Comments (6)

By Mom Unplugged, 10:28 pm

This is all an alien concept to me, “Slacker Holiday Mom.” So I asked my very organized and holiday-loving bloggy friend Heather of Celtic Mommy to help out with ideas for organizing (thank you Heather!!!). All you “Holiday Prep-Loving Type 2′s” out there might need some hints for how to get it all done in time to enjoy yourselves, so hopefully Heather has some good ideas for you here (plus, she put in lots of great links):

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Heather says:

“Before I had children… before I got married… before I moved out of my mom’s house… I was a holiday organizer. I have always been an organizer. I think part of the reason may be that my mom is completely UNorganized. Yep, she cannot tell you where the wrapping paper is… where the scotch tape is, where a pen is! But she knows where her heart is, and that was all that really mattered.

Even though my mom’s way was successful for her, I still did things my own way (made lists, made a budget, shopped early, sent cards early, etc.) and that worked for me.

These tips work for me. Some may or may not work for you. It all depends on each individual’s personality… so take each tip with a grain of salt. Also, all the links I use are included.

Why Organize? ( FlyLady’s Cruising through the Holidays and Organized Christmas)
I organize for selfish reasons. I want things done early so I can enjoy the holiday season, period! Sure, I’ve had frazzled years where I am up until 4 a.m. wrapping gifts… and I never want to do that again! Do you like being up until the crack of dawn knowing something you just lovingly wrapped is about to be torn open… my guess would be no. AND, by getting organized, you make time for yourself and your family and for those other things that matter:

Stringing popcorn for the tree. Playing the dreidel game. Taking walks as a family. Baking together. Visiting with neighbors, family and friends. Hot cocoa and s’mores by the fire or under the stars. Watching the mail for holiday cards and reading them with your family each evening. Making your own wrapping paper. Green alternative to wrapping paper. Touring local houses strung with lights . Snowball fights, snowman making and sled riding…

Sound inviting? Here’s how I do it. Again, take what you can from this for this year and add a little on next year and the next… find ways to make the holidays a fun time, not chore time.

Calendar: Right now (End of November)

If you send out cards, start getting them ready now if you haven’t already. Buy stamps online or when you are at the grocery store rather than brave the post office lines.

Write down your family’s measurements (shirts, pants, shoes, etc.) and keep in the same place as your shopping lists. Now is also a great time to go through old clothes and toys and donate to charity. This works on several levels such as teaching charity to children.

Make a shopping list! Not just for people but for all holiday items including postage and cards, tree budget, food budget (if baking gifts or having dinners), travel budget if applicable.

I do mine in Excel for easy keeping and then take a printout with me when shopping. This way I know what I’ve already bought and what I still need to do. On my list, I have:

+ Gift recipients’ name
+ Things they like (colors, games, books, movies, food)
+ Ideas I’ve written down throughout the year (If something was mentioned in July, I added it to my spreadsheet)
+ If making homemade gifts, what needs to be purchased (i.e. yarn, fabric, paint)
+ Money budgeted
+ What has been bought already
+ Money spent already
+ Homemade items completed (YES/NO)
+ Shopping completed (YES/NO)
+ Items wrapped (YES/NO)
+ I also have past years gifts listed so I know what I bought.

Every time I go to the grocery store, I grab an item or two that I will need for my big baking weekend (an extra pound of butter, a jar of a spice I will need) so that it doesn’t bust my budget.

If I am out at the bookstore or my local mall for some reason, I check my list to see if I can pick up anything on my list. Otherwise, I try to buy online as much as I can. Most places give free shipping for a standard small fee and I can track everything from home. And, items are almost always in stock right now!

When I get home, I put on holiday music and some holiday socks, make a fresh pot of mint tea or hot cocoa and I wrap a few gifts (about ½ hour to an hour). If I can’t do it right when I get home, I do it in the morning when the babies are asleep or in the evening while something is in the oven… or when the hubby is watching the kids in the bathtub. The point is to do a little each day so that you are not overwhelmed come mid-December.

