Holidays Archives - Busy Moms Helper

Mint Hot Chocolate Brownies

January 4, 2019 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Y’all know my love for chocolate, right? With all of the holiday parties the kids (and us adults, as well) had over the holidays that involved bringing a treat to share, I just knew I wanted to whip up something good. I wanted them to be a little festive, but not JUST a holiday-themed dessert. These Mint Hot Chocolate Brownies were just the ticket, with that amazing chocolaty flavor mixed with the perfect hint of mint, topped off with some marshmallowy goodness. We had to make extra just to enjoy here by ourselves!

Instead of making these brownies in a regular pan, I thought it’d be more fun (and cute) to bake them in a muffin tin so they’re more like individual little brownie bites. So fun! Plus, it’s easier to know where to place the marshmallow – and I’m all for easy recipes 🙂

You can switch up the sprinkles on top (or leave them off entirely, totally up to you) to match whatever theme or event you have, which makes them really flexible and fun. I wanted a bit more simple on this batch, but still ‘winter holiday’, so added some white pearl sprinkles. Another batch that the girls will take to their church youth party have red crystal ones on top. I love mixing things up!

Makes: 24 Muffin-sized Brownies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup Sugar
1 1/3 cup Butter, very soft
1 cup Brown Sugar, loosely packed
2 tsp. Vanilla
4 Large Eggs
1 cup Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
3 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 cup Chocolate Chips
6 Large Marshmallows
1/2-1 cup Andes Mint pieces
Sprinkles, as desired

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Spray or line two muffin tins, set aside.
In a large bowl (or mixer) mix the butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs until creamy.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda and mix until well combined.
Mix in the chocolate chips, then divide into the muffin tins.
Bake for 8-9 minutes. While baking, cut the marshmallows in half.
Remove the brownies (should not be done yet) and place a half marshmallow (with sticky cut side down)into the middle of each brownie bite and press it down.
Bake for another 2-4 minutes or until the marshmallows are puffy and the brownies are fully baked (insert a toothpick next to the marshmallow to see if the center is done). Allow to cool, then remove from muffin tin.
Melt the Andes mint pieces in the microwave at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until they’re all melted and smooth. Drizzle over the brownies, topping with sprinkles while still melted so they stick better.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-6 days. Enjoy!

See, they’re super easy to whip up – and the taste is amazing! It’s like a nice, chewy cup of hot chocolate with just the right amount of mint to really add to the flavor. I warmed up my brownie for about 5 seconds in the microwave to give it that bit of warmth, really making the perfect afternoon treat.

These were a HUGE hit at our holiday events, and I had quite a few friends ask me for the recipe. I love being able to share tasty treats (especially chocolate ones) and knowing people truly enjoyed them.

I think next time I’ll do a white chocolate drizzle, add a bit of mint extract and a little green food coloring, for more coloring to these little desserts. Heck, red or blue would be great for holiday time, too! Really, just have fun with it and enjoy your delicious hot chocolate brownies with mint topping!

What’s your favorite holiday recipe?

Happy New Year 2019

December 31, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

I can’t believe how fast 2018 went by! As we’re wrapping up this crazy-yet-fantastic year, I can’t help but look back at all the memories – some sad, some hilarious. Some moments were frustrating, others were full of love. For all those moments, I can’t begin to say how grateful I am for this past year, and how excited I am for the one ahead of us. Here’s us wishing you a very Happy New Year 2019!

Thank you to all of our readers, friends and family for your support and love over the years. We appreciate, more than words, you joining us on this little site of ours as we share our adventures as a family, as a couple, and just as a busy mom making her way through this wild ride called life. It sure is a mess, but it’s a beautiful mess – thank you for sharing it with me!

Love to you all, and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas 2018

December 24, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

As we enjoy this magical season with those we love, we want to take a moment and wish a very Merry Christmas 2018 to all of you out there who have joined us this past year on this site! Enjoy some tasty food, take your time opening gifts, savor the sweet moments that seem to go by so quickly.

We hope your holidays are full of love, laughter and many more memories with those most important to you – whether they be calm or crazy, serious or silly, quiet or loud….

…..they’re what makes life worth living every single day!

Merry Christmas to all!

