get a head started on christmas

Get a Head Start on Christmas
by DreamTeamWriters

Make-Your-Own Christmas Plates
Unpacking our Christmas decorations made me a bit sad last year. It was clear some of our holiday crafts from years' past hadn't stood the test of time. Construction paper projects were faded and bent ... and apparently hot glue doesn't stick forever. I re-glued Santa faces and snowman hats, and ironed paper projects as best I could, but I realized if I wanted our special keepsakes to last longer, I'd have to work with more durable materials. Read more.

Christmas Craft Party
Last year, the first weekend of December arrived with a packed calendar: Ellie's performances in the Nutcracker ballet. Family coming to see the show. Our church holiday fair. The holiday craft fair at Caitlin and Ellie's school. Something had to give, and for the second year in a row, it was going to be the school craft fair. This news was met glumly, but the holiday spirit was quickly revived when I suggested a mini-holiday craft party of our own. Read more.

Early Letters to Santa
A week or so before Christmas the year Sabrina was 2, I was full of holiday cheer. In an effort to spread my good cheer, I asked my darling daughter -- for about the hundredth time that season -- what she hoped Santa would bring. I was sure I knew what Sabrina's answer would be, because she'd told me many times before: a baby doll stroller. Then, sweet little Sabrina in her red-and green-outfit and matching tights said something that unraveled all of my carefully planned preparations, "A cradle for my baby." Read more.

Say Cheese -- Or Else!
"Someone might call child protective services on you," joked my mother-in-law. At least I hoped she was joking. I knew why she was calling -- she'd received our latest holiday photo. I hoped this wasn't shaping up to become one of our typical holiday disasters, like the crooked tree that dropped all of its needles at once, or the time I slightly singed baby Nolan (now 5) posing him in a diaper and Santa hat surrounded by colorful holiday lights. Read more.

Get Into Giving
"Did you see this?" 7-year-old Henry asks, squealing with excitement as he points to a shiny new toy in a catalog that he found in our pile of mail. "Circle it!" Julia, 9, commands. This materialistic activity, which consists of circling coveted toys in catalogs, has become a regular activity around our house this holiday season. Hiding all the toy catalogs the next day only makes me feel like the Grinch with a wig, and I'm stumped over how can I help our children experience how wonderful it feels to give to others. Read more.