Getting Ready For Christmas in October {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

I'm usually one of those last-minute Christmas people. In part, I think, because the weather in Florida takes so long to catch up with the cooler seasons. It doesn't feel like Christmas until the holiday is literally upon you. And then sometimes (like every 15 years) there will be snow flurries, and other times you're still in a t-shirt.

The mantel at my parent's house last Christmas...:)

But enough excuses. This year at Christmastime, I might be in the hospital having a baby (I'm due on the 29th...1st baby was 3 days early). So I'm going to be a little occupied or I'm still going to be gigantically pregnant. Either way, not quite up to running around to gather last minute supplies/ingredients/gifts related to the holiday.

This will also be our first family Christmas at home, away from family (unless they come to us). A little sad, and a little exciting. If I haven't had the baby yet, I would like to have some sort of Christmas meal planned, although necessity may require it to be simple.

We like to keep our Christmas stress-free and minimalist in general. I love to give away baked goods, and we treasure our few family traditions. Our gifts to family and friends will be primarily homemade/handmade. And the budget is tight. All the more room for creativity and fun, right (if I'm not napping, that is)?

So, back to planning ahead. I printed some nifty Christmas planning sheets from Life...Your Way and am in the process of deciding which handmade gift to make for who, what supplies I need, what I want to cook (and can I freeze it ahead of time?), who to send Christmas cards to, what addresses I need, etc.

Shaa-zam! Somebody pinch me...this must be the pregnancy nesting urge kicking in. :D

Pinterest (are you pinning yet?) is my new Christmas search engine. Here are a few festive things I might try this year:

                                                                                                                 

Source: wohnidee.wunderweib.de via Alicia's Homemaking on Pinterest

I love candles in the wintertime! They are particularly cheap at the Dollar Store.

                                                                                     Source: prudentbaby.com via Alicia's Homemaking on Pinterest

A Salt dough ornament may work perfectly for our family ornament this year. :) Remember the handprint snowman ornaments we made last year?

                                                                                         Source: tidymom.net via Alicia's Homemaking on Pinterest

I've been wanting to make peppermint bark for awhile now...sounds scrumptious.

            

                                                                                            Source: christmas.yourway.net via Alicia's on Pinterest

Homemade hot cocoa mix sounds like a fun gift for the neighbors!

                                                                                 Source: danielleburkleo.com via Alicia's on Pinterest

I would be very proud of myself if I managed to make a wreath that looked this cute.

                                                      Source: fromthetortoiseandthehare.blogspot.com via Alicia's Homemaking on Pinterest

In our 700 sq. ft. apartment, I have very little room for Christmas decorating. But these cute winter wonderland jars might find their way onto the coveted space on our one kitchen shelf...

Here's to a festive holiday season full of sweet memories, a huge stomach (because of the baby, ya'll, not the goodies), dear friends, and, of course, the proper amount of food. May there be lots of last minute spontaneity and very little last minute scrambling....
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It's Thursday, so link up your recent adventures below! The rules are simple: link up your blog post, link back to Alicia's Homemaking, and then leave an encouraging comment or two on someone else's post!

Getting Ready For Christmas in October {Try New Adventures Thursday!}