My schedule has changed and now I am home with my children on Fridays.  We enjoyed the beautiful day and as the kids played outside I worked on the computer and caught up on some of my blog reading.  I also spent some time on line looking for new potluck recipes.  It seems I never have enough fresh ideas for all the potlucks every month.  The older girls went back to school this week and we are settling in.  We have also been finishing up the last of the flu bug we caught.

 I did the first of my Christmas shopping last night.  I needed to run to the big box store for my monthly diaper shopping and I decided to go by myself and shop for the last birthday of the year.  While there, I was able to start looking around at some toys and games for Christmas.  It was a good chance to get some ideas for gifts and I picked up some of the items that I may not be able to find later on.  This morning I wrote down whom each item was for and the price on my shopping list.

When September rolls around I begin working on Christmas plans.  I set up my shopping list in my planner and list all the people I want to purchase gifts for.  Whenever I get to visit a store by myself, it is an opportunity to look for gifts.  I also begin thinking about what items I need to look for online.

I also begin my Christmas card letter and get out the Christmas cards.  I buy Christmas cards at the after Christmas sales so that I have them on hand for the next year.  This allows me to start addressing envelopes whenever I am ready. 

I also begin thinking about traditions I want to make sure we keep during the coming holidays or new traditions I want to establish.  One of our traditions is a formal Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas morning brunch.  I set up a page in my planner early to jot down the menus as I remember our favorite dishes or to jot down new dishes I run across that I think we want to try. 

Soon I’ll talk to family members to see where they are planning on going for the holidays so that I can figure out if some will be joining us.  We usually avoid traveling for the holidays, but may attend a family dinner within a few hours drive if it works into our plans.  My family is not ready to give me answers on their holiday plans until much later in the year, so I try to remain flexible but I go ahead and make plans for our family.

Most years I also bake cookies to one degree or another.  Some years I go all out making 20 dozen of different kinds and packaging little boxes for friends and neighbors.  Other years I just make a couple of batches of sugar cookies for the kids to cut out, decorate, and take to teachers and such.  Either way, I utilize the freezer heavily.  I make cookie dough ahead and freeze it and/or I bake the cookies ahead and freeze them.

My goal each year is to be done with holiday preparations by December 1^st.  With all Christmas gifts bought, wrapped, and mailed if necessary; Christmas cards ready to mail; and food purchased and prepped our family enjoys the holiday season.  Our wish is to focus on the true meaning of Christmas and to be able to spend the cozy evenings of December on our homestead reading about the birth and life of Christ. 

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Posted by smmagers

I know Christmas is just around the corner. I started shopping in april, but still have away to go. God Bless,mj

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