I’ve got a little gift for you.
Something to give you a little hope that cozy conditions are coming.
It was a long, hot summer here in Austin, Texas, which has been followed by a hot fall. We’ve barely dipped below temperatures in the 90s for most of the time.
But, if the weather forecasts can be trusted, we might have some 60 degree days headed our way. Which calls for celebration. And a free gift. And candy corn.
Because…candy corn.
This post is sponsored by Compassion International.
Now, maybe you live in a place that has already been throwing you a proper fall. One that already has you busting out the flannel. One in which the trees in your neighborhood are fully cooperating in leaves changing color and streets being carpeted with falling foliage. If so, good. Great. I’ll try not to let my jealousy and envy overcome my goodwill.
If that’s the weather condition of your region, then relish that meteorological reinforcement of the holidays to come. Or, if you’re living practically subtropic like I am, then just know, just believe me, when I say that the galloping hooves of Thanksgiving and Christmas are catching speed and will be upon us before we know it.
I keep a running list on my Google Calendar in ‘reminders’ of gagillions of little tasks that need to get accomplished and crossed off the list. And there, sitting in today’s ‘reminders’, is the line item to get my Christmas card designed and sent to the printer. Now, hear me sister, there are plenty, PLENTY, of things that won’t happen for the upcoming holidays until the day of. That’s just the way it is. But those legacy things that we’ve made part of our holiday grind, like the ubiquitous Christmas card, well, that’s something that doesn’t get to sneak up on me anymore.
I see you, Christmas card. I’m know you’re coming for me. I’m ready.
It’s one of the things I’ve learned to streamline through the years. I keep a running spreadsheet of addresses on Google Sheets that I update throughout the year. When card time comes, I can print envelopes off of that spreadsheet, enlist some of my kids who claim to like the taste of envelope glue, bust out those family picture Christmas cards I sent off to the printer in October, ply said kids with promises of hot chocolate, and BAM…we’ve got our own elf workshop ready to go with Christmas mail cheer.
Thanksgiving shopping and prep is another one of those things that for years I allowed to ambush me in the waning daylight. While it’s one of my favorite holidays, it would sneak into my radar and begin demanding that I find all those obscure recipes I hadn’t used since last year. It would require ingredients that I don’t keep in the pantry on the reg (looking at you, French’s Crispy Fried Onions), and would leave me in a sweaty pile of trashed kitchen and panicked last-minute grocery runs.
No more.
That’s where the gift part comes in for you.
I’ve put together my Thanksgiving recipe and shopping guide for you. I use it every year to get all my groceries in one swoop, and to cook and prep ahead in the week before the big Turkey Day. Understand, it’s not because I’m some bastion of organization~this came about out of the desire for sheer survival.
And now, I share it with you, a survivalist’s field guide, if you will, for navigating the wilds of holiday prep. You can click here to put your email in the hat, go to your inbox and confirm that, yes, you do indeed want to receive my Thanksgiving prep guide, and boom, it’s all yours.
The more things I can ‘automate’ as we get ready to celebrate, the better.
Automate leaves more time to celebrate.
Mom math.
And that goes for another good thing as well.
It couldn’t be simpler to sponsor a child in need through Compassion International. It will take you just a couple of minutes to sign up, and every month, for just a little over a dollar a day, you’ll be taking care of the medical, nutritional, educational, and spiritual needs for a child in poverty. It’s a heartfelt and automated way to make a difference~how often do you get that kind of dynamic combo?
So whatever the weather is throwing at you this fall, just know that Thanksgiving is coming. Do yourself a favor and download my Thanksgiving shopping and prep guide. And while you’re at it, do your heart a big favor as well and click here to share some of that Thanksgiving bounty to a child in need.
It all makes for a simpler holiday season in which you’ve accomplished all the things you’ve been aiming for, making family the priority, and serving those in need.
