A Surprise for General Gingerbread... and Me!

I'm pleased to report that I entered one of my short, children's Christmas stories in a contest and won an honorable mention blog badge and a $5 Amazon e-gift card, plus a personal message. The judges enjoyed my story very much, and it would have been a finalist, I'm told, if I'd followed the guidelines more closely.

The story was to be about a treat. My story features a main character who IS a treat, but there were no edible treats within my storyline. It was my way of distinguishing my story from scores of others that were entered in the contest.

Sometimes thinking outside the box pays off, but this time it kept me from a bigger payoff. However, I'm happy with what I received, especially the feedback. Feedback is not often given these days, as some writers tend to react negatively to even constructive criticism, but it's so valuable! Accept or reject it, but appreciate the offer, that's my advice to you.

I hope you've enjoyed the Christmas season and are ready to embrace the New Year. 2020, here we come!

Christmas with Babies

Some people say Christmas is for kids. I would argue that it's for all ages. After all, Jesus came to be the Savior of the world, and that's not a story just for children! 

At the same time, kids add an extra sparkle, and I know this from experience since last Christmas was my first as a grandma!

 Have you ever seen such a big smile on a baby?

Of course, once there is a baby in the family, everyone wants their turn with the child to enjoy holiday festivities. So, you have to make plans in advance. Last year I got the whole family for Thanksgiving dinner, so Christmas Day went to the other side of the family. We celebrated Christmas 2 days early and then drove together  to enjoy a holiday lights display on Christmas Eve.

This year I won't have just one grandchild, I'll have two! My son's wife is expecting their 2nd daughter on my son's December birthday. Won't that be exciting?

Juggle our usual holiday fun and volunteer work, such as helping at Breakfast with Santa (here she is as an elf with Santa), with family visits with the babies and hopefully teaching my elder granddaughter how to make a Christmas craft, my daughter and I are sure to declare this the best Christmas yet.

So much fun is in my future! Making plans in advance (all year round) always helps make the occasion merry and bright.

Will you be doing any advance planning this year? Have you started (or finished) your gift shopping yet? Remember, planning is what prevents Christmas chaos. You want to relax and enjoy the season. So if you haven't yet, get started now. You'll be glad you did!

Extending the thankfulness of Thanksgiving through the Holiday Season

As we share what we’re thankful for on this Thanksgiving, let’s extend that thankfulness through the Christmas season. If you have children, discuss what each of you is thankful for each day. Bring up the idea of thank you notes. If you haven’t taught them yet to send thank you notes for their gifts, make this the year you do!

As an adult, I still write thank you notes for Christmas gifts given from long distance, although I’ll confess to the rare occasion of putting it off so long that I’ve forgotten who gave me what. The lesson there is this: Don’t procrastinate! 

Anyway, Mom always thanks me for writing a thank you letter. I write them because I was taught and trained to write them as a child. I taught my children as well. I know my adult daughter still writes them each Christmas and birthday.

Giving thanks for what you’ve received is common (or maybe uncommon) courtesy. And in these modern times, an e-mail or private message can stand in for a handwritten (or typed) note sent by snail mail. But one way you could make saying thanks fun is to create thank you postcards! Walgreens is just one company you can create and order photo postcards from. You could also print out 4x6 photos and create the postcard effect on the back and mail them that way. Kids like postcards (especially the teeny-tiny writing space)! 

Thanksgiving doesn’t have to end at the close of Thanksgiving Day. By being intentional, you can carry the spirit of Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day and beyond.

OH MY WORD!

I forgot to post my one word for 2015! Tragic, isn’t it? There are just 11 months of the year left in which to be mindful of my word.

It was a struggle to choose a word for the year. In 2013, I chose Joy, and then life proceeded to wring the joy out of me. I chose Intentional for 2014, and so many unintentional things happened that I began to wonder whose life I was living, as it couldn’t possibly be my own!

This year, I’ve made a choice that I don’t think can jinx me. My one word for 2015 is Reflect. 

Reflect is a word with more than one meaning. It can mean to consider, ponder, or daydream, and it can mean to shine or mirror. As a writer, I’m quite fond of daydreams, and thinking seems to come naturally to me (most of the time). As a Christian, I hope I reflect the light of Jesus in a dark world.

This year I will deliberately reflect on my life, my choices, and my relationships. I will also, to the best of my ability, reflect God’s love and grace. A year of reflection — it should be a great year! What’s your one word for 2015?

Don’t Procrastinate! Here’s Why...

Where was I in July? Why wasn’t I here, reminding you to shop the After-Independence-Day sales for bargains on star decorations and napkins and things that could be used for Christmas decorations? What happened to my Celebrate Christmas in July cheers, encouraging you to plan your holiday gifts, menus, and parties in advance?

My nails were painted
for a party, not a stay at
Club Hospital

I was in the hospital, escaping death. That was my surgeon’s take on it, anyway. If my daughter had not rushed me there in the “dead of night” (pun intended), I might have died. I thought I had a nasty intestinal virus, but the surgeon believes I had a hole in my colon. Fun stuff. Writhing in pain and unable to take it any more, I arrived at the ER hoping for a shot or something on the cheap and quick side, but they knocked me out and sliced me open to see what was what. Nine days later, I was released to come home and shuffle from the guest room (closest to the bathroom) to the living room and back. I truly wondered if I would ever feel normal again. I still wonder as I feel a twinge now and then and imagine the cause. For someone who has never experienced surgery or a hospital stay before, this is all new and frightening. Being told it could be 3-6 months before I’m back to normal—and a year for my insides to be completely healed—is not very comforting. Why is my body procrastinating??? Heal already!!!

