Post updated with coupon codes for more savings! If one of your resolutions for 2012 is to get your home in order, my favorite organizing store is having it’s once per year clearance sale. I learned the hard way a couple of years ago that these really, truly are the best prices you’ll find all [...]
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With Christmas quickly approaching, I wanted to point you to some fun, family things you can do this month that I’ve written about in the past. Enjoy! Christmas Eve Nativity Pageant Yes, we’ll be doing this again on Christmas Eve. Although we’re considering a variation for the first time ever. If they kids are interested, [...]
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This post brought to you by Zenni Optical. All opinions are 100% mine. I’ve told you before about the selection of cheap eyeglasses offered by Zennin Optical. I’m all for great products at great prices, so this is right up my alley. But I didn’t realize they offer holiday-themed eyeglass frames. Hello? As much as [...]
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Black Friday has come and gone. (We slept in, decorated the house, and went to a movie.) Cyber Monday is history. (I spent a couple of hours using some of my very best online deals.) But if you think the bargains are gone, you’re wrong. They’ve just begun! I’ve gathered some of the very best, [...]
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Every Christmas Eve we gather our family together to have a musical, spiritual remembrance of the real meaning of Christmas: Jesus Christ. We dress up (with bathrobes and sheets and towels and broom handles and foil crowns and anything else handy) and act out the story of the nativity. Over the years, I developed a [...]
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Rather than have a more traditional big holiday meal, on Christmas Eve, while reenacting the nativity, we have a shepherd’s feast. We sit on a blanket on the family room floor and eat by the light of the fire. While the food isn’t authentic to shepherd’s of Christ’s day by any means, it’s still a way [...]
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Need to warm up on a cold  night. This wassail is absolutely delicious. Sweet and tasty with just a little tang. Yum! Ingredients 2 quarts apple cider 2 cups orange juice 1/2 cup lemon juice 12 whole cloves 4 cinnamon sticks 8 whole allspice berries 1 pinch ground ginger 1 pinch ground nutmeg
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Last year I made a Christmas neighbor gift that was a hit. That’s saying something when you’re a woman who avoids the kitchen at all costs and who refuses (on a regular basis) to contribute to the church cookbook. So the Smith neighbor gift of 2009 has officially become the Smith neighbor gift for all [...]
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Since I was a little girl, our Christmas morning tradition has been to have a breakfast Christmas wreath. But a number of years ago, we added a Christmas Evebreakfast tradition as well: Christmas French Toast. It’s quick and not too terribly bad for you. But most of all it it so fun and really tasty. [...]
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Cynicism about spirituality is all the rage in Hollywood and academia, and it filters into the culture at large. What these finger-pointing folks don’t seem to realize is that they already have their own religions: global warming, money, fame, sex, indulgence, excess, self-promotion. They’re all value systems and pursuits ascribed supreme importance. They just avoid [...]
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Gift baskets for kids are fun and easy to make. Kids love personalized gift baskets for Christmas, birthdays, or any special occasion. And they are gifts that are remembered long after the tree comes down or the cake is gone. Last year I told you about my college finals survival kits (a great gift basket [...]
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As a child I was always fascinated by advent calendars. The first one I ever say was a standup cardboard calendar that my dad bought from a door-to-door salesman. It had little paper windows to open each day to reveal a picture behind. Over the past few days I’ve posted seven Christmas advent calendars that [...]
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Purchase a long, tapered candle. Paint 24 dots down the length of the candle. Each night as you read the scriptures, let the candle burn down one marking. Discuss the Savior’s character as revealed by the scripture. December 1 Matthew 18:4 Humble December 2 Colossians 3:13 Forgiving December 3 1 Corinthians 16:14 Charitable December 4 [...]
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If you’re looking for a more involved advent calendar this Christmas, this one is perfect. Each day there is a passage of scripture that reviews the Savior’s mission. This is followed by a related song or hymn. Then there is a suggestion of something to do that will help you draw closer to the Lord. [...]
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Print out service list and cut into strips. Place strips in a bag. Each day take turns choosing a service from the bag. Either the entire family can join in the service or just the person who chose the item. Alternately, you could make up enough different strips for each person to have a different [...]
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Purchase a small tree and tiny ornaments to go with each scripture. Alternately, make a Christmas tree wall hanging and small, felt ornaments that can attach to the tree with velcro. We have three little trees with white lights in our family room and the kids are going to draw a picture of each item [...]
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The perfect advent calendar for family discussion, this calendar features scriptures about Christ and questions to talk about each day. Help your family focus on Christ during this holy season. December 1 Luke 1:26–33 Who told Mary that she would have a baby? December 2 Luke 1:26–27 Where was Mary living? December 3 Luke 1:39 [...]
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This is a simple advent calendar that involved just a few scriptures each day leading up to Christmas. It’s perfect for families with small children (or just short attention spans!) or for those who like less formal reading and lots of discussion. An fun option is to make a table wreath with four candles. Light [...]
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What better way to praise the Lord than through song? Use this advent calendar to celebrate Christmas all month long. Each day read a scripture and then sing of him with a related carol or hymn. December 1 Isaiah 7:14 Angels We Have Heard On High December 2 Isaiah 9:6 Away In A Manger December [...]
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When I was 19, I took a semester away from my university studies to travel with my parents in Europe. We settled for a semester in a flat on Grove Lane in Leeds, England, while my dad — a math professor at BYU — was on sabbatical at the university there. It was in England [...]
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