Insanity Is Not An Option - Page 3 of 232

My Christmas Wish Isn’t That Complicated

World peace? Equality for all? All of the riches of the world? Well, yes, all of these things, but my Christmas wish is much simpler than all of this and it is every year. This year, I really hope my Christmas wish comes true.

My Christmas wish is simple. It’s not just peace on earth, good will toward man, and all that jazz; it’s about peace and joy within my own household. See, every year, I paint a perfect picture of our holiday in my head. We wake up, we rejoice in the season, we open presents, we eat amazing food, and we just enjoy each other’s company under the twinkling lights. We have the perfect Christmas. But what is perfect anyway? My mind’s eye tells me there is no bickering, no disappointment, no negativity.

That’s my Christmas wish. Is that too much to ask?

With a large family, I guess it is.

As a child, there was always chaos. My parent’s coffee was never ready before my sisters and I woke up. Someone always ruined a surprise because someone peeked the night before. My sisters and I would bicker because “she got more than me, mom!”. Always something.

As an adult, a parent with a lot of kids and a blended family, I’ve never been able to pour that first cup of coffee or focus my camera on the gifts before someone woke up and counted the presents (surely, they were uneven in number, but not in cash – but I could never point that out, because…SANTA!). Chaos. Bickering. B getting mad over all of the bickering and bickering too much himself or just heading to the beach for a “break” (break, you know, those things moms don’t get?). Do they know it’s Christmas time at all?

So, this year, my Christmas wish is this (and it’s really simple)…let us all just enjoy the day…together. No one gets mad. No one feels slighted. No one fights. No one leaves because they get mad (and possibly drink too much) and don’t want to adult (not me for once). We have a problem with this and I know we can’t be the only family.

All I want for Christmas is a fuss-free day. For once, I want no one to notice that things don’t “look” equal. I want each one of us, within my own home, to notice that we have a good life. That we have a strong family bond. That the magic of the lights and the season, and the love we have for one another, is so much more important than anything under that tree.

I want to feel the magic that I felt when I was 10. I want them to love the fact that we’re together, that we’re healthy, that we’re a family. I want us to all go to sleep saying that this was the best day ever simply because we were all together in the day.

If I get nothing for Christmas under the tree this year, I don’t care. I’m just committed to the fact that I know that I want to be happy knowing that my (non-bickering) family is under the tree together this year.

Is that too much to ask? My Christmas wish is simple. I want my first-world-problems, bickers-too-much, non-appreciative family to just appreciate and love this year. No nonsense, no chaos, no fighting…just love and togetherness.

Merry Christmas, y’all! What’s your Christmas wish? I sure hope it comes true for you this year!

A Package from Santa for Bubby? Yes, Please!

By Christy 1 Comment

If you don’t believe, you don’t receive! In today’s society, it’s hard for kids to hold on to the Christmas magic (because mean people suck). Need help keeping that magic alive for your little one? Send him a Package from Santa this year! For the record, Bubby will be receiving a Silver Package from Santa and I’ll be back to share my honest opinions on the program. Stay tuned!

Look, Bubby’s nine and I’m highly aware that he’s not a baby anymore, but he’s still my baby. He’s the last of my littles and I need him to hold on to the Christmas magic for as long as he can (so I can hold on to my own magic). These days? It’s hard. Kids grow up too fast, they tell tales (can you believe some of these kids actually tell MY kid Santa isn’t real?). Anyway, I found a way to keep the magic alive, even if it’s just for one more year. It’s fun, it’s easy, it’s affordable. Santa’s sending my baby a personalized package this year and he can send one to yours too!

Start a new and memorable tradition this Christmas with PackageFromSanta.com, the only Santa memory service that does it all. Personalized letters, packages, calls, and videos from Santa (I KNOW HIM!).

Do you want to see your child’s face light up in amazement when they get a personalized letter from Santa? Of course you do! This is not just a letter from Santa; it’s an amazing experience. It’s magic, memories, wonder, and happiness in a box! You can choose a specific letter theme and then customize it yourself to include details that only Santa (or a doting mom) would know.

Every package also comes with a free personalized call and video from Santa that can be scheduled at your convenience. Surprisingly convincing and I know Bubby will love it!

A Package from Santa to Help Them Believe!

