Slowing down for the Christmas season

**homesteadmamma** · 10-16-2002, 08:59 PM

How do you plan on slowing down for the Christmas season this year? Or do you?

I'm making plans for an even simpler Christmas this year, with hardly any baking, no rushing around to purchase gifts at the last minute and just planning on enjoying Christmas in a simple way this year.

Give me some suggestions in how you plan on slowing down?

**heaven** · 10-16-2002, 09:16 PM

i am going to have everything done by okay it will not be halloween but i am not rushing, i am going to bake some things not a whole lot, i am going to relax. have at least one cup of tea per day, and not get stressed.

**captclearance** · 10-16-2002, 10:28 PM

In-laws will be gone tomorrow... I have all my shopping done & I am ready to wrap.... I sent the gifts for them and dh's family along with them so I won't have to ship them..

...That saved me about $15.00...... I have 2 cookie doughs done & frozen already, & I have picked up a few cans of cranberry, pumpkin, evap. milk, ect.... Many of my crafts are done.... I detail cleaned the house 2 weeks ago before DH's folks came so the house is in nice shape.... The yards are done for the winter.... I am way ahead so far........

**Patchworkgirl** · 10-17-2002, 04:57 AM

I simplified my baking years ago- I make up a large batch of gingerbread and sugar cookie dough and the kids bake all of those. I do kolochki because I give these away to the neighbors and take a big plate to work. This one step alone took a lot of stress away from the holidays. Now that my oldest is in college, she comes home about 10 days before the holiday, and does all the wrapping for me- she loves it. She's an interior design major and she loves making all the packages fancy, etc. I really would like to have all the shopping done by Thanksgiving- then I could relax and enjoy the various get-togethers that we are invited to over the month of Dec. That is my goal.

**AandAmom** · 10-17-2002, 06:08 AM

I guess I am the odd man out, but I love baking during the holidays! I have a nice baking session the day after Thanksgiving, while dh and the dd's are decorating the tree

As for the shopping, it will be done by Thanksgiving for the first time ever! I have always loved going to those day after Thanksgiving sales at 5AM, just for the heck of it!

Geez, I need a life, lol!

**Jerseygirl** · 10-17-2002, 01:55 PM

I will try not to be such a perfectionist
I will try not to be such a perfectionist
I will try not to be such a perfectionist......

**vecollins** · 10-17-2002, 02:04 PM

WELL I AM TRYING TO WORK ON GIFTS NOW ----ONE DAY AT A TIME, FINDING CHEAP ITEMS TO PUT IN BASKETS FOR EVERYONE SINCE MY FUNDS ARE VERY LOW!!!!
AS FAR AS BAKING I PROBABLY WON'T DO ALOT ESPECIALLY IF I AM STILL DEPRESSED WHEN THE HOLIDAYS GET HERE, I'LL PROBABLY JUST TRY TO VISIT ALOT!!!! CHRISTMAS DAY IS ALSO MY BIRTHDAY SO I'LL TRY TO GET HAPPIER BY THEN!!!! VICKIE
I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED CHRISTMAS TOO, WE DECORATE OUR WHOLE HOUSE, SO I WILL TRY TO GET THAT DONE RIGHT AROUND THANKSGIVING TO HAVE LOTS OF TIME TO ENJOY......

**Mom23boys** · 10-19-2002, 11:20 AM

I will have all my Christmas shopping done! I already have everything for everyone except DH and the boys. All the extended family is purchased. Going to wrap the day after Thanksgiving. I don't usually bake and freeze anything ahead of time, but may try to get some of it out of the way just to be able to relax more this year.

**QuilterMom** · 10-19-2002, 11:45 AM

All my Christmas shopping is almost finished and I am getting ready to start wrapping. I am encouraging dh to be finished with all his shopping early so we can just sit back the whole month of December and relax, watch Christmas movies, listen to music, etc.

AandAmom- I am with you! I absolutely love baking during the holidays.

**simplemom** · 10-21-2002, 01:52 PM

I have most of the gifts ready for my family, except my boys.
I will wrapping them before november ends. I want to bake some traditional Christmas goodies, also in November....BECAUSE I also want to slow down and enjoy the holdays and the month of December.

....I just hope I can respect that wish...(I have come to not appreciate Christmas anymore because I was always sooo stressed out and exhausted by Christmas morning)....AND NOW I WANT IT TO CHANGE.

**justjenn** · 10-21-2002, 02:53 PM

I am definitely slowing things down for Christmas. I love Christmas, but in the last few years I haven't enjoyed it as much due to the fact I am running around at the last minute buying gifts, baking, sending cards, etc.

Here is what I plan on doing and not doing:

*Having every gift in a lay a way. I have most of my shopping done, and everything is in lay a way. Lay a ways help me because even though I don't have all the money to pay for everything at one time, I can put the gifts away, and know that the shopping part is finished or almost finished. It is just too hard for me to by something here and there.

*I am not going to bake much at all this year, maybe none. I work way too much, and don't want to feel like I *have* to, because I don't. If I choose to one day, then I will do it, but if not then I won't.

*I am putting up my tree the day after Thanksgiving, and the day after that I will wrap presents.

*I am not going to send Christmas cards to every Tom, Dick, and Harry.

I am also going to follow OH's Christmas plan. I probably won't be able to follow it to the letter, but it will help me to get organized.

**QuilterMom** · 09-22-2004, 05:31 PM

**DaisyLady** · 09-23-2004, 07:06 AM

I had a huge dilemma over Christmas this year. My BIL and his fiancee live in Virginia and they wanted the whole family to come to their house for Christmas, my parents have a new house and they wanted us for Christmas, and my in-laws wanted us to go their cottage if we are not going to the U.S. Finally, we decided to maintain our tradition of staying at home. I do minimal baking (we don't need the extra calories) we keep the gifts to a minimum and we keep the decorating simple. Christmas Eve we attend services (early) and then have a quiet evening. Christmas Day we try to invite someone for dinner that would otherwise be alone. We usually try to go for lots of family walks in the snow, build snowmen and have snowball fights.

DH rarely has more than one day off at Christmas so if I don't keep it simple I get exhausted and cranky.

**forestdale** · 09-23-2004, 04:09 PM

I always say I'll be organised but I never am, and I'm not this year either. I've made a couple of gifts but that's it. We usually have about 20 people for lunch here but as my sons are both chefs, in the past few years they have helped with most of the cooking. We always have a cold lunch - hams, chicken, prawns, lobster and salads + a pavlova - so it's always prepared the day before and just served up on the day. I'm not sure what we are doing this year but I think we might be going to my step-son and dil for lunch. I hope so, it'll be a nice change.

We only close our store for Christmas day and we are open the rest of the holidays

so I'll be working on 26 and 27 Dec.

This thread has inspired me to do somethiing about my gifts next week.

**simplemom** · 09-23-2004, 05:36 PM

Well, this year, I *think* it will be slower and simpler. (I hope

)

I have already bought the small gifts I usually give to Francine's special educators, my parents gifts and Pierre's parents' gifts and my neice and Patrick is almost done. I want to wrap them soon, so I'll be all ready at least with this.

I'm reading *Unplug the Christmad Machine*....I ordered it used last week, from Amazon and I am enjoying it very much. It's VERY interesting to read....I'm hoping to try to simplify our Christmas for real and really enjoy it with my family this year.