Pre-Thanksgiving Sunday

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

- Do you need to go grocery shopping before Thanksgiving? Grocery stores are going to be very crowded today though. Still, better than waiting until Wednesday afternoon or evening!

- 6 weeks til Christmas! 3 weeks til Chanukah! How is your gift shopping and wrapping going?

- Finish laundry so it's done for the week by tonight

- What are you wearing on Thanksgiving? Do you need to take an outfit to the dry cleaners? What shoes will you wear - are they clean? Do you have the right stockings or pantyhose? I like to dress up on Thanksgiving, especially if I am a guest at someone else's home.

- Clean your dryer vent, if needed.

TODAY'S PROJECT: Thanksgiving Preparation and Provisioning

Depending on what you're doing for Thanksgiving (traveling a long distance to someone's house; hosting dinner yourself; going to a nearby friend or family member's house; or enjoying a quiet evening home by yourself or with just a couple friends) you have some projects to do before Thursday is here.

If you're traveling a long distance, you might want to pack your suitcases now, plan snacks and activities for your children, get your hostess gift ready, call your petsitter, locate your travel documents, and phone your hostess to confirm. Don't forget to pack your camera and charger or batteries for it, and don't forget a cell phone charger too! Thank-you card addressed and stamped (so you can mail it when you get home after your trip?)

If you're going to someone's house nearby, you need to figure out what you're wearing, buy and prepare the dish you're bringing, and figure out your hostess gift. Have you RSVPed to your host's invitation? Prepared a thank-you note? Planned what you are going to do with your blessedly travel-free extra days off of work?

If you're hosting, you probably have a lot of cleaning and grocery shopping to do. Guest room ready for overnight guests (or people who had a bit too much Thanksgiving wine?) Do you have plastic containers to send leftovers home in? Dining table ready to go? Fridge cleaned out to make room for the groceries you'll shop for this week?

LOVELY MOVIES: Old Dogs

Old Dogs Trailer, at Apple

Old Dogs (Official)

Ready for the Weekend

Ghiradelli Chocolate "Jingle Bell" gift box, great gift for dads, grandparents, stepparents or office mates

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

- Fill up with gas for the weekend if needed

- Tidy up for the weekend - Vacuum all rooms, clear off dining table, empty/refill dishwasher, wipe down kitchen sink and counters, freshen bathrooms

- Make dinner plans for this evening, whether or not you are staying in or going out. Is there a friend or relative living nearby who you haven't seen in a while? Think about giving them a short notice phone call to invite them to join you in your plans this evening.

- Spritz your home with your favorite holiday-scented home spray (but don't overdo it!)

TODAY'S PROJECT: Fun!

My office is clean, my bedroom is tidy, my kitchen is clean, and my laundry is done. So I think I deserve some fun tonight! Dinner and a movie out! Hope you are able to have fun too.

Gift Wrapping Time Comes Around Again

Alphonse Mucha wrapping paper, on eBay

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

- Need to declutter and clean out your car next time you sit in it waiting for someone? Do you need to restock things you might keep in your car like Kleenex, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, a cell phone charger, mints, lipstick, and hand lotion?

- Are you mailing out Thanksgiving cards? Do you have time to write a few Christmas or holiday cards?

- Have you eaten fresh fruit in the last two days? An apple, banana, strawberries, melon?

- Hanukkah is a month and a day away; Christmas Eve is in a month and four days. How are your preparations for your holiday coming along?

TODAY'S PROJECT: Drawer Sorting and Gift Wrapping

Tonight I'm sorting drawers in our three bathrooms. I did my own drawers a month ago, but one of them needs it again already. I got lax in maintaining the order I'd organized in there!

I'll remove everything from the drawers, dust them, and create a few Ziplock bags to keep things together (razors; nail polishes; nail clippers; cotton pads; hair clips; hair ties; barrettes, etc.)

I'm also wrapping gifts tonight, while I watch some shows I saved up on my Tivo. I'll label the gifts carefully so I know who to mail them to or which gift pile to put them in in my home. I'm currently storing the wrapped gifts in a Sterilite bin in my guest room - this protects them from the cats, who like to chew on the corners of important or expensive looking items.