I get out the boxes of decorations and check for broken items or if anything needs to be replaced and take care of that now. Also, we have many many craft projects in this house. So, I organize things like felt, glitter, glue, markers, paint, etc. that we’ll be using in the next few weeks. (More on projects later)

I take 1 to 2 hours (sometimes more, sometimes less) each day to work on the homemade items I am giving this year. For me, the handmade gifts are a way of customizing with love, a little something for each person. And, a little money goes a long way when you make it yourself!

That’s it for now… the main point of all of this is to do a little each day! This thousand mile journey begins with one step… and by getting a little more done each day, you will have time for those things listed above. Or, if you don’t feel like stringing popcorn and it’s too hot to make a snowman, tell us what holiday tradition you would like to do this year.

Heather
Celtic Mommy”

Read all the Christmas/Holidays Unplugged posts by clicking here.

Thanks to morguefile.com and photographer gracey for this photo.

Comments (5)

By Mom Unplugged, 6:50 pm

+ Celebrating the Advent can be a nice way to bring religion back into your Christmas.

+ But for those families and individuals who want to celebrate a deeper meaning of Christmas without religion, Advent celebrations can serve to remind us that the Holidays are also about peace, love and joy.

+ Finally, a tradition of celebrating Advent also helps excited children count down to Christmas, and prolongs the Holiday fun for them a bit.

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In the Christian tradition, Advent begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas, and ends on Christmas Eve. This year it will begin on Sunday, December 1st. It can be celebrated in many ways, but the most traditional method is by lighting a symbolic candle every Sunday, and a fifth candle on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to symbolize Christ’s birth. The candles are usually arranged inside a wreath, which symbolizes “eternity.”

I was not brought up in a religious household, so it is more of a struggle for me to find meaning in my Christmas celebration than for someone from a deeply religious background.

I think my children and I might, for the first time, make an Advent Wreath this year and light the Sunday candles, giving each one a meaning that we can talk about such as peace, love, joy, giving (in the spiritual sense of course!) and family. Think about what meanings you want Christmas to have (this should be easy if you made your list!) and choose your candle symbols accordingly.

Here are some other advent ideas:

1) Traditional Advent Calender:

Probably the most common way to count down to Christmas. These usually always begin on December 1st and end on the 24th or 25th, regardless of when Advent really begins. They are usually made of cardboard with a little door that can be opened on each day. The doors contain pictures, chocolates, or small gifts. They can be very simple and inexpensive, or fancy and pricey… or you could even make one yourself.

(As a child I was a trendsetter among my friends who had never seen such a thing. My English parents wanted me to have one every year and my Grandmother used to send one over to us from England. They have now become pretty common here in the US!)2) Playmobil Toys Advent Calender:

I discovered this last year and it is quite clever, especially if you have a child who likes Playmobil toys (high-quality German-made playsets). These run between $25 and $50 and come in a Christmas-Santa theme, or other themes such as Unicorns or Knights. They are a little expensive, but your child will end up with a high-quality, fun toy…not junk.

The calendar consists of 25 little boxes each containing a small play figure or accessory. There is also a cardboard backdrop so children can gradually arrange a whole scene as they open more and more boxes. You could even get really fancy and give a playset of the same theme as a Christmas gift, that way the advent pieces become extra play pieces for the Christmas playset. This is what I did, and my children still enjoy playing with these advent/christmas playsets.

Warning: Playmobil toys require a lot of grownup assembly. So if you decide to try this, don’t expect to open it up late at night on November 30th just before going to bed! Allow yourself at least an hour to sit down and put it all together. Also, there are lots of tiny pieces so keep away from babies and vacuum cleaners!

3) Advent Garlands or Envelopes (containing ideas, not stuff!):

I found the links to these great ideas on Christine’s blog, Hogue Chronicle. Instead of accumulating more “stuff,” why not give children a daily activity idea that can be done as a family!

Christine links to two methods: the first, and most time consuming is the Advent Garland from Stepping on Legos (who found the ideas at other blogs etc. etc. - isn’t the internet great?). Her little handmade felt advent pouches and stockings are absolutely adorable. Not being very crafty however, I would probably opt for Christine’s second idea: pretty Advent Envelopes made from origami paper (idea from Kiddley).

4) Advent Spiral:I am not a Waldorf specialist (my kids are in Montessori), but I do know that part of the Waldorf tradition is that of the Advent Spiral. I have not personally seen a Waldorf Advent Spiral, but my understanding is that it involves a spiral path of evergreen boughs with a candle in the middle. The children walk along the spiral towards the middle and light their candles from the main, central one. This can also be recreated in miniature on a nature table or shelf with greenery and candles.

If you prefer, wooden advent spirals are available from certain “Unplugged Toy Stores” (I found them at Willow Tree Toys, Three Sisters Toys, A Toy Garden, and The Wooden Wagon) but they tend to be quite expensive and I imagine it would be very easy to make your own. These spirals can also be used for birthdays and other holiday celebrations.

More information about the Waldorf Advent Spiral ritual:

Waldorf Without Walls
Open Waldorf

5) An Advent Stick:

This is another Kiddley idea that I found via The Rowdy Pea. This is simply a stick onto which you tie little tissue paper packages. Children start at the bottom of the stick and work their way up to the top. The packages at the bottom contain something from each of the four earthly natural kingdoms (6 in each).

At the bottom is Earth (stone, crystal, bead, etc.), then Plant (lavender sachet, acorn, paper, etc.), Animal (bone, feather, felt animal, etc.) then Human (felt angel, gingerbread man, felt doll, etc.)…and finally the last package(Christmas Day) contains something “Heavenly.” (Kiddley put in a little felt and bead baby in a walnut shell). I love how this advent idea ties into nature and seasons!

6) Advent Puzzle:

I found this unique wooden puzzle on one of my favorite online toy stores, A Toy Garden. Every day you give your child a new piece to put in the puzzle. The pieces can be moved around until at the end, when all pieces are in, there is only one correct spot for each piece. Sounds fun, and can be reused year after year!

6) Unplug Your TV:

Or, you could decide to try unplugging your TV for the Advent like Christine and her family (Hogue Chronicle). Wouldn’t that give you a lot more time for some of these fun family Advent ideas?

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Be sure to visit Uncommon Grace for more great Advent Ideas in her Celebrating Advent Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 posts. (Thanks again to Amanda - The Rowdy Pea - for linking to Uncommon Grace!).Read all the Christmas/Holidays Unplugged posts by clicking here.

Comments (8)

By Mom Unplugged, 11:25 pm

I get (a conservative estimate) 1,095 catalogs/year…my husband (at our other home and on fewer mailing lists) says he probably gets about 300 catalogs/year. We get about 1,395 catalogs/year. Let’s conservatively round up to 1,500 for the ease of calculation and to include any Holiday excess that we may have. I calculate that MY FAMILY ALONE, is responsible for the death of 4.2 trees per year. How do I figure that? Read on.

This time of year is catalog time of year. One of the many commercial aspects of Christmas that I find depressing is heaving a 100 pound stack of catalogs out of my mailbox every day, piling them in a wagon, and hauling them off to the recycle bin. OK, I exaggerate slightly, but 19 BILLION catalogs are sent each year in the US, and at this time of year, it feels like every single one of them passes through my mailbox (that equals 53 million trees by the way, in case you were wondering). Do the math like I did, how many trees do you unknowingly kill per year?

Now to the real point of my post. Heard on NPR yesterday: There is a new website which allows you to opt out of catalogs that you don’t want, yet still keep the ones you like!

I could go to Direct Marketing Association, theoretically opt out of everything, and then see how that reduces my catalog intake. But I confess that there are some catalogs that I actually LIKE to receive. Plus, living in the boonies forces one to engage in some degree of catalog and internet shopping.

