My Inner World

Christmas "Works for me Wednesday"

I *heart* Christmas. I love the sounds, the smells, the anticipation. Plus, it's Munchkin's birthday on the 27th, so that's added an extra sparkle to the season for us. :-)
For me, good preparation goes a long way towards having a nice Christmas. I tend to have all my shopping done by early November. Then, I can just sit back and enjoy the holidays.
The first year we spent Christmas at my MiL, I was stunned by the amount of gifts under the tree. It was like Santa's Grotto in there. I had never seen anything like it. Beautifully wrapped presents everywhere. By the evening, the whole house was covered by scattered pieces of wrapping paper and toys were strewn all about the place. When it was time to go home, most children couldn't even remember which toys were theirs
They had received so many toys, that they couldn't see the forest for the trees. It was a real eye-opener.

This year, we have started a Chris Cringle for the adults as well as the children. Each couple pulls one Child's name out of a hat and only buys for that child and their own children. This way, there's still presents to open together. There's still the "everybody together under the tree" time, but there is no overkill. And, of course, it saves a lot of money in an already expensive time of year.

More tips:

*If you have a paper/cardboard recycling wheelie-bin, make sure you put it out on collection day before Christmas. (We forgot last year!!) You will need the space for the wrapping paper! The plastic "window" on toy boxes are usually only glued in slightly and are easily removed in one smooth motion. The rest of the box can then still go in the recycling bin.

*Keep a pair of scissors handy (out of kiddies' reach, of course) when the kids are opening their presents. The amount of cello-tape and wiring it apparently takes to keep Barbie in place is unbelievable!

*If things need assembling, do it on Christmas Eve. Then throw a blanket over it for Christmas Morning if it's an awkward size/shape to wrap. Your child will be a lot happier with a toy they can play with straight away. And who has time for assembly on Christmas day?

*Buy a stash of different sizes batteries. Lidl do batteries and you can buy different packs for quite a reasonable price. You just know that someone will give a battery operated present, without the batteries....

A Well prepared Christmas - Works for Me!

Looking forward to reading everyone's Christmas WFMW Idea's at Rocks in My Dryer!