The holiday season can be a crazy time of year. There are a couple things I do to try and keep things simple, but still special.
First, I pick only three projects/handmade gifts/whatever, to keep my stress level down. I know it is tempting to make things by hand with that assumption that it will be cheaper. I feel the need to tell you, it has never worked that way for me :0) It always ends up that I spend more money, WAY more time, and get the same effect as if I would have just gone for the gift card. I am probably totally wrong, but this is what I have observed occurring in my live over and over again. Do this, find a fun little gift you can buy for Christmas, then take advantage of the spread-out nature of birthdays for those homemade gifts. That way you can enjoy the holidays right along with your family! How brilliant am I!?!
Second, we like to read one short Christmas story each night before bed. This lasts from Thanksgiving night until a couple days after Christmas. My sweet mother-in-law gave us a binder containing 50 plus said stories when we were first married. The kids love to flip through the book and pick out which story we should read next. I love this tradition because it makes me stop everything and feel the spirit of the holidays, sharing the moment with my kids. {That binder was a fabulous gift. Put that on your birthday list for next year :0}
Next, I love setting up my Precious Moments Christmas village with the kids. It's a moment I look forward to all year. I think it reminds me of setting up house for my Barbies when I was little. We open all the figurine boxes, lay lights and white fabric across the table behind the couch and spend hours setting up places for all the little guys to live. Then we sit back and admire the wintry scene.
Just the thought pulls at my heartstrings :0)
Lastly, I have a favorite cookie recipe that became our Christmas Eve Cookie For Santa. Santa REALLY likes them! When I say Santa, I really mean Mrs. Clause. They are the ones that have to eat them. They might as well LOVE them, right?
It is really simple, a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe, but replacing the chocolate chips with Mint M&M's!
You can get to the recipe with THIS link, or just follow the recipe below.
Red's Ultimate M&M'S® Cookies
1 c. Butter, softened
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 lg egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 120oz pkg of Mint M&M's
3/4c. chopped nuts
Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt; blend into butter/sugar mixture. Stir in M&M’S and nuts, if desired. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and centers are still soft. Do not overbake. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; cool completely on wire racks. Store in tightly covered container.
Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt; blend into butter/sugar mixture. Stir in M&M’S and nuts, if desired. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and centers are still soft. Do not overbake. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; cool completely on wire racks. Store in tightly covered container.
These cookies are seriously YUMMY! You have to try them fresh out of the oven.
OK, I have a fabulous surprise for you!!! I have been given the opportunity to tell you about the new gift sets available from P&G, sold right at your local shopping center! At first, I had to look up exactly who P&G was. Guess what!?! It is the very same company, Procter and Gamble, that we have all known and loved for years. What are some of their products? Well, I will tell you a few you can find around the Sew*CakeMaker household:
Always, Aussie, Braun, Cover Girl, Crest, Gillette, Ivory, Olay, Old Spice, Oral-B, Pert, Scope, Secret, and Venus, to name a few :0)
Those are just from the Beauty and Grooming line. They are also the responsible party for names like Bounty, Cascade, Charmin, Dawn, Duracell, Pampers and Tide, among many, many others.
OK, so I LOVE P&G and I never knew it. We are kinda brand freaks around here and I think I found just about every brand we are particular about on the P&G list!
Now let me tell you some great news that will make you Christmas shopping easier this year. P&G has put together several Beauty Holiday Gift Sets, all retailing for around $10!!! I already have a couple picked out for lucky people on my shopping list. These Gift Sets are the perfect gift for those people that already have everything, who are super picky, or people you just don't know what to buy for them {like teachers}. Who can't use Health and Beauty products? Answer: Everybody can use them! Tomorrow, Emmalee and I are going to hit the stores and see the kits first hand, but you can check out the P&G Facebook page and read more about the Holiday Gift Sets.
That is not all! P&G has given me my very own gift basket worth somewhere around $90 and one more to give away!!!
Yep, you too can have a fabulous P&G gift basket delivered to your front door just in time for the holidays.
Here are more pics of my Gift Basket...
One of the "Affordable Luxuries" Holiday Gift Sets. This one smells FABULOUSly of Orchids.
