The War on Christmas

Warning: This is just a little rant about something that’s been bothering me lately…. These are just my thoughts and feelings.

I’m a Christian. I believe, acknowledge, and celebrate what I believe to be “the reason for the season” which is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. But I also partake in the secular side of Christmas. I attend the candlelight Christmas Eve church service celebrating Jesus’ birth and then I go home and turn into Santa’s helper placing gifts under the Christmas tree once Noah has gone to bed.

The past couple of years, because of the “war on Christmas” as some call it, some companies tell their employees not to wish customers a Merry Christmas (using Happy Holidays as an alternative) and what was once referred to as Christmas tree or Christmas ornaments are now often times referred to as holiday trees and holiday ornaments. I guess it’s just become the politically correct thing to do.  But I've noticed Christians are making it a point to use “Merry Christmas” more and more. 

I’ll be honest, before the war on Christmas was so predominant, I used to say “Happy Holidays” more than “Merry Christmas.” Not because I’m not proud to be a Christian and celebrate the birth of Jesus but because I feel like Happy Holidays includes multiple holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s and by saying “Happy Holidays” I’m including all of those. Often times when I write about Christmas related things, I’ll use holiday season because again, I’m talking about the entire season; more than just one day (Christmas Day in this case.) I suppose I could start referring to it as the Christmas season but I’m just not used to saying that yet.

I also personally feel it’s odd to wish someone a “Merry Christmas” early on in the season, like on December 2^nd for example. Christmas is still weeks away at that point! 

But because of the War on Christmas, I feel pressured and that I’m almost a bad Christian if I’m wishing people “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” And I’m tired of it. I mean really, if I wish someone “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” am I really taking Christ out of my Christmas? No! I still believe what I believe, I’m still a Christian, and I still celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. But, I want to be able to say what I want to say without being judged or someone forming an opinion of what I believe in based on two words. What I believe, can’t be summed up or explained in a two-word well-meaning pleasantry. 

Besides, I know my heart, I know who I am, and who’s I am.  

Christmas and a Special Needs Child

The other day about I wrote about seeing the magic of Christmas through Noah’s eyes. But I wouldn’t be painting a complete picture of the Christmas season if I didn’t mention the hard parts too.

Even with all of Noah’s excitement about the Christmas season, it can still be very difficult for Noah and children like him. Christmas Day is extremely out of routine, there is no schedule. We usually travel to my parents’ house which he looks forward to but it’s just not the normalcy he is used to. It feels like a weekend (which to Noah means hash browns from McDonalds or Hardees) but it isn’t always on a weekend.

I thought I’d share a few of the things we usually do to try and help Noah have the merriest of Christmases possible and perhaps if you are the parent of a child with special needs who gets overwhelmed during the holidays, some of these ideas will help you.

1. Traditions are important. Just like routine, traditions become a part of the Christmas “routine.” Even though it’s only once a year, Noah remembers the things we do each year. For example, we have a very small Christmas Eve “party” (it’s just our little family but Noah likes to call it a party) after the candlelight church service. Part of Noah’s Christmas routine is the church service and then the Christmas Eve party. He knows those things will happen each year.

2. Quiet time is important. If Noah seems overwhelmed, we’ll take him into the bedroom and lay on the bed with him to help him calm down.
3. We don’t force anything. If Noah’s not in the mood to open presents, then we don’t force him to. We’ll either go ahead and open our own presents, open his presents for him and show him what he received, or just wait and try again in a little bit.
4. Even though we don’t force him to do anything, we also try to include him in everything. If he isn’t up for it, that’s OK but we always want him to feel included no matter what.

5. One more thing about presents – sometimes Noah gets overwhelmed with too many to open and his fine motor skills aren’t the greatest so Santa doesn’t wrap Noah’s gifts. They are unwrapped, out of boxes, etc. and displayed nicely and neatly ready for him to look at and play. What presents are wrapped; my family usually wraps in a way that is easy for Noah to open such as gift bags.

6. The past couple of years, Noah is becoming less picky about what he eats but he used to be super careful so my Mom and I would make sure that we had some of Noah’s staple food items to mix in with the other holiday foods we don’t have too often that way he has familiar things to eat.

7. I’ve let go of the idea of the “perfect” holiday. Our Christmas will never look like a Rockwell painting. I realized a long time ago to celebrate the good and the bad. It’s just a part of life and perfect holidays are unrealistic for any family.

If you’re juggling Christmas and a special needs kiddo, my heart goes out to ya! Merry Christmas! 

