313. Christmas Should be Happy and Bright! Simplify!


Baby Helping Mother Decorate Homemade Christmas Cookies With Gla

Christmas Should be Happy and Bright

By Carolyn Nicolaysen · December 16, 2014, Meridian Magazine
Why do we make everything so complicated? Now is the time to decide this holiday season you are going to make some small changes to help simplify so you can enjoy your family and friends more.
Establish traditions. Traditions bring peace and comfort, and create happy memories. Traditions are important to the mental health of adults as well as children. We all need the reassurance that all will be well. Family traditions help us to understand that no matter the situation, we still have each other, and together we can handle anything. Keep it simple this year and plan to add more complicated ones in the future. Need a few suggestions?
Keep a journal and have a family member write in it before bed each night. Record Christmas related events, the Christmas newsletter you received, cookies you baked and the recipe, decorations you hung, favorite Christmas carol or Christmas movie you watched.
Hang a picture of the Savior in prominent places.
Change your bedtime routine and sing a Christmas carol each night before you tuck in the kids.
Prepare a few special foods every holiday season and make them part of what your family looks forward to each year. Include the recipes for some of those foods in your 72-hour kits or mail them to your out of area contact. Then, if you should be evacuated during a holiday you will be able to prepare those foods.
Make a small ornament or favorite treat and play secret Santa. Place the gift on the doorstep, ring the bell, and run like mad!
Watch a Christmas movie together as a family. Pop popcorn and get on your jammies, ignore the phone and just enjoy some quiet time together.
Play Christmas carols while you eat breakfast.
Next, plan for the inevitable:
Clean your pantry, freezer and refrigerator. Get rid of all those old jars of jelly that have turned to sugar, and wrinkled fruits and veggies. Now you have room for holiday foods and you know where everything is and that you need to get more baking powder.
Inventory baking supplies and replenish anything needed. Don’t worry about sale prices just do it. Of course, if your General Store is stocked you can skip this step.
Make up master mixes for the foods you know you will be making. We love puff pancakes so I have a master mix for those. It’s only three ingredients but I don’t have to drag out the flour and make a mess all over the kitchen floor. Try the same thing for your favorite cookies and breads.
When baking or cooking begin with a clean counter and sinks. Fill the sink with hot soapy water. Get a large bowl to be used for scraps of things you use during cooking, such as eggshells, orange peels or apple cores. Move a trashcan within tossing distance and toss bags and boxes as you empty them. You will be amazed how much easier cleanup is when you spend a few minutes to prepare in this way.
Spend one day and make freezer meals. When the parties, practices, and performances get to be overwhelming grab a meal from the freezer and bake it while you wrap gifts or dress for the night’s activities. As you prepare foods double the recipe and freeze the extra.
Prepare your holiday feast in advance. Bake your turkey or ham and reheat. Prepare appetizers and freeze. Quiche, pigs in a blanket, sweet and sour meatballs, lots of things freeze well.
Better yet…make a big Christmas dinner a thing of the past. Purchase croissants, artisan bread, meats, cheeses and a few different salads and keep it simple. Spend time enjoying family and those fun new games, movies and other gifts.
Not time to make desserts? Purchase a store bought cake and sprinkle with a few crushed candy canes. Purchase pies and add a fun whipped cream design or drizzle with chocolate. Purchase sugar cookies and drizzle with chocolate and add fun sprinkles.
Place all Christmas decorations on timers. This tip has two awesome advantages, you don’t have to worry about turning them on each night and no one will know whether or not you are home because the lights will be on every night and all will look normal.
Prepare for surprise guests by wrapping up a few handmade ornaments or a small box or bag of treats. Place them in a basket and you are ready to grab one when you are surprised.
Remember the real meaning of Christmas and include the Savior in all your planning and activities. Time with family and friends is what will make memories for you and your family that will live on.
Follow Carolyn’s Facebook page, ask questions and give tips of your own.

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