During the holidays, I love to decorate my house to match the festivities. Over the years, I have had many themes for my Christmas tree decor.  My first few Christmases as a newlywed, I bought red velvet bows and gold glitter snowflakes to use for decoration. As I started having children and beanie babies were a national craze, I decorated my Christmas tree with my teddy bear beanies and Boyd’s Bears. I even had a Santa Bear tree topper.  As my kids got a little bit older, and I entertained more at my house during the Holidays, I had my friend Patti create the most beautiful, magazine-worthy tree with cheetah print bulbs and feathers.

Then, with older kids came that nostalgia of missing them as babies, so the last few years I have been using only their ornaments: the ones with pictures of them with missing teeth, tiny hand prints, and sloppily but lovingly painted trees and snowmen. These are the sentimental ones that evoke memories of preschool and kindergarten.

Now, in 2023, I have a new plan. I am doing a hybrid tree of sorts.  I want the beautifully decorated tree with coordinated ribbon, but this time I’ll add in my meaningful ornaments. Thanks to Leslie of Deck the Halls, she is helping me see my vision come to life. I can’t wait to see it all decked out in puffy red, black, and cheetah-print ribbon with my favorite ornaments mingled throughout it. It’s going to be perfect!

It’s amazing how much thought, time, and effort we put into the holidays, and how many traditions we juggle. To help coordinate it all without breaking the bank, Callie Collins writes about this in her article, “11 Cheap, Fun Ways to Celebrate the Holidays (That Don’t Feel Chintzy or Grinchy).” She gives some insight on how to manage it all on a budget.  Some of her tips include hosting pot lucks, using leftovers, and volunteering as a family. To read all of her 11 tips, turn to page 29.

KCFM checked in with several of the women featured in the “Hello, Happy Mama” articles throughout the year to share some parenting advice as they look forward to 2024. Thanks to those who recommended trusting the process, making self-care a priority, and spending time being present and off the electronics. They also told KCFM their new parenting hashtag, so to read them all, turn to page 9.

  

In this month’s Humor at Home article, “The Black Hole That is My Purse,” Julie Willis writes about the panic that set in when she found something sticky while digging through her purse. As she began to pull out her purse’s contents to find the sticky culprit, she realized her purse was a literal black hole. How many broken pencils did she find in her purse? To read the answer and to find out what caused the chaotic search, turn to page 32.

  

This Holiday, no matter what theme we choose to decorate the tree, or no matter what family traditions are kept or made anew, I know for a fact, the kids will still have a magical season to remember because they are making memories with loved ones. This year, you can have your fancy shmancy tree or string together popcorn for garland or make a tree out of balloons – it all means the same thing to your children. The energy and effort show just how much you care about making the season special for them. After all, the holidays are for families, friends, and the spirit of giving!