Over the holidays, remember what's important!

During a holiday season unlike any many of us have ever experienced before, take some time to appreciate what is most important in life and get down to basics. It isn’t always about the grand parties, expensive gifts and material items – it’s about spending time (even if it is virtually) with the people you love and taking time for yourself to relax and enjoy the time off from work and other activities.

Whether it is sharing fond holiday memories with friends and family over a Zoom chat, sending cards to relatives out of town, or sending a fun picture over text from a previous year’s celebration, take the time to remember the best things about the holidays. It shouldn’t be about spending a lot of money or worrying about all the activities you aren’t able to do this year. Instead, focus on what you can do and make the holidays a relaxing and fun time.

The holidays are also often a time to look towards the New Year and setting goals to achieve in the next 12 months. With uncertain times still ahead in 2021, that doesn’t mean you can’t still think about some achievements you want to make. For example, it could be to simplify your life, whether it’s by organizing your material possessions or your day to day activities. It could be to take more time to connect with family and friends, or to live a healthier lifestyle. Whatever you set your mind to do, make sure that it is something that you want to achieve and know that you can realistically achieve in the time you set for yourself. Goals will be unattainable if they aren’t set correctly in the first place.

This Christmas will be different for everyone this year, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t still be enjoyed and that there isn’t much to still look forward to in the New Year. Make sure you take the time to remember what is important about this time and appreciate all we do have this year.

Start planning for your holiday baking!

What better way to stay home and get into the holiday spirit than by baking some festive treats? Cookies are a seasonal favourite – not only can they feed the whole family, but they’re especially comforting on a cold winter day when enjoyed still warm from the oven. Below, we’ve collected a couple of favourite recipes you can try at home.

Snowball Cookies (Saucepan Cookies)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time*: 10 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

*Extra time is needed setting and cooling.

Ingredients

·      1 ½ cups margarine

·      2 ¼ cups sugar

·      6 eggs

·      1 ½ tsp. salt

·      3 cups chopped dates

·      3 tsp. vanilla

·      1 ½ cups chopped walnuts (optional)

·      6 cups rice krispies

·      2+ cups of shredded coconut

Instructions

·      Add the margarine, sugar, eggs and salt to a medium saucepan and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.

·      Add in the vanilla and let the mixture cool until it is not too hot to handle.

·      Fold in the rice krispies and chopped walnuts.

·      Form into bite-sized balls and roll into the shredded coconut to create a “snowball.”

·      Leave the cookies to cool and set before serving.

Best Fudgy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies from Café Delites

Gluten Free Frosted Sugar Cookies from What the Fork

Holiday Planning Guide

This year the holidays will look a little different for everyone. While the usual gatherings and activities might not be possible, there are still many activities you and your household can get ready for before the holiday season starts in earnest!

Inventory decorations

For many it might be too early to put up decorations, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pull out what you have and start to do an inventory of your collection. Go through what items you have available and where you want to use them. Check through ornaments to make sure nothing is cracked or broken and test out lights to make sure no bulbs are burned out. By going through what you already have, you can avoid purchasing unnecessary decorations and also make sure you have time to order anything that might need replacing.

 While the weather is still nice, it is a good idea to get outdoor lights and decorations up (even if you don’t turn them on for a couple of weeks). If you have a tree in storage you can pull it out and make sure it is still in good shape or look at ordering in a real tree in advance. Plan out your strategy and holiday decorating early so even if circumstances change, you have everything you need.

Prepare gifts

If you haven’t already completed your holiday shopping, check out our post on getting a head start on your holiday shopping whether online or in-store. Regardless of where you are at with your gifts, it’s a good idea to sort out what materials you have to wrap, decorate and distribute gifts to your family and friends.

Check how much wrapping paper you have left over from last year and estimate how much more you might need. If you already have an idea of what gifts you are purchasing, think about what else you might be able to use. How about reusable gift bags or boxes? In our current circumstances, you may also want to consider whether more sturdier materials are needed if they are being mailed or delivered in advance.

As always, at Calm Order we recommend when possible to consider giving a gift that doesn’t involve any clutter. This is especially important now when limiting physical contact is essential. You can still personalize electronic gifts by designing a festive e-Card or video message. Check out our post for clutter-free gift ideas!

Get packages mailed

With online ordering and mailing gifts more popular than ever this year, it is extremely important to prepare any gifts for friends and family out of town well in advance. Look into delivery times and options for wherever you need to send gifts and make sure you have everything packaged correctly and in the mail before those timelines. To make the process easier, consider if there are other options, like arranging with family and friends to send gifts at a later date. Online certificates or video announcements can also be sent in place of physicals gifts until they can get to their destination in time.

Plan festive crafts

To keep you and your family entertained during the holiday season start researching and planning for holiday baking and crafts. Pull out the festive cookie cutters, construction paper and other supplies to see what might need replacing or replenishing. Not only do these activities keep everyone in the holiday spirit, but they can also turn in to cost-effective decorations and gifts! Many of these materials can be purchased online or at stores with curb side pick-up to make planning safe and easy. While it is not safe to do activities with others in person, you can always consider hosting virtual craft and baking nights to get other family and friends involved.