Love, The Reeves Family

20 DIY Gift Card Holders

December 17, 2018 by Danielle 2 Comments

Not sure what to give someone because they’re super picky, change their mind, or always just get themselves what they want? Or maybe they live far away, so shipping something large isn’t exactly easy – or affordable. Doing gift cards is an excellent choice, and these 20 DIY Gift Card Holders are the perfect, creative way to give them!

I just love the variety of beautiful and FUN gift card holders you can make yourself! I have a few people I’ll be giving gift cards to, now I just have to choose which of these great ideas I’ll use to ‘wrap’ it in 🙂

I Heart Naptime – Santa Gift Card Holder

Design Eat Repeat – DIY Ugly Sweater Gift Card Holder

Bliss Bloom – Felt Gift Card Holders

Damask Love – Christmas Cocoa Gift Card Holder

Pink and Dotty – Snowman Gift Card Holder

That’s What Che Said – Washi Tape Christmas Tree Gift Card Holders

A Girl and a Gun – Stocking Gift Card Holder

Made to Be Momma – Ruffled Gift Card Holder

Tried and True Blog – Rudolph Gift Card Holder

DIY Candy – Felt Christmas Gift Card Holder

Positively Splendid – Sliding Door Gift Card Holder

Lovely Indeed – DIY Wood and Gold Leaf Gift Card Holder

My Red Wellies – Crochet Fox Gift Card Holder

Hip 2 Save – DIY Gift Card Snowglobe

Lemon Jitters – Paper Gift Card Holder

I Heart Naptime – Gift Card Holder Printable

Crafty Steals – Snowman Gift Card Holder Tutorial

Damask Love – Easy Paper Bag Gift Card Holder

1 Dog Woof – Crochet Gift Card Holder

That’s What Che Said – Santa Sack Gift Card Holder

Which was YOUR favorite?

Creative Way to Include Batteries with Gifts – with free printable!

December 11, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PoweringTheHolidays #CollectiveBias

How many times have you been super excited about a gift, but once it’s opened realize it needs batteries – then the search begins! That hassle and waiting to be able to actually ENJOY the gift can cause so much unneeded holiday stress. Especially with kids, you don’t want to deal with the pressure (aka nagging) that’s sure to ensue while you hunt through cabinets and drawers. Don’t worry, because I’ve learned a Creative Way to Include Batteries with Gifts (plus giving a free printable so it’s even easier). No searching or stress THIS year!

While you’re doing your holiday shopping, make a note of which items need batteries – including what type and how many. Then stock up on however many Energizer® Ultimate Lithium™ batteries you need during your next visit to Walmart (because Energizer® Ultimate Lithium™ is the #1 Longest-Lasting Battery). It’s probably a smart idea to nab a few extra packs, just in case! To help with the holiday budget, click here to receive a $5 Walmart eGift card with your $15 Energizer® battery or lights purchase.**

Make sure you have everything ready – your gifts, wrapping paper, scissors, tape, ribbon, hole punch and your Energizer® Ultimate Lithium™ Batteries. As a mom, I rely on these for all our toys and electronics because nothing outlasts their long-lasting power – I want to be switching the batteries as infrequently as possible, because heaven knows I have plenty other things to handle each day. I also really appreciate each battery’s safety-conscious and leak-proof design, helping me feel confident that the most-loved toys and devices are protected against leaks and corrosion! They’re the clear choice to power the essential devices in your life dependably! Gather everything together, then you’re ready to start making your fun ‘battery holder’ gift box!

Click on the photo below to easily shop for all your batteries!

You need to print off this template – I highly recommend printing onto colored cardstock type paper. This is more sturdy so works best, and printing onto the color you want the box to be saves you from having to trace it. Don’t worry if you can’t print directly onto the paper you’ll use for your ‘box’, because you can print on normal paper, cut it out, then trace it onto what you’d like. It prints onto 8.5×11 size, and has 2 per page. Once you have the template, here are the steps for creating your awesome ‘battery holder’ to attach to your wrapped gift!

Print out the template
Cut out each box on the outside lines
Hole punch slightly into each of the triangle tips
Fold inward on the inside lines
Add your Energizer® Ultimate Lithium™ batteries and use ribbon or string to loop inside, then carefully tighten and secure in a bow!

