Christmas Planning - Week 2: Living Room / Question Week

We move on slightly from lists in Week Two and turn our focus to questions questions questions.   It is supposed to be living room cleaning/ decluttering week and as I've not actually done this from last week I think I'd better keep it in.

Couldn't believe it yesterday when I went into Morrisons and they had hugee towers of the Hero, Celebration, Roses, Quality Street and Haribo tubs for £5 each or 2 for £8.  i was very tempted to make a start on my Christmas food storage until I remembered I'd nearly filled the pressie box and hadn't unburied the big Christmas 'stuff' box... which in reality means they would be gone before October :)

Every year I pledge to not buy these but for me they are a BIG part of Christmas.  Last year, I will

admit, we bought the Haribo one but kept it topped up with goodies from other places.... we even found Christmas Haribo (why don't they include that??) Do you buy the tubs??



Moving on from last week I am now only listing the bits from Organized Christmas that are going to affect me.... please do check out their site for more ideas of what to do this week.

Cleaning/Organizing Area:  Living Room.  I MUST have a go at this today as I didn't touch it last week (got side tracked on sorting out Noahs bedroom)

Christmas Preparations
• Buy extra flour, sugar, etc.  -guess that means I better sort that box out :)
• Develop ideas for gifts, decorations.
• Order Christmas cards and address labels. - would now be a bad time to say I've not made last weeks list yet?
• Divide gift responsibilities with other family members. - easy peesy - that'll be me then or no one will get anything.

Ask these questions:
• Do I see Christmas time primarily as a time for entertaining friends and renewing long lost acquaintances or as a time for family? It's family time through and through..... if I can get any time off work other than Christmas Day.  I like to make a big thing of Christmas Eve too but that's for another post.

• How much emphasis do our Christmas activities place on the spiritual side of Christmas?  Not enough.  Last year I managed to get a wooden Nativity set (I'd looked everywhere for one I liked) and the boys do know the story.

• How involved is my family in the Christmas preparation?  The boys LOVE to help me decorate the tree and make Christmas goodies.  Hubby well......

• What activities are particularly important to our family at Christmas? To myself?  We have our Christmas Elf tradition, personally I think Ben knows they are toys but plays along (for himself? for his little brother?).    This post from last year really spells out Christmas in our house.

• Why do we observe the traditions we do in our house?  See the post link about, some are traditional from my childhood others are lovely ideas I've discovered and wanted to implement, such as the Portable North Pole which remains a firm favourite in our house.

• How important is an elaborately decorated house, homemade gifts or food, to my feelings about Christmas?  My mum used to deck the front room out in so many decorations it looked like Santa's grotto.  It looked amazing there was pretty colours everywhere - for me tho I've never felt the need. We have a tree, a few other little decoration like our mini fireplace/ stocking ornament but I don't go overboard.   We love baking around Christmas time tho (well anytime) and I am determined to master gingerbread this year.

• What would my ideal Christmas be like? I'd love to be on holiday, really get away from everything.  But then I'd miss not cooking Christmas dinner and our tree.

I'd love you to answer these questions on your blogs and give me a glimpse into YOUR Christmas.... for now tho I guess I'd better make a start on the living room and put the gammon in the slow cooker for tea (that's another thing, we always have gammon on Christmas day.... but again - that's for another post).