Search Results for: blog is it already time for christmas music

Christmas Morning Part I

After all our frugal preparations for Christmas, I was particularly excited for Christmas morning this year.  Our son was really excited about Santa Claus bring presents to put under the tree.  Our daughter, who had just turned one, was far more interested in opening presents and listening to Christmas music this year than last year.  We were excited and interested to see how she would react to the lit tree with presents beneath. I went to bed on Christmas Eve excited for the morning.  Little did I know that it would come sooner than I expected. At four thirty on … Continue reading →

Tips to Make Christmas Easier on Kids with Autism

There are plenty of things about Christmas that can be very stressful for kids who have an autism spectrum disorder. Their “system” gets thrown off when there is no school. Here are a few tips that can help make Christmas a bit easier on a child who has autism. Let’s face it: Christmas is one holiday that can easily takeover one’s daily experiences. From the perspective of a child who has autism, this can be stressful, anxiety producing, and perhaps even too much to deal with. Kids get a few weeks off of school at Christmastime. This means that the … Continue reading →

Plan Your Christmas Scrapbook Now

I know of one person who has already started to play some of their Christmas music. To me, this is much too early to think about Christmas. Besides, I like to take one holiday at a time. Let me first enjoy Thanksgiving and then give it at least a day to put it behind me before I think about Christmas. As much as I would like to do that, I really can’t help but think of Christmas because it is already time to start getting lists together for the grandparents. I would also like to get a head start on … Continue reading →

Frugal Christmas Entertainment

This year, why not spend most of your time preparing for Christmas by taking advantage of all of the free and low cost Christmas entertainment and activities, instead of spending that time shopping (which is not very frugal at all). Here are some of my favorite frugal Christmas entertainment activities. Breakfast with Santa This time of year, there are many opportunities to experience breakfast with Santa. This can be fun because the kids will generally get a longer time talking with Santa than if they visited him for a quick photo at the mall. Breakfast with Santa can be pricey … Continue reading →

It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year for Thrift Store Bargains

Is the Christmas music still playing in your home or have you already moved on from the holidays? I’ve been encountering a little bit of both in the past two days. There is a desire both too hold on to Christmas as it has come too quickly, and a desire to prepare for the new year. One way that folks are moving on and preparing for the new year is by getting all of their last donations in before the calendar hits 1/1. This way, everything can be taken off of taxes for the year. This is true not only … Continue reading →

Exercise Time: Crunching the Numbers

Regular exercise yields incredible benefits: You can lose weight, tone your physique, lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes, and increase your self esteem. But, finding time to workout is what prevents so many people from reaping the rewards of exercise. So, how can you fit workouts into your already busy schedule? Fitness experts say when you are first starting out don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to find a huge chunk of time to workout. Rather, carve out a few minutes here and there and increase the durations of your routine as time progresses. Also, look for ways you … Continue reading →

Six Days til Christmas

Less than a week to go! Are you getting excited? Now that we’re in the home stretch, it’s time to take care of details. Do you have Christmas music? If not, you can pick up a CD or you can find some holiday music online and play it from your computer. Bookmark a site ahead of time so you don’t have to search for it during the festivities. While you’re on the computer, look for a nice, holiday wallpaper or screen saver too. You may have music stations as part of your satellite or cable TV package as well, so … Continue reading →

Seven Days ‘til Christmas

Okay, the kids will be off school for Christmas vacation soon if they aren’t already. As we look forward to school or church parties and pageants, remember that once those events are over, children tend to get antsy. It’s hard not to do so with Christmas only a week away! At first, the kids are usually glad to be home, but it doesn’t take long to begin hearing, “I’m bored!” Plan ahead. Pick up some craft items if you don’t already have a good selection and plan some craft projects. Here are some ideas: Christmas Crafts: Music Inspired Decoration or … Continue reading →

Tabby’s First Christmas

There was big excitement around our house today. I was finally feeling well enough to get the Christmas decorations up. At least the inside ones. I’m a little behind on it this year. I usually do it around Thanksgiving, but we were in Denver. But this morning while Wayne commandeered my office for a conference call, I decided it was time to break out the garland and trees and our other holiday trimmings. That’s when it hit me that this is Tabby’s first Christmas. At least with us. She was most likely born before this time last year, but I … Continue reading →

The Power of Christmas Music

We’ve been taught about the power of hymns to bring us closer to the Savior. As I’ve been driving around town running my errands the last few days, I’ve also found that certain Christmas music also has that power – the car is one of the only places where I’m really able to listen to music and hear the lyrics. I’d like to share with you a couple of my favorite Christmas songs and explain just why they impact me so greatly. The first is “O, Holy Night.” I have loved this hymn for as long as I can remember. … Continue reading →