All too soon, it will be time to take down the lights, trees, decorations, and ornaments and store them until next year.  My memory is so faulty, though, how will I remember where everything went?  After all, even the hall bathroom received its’ fair share of Christmas decor!

At my age, my memory isn’t as good as my forgettery, so to help it along, I’m going to take a series of photos to remind myself where everything goes.  A quick shot of the hall bathroom, one of the dining room table, another of the kitchen island, the outside lights, and on and on will be a lasting, photographic record so that next year I won’t be standing there with decorations in hand saying, “Now where does this thing go?”  This is an easy task to delegate to your kids, by the way, and since you’ll probably have the camera out anway, Christmas Day is a good day to get ‘er done.

Once your photography session is finished, you can store everything on your computer in a  file, “Christmas decor 2011″ or, better yet, store them on a CD in case your computer crashes.  I prefer having the photos printed and placed in a small photo album, which gets stored in one of the holiday bins.

One of the secrets to a relaxing holiday season is getting up all your decorations, including the tree, early in the month.  Knowing ahead of time where everything goes makes that job a piece of (fruit)cake!  With the photos you took this year, your kids can decorate the house next year, and you can relax!

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

Once the 26th arrives and all the presents have been opened and the relatives have gone home, there’s a natural feeling of a let down.  “Is that all there is?”

I hate that feeling, but I love having one last holiday surprise for my kids in the form of a fun Christmas outing that takes place a few days after Christmas.  One year it was attending The Nutcracker.  A year later we drove up north to play in the snow, and last year we drove over to Disneyland for a quick trip to catch their spectacular holiday displays.  Whatever it is, it’s fun to give them one last something to look forward to, even a pre-planned family game and pizza night.  It doesn’t have to be fancy, just something special enough to look forward to.

Because I want the anticipation to be part of the fun, I don’t keep this a secret.  I always let them know ahead of time about our plans.  Okay, okay.  I admit I’m a doting mom, but even I don’t want to let go of Christmas too soon!  How could you extend your Christmas just a wee bit longer?

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

As a parent, one of my goals for my family at this time of year is keeping a balance between the true meaning of Christmas and the highly marketed secular version of Christmas.  In order for that to happen, I have to purposefully plan events that make it so.

For example, for the past two weeks, my kids have been using traditional Christmas carols for their daily copywork in order to learn the lyrics.  I had become pretty disgusted that they knew the words to, “Rockin Around the Christmas Tree,” but had never even heard, ‘”O Little Town of Bethlehem”!  When the kids were younger, we baked a small birthday cake for Jesus, lit a candle, and sang “Happy Birthday”.  Every year we attend our church’s Christmas Eve candlelight service.  We had to take the candle away from my daughter a few years back when she nearly caught my husband’s sweater on fire, but even at four years old, the sight of the darkened church filled with candlelight and a chorus of, “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” took her breath away.

A family read-aloud, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson is a great way to share the real story of Christmas.

What I love about bringing the focus back to the birth of Jesus is its’ simplicity.  A carol, a candle, a few verses from the second chapter in the book of Luke all add up to a beautifully quiet moment filled with meaning and reflection on what is most important.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by ginnerobot

Here’s a fun way you can replicate that idea in a budget-friendly gift idea.  Put together a collection of your family’s own favorite things and items that represent the best parts of the past year.  These could be favorite foods you’ve discovered, a gift card to your favorite restaurant, photos of some of your family’s favorite memories for the year, a favorite CD or DVD or a product you’ve fallen in love with.

My own box of favorite things for this year will include:

• a box of Kodiak Cakes mix
• Patriotsby James Wesley Rawles
• photos of my kids on their swim team
• a gift card to Chipotle. On all our family travels this year, we ate plenty of Chipotle burritos and loved it!
• waterproof matches.  Sounds silly, but the kids and I tested them, and they really work!
• a pillowcase sewn by my daughter.  She learned how to sew this year and loves it.
• a gift card to a bowling alley (We re-discovered this fun sport just recently.)
• half-pound of See’s California Brittle
• a copy of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.  Our family has loved the entire Percy Jackson series.
• recipes for two favorite main dishes I discovered this year

Get the idea?  This can be a whole family project with each person contributing and there’s no limit when it comes to creativity.  The gifts can be handmade or homemade and don’t have to cost a dime, and if you’ll be mailing this across the miles, it’s possible to put everything in a flat-rate envelope. Plus, deciding what to include brings back lots of fond memories.

There’s still time to put this together.  It might be the best gift your family has given!

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by Susan Gayle

Peanut butter and chocolate are my husband’s absolute favorite combination of flavors, and we’ve made this particular recipe more than once. Enjoy!

Sponsored video

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

The tree is adorned with ornaments, tinsel, and lights.

The house smells of warm, home-baked goodies.

As Survival Moms, we spend a lot of time creating the Christmas, or Hanukkah, of our children’s dreams and our own.  It’s possible, though, for the beauty of the holidays to pass us by, and too often, it does.  This year, don’t let that happen.  Purposefully, set aside a block of time to enjoy all you’ve done and include at least one thing that will fill your heart with the spirit of the season.

Ignore the pile of laundry for just a few minutes.  The dishes in the sink can wait, or better yet, be delegated to one of the kids.  Turn off all the lights tonight and enjoy some quiet moments in front of the Christmas tree.  You’ve done so much to create holiday magic that it only seems fair that some of the magic should be yours!

What will make this holiday time special and memorable for you?  A phone call to an old friend?  Lunch or dinner at a special restaurant or continuing a generations-old tradition with your own kids or grandkids?  Schedule those special moments on your calendar and enjoy counting down the moments or days until they arrive.  Who said Christmas giddiness is just for kids?

