1st Day Of Christmas Giveaway with Renee Swope
Published December 1, 2010Yippeee!!! It’s here!!
The Third Annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!!!!
And, God blew a kiss from heaven early this morning with our first snowfall of the season outside my window! Girls, I’m more excited than the cartoon Karen was when Frosty came alive!!!! (I always loved that her name was Karen!)
Each day, December 1-12th, I will feature a fellow Proverbs 31 sister and an aspect of Christmas. You’ll get to know her and she, in turn, will offer a fabulous giveaway! Simply leave a comment on her post to be entered in the drawing.
And, one soon-to-be-very-giddy gal who comments on all 12 posts will win the GRAND PRIZE! You may comment on all posts until Monday, December 13th when the winners will be announced.
So first, here is the grand prize. Then we’ll meet our P31 gal of the day!
The Grand Prize Package 
The grand prize, given by me, (and my ever generous hubby) includes the following:
~ A set of 3 Christmas kitchen towels
~ A whimsical snowman doorknob hanger
~ A Christmas tree notepad for those last-minute Christmas purchases or baking items
~ A gingerbread cupcake kit with red rubber scraper
~ A pair of lounge socks for keeping your toes warm
~ A Christmas treats scented votive candle and gold crackle votive cup
~ A package of gingerbread coffee–great on a chilly morning!
~ A package of six reindeer chocolate-marshmallow treats (for the kiddos)
~ A large Ghirardelli peppermint-dark chocolate bar—for YOU!!!
~ A $15.00 Target gift card to buy yourself something– a new festive scarf, some perfume, a pair of gloves, a book, a wanted kitchen gadget (if that is a treat for you). YOU MUST PROMISE TO SPEND IT ON YOURSELF!!!
Now, let’s meet our first P31 gal….Renee Swope!!!
About Renee’s Ministry:
Renee is a national speaker, author and co-host of Proverbs 31 Ministries’ international radio program. Her passion is to help women fall in love with God’s word and apply His Truth in their everyday lives; exchange insecurity and self-doubt with God-fidence and trust; and help them see beyond who they are to who they can become in Christ.
Renee serves as Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Executive Director of Radio and Devotions. She is a featured writer for Encouragement for Today devotions and a contributing author to God’s Purpose for Every Woman. Her highly anticipated book “A Confident Heart” will be released Summer 2011!
From Renee’s Heart
The Swope Family
I love to laugh. I love being with my family. And I really enjoy having fun with my friends. My favorite pastime is watching a movie in bed with my favorite drink – a cinnamon dolce latte!
I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and lived there until my mom re-married when I was in middle school. We moved to Shelby, North Carolina when I was twelve.
As a transplanted city girl, I learned about country life on a farm riding horses and picking green beans.
I fell in love with Jesus when I was a senior in college. I love Him with all my heart and depend on Him daily as a woman, wife, mom, friend and leader in ministry.
I’m married to my very best friend. (Many people don’t know he’s a younger man.) J.J. and I met when he was in college, got married his Jr. year and had our first baby 3 days after he graduated.
We’ve been married 17 years and have two sons, Joshua (15) and Andrew (13). We also have a beautiful daughter, Aster, who is turning 2 today. We adopted Aster from Ethiopia a year ago and love our life as a family of 5 with a princess.
De-stressing Your Decorating
I used to dread decorating for Christmas. Not because I don’t love Christmas. Not because I don’t love decorations, and having our home filled with reminders of Christ’s birth.
I dreaded decorating because I didn’t like who I became in the process. I got irritated, tired, flustered and frustrated. I couldn’t remember where things went. I couldn’t remember what light strands worked. And I couldn’t figure out why my family wasn’t helping me figure it all out.
I’d sometimes put it off until my family was begging to put up our tree. Then it would take me days to get everything in place, and I’d be completely exhausted when I was done!
A few years ago, I came up with a plan that has helped de-stress my Christmas decorating. I actually look forward to it now, and already have my home decorated (except our tree) for 2010, and it’s only December 1st! My friends and family will be shocked but oh so proud of me!
Here are my helpful hints:
* Purchase a storage tub for each room and labeled it accordingly (kitchen Christmas, Living Room Christmas, Dining Room Christmas, etc.)
* Decorate and un-decorate one room/area at a time. If I don’t get it all done in one day, it’s ok. I pace myself but enjoy the sense of completion when a whole room is completed. We have learned it’s too much to do it all in one day so we complete inside first, then we work together outside.
