Chel’s Holiday Plan… the Questions
Here goes… This is how I get started.
1. Make a list of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s traditions (one list for each holiday) that you enjoy. Each person in the family names his or her favorite two holiday traditions or activities. Add those to the list. Don’t let the list exceed 10 items (unless your family’s that big).
Now, this is your immediate family. If you’re having extended family visit, and you want to include them, great. If not, they can play along with your choices, right? (Personal disclosure… I’m struggling right now with the fact that my family has invited themselves to both Thanksgiving and Christmas without asking if that’s ok with us, and I know already that they’ll expect things to be done a certain way, which isn’t really OUR way. And I’m going to spend some time trying to decide how best to handle this for everyone.)
2. Make a list of holiday traditions that you hate. Go on, be honest. Ask each family member if there’s any one thing that ya’ll have done in the past that they don’t enjoy. Add those to the list. (I’m not saying you HAVE to throw something out, but this is a good way to get in touch with what your family really likes and dislikes.)
You’re not going to be able to avoid everything that everyone hates, unfortunately, but this will give you an idea of what activities are going to necessitate a friendly holiday bribe. I figure it’s good to know those things in advance.
3. Make a list of activities you’d like to do during the holiday season…watch the Macy’s Day Parade, watch football, eat too much, go caroling, attend an Advent service at a church, drive around after dark looking at lights, rent holiday movies. There’s no end to this. It’s a fluid list. As your family grows and ages and changes, the list will change, too, though I think you’ll find some things will remain year after year.
4. Make a list of people to whom you’d like to send Christmas cards. List anyone and everyone. You’ll be paring down later. Think about whether you want a photo card or a plain store-bought card with a photo inserted or a card you design yourself. Consider if you’d like to say, ’screw cards.’ It’s a fine thing to say every now and then. (I even once said I would only send cards to people who sent them to me, but that was a particularly unhappy season for me.) Decide if you want to make your own cards.
5. Make a list of all of the people on your gift list. Include everyone you can think of… family, friends, teachers, etc. This is the BIG list from which you can cut.
6. Make a list of charities you’d like to donate time or resources to this season.
7. Make a list of your favorite holiday foods. Let each person add to the list. Be sure to include one take-out or dine-out meal! I’ve got several foods that I only make between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, and my family is already talking about some of them.
After each list is complete, I keep each around and rest for a few days before tackling the how-tos of making the holidays happen for us. Just answering the first few questions put us all in a cheerful state of mind.
Eliza’s first Christmas. Griff was five and she was two and half months.
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A Few More Answers
A few weeks ago, I answered some questions that were left in the comments for me, and I’m going to do a few more tonight. In looking at the questions I have remaining, clearly I left the harder ones for last.
Q
Jean from Working Mama 247 asks, “What’s the biggest goal/dream/accomplishment you hope to achieve before you die? Think “big” not just pay off bills get out of debt buy dream house kind of goal but something bigger.”
A
That’s hard, really. Much as there are things I don’t like about this life, in a lot of ways, this is my dream. I’ve got Mike and the kids with me, and we’re having fun. Long-term, though, I’d like to some day take a trip with Mike to Italy. No, I don’t know anyone there or have a specific reason. It just sounds so romantic.
I’d like to write a sappy romance novel someone would read.
And in my dream goal world, we’d be able to save enough to buy a little beach house on the Gulf when we retired. I’d become one of those crazy old leathery-skin women you see so often down here in Florida. My aging boobs sagging in my bikini. Of course, that’s a dream because even if we managed the first part, I’d still be a crazy old burnt skin lady.
Q
Kim from Putting the Fun in DysFUNctional asked, “If you could only teach your children ONE life lesson, what would it be?”
A
It’s funny you ask that because I’m known around here for throwing ‘life lessons’ into casual conversations with Griff. “Don’t do drugs.” “Don’t smoke.” “Don’t have sex.” “Always wear your seat belt.” “Open doors for girls.”
