When I think of traditional Christmas, I think of spending time with my family, wrapping gifts for loved ones, sending out holiday cards, and singing Christmas carols while I decorate my home and bake goodies.
I try not to think about waiting in line at the post office, stressing out over trying to keep up with other bloggers, keeping family commitments, or the awful Christmas-tree-lights-debacle from last year that had me throw a tantrum in front of my kids that has probably scarred them for life. Words were said and things were thrown.
Yet, those mishaps have a way of becoming reality, don't they? I have, on occasion, found myself wondering why exactly I stress out over creating the "perfect" holiday. Am I celebrating the true spirit of the season? Is my focus on my family and the One whose birth we honor on December 25th?
Sadly, I spent my fair share of holiday seasons wondering if various projects might be a hit with readers. I worried over not having enough extra money to buy new accessories to keep up with all the creations pouring into the blogosphere. I spent too much time messing around on blog posts and not enough time enjoying the season with my kids and husband.
This series is as much for me as it is for you. I love trying new crafts, recipes, and activities. But I don't love stressing out about spending extra money on expensive supplies, fitting everything on my "perfect holiday list" in, posting about it, and feeling like I just don't measure up.
Won't you join me for a season of Serenity?
Fill your home with love, and joy, and maybe a few cute Christmas crafts that won't break your budget. I appreciate you understanding why I'm bringing in some guest posters this month. I love sharing creative ideas with you all, and I also love enjoying the holiday season without spending extra time on the laptop. I have a great line-up of posts for you: recipes, tutorials, activities, and more. You won't want to miss it!
I'll be using this post to catalog each post, so be sure to Pin or bookmark this URL to have a little library of Christmas fun!
- Post 1 Comparison vs. Joy This Holiday Season
- Post 2 Ribbon and Envelope Christmas Advent Calendar
- Post 3 Edible Popcorn Snowballs
- Post 4 DIY Holiday Ornament Frame
- Post 5 Holiday Cookie Exchanges: A Great Time and Budget Saver!
- Post 6 My Christmas Tree and Holiday Home Decorations
- Post 7 Salted Peppermint Bark Chocolate Cookies
- Post 8 Host an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party (with Tacky Gift Exchange)
- Post 9 Holiday Photo Tips and Inspiration
- Post 10 Chocolate Brownie Trifle (Easy Holiday Dessert)
- Post 11 DIY Christmas Card Holder (Simple Christmas Craft)
- Post 12 Free Christmas Printable: Keep Calm and Jingle On
- Post 13 Holiday Hair Tips (Your Style Guide)
- Post 14 Series Wrap Up
*You can also find last year's Christmas series here.
If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+.
If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, I hope you'll click your "Pin It" button to add this post to Pinterest, or a +1 for Google+.
Amanda, we all need this series! I'm looking forward to it very much. Since you'll use this post to catalog all the posts, I'm pinning this right now! Thank you for your wisdom and foresight in putting this all together.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you!
I can't wait to see all the fun things people have come up with to help celebrate without the stress!
ReplyDeleteSerenity sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI lol'd for real at your mention of last year's christmas lights fiasco "words were said and things were thrown." I HATE doing the lights on the tree. This year, I put the tree up and my dh put the lights on. :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent! Looking forward to this series, Amanda. Great idea. : )
ReplyDeleteWhat a great sentiment. I'm trying to get over that perfectionist tendency too. Last weekend we put up the Christmas tree, and I actually have left all the ornaments right where hubby and daughter put them. OK, I can't say for certain that every one of them will stay where they are. But hey, I've been living with it for 3 days now! We also decided that we're going to do a potluck-style get-together with friends this year, rather than us doing everything and stressing about it. I bet it'll be way more fun this way. I don't know why I feel the need to stage my house so it's "magazine worthy!" Only a few friends and family ever see it anyway. Anyway, here's wishing you and your readers a serene holiday!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful idea for a series! It is about the reason for the season...not the 'things' of the season. : )
ReplyDeleteYay! I can't wait to see what you share. We could all use a little serenity this holiday season :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a great idea!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read this series! Of course I probably needed to read this post before dropping $50 at Michaels today... Thanks for everything you do Amanda!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to what you'll share with us. December can definitely be an overwhelming month.
ReplyDeletelooking forward to it!!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so great!! I can't wait to follow along!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to checking out your links for the series. I'm finally catching up, somewhat...
ReplyDeleteDebbie :)