Welcome to the first day of Fall! Usually, I find myself in the minority in thinking that September is the perfect time to start holiday planning, but this year it seems everyone is ready to look ahead to the joy that the end of the year brings. So in addition to autumn, today marks the first day of my annual holiday series, The Christmas Countdown. And just as some stores are already marketing their holiday wares online, you’ve likely already seen the offerings from stationery companies arrive in your inbox. There are some logistical concerns with shipping and reduced staff
Read More
Welcome back to our Christmas Countdown series! This year, you can expect to see ten comprehensive blog posts on planning a successful Christmas season. If you followed along previously, you know that Christmas Countdown No. 1 through No. 9 gave us a top-level view of Christmas planning. There was a lot of diary-like posts on everything from budgeting to gift guides and party to-do lists. Now, we’re building off of that foundation and including more specific tips and tricks to help you prepare for the season during the month of November. I believe in completing as many tasks as possible now, so that
Read More
We’re back for week nine! Of course, we’ve handled almost all of our preparations so this will be a short one. We’re hosting family over and I decided this year that each guest would take home a small box of candy from underneath a tinsel tree in the family room. We have our tree in the formal living room, but I wanted something a bit playful, too. It’s very kirakira-in-real-life. I bought this 2 foot silver tinsel tree a few years ago from Target, along with a mini, faux fur tree skirt, and a small array of mini red and
Read More
We’re eight days away from Christmas and we’ve gone over so much in the past few weeks (and months!). All my decor is out from storage, some rooms are finished and others are only partially complete, but everyone’s schedules are confirmed and I know what I have left to do. I’ve stressed this before, but preparation is truly key. I’ve been following my favorite Christmas checklist that I mentioned early on in the season, and it’s been great to check the boxes as the weeks go by. This week is all about final prep before cooking and hosting. *Check lights
Read MoreI welcomed the break over Thanksgiving weekend (and the days following) and I hope you did too. We’re two weeks away from Christmas Eve and if you don’t feel calmer than you did this time last year, then I have failed. I’m assuming (wishfully) that’s not the case. Personally, I’ve purchased almost all of my gifts and the wrapping paper to put them in, and I feel prepared for all that the holidays may dump on my lap like unannounced guests and last minute parties. (These are my go-to hostess gifts year after year, but I’m also planning on buying plenty of these
Read MoreView More