Holidays

I absolutely love sending our holiday card to family and friends each year!

I’ve already shared several of our past holiday cards, but this year’s card was EXTRA special because it was also Nora’s birth announcement!

I had so much fun coming up with the ideas for this year’s holiday card… and then bringing those ideas to life with the help of Angela from Tilly Claire’s Design. She took all my ideas and turned them into the most beautiful, custom, 2-sided holiday card with our family’s New Year greeting on the front and Nora’s birth announcement on the back.

Here is a larger picture of the New Year’s card. {you can click on the image to open it in a new window}

And here is Nora’s birth announcement.

This is my favorite holiday card so far…yes I say this every year, but it’s true once again!

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this is the dress my sister wore for Christmas 25 years ago

Our first family Christmas wasn’t actually as fantastic as what I was hoping for — mainly because Nora had a bad case of diaper rash and was really fussy because we had to wake her up in order to get it to church on time…

But she was just so darn cute in her little Christmas dress that it was all worth it! And you better believe my mom was thrilled that Nora could wear the same dress my sister wore for her first Christmas 25 years ago.

Since Nora was the youngest member of our church, our family got to light the Christ candle at church on Christmas morning. Nora did great and didn’t cry at all, however, she started crying right after we sat down so I had to take her out for the rest of the service.

For the rest of the day, she was pretty fussy thanks to the diaper rash and the lack of a morning nap

The only way I could calm her down and get her to sleep was to lay on the couch with her on top of me… so I got a Christmas afternoon nap too!

For the FIRST TIME EVER, Dave and I spent a very low-key Christmas afternoon at our house, with just our family. I did make ham — which is kind of a tradition, but we kept the side dishes simple and had ice-cream for dessert.

It was so nice to be able to sit around in our sweatpants with all the Christmas lights and just lounge around watching movies {and trying to calm our crying baby!}

My immediate family came over at night for a light dinner and to open presents. They totally spoiled Nora!

Nora and I got matching ear warmers from my sister Ashley for Christmas… so now we all match.

me, Nora, and my sisters with our matching ear warmers {my sister on the left made them all}

After food, gifts, and a few games, we were back to being “home alone” and in our sweatpants – glorious!

Dave was home the entire week between Christmas and New Years so we had lots of family time and I had a built-in babysitter, which allowed me to be semi-productive!

We celebrated Christmas with Dave’s family on New Year’s Day and Nora was much more cooperative for that party! She also got to hang out with her only cousin… it was cute to see them together.

She got to wear her “Baby’s First Christmas” shirt twice — I had a cute hat too, but it kept falling off.

Despite the challenges of a fussy baby, a little bit of bad weather, and an over-all lack of sleep, we had a great Christmas break and made many wonderful memories during our first Christmas as a family — I’m not sure Dave was quite ready to go back to school today!

What are your best memories this Christmas?

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Christmas is only TWO days away — and I’m taking the weekend off! And even though I can’t share my holiday card with you just yet {we’re sending New Year’s cards instead of Christmas cards} I figured I should take a few minutes to wish you a VERY Merry Christmas! 

The other night, Dave and I were talking about how completely different our lives are this Christmas verses last Christmas.

Last Christmas we had JUST moved into our farmhouse, we had boxes everywhere, we had a huge list of renovations ahead of us, we didn’t have our international students, and we didn’t have a baby {or even the thought of a baby}. Dave was teaching and coaching, I was working 3 different jobs, and we were both so involved in our church and community.

This Christmas, we are finished with the first HUGE round of home renovations, every bedroom in our house is occupied, we speak 4 languages in our home {English, Vietnamese, Korean, and “baby”}, Dave is no longer coaching, I’m working a bunch of other jobs, we’ve quit many of our extra activities for now, and our baby just celebrated her one month birthday!

Crazy what can happen in one year!

So this year, as you finish preparing for your holiday celebrations, just remember to take a little time to relax and spend time with your family and friends, remembering what the holidays are all about.

If you still need to make a bunch of food — reach for a box.

If you still need to get a few gifts — opt for gift cards.

If you haven’t put up your decorations yet — forget about it and just enjoy these instead.

Merry Christmas!

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There’s only 8 days until Christmas… and if you are still frantically searching for the perfect gift, it might just be time to “resort” to a gift card.

However, even though a gift card might not seem like the most personal or thoughtful gift, I can almost guarantee the recipient will love it… and with just a few minutes and a little creativity, you can package your gift cards in a thoughtful way.

Here are a few creative ways to give a gift card:

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Gas Card:

I don’t know anyone who would turn down a gas money — and you can make it a little more creative by filling a 5 gallon bucket with car air fresheners, car wash coupons, car cleaning supplies, a snow scraper, and/or car mats. They can use the bucket to wash their car and all the other supplies make the gift a little more “substantial”.

Movie Rental or Movie Theater Gift Card:

Fill a cute galvanized bucket or popcorn bowl with movie theater candy, pop corn, pop, wine, beer, a Netflix membership, a favorite DVD, and/or tickets to a local movie theater.

