Thursday, October 27, 2011

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like . . . Christmas?

I saw this on FaceBook the other day:

30 days until Black Friday

OMG. What??

But it's true. So, in the spirit of planning, prepping and shopping, I started looking at Shutterfly for our Christmas cards. I know, Christmas, right? But it's time.

PLUS, you all get to benefit from my looking around. I've got two sets of 25 free cards to give away! (Yes, this is my first give-a-way. Yes, I'm way geeked about it. Yes, I'm grinning as I type this. Yes, I'm using a ton of italics.)

As I said, I'm going to be using Shutterfly for my Christmas cards this year -- as I do every year.  I love that I can make a collage of all the cool things the kids have done throughout the year and not have the cards cost a ton. (Here's a Christmas card tip: include pictures of yourselves on your Christmas cards. Ugh, there is little that is more frustrating than getting a great card and not being able to see my friends faces on it as well as their kids.)

Since my sister in law just had a baby (yes! she did! on Monday! a girl!) she'll be using the birth announcements -- with a picture of the darling in a Santa hat. I also love, love, love the photo books Shutterfly has -- I've made four of them myself.  And Sarah just received a Birthday party invitation from Shutterfly.

To enter for your chance at 25 free cards from Shutterfly, leave a comment and tell me . . . you're favorite holiday tradition. Comments will be closed on Friday, October 29 at 8:00 pm. Then I'll draw two random winners!

 

24 comments:

  1. Hmmm......my favorite holiday tradition? I think it is our annual Christmas Movie. When I was younger I used to go to the movies on Christmas Day. It was great and something to do since I didn't celebrate Christmas. Now, since my hubby is Catholic and we do sort of celebrate with the kids we try to fit in in still or if there isn't a good movie for the kids in theaters or the timing doesn't work, we just rent one and sit and watch it together before going to my in-laws to celebrate. It's a nice, quiet family tradition before the craziness of my in-laws house. :)

    And I'm wondering....what's your favorite holiday tradition?? :)

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  2. My favorite holiday tradition was eating my mom's Christmas cookie. Now...hmm...we're working on our own traditions. Probably putting up the tree because I love it. And with our own house, I can't wait to Christmas it up!

    (yayyyyy for your first giveaway!)

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  3. My favorite holiday tradition growing up was going to midnight mass with my mom and coming home to my dad's hot chocolate, hot and ready for us.
    Now that I have my own family, the tradition I started was making pillsbury cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning while we are opening the gifts :)

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  4. I loved opening one present on Christmas Eve. It was always something small and fun. Until my brother opened batteries and had a meltdown. Then we opened 2 that year.

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  5. Growing up my siblings and I would climb into my parents' bed on Christmas Eve and talk the night away about what we would be opening in the morning. We always tried to stay awake as long as possible so we could see Santa but we always fell asleep. Meanwhile my parents would the evening together enjoying a nightcap and after we all fell asleep they'd snap some photos of us all in bed together. The four of us kept up this tradition until we were well into our teens. Pretty funny photos.

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  6. yay, I always use shutterfly for my Christmas cards and wouldn't mind 25 free cards. My favorite Christmas tradition is doing our Jesse tree and making candy and cookies with my family.

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  7. My favorite holiday tradition is driving around and looking at Christmas lights. We have certain houses and parks that we know always put on a good show and we spend 2-3 nights every season driving around, sipping hot chocolate, and enjoying the lights. It's awesome.

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  8. My favorite tradition is sitting with my family on Christmas Eve, enjoying the twinkling lights on the tree & talking about how much we have to grateful for. That and cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. Oh-now I'm all excited for Christmas!!!

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  9. LOL LOL LOL! Oh my goodness I needed that giggle!!

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  10. I'm SO with you. Just posted a 60-ish days to christmas. WTF????? [don't enter me, please - just wanted to say hi]

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  11. My favourite holiday tradition is what my husband and I started to avoid all the running around we had to do. We decided to host a Christmas Eve party after we all attended church. It is super laid back. Finger foods, baked goods, my sister makes won ton soup (another tradition)...but mostly it's all about my family which is super large, getting together under one roof.
    Love that time of year.

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  12. I'm convinced that the calendar is entered into some great conspiracy. There's no freaking way that it's this late in the year. Now, though, how did the calendar get the weather to jump on board with the plan? Hmmmmm?

    My favorite holiday tradition is one that started half out of necessity. My parents divorced when I was a senior in college. That first year, we all stayed at my mom's house.

    Then, I went on to live on my own . . . but we've made a pact to always get together for Christmas morning. After Christmas Eve services (which, for me, can last until 2 in the morning), we all pack up & head to someone's house . . . so that when we wake up, we're all together with presents and coffee.

    It makes for some very, very hectic mornings (we usually have to hurry and make the trek back to have a Christmas breakfast with my wife's family before turning around and heading to my wife's aunt's for Christmas dinner), but it's always fun.

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  13. I love that you blend the two religions so well. My favorite holiday tradition. Hmmm. That's hard, there seem to be so many. When I 'announce' the winner I'll post it. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  14. I love putting up the tree, too! But taking it down? UGH. :)

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  15. YUM, cinnamon rolls. The midnight mass is so beautiful.

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  16. We actually started a family tradition b/c of you guys :) The kids all sleep in one room on Christmas Eve. Hopefully it will continue for a long, long time.

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  17. I love it! This is what we did this past Christmas - picture taking included.

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  18. I love cooking with everybody for Christmas, too. Despite the craziness that always occurs. :)

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  19. I can't wait for the Chrismas lights. Those can never come soon enough for me.

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  20. I think you just nailed the whole spirit of Christmas, right there.

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  21. I panicked when I read this. Then counted. 59 days till Christmas. WTF is right!

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  22. So nice! I love having everybody here for Christmas, too.

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  23. I think Christmas morning will always be hectic with kids, but that sounds like so much fun. I love that you want to be with family.

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  24. My favorite Christmas tradition has been buying a wooden ornament for each family member every year that suited that person or something we did that year.
    We collected a choo-choo train for my son's first Christmas and a doll carriage with a kitten in it for my daughter's. We got bird houses from Kentucky and lighthouses from the East coast.
    The idea was that when the kids left home, they could take their ornament collection with them, and there would still be plenty left for us. I look forward to continuing the tradition for the grandbabies when the time comes!
    Jodi

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