Most Practical Ways to Shop for Christmas Gifts

Whether you are the type who enjoys shopping or someone who loathes it, put yourself in a better state of mind. When you shop, imagine the person you are giving the gift to and recall some of the special qualities in that person that you like and admire. This simple exercise would help to keep the special gift-giving spirit, make the task more pleasant, and prevent irritations from crowds or commercialism...READ MORE>>>

How To Manage Housework During the Christmas Season

While you are working on your Christmas preparation, don't allow everything else go to pot. Continue on the basic household routine—cooking, laundry, and pick-up— and you'll have more time for Christmas projects and fun.

To create more time for Christmas projects, learn the fundamental principle of setting priorities. Choose what has to be taken care of and which things can be put off or skipped. Some people call this a system of "selected neglect." Here once more, it often helps to write down your ideas so you can appraise them logically, using your physical senses instead of running ideas around and around in your mind trying to organize them...READ MORE>>>

The Best Time for Christmas Preparation

Christmas projects and festivities require some direction and boundaries if you do not want them to run your whole life. Most of us do not have the luxury of dedicating all our spare time on November and December to Christmas activities. All the things you like to do can impart pressure if you don't rule your wants into a manageable agenda. Seizing this can bring about an ambiance of unity, attracting your family closer together. Christmas is not sprung on us at the eleventh hour. The date is constantly the same. We know there are 365 days between Christmases, and still we find ourselves making yearly statements like, "I can't believe it's almost Christmastime again!" Let's face it, when Halloween is over, there are just seven weeks left and the pressure is on! At this point you'll need to make some decisions as to your intent in celebrating Christmas. ... Is it to get the family together? . . . To impress others? ... To have fun? ... To step-up spirituality? ... Or just to endure the season? Your priorities reflect these goals, and getting control of Christmas would help you accomplish them...READ MORE>>>

Last-Minute Holiday Decorating Ideas

Holiday decorating is a good project to do with kids; and every year you add to the previous year's output. You'll be surprised when you see how laden your trees are with all the ornaments you've made over the years. This would seem like a nice family tradition to have passed on. These don't have to be excessive or difficult and you can begin right now even when you've already decorated your Christmas tree. There's always room for more.

Here are some last-minute Christmas decorating ideas that are really quick and easy and demand absolutely no brain power, talent, or energy...READ MORE>>>

Christmas Crafts: Patchwork Ornaments

Decorating for the holidays usually start with your tree. Ready made decorations can be costly, and it's super easy to make your own from some scraps of fabric. A country theme is readily warm and inviting. When you use one design for all the ornaments, changing the look using different fabric patterns and colors, you will be able to make plenty to cover the tree in just one weekend, and the cost would be minimal.

Decorate your Christmas tree using stuffed patchwork shapes (lights, hearts, tree, star, etc)  then make a few more to fill up with dried lavender for small sachet gifts. If you've got an old quilt that's irreparable, this is an excellent method to make it last. Cut up the usable parts to become tree decorations. If you will be using new fabric, use 100 percent cotton and pre-wash using a little bleach and fabric softener to give it a soft, washed-out look that would add old-quilt quality to each ornament. If you love the look of quilting, you can create these shapes using pre-quilted fabric available in most yard stores. Alternatively, you can just make stuffed patchwork Christmas ornaments decorations without the quilting...READ MORE>>>