Lights, camera, action! Ok, more like lights, wrapping presents, teacher gifts, action. Doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it? But I have lots to tell you. Warning: this post is all over the place. A holiday smorgasbord if you will. We’ll cover:
- our somewhat non-traditional holiday tradition
- what we’ll be doing for Christmas dinner
- how we decorated the outside of our house for Christmas this year
- what we used to wrap all of our gifts (for zero point zero zero dollars)
- what we gave as teacher gifts for Clara’s preschool teachers
Representing the “action” part of this post’s title, this year was going to be the very first year that we weren’t scurrying around like crazy with some giant house project going on over Christmas. You think I’m joking, but this is a deep seated “tradition” of ours. Waaay back in 2007 when we started this blog we were in the middle of a giant kitchen renovation over Christmas. We had already lived sans kitchen for two months and our new cabinets were installed, but we were still waiting on our counters to arrive and officially make the room functional again…
In 2008 over Christmas we decided to refinish the floors, so we had to move nearly all of the furniture in the entire house into the sunroom, den, and kitchen to free up the original hardwoods throughout the rest of the house…
In 2009 we gutted our only full bathroom, which commenced the weekend after Thanksgiving. So by New Year’s we found ourselves in the midst of tiling. Which meant that our only shower was still a few weeks away from being functional again. Yup, that meant getting creative and showering at the gym, John’s sister’s house, and even with the hose in the yard if we just needed to rinse off (brrr).
In 2010 we moved, which was our biggest project to date that occurred right in time for the holidays. We had more than a few adventures, which involved packing up every last possession and loading it into a UHaul… which then slipped into a ditch about .05 minutes after beginning the journey to our new house… which ended up looking a lot like this while we unpacked:
In 2011 we were knee-deep in the middle of our current house’s kitchen reno (we were painting cabinets on Christmas Eve)…
And in 2012, well, we’re in the middle of a sunroom upgrade along with planning Clara’s big-girl room (which we’ll probably tackle after we wrap up the sunroom) and we built Clara’s present again this year, but that hardly counts as a major the-house-is-sheer chaos project. Until about a week ago when we were nominated (and excitedly accepted the baton while I jumped up & down and sang “we get to use our cloth napkins!”) to host Christmas dinner for 15 family members – four who are under the age of 4. It should be a whole lotta crazy, so it looks like we have a little holiday project after all, eh?
So far I’ve just been breaking out the table runners and planning where everyone will sit (it involves some rearranging of furniture) along with figuring out the menu with John (our family always does pot luck, so we’ll provide a few main staples but everyone coming will bring a special dish or dessert to fill things out). It doesn’t feel too crazy yet, but I imagine in the middle of Christmas we’ll look around and our house will be just as chaotic as it ever was during a little ol’ kitchen or bathroom renovation. Haha. We’ll definitely share the details with you guys afterwards. You know momma can’t wait to set that table. And for anyone out there who has hosted Christmas dinner, we’d love any and all tips that you have! For reals, spill it.
Oh but on the subject of the “lights” part of the title, we’ve been getting lots of requests for photos of the lights that we hung outside, so here they are. We did a more detailed post dedicated just to the outdoor decorations last year, so you can get a lot more info on them here, but this year’s synopsis is that it only took us about an hour to dress up the porch and put plug-in candles in all of the windows.
As for our giant red Ikea lanterns from last year (scored for $11 a pop), we just ran an extension cord to get power over to them, and shoved a string of white lights inside of each one (so there are three total that are joined together in a chain and powered by the extension cord).
My favorite part is always adding these three large Moravian stars (which we’ve had since last year, purchased on sale from amazon.com). We love hanging them at different heights from the porch (they’re just held up with plant hooks from the inside of the porch’s header).
We didn’t think to get a good shot of my other favorite part – the glossy red reindeer who are hanging out in the window again this year. So here’s a pic from last year (aw, look at the ol’ ribbon and paint chip tree, which were kid friendly choices for a then very-grabby Clara).
These guys are such an easy holiday project if anyone out there is still looking for one. I grabbed them at Ben Franklin for $4 a pop (they’re giant – maybe two feet tall each). They were sort of a flat brown bag color when I got them and looked to be made of paper mache, so I thought making them super shiny and bright could be fun.
One $3.50 can of high-glossy “Sunrise Red” spray paint later and those babies were glossy and ceramic-animal-esque (and still look good a year later). The best news is that Clara is still obsessed and likes to gently pet them in the window while keeping an eye out for Santa.
Checking another thing off the ol’ list involved getting all of our Christmas presents squared away and wrapping them all. And something magical happened this year.