I didn’t know that July 2013 would not be mine to enjoy. Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. So, if you wait until after Thanksgiving to prepare for Christmas and you get hit with the unexpected, what will happen to your favorite holiday? Will you miss out on some yearly fun? Stress yourself out by trying to do too much with too little time? Face disappointed children and beat yourself up mentally?

I lost July, but that’s okay. I already have some gifts stashed away, and the one I intended to purchase in July can be bought in August (it’s just $5 — shhhh). I have new-to-us decorations stored in my holiday closet. I have my Christmas cards that will be ready to mail at the beginning of December. And of course, my good friend Beth and I already spent several months testing new appetizers to serve at our 2nd annual Christmas mystery party, so skipping appetizers in July doesn’t affect our plans.

Because I’ve made Christmas all year long a way of life, losing an Entire Month hasn’t ruined my plans. Even if, heaven forbid, I spent December in the hospital, all would not be lost. My family would still have gifts. I might have to ask a close friend to go to my house and wrap the gifts in my gift cabinet for me, but due to my advance gift purchases, I wouldn’t miss out on the joy of giving. I could direct my daughter to our craft closet, where the cards are stashed, and have her put the labels on them and mail them for me.

Please don’t leave things till the last minute. Don’t procrastinate. Before you know it, November will be here, and time will seem to speed up. If you do what you can now, at a more leisurely pace, you won’t find yourself anxious and stressed later. You will have saved yourself some time that you can spend enjoying your family and friends and the traditions of the holidays. Isn’t that the goal? To create beautiful memories that we can enjoy with our loved ones? Make sure you have the time. If you haven’t started yet, now is the time to make plans, set goals, and look forward to a warm and wonderful holiday season.

FFF ... every month!

I haven’t dished on my Christmas party yet. I promised myself that 2012 was the year I would host a party, and I did! And it was a success! (One friend prefers not to be featured online; thus, the smiley face, in case you wondered.)

My friend Beth partnered with me to pull it off. She knows more people than I do, and my house is more accessible (in town rather than out in the boonies where she and her husband live), so we each have something to offer party-planning than just a desire for fun. :-)  We both enjoy getting together with friends, and we both enjoy appetizers. I served dinner at my party, but for our next party, we agree that an appetizer buffet is the way to go.

And that leads me to FFF. What does that stand for? Isn’t it obvious? It’s Finger Food Fridays! In order to test new recipes for our Christmas buffet, we are meeting one Friday a month! Talk about fun advance planning! Yum!

January - meatball buns (I should have taken a picture!)

February - mini pepperoni cheesestick rollups and BBQ biscuit pouches

Mini pepperoni cheese roll ups

BBQ Biscuit Pouches

March - lasagna rollups, Savannah Sunrise Dessert Cheeseball, and potato skin quesadillas (once again, I forgot to take a photo!)

Our next FFF is this Friday! It will double as a birthday celebration. Beth and I not only share a first initial; we also share a birthday. I don’t know what we’ll taste-test, but I bet it will be delicious. And I will be sure to get photos.

Easy Centerpiece Idea

I love table centerpieces, and I have an assortment to suit the changing seasons. When there are just two or three of us at the table, none of those centerpieces obstruct our view of each other, but with a large gathering, a big centerpiece can make conversation across the table difficult.  I remember one year when I hosted Thanksgiving dinner, and my brother-in-law suddenly hoisted my big autumn flower arrangement (a gift from my father’s funeral) in the air and sat it on the floor behind him! He had no interest in craning his neck to see family members around the table!

Has that ever happened to you? It’s funny now, but I was flustered and embarrassed then. You want your table to be festive, but at the same time, you want your dinner guests to feel comfortable at the table. As I was glancing through some old Christmas snow photos this morning, I realized I was looking at a creative centerpiece idea that will solve both problems for your December entertaining.

You lay a wreath in the middle of your table and pile ornaments in the center. Ta-dah! You now have a low-lying centerpiece that won’t block anyone’s view around the table. (If you still want a bit of height, add a candlestick to the center and pile the ornaments around it.)

I have a collection of wreaths in traditional greenery, grapevine, and shimmering tinsel. You can choose whatever suits your decor or personal style. Your ornaments may be elegant or fun, one color or a kaleidoscope of colors, plastic or glass. For a dinner party, you might invite guests to choose an ornament from the centerpiece to take home!

Centerpieces don’t have to be towering monuments to the Christmas spirit, and they don’t have to break your budget. Play with what you already have, visit a thrift or consignment store if you must, and enjoy an easy holiday centerpiece at every meal served at your table.

Success, Again! The Christmas Pinterest Challenge

Before I move on to other Christmas topics in the coming days and weeks, I want to take a moment to crow about my latest success. *grins*

I had a recipe for Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Biscuit Muffins pinned to my Pinterest board. My daughter and I made these for breakfast yesterday and fell in love! They are so easy and so good! We substituted vanilla soymilk for the milk, and they turned out fine. I didn't notice a difference at all!

We're going to freeze what we didn’t eat so that we can have them one busy December morning. We want to make more, as well. That recipe is definitely a keeper! It’s easier than the brunch casserole I make once a year and the ingredients are similar. If you do a search for the recipe, you’ll find  a lot of happy homemakers who have copied it. I don’t know who came up with it originally.

This week, plans are to bake and freeze some cookies. I may try a new cookie or candy recipe. I pinned a recipe for microwave divinity that looked intriguing ...

How are you coming on the Christmas Pinterest Challenge? December will be here before we know it! Don’t let it sneak up on you!

You really should check this out!

While not exactly related to Christmas, this link will take you to a blog interview about me: Brenda's Interview. So, it’s about the person who blogs about Christmas All Year Long. :-)  My new friend Toi Thomas is responsible for the fun, so check it out! Get to know some fun facts about me and why I blog about preparing for Christmas! Consider it my early Christmas gift to you. ;-)  Teehee