Are you a Christmas card procrastinator too? (Giveaway)
The other day when we arrived at my daughter’s dance class I told her we were early.
“Early?” She said with a confused voice “What does that mean?”
I laughed at the realization that she may have never heard this word come out of my mouth in her lifetime… Or at least not often since her brother was born. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s so true… I am late to almost everything.
My youngest sister jumped in to answer for me, “Early means you’re on time.” Wow! Our mom rubbed off on her. Too bad I didn’t inherit her punctuality.
This whole year our church has started at 8:30am. Guess how many times I’ve been on time? … Once. One higher than you thought right? Yea, and I was only on time then because I was giving the talk that day.
I plan to do better next year when church starts at 12:30. It’s not ideal for nap times, but it’s a great potential arrival time for me.
So now that Christmas cards are trickling in my mail box faster by the day, I’m constantly reminded that I still haven’t ordered mine, and faced with the annual question “Should I even do them this year?”
We’ve done family photos the last two years and last year I totally failed at making cards. The year before I at least ordered them, then failed at mailing most. This year I all but gave up on the idea, but then I remembered I had a Snapfish gift certificate for them so I’d better just do it dangit! Worst case scenario I can always hand them out at church and to friends at work. I definitely don’t have 50 people to mail them to.
Of course, any and every time I attempt to do Christmas cards I always order them designed for the holidays AND New Year because there’s about a 95% chance I won’t be getting them to their destination before Christmas.
Here’s what I’m deciding between this year:
Design Your Own Snapfish Premium Holiday Cards Here!
Of course I need to decide quickly. Luckily they have 2 day and overnight shipping options for procrastinators like myself.
I’m always torn between a classic look and a fun and colorful one. Same goes when it comes to decorating our home for the holidays. Our tree is always colorful, and full of memorable ornaments we either made, or picked out together. We usually put it up the day after Thanksgiving (never before). And I haven’t been able to persuade my husband to get a real one just yet… Maybe next year. Then outside I love the look of classic white icicle lights and white yard decor.
This year I bought a bunch of icicle lights and paid a neighbor to hang them for us. They were gorgeous for two day but then… THEY WENT OUT! I’m so sad. I had hoped maybe it was the breaker or something, but that wasn’t it. I don’t know what happened. Of course after the fact I read that Sears has Diehard LED lights that won’t go out if one goes out, and also come with a 5 year warranty. Shoulda gone there. Now I need to figure out how I can get all these down and returned or whatever. GAH!
But I’m not letting it ruin my christmas. Since we’re less than two weeks out I’m looking for sales and hoping to score some inflatable lawn ornaments and maybe go more fun and colorful outside anyway. Maybe get some giant bulbs to post around the yard–No ladder needed. Of course this may take me until Christmas to get it all up, but hey, better late than never.
When do you decorate for the holidays? According to a survey, 1 in 4 Americans begin to deck the halls a month before Christmas. Whether you go all out, or just want to share what you’ve done and win some money here’s a contest you might want to enter. The winners are random so don’t have to feel bad if you aren’t a candidate for The Great Christmas Light fight.
Let me know in the comments how you decorate for or celebrate the holidays (or if you want, you can give a suggestion for my icicle problem). Everyone who comments will be entered to win a $50 gift certificate to order your (better late than never) holiday cards, or any other smSnapfish product. Join the Snapfish Superfans Program for an extra entry to win. Just let me know in your comment that you joined.
This post was created in partnership with Snapfish and Sears as I’m apart of their #snapfishblogger and #SearsBloggerSquad programs. As always, all opinions (and typos) are my own.
Tags: christmas, christmas cards, holiday cards
Have you checked the plug ins? Every so often our lights get pulled from the outlet or extention cord just enough for then to stop working.
I’m super bad about this! Usually no Christmas cards and I decorate which means putting up the tree and stockings the week after Thanksgiving
I am The Worst at getting cards out. Yes, that’s an official title I carry. Last year, holiday cards didn’t happen and I managed New Year cards sometime by the end of January. Not proud of it.
This year, my second child was born and birth announcement cards didn’t happen. Definitely not proud of it. Now? Yep, definitely scrambling to get it together. Why must this always be a struggle?
Would love the gift card- expedited shipping costs I know all too well!
We decorated for the holidays on Thanksgiving night! We usually wait until the weekend, but my husband was in an unusually jolly mood this year. The look on our 15 month old’s face the next day was priceless (I gess she didn’t remember the tree when she was 3 months old last year). We procrastinated with the Christmas cards last year and most people didn’t get them from us until after Christmas. This year they are all made, but we just haven’t sent them out yet!!! Facepalm.
For the holidays, we always celebrate Christmas with my family then New Year’s with my husband’s family. For the New Year, all of us have a sleepover at his sister’s house and it’s great fun!
I’m kinda in the same boat as you. I managed to get my tree up bit the rest of my decorations are still in the box. There’s always next year, right? 🙂
I’m terrible at decorating for Christmas! Or decorating at all for anything really. I have many, many blank white walls in my house. Haha. My son is only 3, so I’m still trying to figure out what our Christmas traditions will be. Christmas cards I’ve never done, but would like to. Decorating… well, I have a tree and a nativity and that’s it. But I did manage to make reindeer-themed cookies with my son, take him to the church Christmas party, take him to see Santa, and got all my Christmas shopping done early, so that was enough for me this year! I hope each year I can do a little better at creating traditions that stick and aren’t stressful. Like decorating the tree with ornaments that are meaningful for our family… and Christmas eve traditions, like a movie we always watch or something! We’ll figure it out, haha.
