How to Experience Holiday Laughter & Joy!

Hello Great Women of God!!!

Oh my, the Holiday rush is upon us. With Thanksgiving coming so late in November it seems to have short changed us on time to do everything on our list. NOT!!! Let's help each other have a wonderful holiday by sharing the ways we can scale things back and still have a wonderful Christmas or Hanukkah celebration.

Patsy Clairmont posted this on her blog last week and I wanted so much to share this with you:

Here’s mine. I call it my Too-Too Plan…one size fits all......by Patsy Clairmont
Don’t spend too much. Guard against unnecessary “bargains.” (Lists help) Debt depresses.
Don’t do too much. Holiday exhaustion leads to pity party’s and who needs anymore events to attend?
Don’t eat too much. One stuffed turkey is enough.
Don’t set expectations too high. Expectations lead to drama and life gives us enough of that without whiny curtain calls.

Remember you can never be too grateful. Here’s where a list really helps. It gives us deliberate focus, which directs our minds to a higher place. Gratitude protects our health, our hearts, our homes, and our conversations.... http://www.patsyclairmont-blog.com/

My dear sisters, I want to encourage you to stress down for the upcoming days and come up with ways to enjoy family and friends without spending monies you really don't have, and putting expectations on yourself and your family that will only cause you heartache.

Tovah (my youngest daughter) has never been allowed to ask for any gifts for Christmas. By the time she came along I was wise enough to be out of the world system and in God's Kingdom, so I always made Christmas a focus on the celebration of our Savior's birth. We have done many different things over the years such as, adopting a young mom and her baby that lived in a shelter, doing boxes for the "Samaritans Purse, hosting Christmas Eve dinners for singles, but basically just using the premise of giving to Yeshua Jesus. She is a teen now and knows that we are to give in His honor every day and not wait for one particular time of year to do that which is a command for our daily lives, but now I had the challenge of still not allowing her to get caught up in the current that runs wild this time of year. So our solution to her having fun and being with her friends was a cookie party. We did it for the first time last year and it was such a big hit with her and her friends that we are doing it again.

There is more than one way of making cookies the focus of a great time. Tovah and I make the cookie dough a couple of days before the party and her friends bring cookie cutters and extra cookie sheets. Last year two of the girls even brought cookie dough. The girls have a ball baking and decorating dozens and dozens of cookies. Then we order pizza and everyone gets to pick what they want on their half (that made for some interesting combinations) and they sit around laughing and talking and everyone gets to take home a large tray of cookies at the end of the evening. The best part for her is that one of her seven guests gets to spend the night and the next day we go downtown to the Christmas light show at Macy's and hangout and have lunch. This year, I will be leaving them after the light show so that they can have fun by themselves. It is simple, yet so much fun for Tovah and her friends.

With younger children you can bake the cookies before hand and just have a cookie decorating party that is 2 hrs long and send everyone home with a nice plate of cookies.

Hosting a cookie exchange is a great social event for women. The host supplies beverages and dip, and all the guest bring cookies, cookies, cookies, and everyone swaps cookies to take home. You can bake them, or buy them by the pound from your neighborhood bakery. Either way it's a fun time to get together and its not a lot of work for anyone.

Yummm, I'm getting hungry just thinking about homemade cookies and how great the house smells when they are baking!

Share with me some of the things you have come up with that are fun get togethers that don't take a lot of effort to coordinate and won't hurt the budget. With money being tight for many, lets share our ideas for good family and friend times that will boost us spiritually. There is nothing like sitting around with those you love, laughing and having a good time.

Love & Hugs
Ponnie