I also have a couple "Thinking of you" gifts to mail out to people I know who are going through hard times right now. They need these right now, before Christmas, I think.

I'm looking forward to adding those special touches to my gift wrap to make my inexpensive gifts more fun to open. I'm adding some sequins and sparkles to some of the gifts, and gluing some fake Swarovski crystals onto some of the ribbons I'm tying around the gifts.

More Holiday Simplicity Thoughts

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

- Have you gotten your flu shot for this year yet? How about your family members?

- Do you take your children for Santa pics? If so, have you made time/plans/budget to do so?

- Since we're spending time in the home office this week, how are your supplies of printer paper, ink, tape, stamps, and other office supplies? Need to add anything to your shopping list?

- Kitchen maintenance - Wipe down front of all cupboards and appliances. If needed, remove items from counters, clean counters, then replace items.

- Is your diary or journal up to date? It's the middle of the month. Did anything happen this month so far you want to document to read back on in the future? Before things get busy with Thanksgiving?

TODAY'S PROJECT: Home Office Organization part 2

I'm continuing to sort and clean my home office. Since I work at home, this room is a big (and messy) part of my daily life. I have two bookcases to sort, and an enormous Sterilite tub of miscellaneous greeting cards I need to sort and list on eBay. I also have a filing cabinet I need to check over - is anything out of date or unneeded enough to send to my shredder (the fireplace)?

Is your workspace where you pay bills and do paperwork clean and tidy? Can you find things when you need them? Do you have scissors, tape, pens, and notepaper easily ready for you? Do you have a phone nearby? If so, does it need to be cleaned off, wiped down of makeup and fingerprints? Have you cleaned germs off your computer keyboard recently?

LOVELY HOLIDAYS: More Christmas Simplicity

Do your holiday preparations take over and become all-consuming? In the next few weeks, will your life become all about holiday planning, cleaning, freaking out, running to the mall to shop, stressing about cooking, etc?

Holidays are wonderful, and it's ok to be excited and anticipate them. But only if we don't make ourselves (and our families) crazy with the preparations. We shouldn't ignore the other important parts of our life: friends and family, because we're so busy getting ready for the holidays. What are we getting ready for the holidays for, after all? To spend time with friends and family.

If you are stressed out because you are doing too much - throwing too many parties, taking kids to too-many over scheduled after school activities, taking on too many take-home extra work projects, etc. ask yourself why you are doing all this? Where do your expectations come from? Who tells you to do all these things? Spend some soul-searching time to see what the cause of your stress is, and figure out a way to deschedule your life. Cancel events, do without some homemade baked goods, throw one less party, insist on more family at-home nights if that helps you.

Carve time out of your life for things that are important, and cancel things that aren't. Tonight I am spending time with friends at dinner (giving up TV time) and proud of myself for making the time to do so.

Being "busy" is not a race or a competition. I am striving for a good balance between being the least busy person I know (I'd feel lazy or unsociable) and the most busy. Busy enough to be involved, giving back, being productive and having an interesting life surrounded by good people. But not so busy I am stressed or can't find time to share with loved ones.

I've strengthened my resolve to consciously try to have a simpler Christmas. What traditions do I want to keep, and which ones can I let slide, or do in simpler, less grandiose ways?

Food: For me, the big Christmas meal is not really all that different than Thanksgiving. Turkey/Tofurkey for the meat eaters and vegetarians (none of our friends or family eat ham or pork), mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and a couple veggie side dishes. One simple dessert (a cake or even pumpkin pie I can bake the night before) should do it. You don't have to have ten kinds of homebaked Christmas cookies around the house.

I do however refuse to take timesaving measures such as buying refrigerated presliced cookies. One of my holiday traditions is to bake cookies with children, and I intend to spend time doing so this year again, as soon as I figure out which children I can borrow to do this fun event with! (Meanwhile their moms can enjoy going Christmas shopping without them for a couple hours).

