Christmas Cards

I know so few people who send out actual Christmas cards. Most people I know send out an e-holiday greeting, which is nice. There's something to be said about sending actual Christmas cards. My Christmas cards are usually a combination of cards that I designed on vistaprint and handmade cards that I buy from a friend. 

 

Handmade Cards

It's no secret that I am a BUSY person, so it can be hard for me to find the time to sit down and actually write my Christmas cards; I include a handwritten note with all of my cards. This takes me hours to do, but to me, it's worth it. I love taking the time to write a short note wishing my family and friends a Merry Christmas. Even if I don't see them over the holidays, I want them to know that I am thinking about them.

Creating A Beautiful Little Christmas

I love a lot of things. A LOT of things. Three things that I love are Christmas, books and my blog. So, when I was given the opportunity to review a Christmas book for my blog, I couldn't have been happier!

Book: Creating A Beautiful Little Christmas

Author: Teri Ahlem

What I have to say: 

I love that the focus of this book was on keeping Christmas simple. Teri addressed everything you would hope to see in a holiday guide; decorating, gift ideas, entertaining. But again, with keeping things simple. She even mentioned scaling back, not having a jammed pack holiday calendar and questioning why we have certain traditions (ex, it's a tradition to go to the movies...but really, there's just nothing else to do). 

Teri offered practically, easy to follow advice. I loved the idea of decorating for the winter season instead of Christmas, that way you can enjoy the decorations longer. I also loved all of the recipes she included and am tempted to try the stain glass cookies this year!

One of the most important points to the book was self care. Teri talked about how important it is to take care of ourselves during the holidays. The best part is, these are tips that can be used throughout the year! 

The only 'negative' thing I have to say about this book is that I wish it didn't have a style guide. Teri does provide great outfit ideas and tips but I feel that adding a 'style section' will date the book. Yes, it's relevant now, but what happens when the styles change in a year or two? For the record, I don't like when any guide books included a style section, for this reason. 

This book also includes a gift guide. There are lots of great gift ideas and I may or may not have used one of the ideas for a Christmas gift for my dad- even though I have already bought his Christmas gift...this was too good of an idea to pass up!

Creating A Beautiful Little Christmas is available in both e-reader and paperback formats. For more information on this book or to purchase a copy. Please go here.

***Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book for free, in exchange for an honest review on my blog. All opinions are my own.***

Hey! It's Ok

Idea taken from Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock At A Time.

To be sad that Paul Walker died. It's sad when anyone dies, but especially someone so young.

That I have a new favourite drink at Starbucks; Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. Soooo good!

To like Cabbie's 2014 Olympic Hockey Team. Well, I might not like his selections, or agree with them 100%, I do love his reasoning

That I'm disappointed that I couldn't attend Smart, Pretty & Awkward's anniversary party last night.

To be counting down the days to the World Juniors! Selection Camp opened yesterday...it's getting closer!

That Datevitation is shipping to Canada! This is a cute and unique gift for anyone in your life!

To be excited that Influenster is FINALLY in Canada!!! I received the Maple VoxBox and I can't wait to share/review the products I received!

Inspire Me

I can't believe that it's December! This year has flown by! It's been a great year so far and I'm looking forward to seeing what this month has in store. I have the day off from work and will be spending the morning baking with my grandma and the afternoon running errands. So, not really a relaxing day but I am looking forward to spending time with my grandmother.

As always, here's some inspiration for the week: