Life comes in seasons. Some years are wonderful with few worries and plenty of everything. Others are leaner, more troublesome, and just plain sad. In the good years, the holidays are a lot of fun, but during the sad times, we may not enjoy the holiday season all that much, and...
Between the school’s holiday play, work obligations, Christmas parties, and gift shopping, the weeks leading up to the holidays can be a very busy and stressful time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and rush through your busy days. When you push hard to get it all done and...
What are some of your favorite holiday traditions? We all have them and they may just be more important than you think. Traditions like putting up the tree on the day after Thanksgiving, buying a special new ornament each year, or opening one gift on Christmas Eve are a special part of...
Have you thought about simplifying the holiday season? What I mean is to have a holiday season without the stress, without going all out on decorations, events, and gifts. Consider celebrating a much simpler holiday season this year. By scaling back and focusing on the more...
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The holiday season isn’t about the big presents and the fancy decorations. It also isn’t about cramming as many holiday activities and festivities during the month of December as you possibly can. It isn’t about...
If you believe in popular media and holiday guides, you may think that everything to do with the holidays from the tree and decorations, to the food, and even how you wrap your gifts has to be perfect. That’s simply not true and deep down you know this. The holiday...
Gift giving is one of the most fulfilling aspects of the holiday season. Generally, people will think of the joy of receiving a special gift for the holidays. But being the giver of a meaningful gift can be even more gratifying. Great gifts are really more about the thoughtful intention behind...
There are certain foods that tend to soothe and comfort us, especially around the winter months. Comfort foods like stews, casseroles, pot pies, homemade breads and baked goods bring a sense of well-being and can elevate mood, especially on a long and cold winter day. Curling up by the fire with...
As humans, our sense of smell plays a large role in our everyday lives, whether we realize it or not. Scents have the ability to change our mood, change how we interact with others and even play a large role in our ability to recall memories. In fact, studies find that scent is so closely linked...
As our families get more complicated, so do the holidays. Most modern families no longer consist of Mom, Dad, 2.5 kids, and one or two adoring grandparents. Instead, you’re dealing with ex-spouses, their new partners, and a mix of children, step-children, and various half brothers and...
The nature of the holiday season provides so many fun and satisfying hygge opportunities. From cooking or baking family recipes, to holiday movies, there are various ways to achieve that cozy hygge feeling we long for, especially during the holidays. One of my absolute favorite family hygge...
Whether you scroll through Pinterest, flip through your favorite magazine, or see holiday ads on TV, perfect versions of the holidays are popping up everywhere during the fall and winter months. While they are nice to look at and can serve as inspiration for your own holiday...