* Take photos of each area in each room. I cannot remember from one year to the next where I put things so I take photos, print them out and tape them and put them in a Ziploc bag with any notes that I need as reminders the next year.
* Simplify. I’ve accumulated more than I need over the years. This year I am reducing and simplifying. This year I asked my boys if they want Christmas decorations upstairs. They said it didn’t matter to them. So, I put all of my energy into decorating downstairs and I’m giving some of my older items that I really don’t need to someone else who can enjoy them.
Renee’s Christmas Give-away
This sweet P31 sister is giving away a package full of some of her favorites:
~ A scented candle – Bath & Body Works Mint Chocolate
~ A festive candle holder – by Bath & Body Works
~ Her favorite treat – Chocolate Covered Pretzels with Toffee crumbles….Yum!!!!!
And a few of her encouraging & life-changing messages:
~ Unwrapping His Presence Christmas Message on DVD
~ Rest Assured and Purpose Driven Mom messages on CD
~ Finally, The ADVENTure of Christmas book by Lisa Whelchel (that was featured and explained here on this blog recently!)
Be sure to visit Renee this week at www.ReneeSwope.com for more Christmas encouragement, ideas and a few photos of her stress-less Christmas decorations. Also, be sure to enter to win another Christmas gift pak she’s giving away!
Okay gals, leave a comment today on one easy Christmas decorating idea you have come across, or if time is tight, simply say “I’m in!” Don’t forget to come back tomorrow and every day until the 12th!
Oh, this is soooooooooo fun!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
270 Responses to 1st Day Of Christmas Giveaway with Renee Swope
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My Family
christmas decorating is fun – i put on christmas carols and get the decorations out. Kids have fun hanging everything up!!! There is hot chocolate to go around!!!
I’m in…
I typically enjoy decorating but not so much this year. In the midst of the holiday bustle, my sister-in-law is getting married on December 17th and we are all in the wedding (hubby, 3 kids and myself). As the matron of honor, that’s added a whole bunch of extra stuff to the mix! I decided to take it very slow with the decorating-typically my daughter and I crank it all out in 1 day but this year we’ve been taking it slow. I’ve had 5 plastic tubs in my living room all week. Oh, well, they’ll get done one of these days!! Thanks, Karen for your generosity!
I so enjoy decorating for Christmas. However, this year with an 11 month old and 3 older children, I had to simplify and only decorate the living room area. that is where we spend most of our time as a family. I do miss all my other stuff but now realize that it isn’t necessary to enjoy the holidays!
I use faux greenery along the stairs’ handrails. When packing it up every year, I put a tag on one end of each strand (ex. this end starts nearest master bedroom) so I’ll be able to re-decorate easily year after year.
Thank goodness I have only two boxes for christmas decorations. My motto to is keep it simple.
I’m in!
I’m in.
This a.m. I am finding myself getting stressed about all that needs to be accomplished and I don’t want to allow that to steal my joy and the true meaning of Christmas. Thank you for these great decorating tips and your blog.
I’m in.
I’m in.
I love decorating for Christmas. For the last couple of years I have done what Renee suggested and have separate totes for each area of the house. We also bought a pre-lite tree to make my husbands job of stringing the lights easier.
What fun this is to see how others decorate and what they do for Christmas. I try and do a little decorating at a time too. I absolutely love Christmas the songs, smells, family time, reason for the season JESUS!!!
I love decorating, but this year has been a struggle being pregnant with our 3rd child. Hopefully I will get some energy and get things together this weekend.
I love decorating with my kids! One easy thing we did was take some floral wire and string those pretty plastic crystal beads on it and then make it into a circle and twist the wire. Add some shiny green curling ribbon and you have a pretty little beaded wreath!
Thanks for the opportunity to win!
I seem to do less decorating each year. However I have been more organized with it this year. Packing and putting away has been a big help. I also starting taking pics, which has been the biggest help for me. All of Renee’s tips are great. Thanks for the give aways. This is so exciting.
I LOVE decorating-especially for Christmas! However, I too can become stressed and irritable, so it was nice reading about Renee’s tips. I’ve found that playing Christmas music and giving everyone a “job” really helps. Of course, the jobs are supposed to be fun….like having my 10 yr old hang up the stockings and my husband bring up the millions of plastic tubs filled with decorations. (Ok, that may not be “fun” but he does it). Much less stressful when everyone works together and I also don’t worry about everything in the same place as last year-it’s ok to change things up!
