During the holidays, all roads seem to lead home. And that’s what it’s all about for me. It’s what makes the decorations, the gift lists, the cooking, and the traditions all worth it. And most of us take on a lot of stress with these holiday agendas that we create for ourselves, so I think finding the balance lies in asking ourselves…does this road lead home?
If I could describe our James Family Christmas in three words:
+ Traditions
Traditions create nostalgia, belonging, and belief — everything we want our home to be.
+ Magic
This time of year brings the magic of childhood back to adults. It connects us, in that way, with our children.
+ Selflessness
The priority becomes the people we love.
Garrett and I are on the same page with giving everything we have into this time of the year because home is what we value most. And while I love me some aesthetic Christmas decorations, I also top our Christmas tree with Romo’s (our dog) old and favorite stuffed toy, rather than a beautiful star. That’s what Christmas is ultimately about for me. It’s about the homemade ornaments that are falling apart and the awe and nostalgia as my daughters unpack the familiar decorations from their childhood. So, while some aspects of what I share here might be aesthetically inspiring, a lot are just the reality of what Christmas means to us. And I hope this blog post doesn’t add any pressure to do more or buy more because that’s not what this is about. It’s such a breath of fresh air when I can see something online that is real and full of genuine heart. And that’s what I am going to share here…the traditions, the magic, the selflessness that may not always be pretty, but it’s what matters.
THE DECORATIONS
Christmas decorations are important to me because so much of the Christmas spirit is a feeling, and I can be really influenced by my sensory environment. So, I’m all about the sights, sounds, and scents when it comes to creating a holidays space. On the other hand, clutter makes me feel anxious, and our house isn’t too big, so I try to keep the decorations toned down.
I don’t know why it took me 6 years, but I finally traded out our weighted stocking holders to these Amazon Mantle Clips. The weighted holders always worried me with little ones around, so I’m so glad I finally traded out.
These Sisal Bottle-Brushed Trees are from Anthropologie, and there’s other cute colors, but I wanted to go for a more neutral color palette. They’re whimsical, cute, and these warm colors give me a good vibe.
The girls stockings are HUGE, which is both a good and bad idea for obvious reasons. These Personalized Santa Sacks are available on Etsy.
Decorations like this are my favorite because the girls get excited. They immediately wrote Santa letters telling him what they want, and then I go in later and remove the letters, so they think the mail got picked up. Here’s the Hearth and Hand by Magnolia Mailbox on Amazon. These nutcrackers are from Target. I bought one awhile ago, and now there’s so many to choose from.
THE TREE
When Romo was a puppy, my mom bought him this little stuffed dog that makes crying noises, and we called it his “baby.” HE LOVED IT. He would chew through them, so my mom bought multiple back-ups. I saved one, and it’s been our tree topper ever since we got our first Christmas tree in our first home as a family.
Decorating the Christmas tree is probably my FAVORITE. We put on Christmas music, we ooh and aww at all the ornaments, and the girls are at an age where we get to sit back and let them at it. A couple years go, all of the ornaments were at the bottom of the tree because that’s all they could reach. Now, they’re all bunched at the top because they only want to use the ladder.
We’ve also been letting the girls pick out their own small tree for their bedroom, and they enjoy decorating their own with their favorite ornaments.
TRADITIONS
We started Elf on The Shelf a couple years ago. It took me awhile to come around on this tradition, but the magic it brings our home every morning in December is worth it. It’s a pain for me to remember to set her up every night, and sometimes I forget, but the girls look forward to this so much. I’m cherishing these squeals of excitement while they’re young.
Pinterest has so much too.
Every year, my husband’s club basketball program does a holiday community service event. This year, the Ironmen Basketball Christmas Toy Drive is accepting donations until December 15th. You can donate HERE. These events are a lot of coordination and work, but I’m so grateful that he takes this on for our community and for our family. It’s humbling for our girls to find ways to serve others during this time of year.
We love Tanaka Farms! We always attend their annual Hikari Lights Festival, and you can purchase your Christmas tree at the same time from their adorable and amazing market. “Hikari” means shine in Japanese. You could spend hours here with your family taking a wagon ride around to see the lights, shopping the market and trees, eating from the Tanaka Grill, painting holiday crafts, playing carnival games, meeting Santa Clause, and more. I think they even have live music on the weekends.
I buy this mistletoe from Trader Joes each year, and I hang it at the top of the archway in our home where we hang all of our Christmas cards. The kids get a kick out of it because they try to run under the archway at the same time as us to steal a kiss. It’s such a simple purchase for a lot of silliness and fun.
