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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5 Days of Christmas Presence: Soaking in the Season

5 Days of Christmas Presence

Today is Day 1 of my five day series on giving the ones you love your presence and not just presents.  If you missed my intro to the series, you can read more here.  I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, and we are seeing the sights of Christmas everywhere!  In my home, we wait…

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5 Days of Christmas Presence (not Presents)

Christmas Presence

A couple of years ago, we were trying to figure out how to make Christmas work with an ever shrinking budget.  The solution?  Homemade Christmas.  I set up “Santa’s Workshop” in my room and made all kinds of wonderful treasures.  It took forever, but Christmas morning still felt like that glorious day of opening presents…

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Top 5 Places to Visit in Stoneham, MA

For the last three years, my sister and her family have lived in a small town north of Boston called Stoneham, MA (pronounced “Stone-em”…no ham).  When you live on Main Street, you can walk to dining, shopping, and entertainment.  Stoneham is a beautiful town with some amazing places to visit.  Here are my top 5 don’t…

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