d put together one of these kits. Construction paper, glue sticks, glitter or glitter glue, pipe cleaners, crayons, kid scissors, stickers, and stencils. Well, the list could go on, but you get the idea. You can put the supplies in a shoe box or maybe a tote bag found in a thrift shop.

8. Repurposed items are becoming popular as a way of recycling. Jean legs cut from worn out jeans can easily be made into neck roll pillows. Any favorite-but-outgrown item of clothing could become part of a pillow! In addition, I’ve seen old, men’s shirts and ties turned into funky skirts. Be sure your intended recipient has the personality and taste for such a gift.

9. Most teens and young adults enjoy money as a gift, and it’s easier than shopping. If you’re on a limited budget, you can still dress up a smaller amount and make it a fun gift. Origami animals made from dollar bills would be fun – if you know origami. (I don’t.) If it were me, I’d roll up a few dollars into tight rolls, and push them into balloons. Then I’d blow up the balloons and tie them together with pretty, curled ribbons.  Warning: this is a terrible gift idea for a child who hates the sound of popping balloons. Otherwise, it’s a fun package to pop!

10. My daughter loves bath baskets, but those can be pricey and not have much in them. If you know someone who enjoys that kind of pampering gift, buy (or re-use) a basket or decorative box and fill it with bath items found at a dollar store. If you have time to make bath salts to add to a small jar, do that as well. Coloring and scenting Epsom salts is a simple thing to do, and you could use the recipient’s favorite perfume for the scent!

I hope you are getting excited about Christmas this year. So often it’s an overwhelming ordeal to get through, but it doesn’t have to be. With advance planning, it can be as simple or as elaborate as you’ve always wanted, and you can finally have time to savor each moment.

#11 - October: Gearing up for Christmas!

Guess what! As of October 2, it's only SIXTY days till December 1! If you don't want to be rushing around at the last moment trying to make your family's Christmas dreams come true while your dream of having time to enjoy the sights, the sounds, and the flavors of the holiday turns into a nightmare of never-ending chores, pull yourself together and start preparing now.

I hope your gift shopping and stashing are done or nearly done. If you're planning to give handmade items and homemade edibles that aren't made yet, you need to pull out a calendar and devise a plan. When do your gifts need to be finished? What dates will you be home and able to work on them? If you don't make a plan and plan for time to complete your projects, time will fly by and leave you gift-less. You know it's happened before; don't let it happen this year!

Next on your to-do list is your decorations. While you're getting out your fall harvest home decór, take time to check on your strings of Christmas lights. Plug them in and see first whether the strings work and second, whether each bulb works. Throwing out damaged strings and replacing burned out bulbs now will save time and stress later. Plus, you'll know how many strings need to be replaced and can buy replacements before "decorating day" comes.

Take time this month to think about a theme, if such things delight you. (They delight me!) Some of us enjoy wrapping gifts in coordinating gift wrap and decorative bows, making an impressive tableau around the Christmas tree. Some even select a theme for the tree decorations and the family's matching pajamas! I enjoy seeing all the different theme trees at the Festival of Trees, but I tend to just use the collection of ornaments I've already amassed rather than making or purchasing ornaments to go with a new theme. If your idea of a special Christmas is one where the tree, the gifts, the cards, and the kids all match, then make it happen while you have time to plan! One year I embraced the red plaid theme. My gifts had red plaid ribbon around them, and the whole family had red plaid pj's (gowns for the girls, pajama pants and tops for the boys). One year I went crazy with snowflakes: I bought some flocked snowflake ornaments to add to the upstairs tree, found pajamas featuring snowflakes for me and my teenage kids, and wrapped gifts in snowman gift wrap. If that sort of thing brings you joy, then go for it! However, if the very idea of that much planning makes you panic, then forget about it. If someone else in your family is willing and anxious to plan and carry out a theme, then let them handle it while you put your feet up and relax! (NOTE: other themes can involve a favorite color, angels, Santas, stars, polka dots, candles, candy, or country!) Don't feel guilty about not having a theme. This blog is not about guilt, it's about celebrating Christmas the way you want to without the usual hustle and bustle and last-minute rush to get ready!

Plan your volunteer activities. Will you sing in the Christmas choir, help collect or deliver gifts or food to needy families, go caroling at a nursing home, or adopt a needy child or missionary for Christmas giving? Planning in advance will save you from taking on too much on the spur of the moment -- or from missing an opportunity.

Have you planned where you are going to spend Christmas? (I haven't. I need to discuss this with my mother tonight. Either she is coming here, or we are going there!) Knowing whether you will be at home or visiting family or friends will make a difference in your holiday planning. It's not too early to plan your feast! Lack of planning keeps us relying on the same old recipes every year. That's fine if a certain meal is a tradition everyone enjoys and looks forward to. However, if you've been bored with the same ol' same ol' and want this year to be different, plan now! You'll make it happen.

[UPDATE: Mom has decided to drive the 500 miles to spend Christmas with me and any grandkids who are here, and she will bring her best friend, widowed this year, with her so that the friend (who is like a second Grandma to my kids) doesn't have to spend her first Christmas as a widow alone. I am excited to play hostess for an extra person this year!]

I'll check back in a couple of weeks to see how you're doing. Time is of essence! I really want all of us to be able to enjoy the celebration of our Savior's birth without regrets, without guilt, and without wishing that we'd been more organized. The more you do in advance, the more time you'll have to enjoy your family, your friends, and the message of God's love.

#10 - September: Time to Take Stock

As of Sept 22, the first day of autumn, it is 93 days till Christmas, and 74 days till Dec. 1. If you've been following the monthly suggestions in this blog, this information won’t cause you to gasp and drop your coffee mug! You’ll be ready for the holidays before they officially arrive!

This month, it's time to take stock of all that you have planned or prepared for Christmas. Did you start a Christmas notebook? Remember, that’s where you were to jot down not only ideas for gifts but also the list of gifts you’ve made or bought and tucked away, as well as the place to list the sizes, favorite colors, styles, and motifs, etc. of those to whom you plan to give gifts. If you made such a notebook, that’s a good place to write down the rest of your Christmas plans. If not, what are you waiting for? Time’s a-wasting!

Other plans you may or may not have finalized are 1) the family newsletter or photo collage that will go into the Christmas cards that you may have handmade or purchased on clearance in January, 2) your choice of gift wrap – handmade or purchased on clearance in January, 3) ideas for meals and desserts you intend to make this year, and 4) your plan for putting more of Christ into your Christmas.

If you had intended to make gifts, design gift wrap, or make greetings cards and haven’t gotten started yet, start now or scrap your plans for now and save them for next year. (Except, of course, if your gifts will be of the edible variety. Naturally those can’t be made too far in advance.) Our goal is to have a stress-free holiday this year. In October and November our focus will be on preparing to decorate, entertain, and enjoy holiday activities, as well as to finish collecting and stashing gifts. When December 1 arrives, I want you to look forward to the merriest of Christmases, not panic about the stuff you have left on your list of to-do’s!

So tell me, how ready for Christmas are you?