I’m back from a week of holiday celebrations and travels. I’ve taken two weeks off and settled into a vacation schedule nicely, sleeping in and getting at least 8 hours, lazy afternoons catching up on my to-do list or taking a nap. The holidays are filled with big family gatherings, lots of food, and at least 3 Christmases. The holidays can get stressful with lots of places to be, meals to prepare, presents to wrap, decorating, entertaining. But this year I planned better and just did less. Here is how I did it:
- Did all holiday shopping online Black Friday weekend. All the kidd-o’s on each side of the family got matching organic cotton holiday pajamas (a favorite for my own kids). Perfect for sleeping and a super cute holiday photo. I asked for gift lists before Thanksgiving so the kids got a toy along with their matching pajamas. I arrange Secret Santa for the adults.
- Made the holiday card at Paper Culture and had them mail for me. I have used Paper Culture for over 10 years because they have great designs and plant a tree with each purchase. This year I had them mail the cards for me. It took one evening to organize and upload all of our holiday card addresses but I saved time stamping and the cards mailed faster.
- I brought the same easy and simple dishes to each party: steamed broccoli, fruit plate, gluten-free chocolate cake. Steamed broccoli is a super simple and nutritious side that kids and adults enjoy. Fruit plates only require washing and chopping and is a nutritious sweet. I make the gluten-free chocolate cakes with real whip cream a week before the holidays. They taste much better made in advance. I make 3 or 4. You can always find use for an extra chocolate cake.
Here are some photos from my holidays.
Family day seeing The Nutcracker. It was our first time and we loved it so much it will be a holiday tradition.
Celebrating Uncle Mike’s holiday birthday.
My family is made of strong, fun, and beautiful woman.
And the guys aren’t half bad either.
The days are filled with endless fun.
We come together for the holidays and make our favorite foods. Dumplings are at the top of the list.
And so is everything else in this picture.
These kids are hungry for this delicious food. They are fantastic eaters.
I love catching up with family over a super awesome meal. My plate is the biggest.
The kids painted gluten-free cookies from The Cookie Studio NY. I didn’t know if they would be into it and they totally were!
Lot’s of presents. I think this was Christmas #2.
We even squeezed in some ice skating.
Matching holiday pajama photo is required before opening presents.
It’s the only way to keep these little ones still and smiling for this super cute photo.
I hope you had a wonderful holiday.
Cheers, Chrissy xo