Strauss Family Tradition: Thanksgiving Eve

Thanksgiving Eve

Thanksgiving traditions are big in my husband’s family.  Over the past sixteen years, I have enjoyed helping my mother-in-law put together a family Thanksgiving celebration that honors all present.  I have experienced the days of marathon cooking leading up to the arriving crowds, ensuring that every detail blesses her guests.  I have participated in gathering…

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5 Days of Christmas: Snuggling Up with a Good Movie

Christmas Movies

We’ve made it to day five of my series on giving Christmas presence not presents.  I am a sucker for a good movie and popcorn, and there are some great family movies at Christmas time, so why not come together and watch with your family? The first year we practiced Christmas presence was the year…

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5 Days of Christmas: Gifting Experiences not Things

Gifting Experiences

We are almost to the end of our 5 days of giving Christmas Presence not presents.  If you missed the beginning of this series, hop back and start at the beginning to see what this crazy play on words has to do with the holiday season.  Over the past few days we’ve talked about free…

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5 Days of Christmas: Doesn’t Have to Cost a Penny

Free Fun for Christmas

The past few days I’ve been sharing with you our family tradition of focusing on Christmas presence rather than Christmas presents.  We stumbled across this idea because our budget was tight and we needed to get a little creative.  I don’t think you have to have a small budget to bless your kids with your presence,…

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5 Days of Christmas: Getting Crafty Together

Crafty Christmas

 I’m on Day 2 of my 5 Days of Christmas Presence series.  Yesterday I shared our ideas for Soaking up the Season.  Today, I’ll share all of our favorite ways to spend time together with a Crafty Christmas. From making gifts to making decorations, Christmas offers endless opportunities to get crafty.  Even if you’re not a…

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