Now, because of the flaps on two of the ends (this provides more support for the pyramid shape), threading the ribbon the wrong way can cause weird lumps or issues. Here’s how I found works best for the smoothest closure…

There you have it – a super fun, festive gift box allowing you to safely include batteries WITH a gift by just taping the bottom of the paper box on top of your wrapped present. That means no more hunting around to power your kiddos new toy! If you don’t want to tape it on top, just wrap it inside the box with the present so it’s right there handy – or you can hang a bunch of these battery boxes (carefully) from your tree – high up where young ones can’t reach, of course – to easily grab when a ‘batteries required’ gift is opened. So fun!

Want to know another perk of hitting up the Energizer® battery displays during your Walmart shopping trip? You can nab these amazingly useful Energizer® Brand Headlights for a great stocking stuffer! I couldn’t resist getting another for hubby, because he uses his All. The. Time!

If you’re in a hurry so don’t have time to do this fun battery gift box, just use festive ribbon and tape to secure the needed batteries to their corresponding gift – easy!

Now go enjoy your holidays knowing that you’ll have a lot less stress when present-opening time comes, because any needed batteries will be right there with the gift, not only making it easy to grab but also look fabulous!

**See Offer Terms & Conditions for complete details

How often have YOU forgotten batteries during the holidays? Me….well, way too many 😉

5 Tips to Save More on Christmas

December 7, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

As we’re now a week into December, it’s time to really get into the holiday planning (if you haven’t already) – especially with the budget! Do you find yourself spending more money for Christmas than you plan to every year? If so, you’re not alone – many people go into debt during the Christmas season, despite best intentions, and spend the next year paying off credit cards and other bills. However, it doesn’t have to be that way, as long as you do some planning and stick to it. If you struggle with this (I certainly do), maybe try some of these 5 Tips to Save More on Christmas this year.

I’m totally guilty of spending too much at Christmas – using excuses like ‘oh, but this one more gift is just perfect for so-and-so’ or that ‘we have to buy something for this group, they may feel bad if we don’t’. It can be hard to draw a line, but for your family’s financial sense we all really need to. To help, here’s five ways you can save more money for Christmas this year:

Even though the Christmas Day may seem like a long time away, it’s never too early to start planning for it – we all know how fast time goes, especially this part of the year! Creating a plan now can save you money later partly because you won’t have to run out at the last minute to buy gifts, decorations and supplies (batteries, tape and wrapping paper are what I run out of most). You can take your time and shop around, finding the right gifts for the best deals.
Shop for deals online – you can often find some great deals that you won’t find in stores. Some retailers may offer more variety online as well, so you may also have better selections to choose from. Maybe you can find that watch in your kid’s favorite color, making it all the more exciting to receive. Check out our Holiday Gift Guides for great options!
Don’t try to buy gifts for EVERYONE in your family – it can get really expensive and put your bank account in the red very quickly. Instead, only buy gifts for your closest family members and friends. Then get together as a group with your extended family and co-workers to draw names instead of trying to buy for everyone. Be sure to set a limit on the amount to spend for the gifts. If the budget is really tight, try DIY gifts – or simply explain that you’re very sorry, but you’re limiting gift spending this year to very immediate members and such. Almost everyone has had a time when they’re crunched for pennies, so most people will understand.
Keep your decorations simple. Instead of buying a six foot tree, consider a two or three foot tree and use homemade ornaments to decorate. Cut back on the number of lights you use when decorating your home to reduce cost and to help save on the electric bill. Shop thrift stores for awesome-though-used items to add to your display.
Keep your Christmas dinner to a minimum – you don’t have to include FIVE different types of vegetable sides or several desserts. If you do plan to host a large family gathering, ask everyone to bring their specialty dish to help out. It will cut back on how much you have to spend and most everyone will be happy to contribute!

Use these tips to save money so that you can focus on the real meaning of the season – enjoying loved ones and being grateful – instead of stressing about the financial side of it. Not going in debt for the holiday season can be your gift to yourself!

How to you save money during Christmas?

