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Why We Stopped Going House to House for the Holidays

We hit a breaking point. We were so tired of rushing from house to house; we had truly begun to dread holidays. It was time to make a change for our family.

WATCH: Hobby Lobby Lights Up Mom Hearts With Viral Christmas Ad

Has Hobby Lobby entered the world of emotionally persuasive holiday short-form cinema? It would certainly seem so! And their Christmas ad effort is 100% geared toward what is undoubtedly their most loyal customer: busy (exhausted, out-of-time) moms.

“This Christmas I Want Food”: What These Foster Kids Want For Christmas Is Heartbreaking

None of them asked for this year’s hottest toy, or another video game to add to their collection. No, the children who filled out these tags listed their “innermost dreams”—things that should be part of everyone’s childhood.

Who Has a Meltdown — on Vacation?? Uh, This Girl.

Ways To Make Family Time Special — Without Being Exhausted

We moms get it. We want to be intentional and create a special time for everyone. But, when we try to accomplish just that, we end up running ourselves ragged. Consider these ideas to keep family get-together special — and simple.
  • Plan to be flexible. Something will fall though, or someone will change his or her mind. Expect it, and be okay with it.
  • Keep it simple. Especially as families (and preferences) grow, any time together can get exponentially more complicated. Focus on just a few things (rather than all the things).
  • Buy some paper plates. Grandma’s china is beautiful, for sure. Though, simplifying the clean up will let you spend more time playing games and holding babies.
  • Be vocally thankful. Rather than dwelling on the three things that didn’t go as planned, share how thankful you are for the one or two things that you’re experiencing right now.
Elizabeth Spencer
Elizabeth Spencer
Elizabeth Spencer is mom to two daughters (one teen and one young adult) who regularly dispense love, affection, and brutally honest fashion advice. She writes about faith, food, and family (with some occasional funny thrown in) at Guilty Chocoholic Mama and avoids working on her 100-year-old farmhouse by spending time on Facebook and Twitter.

Why We Stopped Going House to House for the Holidays

We hit a breaking point. We were so tired of rushing from house to house; we had truly begun to dread holidays. It was time to make a change for our family.

WATCH: Hobby Lobby Lights Up Mom Hearts With Viral Christmas Ad

Has Hobby Lobby entered the world of emotionally persuasive holiday short-form cinema? It would certainly seem so! And their Christmas ad effort is 100% geared toward what is undoubtedly their most loyal customer: busy (exhausted, out-of-time) moms.

“This Christmas I Want Food”: What These Foster Kids Want For Christmas Is Heartbreaking

None of them asked for this year’s hottest toy, or another video game to add to their collection. No, the children who filled out these tags listed their “innermost dreams”—things that should be part of everyone’s childhood.