For those who follow us on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter you may have already seen this pic, but it was truly a holiday unicorn (it was that rare of an occurrence). After years of hoarding holiday bags from gifts we’ve received, I didn’t have to buy any bags/wrap/ribbon/tissue paper at all this year. Not even gift tags. Dude, that makes my spare-closet-full-of-bags-and-ribbon-and-all-things-gifty feel downright warranted.
Even that cute lunch box in the front of the picture below was something that I found shoved on the top shelf of Clara’s closet (it came with some onesies for her two Christmases ago, and has been sitting up there empty ever since).
And finally, we have our little teacher gifts. A few folks asked us what we were giving/making for Clara’s three preschool teachers, and although they had a room-mom who was happy to collect $5 from each kid per teacher and grab a gift card for each teacher to their favorite restaurant, she encouraged anyone who wanted to do something else to go for it. So we thought some homemade cookies would be a nice supplement to the gift cards they each would be getting, and I grabbed three tera cotta pots for 40 cents each (thanks to coupons at Michael’s) and we wrapped each stack of freshly baked cookies in plastic wrap and then surrounded them with gift wrap (still all from my leftover gift wrap closet! woot!). Some leftover ribbon to tie them at the top was the final step. They took all of three minutes to put together, but I think they look like cute little carrots growing out of our book. Haha.
Oh yeah, and our book was the other part of the present. Our teachers have all been so sweet and supportive about it, so we wanted to give them each signed copies so they knew what the heck had been keeping us so busy (some days John’s parents would pick Clara up since we were touring, so there were lots of emails going back and forth between us and them to share where we’d be and who would be coming to get her). They were all so sweet and thankfully kept the transition nice and smooth for Clara – so we really wanted to thank them for all that they do.
So that sums up this smorgasbord of a post about a slew of holiday-related goings-on at our house.
What’s going on at yours? Are all of your outdoor lights strung up? Did you make/give any teacher gifts this year? Are you hosting Christmas dinner and prepping for that? Do you save gift bags and ribbons like a madwoman (a la $herdog)? I draw the line at saving wrapping paper (I like to tear into that for the most part) but bags full of paper and ribbons, bows, and boxes are all fair game to me…
Update: You can check out all of our favorite holiday decor finds here – many of which are under $15!
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
I LOVE how simple but impactful the front of the house is. I’m so stealing the lantern idea when we have a porch big enough for them, that is AWESOME!
meryl rose says
We’re always really simple with the decorations on the front of the house (mostly because we just don’t have time…) but our street is actually very well known in Oakland for being a “Christmas Light Street” because nearly all the houses light up and we string lights from house to house as a “friendship chain” dating all the way back to the Depression. Walking along our street at night has become one of my favorite holiday traditions :)
http://www.picardyproject.com/2012/12/twinkle-twinkle-picardy-drive.html
Jess @ Little House. Big Heart. says
Everything looks lovely! I especially love the Moravian stars!
I can’t wait to host the Little House’s first Christmas… whenever that may be! We’ve had our first Thanksgiving, but I think that as long as we’re the only ones in the family without kiddos we’ll be somewhere else for the holidays.
Emma (Broke Ass Home) says
We got dibs on Thanksgiving this past year, so I understand the crazy excitement of finally getting to be “grown ups” You can’t get sent to the Kid Table in your own house! YEAH! My biggest suggestion is to do something simple for silverware (napkin rings, or whatever) and to keep all the plates in the kitchen buffet style instead of actually setting the talbe. It keeps everything moving smoothly because people just grab as they go through the line rather than going to their seat and grabbing the stuff then stuffing themselves through the kitchen. Also, do dishes the whole freaking time. Yeah I missed some stuff, but it kept everything going since the dishwasher was always running and I was pretty much always doing dishes. Here’s the silverware holders I made- you could easily whip them up in ten minutes with your hem tape!
http://www.brokeasshome.com/2012/11/i-faked-place-setting.html
I’m excited for you guys! It was a really heartwarming feeling seeing everyone loving a holiday at my house- I hope you guys get it too :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the tip Emma!
xo
s
Anne says
I’m pretty sure you mean “deep-seated” instead of “deep seeded” (-: Although the latter does make some sense as well, when you think of it!
Following Clara growing up is such a pleasure. I dread her getting old enough to object! Thank you for sharing.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahahh!
xo
s
lauren says
I was just going to say the same thing! I do like “deep-seeded” though – it has a very literal and evocative ring to it.
The porch looks awesome – those white star lights are a brilliant idea.