Decorations: My Christmas lights take more than a whole afternoon to put up, but I do it with the help of some cousins. We make a special fun time of it, and have a nice meal afterwards. The tree will take an hour to buy at a nearby farm and set up. Decorating it will only take one pleasant evening - another opportunity to spend fun time with friends or family, as I always invite people to join me for the decorating.

I won't spend more than a couple hours decorating the rest of the house - a few candles here, garlands there, but not so much I get stressed about the time it takes.

Gifts: One inexpensive gift per person, and I'm already almost done Christmas shopping because I started so early in the year.

Activities: I'm going to carefully pick and choose which activities I get involved in. Sure, I love everything about the holidays. But to keep myself sane, I'll carefully book in a minimum of two "at home" evenings by myself each week. Activities I will pick and choose between include caroling, throwing cocktail parties, attending cocktail parties, movies, theater, shopping, dinners out, gingerbread house making, baking, Christmas card sending, newsletter writing, gift wrapping, game night, karaoke night, a long evening spent reading a book, driving around to look at Christmas lights, babysitting kids so their parents can go shopping, white elephant parties, and Christmas stocking opening.

One of the recent joys in my life is I finally have enough family in my own town so that I am able to stay home for Christmas and not travel. (Maybe every couple years or so I'll visit relatives in a snowy city a few hours drive away, but not right now). Right now that sounds like the loveliest, most simplistic, stress-free Christmas of all: Home.

Holiday Simplicity

Because this blog often features shopping related info, images of material goods I'm enjoying in my own home, and excitement about new products, I hesitate to spend too much time talking about frugality. There are enough blogs on the net talking about money saving tips and budgeting; Lovely Living has a different focus.

But I appreciate the idea of a simpler, less hectic Christmas. (And frugality is important right now with our troubled economy). That's part of why I begin my Christmas shopping early in the year, and finish by December 1st whenever possible.
I shop for fewer items, make more careful decisions about the ones I am going to buy, and spend less time shopping and more time with family.

You can simplify Christmas, and yet still enjoy shopping, just by cutting down on the amount of gifts you purchase. I love shopping but I don't feel the need to buy a gift for everyone I know. I love giving gifts, but almost everyone on my list is only getting one item. I will buy just one small gift and book each for my niece and nephews who live two hours away, and one book for a friend's child in New York.

I definitely will find two or three nice things for young cousins who live closer. I just know them better and it's hard to pass up cute things I see that I know they will like.

No Need to Buy More Decorations

I've come to realize that there is very little I need to buy for my own home for Christmas. Probably nothing other than a fresh live tree. I already have more ornaments than I have space to fit on the tree. I already have more than enough wrapping paper and beautiful ribbons to wrap the few gifts I'll purchase. I already have stockings for my household members, and I don't need fancy mantel stocking holders. I don't need Christmas-themed kitchen towels, placemats or tablecloths, which I have plenty of. I already have Christmas dishes, which I have to store in the garage because I don't have room for them in the house. I have a wreath for my front door, and tons of Christmas lights for outside.

Sounds like I don't have room (or need) in my life for any more holiday decoration supplies. At least not until I give some away, throw some away or recycle them, or trade them with a friend.

So this year the only things I should be buying for the holidays are gifts, food and beverages.

I'll be frugal with my time and activities too. I want to emphasize time with family - even if it's just something dorky like making popcorn and hot cocoa and settling in to watch "Rudolph." Or playing board games all night. Rather than running around going to endless parties (though parties are extremely fun!) or driving myself (and family) crazy by throwing too many parties, I'll budget my time carefully.

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

- Recycle old newspapers, catalogs and magazines. Any newspaper that's more than a week old, throw out mercilessly. Don't be one of those people who accumulate a huge stack of newspapers thinking they'll get around to reading them. Buh-bye. And instead of keeping an entire catalog so you remember a gift you saw for someone, pull out that page instead, then recycle the rest of the catalog.

- If you're going to any plays, operas, ballets, or concerts this season, do you have tickets yet?

- Check over your Christmas gift list you keep in your purse or in your cellphone. (If you don't keep a list with you when you're out and about, I highly recommend this technique). Cross out anything you've bought, add any new ideas you've had.

