Holidays
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Last Minute Ways to Make Christmas Magic
It took me a long time to realize what made Christmas magic in my home growing up. In fact, I don’t know that I really realized exactly what it had been until 2017. And every year, I spend more and more time thinking about why I’m so sentimental about Christmas. I realize now, it didn’t cost a lot and even if you only have a few days before Christmas, anyone can make the kind of magic that makes the holiday season a special time for your children. I only remember a handful of gifts, but the feeling of that childhood Christmas magic will never be lost for me. My mom…
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Solving Family Conflict in a Christ Pleasing Way
Family conflict is especially hurtful. We know the world at large will hurt us, but expect our family to be a safe place. We hope our family loves, respects, values, treasures us. So when family conflict surfaces, we are often surprised and find ourselves deeply wounded. But when we are hurt, we usually don’t respond well. Our first instinct is to get defensive. Our second is to wound back or withdraw. Neither response strikes at the heart of the conflict or reflects Christ. And families often gather at already stressful times: weddings, funerals, holidays. Emotions are already running high. One careless word can ignite a firestorm if we don’t focus…
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The Best Christmas Books You Need in Your Home
These are some of the best Christmas books you need if you love reading with your children. It is one of my favorite times to share with my daughter. I I especially love sitting around the tree with Christmas music softly playing as we read together as a family. One low maintenance tradition we celebrate each Christmas is the 24 books of Christmas. From December 1-24, we open and read together one Christmas or winter book everyday. Wait – I though you said LOW MAINTENANCE?!?! I know 24 books doesn’t SOUND low maintenance, but this really is pretty easy. I buy one fairly large gift bag and a package of…
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Free Yourself from all the Christmas Expectations this Year
Do you need to free yourself from all the Christmas expectations this year? Are you starting to feel like December slides into January in a miserable haze of rushing around and the “not enough” voices echoing in your head? Where does all this pressure come from? Often times, we invite it in! We scan Pinterest for ideas, but end up feeling like our homes are less than. We watch holiday movies with perfect homes and magical decor. And we compare with our friends and family, especially over social media. We end up feeling driven to create the perfect, spectacularly magical Christmas, and bind ourselves to unreasonable Christmas expectations. (Heaven not…
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My Cyber Monday Gift Guide
Cyber Monday is here! This is MY shopping day! You can keep Black Friday and all the bickering crowds and busyness. I want to shop from my couch in my jammies and have Christmas delivered to my house! Whether you’re a homeschooler, grandparent, spouse, or just want a few things for yourself, this list covers it all. (Heaven not Harvard is as a participant in affiliate programs including the Amazon Associates Program. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.) Some of these are not my referral links but are great deals that I have found for my own shopping use today! Mindware is one of my favorite shops for…