Christmas Holidays at Walt Disney World

December 5, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Remember how I said I was thrilled to make a visit to Orlando to experience all four Disney parks last week? Well, it may have been a super-rushed trip, but I was determined to fit in as much as I could – and today I’m sharing all the fun, festive happenings (and treat-enings – get it?) that occur during the Christmas Holidays at Walt Disney World!

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I’ll divide it up by park, so you can see what each one has to offer in terms of the special ‘extras’ for this time of year. Let’s start with the one most people think of first…

Magic Kingdom

When people look to visit Disney World during Christmastime, they often only think about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (you can read my recap of that HERE). It’s very similar in idea as the Not-So-Scary Halloween party, with complimentary treats (cookies, chocolates, pretzels) and drinks (eggnog, cider, cocoa, sno-cones) instead of trick-or-treating, and of course more holiday themed. While I admit this is a HUGE draw for guests, and definitely worth going to if you can swing the price tag, it’s not the only reason you should experience the Christmas holidays at Walt Disney World.

Outside of the party, there’s tons of decorations everywhere – from the garlands, bows and lights that adorn most entries and poles, to the red and white poinsettias adorning gardens and baskets. There’s even lights, wreaths and bells adding to the atmosphere, and even many of the snack carts are feeling that holiday cheer.

Once you get through the ticket entrance, the area right before the train station is a giant red poinsettia Mickey ornament – perfect for a holiday family photo! Go to the right or left and through the entry archways, and you’ll emerge to see a GINORMOUS Christmas tree, surrounded by large gifts and toy soldiers!

At night, Cinderella’s Castle is light up with sparkly, twinkling lights that take it to a whole new level of magical. It was my favorite thing, and I admit I took ‘more than a few’ photos of this delightful sight 😉

Many of the cast members wear holiday-themed outfits and/or Santa hats, and you can even see some of your favorite characters dressed up with a little more Christmas/winter to their outfits, which makes for some extra special meet-and-greet photos.

There’s also an area for Santa – check out the schedule for times when you’re there!

Don’t forget to make a stop by the ‘Jingle Cruise’ as well – even the boats are fun holiday-themed names, the skippers wear Santa hats, and the whole que & ride are dressed up for the occasion!

Some snack locations have seasonal treats that are definitely worth a try, so either check your program or – even better – ask a cast member and they can lead you the right direction! Be sure to contact Michael’s VIPs for their wonderful tour guide services, especially as the holidays can be extra crowded & you want the best trip possible!

Hollywood Studios

With the exception of a few spots (near Star Tours), Hollywood Studios was decorated as much as – or perhaps a little more – than Magic Kingdom. Bright stars from Christmas lights that changed color, wreaths, bells and classic-looking signs featuring Santa, reindeer and more, plus Echo Lake had HUGE ornaments floating in it! The dinosaur even had on a fun Santa hat, and some displays of statue deer and such helped add to the whole feel.

In the evening, there’s the Seasons Greetings show (that may repeat a couple of times, I wasn’t quite sure exactly) over by the Tower of Terror. Along the street leading up to that area are two screens that show a mini video clip, then a great display is projected onto the Tower of Terror with music to match the little clip you just saw. They had the Muppet Chef Guy (I know, I should remember his name, but I can’t) that built a Gingerbread house on the movie clip, then the Tower showed a huge creation out of gingerbread to playful music.

Olaf’s clip was finding a holiday tradition, then the song played along with images of traditions and such.

Even Toy Story got in on the fun, making it the Hollywood Toyland Hotel! I thought this show was INCREDIBLE, and would’ve loved to show my kids! The lights along that street switch around depending on which clip is playing, and ‘snow’ is pumped out, so it’s like a magical snowfall all down the street. That snow continued almost the entire evening it seemed!

On the Chinese Theater was the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! show that I’ve heard several people rave about – but personally, I was a little disappointed by it. Yes, it’s fun with the Elves and rescuing Santa, and it does have fun montages and music. But overall, there was too much to look at with all the different screens it was playing on, plus fireworks, plus laser light show. I even saw several people watch a bit, then decide to leave before it was done. It wasn’t bad by any means, and there were plenty of folks who loved it – it just wasn’t my cup of tea, I suppose. If you’ve seen it – let us know what you thought in the comments!

