We are in the process of buying a home and need to stay with our budget.
The spending freeze that we went through in the months of September and October has left me critical of how focused we are on stuff. Not just my family, but our culture as a whole. Keeping our activities simple and not over-scheduling ourselves, allows us to stay focused on celebrating our Savior's birth. Less stuff for me means a happier and less stressed mommy/wife... and that makes everyone's lives better!
Keeping things simple has given us more time together as a family and more time to spend with extended family and friends.
Here is a list of this year's Christmas activities.
- I wrapped up 25 Christmas books that I had gotten from the library. The boys took turns unwrapping one book a night to read before bedtime. (The books were a mix of Christian, secular and celebrations by various cultures.)
- We got hot chocolate and drove through a local neighborhood that was filled with Christmas lights.
- We watched a lot of Christmas movies that were free from our local library.
- My husband, the boys and I went Christmas caroling with our church family.
- The boys each packed up a shoe box with assorted gifts for operation Christmas Child.
- We visited Santa.
- Making Christmas cookies is always fun. My mom and I used to make dozens of recipes between the two of us during the Christmas season. I toned it down to just one recipe and kept things very simple for the boys and me.
- Making Christmas cookies is always fun. My mom and I used to make dozens of recipes between the two of us during the Christmas season. I toned it down to just one recipe and kept things very simple for the boys and me.
- Matthew and Liam each wrote/dictated a letter to Santa.
- My husband and I took the boys to the dollar store so they can each get a gift for their cousins and each other. Then, I let go of my OCD and let the boys wrap their gifts.
- A homemade Christmas gift for the grandparents.
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