‣ Tree Lightings
‣ Holiday Gift Guide
‣ 12 Days of Giveaways
‣ Ultimate Holiday Bucket List
‣ Christmas Tree Farms in Central Florida
‣ Pictures with Santa in and around Orlando
‣ Telling Your Kids the Truth About Santa
‣ Dear Santa Letter
‣ Christmas Movie List
‣ Budgeting this Season
‣ Local Holiday Family Events
‣ Holiday Safety
‣ Holiday Travel Tips
‣ Christmas Spirit for Moms
‣ Sending Holiday Cards
‣ Holiday Mocktails
‣ Giving Tuesday

‣ Small Business Saturday
‣Where to See Holiday Lights
‣ Special Needs
‣ Holiday Traditions
‣ Cocoa Bombs
‣ Holiday Markets
‣ Toddler Activities
‣ New Year Events
‣ Sober Holidays
‣ Navigating the Holidays with a Picky Eater
‣ Our Favorite Holiday Recipes
‣ Welcoming Back the Elf on the Shelf
‣ 24 DIY Advent Calendar Activities
‣ An Introvert’s Guide to the Holidays
‣ Ideas for your Elf on the Shelf
‣ Where to Volunteer with Kids
‣ and so much more!

The 12 Days of Giveaways is on both Facebook and Instagram. The more you participate on each platform, the more chances you have of winning!

A few years ago, a fellow Christmas-loving friend showed me her list of activities for each day of December, leading up to Christmas Day and I was immediately sold on creating one for my family.

I love the idea of having a craft, an event, or a special family tradition — big or small — to enjoy for each day. Here’s our Christmas Bucket List! You can add, delete, or move things around as it works best for your family!

It is time to blast those Christmas Carols and make hot cocoa bombs in your favorite to go mug! Get those pictures for holiday cards scheduled and watch the kiddos rip through the Target and Amazon wishlist books! Our kids have been drooling over a new {yes NEW, they broke it!} Nintendo Switch, MORE legos, books {YAY}, and Harry Potter EVERYTHING…

…but have they written their letter to Santa? No?

Don’t worry, if you don’t have your letter ready yet either- we’ve got you covered!

Is it even Christmas if you’re not trying to watch a gazillion Christmas movies each week?

On Christmas Eve I asked if they wanted to make cookies for Santa and put out sugar cubes and carrots for the reindeer as we’ve done every year.

They exchanged knowing glances and said “sure” and then added “but please don’t put the photos on Facebook.”

At that moment, I knew that they knew the truth.

But more importantly, I knew that my sweet daughters did not want to ruin the magic of Christmas for me. They already understood the message that the unopened letters in my purse conveyed…

“Different families, different rules,” is my simple explanation when it comes to why our family’s rules are not the same as other families.

A modified version of this saying applies to Christmas, “different families, different traditions.” To wrap or not to wrap Santa’s gifts falls squarely in the “different families, different traditions” category.

I absolutely adore the Christmas season and its traditions of faith and family.

The tree glowing in our front room at night, trimmed with ornaments that were handed down through generations and others handmade by my kids in preschool.

The nativity and manger hand-crafted by my late father-in-law. Christmas Eve Mass when Luke 2:1-14 and O Holy Night always make me cry.

But, I hate the self-imposed stress leading up to December 25.

Few people are immune from the holiday trinity of overspending, overindulging, and over scheduling. But for introverts who get their energy by spending quiet time alone, the pace of the holiday season can be exceedingly draining.

Introverts are not anti social.

In fact, you would probably be surprised to learn that some of your most outgoing friends are introverts. Like me.

Grief and the Holidays

The arguments will probably have already started about who is bringing what to the holiday feast and where everyone is going to stay, but it’s never too late to take some time and figure out a holiday schedule that works for you and your immediate family.

Indeed, it is possible to have a joyful holiday celebration decluttered of stress and chaos.

It’s begun. The festive lights, the peppermint mocha obsession, the brain numbing madness of shopping, trimming the tree and all that jazz. The ‘spirit of giving’ is the phrase of the season. The month of  the year when we feel good about being extra generous (the heady smell of holiday cookies and pine trees might have something to do with it), even if our wallets are extra empty after Black Friday.

The magic of the holidays brings family and friends together in a spirit of celebration. With all the dazzling lights, decorations, special foods and brand-new toys, however, we cannot forget there is always the potential of danger.

‘Tis the season…for accidents. If your holidays are anything like mine, you’ll agree that this time of year is an accident waiting to happen! Ladders are pulled from storage to hang twinkling lights, tempting breakable ornaments are hung from trees just inches away from our inquisitive toddlers, and a plethora of flickering candles scented of cinnamon apple permeates the air in every. single. room.

Love him or hate him, the Elf is here to stay! Some classrooms have one, some families have one….it is a fun tradition kids have grown to love!

We love holiday gifting!

Check out our mom approved Holiday Gift Guide!

My son was diagnosed with Autism almost three years ago and he has never understood the Christmas season because his little body won’t let him. Decor, lights, that obnoxious elf…my child is so overwhelmed that he is melting down every few minutes. And me? It’s causing me to have all the feels. Sad? Mad? Heartbroken? Yes, yes, and yes.

We all know that the holidays can be a chaotic time for everyone. Add in 20 months of a global pandemic, a slew of new rules which have altered how we travel and being a family who has a loved one with special needs.

For families with Autism Spectrum Disorder children, the holidays can be a complicated time. For many, the idea of gathering with friends and family is a welcome one, but they may worry about ensuring gatherings are comfortable for their ASD child.

What do I do with a baby born on Christmas?

How do I make his day special?

How do I keep family from giving him “combined gifts”?

Ugh, this was overwhelmingly stressful!

After many discussions, we decided that Aidan needed to have his own special day just like everyone else. So, here is what we came up with for our Christmas Baby….

The holiday season is full of fun and family. It is a time for memories to be made and to celebrate the holidays with the ones you love. Though, holidays and sleep do not always mix well. Are you ready? Here we go: throw in a little bit of travel, some late nights, a pinch of skipped naps and a dash of well-meaning family. Ta da!

You now have a recipe for an overtired child.

I’m always looking for quick, easy recipes especially during the holidays. I started making this Christmas Chex Mix years ago and it is always highly requested each holiday season. It honestly takes no time and is super simple. But be warned…it is highly addictive!

With Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, I find myself overindulging often this time of year. I always go into the holiday season with the intention of not stuffing  my face with a big holiday dinner, but as they say, best laid plans…

As we head into the final countdown towards Christmas and the kiddos are on winter break, here are some fun ideas you can have with everyone’s favorite drink: hot cocoa!

So, what if you are pregnant during the holidays? Perfect timing and great excuse to eat whatever you want because after all you are eating for two, right? Wrong! That couldn’t be any farther from the truth. “Eating for two” is an antiquated adage that has continued to be perpetuated despite the fact that doing so leads to entirely too much weight gain during pregnancy.

AHHHHH the holidays. My favorite time of year. Great food, warm cozy clothes, Christmas lights, Starbucks seasonal lattes … and I could go on. However, my favorite season has now turned into this stressful, undeniable, unavoidable debate of “Do we visit your family or mine?”