Natural Instincts hair color and Crest White Strips. I needed the White Strips like something awful :0)
I actually had them on my list to try. Score! Now I get to try them for FREE!!!
The Ivory, Lavender scented body wash, smells heavenly. It makes me want to take a shower just sniffing it. Really, you need to track this one down at the store and give it a whiff :0)
Last, but not least, the Cover Girl products, Lash Blast Mascara and Shadow Blast eye shadow in a pen!!!
I have you interested now, don't I :0)
You can get entered each time you do one of the following. Here is what you need to do:
- Follow P&G's Facebook page {you can get there by using clicking HERE} then come back here and leave a comment telling me you did it.
- Follow Me on Facebook!!! You can follow the Sew*CakeMaker page by clicking HERE. Then come back here and leave a comment telling me you did that.
- Follow my blog-comment telling me you are either a new follower or that you are already a blog follower.
- Leave a comment telling me what you do to make the holidays special, simple, or both!
- Follow me on Pinterest, then come back and leave a comment telling me you did that.
***Please remember to come back and leave a comment each time you do one of the above entries. That is how I will keep track of the entries.***
That's it! So super easy. Four chances to enter. Get started and I will be back on December 5th at 10pm Arizona time to announce the winner. Good luck! I am rooting for you :0)
We read Christmas stories every night too :)
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog
ReplyDeletei follow your blog!! i'm a long time reader, but new follower. i wish i had met you before i moved from arizona - we could have been great craft buddies!!
ReplyDelete~ jannet
for christmas, a few of our favorite traditions are:
ReplyDelete1) watching "the first christmas" by liken the scriptures - we LOVE it!
2) mexican food on christmas eve - oh how i miss macayo's!!
3) drive around and look at christmas lights at least once a week
I follow P&G on Facebook
ReplyDeleteI follow you on Facebook
ReplyDeleteI am a new follow on your blog
ReplyDeleteWe keep the holidays special/simple by spending time with family, reading Christmas stories, singing & playing games
ReplyDeleteI follow P&G on Facebook, and I'm a regular follower of your blog. We always do beef fondue on Christmas eve either with family or someone in the ward who doesn't have family around. Of course we read the true Christmas story and the 3 Trees. The kids open on present on Christmas eve...their new jambes.
ReplyDeleteI have followed your blog for awhile now.
ReplyDeleteThings we always do at the holidays are:
ReplyDelete1 - See the Temple lights
2 - Bake Aunt Beveryl's cookies
3 - Get two christmas angels the same ages as my boys.
1. I followed you on Pinterest
ReplyDelete2. I liked P&G on facebook
3. We see the Live Nativity each year.
I like P&G on FB.
ReplyDeleteSlynh999@gmail.com
I follow you on FB.
ReplyDeleteSlynh999@gmail.com
I follow you on GFC.
ReplyDeleteSlynh999@gmail.com
We go see the Christmas lights at Christmas Village and/or Temple Square, my daughter gets to decorate her own little tree, we make cookies to deliver to the neighbors, and we like To get an angel from the angel tree.
ReplyDeleteSlynh999@gmail.com
Well I am lame and don't have a facebook/twitter/myspace etc (antisocial anyone?) However, I DO follow your blog! :)
ReplyDeleteOur families always make decorating the Christmas tree a family event which also usually takes us down memory lane talking about all of the homemade ornaments. :) My family also goes to a movie Christmas day after our formal lunch/dinner. Just spending time with family makes it all special!
ReplyDeleteI am waiting to join pinterest (on a waiting list...) Once I'm on, I'll follow you! :)
ReplyDeleteOk, I "liked" P&G, and "liked" you too! I really do like what I see on your blog. Very nice!
ReplyDeleteI am following P&G on Facebook...
ReplyDeleteI'm following YOU on Facebook. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a blog follower and love it! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, and I love this time of year. Putting up the tree and decorations with family, going to see Christmas lights, writing a Christmas letter, Christmas music, the whole month is something to look forward to! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI follow P&G on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteI follow you on Facebook.
ReplyDelete