YoungHouseLove says
It’s so funny, my whole life I was hearing that phrase wrong. It’s like I always thought it was “flushed out” and not “fleshed out” (both of which are sort of gross-ish in some ways, haha!).
xo
s
kristen says
i always thought it was deep-seeded too! like a root that’s so far into the ground it’s there for life! hahahahahahaha
Kasey M. says
Sherry maybe it’s a Jersey thing. I also thought it was deep seeded!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Jersey thing!
xo,
s
Rebecca @This Nest is Best says
Love that picture of you living in the den! We lived like that for six weeks this spring while our floors were refinished, too!
Lisa R says
I always have plenty of boxes and bags to use from year to year. I also head out the day after Christmas to stock up with all the markdowns. We also buy the decorative boxes and just reuse those from year to year…plus, they look cute sitting out empty too. I try to get ones of different sizes though, so that I can pack them all up into a smaller space when we are done. :)
As far as a tip for Christmas dinner…just chill out and enjoy it! I never got people who were SO stressed about hosting and having everything perfect…that is so not what it is all about! I just try to make sure the house is clean and that I did as much prep as possible, then we just have a good time…I also don’t have any issue with people helping themselves in my kitchen, etc…we are all family!
Happy holidays!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Lisa! Great tip!
xo
s
Jennifer says
That was going to be my tip too! We host Christmas Eve every year. We do as much prep as possible (both cleaning and cooking) before Christmas Eve. The day of I try to relax and enjoy my family. In the end, everyone will remember the laughter and love but not whether the food was perfect or if toys were everywhere :-) Merry Christmas!
Kelly says
One thing I always do when hosting holidays is prepare a treasure hunt for everyone. Each person gets a clue on 5×7 index card which leads to another, then another, then another which leads to a small homemade gift. Nothing extravagant but fun. Everyone enjoys it so much!!
Also, because I can never find gift tags that I like, I keep all the Christmas cards we received and snag the ones that work received as well. I then cut out a small detail from them and tape it to a piece of card stock that has been cut down to size and folded. Instant gift tag. Hope that makes sense?! :)
Happy Holidays from my family to yours.
YoungHouseLove says
Those are such great ideas! Love them!
xo
s
Christy says
As for hosting a major family holiday, I have two pieces of advice. 1. Drink station. No sense running around checking on people’s drinks. Let them serve themselves in a convenient, but out of the main traffic flow location. 2. Have an idea of how people can help before they show up. (This may mean leaving a few things undone on purpose.) I have a helpful family, but if I don’t plan ahead, I don’t know what to tell them to do and I end up scurrying while they stand around feeling not very helpful.
YoungHouseLove says
So smart!
xo
s
Amelia says
I couldn’t agree more (esp. about the drink station!) – I always try and put it farther away from the kitchen.
The main thing I was going to say was that no matter what, everyone ends up in the kitchen (even though we have lovely living spaces all decorated) – it’s just where people seem to congregate). Sherry and John, you might not have as much trouble with this since you have a large kitchen, but my husband and I always rotate on who’s on cooking duty and who’s on “distracting” duty. If I’m in the kitchen, he’s generally entertaining and engaging guests (and helping to shoo them out of the kitchen) and then we’ll switch off. This way we both get time with family AND we don’t have a ton of people underfoot when we’re trying to get dinner on the table! (Although you guys have Clara to help distract the crowds from the kitchen – party entertainment: reason 2,483 of why we should have children!)
YoungHouseLove says
Hah!
xo,
s
Lindsay@Tell'er All About It says
Oooh….another tip for hosting major party – somebody needs to be on “greeter” duty – grabs the coats, throws them on the bed, points to drink station, etc, etc.
I also try to get as much cooking done the day before, especially because I only have one oven, which is why we’ve started making the turkey on the grill – brilliant! I’ve even made the mashed potatoes a day ahead of time, then throw them on the stove top and reheat with some milk and butter – would never know that they’re re-heated!
I echo whoever mentioned it above – run the dishwasher CONSTANTLY! Make sure it’s filled before you sit down to dinner and RUNNING. Hopefully by the time you’re finished eating it will be ready to unload/re-load.
Another tip – don’t worry about getting the house SPOTLESS. I mean, clean up, yes, but the floors and surfaces are going to absolutely EXPLODE anyway, so long as the floors aren’t sticky and LOOK clean, just take it easy on the pre-clean. You’re going to have to do a deep clean after the tornado comes through anyway, so just as long is at LOOKS clean, that’s all you should worry about. Nobody needs to know….