Since we’re focusing on the Advent season this year and bought candles for it, our mantel has been decorated since the weekend of Thanksgiving. That’s mostly just the candles and a nativity set. Also, our advent/countdown calendar is hanging on the wall. The Christmas tree is the rest of our Christmas decorations, but that’s not up yet. My 3rd child is turning 3 on Tuesday (celebrating tomorrow) and he’s obsessed with Christmas trees this year, so I think we’re going to set up our tree tonight so he’ll be surprised by it tomorrow morning. No idea when we’ll get around to decorating it, though…
I don’t want to put it all away, so decorations are pretty limited. 😉
We don’t decorate outside….but we really should. The kids love looking at everyone else’s lights and displays. We need
We usually decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving. We just got photos done for Christmas cards today, so we’re really cutting it close this year. 🙂
Growing up, our tradition was to decorate the Friday after Thanksgiving (I didn’t even know Black Friday was a thing until I was an adult). So, we have tried to carry that tradition of that Friday for our little family. It works most years! Christmas cards are always hard for me too, but I always do them because I love to receive them. I figure if I stop sending, I may stop getting them! Merry Christmas to you!
The day after Thanksgiving OR on Thanksgiving if I’m lucky is when I start decorating for Christmas!
I just mailed mine out today!! Lol
We put up a Christmas tree and lights outside. We usually do it Thanksgiving weekend but this year we waited til the next weekend.
I just got my tree up today :-/ Im such a slacker… BTW I love the top card
We decorate the day after thanksgiving. I love Christmas and love the anticipation and excitement that decorating creates. We especially love some special handmade wood Christmas signs and a nativity advent calendar that we have. Would love to win a gift card as I haven’t ordered ours yet either!! 🙂
we go with a bit more traditional decorations. We put our main tree in our basement (big living area) and we got a new re-lit tree for our sunroom upstairs, which I love. We didn’t do much outside this year – I couldn’t stomach buying all new lights again! I did not know about Sears, so that may be an after Christmas purchase!
So sorry about your icicle lights, I would have been devastated! We stick with inflatables…our kids each picked out two and then we have an additional one that my husband and I chose. The kids LOVE them. They love to peek out their windows each night at bedtime and say goodnight to their “friends”. Too cute!
I love the top card, with the colorful stripes. You have such a lovely family. 🙂
I don’t send out cards, haven’t in probably 7 years. Life just gets in the way this time of year.
I forgot to add that I joined Snapfish Superfans. I have used another site for prints and gifts in the past but quit since I had a few issues. Snapfish seems to have some great options and prices, I can’t wait to try them out!
This year we didn’t put up a tree since we have a toddler, but we decorated the mantle .
So I stink at life these days and have yet to even muster up the energy to get us all mentally and physically ready for a family photoshoot. But , I find such renewed hope in seeing strong beautiful , amazing mamas like you pull it off so well. And with gorgeous class!
I’m the same way…Christmas cards may or may not happen. It’s always my intention to get them done, but it usually doesn’t happen lol, or I get them done and hand them to people as I see them…terrible, I know. If I’m lucky enough to win the Snapfish credits, I will make sure to get them done and out! Thanks for the opportunity!
My kids did most of the decorating this year. I really enjoyed watching their interactions.
Usually we do lights outside, a tree inside, and garlands and handmade decorations inside. This year has been so hectic so we just have the tree.
I LOVE decorating for Christmas. It’s my favorite holiday!!!! We did the tree, hung stockings and did garland and lights inside the house. Were going to make ornaments this year too. I love the traditional look as well, so white lights for us too!! I NEVER get cards out in time for Christmas but seem to be doing good sending them for the new year lol.
I haven’t decorated much since I’ve been back in school, but one thing I love to do with my kids to celebrate the Holidays is read Christmas books every night. There are so many different ones to choose from. A family favorite is called, “Are you grumpy Santa?.” P.S. My cards have been ordered, and will be here Saturday. We will see of they make it out.
This is the second Christmas we’ve been in our house and we’ve yet to decorate outside. I would love to do lights on the house and the fence in our front yard plus a large nativity set…sigh…maybe next year :).
We have sent out Holiday cards every year. I have always impressed myself that they went out on time. That’s not me. Any this year we find out we are expecting our first, and working 70 hours a week. I come home and sleep over making Christmas Cards. I feel like I am dropping the ball on such an exciting year for cards.
No wonder it’s so hard to choose, I love them both. We are so inconsistent about when we decorate definitely depends on daddy’s schedule. I’m hoping the elf will arrive later and later each year.
I’ve been getting cards back, totally forgot to put postage on them.
This year my husband decorated the house before Thanksgiving, along with majority of our neighbors. We do just some basic white outside and do a cream/brown, beige tree in the main area, we did a small white tree in our playroom and we have at least 4 mini trees that we put up and a candle in evey window (battery operated that is)…
I also joined snapfish superfan…