My kids need to believe (if they want to receive) and Package From Santa is really going to help me make more magic happen in my home this year! PFS has an A+ Rating with the BBB due to their unmatched, high-touch customer service so you can be confident that you are making a wise purchase. They have real people on the phone ready to help answer questions (and they don’t read off of those silly cards like your internet and cell phone providers do!). Such a nice touch.

Want to learn more about this very special Santa memory service? Watch the video!

There are three different packages to choose from, and I felt the Silver Package ($24.95) was right for us. It comes with:

Personalized Letter from Santa
Personalized Video from Santa (retail $9.99)
Personalized Phone Call from Santa (retail $9.99)
Personalized Nice List Certificate (just like my Bubby deserves)
Autographed Santa Claus Photo
Autographed Rudolph Photo
Genuine North Pole Stamp
…and so much more!

This service also comes with a 60-Day, Money-Back Guarantee. They’re that confident your child will love it!

Order this holiday must-have for your child at Package for Santa and save 25% off your order when you use FAMS17 at checkout. Come on, mom (dad). We’ve got this. Keep the magic alive this Christmas with Santa’s help. I’m game, are you?

DIY Beachy Christmas Mantel + Wreath

By Christy 2 Comments

If you love all things beachy and want your passion for Christmas to match your home decor, you’ll love this economical DIY Beachy Christmas Mantel + Wreath set up kindly facilitated by my friends at Oriental Trading®. As always, all ideas, opinions, and photos are entirely my own.

Y’all! It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s getting colder outside (for the record, not really cold enough for the fireplace to be lit here, but still, it’s pretty and we can turn the AC on too), Christmas is coming, and I am so beyond excited for my favorite decorating season and holiday in general.

All the magic, all the lights, all the music, all the elves, all the snowmen, all the feathers! Wait. What? Yes, this year while decorating my hearth, I wanted something a little unique, still beachy, and full of fun, so I got some inspiration from Fun 365, and I made a boa wreath the center of my Christmas mantel set up.

DIY Beachy Mantel + Wreath

Making the wreath was relatively simple. If you know me, you know nothing I do is just plain simple because I tend to overthink things, but this was a quick DIY once I really sat down to do it.

I got one large white foam wreath ring, one large blue feather boa, two smaller white feather boas, and my handy-dandy hot glue gun (and this time I didn’t even burn my fingerprints off!). I simply glued one end of the blue boa to the back of the foam ring and started wrapping it all the way around, leaving even-ish amounts of foam exposed so I could weave the white in between later. Once I was satisfied with the way I had the blue laid out, I glued the other end. I then tied the white boas together, glued one end in the back, weaved that in a double row in between the blue, then glued the end in place where it left off.

Fit like a glove (yea, I was surprised too!). I love the beachy, bright color combo and it set the mood for the rest of the mantel so I got to work on that!

Some green garland at the back of the mantel adds a little bit of a traditional touch and ties in nicely with the greens I already have throughout the house. Some festive snowflake lights, a few sparkly trees, ornaments, and mason jars with blue marbles in them added so much festivity without a whole lot of money.

Shells, ornaments, and sparkly reindeer…OH MY! It’s the simple things, some you already have in those bins in the attic, that really perk up a mantel when you pair them up just right.

This year, I bought some new stockings because our mismatched leftovers just didn’t seem right. I mean, if you’re going to hang them by the chimney with care, you ought to love them, right? A little embellishment is always a good thing, so I found sparkle letters for all of us to add a little more glitter to the mix. You really can’t have enough sparkle during the holidays, can you?

Now, your hearth can’t stand alone as the only decorated part of your house. You need a tree, surrounding decor, all that jazz. You can find just about everything you need at Oriental Trading®, so start there first. But when you realize something is missing, that perhaps your tiki bar isn’t dressed up enough, head to your local dollar store to fill in the blanks, stay on budget, and still make your house a happy and sparkly holiday home!

A couple of decorating tips before I go, and these are important:

You can NOT decorate for Christmas without Christmas music. The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.
Do watch the Hallmark Channel as often as you can.
You aren’t really celebrating the season, or living life to its fullest, unless you watch Elf at least five times during December.

From my house to yours, I hope you enjoy the season of magic every chance you get. Whether you live on an island, or in a super cold climate (I’m sorry), be sure to deck the halls with all things sparkly so that everyone who enters feels all of the love and magic of the season. I still believe, do you?