I’m usually all in the Christmas spirit, but today I’m getting annoyed. Here’s why: I ordered a lot online this year. With free shipping options, it was just too tempting! Point, click, pay, wait. But listen to what happened…

I get home one day and right there in front of the door is my son’s RockBank box – with the NAME of the product in HUGE letters across the box. My daughter’s Kitchen just arrived – with PICTURES of the product splashed on the box for everyone to see! 

Another present I ordered from Amazon had the packing slip showing, and on it, you could read what was in the box! What are they thinking? Is it some advertising they’re trying to do to the postal people delivering mail? It must be, because any dunce knows that at Christmastime, lots of presents are being ordered – so it MIGHT be a good idea to keep it under wraps what’s in the box – ya think?

Another gripe and then I’ll return from my Grinch mood to a jolly fat mom: Manufacturers – why do you ruin Christmas day by making it harder to get the toys out than it is to steal a bar of gold from Fort Knox? There are rubberbands, plastic ties, glue – it takes a pro wrestler to hack into this stuff!  Is theft really so bad that you have to go to all those measures? It must be.

And I even have scissors handy, but it’s annoying having to chop through everything to try to get a toy out. For once, can you make things easier for us?  Okay, I lied…one more gripe. You order the big Santa present – you know, the kitchen, the drumset, whatever. Why don’t these things come with stickers already attached? Why must we have to sort through 1,000 tiny stickers and apply them on Christmas Eve – I don’t see why they don’t come on the toys already?

…end of rant – you will be returned to your regular programming of cheer and holiday kindness now!

tiff

Part of my favorite Christmas planning is determining which present wil be my kids’ Santa gifts each year.  Usually, it’s the best toys they have, but I’ll admit – sometimes it’s just a matter of size.  This year, you can see which toys my kids are getting as their Santa present this year (below). 

I always feel sorry for my husband because usually the Santa gifts take hours to put together and he spends most of late Christmas Eve doing this. Then we all wonder why he’s so sleepy Christmas day! Do you put a Santa gift out, or just fill the stockings?

With stockings, we fill those up and place them, over-flowing, right on the Santa gift so that everyone knows whose “out in the open” present is whose.

My gosh! I walked out into my husband’s den yesterday and I thought, “Did he move the christmas tree?”  Nope – it was a Yankee Candle I was smelling, and it smelled better than our $200 live tree in the living room! The one that smelled JUST like a Christmas tree is shown below (the Mistletoe Yankee candle)

Here are my top picks for Christmas Candles that make your home smell deliciously festive during Christmas:

Cell phones are a hot item for Christmas presents – they work for almost any age (they even have kiddie cell phones!) and they work for both genders. Mom and dad love their cells, teens, tweens, and now even tiny kids are asking for cell phones for Christmas.

If your family already owns their cells, or if you’re buying them one for Christmas, make sure you add on some fun and affordable faceplates for cell phones and other cell phone covers to protect the cell.  Aside from protection of the cell phone, they also offer some personality and bling to the accessory.

Click here to view a great cell phone cover review page!

Here are some cool cell phone faceplates and covers you can get the ones you love this season – including a Nightmare Before Christmas cell phone cover and cell phone tattoos!

When the holiday season arrives, you’ll know it by hearing lots of radio stations begin playing your favorite Christmas music.  Or, you might feel a chill in the air and load up your Christmas songs in the CD player to rotate between the familiar sounds of Bing Crosby and the new age sounds of Josh Grobin.

In my home, I wake up to the sounds of Christmas music every morning. My husband is very into it.  By October, we’re singing Holy Night and Frosty the Snowman.  My toddler’s favorites are the Frosty song and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

When you’re doing your planning, the Christmas songs that you choose can set the mood.  Some of the songs are fun and festive, like Jingle Bell Rock.  Others are somber and reflective, like Christmas Shoes.  They can either make you smile or weep! 

There are many Christmas music CDs that are just must-haves for any home or office.  Here are a few I highly recommend: