7 Easy Ways to Eliminate Holiday Stress

Which scenario best describes your house at Christmastime? Your family snuggles on the couch with blankets and hot cocoa under the twinkling lights of your beautifully decorated tree, as you take in a cheesy but tender Hallmark Christmas movie on a perfectly peaceful December evening. Or . . . well, just picture the same tree and lights but in a chaotic, disorganized setting.

We all want our holiday season to look like an old-fashioned greeting card. We escape to those picture-perfect Christmas movies because they depict the serene Christmases we long for. The fact is, that fictional Christmas probably ain’t gonna happen. Not when we’re dealing with holiday stress caused båy work, family obligations, shopping lists, sending holiday cards, decorating, baking the perfect Christmas cookies, etc.

Take a deep breath and remember, your holiday season is what you make of it. To help your Christmas run more smoothly, check out these holiday stress helps.

1. Store-bought goodies are legal. Baking during the holidays can be fun, and doubtlessly you have gobs of recipes collected over the years. But if you’re under a time crunch or lack energy, your grocery store bakery may have a nice substitute. Pull out your festive platter, and you’re good to go!

2. Christmas shopping for girls can be daunting. Girls of all ages are picky, and they often know just what they want, so where is the fun in the surprise? This article 18 Ultimate Christmas gifts for teen girls lists 18 really fun Christmas ideas for the teen girls in your life. This one  17 Christmas gifts for best friends includes gift ideas for your girlfriends.

3. For the precious baby in your life, look no further than these “No-Fail Best Baby Toys.” Babies love toys, and you can feel good about helping his learning and growth. Toys aid in developing motor skills and cognitive thinking.

4. Shopping is fun, but stick to your budget. Create a Christmas shopping list and resist the urge to buy more than you need. Tone down the spending by creating homemade gifts, or suggest a family gift exchange.

5. Carve out some time from your schedule to relax—alone. Escape holiday family stress to take a bath. Write a personal letter to an old friend and slip it in her Christmas card. Watch a Christmas movie (sappy is okay!). Read a book. Treat yourself to one of these “15 Best Chocolate Christmas Gifts”. Meet a close friend for lunch.

6. It’s okay to say no. Holiday parties, dinners, charity events, and church functions are great, but if you’re being asked to take on too much, step back. Remember that your family comes first.

7. Don’t throw nutrition out the window. Of course you should indulge in some holiday goodies; let’s be realistic here! But you’ll feel better about yourself if you limit the sugar. Fill up with a healthy snack before hitting the holiday parties. Try to slip in a vigorous walk each day, too.

Hopefully, these holiday stress busters will help pave the way to the peaceful, magical Christmas you desire.

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DIY Kids Christmas Tree Ornament You are going to LOVE creating these DIY Kids Christmas Tree Ornaments! This is a quick and easy craft for you and your kids, you can make 7-10 trees in under an hour. Make your tree unique by using different paint colors and embellishments, the possibilities are endless. They cost pennies to make and will look darling on any Christmas tree!”
Mom would always catch me before too much damage was done and would send me on my merry way. We would wake up the next morning to a beautifully decorated tree!

These Craft Stick Christmas Tree Ornaments are darling and a quick easy craft that requires little or no patience!

Feel free to use the supplies listed below or decorate the Christmas with any craft items of your choice. They would also be fun when decorated with fruit loops cereal, gummy Bears, popcorn, yarn etc.

Supplies 

Jumbo Size Craft Sticks
2 mm Jute, 20lb by Bead Landing
Turf Green Paint from DecoArt Multi -Surface Satin Paint
Emerald Green Paint from DecoArt Ultra Fine Green Glitter Paint
White Fuzzy Sticks (pipe cleaners)
Sparkling White Fuzzy Sticks (pipe cleaners)
Yellow Scrapbook Paper
Brown Striped or Corrugated Scrapbook Paper
Scissors
Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

Embellishments
Coarse Glitter White by Martha Stewart
Paper Christmas Tree Jolee’s Boutique Embellishments
White Sugar Pearls by Wilton
Sprinkles White Sparkling Sugar by Wilton
Big Bag of Buttons from Favorite Findings 3.5 oz I

Instructions 

Figure out how many trees you are going to make, you will need 3 jumbo size craft sticks per tree. Paint your sticks the desired color, allow them to dry thoroughly.

Make a triangle with 3 sticks, gently lift up a corner and apply a small dab of hot glue, press down gently until the glue cools. Repeat the process with the other two corners of the triangle.

Glue your star and tree trunk on next.

Time to glue on an ornament hanger and buttons onto your tree.

We would love to hear one of your favorite Christmas memories! Please feel free to share one in a comment below.

Happy Holidays,

We are excited to be linking this post to Creative Family Fun and Simply Designing!

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30 Christmas Tree Ornaments to Make

1. The kids will have a blast making these fun Melted Crayon Ornaments from Meet the Dubiens!
2. Add an elegant touch to your Christmas tree this year with these Classy Clay Ornaments from A Beautiful Mess.

3. These Character Ornaments from Crazy Little Projects are sure to be hit with the kids! Have fun together by creating ornaments of your favorite characters!

4. Looking for something easy and cute? Try making these Yarn Ball Ornaments from Sew Wrong.

5. Collect those bottle caps! These Bottle Cap Snowmen Ornaments from Kidsomania are simply cute!

6. Each ornament maker can customize their own String Art Ornaments to hang on the tree this year! These fun ornaments were made by the Country Chic Cottage.