Christmas Magic

Our nickname for Noah at this time of year is “Mr. Christmas.” He really seems to embrace the season as much as possible and loves all things Christmas. It wasn’t always like this though. There were so many Christmases that he just didn’t really pay attention or it just overwhelmed him.

But now, he gets so excited for the Christmas season. The excitement usually starts right after his birthday in October. That’s when we started counting down the days till he could up his little tree in his room, which in our home is either Thanksgiving night (depending on how tired we are from Thanksgiving) or sometime during the weekend directly after Thanksgiving. Noah’s little tree always goes up first and he is always so excited for it. 

Each afternoon when he gets home from school, we turn the lights on his little purple and orange tree. He gets so excited each time I turn them on even though they were just twinkling for him the day before. He goes to bed with the lights twinkling. I’ll peek in on him and see him just lying in his bed staring at the little tree. After a while, he’ll roll over into his little spot close to the bedrail and drift off to sleep with visions of Christmas magic dancing through his head. And before I go to bed, I tiptoe into his room and turn the lights out.

I love his innocence. I love the magic of the season. I love seeing Christmas year after year through my boy’s eyes.

Santa-tizers for Nurses

Noah, my son who has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism) gets 15 hours of having a PCA (personal care aide) a week. We have had some not so great PCAs in the past several months and I'm kind of not the nicest client when it comes to the not so great aides being in my home and taking care of my son so I decided to make a little RAK (random act of kindness) for three nurses who work in the office and have to deal with my phone calls. 

Here's what I came up with......

It holds a little bottle of hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works. What nurse (even one who primarily works in an office) doesn't need a little hand sanititzer? I crafted up these hand sanitizers to look like Santa's pants. The perfect combination for any nurse in December! 

Most of my supplies came from Consumer Crafts. They have great prices, arrived quickly, and were packaged well. 

You will need:

Red and yellow cardstock

Black ribbon

Martha Stewart scoring board (I have been wanting one of these for a long time and LOVE it. Review coming soon!) 

Double sided red tape 

Cello Bags

Small Bottles of Hand Sanitizer (mine came from Bath and Bodyworks)

Baker's Twine 

Jingle Bells

What you will do: 

1. Cut your red cardstock to 3 1/2 inches wide by 5 1/2 inches long. 

2. Using the Martha Stewart scoring board, score the paper on the long side at 2 1/4 inches and 3 1/4 inches. Flip it to the short side and score at 1 inch and 2 1/2 inches. 

3. Cut tabs on the long side where the score marks meet. 

4. Use the red tape, to adhere the two sides to one another to make a little box.
5. Add the black ribbon with some of the red tape. Cut a small yellow square for Santa's belt and then cut the middle out using a craft knife, adhere to the black ribbon also using a bit of the red tape.
7. Place the bottles of hand sanitizer in each of the little boxes. 

8. Package in a cello bag. Using the red and green Baker's Twine, tie on a jingle bell or two to embellish and then tie a bow. 

You now have cute little hand sanitizer holders ready to surprise whomever deserves surprising in your life! 

Disclaimer: I was compensated by Blueprint Social and Consumer Crafts for this post but all opinions and views are my own.

Snowflake Pin/Ornament

This is another one of my super easy because life, a kid, a husband, a house, and a bad back get in the way at the holidays - type of projects!

A cute little snowflake face! You can make it as an ornament or turn it to a pin and wear it proudly.

To make your own, you will need: 

White Cardstock

Snowflakes (I used wooden ones purchased at Hobby Lobby but you could cut them with your Silhouette too!) 

Glue (I used E-6000) 

Bakers Twine or Pin Back (depending on whether or not you are making a pin or an ornament)

Mod Podge Dimensional Magic 
Snowy Face File (I created this file myself in the Silhouette Studio Software and I'm sharing it here. While I sized this to fit the snowflakes I was using, you can re-size it to fit yours.)

How to make your own: 

1. Using the print and cut feature in the Silhouette software, cut out as many faces as you need. 

2. Dab a little glue in the middle of the snowflake and glue on the snowy face. 

3. Once it is dry, put on the Mod Podge Dimensional Magic (MPDM). Start with the center of the face and work your way out squeezing slowly the MPDM bottle. Have a straight pin handy and pop out any air bubbles that arise. Let this dry for at least several hours. If you move it before it dries, the MPDM will run leaving your snowy face looking blurry.

