Surviving the Holidays!!

Even though the holidays are supposed to be filled with holiday cheer and lots of "singing loud for all to hear", the gift buying and prepping for the BIG DAY can become a little hectic and stressful. There really isn't enough time in the year to really prepare is their? So I have created a list of a few must haves to survive the holidays.


 

1. My Keurig. Whether you want coffee, tea, or the kids want hot cocoa this is a MUST HAVE on my list. When I'm going to be out shopping all day I brew myself a cup of coffee right before I'm about to walk out the door, then grab and go. When we're all sitting around the Christmas tree watching Christmas movies I make some hot cocoa for everyone with my Keurig right before the movie starts. If you don't have one well now you know what you should put on your Christmas list, and if you drink coffee as much as I do you will not be disappointed.

 

2. CAMERA! This would have been number one but I can't function to take pictures without some coffee running through my veins. My camera goes almost everywhere with me and during the holidays its either charging or right next to me. I am always taking pictures of something. Plus with my husband being in the military they do a lot of free stuff around the holidays and you need something to take a picture of your kids with Santa and Elsa!

 

3. Wine is another drink I could not survive the holidays without. I am not a big drinker but I do love my moscato d'asti. This is the drink that turned me into a wine lover. For holiday parties I will bring the wine, and when my husband and I are up late wrapping Christmas presents, he enjoys his Sam Adams beer while I enjoy my cupcake wine.

 

4. Red lipstick. Recently I started wearing red lipstick and I personally love it even more during winter. I feel like its the perfect winter color. During Christmas time we have lots of photos, Christmas parties, and with my husband being artillery we have the St Barbara's Day Ball which is a perfect time to wear red lipstick. Some days instead of doing a full face of make up I only put on a tiny bit of mascara with my red lipstick and I'm good to go.

 

5. Our new snow plow. We just recently moved up north and with the holidays comes a ton of snow. I have now idea how people survive up here without a snow plow! This past week the snow in some places was up to my thigh! Yes I'm short but for a southern girl that is a lot of snow! My snow plow helps clean the driveway faster than a shovel so I can hurry up and get to all the good sales while other people are still shoveling away :)

 

6. Boots. With living up north you pretty much live in boots and skinny jeans during the winter. My go to boots are my riding boots unless I'm going to be out in the snow for a long period of time and for that I choose my snow boots.

 

7. Last but not least FAMILY! This is honestly number one in my book I could not survive the holidays without my family. We live about 1,600 miles from home even though its hard not being with our extended family, spending the holidays with my husband and children is the best thing about the holidays. We put the Christmas tree up as a family, go see Santa, drive around and look at all Christmas lights, make gingerbread houses, and you cannot forget Chippy the elf. My husband and I probably have more fun hiding Chippy than our kids do looking for him.

 

Speaking of husbands, aren't husbands and dads the hardest people to buy presents for? My husband is normally pretty easy because it's normally the new BIG THING that's out, but my dad and step dad I am always clueless with them and most of the time they end up with a gift card. Well next year for Christmas I already have presents picked out for the men in my life. The best thing about it is I won't even have to waste wrapping paper on it. I'll just hand him the crowbar to open his Man Crate.



Go take a look at all the different crates at http://www.mancrates.com/gifts-for-men

The thing is next year he may be deployed during his birthday and the holidays, but Man Crates ships directly to APO/PPO addresses so instead of having them ship it to me and THEN me shipping it to him, they will ship it straight to him. For all my military friends and family that are interested in Man Crates they also offer a 10% discount to all active and retired service members AND their families. Another good thing is if they don't have a crowbar to open the crate, a crowbar comes with the box.

A grown man opening a gift with a crowbar is like a kid at the candy store.