Here in SoCal today, it is very rainy & cooler than normal. The thought of sitting by a cozy fire with a Holiday beverage appeals to me! With the weekend just a few hours away, it might be the perfect time for YOU to enjoy one of the tasty treats from Country Living. They may be just the thing to chase away the winter chill!
Not everyone has the time to deck ALL the halls during Christmas. Not everyone has the space to deck all those hall either. Time, space & money can all be factors when trying to decide how much is too much. You want everything to look festive but there are limits. Or perhaps you are having a Holiday party & want to add a few more simple touches to your event that can be easily removed, or simply moved, when the party is over. What to do?
BHG to the rescue with these quick & easy ways to decorate for Christmas. I LOVE the vintage ornaments on the candlesticks. You can find all the candlesticks you want at the $ Store along with tubes of ornaments that can be used. I used these ornaments all over the house. They come in different sizes & colors. They are also easy to paint & glitter should you need them in colors that are different than the ones offered.
Avoid Christmas stress with simple ideas like these & put the JOY back into Christmas!
Your focus at Christmas is your family. You spend most of your time making certain everyone around you has a wonderful Christmas. Well, you deserve to celebrate too! At Simple Joy, we believe women must take care of themselves first or they won’t be able to care for others. If you focus entirely on everyone else this season, you may forget to enjoy yourself. Take time throughout December to do things YOU enjoy! Remember, we are the hearts of our families. The way we feel impacts the way the entire family feels. If you are stressed, focusing only on others, you may develop a not so nice attitude that eventually affects everyone around you. Taking care of yourself first is NOT selfish. It is the best & most effective way you can care for everyone else!
Creating a fabulous centerpiece for your Holiday table doesn’t need to be expensive or hard. You don’t even have to buy a centerpiece. You can make it yourself!
These days, a Christmas centerpiece isn’t just for company. You can create a centerpiece that decorates your table all season long! When company comes over, put together a different look for your table based on the occasion. The centerpiece in the photo above is simple & beautiful! It doesn’t take much for you to create a lovely table this Christmas. Country Living is ready to help you with their guide of 33 table settings & decorations! You might want to try something different every night! Now that’s a Simple Joy!
Things are not always so jolly during the Holiday season. Stress often rears its ugly head taking the joy right out of our Christmas. Fortunately, I’m not the only one working to help you reduce stress this Christmas! Good Housekeeping has identified some of the things that cause your stress levels to go up. ANS they offer 6 ways to help you beat that Grinch of a Christmas Stress! Take a breath. Then take a moment to read this fantastic advice. But remember! It only works if you do it!
This time of year, I enjoy seeing all the elegant trees featured in magazines, on websites & shared by people on FB. I sometimes long for those perfect trees, decorated so carefully with items that coordinate with one another. Then I look at my tree. It is beautiful in its own way but there are a few items that would prevent it from being featured in any magazine. There’s the cloth ornament with “For Dad” on one side & “Fro Mom” on the other, made by The Child when she was young. There’s the faded ornament with my name written in glitter, given to me by our church when I was a toddler. There’s the 2 angels with The Child’s name on one & my name on the other. Our names were added with labels printed out by Mr. D. who wanted us to know we were HIS angels! These decorations may not be elegant but they are packed with memories & money can buy those no matter how hard we try!
Woman’s Day offers you the opportunity to create memories with your family this Christmas. They have developed a series of DIY ornaments that you & your family can make to added to your tree this year & in the years to come. Enjoy!
There are almost as many different ways to decorate your home for Christmas as there are ornaments for your tree. You are no longer forced to stick with the tried & true. Instead, you can go with a decorating scheme that suits your tastes, style & home.
You don’t even have to stick to just one style! You can go contemporary in the living room, elegant in the dining room, country in the kitchen, eclectic in the family room & rustic in the bedroom! Why stick with just one style when so many of them are available & so much fun!
You also don’t have to spend a fortune to spread the Christmas cheer throughout your home. You can make many of your decorations. You can buy $ store decorations & transform them into something more fabulous. You can even shop thrift stores & repurpose your finds into beautiful displays!
Country Living has created a display of 76, YES, 76 decorating ideas! If this doesn’t get your Christmas creative juices flowing, you need to have a little egg nog & watch Charlie Brown again!
Christmas Decorating Ideas
Snowmen always add a touch of whimsy to your Christmas decorations. BHG has a darling selection of snowmen that you can make this Christmas. Decorate your entire home with these winter wonders or give them to friends. Either way, these snowmen are a Simple Joy this Christmas!
I enjoy giving gifts to all my friends each Christmas. Unfortunately, my budget doesn’t seem to enjoy it as much as I do. Homemade gifts to the rescue. Homemade gifts, especially food gifts, allow me to show my love & appreciation to everyone on my list without straining my budget. I really do believe that it’s the thought that counts. Homemade gifts show that we thought enough to take the time to make something very special for those on our gift list. Stumped for ideas? Midwest Living can help you out with their list of 35 homemade gifts & fabulous ways to wrap them. Enjoy the season, share the love & fill your life with Simple Joy!
Two fabulous things about a great centerpiece: its simplicity & versatility. Once a centerpiece is done doing its job on the table, it can be moved to a new location! A centerpiece done right can serve you as a beautiful decoration long after your special event. As I said, a great centerpiece doesn’t have to be complicated. The example in the photo show the elegance of a very simple centerpiece. Midwest Living share this cranberry centerpiece & 49 more with us for the Holiday season. Time to fill our homes with the Simple Joy of beauty!
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