4. Glue on a pin back or add some bakers twine and you're done!

Isn't she adorable?!? These make great ornaments, adorable pins, and would even look so cute embellishing a Christmas gift under the tree and best part - minus drying time, it takes less than 10 minutes!

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration! 

1. 2013 Snowman Christmas Card by Please Excuse My Craftermath...
2. Christmas Hoop Art by Lil' Mrs. Tori
3. Silhouette Nativity Advent Candle Box by One Tough Mother
4. Christmas Party Photo Booth Props by unOriginal Mom
5. Another Stenciled Tea Towel by Cutesy Crafts
6. Silhouette Gift Tags by Rain on a Tin Roof
7. Snowflake Pin / Ornament by Coley's Corner
8. State Sign Couple Gift by It Happens in a Blink
9. Mason Jar Christmas Ornaments by Vintage News Junkie
10. Merry Christmas Wall Decor by One Artsy Mama
11. Deer Head Holiday Banner...featuring Santa's Reindeer by The Thinking Closet
12. Restore your UGGS (with PAINT) by From Wine to Whine
13. Monogrammed Snowflake Ornaments by Architecture of a Mom
14. Christmas Countdown Sign by The Girl Creative
15. Elf Chalk Sign: "The Best Way to Spread Christmas" by Weekend Craft
16. Glittery Christmas Subway Art by The Turquoise Home
17. Sketch Pen Labels by Sowdering About in Seattle
18. Snowflake NOEL Sign by My Favorite Finds
19. DIY Holiday Hostess Gift by Everyday Paper
20. Folding Nativity Backdrop by Chicken Scratch NY
21. Recycled Glass Jar Advent Calendar by Nearly Handmade
22. Reindeer Card: Double-Sided Print & Cut by GetSilvered
23. Personalized Block Ornament by Suburble
24. Paper Medallion Christmas Tree by Create & Babble
25. Mini Mid-Century Homes by Tried & True
26. Glitter and Vinyl Minecraft Christmas Ornament by A Tossed Salad Life
27. DIY Countdown to Christmas Refrigerator Style by My Paper Craze
28. Reversible Recipe Holder/Block Frame by The Sensory Emporium
29. DIY: Lettered Christmas Pillows by The House on Hillbrook
30. Simply Charming Christmas Ornaments by Life After Laundry
31. No Glitter was Worn by GiveMeAPaintbrush
32. Make Easy Ornaments from Paper Circles by Bringing Creativity to Life
33. Cutting Machine Embroidery Applique by Terri Johnson Creates
34. "Believe" Christmas Banner by Daily Dwelling
35. DIY Christmas Nativity Card by Pitter and Glink
    
    
    Do you have a Silhouette machine?
Looking for Silhouette inspiration, support, trouble-shooting? Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month? Then, we'd love to have you join our Silhouette Challenge Facebook group. To join, simply fill out the new member request form, and Lauren from The Thinking Closet will get you squared away.

Candy Cane Mice

My Mom has made a TON of these adorable candy cane mice. She'll be selling them at the church craft show this weekend. I think she really enjoyed making them and they are just adorable. They'll make a great gift for a classroom full of kiddos and terrific stocking stuffers. And you could even hang them by the tail on a tree! 

Cute, traditional Christmas colors candy cane mice

Sweet little grey mouse

Of course, I loved the teal one.

A tiger version is a must in our family.

She's selling them all packaged up in a cello bag with a cute little tag. 

Close up of the tag

Aren't they sweet! 

Here's a tutorial and template if you want to make your own! 

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours....... 

I hope you had a great Christmas day spent with people you love! 

And for those of you who were without people you love this year, my heart reaches out to you. 

Hugs all! 

Peppermint Pretzel Kisses

Awhile back, I saw a recipe similar to this somewhere online (but can't remember where) and recently remembered it and decided to make a few changes to it to make it Christmas-y as a treat to include in the gifts for Noah's teachers.

These were simple to make, are delicious, and look SO festive!

You'll need:

Pretzels

Hershey's Peppermint Kisses (you could also use Hershey Hugs)

M&Ms

1. Lay the pretzels out on a pan making sure that they are not touching.

2. Place a peppermint kisses on top of each pretzel. 

3. Put the pan in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes. Watch them closely and pull them out once the kisses have melted a little bit.

