Can you believe it’s already the first week of December?
This year has felt so strange — some months dragged on forever, while the last few weeks vanished in a blink.
Are you ready for Christmas yet? We’re not quite there. We planned to have all the holiday decorating done in early November, but life had other plans, and now we’re still surrounded by boxes of decorations. If anyone has a spare set of hands, please send help!
Despite the chaos, we’ve been busy on the blog sharing holiday inspiration, recipes, and easy projects. Here’s a quick roundup in case you missed anything this week.
On and around the blog
This week we joined 27 other bloggers to share holiday decorating ideas, and we put together the ultimate guide to decorating with greenery for the season — full of practical tips and inspiring images for using magnolia, holly, and other fresh greens throughout your home.
Dinner doesn’t have to be complicated, and we’ve been loving a simple Mexican Instant Pot Chicken and Brown Rice recipe that’s flavorful and fast. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, it adapts easily to a slow cooker so you can still enjoy a hearty weeknight meal.
If ribbon and bows intimidate you, AnnMarie has a foolproof method for making the easiest bow ever — perfect for gifts and decor.
Today we also shared our family traditions for trimming Christmas trees. You’ll find straightforward tips for creating a meaningful and memorable tree that showcases ornaments, memories, and intentional styling.
More finds and inspiration
We discovered lots of other helpful projects and ideas this week, including a clever handmade gift idea, a festive laundry room makeover, and a collection of creative holiday crafts you can make with dollar store supplies.
We also found a chewy gingersnap cookie recipe that’s perfect for holiday baking, a classic Christmas floral arrangement using items you likely already have at home, and a complete healthy meal plan for the entire month of December to simplify mealtime during the busy season.
And for quick baking fun, we rounded up a few super-easy Christmas cookie recipes that are kid-friendly and holiday-ready.
Deals we’re loving
If you’re shopping, a few deals caught our eye this week: a sitewide discount on drinkware, a charming Christmas tree collar that finishes a tree beautifully, and extra markdowns on select apparel. There’s also a promo code for a major photo book retailer that takes a chunk off orders and offers reduced shipping — great for holiday albums and personalized gifts.
Thank you for being here and for supporting our creative little corner of the internet. We hope the rest of your season is joyful and that you find a few moments to relax and enjoy the holidays. Have a wonderful weekend!
