by Ink, India
Get together with your grown siblings and agree that instead of scrambling to buy gifts that you don’t even know will be appreciated, that each family will donate to a charity of their choice.
Spend time at a homeless shelter, serving meals to those less fortunate. This is a good lesson for children, to show them just how much they have to be thankful for.
Splurge and hire a housekeeper to come in for a couple of hours before decorating for the holidays. A little luxury can save a lot of time and stress.
Place bowls of lightly scented potpourri around the house to add a holiday scent all season long.
Find fun-shaped candles (like snowmen or trees) and cut the wicks down to the very edge so they can’t be burned. When stored properly, these can become decorations that will last for years.
If the old traditions don’t mean anything, develop new ones that do.
Go out to watch the moon on a cold and frost-filled night. There’s a certain look to it that is so haunting, so beautiful, that it will make you forget the stress of the day.
Don’t forget—there are many winter holiday traditions celebrated, all around the same time. Using the phrase Happy Holidays is a wonderful and thoughtful way to incorporate them all and not make anybody feel excluded or left out.
To make your pomander you will need:One large orange for each pomander
A lot of whole cloves
¼ cup each dried and ground: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg
A length of red ribbon
A yard of red netting
Over a tray so the juice won’t stain your clothes, push the cloves (long end first) into the orange. Fill in the entire surface, placing cloves as close together as possible while focusing on joy and love filling your home. Mix the ground spices in a shallow tray. Roll the orange in them until covered. Set in dry place that isn’t too warm or too cold. Once a day, roll the orange(s) around in the spices. Within three weeks, they should be dry. Gently tap off the excess spices, wrap each orange in netting, and tie the ends together with ribbon (like you would a sachet). Hang from the ceiling in your kitchen, family room, living room, or dining room.