Usually these days I choose quick and easy internet shopping, but there are some catalogs I like to slowly peruse “in person.” Just like real books for example (in case you were considering it, please don’t buy me a new Amazon Kindle for Christmas).

The solution for semi-catalog lovers like me? The Catalog Choice website (www.catalogchoice.org … make sure you spell it right, if you add a “ue” to the end of “catalog” then you’ll get a shopping site which is not the idea here). Here you can opt out of catalogs that you don’t want.

The site also allows you to enter a Customer Number from the back of a catalog to be sure you get rid of it, or you can enter different names and addresses (for example if you get the same catalog as: T. Brown, Teresa Brown, Sam Brown (your partner?), and Lysander Wojtasik (the former resident at your address), then you can opt out of them all.

There is a chance that you could be put back on the mailing list if you buy from the company etc. But if you request an opt out and after 10 weeks you still receive a catalog, then you can report that as an infraction.

Apparently even some major retailers are supporting this endeavor. It costs them an average of $0.80 to send a catalog. I imagine that they’d love to have you gone if you really have no intention of buying from them.

From the NPR story, I learned that this project is supported by several nature organizations including the National Wildlife Fund.

Give it a try, you’ll be helping save trees as well as your own holiday sanity, what could be better!

Listen to NPR story: The Greening of the Holiday Catalog (3 minutes 32 seconds).

ADDENDUM: Please visit Jules at Andamom.com. Her post Minimize the Clutter Before it Comes into Your Home has lots of great ideas!

Read all the Christmas/Holidays Unplugged posts here.

Thanks to morguefile.com and photographer solrac_gi_2nd for this photo.

Comments (7)

By Mom Unplugged, 12:19 am

It is 10:00 PM and I have just single-handedly put four children to bed not long ago (one extra is here tonight). I have a few blog post ideas circulating in my head, but no energy to do a good job on them. So instead…I give you some useful Holiday-related links:

Here are some good ones left in my comments from my blog friend Andree-Meeyauw (I think she was surfing on my behalf as a form of procrastination, but I am grateful! Thank you Andree!):

++Thanksgiving Comes First post from Bostonscapes Daily Photo: “If you’d like ‘the holiday season’ to regain the meaning it once had, then let ‘them’ know how you feel. The Internet is a very powerful tool, take advantage of it.” Use your blog to help speak out against commercial Christmas greed.

++New American Dream: A really interesting site that I have to explore further. Has a good section on Simplifying the Holidays with a very worthwhile downloadable brochure.

++BetterLiving.co.nz, a New Zealand site, has some quick tips for Simplifying Christmas, instructions for making a Snowman Advent Calendar, and lots of other Christmas articles that I have not yet explored.

++The Simple Living Network, a website devoted to promoting voluntary simplicity, has a section of books to buy about simplifying holidays and celebrations (mostly Christmas, including Unplug The Christmas Machine but also weddings, and one interesting-sounding book on many holidays).

My amazing, super-organized blog friend Heather of Celtic Mommy, the guest author of Help! I Love Doing it All, But How Can I Find Time to Do it? , offered lots of great links, but these are good general simplifying links:

++Cruising Through the Holidays from FlyLady: Tons of advice from organizing to “clutter-free” gifts, to preparing and packing for travel…I have not had a chance to look at it all, but it looks good!

++Organized Christmas: For you organized people out there who think you aren’t organized enough. Printable lists, a six-week organizing plan, an eighteen-week holiday “Grand Plan”…you get the idea. Stress for us Type 1 Slackers, bliss for the Type 2 Organizers. The site also has some printable gifts, gift tags, and crafts that are quite interesting. Easy homemade gift idea: Journal prompts (for adults or children) in a jar anyone?

Finally, some sites that I can recommend:

++The Toymaker: GORGEOUS printable toys, cards, and gifts that kids could print out and assemble as holiday gifts.

