Getting Into the Christmas Spirit Early

It's been a long, strange year so I talked Wyatt into getting the tree out a little early this year. I needed extra cheer ASAP. The Christmas season is one of my favorites so I was ready to get it started.  We have a TV where our tree used to go so we moved its location this year and I loved how it made the room feel. I put together a small snack plate for us and we turned on Christmas music to decorate the tree this weekend! Maggie is doing better with the tree so far this year! Cross your fingers she continues to be good around the tree. She has even been starting to lay under it like Sox used to do! I didn't stop with just the tree. I spruced up our bar cart and got out all my holiday mugs!

ACD Freebie: Christmas Movie Checklist

If you are anything like me, it doesn't truly feel like the holiday season until you binge on your favorite Christmas movies.  I made a checklist to make things easy and I'm sharing it for free! Download yours here and pop the popcorn!  It goes along with the Advent activity calendar that I shared at the end of last month.  I'm also include this fun Instagram story template too! What movies have you watched so far this holiday season?

Holiday DIYs to Try

The holiday season is here.  I know we have Thanksgiving this week and I am so excited for it! But I have just been ready for Christmas decorating, entertaining, gifting, etc. for the last couple of weeks.  This is my favorite time of year! I'm rounding up a few DIY projects that I have found online that I am dying to try. I love Christmas crafting and gifting.  Whether it's for me personally or for a gift for someone else, it just brings me so much joy.  Here are a few DIY projects that I have my eye on and am hoping to try myself! Please click through and enjoy each of these tutorials and the blogs they came from!

Oh Yay Studio

First up are these adorable felt Christmas bulb garland or ornaments from Oh Yay Studio.  I cannot get over how cute these are! I don't know where I will put these but I NEED to make these! They look so easy to make and add the fun festive touch to your holiday decor!

Carly the Prepster

The next DIY is one that I am dying to try! I have loved fun cocktail napkins for so long but find that they are always a little pricey if I want to get an assortment for no more than we would use them.  But now Carly has a tutorial on her blog on how to do these yourself! She is creating the prettiest little handmade gifts and I am here for it.  I am excited to get all the supplies and plan some of these for our bar cart but also LOVE the idea of creating them as gifts for other people! Handmade gifts can be so special and meaningful.

A Piece of Rainbow

I adore magnolia leaves so this tutorial on how to make a DIY magnolia leaf wreath is perfect! I have wanted to make/buy a magnolia leaf wreath and garlands for several years but have never found any that I truly loved and have never had time to try to create my own.  I just love the way they look for the holidays.  One of my favorite thing about our trips to Charleston at the holidays is their magnolia wreathes and garlands!  This DIY from A Piece of Rainbow makes me want to make one now more than ever! Now, where to find the magnolia leaves...

And here are some DIY ideas for gifts.  The holidays bring about a time to say thanks and give appreciation to so many including coworkers, the mail and delivery workers, neighbors, service providers (salon, lawn, etc).  I think a great way to treat people is to make some simple DIY gifts.  Here a few I have my eye on for this year.

The Pistachio Project

How adorable are these little gingerbread men bath bombs? So cute. The ingredients in these bath bombs have to create the most wonderful scent and they have benefits to your skin!  I love the idea of creating a spa gift and including these bath bombs in it.  We are all so busy this time of year so it's a good way to remind those we love and care about to take some "me time."

Hoosier Homemade

I am a big fan of hot cocoa in the winter, especially around Christmas! This gift idea from Hoosier Homemade is so fun and so simple! I always pick up some add ins for hot cocoa for our house around this time of year.  Why not turn that idea into a gift?  You can get supplies and make several of these gifts to hand out! You can even customize these to each person if you know some of their preferences! 

Twelve on Main

If you love the classic scents of the holidays, you'll want to make this potpourri gift! Wyatt and I put together some stove-top potpourri kits for his parents and grandma a couple years ago and they were not nearly this cute! This potpourri looks like it smells amazing and I'm tempted to make some for our house this week!

Christmas

We celebrated with Wyatt's family when I got off work on Christmas Eve. We got up Christmas morning and drove down to southern Indiana for lunch at my aunt's house to celebrate with my mom's side of the family.  We had a yummy lunch and got to visit with family before heading over to a different aunt's house to celebrate with my dad's side of the family.  Queenie even got to visit with us for a while!

After that we drove ahead to my parents' house and celebrated with my immediate family.  It was so good to spend time with everyone.

Bigfoot Yancey

I won tickets to go to the Merry Mashup with Moxxie, Brother O Brother, and Bigfoot Yancey at the Hi-Fi from Do 317.  I got Allison a ticket and she, Wyatt, and I went to the show last night.  We saw some of Bigfoot Yancey's set at Holler on the Hill back in September and loved them.  They played first and we were so excited to see them.  They were great.  We even got to see them playing a saw as an instrument. It was so cool!

I made Wyatt drive us around the circle to see the monument on our way from the Hi-Fi to drop Allison off at home because we hadn't seen the lights on the circle yet. We got to check off another one of my holiday to-do list just in time for Christmas!

Cottrell's Christmas Trees

Last night we drove out to Rossville to drive through Cottrell's.  We did this for the first time last year. I decided I want to add it to our annual activities during the holiday season.  It's pretty close to us and fun and quick little thing we can do.

We came home and I made some hot cocoa in my Santa mug. I also finished our retro inspired Christmas edition of our bar cart!