Semi-Chlorinated Life: Unattainable Christmas List

My daughter is asking Santa for a puppy, and many other unattainable Christmas presents.

Here’s the whole story. We lost our family dog, Smalls, three years ago. Smalls was my pet. I’d had him for 14.5 years, and he was a loving, ever-hungry beagle (of course, I only remember his good side). The kids appear to get so sad when we talk about him, although sadly, they didn’t really know him. But I don’t say that to them; I just smile and brace myself for what I know they are going to say next. “Can we please get a dog?!”

They ask this at least five times a day, and have for quite some time. I have explained on multiple occasions that we do want another dog and that we will get one, but we have to slow down our travel first. I try to help them understand that dogs don’t like it when their owners are gone, that they like routine. And finally, after hearing me explain our reasons for waiting for the umpteenth time, that’s when my daughter said, “Fine. I am gonna ask Santa for a puppy!”

Hold the phone! Can she do that? I was looking for a referee to throw a flag! No ref. No flag. Just me, my daughter … and Santa.

In response, I told her that Santa couldn't deliver live animals. . . Read the rest and find out why I'm the "best hooker ever" on my Semi-Chlorinated Life babble voices blog.

A stress-free holiday

Ahhh. This is tough to do, yet we all seem to strive for it. I think removing stress from the holidays all comes down to one word: Procrastination. It doesn't work when it comes to the holidays. There are the few things I think you can wait until the last minute to do...aka Stocking stuffers, which you can pick up in any aisle lines even at the grocery store, but most work best when you plan ahead.

7 tips for a stress-free holiday

1. Stay at home! But if you are traveling this holiday season and must ignore, replace with "fly with patience." We love waking up in our own home and encourage family to come to us for the snow and an idyllic white Christmas. We have traveled before, and it is so much more stressful getting everything organized, packed, wrapped and shipped.
2. Make a list and check it 100 times. Write down everyone you need a gift for…and really include everyone. Then, write down what you are giving them. If you are at all like me, you will forget who gets the fuzzy slippers and who gets the picture frame.
3. Buy a few extra gifts. Just in case someone slipped your mind or someone gives you a gift and you didn't plan on it, having backups is always helpful. Make it unisex cool and buy a separate one for a kid.
4. Use your kids creativity. For the parents out there, take advantage of the precious artwork you were thinking of "filing away" and create a one of a kind gift for a grandparent who has everything. They'll cherish it.
5. Buy decor late. If money is stressing you out, do what my mom did and make it a big deal to go out and buy your tree on Christmas Eve for a third of the price. Make it like you are "rescuing" this poor little forgotten tree. Think Charlie Brown's tree:) Then you don't have to worry about all those decorations weeks before hand. Same goes for wrapping paper, etc. They all go on sale the week of Christmas.
6. Don't Do Everything your asked. While we're tempted to say yes to every party or outing, remember it's okay to stay in during the holidays. Don't loose sight of what is really important. Trust me, your friends will understand!
7. Pull Double duty a fun way. Invite a few friends over to get your Christmas wrapping done together, or bake cookies for those exchanges. You'll get to spend QT with people you want to see, and you'll all get something accomplished. With the kids' asleep, you never know, a spontaneous party may ensue.

And to get a start on next year, think about applying tip #5 again right after the holidays. You can also get HUGE savings deals on decor after the holiday and get an early start on removing stress for next year. Just remember where you stash it so you can find it 12 months later :)

When all else fails, light the fire, turn on Christmas music, make some cookies and snuggle up. Life doesn't get any less stressful or relaxing.  Happy Holidays!!

Giving up to give to others

The holiday season is right around the corner. Something happens every year...i think the calendar is shorten from November to the end of December as it jams on by. That is why I thought I would talk about giving and gifts now.

In my family, we would often buy gifts for a family in need. We would find out their sizes and needs and have a great family outing of shopping and giving. It is something I will never forget and it has stuck with to this day. I make sure to continue my dad's lesson even now in my life. I pull names off the little tree at the grocery store or at Macy's. I love the idea that I just might make a kid really happy during the holidays.

It actually doesn't take a lot. You don't need to spend a ton of money to accomplish this act of giving. What I generally do is give up one of my gifts to give to someone else. I also try to do this with the kids so that they understand the whole idea around the holidays. (and believe me, they get too many gifts anyway.) This is kinda why I am bringing this up. How many gifts do we really need? If we have a want, isn't it usually just one thing... you know, one thing you are just dying for. So, if you took everything else off your list and gave those gifts or the money that would have gone towards those gifts and bought for someone else, imagine what you could do!

I will talk about these charities more as we get even closer to the holidays but here are a few of my favorites to take a look at...
The Heifer Foundation
UNICEF
Right To Play

All three of these organizations are absolutely awesome in their own right. They each provide a different means of giving and are super established and trustworthy. I guess my point to you 12 people following my blog is that people need us this holiday season. Give them the gift of a gift...maybe one of your own.