Holiday Planning

Now that all the birthdays are done (until next year that is) and Thanksgiving is over, it's time to plan for Winter Solstice. We have some traditions we've created over the years and it's time to start some new ones.

Last year after some discussion on my local homeschooling list about our holiday traditions, I was freed from feeling this ridiculous need to fit it all in on the actual holiday. Over the next few weeks there are some things I hope we get to:

• Holiday cookies
• Winter Solstice Cake or something else to honor the dark of the night
  
• This year I want to make some suet cakes for the birds. In years past we have made pine cone peanut butter bird feeders.
• Make holiday cards for close family and friends. I did a yule tree theme last year, not sure what my inspiration will be this year. I'm leaning toward a snowflake theme.
  
• Decorate the house with snowflakes and wintery things.
• Finish up on holiday gifts. I'm making lots of crocheted items. Jade wants to make fancy soap again so I picked up some more melt and pour glycerin soap and we have plenty of essential oils to add to make them to make the soap smell good.
• Some years we have made our own paper but we might not this year it depends how much of a crafting mood I will be in. I also love it when we have find some vintagey paper at the thrift store.
• This year the kids want a real tree but we have budget concerns so me might not.
• Plan our Winter Solstice meal and breakfast meal. In years past we have done cheese fondue to represent the light and chocolate fondue to represent the dark. Last year we did something different so we might do it different again this year but who knows.
• Inspired by the others traditions, this year I hope to get lots of balloons and blow them up to surprise the kids solstice morning or maybe we'll do it together.
  
• We plan to keep the gift giving for our family to a minimum partly because I want to focus on celebration rather than gifts and we don't have a lot of money for gifts this year.
• Jade wants to leave out sun cookies for the sun. So we will try and make them on the longest night.

As luck has it, Stephen needs to take time off this month or lose his vacation time so we will get to do more of the these things together as a family.

Happy Holidays