Happy December!
I love Christmas and decorating for it too. My kids are old enough to help with the tree decorating so we do that together. They each have their own ornaments and special things they like to put up so it’s fun to remember when/where they got this or that. I don’t do a ton but if you like candles and don’t want to spend a lot on candle holders, canning jars with salt in them look really cool. Add a bit of ribbon around the top and you have an inexpensive and cute candle holder.
Rebecca Ann
I have to admit I am not much into Christmas decorating around the house – but we always do a tree and set out a nativity. We choose to keep it simple. My husband and I (pre-kids) always took great pride in decorating a beautiful color-coordinated tree with white lights. When the kids came along we kept doing our big “grown up” tree and had a smaller tree for the kids homemade and eclectic collection of ornaments. Two years ago we gave up our big tree to the kids. We do colored lights and have so much fun pulling out their handmade ornaments and others collected from the years. They love this time of reminiscing and reflecting while decorating. The fresh snow here in Michigan is finally getting me in the mood to get the tree out and decorated this week. Thanks for the tips and encouragement today!
I love to decorate for Christmas. One thing that we do is buy a live tree each year then take some clippings of it and put throughout the house with other decorations which leaves the scent of the tree in each room.
I have older children still at home My son Ryan always puts out the wreaths on the windows and that really kick starts everything for me. He loves decorating, so even if I am not in the mood, I get excited and get moving with him. It is a wonderful blessing.
I HATE Christmas decorating, too…because it is intimidating to me. I have not one stitch of decorating talent in my body! I see other peoples beautiful decorations but cannot replicate them. I have, over the years accumulated TONS of “stuff” that I just had. Last year, I cleaned out! If it wasn’t something I LOVED or didn’t reflect the true meaning of Christmas…I donated it. Now, I have very few things, but I love what I have and have determined to purchase very thoughtfully anything else I add. Decorating was a breeze this year…I have also given over much of it to my husband who is pretty talented!
I love the idea of a tub for every romm – what didn’t I think of that?!? I remarried this year and need to weed though the old decorations to make room for the new – trade some of “my” stuff for “our” stuff.
Count me in! I really don’t have any tips to share but it sure is fun reading the comments of others.
I would love to win the give away and start using the ideas that Lisa has in her book!
I enjoy decorating the house, but not the tree. I have always left that job to my husband and kids. When our daughter was still at home, she always took the decorations down as soon as we were finished with our day. By the evening of the 25th all decorations were down. How we laugh at that. Today it is a little different as she has a family of four young ones and a fifth on the way.
My most treasured decorations are those made by hands of loved ones, my mother, brother, children and grandchildren and friends. Each items is a precious gift year after year.
I am in.
Wow Renee, what a great idea. I never thought of putting the decorations in tubs by room. I’m going to try that this year.
Josey
Love the idea for tubs for each area / room. I have so many things that I have to put away before I can decorate that sometimes gets frustrating (a lot of collectables) I take the plastic tub and empty it–pack my precious collectables in towels and tissue in the empty tub…then I can put the Christmas items out where they need to go…
I’m in! Merry Christmas!
I’m in! I am decorating-challenged, but today I have been looking for good toddler-safe Christmas crafts to decorate the house with.
I’ve been looking forward to this 12 days thing since you mentioned it! I missed the last couple of years, but here I am for this one!
I’m so excited- I just love Christmas time! And the giveaway looks wonderful. I try to keep my Christmas decorating as easy as possible and one way I do that is by using Christmas ribbon. It’s cheap, fun and festive. I put ribbon on the lamps, on the banisters, etc. The ribbon already looks beautiful so it’s easy to decorate with and so inexpensive that at the end of the season, I can just toss it in the trash (and if I choose to keep it, its easy to store- just roll up!) Hope you all have a very merry Christmas!
Renee,
You have a lovely family. Thanks for all the great decorating tips for Christmas.
My husband and I love Christmas, and we love the look of the decorations, but this year, wehad to figure out how to put together our new Christmas tree for the first time, and we’re in the middle of putting lights on our front porch—I have to remember that I don’t need to do everything myself. I can ask for help, and he’s willing to give it!! I’m a bit of a control freak, so if I can let others help me, I’ve accomplished something internally, and externally (when the decorating’s done)!