- Need to stock up on gift wrap tape or packaging tape?

- Exercise for at least twenty minutes.

TODAY'S PROJECT: Home Office Organization, part 1

Today I am going to clean and organize my home office (You might have a similar computer room, breakfast nook table or desk. Depending on your situation this will be a huge or small project, should you choose to take it on).

Because I run a home business, and especially because this is my busiest time of year, my office is a huge ongoing organization struggle.

Clean off your desk, and dust thoroughly. Clean your keyboard, mouse and monitor (I don't use anything fancy, just Windex sprayed onto the cloth, never directly onto the monitor, and Windex on Qtips for the keyboard).

Empty desk drawers and sort what's in them, throwing or giving away as much as possible. Organize your computer CDs and software collection. If you can get yourself to throw away the pretty-looking boxes that computer games come in, you'll open up a lot of space and get rid of lots of clutter.

Organize your pens, paper, notepads, staples, and other office supplies. Pay attention to how many pens you already own - I bet most of us truly never need to buy another pen for the next five years. Test each pen and throw out any that don't write. Make sure you can find tape, scissors, a calculator, a postage scale, stamps, and a stapler when you need one.

Clean your office chair and Febreze it or use leather wipes if applicable. Vacuum, mop or sweep the room depending on what type of flooring you have. Sort and clean any bookcases you have in your office. Replace items on top of your desk, but try to keep the clutter down.

We'll continue the home office organizing project tomorrow for those of us (Raising my hand now) who have a VERY messy office.

LOVELY SHOPPING TIPS: Safe and Easy Gifts for People You Don't Know Well

Replica edition of Betty Crocker's Easy Entertaining, at Amazon

Safe and Easy Gifts

When in doubt about what to buy for someone you don't know well, buy a safe, easy gift.

Things like calendars, blank journals, books, and pretty but unscented candles are more likely to please someone than a particular item of clothing, perfume, or jewelry. Those types of items are really hard to gauge, especially when purchasing for someone you aren't very close to.

You could keep two brand new generic pairs of soft warm inexpensive gloves from Target - one set masculine and the other feminine. But I imagine going to someone else's family Christmas and receiving gloves (however colorful and soft and warm) would be sort of boring.

Even food can be risky, since you don't know the person's likes and dislikes or allergies.

A lot of people give an empty frame as a gift, but I find it too hard to choose which frame might be aesthetically pleasing to someone. Wood? Metal? Embroidered? Silk?

If you select carefully, "safe gifts" won't offend, cost much, or be inappropriate. A carefully selected book is probably a safer bet than a carefully selected music CD. When buying for someone you don't know well, a candle should be unscented. The person might be sensitive to fragrances, or you might pick a fragrance they really don't enjoy.

Buying a calendar? Try to buy a generically pleasing one. If you're not sure what style of art a person enjoys, don't buy them that Salvador Dali or Picasso calendar. Get a beautiful one of wildflowers or scenic landscape instead. Maybe that's too boring though. Try to avoid specialty-interest calendars like dolphins, dogs, cats, trains, or calendars based on specific movies or TV shows unless you're positive the person likes the show, movie, or animal in question. A calendar with views of a famous city might work - Paris, London or Venice. I give wall calendars instead of desk or tear-off calendars. They look nicer wrapped - they're larger and look like a better present, although the two kinds of calendars cost the same. To people who I suspect might enjoy writing, I like to give the kinds of desk calendars you can write in.

If the person lives nearby and doesn't have to travel on an airplane or road trip to get back home, buy a nice houseplant. Be careful to avoid poisonous plants and flowers with a scent (again, what if the person has allergies?) Wreaths for the door can be nice too.

One of my favorite safe gifts to give is a nice Christmas tree ornament. (Obviously check first to see if your recipient is Jewish or Muslim and won't be putting up a tree). I wouldn't really give any ornaments from Target, Sears or other inexpensive places. I'd put those on my own tree (they're pretty and stylish) but you run the risk of the person recognizing the ornament from Target and knowing you only spent $2.50 on the gift. Instead, I give ornaments from Pier 1 Imports or Crate and Barrel - you can find gorgeous ones for around $6 or $8. Of course, pay attention to detail and don't give anything that might offend. (That topless mermaid ornament is dazzling but might not be appropriate). For a business associate or client, a more expensive ornament from Macy's or Nordstrom might be a better idea.

