unfortunately years past prove december to be a blur! every year i'm caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. feeling a bit inspired, i've decided to create a christmas list. here's a short list of my must-do's during the "most wonderful time of the year". enjoy:
1) most important ... do something every day to remember the true reason for the season. last year my church crosspoint passed out an advent devotional to follow for the month of december.
{photo courtesy: dayspring.com}
i especially love how the christmas story is told through the nativity scene. last night, we placed the empty stable near the christmas tree in the living room. and placed joseph and marry in another room to represent their journey ahead to bethlehem. it is a sweet reminder throughout our home that the real reason for this season is the celebration of our savior's birth!
2) finish up the christmas shopping AND continue to avoid the mall! i am a little over halfway finished ... but the gifts that are left require a bit more thought and a bit more time. which leads to ...
3) handmake gifts. inspiration:
* pretty fingerless gloves (okay okay ... i'm new to knitting so mine won't be quite so cute.):
{photo courtesy: i love lowie}
* polar finger puppets:
{photo courtesy: babyanimals on etsy}
* doily canvas bags:
{photo courtesy: under the sycamore}
* stars headbands:
{photo courtesy: giant dwarf on etsy}
4) do something special for someone else. i work with about 15 high school freshman/sophomore girls with a ministry called calvin house in north nashville. and this weekend jenny and i will be hosting a christmas sleepover to celebrate a great first half of the school year with our girls. :) christmas movies, games and makeovers complete with mud masks & cucumbers - i promised! should be fun!
5) snuggle up & watch all of my favorite christmas movies (while i multitask of course!). the growing list: miracle on 34th street, it's a wonderful life, a christmas story, rudolph, polar express, elf, the holiday, and love actually. and a new one from this past weekend - the family stone.
{miracle on 34th street}
{love actually}
6) send out the perfect christmas card. this requires lots of thought and wit - as my family takes the annual christmas letter very serious! it has become quite ridiculous in fact. :) but i'm pretty excited about the idea wade and i came up with this morning. (i'll of course post an ecard version after i've sent them out to family!)
i particularly love these burlap inspired stockings:
8) host a holiday party - or two! so far we have 2 events in the works:
* we're having 2 couples over for a christmas edition of byov (bring your own vinyl). i'm pretty excited about this little treat i ordered last week on ebay.:
now to figure out the menu and finish decorating the apt!
* hopefully emily and i can find time for our annual christmas tea again this year too. every year we try to get girls together to not only celebrate the season but to also give back. this year we're hoping to have each girl bring $10 worth of goodies to add to grab bags for battered women at one of the shelters in town. more details to come!
9) wrap up presents in pretty packaging like these by cakies.
10) make several different DIY christmas ornaments for the tree (and to share on the blog).
* of course i love all of our paper ornaments - from previous {craft}ernoons.
* i'm also loving mercury glass this year. but it's a bit pricey for us newlyweds. so we'll see how the DIYs i'm finding online turn out!
{photo courtesy: pottery barn}
* and these felt hearts.
* last but not least, i've fallen in love with doily ornaments ... so pretty. now to find some little doilies!
{photo courtesy: anner street 4 home on etsy}
11) bake and decorate christmas cookies w/ wade. another vickroy family tradition i would like to incorporate into our new family. ever since i was little my mom would bake christmas cookies and we would all decorate (whether we wanted to or not) with powder sugar icing. they are beautiful ... and delicious.
12) enjoy the season without stressing out over the details (including the things on this list i just can't get to!)
what's on your list?
1 comments :
You're list sounds similar to mine (minus the craft projects that I would really love to do!) I just did a post on Advent yesterday. I can feel God stirring my heart to take part of this tradition in a new way. Thanks for posting that "how-to" from your church. I work with a few people who go to Crosspoint and love it.
Isn't Love Actually the best movie? My heart literally swells during so many scenes. That music at the end where Colin Firths character is being followed by a mob of family through the streets in Portugal to find his lady, gets me every time!
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