While you ponder how you could eat so much so fast, I hope you take a moment to mediate on the following:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
—Isaiah 9:6, King James Version

Merry Christmas!

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iFeliz Noche Buena!

It’s interesting how things I hardly thought of when it was just Jason and me are now drawing my attention. For example, growing up, Christmas Eve was when my family celebrated Christmas. With tons of guests – family and friends and a HUGE buffet dinner, we’d have anywhere upwards of 80+ people in and out of the house.

I left for the Army, spent many a Christmas away and I’ve never really celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve since the last Christmas I lived at home. Not so much because I didn’t respect the tradition - more that I was alone and with no one around to celebrate with on Christmas Eve, my celebration days slowly became Christmas Day.

Would we ever do a Christmas Eve celebration? While my parents loved to cook and entertain, that’s not really us. I don’t think we would ever undertake such a huge endeavor. (And boy was it huge!)

However, I do like the fun of opening presents Christmas Eve. Even so, I will probably continue to have Fiona open presents on Christmas Day and let her open just a present on Christmas Eve as a nod to my traditions. This Noche Buena, though, Fi was literally falling asleep as I changed her out of her dress. Maybe next year…

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas Eve! Make sure you leave some milk and cookies out for Papa Noel!

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Merry Christmas!Merry Christmas 2008!

Firstly, you should think about what that person’s personal jewelry preferences might be. Take a look at the style of items which they might usually wear on a regular basis. Do they prefer long, detailed earrings or plain, simple studs? Do they tend to wear gold or silver? Although you might be looking to get them something special, it can be a good idea to sneak a peek at their everyday items, in order to get a good idea of what their preferences might be. It is worth bearing in mind that A Pretty Rock can offer custom orders, which can save a significant amount of time searching for the perfect piece.

You will also want to think about the style of jewelry which you want to purchase. Costume jewelry designs can often be unusual and will stand out from the crowd, despite the fact that this can often be the less expensive option. More classic pieces, such as diamond rings or heavily jewelled bracelets will usually have higher costs, although they are often more versatile. Again, it can be a good idea to consider which style of jewelry tends to be favored by the person whom you are buying for.

You may also think about adding a personal touch to the jewelry which you choose to give as a gift. Perhaps you know what the birthstone is of the person you are buying for? Some designs are also thought to have a certain spiritual significance, which you may feel would be relevant to the person for whom you are buying.

I’m sure you have good ideas on how to choose a perfect gift. What is your best tip?

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Black Friday Sale!Mixed Plate Holiday Gift Guide 2008!Bring in Fall with Pumpkin Earrings

Last year, I ran across a free Christmas label template two days before Christmas. I don’t want to do anything last minute this year (and I’m already in the last minute process with Christmas cards), but I thought now would be a good time to find and print labels to start marking gifts.

So take a look at what I’ve found so far:

Retro Holiday Labels

Angel Holiday Labels

Merry & Bright Holiday Labels

Holiday Penguins Holiday Labels

This year, I’ll definitely be using the penguin holiday labels. They are too cute!

Best part about these labels? They are all free! Enjoy!

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Etsyblogger's Holiday Sale!'Tis the Season - Flickr Favorites December 2009

Just my luck, I found these cute (and free!) Christmas labels designed and illustrated by Erin of InkTreePress for WordLabel.com. I hope they help you out and add a little more Christmas spirit to your packaging!

Erin also has a blog, so if you use these, stop by and drop her a thanks. I’m sure she’d appreciate it!

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My Show Checklist'Tis the Season - Flickr Favorites December 2009iFeliz Noche Buena!

While I think that’s a bit too much, the thing is, I really enjoy the holidays. Christmas is only second to Thanksgiving in my book. One of the things I enjoy most about the holidays is getting Christmas cards in the mail. I think it was about 4 years ago I noticed our group of friends started sending photo greeting cards. I have to admit, I enjoy getting them in the mail.

We have friends and family scattered around the states and to get a photo greeting card from them makes me feel special. I love seeing how everyone has or hasn’t changed in the span of a year. The best part about them? They serve a double purpose. Knowing I’m not pitching them in the recycling bin after the holiday is over makes me feel good about getting them.

So with the arrival of Baby Girl, I’ve been thinking about sending photo Christmas cards. Around here, when you get pregnant, almost all the material marketed towards you includes a flyer for Shutterfly announcement cards, so this has been brewing in the back of my mind. When the Clever 1000 announced the opportunity to talk about Shutterfly’s holiday photo cards, you know I had to jump on it!

My only problem is choosing just one design. With over 700 holiday cards, it hasn’t been easy. However, I did narrow it down to these designs:

Card 1

Card 2

Card 3

Card 4

Card 5

Help me choose! Which one should I pick?

Do you want 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly? Click here to go to Shutterfly for information on how you can get 50 free cards this holiday season, and make sure to select Clever 1000 as the referral source.

Disclaimer: This post is part of a series sponsored by Shutterfly. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

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So while I’m finishing all my last minute cooking, wrapping presents and packing them up into the car to drive over to my friend’s house for our families to enjoy their Christmas morning ritual, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

And may you receive the best gift of all…

“The Gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ Our Lord.” ~ Romans 6:23

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iFeliz Noche Buena!Merry Christmas 2008!

