Spring is ending and we’re on our way to summer… just 199 sleeps till Christmas!

During the spring and summer, it’s a perfect time to catch sales as they come and start shopping…  and of course it’s always a good time for Christmas music.

This is the best time of year to make donations.  Of course, your donations are welcome any time of year, but by agreeing to sponsor a family now, or donating a cause for Christmas now will be one thing you don’t have to think about in the fall and you won’t have to worry about it disturbing your Christmas budget.  In addition to sponsoring or buying Toys for Tots, help is always needed at your local animal shelter; and organizations like Trees for Troops / The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation need help year-round.

Delivering the spirit of Christmas to military families – one Christmas tree at a time.

Trees for Troops counts on donations from the public to make this program succeed, and our fundraising drive for Trees for Troops 2013 has already begun. You can support Trees for Troops through your tax-deductible donation or by becoming a sponsor. The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity. Your tax-deductible charitable contribution will help those in service to their country and their families receive a Real Christmas Tree and keep the spirit of a traditional Christmas celebration alive.

Throughout the year, I receive post-cards and newsletters from various churches in my area.  I know that God is everywhere, and it doesn’t matter which church I worship in, so I am always open to visit new houses of the Lord.  If you have been thinking about a new church, an additional church or want to return to church, this is a good time to check them out, meet the other members and find out how they celebrate the season.   One church in our area sets up a nativity and does story time with the children; they even have a Christmas Vacation Bible school.  Going to what I said above, this would also be a good time to make your holiday contribution to the church.

No matter how early, you can always be in The Christmas Spirit

Don’t forget July is just 21 days away + 46 ’til Christmas in July… please share your recipes, crafts, decorating ideas and lots of photos as we enter the Christmas season, the most wonderful time of the year.  Please join our CHRISTMAS IN JULY event on Facebook.

Thank you for following me and be sure to check out my new boards and hundreds of great photos on Pinterest… we’ve been listening to Christmas music and pinning away!

Stay safe & stay merry!

After Hurricane Sandy devastated our coast in the fall, it has been very difficult to “enjoy” the holidays, especially when so many were still homeless, rebuilding and financially drained throughout the entire holiday season.  This storm was described as the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season and many are still recovering from it.  I ended up sponsoring more children than I initially planned; I made some local donations and to the American Red Cross, but I still felt like I should be doing more.  I know that I am very grateful that my home was left unharmed after the storm and my family was safe.  A few days without power was okay until it started getting cold, but just at that time, God answered my prayers and our service was restored.  We had so much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving and throughout the year.  I suspect there will be many more devastating storms; we will all be helpers and we will all need help at different times, so we need to be in a position to help as much as we can, and keep the spirit of CHRISTmas in our hearts all year long.  These are very trying times and our character is being tested; whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.  I believe that all of us are stronger than we know.  And I believe in Jesus Christ.  I believe that we all have the power to brighten someone’s life and to make this world a better place.  Sometimes we think that the small things don’t count, but they do and we need to keep doing as much as we can for ourselves, for our family, our friends and neighbors … we need to do our part.  And I believe that if you love Christmas, you have goodness in your soul and throughout the year I find more reasons to love Christmas and that gives me the reason to believe in greatness.  My faith is constantly renewed.

One of the things that I enjoy about sponsoring families at Christmas is shopping for toys… it brings out the inner-child.  When one of my daughters was young, I remember searching high and low for that Cabbage Patch doll.  One of the most sought after Christmas gifts for kids this past year was the popular Furby doll!  They come in all colors and are so cute!

Another thing I enjoy year round is shopping for ornaments.   I found these beautiful custom ornaments with personalization or branding.  Coton Colors designs  are inspired by the celebrations of life, with collectible pieces fit for every occasion – and they do so much more than ornaments.

Like most of you, I do lots of shopping on line and I found some great gifts through My Habit [founded by Amazon.com]; which offers free membership; fast, free shipping and free return shipping in the U.S., plus international shipping to over 50 countries. The site also offers shoppers a complete fashion experience including 360-video shot on models; you can get 60% off sales and insider access to designer brands for women, men, kids and home.

Most of us are going a bit overboard with Christmas trees.  I actually have ten trees in my house… one for every room!  Trees are beautiful and with all the complementary decorations, you can make each one unique in every color, if you want.  Here are some cool finds:

The Modern Christmas Tree is a remarkable piece of art decor and the definitive spin on the traditional holiday tree.  Limited editions are available in 3 sizes, prices, and colors. Easy to put up and take down. Collapses flat for space saving storage.  It’s innovative, unique, rare, and are great for home or office… check out their video on their site … another bonus is that 5% of Modern Christmas Tree purchases go back to charity.

Unfortunately, I am allergic to pine, so I use an artificial tree.  But for the “real” tree lover, there are new tree service options to choose from.  Where I live in New Jersey, if you want a real tree you can either drive out to a tree farm or cut one down, or you can buy one from the many tree vendors who line up the main road.  The average tree costs about $100.00.  Experts suggest that the tree should only be indoors for 2-3 weeks for the Christmas season and should not be kept close to a heat vent or fireplace (another reason it wouldn’t work for me, I need mine up a long time!) There are companies like A Tree For Christmas, that provide real trees direct from the farm.  These are great especially since after Christmas the tree should be stored in a cool place until it is ready to plant, weather permitting of course.

I was watching Shark Tank and was so happy to see that the sharks invested in Scotty Claus at The Living Christmas Co…. His company rents out trees!  They are real trees brought to you from the farm and returned to the farm after Christmas where it can continue to grow for future generations!  Definitely good for waste management; check out their site, he has an eco-holiday store too.   Watch The Living Christmas’ Scotty Claus on Shark Tank.   For now, they are only servicing the west coast but with the Shark Tank connection I am hopeful that he will expand nationwide.