If you need an idea for a small gift or a thoughtful touch to your gift wrapping, I buy and put together photograph ornaments of the girls for each year. I buy about 20 frame ornaments from Michaels, and I’ll usually buy them on Black Friday to save some money! I like to buy the ones with the year on them, and since I do this each year, we’re creating a collection. Then, I order photos from CVS and put these together to add to some of the presents we wrap for family. They get an ornament of the girls each year, and we always save one for our tree too.
The past two years, we’ve done the Winter Fest OC at the fairgrounds, and I highly recommend this if you’re trying to get in the holiday spirit with your family or a loved one. There’s carnival games, food, and rides, but there’s also ice skating, ice bumper tubes, sledding, and an entire holiday light tour. It’s a huge winter festival that brings all things snow to Southern California.
CHRISTMAS CARDS
I have always used Shutterfly.com or Minted.com to order our cards. This is one of those traditions that doesn’t “lead home” for me. In other words, it’s a ball I would drop if holiday festivities were becoming overwhelming. But this year, probably because I’m not working, I was on top of it and mailed my cards out on December 1st. If you can find a quiet space and create a system, it’s not so bad. I use a return address stamp from Etsy, and it speeds up the process. It’s a must-have in general. I also keep a running Christmas Card list on Google Sheets that I update every year. This year, I used this cute craft tape from Michaels to seal the envelopes.
MY GO-TO GIFTS
I put pressure on myself to buy gifts that are personal to the receiver, which is stressful, but I just can’t get myself to do something generic or thoughtless. So, if I have a friend who just got a new house, I’m buying her home goods. Another “trick” I do is just buy people the things I already have and love. Here’s some of my tried and true gifts and companies that I rely on or used this year.
Go-To Gifts for Babies:
Cheerily.co has these customizable onesies, so I love creating and buying these for new Mamas or Mamas to be.
Fordandwyatt.com has basic tees that are adorable, unisex, and a beautiful but neutral color palette.
@Joybirdco on Etsy has personalized knit sweaters for babies and toddlers that are such keep sakes.
Go-To Gifts for Kids:
Wonderbly.com has unique search and find books that you can customize with the kids’ names and avatars.
Our Wonderbly book was a gift, and it’s both of my daughters’ favorite to sit down and read together!
Wildandrae.com is this super Mama who makes personalized jackets. They have jean, leather, tie dye, cowgirl, and they’re perfect.
I also have my eye on this Montessori wooden spelling toy for Alba from Thetot.com.
Go-To Gifts for Siblings/Friends:
When it comes to my siblings and friends, I usually go for thoughtful gift cards or something that I have and love and want to share with them. Winery or spa gift cards are fun because it’s something we can do together.
Ryokorain.com is my husband’s brand, and these are hard to get, unique mesh shorts. They’re a great gift for anyone!
This year, the Free People Hot Shot Onesie is my favorite, so I’ll be buying a few of those for gifts.
Go-To Gifts for Parents and In-Laws:
Anthropologie.com is my reliable spot for unique, beautiful jackets that are quality and will last for years.
Dagnedover.com has my favorite bags! They’re classic, neoprene, and there’s something for everyone.
Bychari.com has personalized letter necklaces. This is a splurge! But it’s worth it. Mine is beautiful, and I never take mine off.
Go-To Gifts for Significant Other:
I like to buy Garrett experiences or vacations, unless there’s something specific he is needing or wanting. But that’s not usually the case!
I’ve booked him Air BnB cabins in Big Bear and Idyllwild. I’ve bought him concert tickets. I’ve booked our family a room at Paradise Point in San Diego. And I’ve made reservations at the most amazing sushi experience, OMG Omakase by Gino in Santa Ana.
It’s just special to gift and be given experiences!
——————————
This is just a bit of what we have planned and what we look forward to. I feel like right now is the calm before the storm because our weekends are about to get very busy. And I’m just trying to get on top of my to-do-list, so that we can really slow down and enjoy what this time of year is all about.
My best tip, and I’m reminding myself as well, is to let go of anything that doesn’t lead home. Maybe try to pick 3 words to describe your ideal family Christmas, and then filter every activity and event through those words.
I’d love to hear any kid-friendly, or even not kid-friendly, activities or traditions you have and love.
And please share your details on any go-to gifts! Let’s help out the Mamas busting their asses to make Christmas happen.
Happy Holidays XOXO
One thought on ““Not A Creature Was Stirring, Except For Mom Who Was Busting Her Ass to Make it Happen”: All Things Christmas Round-Up”