Avoid sexual humor, or anything political or religious.

I like giving tea or coffee - almost everybody drinks one, the other or both, and your recipient can easily give your gift away if they don't like that particular flavor of tea or coffee.

Holiday Letter-Writing on Monday

Ghiradelli Milk Chocolate Fall Leaves, a lovely hostess gift for Thanksgiving, available at Amazon

QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:

- Make menu plans for the week; write grocery list. Did anything get used up over the weekend? Toilet paper, Kleenex, plastic wrap, medicines, paper towels, laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent?

- Need to add rock salt or driveway de-icer to your shopping list? We had our first sprinkling of snow here, so I'm stocking up on those supplies. I don't want to be stuck unable to get out of my iced-over driveway this year!

- Do you need to get snow tires put on your car?

- Check your humidifier filter - does it need to be replaced? Need water in your humidifier?

- Has your heater/furnace been inspected this year for filter replacement, efficiency and safety issues?

- Maintenance cleaning - Wipe down all mirrors in the house.

- 6 weeks til Christmas! 3 weeks til Chanukah! How is your gift shopping and wrapping going?

- Finish laundry so it's done for the week by tonight, if needed

- What are you wearing on Thanksgiving? Do you need to take an outfit to the dry cleaners? What shoes will you wear; are they clean? Do you have the right stockings or pantyhose? I like to dress up on Thanksgiving, especially if I am a guest at someone else's home.

- Clean your dryer vent, if needed.

My holiday cards this year, a William Arthur design

TODAY'S PROJECT: Holiday Cards and Newsletter

It's time to start writing our holiday cards! If you can write even three a night, you'll probably be done by December first (depending on how many you send out). With the post office as bogged down as it gets in December, it's always a good idea to mail holiday cards early.

I find that if I address and stamp my cards all at the same time, I have an easier time forcing myself to sit down and write a few. It really helps to put something silly or fun on the Tivo to listen to while I write: old Frasier or Will & Grace re-runs, for example, or repeats from the first seasons of Sex and the City or Desperate Housewives. Or of course you can put on a classic holiday movie to get yourself into the holiday spirit while writing your cards.

I don't like to just sign my name or drop in a printout Christmas newsletter; I like to write several personal sentences or even paragraphs to each person. It's quite time consuming, but for many of these people it's the only letter they'll get from me this year.

Don't forget to make yourself hot cocoa or hot tea while you go about your writing! Perhaps later a nip of ruby port or sherry as the night grows colder?

Besides relatives and friends, do you have time to send cards to soldiers stationed far from home? I find an address at AnySoldier.com and send several letters to each contact. They share them out with other soldiers in their troop who haven't gotten much mail from home. In case the troop has some Jewish people, atheists or other non-Christian people, I try to include a few "Season's Greetings" cards that aren't Christmasy, too.

Newsletter:

If you're writing a holiday newsletter, it might be a good idea to write it now. Then set it aside for a couple days, and read it over again before sending it. Be sure everything you've said about someone else is positive - I'm thinking of a great-uncle who was known for writing horrible things like "Too bad my daughter in law didn't lose any weight this year", etc. Brag about your kids, sure, but be sure to mention something fun you yourself have done this year, or something you are proud of yourself for.

Add a few color pictures to the newsletter if you can - people will love to see a nice cheerful picture of you. And if you have kids, definitely include lots of current pictures of them.

LOVELY BLOGS: Trouvais

This is a home decor/design blog with interesting finds of French and 18th century inspired items. Recent posts include a swan bed sculpture, Bella Notte linens, decor finds at a salvage company, French dishes and linens, and more. The pictures here are very large, but also very lovely.

http://trouvais.com/

LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:

The Perfect Thanksgiving, at Williams-Sonoma

Setting the Scene at Thanksgiving (Williams-Sonoma)

Thanksgiving HQ (Epicurious)