7. Fill the house with the aroma of Christmas by making these Cinnamon Stick Tree Ornaments found on Crafts Unleashed.

8. These ingenious Paint Chip Christmas Tree Ornaments found on My Life and Kids are creative and easy to make!

9. Check out these beautiful DIY Glitter Christmas Ornaments from Create and Babble.

10. These Wooden Nativity Ornament found on Crafting and Creativity make for a great family activity.

11. Check out this awesome tutorial by Gimme Some Oven on how to make these cute Book Page Ornaments!

12. Looking for something easy that the kids can join in on? Try these festive DIY Kids Christmas Tree Ornament from Made From Pinterest!

13. These DIY Paper Towel Roll Snowflakes from Kids Kubby are also an fun activity for the kids to do this holiday!

14. Be sure to try these fun and unique Rolled Paper Ornaments by Paper Plate and Plane!

15. Make these Personalized Scrabble Ornaments found on Life Your Way with your grand kids or kids this Christmas. They will make a great addition to your ornament collection!

16. These adorably cute Owl Ornaments For Kids from Meet the Dubiens are fun way to brighten up your tree!

17. Are your family DC Comic fans? Then you will love these awesome Superhero Ornaments by Happy Looks Good On You!

18. Wreaths are always found around the holiday season. These Mini Grey Wreath Christmas Ornaments from Domestically Blissful are a great project to do with the kids this season!

19. These Felt Mitten Ornaments found on Better Homes and Gardens will add a cozy touch to the tree this year.

20. Here is a super easy one to make! Try out these Christmas Pinecone Ornament from Shanty 2 Chic!

21. Gather up some more pinecones because you will want to make these Curious Pinecone Owl Ornaments by Lia Griffith!

22. The kids will absolutely love these Mini Snow Globe Ornament by No Biggie.

23. The Happier Homemaker provides a fun activity for kids with her DIY Kid’s Fingerprint Ornament.

24. These unique Tinkering Trees from Left Brain Craft Brain are a great way to let the kids create their own ornaments for the Christmas tree.

25. These cute Burlap Poinsettia Christmas Ornaments found on Home Talk will add a rustic look to your tree.

26. Want an outdoorsy theme for your tree? Try making these DIY Wood Slice Christmas Ornaments by Mountain Modern Life.

27. Check out these adorable Hot Chocolate Ornaments from Breakfast 4 Dinner!

28. This Stable Ornament from Adventures of a DIY Mom is an easy Christmas Craft for the kids to do!

29. These cheerful Snowman Spoon Ornaments from A Lil Bird Told Me are a crafty way to add to your tree this year.

30. Last one! Make a keepsake with the kids by creating these easy Kids Hand Print Snowman Bulbs found on Instructables.

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What do you do with your darling children who are excited for Santa to come? How do you keep them from being bored and keep them AWAY from TV and  video games?  Give them fun activities that will help them use their brain!

Today I have  listed some sites with online educational activities! Hopefully this will keep your little darlings busy and  buy you some time to finish your last minute Christmas to-do list.

One of my favorite things about this season is the opportunity to teach my children about serving those who are less fortunate than ourselves. Let me share an experience our family had about 8 years ago.

While reading the newspaper I found an article about an older couple that had spent time volunteering at a San Jose day camp for Russian orphans. While serving there they ran across 5 Russian siblings ages 9-15 who were on the verge of being separated forever. This wonderful couple in their “golden years” did the unthinkable and adopted all 5 children! Their story brought tears to my eyes. The Anacker’s were of meager income, but did not let that stop them. I showed my husband the article and we decided we wanted to help with their first Christmas as a family in America.

I contacted Marilyn Anacker, told her I was the mother of 4 young children and we wanted to help. I asked if we could drop of Christmas presents for their family and what their needs were. Marilyn said they needed clothes for all of the children, and that they had no toys or sports items. I quickly contacted our church members asking for clothing donations in the correct sizes. The response was immediate and generous. We had plenty of clothing in each size within a few days. Then came the best part, reading the story to our kids and asking them if they wanted to help. Their response was to get up, run to their rooms and start gathering items they wanted to give to this family. I was pleased to watch as they chose some of their best or favorite toys to give away.

I contacted Marilyn again to arrange a time to drop off the clothing and toys. This amazing woman said we couldn’t “drop” of the items unless we all came in to meet her husband, older son and the children. Our kids watched eagerly as Marina, Leana, Sergei, Irina and Nikolai opened their gifts. To this day, seeing my children experience the true joy of giving is my favorite Christmas memory. Helping the Anacker’s helped my children understand the true meaning of Christmas, giving of ourselves to others.

So in the spirit of Christmas I have a 2nd round up for you. Some fun ideas of ways you can give service to others!

Round up #1

Fun Educational Christmas Activities For Children

Activity Village

Claus Kids Tons of great activities at this site!

The Activity Mom  Activity Advent Countdown

Lil’ Luna

Making Memories

Creative Momma

My Delicious Ambiguity

ISL Collective

Creative With Kids

Virtue For Women

Sunday School Kids

Crazy Little Projects

Sunday School Kids

Design Dazzle

Its Written On the Wall

Round up #2 Service Ideas

The Fickle Pickle

Sugar Doodle

Permission to Peruse

I Heart Naptime

Homemaking Fun

Little Homeschool on the Prairie

Dresses ‘n Messes

Yahoo Voices

The Things I love Most

Like a Pretty Petunia

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