5 Ways To Celebrate Christmas For Free (or on the Cheap!)

Hi sweet friends. As I take some time with my new baby love, I will be sharing some posts from esteemed and treasured blogging + entrepreneur friends. Today I'm excited to introduce you to my friend Jessica Huffman, certified StrengthsFinder life coach, personal stylist and most importantly - mama, sister and friend! She's here to share some super clever ideas for how to celebrate Christmas without inflating the budget.


It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

That memorable classic serenades you in stores, shopping malls, and on the radio as the details of your to-do list pile up in your head. If you’re a mom, the tantalizing thoughts of parties, delicious food, and family tradition can easily be overshadowed by what it takes to obtain those “Instagram worthy" moments. In the motherhood hustle, it’s all too easy to forget to stop, breathe, and be present. If you haven’t given yourself permission yet, consider this blog your first form of encouragement to “lower the bar” on experiencing the holiday season with your loved ones. Say no to the next kids’ holiday party (you’ve attended 25 already), hit “decline” on that Ugly Sweater Facebook invite your cousin throws (it has terrible food anyway), and throw off the constraints of “have-to” demands in favor of the “get-to” moments you can savor with your family during Christmas. Most of the best ones are usually free, too!

Now look, if you are wanting perfection this holiday season then keep looking for some other airbrushed and poised mom and her kids, because this girl ain’t that! I’m real, honest, and on a mission to live my best life now; even embracing the terrible (my word of the year!) moments along the way. If you are like me (I’m not so secretly hoping you are… flawlessly popping another M&M in our mouths while we compare ourselves to strangers on the internet) then this season is about memories and experiences that will create fond memories of our family for years. Instead of chaos, opt for creativity; instead of maxing out credit cards, aim for simplicity and engagement. You might just find that it is TRULY the most wonderful time of the year! Below are my Five Ways to Celebrate The Holidays for Free (or almost free)!

1. Christmas Scavenger Hunt.
Do you like riddles? Then you can create your own “Christmas Scavenger Hunt.” If not, you can find a variety of great riddles very easily on Pinterest. What to do: Start the evening with dinner. After dinner organize the group into pairs (try and pair a child with an adult). Give each pair the list of riddles that, when solved, identify an item for them to take a picture or video of. Load everyone up in the cars and take them to an outdoor/indoor mall, local hotspot, or even a large department store that has a variety of Christmas themed items and people (Santa, Elves, Live Nativity Scene, etc.). Whoever finishes the list first must rush to get it back to a pre-determined spot and can be declared the winner, with total bragging rights (you guessed it…I am a terrible loser!) After everyone returns, celebrate with either hot chocolate or a dessert! This game is perfect for team work, cultivating healthy competition, and can be educational depending on what you learn from each riddle and clue.

2. Christmas Home Spa.
At the end of the day, make a mock schedule for the “(FAMILY NAME) SPA.” Set aside 30 minute increments for each child. Let them know that they have 5 minutes to prep for the spa in one of your bathrooms that has a bathtub. Run some water, grab bubbles, bath bombs, oils or any special bath toys (depending on age). Lower the lights, and then have each child request their favorite holiday movie on Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. Set up a laptop or iPad on an end table close to the tub but far enough away that it can’t be harmed by playful splashes. When your child arrives for their spa time, hand them a cup of hot chocolate, ask them to get in the spa and then press play on their holiday movie. Of course safety is key so, as the parent, determine the level of safety each child needs in a bath full of water. If you need to stay close, this might be the perfect opportunity to sit nearby on the floor, fold laundry, and watch your child become a diva in training.

3. Christmas “Tour De Subdivision”.
Often times, the most wonderful memories are the traditional ones that have a unique spin. When I was a child we would go look at lights in the surrounding neighborhoods. As I grew older, the family ventured out into other towns. Today, my family carries on this tradition with some added elements. The trick to this is introducing an element of surprise. For example, on an evening when your kids least expect it, have them prepare for bed in their warm pajamas. Just before bed announce that, instead of the same old routine, the family is going to have a Christmas surprise! Pile everyone up in the car with plenty of blankets, roll down the windows, and make your first stop any place that serves ice cream. Crank the holiday music as the kids enjoy their late night treat and slowly drive through your local subdivisions ohhhh-ing and ahhhh-ing at the lights. Make sure you turn off your headlights (if you can) for an even more dramatic impact. Don’t forget that this can be either long or short depending on the ages of your kid’s. As you gaze at the lights ask your kids questions. For example:

1. Which type of lights do you love the most - icicle, colored, white, blinking, etc.

2. Which one was your favorite home (of lights) and why?

4. Twelve Days of Christmas - Book Edition.
Create a simple calendar system for the 12 days leading up to Christmas. Let the kids know you will be reading a holiday book of their choice each night together prior to bed (or when it works best for the family). Visit your local library and have each child pick out the books that are geared towards the Christmas season. On your return home, place each child’s name and book in the schedule day. Once you have your pre-determined time each day, let each child know it’s his/her day to pick their books and favorite spot to read. Make sure that the family knows this is done together each day so there’s no options or excuses not to sit and enjoy the book of choice.

