The Sunday Savoring #13

Make Christmas fun again!

11 days until Christmas and Hannukah. Both fall on the same day this year. Well the first day of Hanukkah anyway.

If your life looks anything like mine right now, stress and anxiety are working hard to squeeze out the savoring.

There’s gifts to still be purchased. Gifts to be wrapped. Stocking stuffers, Christmas pajamas, and the annual ornament for each kid to be ordered.

My youngest son’s birthday is Christmas eve. We make a big deal out of it every year so he doesn’t feel slighted (he’ll be 19 this year). We celebrate his birthday, then switch to Christmas Eve and all the boys open their pjs and ornaments.

There are menus to plan, groceries to buy, cookies and treats to be baked.

And you know what? It is what it is.

For the first time since having my own kids, I’m going to have fun in the days leading up to Christmas. I’m going to be a kid again with my kids.

I’m going to watch movies, bake cookies, play games, relax and laugh with my family. If I have to put the gifts under the tree unwrapped, I will. If one kid has one more gift than the others? I don’t care.

If one or two of the gifts don’t show up in time? I’ll wrap a photo of the gift.

I’m going to bake one or two types of cookies, not my usual four or five. Or maybe I will bake nothing at all because I’ll be watching one of my favorite holiday movies with my husband and kids.

This year has given me a new perspective on what’s important.

You know what you will never get back? This Christmas. When the clock strikes December 26th and it’s all over, you can’t go back and savor the time. It’s gone.

Don’t let the stress squeeze out the joy. Choose fun. With the shopping, the wrapping, the games, the movies, the cooking and most importantly the time spent with loved ones.

This Quote
“Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas." – Peg Bracken

This Substack
Actually THESE Substacks. A couple of months ago I asked on the Substack app for women to share other women’s Substacks that would be categorized as “lifestyle”. It’s a category the platform doesn’t offer and one I feel they should. The Savoring is certainly lifestyle focused.

I asked for them to not only tell me about themselves, but to also tell me another writer they loved. AND THEY/YOU DELIVERED. Over 300 different lifestyle Substacks were shared and they are still incoming.

I promised to create a directory of everyone I received and I’m about halfway through it. I will continue to add the rest over the next week or so but figured I might as well start sharing the directory now since there’s so many. I hope you enjoy getting to know these women as much as I have. A Substack Directory: Essays and Memoirs by Women for Women

Don’t forget to follow, subscribe, recommend or share them with others. And when you read a Substack post or newsletter you love, give it a like and tell the author. She will love your support!

This Gift Guide
I posted this Splurgy Gift Guide last week. If you are looking for last minutes splurgy gifts, this is for you. Hopefully some of the items are still available.

These Books
These were our favorite Christmas books when the boys were growing up. I would read them throughout December. I saved them and I still read them during the holidays. They bring me joy.

Bear Stays Up for Christmas, Snowmen at Christmas, Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree, and Dear Santa: Letters of James B. Dobbins. That last one appears to be out of print unfortunately.

These Shows

I used to love Law & Order and Dateline. I crave something a little lighter these days. A more romanticized murder if you will. High Potential and Elsbeth are exactly that.

This Chili Gathering
Last weekend Colt (our youngest) came home for some holiday cheer and brought a few of his college friends. I decided to have a chili party. I served two types. My slow cooker turkey and sausage chili and white bean chicken chili.

I made fresh sourdough bread and corn bread muffins and served diced onions, avocado, sour cream, shredded white cheddar cheese and of course Fritos. I also boiled some elbow macaroni for the turkey and sausage chili. It’s an Indiana thing.

This Dog Who Makes Me Laugh

This One Who Is Pure Joy

This New Client Project
While the client is amazing, it’s the company she keeps that I treasure most. I can’t wait to get started on her barn in January.

This My Most Favorite Client
We are just about finished with this barn and I can’t wait to show you the photos next year. BUT, for now, how adorable are these little trees by every stall AND the cowboy boot stockings? In love.

This Christmas Fun Fact
KFC is the traditional Christmas dinner in Japan. For real. Check out these other Christmas fun facts.

What are you savoring this week friends? Leave me a comment and let me know!