Restaurant Gift Card:

Dave and I almost never spend money going out to eat so we LOVE getting restaurant gift cards… and we’re happy with just the gift card. However, if you want to dress it up a bit, consider adding a home-made coupon for babysitting {if they have children} or a plate of homemade goodies for “dessert” after their night out.

Craft/Hobby/ Gift Cards:

I know a ton of people who have very specific hobbies and would probably love a gift card to their favorite craft supply store, art store, camera shop, car shop, antique shop, etc. Most of these smaller shops offer gift certificates that you could then pair with a small item from the shop for an ultra-personalized gift.

Beauty Product Gift Cards:

I get at least one Bath & Body Works gift card every year — which is great because I’m not likely to spend money on those type of items unless it’s with a gift card {and coupon!}. These gift cards are really easy to get creative with — simply package it with a bottle of lotion, perfume, a candle, bath salts, or even fuzzy socks and an eye mask!

E-Gift Cards:

I’ve done more online shopping this year than ever before — and I just love how quick and simple it is to find everything I want via my computer. No waiting in lines, no driving to the store, no loading up Nora and dealing with a fussy baby.

I’ve ordered pictures, photo books, gift cards, clothes, electronics and more via the Internet this year — and I noticed that many of the places I purchased gifts from offered the option to send e-gift cards/certificates to friends.

Now, even though I can’t think of a super creative way to give e-gift cards {they usually come via email} I still think would be excellent gifts for any tech-savvy person on your list.

Visa, Master Card, or American Express Gift Card:

If you really run stuck and can’t think of any creative ways to give a gift card or can’t think of what gift card to give; my best advice is to go with a Visa, Master Card, or American Express gift card. They are basically like cash — and I don’t know anyone who would turn down cash

Dave and I are giving lots of gift cards this year — and I don’t feel bad at all. I’m happy to know that the recipients will really like their gifts and I know they won’t have to worry about standing in long lines to do a return!

What are your favorite ways to give gift cards?

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UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.

Congrats to:

Lara (larabaatenburg@…)

Angie (aargo@…)

I will email you all to get your information!

Have you made and ordered your holiday cards yet? If not, this weekend giveaway might be just what you need to start {and finish} this project…

If you’ve never heard of the company SendOutCards, then you’re in for a real treat. SendOutCards not only allows you to create your own custom cards, it also gives you the option to have them stuffed, addressed, stamped, and mailed directly to the recipient in just 24 hours!!! If you don’t believe me, watch this video.

You can’t get much simpler than that! 

So if you’ve been procrastinating and still want your loved ones to recieve your holiday cards by Christmas, SendOutCards can make it happen!

Here’s and idea of the type of cards you can make:

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SendOutCards also offers several gift-giving services:

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Along with your cards, you can send gifts such as gourmet foods, toys, or books.  You can even include gifts cards for clients, family, friends, or anyone else you may not be seeing this holiday season… and you can do it all right from your computer!

Who couldn’t stand to check one more thing off their checklist WITHOUT making another trip to the store??

The Giveaway:

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Today, two lucky Simple Organized Living readers will win a Send Out Cards Prize Pack that includes:

1. Full design of 25 custom cards
2. 25 Postage-paid envelopes

BONUS OFFER:  ALL Simple Organized Living readers can design and mail ONE card for free — simply by clicking on the SendOutCard advertisement in my sidebar! {no entry required for this}

How to Enter:

1. Leave a comment. What could you use SendOutCards for?

2. Like Simple Organized Living on Facebook, and then leave a separate comment letting me know you did {or that you do already}.

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please visit the actual blog post to enter. Email entries, Facebook comments, and Twitter messages will NOT be counted.

Prize:

(2) Send Out Card prize packs as described above.

This giveaway ends at 10:00 pm on Monday, 12/05/2011 and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years or older. I will use And the Winner Is to select the winning comments at random. Winners will be notified by email and noted at the top of this post. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize or I will choose a new winner. Please see my full disclosure policy and contact me with any questions you have. Good luck!

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Christmas is just over 5 weeks away and I’m assuming most of you have already been asked “what do you want for Christmas?”

Even as adults, we still occasionally get a few gifts each year — and I don’t know about you, but I always have a difficult time coming up with things to put on my own Christmas wish list. I can come up with plenty of ideas for other people on my list, but frequently draw a blank when it comes to giving suggestions for myself.

Anyone relate?

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I think part of the reason I have a hard time coming up with things I need or want is because if I really do NEED something, I’ll wait until I find a great deal… and then I’ll buy it. And for the items I simply “want”, I’ll keep my eye open at thrift stores and on Craigslist until I find something for a fraction of the price.

So when Christmas time rolls around, I often don’t need or want anything.

I know this is annoying for the people who buy me gifts, so for the past couple of years, I’ve been working hard to keep an on-going list of things I want/need/or would just like to try. I keep the list in my planner and any time I think of something else, I’ll add it to the list.

If I find a great deal that I just can’t pass up, then I’ll buy the item and cross it off my list. However, if it’s something I can live without for a few months and I don’t find a great deal, it stays on my list.