As for the one biggie, I guess it would be that Christ really is the only way and that the relationship each of them have individually with God is the most important thing in each of their lives.
But because one of most anything seems like too few (other than husbands and mortgages and doctoral degrees), I’m gonna add a few more.
- Be kind. Rarely does it cost you anything, and it really is the right thing to do. People take note when you’re kind.
- Spend time with the people you love.
- Save. You just never know.
- Read. Even if you only read sappy romance novels or sports magazines, read.
- It’s never too cold for ice cream.
- Try to fall in love with the person you love every day.
- Use the good dishes. Special occasions rarely happen. But Tuesdays happen every week.
- If someone or something creeps you out, trust your instincts.
- Buy a good tube of draw-out salve. Sure, you’ll look like a little old lady, but when you get a teeny sliver of glass in your big toe & can’t get it out with tweezers, you’ll be glad you’ve got that tube of icky, black old lady goo.
- Celebrate birthdays BIG. Life deserves to be celebrated.
- Call your mother!
Q
This one comes from Corinne at In the Mirror … “When you were a little girl, what was the thing you most dreamed of being when you grew up?”
A
Ok, I saved this one for last. And it’s pitiful. I honestly don’t know. I know that by high school, I wanted to write. And in college, I wanted to be a stylish PR girl. But earlier, than that, no clue. Not very ambitious, huh?
And now, thanks to everyone who left a question. This was fun. I’ll do it again sometime. But for now, it’s almost my turn on the Wii Fit. I’m thinking yoga tonight.
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There Are No Stupid Questions …
… although I might come up with a stupid answer or two.
Michelle over at Bleeding Espresso was having readers ask questions to be answered. It’s a fabulous way to get to know a blogger, but I was a little afraid no one would ask anything. Ya’ll were so sweet to ask away! Thank you.
So, here goes!
Our Joshua from Prodigal Thoughts asked two questions. One easy. One not so much.
Q
Easy - How are we spending our time when we visit in October? Mandy and Josh lived next door to us when we lived in Louisiana, and we miss having them close. Mandy and I used to have these great talks in the street or over the fence posts. I miss those. But this isn’t about what I miss. 
That would take all of us too long. The two of them and their unbelievably precious daughter, Olivia, are coming to visit in October. We’re all already excited.
A
Puhlease, Josh. You know you’ve already got the whole visit planned. You just don’t want to admit it. I’m not planning a stinking thing.
Q
Hard - Assuming an unlimited budget, which would you choose if you could only choose one: candy (including all things chocolate) or shoes?
A
Dang. I love chocolate and shoes. And Hot Tamales. My Louisiana answer would have been shoes. But here in Florida, frankly, I could get by with a couple of pair of flip-flops and one flat sandal to wear to work. I’m going to have to pick candy, I think.
Q
Lizzie from A Dusty Frame asked, “How did you start beading?”
A
This is a wonderful story! My friend, Linda, has this great name bracelet that her sister-in-law gave her as a Christmas present one year (maybe a birthday present… as her birthday is Christmas Day, I sometimes get the gifts confused). Linda broke the bracelet (the first of many times) and took it to a bead shop in town to have it restrung. 
She came back to the office (she was my boss at the time… always got onto me for introducing her as my boss and not as my friend, even then) telling me how cool the shop was and that they had parties where you could learn to bead. She suggested it to her daugher, who told her that was not happening. So I told Linda we’d all go there for her birthday and have a party. And we did!
There were five or six of us… went on our lunch break… and we made a holiday bracelet - reds and greens. And it was so much fun! Years later, I’m the only one who still makes jewelry. And Linda has several of my pieces. She’s one of my favorite people to bead for because she’s so easy to please.
Q
Michelle at Bleeding Espresso asked me to describe my perfect day.
A
My perfect day would depend, I think, upon who I was spending it with… I can’t just come up with one answer, you know.
