I wanted to let everyone know how Christmas is shaping up after all the good advice I got.
Last weekend I took all the lights and garlands and hung them up in the living room. I hung the tree topping star from the light fixture and the lights are radiating outwards. Then I put all the ornaments on the light/garland strings. It looks way cool. My son said, "It's like the whole house is a Christmas tree!"
It is actually better as I will soon have 8 people in the house and it's a small house! My girls will be coming home from college for break, plus the one daughter with the baby and her boyfriend.
I found some holiday boxes at Hobby Lobby on sale for less than $1. I am baking cookies to fill the boxes and that is what my daughter's boyfriends will get plus a good friend of mine.
I went to Goodwill and bought a bunch of glasses and stuff for .29 each. I got wax and wicks at the craft store, crayons for color at the dollar store and have made candles. All the candle stuff was half off at the craft store, plus I had a coupon so I got the wax 40% off. I always buy the girls candles, so this year they will get homemade ones. Some of them aren't turning out exactly right, but it'll work. I have enough to send a couple to my mom too.
Everyone is bringing their music CD's and blank discs. We will have a CD burnout on the computer so everyone should go home with "new" CD's.
Every single year, I have put toothbrushes and slinkies (the toy) in everyone's stocking. I was estatic to find slinkies at the dollar store. That was an extragavant expediture, but slinkies ARE Christmas to us, so I bought them. Got toothbrushes too.
Thanks to the kindness of a couple people, I got a bit of extra money. I got everyone a small gift for around $15-20. The 12 year old is getting a subscription to a video game magazine. He loves his video games and I don't have to pay it all now. I also got him some odds and ends like a whoopie cusion. Things you only appreciate when you are 12...and I found them all at the dollar store. One daughter wanted a CD, so I got it for her, but copied it for everyone else too (good thing we all like the same music). I got another daughter a necklace for 75% off, the other wanted cash towards school books, so she will get that. My older son picked out a pair of pants on ebay (he still wears those huge legged pants that usually cost $60). I got the baby some books from the clearance table at the book store. $2 each. I also splurged and bought her the cutest hat that was on sale for $5. Everyone who is college will get a box of ramen noodles under the tree. That is the major food group for college students ya know.
All of my kids have said in one way or another that they think this will be the best Christmas yet. When I asked them what was the one thing they wanted, they really had to think about it instead of just spouting off a list. They have all contributed ideas on how to make it work.
My car died the other day. I just found out I will lose a few days wages because the factory where I clean will be shut down. I had a second job, but the lady who hired me flaked out and didn't show up to let me work. Life just keeps rolling on as usual, but my whole house is a Christmas tree and everything is going to be alright
Merry Christmas!!!!!
Jena
