Christmas Tips, Pictures, and Glasses

What a title, what a week! We are in full December mode here at the Johnson house! Lots of errands, lots of gift wrapping, lots of crafting, but no baking yet! I plan to do our Christmas cookie and other goodies baking beginning next Monday. Over the past week we finally got our Christmas cards in the mail plus invitations to two other parties that I am hosting next week. Here are the pictures that I included on our Christmas card.

Sam, Leah, Clay, Julie, and Olivia sitting on the wall in our backyard.

Sitting on a fallen tree that partially spans the creek in our woods. Sam was frightened by this picture pose....up a little too high!


In the top part of our "fort" in the backyard.

The older children and I have been spending time each day crafting our handmade Christmas gifts for this year. I will post pictures of some of them after we give them away......don't want anyone reading this to see their gift before they get it! I think I have posted about this earlier, but every year the children and I make the gifts for their friends, teachers, elderly friends from our church, etc. I usually choose what next year's gift craft will be in January and begin stocking up on the supplies we will need throughout the year as I find them at a good price.

Earlier this week Julie got glasses! I took all three older children for an eye exam, and Julie was diagnosed as being near-sighted. This does not surprise me at all. I am practically blind, and have been since age 9. I am only surprised that one my children has not needed glasses before now. Julie is getting used to wearing the glasses, and I think she was amazed at what she was missing!

Doesn't she look like the journalist that she is?

Today's Christmas Tip:

While wrapping your gifts, use your master gift list that you made when shopping to check off each item as you wrap it. You don't want to wrap 10 gifts, then wonder what exactly did you wrap! Was that Aunt Sue's scarf, or Grandpaw's tie? Also, if you have more than one person wrapping gifts in your home (like I do), this list is a must! I keep the typed list on our gift wrap table. My girls know to check off each thing that they wrap.

When all of the gifts are bought and wrapped, retype your list, save it, print it out, and place it in your Christmas binder. Now you have a neat record of your holiday gifts for future referral.

If you host any parties during the holiday season, be sure to type up your guest list for your binder. This is very helpful for future years.....you don't want to leave anyone out!

Include any recipes for special holiday baking that you do in your binder.

I am closing this post with a cute picture of Sam. He is sitting inside the "puzzle shelf" (named because of its design) in his room. This shelf extends from floor to ceiling, and it covers one whole wall in his and Clay's room. One side holds Clay's things, and one side hold's Sam's. Sam had climbed in Clay's side......I just had to take a picture!

He jumped down after the picture!