Hope this helps! Good luck! Always exciting hosting your first holiday!!!
xoxo,
Lindsay
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Lindsay! Great tips!
xo,
s
Lindsay@Tell'er All About It says
Thought of something else – and this is going to descend into potty humor area, but whatever…
Stash extra toilet paper in every bathroom along with a plunger. I dunno about you but a major party can sometimes do a number on the plumbing (including our own). So save people the embarrassment of having to ask for the plunger and just leave it out JUST IN CASE!
YoungHouseLove says
Good tip!
xo,
s
Andrea J says
Ok, I need to know. Whenever you mention Michael’s coupons, it sounds like you are able to stack them on top of each other or use several during one transaction, yet the Michael’s near me doesn’t let me do that. What is your secret?!
YoungHouseLove says
Maybe it’s just a regional thing? Many of the ones that come in the mail are for 40% off one regularly priced item and they usually just let us use three if we have three regularly priced items (they don’t let us stack them on sale items though). Sometimes we have to do three transactions and sometimes they do it all in one. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Andrea J says
Thanks for the tip! That does help. :)
sophie says
doesn’t work for us here, either. and they don’t go for the ‘three transactions’ approach, either :-( A couple of weeks ago a woman tried and when it didn’t work, she just offered all her coupons to all the other people standing in line…
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that’s sweet!
xo
s
Stephanie says
I save bags LIKE CRAZY- for all occasions. Also… instead of throwing away Christmas cards we’ve gotten in the mail I cut up the fronts and use them as gift tags. Most people don’t write on the inside left so I usually get more then enough to hoard for the next year :).
YoungHouseLove says
Cute!
xo
s
Holly C says
We are hosting Christmas for my in-laws again this year. One thing I learned last year was to not get stressed out. We do the same thing with everyone bringing a dish but we are in charge of the turkey and ham. I let myself stress out but in the end everything turned out great. Sure there were a few things that almost didn’t work out, but they did. Don’t sweat the small stuff (or even the big stuff). Enjoy getting to spend the day with your family!
P.S. I am now on the hunt for those reindeer! I love them!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Holly! Great advice!
xo
s
Pam the Goatherd says
Don’t sweat the small stuff is great advice, but also make a list of the foods you’ve prepared in advance and put away in the fridge. Then make sure you refer to the list to make sure you’ve put out all the food you intended to put out before everyone comes to the table. I speak from experience! At Thanksgiving this year I was go absorbed in getting the turkey out of the oven and the gravy made that I completely forgot the salad and deviled eggs that were sitting in the second fridge in the garage! I like deviled eggs, but not 2 dozen eggs worth just for me and my hubby!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man!
xo
s
Emma says
Nice! I actually got on my roof to put lights up (I live in a one story rancher so it’s not that death-defying). My husband was too chicken so I was the one left hanging out on the eves and attaching the gutter clips and lights. This is our 2nd Christmas in our house and I’ve always wanted to hang lights on the roof so I was happy to do it. Happy holidays!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw it sounds really sweet!
xo
s
paintergal says
Dang. But don’t ya just love Ikea? We live so far away from the nearest one that it had been TEN years since I was able to shop there. And then we only went on a whim at the end of a day of wedding clothes shopping. So we only had an hour! What? Way not enough time.
Anyway, I digress. I love those Ikea lanterns. And so clever of you to pop the lights in and illuminate them.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks! So easy to just shove them into the lanterns and plug them in.
xo
s
Connie says
Did you take the Moravian stars apart to store them after last Christmas? If not, where do you find a box or bag large enough to hold them assembled? I wish I had one for our porch, which is too small to hold three. Three would fit in front of another window, but the builder put the only outdoor outlet on the porch. Having a window open (even a crack) in Colorado doesn’t sound very intelligent.
YoungHouseLove says
We just pop them into the attic assembled since there’s room to sit them on the floor. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Suzanne says
You need to show us that attic space. Everytime you mention it, I think of mine, and get the creeps! lol Maybe that needs to be my next project! But I need some inspiration.
YoungHouseLove says
Will do! It’s not even tall enough to stand up in, but it’s a nice big plank of plywood on the floor for big tupperware bins and things like our stars to sit on.
xo
s
Judy W. says
About the Moravian stars: We have one really big one that we use on the front porch, replacing the regular porch light during the holiday season. For storage, we put it in a trash bag (so it won’t get dusty) and then hang it from a beam in the attic, in an out-of-the-way corner so we don’t bump into it all year.