From today until Monday, December 21st, get 15% off all jewelry! Use code “LASTCHANCE” at checkout. Also, you get FREE SHIPPING for orders over $50!

If you let me know if you are a newsletter subscriber or a Facebook Page Fan and you’ll also get an additional free gift with your order! Who doesn’t love stocking stuffers…especially when they’re free! So shop now!

Don’t forget…cutoff dates for my holiday shipping deadlines are coming soon! These are the last purchase dates that I can guarantee arrival before Christmas within the U.S.:

First Class Mail – December 18th
Priority Mail – December 18th
Express Mail – December 22nd

Make sure to plan ahead and place your orders early! And if you miss these dates, there are always gift certificates.

Finally, the winner of this month’s gift certificate has been announced. Check to see if it was you!

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Christmas in Central ParkWhat Christmas Time Means To Me...After Christmas Sale Starts Today!

The best thing once we got started though, was finding the nativity ornaments we picked up at Hallmark during the after Christmas sale last year. It was like getting an early present!

Jason and I love nativity sets, but really you can only have so many in the house before your home starts to look like a store. So these nativity ornaments really fit the bill as far as size goes. You can never really have enough reminders that Jesus is the reason for the season, so we’ll definitely stop by Hallmark again after Christmas this year.

And after all that work, look who was tuckered out…

I don’t blame him…I was ready for bed shortly after dinner. But it was worth it ’cause now it *really* feels like Christmas time around here. It’s our favorite time of the year!

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The NativityChristmas in Central Park 2008 This Weekend!iFeliz Noche Buena!

As I sit here teaching my niece how to use one of her new toys, I’m once again amazed with the blessing of spending time with friends and family on this wonderful day. May your Christmas be just as merry and bright. Thank you for all your support this year! I am forever grateful and humbled by you all.

Merry Christmas!

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Come see me Saturday and Sunday at the Christmas in Central Park show:
———-
Christmas in Central Park

Saturday, November 22nd
10:00am – 5:00pm

Sunday, November 23rd
1:00pm – 5:00pm

Forsyth County Central Park Recreation Center
2300 Keith Bridge Rd
Cumming, GA 30040
(770) 781-2215
Get Directions

Christmas Shopping
Handmade arts and crafts will be for sale by exhibitors. The arts and crafts will include candles, soaps, belts, handbags, jewelry, pottery, wooden bowls, hot glass, stained glass, paintings, photography, dolls, pet gifts, crotcheted items and more.

Live Entertainment
Live entertainment will be provided throughout both days.

Children’s Activities
Activities will be provided for children to enjoy, including face painting, hay rides and Wayne’s Train, “The Dahlonega Express”.

Lighting of the Tree
A lighting of the tree will be held Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

Christmas Tree Auction
A Christmas tree auction will be sponsored by the Forsyth County Parks and Recreation Department and the Sawnee Woman’s Club. Bid silently on beautifully decorated trees. All trees will be donated by local businesses, artists and non-profit organizations. All proceeds will benefit local art associations in Forsyth County.

Sugar Plum Cafe
Concessions will be available in the Sugar Plum Cafe.

Photos with Santa
Photos will be available with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. Capture a child’s visit for a $10.00 sitting fee. Select one of 4 photo packags.

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So, here’s a little a cappella for you this morning to get you in the Christmas spirit. If you’re going out shopping, trust me, you’re going to need it:

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On the 8th Day of Holiday Deals 2009...

So quickly, I thought I’d show you a custom order based off my Turquoise and Carnelian Cluster Bracelet. However, instead of sterling silver, this one is in 14kt gold-filled components:

I call it the “Alter Ego”. Isn’t it lovely?

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Fortunately for our pocket book, we don’t just collect any old nativity scenes. For us, there has to be something awfully special about the pieces we pick up. With each one, there is a specific reason that we decided to add it to our collection.

As we put out all of our Christmas decorations this weekend, I thought it would be fun to revisit our collection here on my blog. (I would have had the house decked out the day after Thanksgiving, but I was on an early flight to visit my mom for the duration of that week.) Today, I’ll start with this piece:

Nativity Ornament by Works of Heart

Every year we go to The Yellow Daisy Festival at Stone Mountain Park. It’s touted as the largest arts and crafts show in the Southwest. And every year, we’ve always bought our personalized ornament from one of the two polymer clay artists who are regular participants of the show. Both ladies are equally skilled at making wonderful little mementos, but this year we gravitated towards Works of Heart.

Instead of our usual an annual ornament, we chose to pick up this new nativity ornament by Works of Heart. For all the collecting of nativity scenes we do, it turns out that we don’t have a single nativity scene ornament on our tree. Since we absolutely fell in love with it at first sight and there were no complaints made by either one of us, I immediately picked it up and took it to the check out station.

(If you’re interested in one of your own, you can see I’ve made their contact information available to you in the picture, or you can visit the Works of Heart website.)

We just hung ours up in the tree last night. It’s absolutely beautiful.

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What Christmas Time Means To Me...