Holiday Prep Week 5

that's halfway, baby!

We are halfway through, can you believe it??

If you think the time is flying now, just wait a few weeks and you’ll be patting yourself on the back for getting all these to do’s crossed off your list early!

This is the time to take a look at the list of remaining friends and family you’re shopping for, split the list into chunks of four, and assign one group to each remaining week. It’s time to knock the shopping out so we can get onto the fun things!

This week we’re making plans around what to gift the friends and loved ones who might not be on our main shopping list, but we want to show some love to. I’m talking neighbors, favorite delivery drivers, girls group friends, etc.

Second, we’re ordering the holiday pajamas this week. They’re all out in stores and online already, so try to get past the fact that it’s still October and cross an easy item off your list.

First, pajamas.

I love holiday pajamas because they’re a low effort, high happiness return sort of holiday staple. Everything is cuter and more fun in holiday pajamas and it just really signals the arrival of the season.

We gift holiday pajamas on Christmas Eve, something my mom always did. I buy the girls one size larger than normal so they can wear them during November and December of the following year when we do our cookie baking and movie marathon-ing, then they get a new pair on Christmas Eve, and we repeat.

We don’t do fam jams because, to be honest, Ryan will never wear them another time after the photo is snapped and I just don’t want to waste the money on that!

I invested in some amazing pjs from Lake last year in a classic red stripe and I plan to wear them for the next few years. I highly recommend them, they’re the softest pajamas in my drawer and they wash beautifully.

For the girls, I did a traditional tartan from Gap. Olivia’s in women’s sizing now so shopping matching family pjs makes my life a lot easier and allows me to get different styles for each of them that they’ll actually want to wear.

Olivia is a little too cool for matching pajama sets right now but loves a slouchy pj pant. So a waffle top and pants for her, and then the sweetest matching set for Isabel. Don’t overthink the pjs, just cross ‘em off.

Here are some other sets that caught my eye.

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Onto treats for friends, then.

This is a great time to give a food related gift and turn the making of them into a holiday activity for you and your family. I like to give these the week before, so go ahead and turn to your planner or open your phone calendar and plug this into the week of the 15th.

I’m going to make the treats with my girls on Thursday the 18th, their first day of vacation, and give them out on Friday the 19th. Since we’re planning for this now, we can decide on the treat early, make the shopping list, and have it all waiting for you in your planner that week. You’ll already have your gift shopping done and all the major pieces settled so you can turn on a holiday movie or playlist and really enjoy this with your family.

Personally, I’ve foundd that so much of the holiday stress comes down to the sheer volume of choices we have to make, so I really try not to hem and haw about which treat, I just make a choice and go forward - it’s the thought that counts, remember? This is not a high stakes decision (same with pajamas) so don’t agonize over it.

I love a delicious holiday scent, so the girls and I are going to assemble these simmer pot ingredients.

This iteration is from Clean Eats Clean Treats and here’s her recipe:

Ingredients

Produce

• • 1 cup Cranberries, fresh

• • 2 sprigs Rosemary

Baking & Spices

• • 3 Cinnamon sticks

• • 3 tsp Cloves, whole

• • 2 tsp Nutmeg, ground

• • 3 Star anise

Other

• • 2 Naval oranges

I do think they look adorable in the pastry bags, but want to take it up a notch with some really cute packaging. I ordered these little gingerbread boxes to put our Christmas scented sachets in and they are *adorable*. I’ll make and print a little instructional tag to include in the box and just put the ingredients in a sealed bag inside the boxes. Done and easy!

Now, I just ask my friends and neighbors, please act surprised?