One thing I really loved was this fun window display, full of dancing ornaments!

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Loved these dancing Minnie ornaments in a shop window at Hollywood Studios at #waltdisneyworld #bmhtravel #hollywoodstudios #Disney #Christmas #holidays
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I believe that at the Hollywood & Vine, they have a special Minnie Mouse Holiday buffet meal, but I didn’t personally go check this out. That’s one drawback to a solo trip – less excuse to take time for real dining!

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Epcot

I was most excited to see Epcot during the holidays (other than Magic Kingdom, of course) because I’d heard of the amazing ‘holidays around the world’ displays and such. Perhaps it was just that I was there earlier in the day, but it seemed a big let-down. There was a lot of decor – ginormous tree, plenty of garlands and lights and fun garden characters for the holidays. There was a stage where one of the shows would be (again, I was there earlier in the day – since this was a quick trip I couldn’t fit in everything unfortunately – so I missed the shows).

I did see several kiosks that were ‘holiday kitchen’ – featuring some seasonal snacks and drinks. Most of them weren’t open when I was there, though, despite being there until about 2pm. I did enjoy the displays in the various areas, telling a bit about that country’s traditions.

Keep in mind that I was there EARLIER in the day, only until early afternoon, so perhaps all the main holiday happenings occur after that – so don’t write off Epcot just yet. And if YOU have experienced some of the festivities at Epcot, please share in the comments!

Animal Kingdom

Guys, this is my favorite park (because it has TWO of my FOUR favorite rides – Flights of Passage & Everest)! That being said, it was very limited in the holiday-theming department. And maybe that was intentional, so they could keep the different lands more accurate and true to themselves. There was some decor around, but not much at all compared to the other parks, and just normal (yet still good) music playing. Again, this could be in keeping with the different ‘continents’ and areas, so this isn’t a complaint at all – just giving you a heads up that there’s not a lot of holiday-ness at Animal Kingdom. The main exception seemed to be the entrance, where they had the wreaths, garlands, and large Christmas tree up for plenty of photo opps. It was still great and lots of fun!

In ALL FOUR of the parks, you can find special holiday-themed merchandise in the stores – from ornaments and decor, to seasonal snacks and clothing, and much more. They even had a stuffed Stitch with a Santa hat that I wanted so badly to get for hubby, but stuck to my budget. I *did* get two candy apples though to bring home for the family to share – one decorated as a Mickey Mouse Santa. They also had a holiday Jack Skellington (Sandy Claws), Blue Snowflake and others to choose from. The lady at the counter asked if I was planning to take them on a plane, and when I said yes she popped out a sturdy box and packed them extra carefully – so grateful, and they made it home perfectly!

Most of the parks were also playing fun Christmas/Holiday music, which really helped put everyone in the spirit of the season! Overall, I absolutely LOVED experiencing the holidays at Walt Disney World, and can’t wait to take my kids there during this season sometime in the future! We’ll, of course, be using Michael’s VIPs for our guides since they’re absolutely AMAZING!

What’s YOUR favorite holiday thing at Disney World?

Adding Memories to Our Walls with Canvas Wraps: The Perfect Gift

December 4, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

This post sponsored by our friends at CanvasDiscount.com – all opinions are mine alone.

Who else loves having family photos decorating their home? They help make it more YOURS, and can be happy reminders of those you care about. We moved into our new home over 7 months ago now, but life was busy so I kept putting off hanging things up. This past weekend it was a blast adding memories to our walls with Canvas Wraps – and they’re the perfect gift for any occasion!

After we had family photos taken at the end of last year, I was so eager to get them printed to hang on my walls. It makes me so happy seeing all the kiddos, how much they’ve grown over the years, in our home! One of my hold-ups was that we were moving soon after, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to hang them for a bit. Honestly, though, my biggest holdup was price – because with this big of a family (and wanting so many fabulous canvas wraps), it can add up! Luckily I was introduced to CanvasDiscount.com where I was able to get all the prints I wanted for up to 90% off – meaning huge savings on this incredible holiday gift for my family!