Jen@The Decor Scene says
Love it all. What a sweet gift for the teachers. We have hosted Christmas for the last 5 years we have been in our house. We host about 20 people every year. We have two tables for everyone to sit at and one is in our dining room and the other downstairs in our Family Room. It works for us. Usually our nieces go downstairs to eat and then everyone comes back together after we eat. We put all of the food that we make on our large kitchen island and let everyone serve themselves. Easier mess to clean up on the island then on each table. ;)
Always just do what you can for that day and don’t worry about what didn’t come together the way you wanted it to. This year I just don’t care what doesn’t get done. I didn’t start early enough this year, but I know no one will know the difference and we will all still have a good time. I know you love lists, so make sure you have one of those. ;)
And ENJOY yourselves…not always easy, but sit down with everyone else when they eat. Merry Christmas to you and yours!!! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Great tips Jen! Thanks!
xo,
s
Kristen says
I also hoard gift bags! I very rarely buy gift wrap or bags. Althought I bought two this year for presents from the big guy! I also have been using the same roll of wrapping paper for two years! And I am know to use newspaper if I don’t have any wrapping paper. Usually it ends up looking very nice with a ribbon attached!
Stephanie says
We loved the Moravian star lights so much your outdoor holiday lighting post from last year that we bought 3 stars for this Christmas and use them in our large, second story picture window. It TOTALLY sets the mood for the very simple white lighting we do on our home! I get so tickled when I see cars slow down outside to check them out. They are so impactful. Many thanks for the inspiration… for this and so many other great d.i.y projects!!!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so awesome! We’d love to see a picture!
xo
s
Wendy says
Love the teacher gifts, especially the book with a note. As a teacher, you do what you have to do because you love your job (hopefully). Yet, the extra parental/guardian support means sooo much. I’m sure that they will (or have?) loved the gifts and thoughtfulness.
My “best” gifts are always cards from the kids that have meaning. I have a stack of them saved for eternity. The super honest ones are always the best.. like a C (a girl) who once wrote…
“When this year began, I didn’t like you. I thought you were crazy. Now I understand that you care and have lots of ideas to help us.”
Yep, gotta love 8th graders!
Peace, Love, and Hope!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah!
xo
s
Ginny@ Goofy Monkeys says
This year we did a dining room repaint (part of a longer term room makeover) and the last time we repainted it was a week before Christmas. We tend to get stuff done when there’s a looming deadline.
http://goofymonkeys.blogspot.com/2012/12/make-it-blue.html
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Megan says
I don’t have any party hosting tips – but I have a suggestion! You should get Clara to paint the pots for the teacher! Just like she did with the pumpkins for Halloween. :) Would be a cute personal touch! Just a thought. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that’s so cute!!!
xo
s
Christine says
I was going to mention that my favorite daycare teacher gift from a “student” (come on, they’re babies..) was one of those little plastic pots that come with a paper insert that you decorate. The mom had her son dip his fingers in paint and put fingerprints all over it. She drew flower stems and a little scene or whatever around the prints and wrote “Thanks for helping me grow this year!” And then there was a little Marigold planted inside.
It was an “end of the year” gift and I straight up cried. The Marigold eventually bit the dust but, years later, I still have that little pot in my kitchen window. :)
He was barely 1 at the time so his artistic abilities were pretty limited. I bet Clara could dazzle with her advanced skillz!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that’s so sweet!
xo
s
Megan @ Rappsody in Rooms says
Whew! You’ve been busy, but I feel you on that! I feel like superwoman a little bit with all the holiday prep. Except I am only doing Christmas dinner for 6 – not 15! What I did was plan a menu in advance, and shop for the non-perishables way ahead of time. Then, when the grocery store is a zoo, I only need to pick up the fresh items. That’s my tip!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Megan!
xo
s
Missy G. says
We just got around to putting up our tree yesterday. I really wasn’t feeling it this year, but hubby got everything out of the attic and I figured why not. I’m surprised how much it puts me in the Christmas spirit! Outside, we just have a greenery wreath hanging on the front door. That’s as much as I will probably ever do outside, haha.
