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For Christmas next year . . .


jelbe5
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I'll make the exact same Parmesan stuffed beef tenderloin we had tonight. A-freaking-mazing.

 

I'll remember to add new songs to the song sheets. And to remember the tune of Go Tell It on the Mountain aside from the refrain because we always have to sing it a couple of times to remember.

 

I will remind whoever has the children's stockings in the stocking drawing that stocking stuffing is not a competitive event and that you shouldn't go overboard.

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I'll set a deadline of November 1 to get a decent photo of the family for a card. If we get it, I'll do printed photo Christmas cards and not feel obligated to write a note on every single card.  If we don't get it, I'll send out the minimum of obligation cards without a photo and be done with it.

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Unless I'm incredible busy, next year I'm making potato salad for my FILs Christmas day meal.   We all talked about how we don't like the potato salad from the store and everyone said it was too difficult to make.    I love my homemade potato salad, but... Christmas is busy, so I may or may not.   But at least I'll remember to think about it next year. 

 

I also will do lunch on Christmas eve with my Mom.   It really works out the best.   

 

I'll try to keep my ears open all year.   That is how we surprised my DD with several things she really liked.   

 

That's all.   (That's enough)

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I will always, always, always serve blueberry pie for dessert using berries my sons picked and we froze whole the same day. A taste of late summer in the middle of December. Sooooo good.

 

I will also spend the rest of my life pondering why it took me until age 33 to figure out that pie dough rolls out better when it is flattened into a disc before being put in the fridge to hydrate and when you put a sheet of parchment between the dough and the rolling pin. I have always done balls of dough out of habit and fussed with it w/o parchment. It's like night and day easier. I will save a year or more of life worth of time on this trick over the course of the rest of my life.

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I'm having the guys do all the post meal clean up again while I take a nap! ;) I pulled off a full Christmas dinner and dessert, plus a double batch of cinnamon rolls for Christmas breakfast all by myself for my family and my sister's family but I could not stay on my feet once we had eaten. I'm still recovering from a brutal bout of influenza so for the first time in 14 years the guys did all the clean up while I took a nap. It worked out quite nicely and the men survived. ;) Think that should become tradition. :) Even better, I'd like to not have the flu next year, but that's seems to be a tradition too unfortunately...

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In 2014 I am starting Christmas in July so I don't make it so hard in November.

 

I plan on saving $50 a month starting in Jan. so that the financial doesn't hit us so hard.

 

I plan to hit the Good Will -- that's really nice -- and find great things, toys, decor.

 

I'm going to put aside a box in my closet just for hiding stuff.

 

I want next Christmas to be a lot smoother.

 

Alley

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I will give my kids money and drop them off at a mall so they each can buy me a present.  I'm tired of not getting any surprises.  Not even a surprise in my stocking.  My husband has been sick and because he is a last minute shopper, he didn't get me anything either.  My dd wrote a poem for my dh, but me, nothing.  :crying:

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I am NOT buying my mother's gifts for her. She sent $ this year, and asked me to purchase gifts for her, as she wasn't feeling well. It was too stressful for me. But I am glad I could help her.

 

 

Also, I am making sure my oldest gets and AWESOME "last, big gift." We hand out their big gifts last. Dh did not do that for him, just for the other kids. His face was awful. Also, he did not get the amount of gifts he expected--seems this is not the only year that has happened, and it needs to stop. I don't think we are being fair to him. 

 

 

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I will remember that the sky doesn't fall if stockings aren't overflowing. And that if I tell people that I really really don't need anything that they will mostly heed that and not sent me stuff I don't need.

 

And I'll use marshmallows instead of marshmallow fluff for fudge because it's not grainy.

 

Mostly I'll remember that the holiday is my time to celebrate what is for me a holy day. I will take time to prepare and reflect. I will cherish my friends and family knowing that another year or two may mean fewer seats at the table and fewer loved ones to send cards to.

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I will give my kids money and drop them off at a mall so they each can buy me a present.  I'm tired of not getting any surprises.  Not even a surprise in my stocking.  My husband has been sick and because he is a last minute shopper, he didn't get me anything either.  My dd wrote a poem for my dh, but me, nothing.  :crying:

 

 

:grouphug:

 

Btdt.  Now I  am blunt.  I buy myself stocking stuffers and stick them in a bag.  I hand the bag to dh and say, "I'd really like to get something in my stocking I didn't purchase myself."  It is said nicely and with a smile.  It doesn't matter what is in there, just that it is not bought by me.  Then when I do get something I didn't buy I am over the top thankful.  It worked!  Now I get a little in my stocking and a little more under the tree.

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I'm going to take this year's list of people to buy for and type it up, print it out and keep it in my purse. Then all year when I come across a good sale or something really neat I can check the list to see if it would be a good match for anyone I need to buy for. Goal is to have at least a good start on the shopping before Thanksgiving - and best of all, they'll be gifts I'll be happy to give.

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1.  Don't be sick.  (because y'know I have so much control over that)

 

2.  Make food in advance.

 

3.  Buy things throughout the year when I see them on sale.  

 

4.  Have a flowchart of who will be helping in the kitchen and when.

 

5.  Have a new house by next year, so there's more room for all of us 

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AMDG

 

I'm not sure why it took me this long to figure it out but this was the first time I ever really did a lot of prep work in the kitchen BEFORE Christmas day.  My daughter and I really enjoyed the relaxed pace of preparation and non-school mother/daughter camaraderie.  On Christmas we all enjoyed a Christmas day as I've always felt it should be: enjoying each other and not stressing in the kitchen and then eating too late when everyone is ravenously eyeing each other.

 

So, yeah, I'm definitely doing that again next year . . . and every year.

 

 

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