++My Unplugged Toy Store list: I know there are others out there and I keep adding as I find them. These stores offer simple, high-quality toys that never require batteries. The only additional item needed is your child’s imagination. Many of them also specify where a toy was made if you are avoiding Chinese-made toys this year.

++My Unplugged Book Store list: No junky, commercially tied-in books in these stores. (Again, I am always adding new links as I come across them…but they must meet my standards in order to make the list!)

I am sure that I could come up with more, but I am tired so I wish you all good night!

Read all the Christmas/Holidays Unplugged posts here.

Comments (13)

By Mom Unplugged, 12:28 am

So you have made your list and decided that a Christmas tree is a tradition that has meaning to you. That’s a good start, but what kind of tree do you get?

I personally have had an artificial tree for years thinking that it was better for the environment than causing the death of a real tree every year. Of course it is the kind of tree with the lights built in because I am a Holiday Slacker when it comes to preparation and one thing I REALLY dislike, is stringing lights.

I am beginning to wonder however about the composition of my Chinese-made tree. I did once see a small label on it warning that pregnant women should avoid prolonged contact with the tree. Huh??? I have been pregnant twice and been hauling the tree up and down from the attic etc. I think that this year might be the Swan Song for our tree. It’ll be a one-way trip from the attic this year.

So if you choose to have a Christmas tree, what should you do?? I think the answer depends on many factors, but here are all the options that I can think of:

1) Buy real cut tree from vendor:

PLUSES: Easy. Real tree (if that is what you want).

MINUSES: Dead tree. Where did tree come from and what chemicals and pesticides was it exposed to? Apparently some growers treat their trees with substances that help keep the needles on, or even green coloring!! Drops needles. Potential fire hazard. Disposal issues.

2) Artificial tree:

PLUSES: Easy, does not cause a tree to die on your behalf. Will last for years.

MINUSES: What is it exuding into the atmosphere of your home? PVC and lead. Can be pricey.

3) Live tree: Many nurseries sell live Christmas trees in pots that you can bring in and decorate for Christmas and then later plant outside in your garden and watch grow. I have done this twice and I really love this idea. However the trees (even smaller ones of just three or four feet) are pretty heavy to move and require temperature transition periods in a garage. Also, you can’t keep them inside for long, a few days at most (although I have also heard that up to seven days is OK).

PLUSES: A tree that will live on and grow happily in your garden for years to come.

MINUSES: Heavy. Can’t be inside for long. Fussy due to transition period. Must plant, therefore requires digging a hole in your (or a friend’s?) garden.

Recommendations for live-tree care:

Living Christmas Trees

How to Care for a Live Christmas Tree

4) Live tree rental: Some companies (few and far between) will rent you a live, potted tree. They deliver it and then pick it up again. After that it goes to a park or school or some other group who, for a nominal fee will accept to have the tree planted on their property. What a win-win! Families can enjoy a live tree without the headache, and parks and other worthy spaces get new trees for a teeny fraction of the cost of buying the trees themselves!

PLUSES: Live tree. No fuss. Help beautify your city.

MINUSES: Not available in very many places. Portland, OR, San Diego, CA, or San Fransisco, CA (no pines though) are the only ones that I know of except for a possible IKEA tree-rental program this year (read on).

I read here that IKEA is renting Christmas trees this year! You must pick it up this weekend between Friday, November 30th through Sunday, December 2nd (bring $24.99 which is actually $14.99 plus a $10.00 deposit, and helpers because these trees are in pots and are heavy). You get a 5 - 7 foot Douglas Fir to enjoy through the holidays. You can then either plant the tree and lose your $10.00 deposit, or return the tree and get your $10 back in the form of an IKEA gift card. If you have a local IKEA you might want to call and verify this information before getting too excited. I read this on a Seattle real-estate blog and couldn’t find anything about it on IKEA’s website. Have any of you heard of this? Sounds good to me!