Also, do I spy a new chandy in the dining room? Or are my eyes playing tricks on me?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, good eye! Details on that soon!
xo
s
Meagan says
If your family likes games, we played a great one at a Tacky Christmas Party last weekend. Wrap a gift card in a small box, then wrap that box in a bigger box, and so on til you have 4 or 5 boxes. Then, have everyone roll dice (or die?) til they get a 6. The person that rolls a 6 gets to try to unwrap the gift, but… with oven mitts on. While they’re unwrapping, everyone else keeps rolling for 6s to steal the oven mitts. It’s hilarious. The funniest part is the disappointment on their faces when they’ve opened the first box just to reveal another box. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Fun!!
xo
s
jackie says
Everything looks great! I officially have red lantern envy!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Jackie!
xo
s
littleoakcreations says
I’ve been known to hoard tissue paper that comes in those bags too… never have had to buy it and if you neatly fold it and put away until later, it’s crinkly but gets the job done! I also like to save it so I can ship my little goodies safely. :)
sophie says
cookie baking for teachers at our house last night – the kids and I baked up 4 dozen shortbread people, 2 dozen per teacher. I’m heading out to find some creative yet safe packaging for them (so they don’t go home as crumbs…)
As for wrapping – a few years ago I went off to value village to find some fabric remnants and whipped up a bunch of gift bags on the sewing machine. They’re not perfect (by any stretch of the imagination), but they’re colourful and they store easily and they can get washed if anything happens. We have a tradition that we leave the bags out for Santa on Christams eve and he fills them all. We also made a series of reusable gift tags out of the cardboard inserts from a box of wine glasses.
What it does mean is that we run around a bit on Christmas Eve getting everything packed up, but that’s ok. We’re not 200-presents-under-the-tree types (or even 100, actually), so it doesn’t take too long.
YoungHouseLove says
Such cool ideas Sophie!
xo
s
Amber says
Ooh, have fun with your family dinner. I can’t wait to see your table settings! We’re buying a house this Spring and I hope we get to fill it with people next Christmas.
The teacher presents are absolutely adorable, but as a wife of a teacher, I have to warn folks that many teachers will not eat homemade goods from students. Not that they’d have anything to worry about from you… it’s just a general safety thing. My husband always thanks his students for the cookies and writes a thank you card, and then throws them away. It makes me so sad, but I understand why he does it. He does love the gift cards though!
YoungHouseLove says
No way, really?! We eat all of the homemade treats you guys bring us for the book tour stops! Can’t turn down those delicious morsels! Haha.
xo
s
Linda says
As a 20-year veteran teacher, I have to say that, sadly, Amber is right. My district even discourages teachers accepting gifts from students at all, especially if they are pricey. Since I work in a building with a 90% poverty rate among our students, this is rarely an issue, but I know that the whole teacher gift tradition is handled differently in different places.
Courtney says
I have to say, really, too!! I’m a teacher, with lots of teacher friends… and we always eat our treats!! In fact, on the first day of our Christmas break, we always get together with our families and other friends, and the only treats we have are the ones from the kids. One of the reasons is that we often get SOOOO much, we want to make sure none of it goes to waste. And, we get to brag about how much our kids love us!!!
Colleen says
Daughter of a teacher, and same thing here. You honestly don’t know the cleanliness of the home (not saying that you guys didn’t wash your hands first, but as the teacher, you don’t know which kids did!). My mother also has some food allergies, so she really doesn’t like to risk eating strange foods.
Emily says
I am a teacher and I never eat anything homemade from my students. I teach at a school that is entirely free lunches and so this is not often a problem, but I won’t eat anything that is brought to me and is homemade. I make a huge deal about how thoughtful it is, I write thank yous to the family, but then sadly, I usually will throw them away. It makes me feel horrible, but I am not going to chance it.
Beth A. says
As a teacher, love homemade treats — both getting and eating them!! I also love to bake cookies and make candy around the holidays, so I’m usually giving lots of homemade goodies away, too.
Christine Schwalm Design says
I’m a big fan of a spiral ham at Christmas. It’s tasty, most people like it and if you have any leftovers, they freeze really well. Plus, you can serve it at room temperature so you don’t have to stress about having it piping hot when it’s time to eat. Put on some fun music, get plenty of ice for the drinks and you’ll be all set. Your house already has the perfect set up for large gatherings–big kitchen for the women, huge sectional sofa for the fellas. Merry Christmas!
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip!!
xo
s
Sarah says
I hoard bags too!
A few years ago my local grocery store put out carts and carts of wrapping paper etc for like .10 each after christmas was over. I was the crazy woman piling my cart high. This year I finally used all.of.it.
So.. I guess you know where I’ll be the day after christmas. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah!
xo
s
Van says
I love those Moravian lanterns and what you did to the reindeer. :) may try the lanterns and Christmas lights next year.
Tara says
I totally hoard gift bags, bows, tags, etc. from every occasion. Now if I just knew about forty people having baby boys, I could use up all those gift bags from my son’s baby shower. He’s 1 1/2 now. They’ve got to go sometime!
Enjoy your (somewhat) calmer holiday this year!
