Finding Holiday Comforts in the Stillness

This post is sponsored by Tempur-Pedic, the brand millions of owners trust to deliver their best night’s sleep every night. Enjoy our Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer now and give the gift of custom comfort to someone you love.

The three of us, my mom, Donnie, and I, pulled on winter coats and slid into my mom’s car, driving around neighborhoods sparkling with elaborate light displays.

Protected from the Michigan weather by a car heater and my mom’s favorite Anne Murray Christmas cassette, we could chat, debate the merits of multi-colored versus all-white lights, or ride in silence, hundreds of tiny lights breaking the early darkness of winter nights.

At home, our Christmas tree lights reflected off the gold garland always strung in looping circles around the trees we chose as a family, early in the day to accommodate my dad’s afternoon work shift.  I curled on the couch, legs under me and a book on my lap, reading by the lowest possible light to maximize the magic of the hundreds of colored lights.

More than a small Whitman’s sampler tucked into my stocking or my beloved Brother typewriter or the triangular bottle of 273 Rodeo Drive by Fred Hayman perfume I desperately wanted, the moments I return to when planning ways to create memorable holidays for our kids are the ones removed from the gift giving. 

Car rides along Jefferson Avenue to watch the stillness of Christmas lights reflecting on the water, late nights sitting near a lit tree, and Christmas day spent curled up with a new book, pajamas worn long past morning, all conjure the peace and comfort that make the holidays my favorite time of year.

browsing her favorite doll catalog

Toy catalogs are peppering our mailbox, and we’ve already spoken at length about the various decorated trees in Lord & Taylor; soon the holiday season will be in full swing.  With two young children, there’s not a great way to escape the insanity of toy store shopping or visiting Santa at the mall, and truthfully, that hectic energy is its own sort of holiday magic.

Yet, the moments I look forward to the most are the still ones.  Abbey and Dylan easing into new Christmas jammies after celebrating Christmas Eve at my parents’ house.   Seeing our stockings hanging along the mantle.  The blissful moment Ryan and I can finally sink into bed after spending too much time doing Santa’s grunt work with a few tools and too many parts making up a dollhouse.

For Abbey’s sake, this January and February I forgave the people who left their holiday lights up far too long, because we could still drive past and marvel at the sparkling colors, the kids snuggled into cozy car seats, adults enjoying the warmth of heated seats and holiday music on the radio.

Shopping lists and wrapping gifts and snowflake crafts are already bouncing around in my head, and I relish creating holiday magic for my family.  But the moments of stillness and joy are the memories I cherish; long after our ornaments have been packed into their boxes, I carry those moments of holiday comfort with me into the unknown adventures of the New Year.

Comfort is the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday gift list, so be sure to take advantage of Tempur-Pedic's Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer!

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

Bring On the Holiday Checklists

It may only be October, but with Abbey and Dylan around, I sometimes feel as though I’m constantly playing catch-up.  Planning ahead means I might have a chance to arrive at a holiday party only five minutes late instead of thirty-five.

Cold weather makes me want to retreat into a turtle shell lined with cable-knit sweaters, so planning ahead means I can watch snowflakes out the window and listen to Christmas music instead of bundling us all up to brave the weather.

Here's a few things I'd like to do this year to avoid rushing around like an elf who just found a "nice" list buried in "naughty" files.

1. Make a list of people I plan on shopping for this year and get a small calendar to write down party dates.  Carry those in my purse at all times, so I'm not over-scheduling or under-buying.

2. Jot down books people mention.  Glance through sale ads with friends and family in mind.  Shopping ahead of time means I can put a lot of thought into gifts and not stress out about finding something at the last minute. 

3. Pull out holiday recipes and make note of anything new I want to try.  There’s nothing wrong with doing a test run before bringing a new concoction to a party.  All desserts should be taste-tested at least once.  At least.

4. Go through my wrapping supplies and see what I need.  I’ve been known to pick up extra wrapping paper by the cartload, when all I really need is gold ribbon.  Then I have to go back out into the snow for ribbon, plus I need to find somewhere to store the fourteen unneeded rolls of penguin wrapping paper.

5. Decide on cards, because I love spamming my friends and family with actual mail during the holidays.  Storkie has a gorgeous selection of holiday cards, including photo cards.  I love that you can go to one site and find something cute or something sophisticated, something religious or something seasonal. 

Storkie Modern Tree Holiday Card

6. Scour Pinterest for holiday decorations and craft projects for the kids.  Even Dylan can help make a tulle Christmas tree, and making homemade gifts can save money while making our friends and family feel special.

7. Look through my pictures!  Though it’s always fun to see a holiday themed photo on a card, you may be able to use a favorite photo you already have to fit in with a card you like.  Do you have a picture of your kids making a giant mess?  Contrast it with an angel themed card!

Storkie Angels Photo Card

8. Buy a few fairly generic gift cards.  It’s inevitable that you’ll (ok, that I’ll) forget someone on your (ok, my) list.  Having gift cards around, especially if I can pair it with homemade trail mix, cookies, or another treat will save me from venturing to the corner drugstore and figuring out which snuggie I should purchase.

9. Pre-address thank you cards to people always on our list (grandparents, aunts and uncles, best friends).  Let Abbey add stickers or stamps to the envelopes as an afternoon craft project.

10. Stock up on hot chocolate.  If I do the first nine items on this list, I'll be able to  enjoy a warm mug of hot chocolate (or a homemade café mocha) on my couch instead of scrambling around at the end of December.

What do you do to prepare?  Am I crazy for thinking about Christmas before I have Abbey's Halloween costume?

I wrote this blog post while participating in the Storkie holiday blogging program. I received compensation for my participation, but all opinions are 100% mine.