I’m always looking for easy and simple decorating and storage tips, so keep them coming!
Love these tips!! I’m in!
I’m in!
I love Christmas decorating but our ‘space’ is limited and we go ‘small’!! Waiting for the weekend to get started!
Yippee!! I love the 12 Days of Christmas with Karen!!! Thanks for the great tips Renee. This year we are simplifying by not doing much decorating. It makes me a little sad, but I am 6 mo. pregnant and we will be away for 3 weeks for Christmas so we won’t be home to enjoy it. So this year, I am just putting out the kids special Christmas toys & books and a few of my favorite little decorations.
I now have an elf who takes on all the decorating responsibilities. My 12 yr old daughter LOVES to do the Christmas decorating. It’s not perfect, it’s different every year, and it’s totally priceless to see her face when others notice the hard work she puts into it!
I do the tubs for each room as well but have not taken notes over the years. Great idea Renee! Hope you feel better today and can travel and speak tomorrow! Those gals are in for such a treat!
We have moved or had another life changing event at or near Christmas time for the past 4 years including a move this year… our stuff will be at our new house on the 22nd and we will arrive the 26th after spending the holidays with extended family. I am just looking forward to getting to decorate my house again, and I know my kids are too! These are GREAT ideas to start over in a new home:)
I don’t worry so much about where items go…busy years – less is more…..when we empty our “room” tubs, we put current decorations in them to help get them back to the right area later after Christmas…..that is, IF I have not put out all the Fall decorations!
Don’t you just love all the holidays during the year too!
Decorating the tree becomes a trip down memory lane. Every year I buy an ornament for each of my children that tells something about their year or likes and interests. I also have every ornament that the kids have ever made. They love telling the story of each ornament as we decorate the tree. It has become a joyful time for us each and every year.
I don’t like decorating for Christmas. I feel overwhelmed and like it just doesn’t look right. Last year we didn’t put the tree up until the week before Christmas! And I wouldn’t have done it then, except that I have 2 daughters. I decided this year to let them do it. My husband assembled the tree the day after Thanksgiving & got the ornaments out of the attic. My 13 and 5 year old daughters decorated all by themselves. And it might not be perfect, but it’s beautiful to me. I think it’s a new tradition – I’ll let them decorate every year because they had such a good time.
This year to simplify, I went thru my tubs and cleaned out all of the decorations that I don’t use anymore. I decided it was silly to keep storing things I don’t use anymore. Now I have less to dig thru and the job went much faster.
I could easily get in the trap of buying too many decorations for the Christmas tree over the years. I figured out a way to keep it down: I have put all the tree ornaments in one rubbermaid container. If I buy something, it must be able to fit in there! And I ask myself before buying if it will really enhance my life in the long run…the answer is usually no, my life will not be better with this one ornament, and I apply that question to other areas of purchasing too! I know it sounds cliche, but it works for me!
I was always frustrated and irritable and plain old mean when decorating because I wanted everything perfect. God has blessed me with three very active boys who are helping me to yield to God’s will, not my idea of perfection. Of course I am slowly learning He knows better than I do what is perfect for me! Enjoy the moments!
We don’t have alot of space for decorating but we do put up a tree!! Each year we buy each other a special ornament and we love getting them out each year and remembering!
I’m also getting our nativity scene out one ‘character’ at a time and reading the passage of scripture that goes with it. We started with Mary last night–having fun!
I leave my nativity sets up all year–they are a beautiful reminder all year long and also sends a special message to family and friends of how important Christmas and Easter are to me.
My best tip is to simplify … I grew up in a home where we went all out for Christmas. Now, living in an 800 square foot house with 4 of us there just isn’t much space (especially that my 1 year old can’t reach). So I’ve had to put out the things that are really important, my nativity but not put out the houses I have … it reminds me to focus on what’s important!
I love reading everyone’s posts! This year I let our two little girls help decortate our tree. We put on Christmas music and get after it. This year I completely forgot how we put our garland on…lol Needless to say the tree still looked great! We don’t do much decorating around the rest of the house cause our budget doesn’t really allow for it but we make the best of it and anything that the girls make at school is put up inside the house. As far as decorating the outside, that’s my husband and my oldest daughters job. However this year my husband hurt his ankle at work and probably won’t be able to do much outside decorating.
