#1. A Relaxed Christmas
Like last year, we kept Christmas really simple this year. We focused on the few things that we decided as a family were priorities: we all wanted to go to Kansas to celebrate Christmas, the kids wanted to put up the tree and decorate the house all by themselves (they were so, so excited to do it themselves and ended up doing a great job!), Jesse and I wanted to go to New York City for a special trip just the two of us, the kids wanted to decorate Gingerbread Houses and drink hot cocoa, the kids wanted to decorate Christmas cookies, and Kaitlynn wanted to be in the Christmas ice-skating show.
We only did a few gifts for extended family members and a few other people in our lives, Jesse and I gifted each other the She Reads Truth/He Reads Truth Auto Ship Program for the year, and we gave the kids each one expensive Experience Gift. We’d never done just Experience Gifts before, so we weren’t sure how that would go over… but it ended up being a HUGE hit!
{In case you’re curious, we gifted Kathrynne a special one-day training class on swimming strokes with two olympians (she was over-the-moon excited about this!), we gifted Kaitlynn new ice skates (we’ve been renting her skates ever since she grew out of her last pair — this isn’t exactly an Experience Gift, but it’s something that will contribute to many Experiences and something she could really use and would be excited about, so we decided it counted!), and we gifted Silas Swimming Lessons — something he’s been begging for!}
Keeping Christmas simple this year allowed us to really get to enjoy a lot of relaxed time hanging out as a family and with our extended family. It ended up being one of the least stressful and most enjoyable Christmases in a long time.
We feel like clearing some of the commitments and schedule clutter gave our souls space to breathe — and it was such a good thing!
#2. Milano Cookies
What a fun surprise!! These Milano cookies randomly showed up in our mailbox this past week from Paige Yelle! She’s a reader and the designer of these adorable Gratitude Journals.
Milano cookies are pretty much hands down my favorite store bought cookie — and my kids agree, too!
#3. Quotes That Made Me Laugh
I love looking for quotes and cartoons online that make me smile, laugh, and nod my head. And then I love nothing more than to share these quotes with others so that they can relate or smile and laugh with me.
This one on introverts and this one on motherhood were two of my favorites this week.
#4. Phase 10
Have you played this game before? It’s a very simple card game and it’s something that almost all ages can play, but it’s one we’re loving as a family right now. We played multiple games of it while traveling this week and it was a great way to pass the time!
#5. Handlettering
I am setting very few goals in 2016, but one of them is that I will spend 5 minutes every day practicing handlettering. I have discovered that I not only love this art, but it’s a fun way to challenge myself to learn and grow. Plus, if I improve at it, it’s a skill that I can use to create quote graphics to share on social media and my blog.
I plan to stay accountable by sharing some of the fruits from my practice on my Instagram feed and Facebook Page. You can see a few of my first attempts here. I have so much to learn, a few more supplies to get, and a LOT more practice to put in, but I’m excited to see what a year of practice brings!
If you follow along, I hope you’ll be inspired as you watch me exercise a new area of creativity, challenge myself to develop a new skill, and have a whole lot of imperfect along the way.
What are you loving this week? Let us know in the comments.
Christin Slade says
I love the simplicity of your Christmas and glad to know I’m not the only one who does that!
I am loving the 52-Lists Project, I am itching to dive into your Choose Love journal. 🙂 I’m super excited about a Bible study I’m taking some women in my online community through. It’s put out by Jen Wilkin and it’s called Abide (1, 2, 3 John).
I love the feel of a fresh, new year approaching! Oh! And I just bought your Make Over Your Calendar course, so I’m excited about that as well. Thanks for all you do!! You serve your community so well!! Love you girl!
Crystal Paine says
Aw, thank you so much for your sweet encouragement!
Amy S says
I love this!! I’m glad to hear you kept things simple for your family. Our kids are so young right now, that gifts don’t phase them much. While we did get them toys to add on to what they already had (Duplo and train tracks, with a few other things…), we tried not to overdo. However, I still stressed about gifts and thought about shopping so much over the season, I wore myself out! Being pregnant and with two kids 3 and under, as well as working full time, made it a little hectic. ? But we all crashed over the weekend because of it. No out of town travels, no hosting, nothing that should make me feel truly exhausted. I think my main feeling about Christmas this year was that I felt overwhelmed by consumerism more than usual. I would absolutely love to keep things more simple, but not sure how to gift experiences for a younger age….
Rosanna Sauereisen says
We also enjoyed a simple Christmas. Ours wasn’t exactly like yours, but we kept the gift giving to a minimum, but we spent much more time at home. It was so relaxing. This is the first Christmas in years that I haven’t felt stressed about it at all. Definitely a blessing.
Alison Lange says
Ooh! Thanks for sharing the hand lettering book. I taught myself calligraphy when I was in high school, but I haven’t done anything since. I just ordered the book and can’t wait to try it!
Becky Banks says
Sounds like a low-stress, keep-it-simple kind of Christmas! So glad you pulled it off! It’s been my mission to keep the chaos out of Christmas for the last several years … I’m so happy to say that this Christmas season has been the most simple, stress-less ever. We’ve enjoyed more family time this year, made celebrating Advent a priority and giving to others outside of our family. I think the key for me has definitely been pre-planning … I didn’t start until November but an earlier start would be even better.
Thank you, Crystal, for all of the wonderful value that you bring to your readers. I always love reading your posts and watching your scopes 🙂
Hannah Reid says
We love Phase 10. It is the perfect game to play on holidays with family!
I’ve recently gotten interested in hand lettering too and it is so fun to experiment. I’m not much of an artist, but I enjoy making beautiful words!
Deborah says
I keep seeing you post the Hand Lettering book and I’m going to have to add it to my Amazon wish list! ☺
I love quotes too. Funny ones and inspiring ones.
Happy weekend!
Sarah@TheOrthodoxMama says
I’m glad you had a wonderful Christmas! This week I’m loving:
1. Time with extended family. We hadn’t been together with my entire family for the past two years. It was SO good to see them and to let our kids play together.
2. Nativity Liturgy. The Nativity Liturgy (Christmas service) is one of my favorites each year.
3. Games and laughter.
Looking forward to seeing your goals for 2016!
Victoria says
I love the hand lettering. I had no idea they actually had books to help you develop in that talent. Hmm…. (you get me hooked on way too much)
5 Things I am Loving This Week
1. Opening presents on Christmas Eve- We tried something new this year and let our teenagers open their gifts Christmas Eve. My husband and I then stayed up with them until we couldn’t keep our eyes open (around 11pm). We also put our a snacky type dinner that night after church. It made for a very relaxing Christmas morning. All three teenagers did not stumble out of bed until around 11:30.
2. Warm weather: I was able to sit outside Christmas day and read a book! That doesn’t happen often in Indiana.
3. Gifts from my children: All 3 kids bought me a gift this year and it was awesome to see how much thought they had put into it. I got a coloring book, chocolates and hand painted ornaments for the tree.
4.An evening alone with my middle child: My middle child is a big foodie like I am. He currently loves trying out different types of hamburgers so I took him to Red Robin and he tried a burger that had 4 different types of heat, hot sauce, pepper jack cheese, fried jalapenos and fresh jalapenos. He loved every last bite!
5. New goals all set: I set my goals for 2016 before Christmas so I could have time to figure out how to best chart my progress and set about achieving them.