Home for the Holidays

It's time for Marriage Monday again!

Our host, E-Mom, from Chrysalis, has left the topic open for us. She did give some suggestions so I'm taking one of those and writing about how we make the holidays run smoothly for us as a couple/family.

I'm a planner and organizer.  A "type A" personality.  I am also flexible and spontaneous.  That is a learned skill for me....it started when I was a young teacher of a roomful of 10 special needs preschoolers.  I HAD to be flexible and spontaneous because sometimes, the lessons I so carefully planned, had to be tweaked or dismissed depending on the moods of the students that day.  Good teachers learn to be flexible.

I am very much a planner and organizer in my home during the school year and during our 2 most important family holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas).  I do NOT like that these 2 holidays are so close together and I've always felt that way.  But....I've learned some coping strategies over the years...especially after I became a mother. :)

As most of you know, Thanksgiving is a VERY important holiday for my husband's side of the family.  It is a 2 day celebration (sometimes longer) at our "home away from home" (the T family beach house in Plymouth County, MA). Since they are direct descendants from the pilgrim John T.....of the Mayflower, this is celebrated in a huge way. You can read about some of that by clicking here.  

What helps things run smoothly during the month of November? 

•  a checklist of what to pack for 4 days at the beach house in weather that has involved some snow to temps of 68 degrees 
• Packing the weekend before we leave and last minute laundry on Tuesday after work (we leave on Wed before Thanksgiving Day)
• making sure the mail is stopped...I simply head to the post office after work to fill out the form....we tell them to bulk deliver it on the day after we get back.
• My husband is in charge of signing us up for an appetizer if it's not our turn to cook (this year we are in charge of the stuffed dates....simple!)
• Communicating via email and phone calls with extended family about who is going to open up the beach house and exactly who will be staying there. (this year it's just the 4 of us plus Dave's oldest sister from CA and her friend).
• I managed to get my 21 yr old niece, Beth to pick up our oldest at college as she has to come right down Route 128 from UMaine...they will meet us on Wednesday night at the beach house. We have this added step now that Courtney is in college on the north shore of Boston....getting her to the south shore is easy since her cousin is so willing to drive! 

image taken from replicawatches.com

Christmas is MY big holiday. I LOVE it.  I do the bulk of the decorating.

Here's how we manage to keep things running smoothly during the month of December:

• Help with outside lights (daughters or hubby help with this)  We keep this super simple. We wrap artificial evergreens around the post and then white lights.  We sometimes put colored lights on the one juniper bush. We do one white candle in each window. Simple but classy. No tacky blow up decorations for us!! saves time and money!  Dave makes breakfast on Christmas morning; I make a special late lunch/early dinner.  Again, I ask for help and keep things simple.

• Planning.  I plan almost everything from what gifts to buy the girls and my parents to when the orchestra/chorus concerts are at school (my youngest is in both this year plus Select Chorus..we have THREE concerts to go to) to what to eat on Christmas Day. I'm also the one who plans the St Nicholas Day celebration. You can read about that by clicking here and here.

• Communicating.  This is huge.  My husband finds out from his folks what they need and shops for them.  I find out from my daughters what their top 3 wishes are. We shop together before Thanksgiving but I must confess I do the bulk of it from online. (after Thanksgiving) Things are less expensive, it saves time, the shipping is almost always free depending on what website you're on, I get my LLBean credits cause I'm using my Visa card, and it saves on stress and gas.  I check in with my folks about what they could use.  And we communicate via phone calls about when to visit the grandparents.  This is typically done close to Xmas or during the week between Xmas and New Year's. Christmas Day is usually just the 4 of us. Less stress.

image taken from att website

• Keeping it Simple!  I have learned to simplify as the girls have moved from elementary school into junior high and college.  I started cutting way back on the amount of gifts each girl receives. You can read about more on this by clicking here.  We have cut back on attending parties: we now only attend 1 or 2:  the youth group leaders party (if there IS one) and my husband's work party which is always the first Thursday in December.  There have been years that we haven't gone due to school concerts being scheduled for same evening and....we typically host one for my women's small group but this year we are doing a Couple's Xmas party (early in the month on a Saturday) rather than just us ladies. To keep the simple theme going, I have a sign up sheet for each couple to bring an appetizer or dessert platter.  Simple is key if you want to have your holidays run smoothly and can't afford a party planner or personal assistant! I have cut way back on decorations....I only put out super special ones now and I do it over the course of 2 days after work.  A fresh balsam wreath is hung on the front door (I place my order every year with a boy scout we know from church....the order is in before Thanksgiving and I pick it up at church the first Sunday in December!).  I also place an artificial wreath on our kitchen door.  I have very classic, simple decorations that tend to be more "winter" than Xmas.  The less clutter the better.  I replace many of our regular mugs hanging on our dining room wall with my collection of Xmas mugs.  Again, simple is key. Rather than spending money on holiday plates, etc. I use our Pfalzgraff White Dinnerware throughout the month (our "good" dishes) and  wrap pretty satin ribbons around our drinking glasses for a festive touch.  I do use xmas placemats and cloth napkins. Again, this cuts down on expense and is better for the environment that paper products!!

As you can see, most of the planning comes from me.  My husband could do with out the tree or lights....he just doesn't get into it. BUT...he does help when asked and he is great at choosing gifts.....we both like to work from lists.

I,  personally, also try to spend a few minutes each day for "just me" time.  Sometimes this is a power walk, sometimes it's a bubble bath (about the only time all year I take a bath...I usually just hop in the shower every morning...taking a bubble bath in the early evening to just unwind is extra special).

I definitely spend more time in the Word on a weekly basis with the girls..and am hoping my oldest is doing this while away at college.  We read the various accounts of the Birth of Jesus and I spend alot of time meditating on the Prophecies of His birth...especially the ones in Isaiah.  I need the Word of God to sustain me through out the month!

And....we play Christmas music during dinner prep each evening...it helps to calm everything down in the house and keeps our minds focused on the Reason for the Season.

What about you? How do you keep things running smoothly?

And speaking of things running smoothly......

THANKSGIVING is this week! I will be on a bit of a blogging break until Friday......I WILL be participating in the weekly Fave Five so for now I wish all my USA blogging friends a very healthy, happy and safe THANKSGIVING!!

Psalm 69:30  "I will praise the name of God with song, And shall magnify Him with thanksgiving."

I also posted a book review for the Fall into Reading Challenge which can be found under my label "Book Reviews" and a new recipe for Southwest Chicken, posted under the label "faithfixes:main dishes" if you are interested.  HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!