Christmas really can be ....

 After our neighborhood Christmas party last night, there's a little housekeeping to be done. So in the spirit of "cleaning up loose ends," let me first take care of some blog housekeeping. The winner of the giveaway of Cindy Easley's book is Warren B.  Congratulations, and please email me your mailing address by Friday.

And as for our party last night ... I gave in and made cream puffs. :) They are CHEAP to make, really not hard, and add something so pretty to the table. LOOK!

As for my garland that only cost me $1 for the rope as the base, here it is! I used rosemary and 2 kinds of evergreen from our yard, holly, magnolia leaves, and lots of wire. :)

So for the next 3 weeks, can we talk about how to make sure this Christmas season is Festive, Significant, and Peaceful? I made the mistake of walking into a store last week without having my holy holiday armor on, and I barely made it out without having a panic attack.  I didn't even know about ALL THAT STUFF that I don't have!!!!!! :)  And you know what?  I don't need most it (except for that awesome spatula), and neither do the people on my gift list. (Sorry loved ones).  We can have a Christmas that is Festive, Significant, and Peaceful without being swept away by the world's way of celebrating. I hope you'll join me to reflect and to stay grounded. 


Tomorrow?  The first of 3 keys to having a Christmas that is truly FESTIVE. I'm looking forward to sitting down with a leftover cream puff to tell you all about it. ;)