Once I figured out the layout and size of every Canvas print I wanted, I completed each upload on their site, placed my order, then patiently waited while it shipped. It arrived more quickly than I expected, and then I was begging hubby to help get a bunch of them up on the walls. My first goal – this huge blank wall right inside our front door…

I mean, look at that space begging to be filled up with beautiful Canvas prints! That photo doesn’t give quite the scale of how TALL this blank wall is, so here’s another shot…

See, it’s SUPER tall and just – well, blank! Luckily, I received my beautiful canvas wraps and – once I decided on how I wanted them laid out – got them all up to really help our home look more cozy, welcoming, and much less bare!

Now once you walk in the front door, this is the view people will be greeted with…

I absolutely LOVE IT!!! Although I’m still a bit in shock with how old all my kiddos look – weren’t they just babies yesterday???

You may be wondering why I’m such a huge fan of canvas wraps versus regularly printed photographs in frames. First of all, I don’t like the glare on glass in photo frames. Second, these wraps are super sturdy, with frames behind that help them hang securely. Not only that – but check out the amazing quality of the photos!

You also avoid those silly smudges that tend to get on photographs (especially if you have kids!).

I’m looking forward to hanging the rest of my awesome photos soon – I got a few of just hubby and I for our reading nook in our room, some from family vacations and with extended family for our big family room (though right now the tree is blocking the wall, so that may have to wait until after the holidays) and even sent several to family for Christmas. When you get older, it’s the memories, family and friends that really matter so one of the best gifts you can give is canvas wraps of their loves ones and special memories shared!

I also wanted to include our pups with our family photos, so was really excited with how nicely their photo went at the bottom of our layout…

Whether you want fabulous canvas prints for your own home, or as a great gift that’s perfect for practically anyone your list, you’ve got to check out CanvasDiscount.com – they’re my go-to place for amazing prices and quality prints to decorating my wall with memories!

You can save up to 90% on your Christmas photo canvas HERE!

Free Printable Christmas Bucket List for Families

November 30, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

I absolutely love this time of year – the sights, the sounds, the smells, all of it. My favorite part, though, is that there’s more of a focus on spending time as a family. Life’s so busy, we don’t get that as often as we’d like, so it’s nice to do extra activities together during the special time of year. If you’re looking for some fun ideas – maybe an activity each day to do as a family – for this holiday, then you’ll love our Free Printable Christmas Bucket List for Families. There’s 25 wonderful, festive activities to do together – plus three different styles of printable so you can choose the one the best first your style or Christmas decor!

I know families typically have their own traditions or things that they do together every Christmas season, so perhaps some of the activities will be familiar – but hopefully there’s plenty of new ones to add to your family celebrations. I tried to include a variety of things – some that take more time, some that are quick and simple – as well as things most anyone can do. For example, we Texans would have a more difficult time sledding or building a snowman, so I tried to avoid those types of things. Ice skating was sort of an exception, since many places (even us warmer, snowless spots) have an ice rink somewhere – even if it is indoor.

This is certainly not an all-inclusive list, as there’s countless holiday activities you and your family could enjoy together this season! We mixed it up to have some crafts, food, relaxing evenings, service projects and more. After all, this season is all about family AND about giving, so I wanted to make sure to include that, too.

We’re so excited to tackle this list with our kiddos, and hope to make more wonderful memories this holiday. These fun Christmas bucket lists are some of our many subscriber-exclusives, so be sure to sign up below for our newsletter to get access for these and many other free printables! The three style options are this fun Red Present border…

…This festive Garland and Candy Cane style…

…and lastly (my favorite) this beautiful Silver and Blue printable!

What’s your family’s must do activity during the holidays?

Printable Holiday Planner

November 26, 2018 by Danielle 2 Comments

I can’t believe how fast Christmas is coming – but don’t worry, it’s not too late to get your holiday organized with our fabulous, festive Printable Holiday Planner! We’ve got everything her to help you keep your sanity during this busy season – from event calendar, to shopping lists and menus!

I’m in love with the festive, gold coloring and fun accents on these planning sheets! You can print off as many pages of each you need – maybe you need multiple pages of the gift list, or having several of the Christmas event calendar would be helpful? Then go right ahead – and allow these beautiful holiday organizing pages make your season a little less stressful. That’s a gift we could ALL use, right? 🙂

Just sign up above for our newsletter to gain access to lots of fun printables and even some discounts throughout the year on many of our products!

