Hi Friends,
How are your holiday preparations going? In our home, we have decorations up, our Elf is making mischief, and we are slowly purchasing gifts. Since the kids are older, we decided to do gift giving a little differently this year. 1) We're having a $15 gift exchange on Christmas Eve. 2) Everyone will receive a few meaningful and needed gifts on Christmas morning. AND 3) We are giving each other IOUs for memorable experiences we can do together. I love how my family pulls together to create holiday magic and awesome memories.
If you have ideas for gift giving that is meaningful and easy on the budget, I'd love you to email and share.
Tips to Ease the Holiday Stress
- Remember nothing needs to be perfect. Perfection is overrated.
- Immediate family first! At the end of the day, they matter most.
- Encourage your kids help plan, decorate, cook, shop, wrap presents, ... Share the work.
- Let go of,
- or change traditions and activities when it seems too much. It always took us a long time to decorate our tree because we have hundreds of special meaning ornaments. A few years back, we purchased a tree with lights attached and a bunch of coordinating silver balls. Now tree decorating is so much quicker. I thought I would really miss seeing our special ornaments, but the memories are still there and the ornaments are in a tub if we want to pull them out and look.
- Prioritize "ME" time and practice self-care.
Winter is Here
With the gloomy, chilly days it really feels like winter outside. The Winter solstice is next Thursday on Dec. 21. If you haven't done so already, take inventory of winter clothing and prepare your vehicle for winter storms. Check out these ideas from State Farm Insurance.
Announcing New Giveaway
Enter our Ho Ho Holiday Giveaway! One winner will receive a Prize Package worth $231.56 with gifts for the whole family. Enter this giveaway by Wed., Dec. 21st at 8pm. The winner will be announced live on Dec. 21 at 8:30pm on the MacKID Annapolis Facebook page and notified by email. This giveaway was made possible by Steve Clark from Change Your Pace Therapeutic Massage in Arnold and Pigtails and Crewcuts Annapolis.
Last week we gave away four $100 coupons for the AMTC Winter Camp - The Grinch. The winners are: K. Farrell, L. Wright, C. Vasquez, and J. Pallett - Congratulations!! Didn't win? That's ok, you can still participate in the fun. Check the Annapolis Musical Theater Company website for information.
More Events Added to Calendar and Holiday Festivities Guide
More events have been added to the MacKID Events Calendar and the Holiday Festivities Guide. If you haven't looked in a few days, you need to check them now. If you know of one we missed or see an error - please email me and let me know.
Until next week ... Peace, Love and Macaroni!
- Darla
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Macaroni Kid Annapolis is a free hyper-local resource for families in the Annapolis area (and surrounding communities). It is your place to FIND FAMILY FUN through our website, weekly e-newsletter, social media sites, and Macaroni Kid sponsored events. We gather together all kinds of local family events and activities each week and add useful information about classes, family-focused businesses, book and product reviews, recipes, crafts, school and camp guides and more. Macaroni Kid Annapolis is full of kid-friendly events on our event calendar.
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Website:Macaroni Kid Annapolis