My perfect alone day would start with me sleeping way too late. I’d get up, take a long, hot shower before heading out to the Starbucks. I’m pick up a chai frapp (no whip) on my way to the bookstore. I’d sit and read books and magazines and not talk to anyone. I’d then go to the bead stores and wander, touching the beads without saying ‘don’t touch! don’t touch!” Then, I’d go to the spa I like and get my nails done. I’d forllow that with a really long massage… maybe even one of those groovy, super expensive hot stone massages I want to try. After I was really relaxed, I’d take my tired self home (stopping on the way to get food my kids won’t eat) to settle into bed and eat snacks and read.
My perfect day alone with Mike would begin with no alarm clock. We’d sleep late and maybe do grown-up things before getting really started with our day. 
Then, we’d go the Mimi’s Cafe to have brunch… buttermilk muffins and fruit for me, a Cajun omlet for Mike. We’d talk and laugh, maybe even read the paper. Get him a St. Pete Times, just because I love him. Then, we’d go wander around town, see museums and art galleries we haven’t visited yet. We’d have dinner at a local restaurant with a Cajun flair before heading over to the old-fashioned movie theatre here to see a lovely old black-and-white movie. After the movie, we’d head back home where we’d slip right back into bed.
And my perfect day with my whole family would begin with me and Mike sleeping late while Griff and Eliza played (clearly, I’m wishing for sleep here!). Then, we’d all get ready and head out for the beach. We’d pack snacks and tons of water bottles, the umbrella and chairs, and SPF-nothing’s getting through to this pale skin. And we’d play on the beach all day. We’d have a room there because I hate driving home all gritty, and we’d all fall exhausted into bed at the end of the day, happy.
But in all honesty, any day with Mike and the kids is a perfect day for me, cheesy though that sounds.
Q
“What’s your biggest beauty splurge?” Bee at Will Blog for Shoes wants to know.
A
It took me forever to decide. I love Sephora. I love LUSH. Could spend (and have… and will) a fortune in each of those store. But the actual answer is… my hair. I began to go grey when I was a teen, and I’m nearly completely grey now. But no one would know that. I color. A lot. And I have an amazing colorist. I go in every six to eight week, sit down & read a book while she does whatever she wants to my hair. Last night, she said she was using new colors they just got in and that she’d been wanting to try. It’s shallow. It’s vain. But I have good hair!
Whew! That was a lot! I’ve still got more to answer, but I’ll have to wait for next week. I’ve got to go play VSmile with Eliza.
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These are your biggest problems…
My supervisor told me today that I was doing a good job, that I was a good adjuster. “Your biggest problems, from what I can tell, are that you’re underappreciated and that you have a lack of confidence in yourself.” Not a bad supe review, I think.
I finally made the name bracelet for Jendi as part of our swap, and I took it to work today to have my skinny minnie tester girl wear it for a bit, and I ended up with three beading orders as a result. Pretty groovy. I’m making a necklace/bracelet/earrings set for a friend of mine at work. He and his wife got married last October and renewed their vows at a big ceremony in July. He lives here… she’s still waiting for her paperwork to be approved, so she lives in the Dominican. Instead of names, he wrote a sweet saying in Spanish for me to put in letter beads. How romantic is that?
I’m going to answer all of the questions I got from my questions post in the next few days. If you’ve got any you didn’t see asked, go ahead. Get in your question & your chance to win my groovy earrings.
Now, I’ve gotta go watch the Shark Week episode of “Dirty Jobs.” How completely cutie patootie is Mike Rowe?
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About to get married…
My Wii age tonight was 24. That’s right 24 years old!! In July of my 24th year, I was preparing to marry Mike in less than a month. I was tense and stressed and completely unsure as to why he wouldn’t just elope with me. Sheesh.
I’m going to go try the ski game everyone but me has already done. Ya’ll leave me a question for consideration - remember, a drawing for a groovy pair of earrings is at stake here.
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