4. Before they have time to set, put an M&M on top of each melted kiss.

5. Let them set. I popped my pan in the freezer for a few minutes to speed up the process. 

6. Nestle them in a box for gift giving! 

(Linking to the parties listed in my sidebar)

Noah's Orange Tree

If you've been reading this blog for long, you know that my Noah loves Clemson and has a cute little orange tree that we put up every Christmas. Our family rule is no Christmas decorations are allowed to go up until Thanksgiving night. We got Noah's tree and ornaments down from the attic on Thanksgiving night but didn't actually get his tree up until the day after. 

This year, I decided to put the tree ON his bedside table. He enjoys sitting/laying on his bed watching movies after his bath so I thought he could see the tree better if it was on the table instead of on the floor beside the table. I think this was a good move. 

He's really enjoyed his orange tree this year! 

Snowman Gift Box

Need a cute little gift box to hold a small gift or a gift card? This little snowman gift box is perfect, in fact, he's a gift himself! 

To make this cute snowman, I started off with a plain wooden gift box from Michael's. It was only a dollar. 

I painted the box white using spray paint. Then I made him a little black hat out of black cardstock, adding some red and white polka dot ribbon to the brim of his hat. Then I added button eyes and drew on an orange "carrot" nose with an orange sharpie. I punched out some black cardstock circles using a hole punched and mod podged those on with sparkle Mod Podge then I gave the whole box a coat of sparkle Mod Podge. 

Isn't he cute? He's the perfect size to hold a small gift, a gift card, or even a bunch of candy canes! 

Linking up to the parties listed in my sidebar
and 

JOY Letters Framed

This was pretty simple to make but I love the impact it has!

I started off with some J, O, and Y chipboard letters from Hobby Lobby. I decopauged Christmas themed scrapbooking paper to the J and Y and solid green on the O. I embellished them with ribbon.

Then I used thin white ribbon to attach the letters to a red frame I already had. I glued the ribbon on the back of each letter and let it dry then I just stapled the ribbon into the back of the frame and hung it up.

It hangs above my mantel. Love it!

(Linking to the parties in my sidebar)

Weekend Wonders: Christmas Cards

Originally I had decided that I was going to do something different this year and send out homemade Christmas cards. I quickly realized that was going to be a huge task that would stress me out but I had turned to different blogs looking for inspiration for handmade cards and found some great ideas that I thought I'd share for this week's Weekend Wonders. 

Button Tree Card

This button tree card from Simply Stamped is adorable. 

Circle Wreath Card 

This circle wreath card from Scrapbooks Etc. is made from different sized circle punches and is a great way to use up some scraps!

Typewriter Card

I love the vintage feeling type writers on these cards from Bethapalooza. 

Snowflake Wreath

While this is actually a thank you card, this card featuring a wreath made out of snowflakes from Stamping up North with Laurie would make a cute Christmas card. 

Ribbon Tree Card

The ribbon tree on this simple card at JENerally Speaking is so cute and great way to use up those scraps of ribbon.

Rubber Stamped Ornaments

I used to be really into rubber stamping and then I took a long break from it. But recently, I've been stamping again and am reminded how much I enjoy it. I decided to make some ornaments from a few of my rubber stamps. They were actually pretty easy to make but I love how they have turned out. 

I started out with assorted rubber stamps, some chipboard coasters from Michael's, scrapbook paper, ink, embossing powder, a heat gun, glue stick, ribbon, and assorted embellishments, all of which I had in my stash. 

I then simply stamped in whatever color of ink I wanted, embossed the image, and cut it out. I adhered scrapbook paper to the coaster and then attached my stamped image to the middle. I glued on some button embellishments, punched a hole in the top with my crop-o-dile, threaded ribbon through for hanging, and that was it! I love how they turned out! 

They would make excellent gifts for friends, gift tags, or ornaments just to hang on your own tree! 

(Linking to the parties listed in my sidebar)

Check out my crafty items for sell. 

Weekend Wonders: Christmas Decor

It's hard to believe that Christmas is so close! Today I'll be sharing some of my favorite Christmas decorations. 

Snowman Wreath

Sew Many Ways shows us how to make this adorable and welcoming snowman wreath!

Santa Centerpiece

Thrifty Decor Chick shares how she made this beautiful and festive centerpiece.

Paper Trees

I just love these little paper trees from Elle's Studio.  You could do them in any color/pattern combination. I might have to give this one a try.

Embroidery Hoop Snowman

This snowman at Betz White's is made out of embroidery hoops and an old sweater. Adorable!

Frame "Wreath"

I love this unconventional wreath from The Crafter's File Box..

Stenciled Sign

Jen at Tater Tots and Jello shares how to make this cute Christmas sign.