5 Ways To Enjoy Your Christmas This Year
Whose ready for the Christmas spirit??? I sure am!!!! But if you’re anything like me then it also stresses you out. Coming from a divorced family means trying to spend equal time with both families and then you put a spouse in the mix and things become hectic. Some years Shawn and I have spread ourselves so thin we weren’t even able to enjoy the holidays, not to mention our 6 hour drive to our hometown is enough to exhaust a person alone. This year we’re starting new traditions. Yes we are still making the long trek home to see our families but the week of Christmas, Shawn and I intend to enjoy the Christmas spirit as it should be, in the comfort of our own home.
We plan to host our first Christmas as a married couple and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have our blended families coming here to start new traditions together. Some of my favorite Christmas memories are of the years all of my family would get together and enjoy Christmas dinner together, there was even a year we were unable to go home because we were snowed in at my aunts house. This is my favorite Christmas memory because we all had such a blast together; we ate so much food our bellies hurt, enjoyed the snow fall and even had a wii tennis game tournament that included all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Those are the kind of memories I want to instill in my kids when they grow up. It wasn’t about the gifts but about the memories we all made as a family.
Following Thanksgiving Shawn and I have already started our Holiday prepping. We spent one Sunday afternoon hauling up our four totes of Christmas decorations and putting it throughout the house. That night we turned on some Christmas music, made some hot tea, and decorated our tree. In the midst of our busy schedules it was nice to find some quiet time to enjoy decorating our home as a newly married couple.
While Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year it can also be the most stressful time of the year. In this blog I have put together 5 ways to enjoy your Christmas. I've found over the years cluttering up your home with to many items is expensive and can be more of a hassle than joyful. I've been a victim of this and I'm trying to look for quality items over quantity and enjoy the true meaning of the Holidays.
1. Keep Things Simple
It's easy to begin to clutter your home with excessive decorating or even over purchasing with all of the "sale" items thrown in our faces in every commercial, magazine, or blog post we see.
2. Make Memories
Like I stated earlier in the blog my favorite memory of Christmas wasn't about all the gifts I received, to be honest that Christmas I don't even remember the gifts I was given, it was about the memory I'll take with me for the rest of my life. The time I was given to spend with my family playing wii tennis and all of the laughs that went along with it.
3. Don't Get Stuck In A Rut
Is it just me or are you guys over the turkey and ham phenomenon? This year we're getting creative with our meals. Dig out a recipe book and make something new or different...but not that different it could turn out in a disaster. People are depending on that shit to turn out good so don't disappoint. Shawn and I are thinking chicken and shrimp carbonara for dinner.
4. Don't Spread Yourself To Thin
It's extremely hard if you're like myself to enjoy the Holidays when you're running from house to house to house trying to see all of your family. In my experiences you have to set boundaries. Of coarse you want to see everyone but when you have a 6 hour drive there, a two and a half day weekend, and a 6 hour drive home you have to start being reasonable. If someone is not willing to compromise then you might have to make plans with them another time.
And FINALLY...sorry guys this was a long blog post but the most important.
5.Gift Giving
A lot of people seem to stress over the idea of gift giving and we've forgotten the reason for the season. I'm not discrediting giving or receiving gifts I'm just validating our bank accounts at the end of the year. Instead of Me (Cierra) giving a gift to Shawn that he already knows what it is because he's the one who gave me the idea in the first place, instead remember to build relationships with your family and a few gifts for your family the kids who enjoy opening them because just like #1 states, keep it simple.
With how busy the holidays get I hope everyone remembers to travel safe and enjoy quality time with family and friends. I would love to hear how everyone spends their Holiday traditions together or your favorite Christmas memory? I just got word from Shawn that we're getting matching pajamas and drinking hot chocolate with our dogs. Happy Holidays Everyone!!!!!
xoxo,
Cierra Nagel
We plan to host our first Christmas as a married couple and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have our blended families coming here to start new traditions together. Some of my favorite Christmas memories are of the years all of my family would get together and enjoy Christmas dinner together, there was even a year we were unable to go home because we were snowed in at my aunts house. This is my favorite Christmas memory because we all had such a blast together; we ate so much food our bellies hurt, enjoyed the snow fall and even had a wii tennis game tournament that included all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Those are the kind of memories I want to instill in my kids when they grow up. It wasn’t about the gifts but about the memories we all made as a family.
Following Thanksgiving Shawn and I have already started our Holiday prepping. We spent one Sunday afternoon hauling up our four totes of Christmas decorations and putting it throughout the house. That night we turned on some Christmas music, made some hot tea, and decorated our tree. In the midst of our busy schedules it was nice to find some quiet time to enjoy decorating our home as a newly married couple.
While Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year it can also be the most stressful time of the year. In this blog I have put together 5 ways to enjoy your Christmas. I've found over the years cluttering up your home with to many items is expensive and can be more of a hassle than joyful. I've been a victim of this and I'm trying to look for quality items over quantity and enjoy the true meaning of the Holidays.
1. Keep Things Simple
It's easy to begin to clutter your home with excessive decorating or even over purchasing with all of the "sale" items thrown in our faces in every commercial, magazine, or blog post we see.
2. Make Memories
Like I stated earlier in the blog my favorite memory of Christmas wasn't about all the gifts I received, to be honest that Christmas I don't even remember the gifts I was given, it was about the memory I'll take with me for the rest of my life. The time I was given to spend with my family playing wii tennis and all of the laughs that went along with it.
3. Don't Get Stuck In A Rut
Is it just me or are you guys over the turkey and ham phenomenon? This year we're getting creative with our meals. Dig out a recipe book and make something new or different...but not that different it could turn out in a disaster. People are depending on that shit to turn out good so don't disappoint. Shawn and I are thinking chicken and shrimp carbonara for dinner.
4. Don't Spread Yourself To Thin
It's extremely hard if you're like myself to enjoy the Holidays when you're running from house to house to house trying to see all of your family. In my experiences you have to set boundaries. Of coarse you want to see everyone but when you have a 6 hour drive there, a two and a half day weekend, and a 6 hour drive home you have to start being reasonable. If someone is not willing to compromise then you might have to make plans with them another time.
And FINALLY...sorry guys this was a long blog post but the most important.
5.Gift Giving
A lot of people seem to stress over the idea of gift giving and we've forgotten the reason for the season. I'm not discrediting giving or receiving gifts I'm just validating our bank accounts at the end of the year. Instead of Me (Cierra) giving a gift to Shawn that he already knows what it is because he's the one who gave me the idea in the first place, instead remember to build relationships with your family and a few gifts for your family the kids who enjoy opening them because just like #1 states, keep it simple.
With how busy the holidays get I hope everyone remembers to travel safe and enjoy quality time with family and friends. I would love to hear how everyone spends their Holiday traditions together or your favorite Christmas memory? I just got word from Shawn that we're getting matching pajamas and drinking hot chocolate with our dogs. Happy Holidays Everyone!!!!!
xoxo,
Cierra Nagel
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