Welcome to Part III of my Holiday ‘Wrap’ – parts I (where I talk about how to capture, and the holiday-card-making-process) and II (all about the $$ budget-y side of it) can be found here and here, respectively…

This post focuses on two of my ‘projects’ – one was an unintended project, so had me cranky at the outset.  I mentioned (in my pre-holiday post) wanting to have four kissing balls hanging on our front porch.  Hubz and I made a date and went to the local farm Thanksgiving weekend.  Turns out the balls were ~$30 each!  We thought that was a bit redonculous and I really didn’t want to spend $120 for four, but was also feeling REALLY bummed about it (especially since we weren’t getting a tree this year).  Hubz declares, “you can make them.”  I react (strongly) – ‘I haven’t worked “make kissing balls from scratch” into the workflow!’  (basically, everything is so timed out and planned that adding new significant activities might mean other stuff is coming off the calendar)…

I (reluctantly) looked up kissing balls on Pinterest (on the way home from the farm), created a list, and figured out when I would squeeze this all in.  By the time I purchased the supplies, (for what I thought would be four balls), I had spent $50 and only had enough evergreen for two.  Money-wise, I wasn’t that far ahead… the real question: will I do it again next year, and I think the answer is yes…

Todos:

• make a list of all items used (I can do this now, while it’s fresh – a year from now, I’ll have no memory)
• look out for specials at Michaels and Joann for specific items (foam balls) for when they go on sale/when I have coupon
• plan my own evergreen foraging trip (buying the boughs at the farm was not economical; this year I didn’t have time to do the collection myself, but I now I have the knowledge to do it differently!)

Here is what mine looked like (a bit “bushier” than those you see at the farms and grocery stores; I liked it this way, per those I found on Pinterest).  I even found short string of LED lights on eBay (usually used for wedding centerpieces).  The lights weren’t bright enough to make a real difference, but I did like the effect of the little silver balls I picked up. I’ll likely get more of those for next year.

My other project was that of the holiday cookies – a project I’ve tackled every year for as long as I remember. It’s one activity that REALLY helps me feel the memory of the magic of Christmas as a kid.

Cookie execution mostly went off the way I had planned… I actually did the majority of baking the weekend before TG (easier with Hubs away on business) and then froze everything (some items mid-state – i.e., did not frost and fill) – but I might do it differently next year. I will still bake far in advance, but I think I will take everything to full completion (frost and fill!) and freeze right in the container I plan to gift – yes, we have the freezer space… although, the reason I am doing this makes me a little crazy… [it has to do with my day job’s department ‘open house’ tradition … it ALWAYS precedes when I would normally be the packing the cookies (I like to wait as long as possible so that everything is a fresh as possible for my family which are mostly on the West Coast.)  Or rather, maybe I’ll suggest a post-holiday open house next year?!]

In general, events went off without much chaos this year, and for that, I am grateful.  I successfully reduced or eliminated “todos” that might have left me anxiety ridden and/or sleep deprived. The ease helped allow more meaningful moments with my family – many members of which are experiencing some heavy (though ‘necessary’ and enriching) times.

So, for what holiday moments are you most grateful?  Which projects, moments, and/or people brought YOU the most joy?  Moreover, which projects, moments, and/or people brought OTHERS the most joy?  If you found yourself lacking engagement due to anxiety, sleep deprivation, or the internal nagging of unfulfilled intentions, think about what could have been *reduced* or *eliminated* from the plan.

In the comments below, I would love to know: one item you’ll reduce/eliminate AND, (more exciting), what was the *best* holiday moment?

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