Anne says
If your friends aren’t having boys…my local women & children’s center was thrilled to receive gift bags following my shower; they host showers for their clients and it’s so much nicer to send them home with the gifts in gift bags than shopping bags. Just a thought!
Alissa says
My new favorite way to wrap (that started last year and I then embraced whole-heartedly this year) is brown kraft paper for everything. You can get huge rolls for cheap, and then I decorate the wrapped gift with red and green sharpies. A bunch of them this year I did with a big initial of the recipient – I didn’t even need gift tags. It all looks great under the tree (and like it took way more time than it did!), the doodling is a nice break from wrapping, and it means so much less to keep track of in terms of wrapping supplies!
YoungHouseLove says
Such a fun idea!
xo,
s
Meg says
I think it’s so exciting that you’re hosting! We hosted Thanksgiving and loved it. All our gift wrap this year came from home depot! I LOVE brown paper packages and we got a giant roll of floor protection for $10 and a roll of green garden twine for about $5 – I think it’s enough to last at least 5 years!
YoungHouseLove says
So. Awesome.
xo,
s
Sara says
Thankfully we go to my parents’ house and my in-laws’ for Christmas and don’t have to do anything at home, woo hoo! Next year though we’ll have a little one and I’m sure everyone will want to come to our house to watch him/her open gifts :-) I used gift bags for every.single.present this year and it was so freeing and easy and quick! Love 99 cent gift bags and 3 for $1 gift bags from AC Moore. Cha-ching!
Bethie says
I’m working in Miami while my husby and babe are shopping on Oxford Street and making cookies at our sweet home in London! I CAN’T WAIT to get home so I can cook and decorate and wrap gifts, etc. before pulling out more stops for my daughter’s second birthday on the 26th! She’s getting a dollhouse with spray painted vintage doll furniture (thanks for the idea!!). ;)
YoungHouseLove says
So sweet! Hope she loves it!
xo,
s
Brandi says
For family get together success, one word: Puzzle.
Break out a big puzzle after dinner, it will draw them in like flies to honey, and is really fun!
YoungHouseLove says
Love it!
xo,
s
Christina @ Homemade Ocean says
What lucky teachers….having sweet Clara in their class!!!
Beth A. says
Love those red reindeer… and the stars…and the lanterns — the whole front porch looks festive and inviting.
We host my family for Christmas Eve every year, and my main advice would be to relax and enjoy your family. After stressing out about details the first couple of years, I realized I was the only one bothered by any of those things. Our guests were just happy to have a welcoming place to come to on Christmas Eve. Good luck and have fun!!
Ade@fortheloveofpainting says
I love the house decorations….simple but festive. What a cute teacher gift…speaking of book, hopefully I will be getting one for Christmas!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw I hope Santa brings it!
xo,
s
Jill says
I, also, save gift bags and ribbon. I even a have small piece of wrapping paper that my mother’s mother used one christmas many years ago for a gift for my Mom – it has tiny blue ballerinas on it. My mother used it on a small gift for my daughter one year when she was taking a lot of ballet.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so sweet!
xo,
s
Rachel says
I totally save any and all gift bags and boxes that are in good condition. I hoard them in various places around the house. At Christmas I’ll save the used tissue paper. I keep a little stack of it with my used gift bags and boxes and will use them to pack breakables throughout the year.
janetl says
I finished wrapping my last present last night. I was pretty excited about that. :)
Stacey says
My mom and I have been wrapping up a storm the last few days and we both love preparing gifts for under the tree! We haven’t had to buy new gift bags for years. We also have relatively well-matched rolls of gift wrap collected over the years so we try not to buy more unless we are really running low on supplies. We have rolls and rolls of multi-coloured organza ribbons to dress up presents too so every present looks unique. What I like to do with old gift bags is to swop out the ugly standard handles with matching organza ribbon strung with a few glass beads.
Syl says
Hi you two!!!
Before I start le me just say that I PRE-ordered your book and TODAY I finally got an email from Amazon.CO.UK saying that it was finally shipping out! W00t!
Best advice I can give you for Xmas is make a timeline. Go backwards from when you plan on eating and add everything. When will people get here, when do you have to put X in the oven so it’s ready in time, when do you need to set the table, what needs to be cooked last minut, etc. Also check with your pot-luckers if they needs any serving dishes/oven-stove time/etc. I’ve had coked Xmas eve dinner for 14+ (4 course meal!) for a few years and a timeline kept me sane! To eat at 8pm I needed to put the turkey in at 4, the side dishes on the stove at 7, start cooking the entree at 7:30 etc, etc… And I needed/prepared all serving dishes the day before. I even figured out when I needed to get up that day (thankfully only at 11!) to have everything done thanks to my timeline :-) I didn’t adhere to it rigidly, but it gave me a frame to go to when needed.
and yes, I pulled it off… 1 person cooking for 14, all the food warm and ready in time, and me with a smile on my face enjoying every minute of the day!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome! Love the tips. And so glad our book is on the way!
xo,
s
Rebecca A. says
one suggestion for the family gathering – have festive Christmas music lined up to play when people are arriving or even to play softly in the background when eating. It adds to the spirit and atmosphere.