Family Holiday Movie List

November 24, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

There’s so many wonderful things about the holidays, and great movies to enjoy as a family are among the top. We love sharing some great times together, snuggled with blankets and mugs of hot chocolate (with marshmallows, of course), watching some old favorites along with any new films. Whether you do a whole day movie-a-thon, or spread it out during the entire Christmas season, we’re sharing our favorites in this Family Holiday Movie List!

There’s not really a specific order to this list – pick your favorites or tackle them all in whatever order your family prefers. That being said, our family does have a traditional ‘first holiday movie’ we start with. Since it’s kind of a mix of the holidays, we like to ‘kick off’ with The Nightmare Before Christmas. Not only is it a great Disney film (love seeing Jack & Sally during the Halloween party at the Disney parks!), but it’s a fun way to say goodbye to Halloween and welcome in Thanksgiving and Christmas time.

Animated Holiday Movies

Arthur Christmas – PG – 1hr 37m

Dr. Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – NR – 26m

Frosty the Snowman – TVG – 25m

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – TVG – 47m

Polar Express – G – 1hr 40m

A Charlie Brown Christmas – TVG – 25m

Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special – TVPG – 26m

Prep & Landing – TVG – 22m

The Search for Santa Paws – G – 1hr 36m

Kung Fu Panda: Holiday – TVPG – 21m

The Grinch (in theaters November 9th 2018) – PG – 1hr 45m

Mickey Mouse Holiday Movies

Mickey’s Christmas Carol – G – 26m
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas – NR – 1hr 6m
Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas – G – 1hr 8m
Mickey’s Magical Christmas – TVG – 1hr 6m

Live Action Holiday Movies

Pete’s Christmas – PG – 1hr 26m

Nutcracker and the Four Realms (in theaters) – PG – 1hr 39m

Santa Buddies – G – 1hr 28m

Christmas with the Kranks – PG – 1hr 39m

Ernest Saves Christmas – PG – 1hr 35m

Jingle All The Way – PG – 1hr 29m

Jack Frost – PG – 1hr 41m

I’ll Be Home for Christmas – PG – 1hr 26m

Miracle on 34th Street – PG – 1hr 54m

Prancer – G – 1hr 43m

It’s a Wonderful Life – PG – 2hr 10m

The Santa Clause 1 – PG – 1hr 37m

The Santa Clause 2 – G – 1hr 44m

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause – G – 1hr 37m

ELF – PG – 1hr 37m

The Muppets Christmas Carol – G – 1hr 25m

Home Alone 1 – PG – 1hr 43m

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York – PG – 2hr

Home Alone 3 – PG – 1hr 42m

A Christmas Story – PG – 1hr 34m

How the Grinch Stole Christmas ft. Jim Carrey – PG – 1hr 44m

This is certainly not a list of ALL the holiday movies available, but these are our favorites and ones we think would be a hit with the whole family (although I admit hubby and I will pass on Santa Buddies or Search for Santa Paws)!

What’s your favorite family holiday movie?

Ultimate List of Holiday Gift Guides

November 20, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

I love holiday shopping – picking out items that I know will bring smiles and happiness to my family and friends! It’s just so fun to focus for a bit on each of their personalities – the things that they enjoy doing, to really choose the right thing. Especially with my kids, I find real joy in thinking of what they liked in the past, what’s changed, how they’ve grown, all of it. If you’re also working on your holiday shopping list, then let me help a bit with this Ultimate List of Holiday Gift Guides. We’ve gathered links to ALL of our gift guides, so you can look for the theme or topic you want and then get tons of great gift ideas for friends and family!

We tried to cover a big range of personalities and interests – from Disney fans, teens, pets, nerds & geeks (my favorite list!), to ideas for kids who love to learn as well as a HUGE list of over 100 stocking stuffers under $10! We even made sure to have a whole list of ideas for gifts that aren’t really STUFF – because sometimes activities, events, and memory-making moments are the perfect present. Hopefully this helps make your holiday shopping a bit easier and less stressful, so you can truly enjoy the time you spend picking the right thing for those you care about!

Gifts That Aren’t STUFF