More tree-rental links:

An Earth-friendly Christmas Tree

Feel Guilty Buying a Christmas Tree? Rent One

5) Cut your own tree: There are many tree farms out there that will allow you to cut your own tree. Also, in my area, the Forest Service sells permits to go out on Forest Service land and cut a tree.

There are also “organic tree farms” out there if you are concerned about supporting tree farms using pesticides and chemicals. Be sure to check this great organic Christmas Tree Farm list from Green Promise to see if there is one near you.

PLUSES: You know it is fresh and real. Could be fun family outing.

MINUSES: Cutting and transporting might be a hassle for some. Killing a tree. Pesticides? Needle dropping and disposal issues.

6) Mail-order trees: Yes, you can order just about anything by mail these days, including your Christmas tree. Real Simple has a link to some mail order Christmas tree farms.

PLUSES: Easy.

MINUSES: You can’t pick your exact tree. Pricey.

7) Create your own tree: Be artistic and make your own Christmas tree out of wood, real branches or plastic water bottles.

PLUSES: Environmentally friendly. Reusable from year to year.

MINUSES: A plastic water bottle tree?? Hmm.

8) Decorate a houseplant: Why not decorate your ficus? Or any other houseplant that you have?

PLUSES: Environmentally friendly. Inexpensive (you already have the plant). Easy. Reusable from year to year.

MINUSES: It won’t be the classic Christmas evergreen and it might not be as big as some family members would like.

9) Plant your own baby tree for future use: The Yule to be Tree kit gives you a cute baby Scotch Pine that will reach 7-8 feet in six to eight years.

PLUSES: Environmentally friendly. Satisfaction that you grew it yourself.

MINUSES: Requires PATIENCE. If you want one every year, you will need enough yard space to have your own tree farm. Honestly, who wants to watch a tree grow for 8 years in their yard and then chop it down?!!

10) A bonsai or miniature evergreen: Can be purchased at nurseries or through mail-order and should last year round.

PLUSES: Reusable. Easy. Great for small spaces. Environmentally friendly.

MINUSES: Perhaps not good for “non-plant people” since they require year-round care. Small. Can be pricey.

11) Decorate a tree outside: OK. So it won’t be in your living room. But why not decorate a live tree in your yard for you, the neighbors, and all passers-by to enjoy. You could even put on some strung popcorn and peanut butter pine cones for a birds’ Christmas.

PLUSES: Easy. Reusable. Free. Environmentally friendly. Can even help wildlife. Provides enjoyment for others too.

MINUSES: Not in your living room. Not possible if you don’t have a yard with a tree.

11) Forget the tree in your house or yard, and give your Christmas tree money to a charity that plants trees: American Forests plants trees in damaged areas. It costs only $1 per tree ($15.00 minimum) and they send a personalized certificate and holiday greeting if you want to give this as a gift. For example, instead of killing one tree for $30, you could plant 30 new trees for the same amount of money!! The Arbor Day Foundation also does $1 per tree with a certificate ($10.00 minimum).

PLUSES: Increasing the number of trees on this planet. Environmentally friendly. Helping others. No personal care required. Inexpensive. Tax-deductible. Spirit of Christmas?

MINUSES: No tree in your living room.

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Other links debating the pros and cons of Christmas trees:

Dreaming of a Green Christmas: Real or Fake Christmas Trees

Second Thoughts-Ghosts of Christmas Trees Past

Peace Signs - Seeking an Environmentally Friendly Christmas Tree

The overwhelming view seems to be that live, potted trees are best. But of course that is not possible for everyone. So read the links above and decide for yourself.

Another Christmas tree link:

Selection and Care of Christmas Trees

DISPOSAL: Rather than junk your tree and fill up the landfills, seek out a Christmas tree composting program. These are available in most areas. Trees are sent through a wood chipper and turned into garden mulch.

Read all the Christmas/Holidays Unplugged posts here.

Thanks to morguefile.com and photographer sullivan.