Whether we’re shopping, picking out new ornaments, trees, or donating to charities and helping others, as long as we keep the spirit of Christmas in our hearts and never lose sight of what the real reason for the season is… we will all continue to have reasons to believe.

Follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter … and please continue to celebrate with me all year long.

Stay blessed, stay safe and warm… and  #STAYMERRY

‘Tis the season!   It’s finally here!

We need a little Christmas, right this very minute!  Follow me on Twitter @LollyChristmas  & Tumblr, and “LIKE” me on Facebook to help me celebrate the most wonderful time of the year all month long.  I’ll be sharing my favorite holiday songs, photos, tips and lots more.  Keep checking back at the website for holiday fashion fun and recipes.

Oh, and I’m totally on Pinterest too!
www.pinterest.com/lollychristmas

The hurricane that devastated our area (Sandy) drenched many of my friends with sadness this season.  I have many friends and social media connections who love Halloween and they weren’t even able to celebrate; in fact, many their decorations were damaged.  Our County rescheduled it for November 13^th… but none of the adults dressed up, and no one’s house was decorated. There was a party (the parade was also cancelled) and they had a half-day so they could Trick or Treat that afternoon.  We gave all the kids extra candy.  Sadly, many are still displaced and therefore didn’t have Thanksgiving in their homes… and for most; Christmas will be just as different.   Christmas will always be a happy time of year and I am glad to see so many volunteers, friends and neighbors bringing cheer to those in need.

Christmas is the season to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; and I pray that everyone will have a joyous, safe Christmas, Hanukah and Kwanzaa.  I will decorate and celebrate and spread as much cheer as I can.  I will donate funds, bring in others to donate, sponsor children, donate to the pantries and do whatever I can to make the holidays happy.   It’s easy to do when you love Christmas like I do.

As I am reading my Facebook feed I am instantly reminded by Countdown to Christmas that we are 208 days away from Christmas and so I am going to keep this short and sweet.. I am so excited and overwhelmed at the same time!

It has been very hot and humid here on the East Coast so it the worst month for focusing on Christmas… I have had to really move into the “spirit”.  I’ve been organizing my decorations (getting more of those Martha Stewart organizing labels), watching Christmas movies, chatting with my friends on Facebook that love Christmas as much as I do, and listening to Christmas music.  I am excited though, I just got another coupon mailer from the Hallmark Store for Father’s Day and I KNOW that the next one will be for the Hallmark Ornament Premiere in July.   I also just finished going through the Hallmark Ornament Dreambook for 2012;  I picked out  some adorable ornaments; some will be released in July but most won’t be available until the unveiling in October; here is the link for the book so you can pick yours!

As of today, we are 64 days away from our Christmas in July celebration, 186 days until Halloween and ONLY 241 days until Christmas.  Now I am starting to feel like we’re getting closer to the most wonderful time of the year.

With Easter behind us, we are done with “gift holidays” until the fall.  I have been asking and observing how lovers of the Christmas season have been “feeling Christmas” in the springtime…

Recently, I delivered some gourmet cookies to a friend and she (also a lover of Christmas) had her life-size Santa in her dining room but it was very festive since Santa was wearing “bunny ears”.   Another friend was sharing the Christmas spirit by placing ONLY the green and red jelly beans in candy bowls for visitors; she also left out a carrot & carrot juice for the Easter Bunny!  Traditionally, my family goes out to eat for Easter, but I still make a festive dinner after the holiday; I made a spiral honey ham, macaroni & cheese, fresh string beans and candied sweet potatoes…  it smelled of Christmas all day!  Cooking foods with cinnamon, nutmeg and other holiday seasonings will definitely have you thinking about the most wonderful time of the year.  In fact, a neighbor of mine made these decorative Easter baskets that were loaded with Starlight Mints, Candy Canes, Hot Cocoa, and Christmas DVD’s.  I would even add a CD, like my favorite, The Michael Buble Christmas album.

365 days is way too long between Christmases’ … we just have to celebrate all year long.   Today is the first day of spring, which means we just have to hop over summer… and fall will be here before we know it…in just 279 days and counting.

I am finally tucking away the last of the decorations; the winter tree and the village display that has been in my wall unit since the day after Halloween.   I love the Department 56 and Lemax Village pieces, and I put up a full display for Halloween and Christmas… thank goodness my youngest daughter is now an adult and has taken over the “display management” – it’s a lot of work!   I knew she would be a natural since she loved her dollhouse when she was younger, and was always so creative by making her own pieces.  I spent several years planning how I would acquire enough houses, buildings, accessories and figures to fill up eight shelves of the wall unit; however, now I search for new scenery and retire the old.  We put up the Halloween display just after Labor Day and then we replace it on November 1^st with Christmas.  The grand-kids love it…. My three youngest granddaughters just stare in awe… for them it’s a huge multi-level dollhouse.

This weekend, I noticed that it was Feb 25^th which means that in ten short months Christmas will be here again!  I celebrated by listening to Christmas music (more than usual).   This is the time when I begin to feel overwhelmed… wondering if I have all my planning done, but the truth is that I haven’t even finished packing away all the ornaments and other fragile décor.   All throughout January I was purchasing those nifty storage containers (in red and green of course) that were 75% off at Lowe’s.   Then I would print storage labels, reorganize my basement (this time adding craft tables around the entire basement so that I don’t have to freak out of we get any flooding), and then stack all the boxes strategically.