5 WAYS TO TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF OVER THE HOLIDAY
A Guest Post by Bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne
The Christmas season can be insanely busy, with parties and shopping, decorating and baking. It’s easy amid the chaos to become overwhelmed and lose sight of the most important part, spending time with family. To help contribute to your holiday cheer, here are five ideas for taking time to enjoy the season that everyone in your family can enjoy.
- Take a drive to look at decorations in your neighborhood and beyond. Nearly every community has some kind of special light display. Pop a batch of popcorn, throw some hot cocoa into a thermos and explore your surroundings. For added fun, go on a quest. First one to find a penguin (or a palm tree or a turtle or whatever you choose) gets a prize. As an alternative to this, bundle up and take a walk through your neighborhood on a moonlit night, admiring the holiday lights closer to home.
- Bake and decorate cookies together and take them around to your neighbors, especially those you might not know. Discover new recipes together and create old favorites. This is fun not only for your family but for the recipients as well.
- Deck your halls! Children and teens can help out with the decorating action, whether that’s trimming the tree, hanging lights outside or making your own decor. You can do this cheaply, with homemade ornaments and paper chains. Another option is to make paper snowflakes together. You can’t mess this up and it’s always a fun activity for kids! For a great tutorial, visit http://vintagejunky.com/paper-snowflake-paper-snow-flake-how-to.html
- Christmas campout and read-a-thon! Unroll your sleeping bags under the Christmas tree, make some hot cocoa and grab your favorite Christmas stories. It’s even more fun if you take turns reading them aloud.
- Help someone else! I love the idea of 12 Days of Giving for Christmas. Spend the 12 days leading up to December 25 focusing on others. Walk dogs at your local animal shelter, sing at a retirement center, buy dinner for someone else at a restaurant, drop something off anonymously for a friend. Figuring out sneaky ways to serve is half the fun!
What are some ways you build in family time over the holidays?
Keep a song in your heart this holiday season…
Music teacher Ella Baker’s plate is already full. But when single dad Beckett McKinley’s wild twin boys need help preparing a Christmas song for their father, Ella agrees on one condition: they teach her to ride a horse. She’s hoping that’ll help mend her strained relationship with her rancher father; it certainly has nothing to do with the crush that’s lingered since her one and only date with Beck.
It isn’t disinterest spurring Beck to keep his distance—if anything, the spark is too strong, with Ella reminding him of his ex-wife. Soon what started as an innocent arrangement is beginning to feel a lot like family. But with the holidays approaching, Beck and Ella will have to overcome past hurts if they want to keep each other warm this Christmas…
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An unlikely attraction brings comfort, joy and unforgettable romance this holiday season!
Librarian Julia Winston is ready to ditch the quiet existence she’s been living. She’s made a list of new things to experience, but falling for Jamie Caine, her sexy military pilot neighbor, isn’t one of them. Julia’s looking to conquer life, not become the heartbreaker’s latest conquest. But when two young brothers wind up in Julia’s care for the holidays, she’ll take any help she can get—even Jamie’s.
Happy to step in, Jamie reveals a side of himself that’s much harder to resist. Not only is he fantastic with kids, he provides the strength Julia needs to tackle her list. She knows their temporary family can’t last beyond the holidays, but the closer she gets to Jamie, the more she wonders if things could be this merry and bright forever…
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