I’m In
My favorite way to decorate is to enlist the help of my entire family, especially as the children get older (6,9, & 12 this year). I also decided that it was perfectly delightful to only decorate the main floor (and the kids do their own little personal trees in their bedrooms), rather than stressing about putting it ALL up this year. We are trying to focus on spending time w/one another sharing Christ’s love & enjoying each other rather than worrying about the “Stuff”.
I have really streamlined my decorating…nice nativity scene on the china hutch, green fir table wreath and some of the battery tealight candles red and green really help!
thanks for offering this giveaway!
Kelly
Thank you, Renee, for the great decorations tips! I couldn’t remember which nativity scene I had in which room last year. Plus, I bought another one from DaySpring!!
Christmas blessings to you and your family!
I think the biggest thing I have learned is not to expect the putting up of the decorations to be Hollywood-like. Instead of Christmas music playing – there will probably be a football game on instead. We won’t be hugging constantly as we dance around the tree decorating it. All of the ornaments I want on the tree may not end up there. Arguments may happen and if they do – then they just do.
Once it is over and everyone goes there separate ways I can sit in my den, in the dark (except for the lights coming from the tree) and enjoy the peace of the moment and be thankful we all lived throught it!
Danette
This year was the easiest year ever for me to get our house decorated… I let the teenagers do it. It is beautiful!
Smiles!
You make it hard to try and win a great gift package. Thank you for the opportunity!!
I follow Renee’s blog and when I read her post I came straight over here! Decorating at our house, I try to make as low stress as possible — maybe because we don’t do a ton of things as well don’t own a home yet, only rent and we don’t have little ones around the house yet. Once my husband and I are blessed with children, I think that is when the full on, Christmas decorating will come into play. We have a tree which we decorate together every year, my husband puts the lights up on the house, we have a couple of light up, and moving deer in the front yard, garland with lights around the house around the windows and on the mantels. Stockings hung with our names and one for each of our pups, a wreath on the door and we have a couple of stuffed Santas and decor (including our small nativity scene) that we put around. Every year at the end of the season and take down the lights we go through and figure out which lights are good and which ones are not, which helps de-stress the next year when we are putting lights up. We also use the method of large plastic tubs to store of all of our stuff.
I tied my metal cookie cutters to some rustic-looking string and hung them across my kitchen windows at my sink for an easy Christmas garland.
Thanks for the opportunity : )
I’m in
I’m in!
I’m in! Thanks so much for the words of encouragement!
I’m in. Thank you for this next 12 fun days.
I have never really decorated my apartment because no one comes to visit me and I’m blind so I can’t see the decorations to enjoy them. However, one year I hung tree ornaments from my drapery rod. For many years I had a small, about two feet tall, artificial tree that came with the lights and ornaments already attached to it that I sat on my dining room table. Having that tree already decorated made it easy for me.
My timesaver for a small apartment is to get a 4 foot tree with lights already on it. It’s worked great for 10 years. This year it needs one new string.
I use the plastic tub for each room method too, but I also take a picture of how I decorated last year and tape it onto the box so I remember from year to year what I have done.
Sounds wonderful!
I don’t have any big fancy decorating tips, but I have “taught” myself over the years to chill out about things being broken.
I let the kids put all the ornaments on the tree and inevitable 2-3 have some sort of injury every year. I figure it’s good for a story someday. I just wanted to be a relaxed mom with fun decorations out w/o always worrying about something not being perfect!
The easiest Christmas idea I have is to not try to keep up with the “Jones’s”. Do everything at your own pace and don’t become so commercialized.
Judy
Renee, I LOVE this idea! I have to admit – I don’t like to decorate either! I love the way it looks, but don’t enjoy putting it up. I hope to copy your ideas when I put away the Christmas decorations this year.
Thanks for sharing!
Lynn
We have always had a live tree. Some years they’re really sappy. So rather than buy a nice tree skirt, I put an inexpensive Christmas themed vinyl tablecloth on the floor around the tree base. The tablecloth is big enough to protect a lot of the floor, and if it gets yucky, it was cheap enough to throw away.
I’m in!
Each year it is a little different. This year I think we are skipping the live tree. Assembling a few small artificial trees and maybe only lights. Then next year I will be so ready for the ornaments and won’t mind the putting them back away after Christmas.
