Yes, I know it’s still the middle of September — but believe it or not, Christmas is only 100 days away!
I’ve probably mentioned this a time or 20 — but the Fall / Holiday season is my absolute favorite season of the year. Period. I’ve actually already started putting up pumpkins and fall decore around our house and I plan to decorate the porch this weekend!
I love the cooler weather and the gorgeous colors here in the Mid-West.
I love being on the back-to-school schedule again and all the new programs that start up at school and church.
I love peaches, pears, apples, and all the delicious fall produce that is popping up everywhere right now.
I love using the oven all day long without sweating profusely or running the air conditioning.
I love decorating my house for fall and for the holidays {the only times I ever do any extra decorating}.
I love that we will actually be able to celebrate the holidays this year and not have to worry about moving, packing, unpacking, etc. {we barely made it in our house by Christmas Eve last year!}
I love getting together with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even enjoy a few football games!
And I LOVE the fact that our first baby will be born during my favorite time of year!
So, even though my love for this time of year is verging on obsessive, I’m not planning to do a huge holiday series or anything extravagant here at Simple Organized Living — mainly because I’m pretty sure that when this baby comes, it will be difficult for me to keep up with a holiday series on top of my normal posts!
Don’t worry though, I’ll still be sharing lots of holiday ideas, recipes, gift inspiration, and tips interspersed between my regular posts. I’ll also be posting special deals and tips that will ONLY be available for my Facebook fans {hint: make sure you “like” Simple Organized Living on Facebook!}
However, if you need your 100 days of Christmas posts every single day from now until December 25th, here are a few places you can start:
- These are my holiday tips from last year {not quite 100, but it’s still a good place to start!}
- My friend Mandi over at Life…Your Way started her 101 days of Christmas series yesterday already, and I know she has tons of great ideas to share all season long.
- If you’re looking for the perfect gift on a budget, check out the 101 Deals of Christmas over at For The Mommas
- The folks over at ListPlanit.com have a great 100 Days of Christmas eBook that you can purchase for only $4.99.
- You can also visit 100DaystoChristmas.com for daily tips and ideas to get you ready for this holiday season.
So I think that should be enough to keep you busy for awhile!
I have already started planning ahead and am hoping to have most of my gifts purchased and a bunch of our holiday decorations up BEFORE our baby arrives in mid-November. I won’t put any of the trees up until after Thanksgiving… but I just love decorating for the holidays and I know I’ll be sad if I’m too busy once the baby come. So I’m just going to be proactive and do it before!
Suzanne says
I’m like you in that I like to prep early. It usually starts with someone’s home hostess party for something or another over the summer, or I host my own, and I get some great starts on gifts for relatives. Then I start noticing the toy sale ads/sales in about August, and the collection begins. My son’s birthday is also in early November, so it makes the gift buying a “we’ll either use it for b-day or X-mas” kind of thing. I’ll even pick up odds and ends as I see them for coworkers, as I’ve done already this year. One thing I added this year was to have a big plastic tote where I can store all the gifts, so they don’t hang out in various bags on my bedroom floor or closet shelf, and I know exactly where to go. I remember years where my mom said she’d forgotten a gift or too that she’d hidden away in her closet!
Kristen @ Joyfullythriving says
I also love this time of year! I just finished putting out my pumpkin decorations before I read your post. How true! It’s such a fun time of the year. You, of course, have even more exciting reasons than usual to enjoy this season! I’m so excited for you!
Andrea says
Thanks Kristen! I decorated our front porch yesterday {it has been bare for months now} so it’s really starting to look like fall around here too!
Christine says
I have already gotten several gifts. I like to find things on sale I know people will like. I got my son a shirt at American Eagle on their clearance rack, some other family members things at Ten Thousand Villages, that were approx. 75% off, etc., This way I can get some nice things that cost more (the normal price) than I would spend, because I have the time throughout the year. I am not much of a decorator though. 🙁
Zolane says
It’s my favorite time of year too! Thanks so much for the sites; I can’t wait to look through them, including your past tips.
My fall decorations are up but I’m always on the look out for a new treasured addition (activities/new traditions to enjoy with the grandkids, crafts, recipes, etc.). I’ve also got my list templates made out of the appropriate holiday colors/hues – one more reason to enjoy my list-making! Plus, the fall season signals that it’s time to start making wassail again – a family favorite and makes the house smell SO good!
Julie says
You might want to check out http://www.organizedchristmas.com. They have some great plans that have already started. And lots of ideas. Not that you need it, but its nice of give check out different sites, you never know when there will be some idea that one could use. We are gearing up for the holidays. I am starting my biannual deep cleaning. Once before the holidays and once when we can reopen our windows for the spring. We are hosting Thanksgiving this year so the house will be done before that and decorated for christmas(partially) since we do a Christmas exchange will some of my family that we don’t see for Christmas. Plus, just before Christmas my business is the busiest (I make truffles) and I homeschool during the day and work after the kids go to bed making truffles. So, because of all of that I have almost everything done before Thanksgiving. It makes the holidays more enjoyable. Alot less stress, especially since we still have all of my 4 kids christmas activities that we participate in.
Enjoyed the post , and will be looking forward to the pre holiday posts.
Stacey says
This time of year is my favorite too! Im actually really bummed out though because almost all of our fall and Christmas decorations are at my mother in laws house being stored. We had our house on the market over the spring and summer but took it off last month to wait til next year since we really need to lower the price and keep saving. Now that we are “stuck” here for longer, i wish we had all of our stuff. Oh well, hopefully this time next year i will get to decorate our new house!
Lisa Grace says
This year will be very different for us. Instead of our traditional holiday feasting and gifting, we are praying to be able to spend Thanksgiving in Ukraine adopting the newest addition to our family. We have already determined not to spend for Christmas — we will make presents and do stockings, but the rest we will invest in growing our family. It will be our first Christmas with our baby and maybe with our newest children, too! A different holiday season … but perhaps our most exciting yet!
Andrea says
Wow Lisa — how exciting!
Our holidays will also be VERY different this year as we will be a family of 5 instead of just Dave and I. With our 2 international students experiencing OUR traditions for the first time and a new baby due just days before Thanksgiving… I’m sure this will be a holiday season to remember for us as well!
Blessings on your very exciting adventures!