5. Hot Chocolate Tasting!
This might not be free, but it is still cost effective and super engaging. It can be a good choice for a large family or even a friends/family outing. Set aside at least a three hour window of time on a predetermined a day. Select a driving route that takes you to at least three places that sell hot chocolate. Create a “Hot Chocolate” evaluation form where the name, location, and type of hot chocolate can we written down. Include a list of numbers to rate taste, creaminess, whip cream, etc. At each stop, ask for the small or kids size hot chocolate and then remind everyone to sip slowly (almost like wine, but that would be encouraging drinking and that’s not what this blog is about) and then talk about and write down how much they like/dislike it and why. Proceed on to the next location instructing everyone to do the same thing for each stop. At the last location, ask them to either choose their top pick for hot chocolate or decide together on a team “winner!”


A little more about Jessica:
I'm a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, grace dweller, burrito lover, Netflix watcher, coffee consumer, and style obsessor. After 15 years in the non-profit arena, life choices thrusted me in to what felt like a mid-life crisis to what became an adventurous journey of answering the question, “What Now”? Traveling to DC to get my StrengthsFinder certification from Gallup, and attempting the Personal Stylist/Branding program with Sterling Style Academy, my struggle became my passion, and with this new venture, will become my purpose: helping others discover a life and work they love!


I hope you enjoyed Jessica's savvy holiday hacks and make sure to visit her site and give a shout out on her instagram!

How Do You Budget for the Holidays?

There is so much around the web this time of year addressing gift guides and spending and consumption, but very little about how to responsibly prepare for the holiday spending. I am so interested in getting better at budgeting and being a good steward of what I have, so I wrote this post partly to share what I've learned, and in hopes that you all have some great tips to share in the comments section, too!

The holidays can be a tricky time. So much life, fun, love and energy. So much family time. So many shared meals, gatherings of friends, decking of the halls, sparkling of beverages and opening of gifts. But all the celebrating can be hard on the budget. I've spent many years trying to figure out how to best manage our finances when it comes to the holidays, because in our own family (extended - on my side and Stevie's side), we have over a dozen birthdays during the holiday months. Which makes for even more celebrating - and even more spending. Being a person that really values gift giving and selfishly enjoys giving presents, I never want to skimp on gift season. I just want to figure out how to get the most bang for my buck and also give really special, quality, meaningful and unique presents to my people. It's so so SO much fun when you give your loved one something they really wanted - or even better, something that had never crossed their mind, but that they adore. I just love those moments, the glow of excitement in their eyes. I've included below 5 budget tips that I follow every year for holiday spending.

1. Create a Budget.
If you don't already follow a budget for your normal spending, I would highly recommend creating one, at least for the holiday season. It's so easy to get out of control with spending, with out necessarily feeling out of control! Stevie and I have followed a budget for years, though it has changed significantly based on our season of life (one or both of us has been a student for 7 out of the 9 years we've been married - school has a way of keeping the budget tight!) We used excel spreadsheets to keep track of our budget for many years, then we transitioned over to Mint.com and used that tool for a while. Last year we took the Dave Ramsey course Financial Peace University and switched our budget over to using an app called You Need a Budget (or YNAB, as we call it). We have continued to hone in on our budget over the past year, identifying our areas of spending and setting reasonable expectations for how we plan to spend. For the holidays in particular, this has been super helpful, because it takes a good bit of foresight to prepare in advanced for the extra expenses!

2. Make a detailed gift list and estimate your spending.
I create a separate holiday budget every year in Google Drive, using the spreadsheets tab. I can go back and look at the previous years and the record of how I spent, what I spent, and where I spent. It's super helpful to look back on the previous year and use that to guide the budget for the new year. Then I write a list of all the people I buy for - immediate family, extended family, friends, neighbors, bosses, teachers - everyone that we plan to give to. I create estimates for all those gifts, and I input the estimates into the spreadsheet. I have a range of what I spend on friend gifts, family gifts, even niece/nephew gifts. This helps build the basis of the budget, and get an idea of exactly how much cash I expect to be working with. I also include miscellaneous holiday-related expenses, and budget for "extras" like hostess gifts and larger grocery bills, Christmas trees (yes, we buy two...), and even Christmas cards. I try to include everything, though I admit, every year I seem to forget something.

Once the estimate has been made, Stevie and I have a finance meeting about the Christmas budget. Yes, we make hot chocolate and pull out our lap tops and compare spreadsheets. We are dorks, but this is the only way to actually get on the same page. This is when we agree on a dollar amount to spend for Christmas. And then we make a blood pact to stick to it. Just kidding. But seriously, we do come to an agreement before I begin the spending spree.