My easy decorating idea is to hang garland along a staircase, fireplace, etc…then as Christmas cards come in, punch a hole in the card and tie it to the garland. The photo cards look so cute hanging up. Then keep it and look at them the next year to reflect on how friends and family have grown!
My tip – I let my kids do most of the work. If the only decorating we do is putting up the tree and my nativity…its all good.
Im in…. I dont have ANY ideas because I just moved and my decorations are so unorganized but I LOVE the ideas that are shared here and would love to be in the drawing!!
I love the different Nativity scenes that are available. I try and put them throughout the house, and my daughter just gave me a sparkly red BELIEVE sign. I do believe! in Christ the newborn king!!!
~Valerie
Thank you for the tips, I’m always looking for ways to keep it simple. Mine is rather simple since I have a small home, we decorate just the living room and dining area of the kitchen.
I’m in! I don’t have any decorating advice – I need all the help I can get!
I loved Renee’s tips. Thanks for sharing!
I’m in!!!! And thanks as always for my brief getaway when I read your words of Godly encouragement!!!
Great ideas! I’m in!
I’m in
Do a little at the time – what gets done, gets done!
love to be included thanks
ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com
Hmmm. Don’t really have any decorating ideas. I don’t decorate very much at all for any holiday including Christmas. That in itself makes things very relaxing.
I’d love to be in for the giveaway though! Thanks!
Last year I simplified and I intend to simplify even more this year. The tree, our decorations that come from my parents each year (we have tons since we get one per person!), my special Willow Tree nativity set and stockings. Everything else I will go through and either share or find a special place. I love Renee’s idea about a box for each room!
trying to simplify – could be interesting decorating this year with the addition of our dog! definitely will have to rethink some things.
I decided this year that LESS is MORE as far as decorating goes. And it works. I’m so happy with my simple decorations – and it will be such an easy take-down, too.
I use different size Rubbermaid tubs and label to separate decorations for the tree, mantel, etc., and have learned that it doesn’t all have to get done in one day. That’s the recovering perfectionist in me (Thank you and praise you, Lord!), and I stress less, and therefore am much nicer to my family who I want to be loving and kind to at Christmas the most.
I’m in!!
I love to put up the decorations and absolutely dread taking them down. My girls are big helpers, but it’s still my least favorite part. Probably, because I love the Christmas season, and it means it’s over!
Buy decoration after Chiristmas for next year. You can 75% or more off the regular price. Good Deals!
I just don’t take my decorations down. LOL
Thanks for all your encourageing words. Plus I love to follow Renee’s blog also. She is great, like you.
Let someone do something crazy with the decorating for you…the past 2 years I let my eldest daughter “Elf” my living room. She hasn’t mentioned yet this year but if she offers I am not going to disagree.
She hung streams of white chains and snowflakes everywhere with fishing line. The whimsical effect changed my heart on Christmas decorating! Everyone loved it! Love my Rubbermaid tubs already…30 yrs of Christmas, we are up to 17 tubs full and have been sorting by room, tree, and outdoors for years.
I’m in! I think the taking pictures idea is great! We’ve done that before too.
Renee has some great ideas. I have given myself permission to not make a huge deal out of it. If it gets done, it gets done! This year I made a calendar out just for December and then listed what I needed to do and when it needed to be done by. It has helped to know that it is on the calendar and I don’t need to have it hanging over my head every day of what I do or don’t need to do.
I was also the one exhausted from all the festivities until my daughter pulled the tree down on herself when she was 4. Her favorite ornament broke and her response changed my perspective. She said “I’ll just have to pick a new favorite now.” and went on twirling to the Christmas music as she held a Fisher Price nativity character. After a deep breath, I realized I need to just enjoy the moment and relax. Easier said than done, but getting easier…
I am savoring my last year having a teenager to help with the decorating. My “baby” will be in college next year and she loves to do the holiday decorating. I think it is more fun to decorate over several days (or even two weeks) because that way there is much less stress! Also, if something doesn’t get put out or in the right spot it doesn’t matter, it’s more about enjoying the season with my loved ones.
I like to have decorations in every room in the house, even if it’s just a cling on the bathroom mirror!
This year i let my kids put the ornaments on the tree (except for the really nice, breakable ones i put up at the top. I was thouroughly impressed at such a wonderful job they did. They spaced things apart and made sure to ‘fill’ in those gaps. It’s beautiful and i am so proud of them. Really helped simplify this year.
I’m in! Love reading the fun ideas!