YoungHouseLove says
Love it!
xo,
s
ali says
Keep all the holiday cards you get – gather them at the end of the season, punch a hole or two and use a big ring clip(s) to hold them together – it’s fun to put a series of them out, like photo albums, for people/Clara to look through each holiday season (and I hate to throw out all those cute kiddo pics!)
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip!
xo,
s
Beth A. says
What a great idea! I’ve always saved mine in a box, but I love the idea of keeping a year’s worth together with a binder clip – how fun:)
Wrenaria says
I save gift bags, bows (assuming my cats have not chewed them up), and nice ribbons, but not paper. That being said, I went a little nuts buying paper one year and haven’t had to buy any for a few years now.
I love those Moravian stars just as much this year as I did last year. Gorgeous.
Nupur says
Your teacher gifts are adorable! How sweet to include a signed book.
I gave my baby’s daycare teachers a tiny spa gift: my favorite soap (huge bar with a mild scent) paired with two crocheted face scrubbies.
Lianne says
I’m a big fan of lists! We are hosting 21 on the 26th and 9 on Christmas Day, including both of our families, and it’s the first year we are spending Christmas at home during our six years of marriage (finally bought a house big enough that we can host and close enough to other family that we don’t have to travel/they can come to us).
I started our to-do, to-buy, to-make lists (for both the husband and myself) at the end of November. I keep these on an organizer on our phones so that we can update the lists and check things off and both be aware of the changes. I usually print them off Friday afternoons to have with me for the weekend. I did almost all of my shopping online and this helped reduce stress since I was able to do it when I had time. I wrap as things arrive so I don’t have to do it all at once.
3-5 weeks before – Decorate, make food and baking lists, including recipes, update grocery list and drink list. Check things off as they are purchased. This way I can watch for sales, stock up on pantry and frozen items, and grab things when I am already at certain stores and not have to make a special trip. I tried to make sure my gift list was mostly purchased at this point as well and that cards are mailed for those that I won’t see (I keep my address list up to date throughout the year so this is easy to do). Purchased soft drinks, juice, wine and beer. I try to buy different wines and 3-4 each of a variety of microbrewery beers so that we can all try different things (and share if we don’t like something!).
1-2 weeks before – Christmas baking, update lists, check on husband’s progress with To Do items. Send out email to everyone that will be coming with 1-2 things for them to bring, leaving me with just turkey, potatoes, cranberries, squash and gravy for the 26th. We are doing appetizers and finger foods on the 25th, most of which I can prepare a few days before.
Weekend before – buy perishable groceries, prepare guest rooms for out-of-town guests, clean house thoroughly, relocate my four dogs and their dog crates to the basement (less stress for me, them, and our guests), ensure tables, chairs, and table settings (plates, cutlery, tableclothes and napkins), are ready and adequate, clean out fridge and attempt to use up food that isn’t for Christmas, defrost turkey, prepare any foods in advance that I can (cranberries, meatballs, etc), start bread, bagel, and pizza dough in the fridge, finish Christmas cards for those that will be here (others are mailed). Make sure there are NO dirty dishes in the house. My mother in law will stay on top of dirty dishes once she arrives on Christmas Day.
Christmas Day – quick vacuum, bathroom clean, and dust before guests arrive around noon. Good walk for the dogs so they are okay to spent time in their crates. Finish preparing appetizers for Christmas Dinner and have cold breakfast items ready for the next day.
Boxing Day – cook turkey, potatoes, gravy, and squash (some years we do this the day before and just reheat so no one is stressed about watching the turkey), set up extra tables and chairs in the dining room, good walk for the dogs (good for me too!) and organize food as it arrives. Have drinks in tin buckets just outside patio door (with rug outside so people can step out quickly to grab what they would like). After we eat around 2pm we will take down the extra tables and move the chairs into the living room for gifts, movie watching, etc. We eat early then spend the rest of the day playing games, toboganning, and watching movies.
Here’s to a wonderful (and relatively stress free) Christmas!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow! Smart to schedule it all out!
xo,
s