3. Add in a buffer.
This helps when you do the inevitable, and like me, forget to budget for something important! Like stocking stuffers or a party dress. This buffer is always discussed in our budget meeting, and included in the overall budget. I've learned that I always need a buffer, and usually, I need a bigger buffer than I allot for. But nothing is worth blowing the budget over, so I make sure to utilize the buffer only when necessary. Not like, when I see another sale at Williams Sonoma, even after I'm done with all my gift shopping :) The temptation is strong friends.

4. Sync your budget.
Stevie and I are able to sync our budget using both YNAB and our Google Drive, so we can see each others spending. This is super helpful for accountability and just making sure that we are both on the same page with our gift buying. I am the one making most of the purchases, but it's helpful to see what he's spending and where, so that it all gets filed away in our tools. It gets a little tricky when I am actually shopping for him, because I don't want him to see what I'm getting him for Christmas! But I usually create a separate Google doc so that I remember what I got him. And I just keep the totals in our synced spreadsheet. We always agree on what we will spend on each other ahead of time, so the totals aren't a problem if he sees them - I just don't want him to know what Santa is bringing!

5. Shop - and then stop!
Like I said, I am the one who does most of the purchasing in our family. And that's in all areas of our life, not just Christmas. And this year I started Christmas shopping early because I have a baby arriving sometime around this wondrous holiday, so I want everything to be ready ahead of time. I am almost done with my Christmas shopping, with the majority of gifts already wrapped, too. The great thing about shopping early is getting it done - the bad thing is the temptation of holiday promos and hello - Black Friday sales! But if it's not already budgeted for, then I really can't get sucked into the "deals". Nothing is worth blowing the budget over, because that only leads to arguments and marital drama. After doing this thing for almost 10 married years, I can attest to the fact that no sale is worth a Christmas-related blowout with my spouse. Nothing. So once I'm done shopping, I turn a blind eye to the email promos and spend more time baking, wrapping and watching Christmas movies (which includes Pride & Prejudice). It's actually really good to shift the focus off of the buying and devote energy to the traditions of this delicious season.

I hope this helps as some of you are getting prepped for your holiday spending! What tips/resources have helped you and your family with holiday budgeting? I'd love to hear from you in the comments section!

Merry Christmas, from us.

Merry Christmas, friends. I hope you are spending the day with your loves.

I am so lucky, because this is the FIRST YEAR that Stevie and I are waking up in our own bed and doing our very own family Christmas in our very own home. Call us clingy homebodies, but we've spent the past 8 years doing Christmas our parents' way - at their homes, on their terms. Splitting the holidays right down the middle and giving them to the Spencers and Hales, respectively. This year, it feels so intimate and special to do things our own way with our own little boy in our own little warm home. In the previous years, I didn't feel like I was missing out on something by not doing our own Christmas. In fact, we've had such a crazy roller-coaster ride since we've been married - traveling home for most holidays, living in different cities every year, rushing through airports with suitcases stuffed full of wrapped gifts (thanks for making me unwrap so many for you, TSA), that coming home to our parents' just felt like a bit of comfort once we finally arrived. We never minded doing things their way. But this year, everything is shifting and its a really great, really healthy, really exciting time for us.

Don't worry, we are still seeing our families a ton over the next few days. Hello, that's why we moved back to our hometown! Crazy incessant family get-togethers for the win.

I can't wait to see Everett's face when he realizes those boxes under the tree actually have gifts inside. I can't wait to sit with Stevie in the quiet and have morning tea (our new thing!) and watch our tree sparkle. I can't wait for the Christmas traditions that will form over our lifetime together. I just can't wait!

No matter where you are today or who you are spending this holiday with, I hope you carry a little bit of home with you. Merry Christmas to you, dear hearts. XOX.

The 1st Day: Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Friends!

Oh, there has never been such a time as this! I hope this day is filled with so much love and joy that your heart practically bursts. I pray that your loved ones find unity, even in matters that always seems to divide. I pray that all the wishes in your heart, no matter how big or small, are acknowledged by those who cherish you. I pray that you can pull your loved ones close, smell their hair and feel their skin and soak up the reverent moments you have with them. I pray that you can articulate all the words you feel for them. The wonderful reasons why you adore them. I pray that if you are far away from the ones you love, you have the opportunity to take a moment, look up at the sky, and know that they are blanketed by the same good God above who loves you immensely. I pray that this holiday marks a turning point into the best year of your life yet. May this day be cozy, silly, sweet and most of all - memorable. I really do wish that for you.

I want to thank you for reading along with me over the course of this year. It's been a stellar journey and all your encouragement and support has been so appreciated - more than you will ever know. I hope this blog continues to be a little corner that you visit every now and again for a bit of inspiration and a good laugh. I am going to be taking a few weeks off from the blog to enjoy some much needed time with my little family. You can still find me here, probably over-exposing my joyful antics. I look forward to even more fun & rewarding content here on the blog in the new year. See you in mid-January!

All Photos by Rachel Koontz.

From our little family to yours, Merry Christmas!