Then when the holiday season rolls around and I start getting asked what I want for Christmas, I just pull out my list! Dave has a list now too… so it will be super easy to simply pass along our lists when we exchange names at our Thanksgiving party this year.

Here are a few of the things on my wish list this year:

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1. A nice set of steak knives

2. A new kitchen broom

3. Small square laundry baskets

4. Large oval slow cooker with a “seal-able” lid

5. Short boots {like the knock-off Uggs}

6. Silver and black ball stud earrings

7. Herbs and spices {mine are all getting pretty low and they are expensive to buy}

8.  Baked goods and meals for our freezer {to give me a night off every once in a while}

9. Serving trays for when we have lots of company over and can’t fit at the table

10. Black dress socks and fuzzy slipper socks

11. Cash or gift cards — obviously, these are probably on everyone’s wish list

So as you can see, my wish list isn’t super extravagant, but I have a variety of items at different price points {which is important}. Plus, all of these items are relatively easy to find, and besides the boots and maybe the earring, the giver really can’t buy me the wrong thing {no I don’t care what brand of laundry basket or slow cooker I get!!}

I’m not really sure why it took me so long to think of making MY OWN wish list… I’ve always made “wish lists” for the people I need to buy gifts for {I’ll just write down whenever I hear them mention that they want something} and it makes shopping so much easier!

However, now that I’ve started, I’m hooked! I think I’ll forever have my on-going wish list in my planner — not only for when Christmas rolls around, but also just for myself so I can keep an eye out for great deals or thrift-store finds

Do you have your OWN wish list?

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Every year, as I make my Christmas gift list and search for great bargins on creative Christmas gifts, I always start thinking about all the DIFFERENT ways people handle “gift giving”.

Even in just our immediate and extended families, Dave and I have 7 or more different ways of gift-giving. Most of them don’t require a huge time or financial investment, and all of these different ways are an opportunity to spend fun holiday memories with family and friends.

How We Do Christmas Gifts?

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I know every family and group has different gift-giving traditions, so I thought I would first share a few of the different ways my family and extended family handles Christmas gifts… but then I’d love to know how you do it too!

My Mom’s Side of the Family = $2 gift-trading game.

My mom has a very big family and my grandparents currently have 29 grandchildren/spouses and 4 1/2 great grandchildren {5 when ours decides to arrives!} There are also various “significant others” that are at our holiday party each year – so it would be impossible buy a gift for every single aunt, uncle, cousin, etc!

So what we’ve been doing as far as Christmas gifts is to have a few people in charge of finding great deals on different items {usually we can get many things for free} and then everyone chips in $2 to cover the cost. We play some type of game with female gifts and then with the male gifts and each time a person goes to the middle and unwraps their gift, they can either keep it or trade with someone else.

However, once a gift is traded 2 times, it’s done and can’t be traded any more.

This game is a fun way to interact, spend time with family, and get a few nice things without having to spend much money. It’s great for our very large group.

My Dad’s Side of the Family = gifts until you’re married.

My dad’s side of the family is MUCH smaller than my mom’s so all the kids {cousins} got a gift from everyone until they were married… then they were “cut off”!

My grandma always gave all the married cousins and aunts/uncles money, but the unmarried grand-kids and great grand-kids got gifts.

My Immediate Family = gifts for everyone.

Since my immediate family is just my mom, dad, 2 sisters, and sister’s fiance, it’s really not that big of a deal to buy a gift for everyone. We don’t go overboard and usually go in together for my parent’s gifts.

Also, growing up, we always got to open one present before church on Christmas morning… and then we waited until later on Christmas evening to open the rest.

Dave’s Immediate Family = name draw.

Since Dave’s immediate family has grown quite a bit over the last few years, we finally decided to switch over to the name drawing method.

We will pick names over Thanksgiving weekend and set a budget. Then every person will only have to buy one gift. We’ll still all get his parents something, and his parents will get us all something, but I’m thinking the name draw will really help to simplify my holiday shopping this year!

Dave’s Extended Family = nothing.

Almost all of Dave’s relatives live in another state so we rarely see them on Christmas. And even though it would be fun to get together with them, it’s kind of nice not to have those extra gifts to buy each year!

Friends = gag gifts of homemade food gifts.

We still get together with a group of college friends each Christmas — for an “ugly sweater party”. And while we don’t have any traditional plan for gifts, we usually end up doing some type of gag gift or we bring food gifts for everyone.

It usually doesn’t cost much, but is still a fun way to give a little holiday cheer to our friends.

Our New Little Family = gifts for everyone! 

This is the very first year we will be celebrating Christmas as our very own family! Since the baby will be here by then, and our two international students will not be going home for Christmas, we’ll have to start our own brand new tradition!

This will also be the very first year {ever} that we don’t have any parties on Christmas Day, so we are currently planning to spend a somewhat relaxed day at home and open presents after church in the morning.

I’m still not sure if I’ll have stocking for everyone yet… we’ll see!

So what about you and all your many different holiday parties…

How do YOU Do Christmas Gifts?

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