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by freeparking

So is your gift shopping all finished?  If not, this year, spread the message of preparedness with a plethora of thoughtful gift ideas.  One of these just might put a huge, satisfied smile on the face of even the pickiest person on your list, and many of these are very budget friendly.

For the skeptic in your life

Give Patriots by James Wesley Rawles or One Second After by William Forstchen, and then sit back and wait for a panicked phone call.

For the road warrior

Put together a customized survival kit for their vehicle.  Think combo 72 Hour Kit/Road Emergency Kit.  You can find what you need in your own stash of supplies, sporting goods stores, and automotive stores.  If you’re short on time, a ready-made kit is a good substitute.

For the beginning prepper

Nothing says, “I love you and want you to survive TEOTWAWKI,” like a 5-gallon food grade bucket filled with packets of freeze dried or dehydrated foods, a portable water filter, a gift certificate for range time at a local shooting range, and a copy of Crisis Preparedness Handbook by Jack Spigarelli.

For the overwhelmed mom

A “Mom’s Survival Kit” filled with small snacks, coloring and activity books and small toys may be her only link to sanity someday as she and her brood hunker down in a bomb shelter or, more likely, are stranded on the side of the road.  Add a gourmet chocolate bar and a fun magazine or novel, and she’ll weep tears of joy.

For the survivalist’s survivalist

A new toy!  What else?  GPS units are at all-time low prices and just what the well-equipped survivalist needs to scout out new bug out positions and spots to preposition supplies.

For the bashful bladder

A Gotta Go Emergency Toilet is just what the doctor ordered for the friend who just cannot “go” behind a bush or, really, anywhere other than his or her own bathroom.  This amazing invention is a corrugated, collapsible toilet that is disposable, biodegradable and lasts for up to 100…visits.  Include a gift-wrapped roll of TP and a bottle of sanitizer, and you’re golden.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

This year she placed about a dozen photos from past family vacations in our Christmas tree.  Once sentimental, always sentimental, I guess!

This is such an easy and inexpensive project and can take the form of a framed wall collage, a small photo book, a digital picture frame, and even a miniature version in an 8×10 or 5×7 frame.  I love the idea of preserving memories in a way that can be enjoyed every day.

image from shutterfly.com

For the past two years I’ve taken this idea and applied it to wall calendars using Shutterfly.  Sadly, I’m not a scrapbooking queen, but even I was able to make beautiful digital collages for each month of the year.  In addition to the photos, there is space on each calendar page for a few words.  I included favorite Bible verses one year, and this year, phrases from favorite songs.

Putting together photo memories is do-able on any budget, and the finished product is priceless.  Printing digital photos at home or through an online service like COSTCO or Walgreens has never been cheaper or easier.  Even when Christmas is only days away, it’s possible to print photos at home or through a one-hour service.

Give a gift of memories this year to bless someone all year long.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by Hendricks NY

Have you noticed that the most memorable moments in life are often the simplest?  Children, in particular, are happy with simple, basic pleasures.  Life is too complicated all by itself, and at Christmas time, it gets even worse!

This Christmas, how about focusing on simple activities that make the most of family time together?  To make sure they actually happen, the key is scheduling.  In my life, if it goes on the calendar, it gets done.  If it floats around in my head, it will almost always be forgotten.  So grab that December calendar, think about what your family would enjoy, and then make a date!  Here are some ideas to get  you started.

• a family game night — card games, board games, teach the kids how to play backgammon
• a family baking night — if funds are low, put your food storage to good use!
• set out a Christmas jigsaw puzzle
• a family talent night — No talent?  No problem!  This is for pure entertainment, and a few laughs!
• walk around the neighborhood to look at the lights
• a family craft night, making ornaments or gifts
• invite a few friends over for a holiday goodie potluck, hot chocolate, and reading the real Christmas story

I’ll bet you could add a half dozen or more suggestions to this list.

If we say that spending time with our family and friends is the most important part of the holidays, then doesn’t it make sense to do just that?  Simple times spent together make memories and build relationships.

In “The Christmas Sweater”, Glenn Beck makes a comment that what he wants most for Christmas is time.  We can make more money, we can buy more food, we can get more stuff, but the one thing we can’t make more of is time.  Make the most of the time that is still left of this beautiful holiday season by scheduling simple, fun activities with the ones you love.  Ultimately, those are the moments that make forever memories.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by mararie

Christmas is coming, and my wallet isn’t nearly as fat as it was last year.  This year some real creativity is called for if I’m going to have gifts for everyone on my list.  That’s what I was thinking about last week when out of the blue, my awesome sister-in-law unknowingly provided the answer: gifts of service.

You see, the Paranoid Dad is extremely proficient when it comes to everything electrical.  His sister has been longing for outdoor lights on their patio, and when he drew her name in the family gift drawing, she said, “What I really want for Christmas is for you to put up those lights for me!”   This started me thinking about giving in a whole new way.

Unlike a new tie, a gift card, bedroom slippers or just about any other gift you can think of, a gift of service is primarily given with the needs of the recipient in mind.  Stay-at-home moms with young children and homeschooling moms would love nothing more than to have a couple of free hours every now and then to themselves.  How about offering a, “Mom’s Day Out” coupon to provide free childcare once a month?  Any working mom would likely cry at the offer of half a dozen frozen homemade dinners, and a dad too busy working long hours to tend to his backyard would love having an extra pair of hands, or two, or three, to help pull weeds and mow.

See what I mean?  A gift of service comes directly from your heart to touch the heart of someone in need.  The gift is unique and unforgettable and can be given as often during the year as you like.  What talents or skills do you have that might fulfill a need in the life of a friend or family member?

This time next year my sister-in-law won’t remember who gave her which gift twelve months earlier, but she’ll never forget who installed her patio lights.

© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.