{"id":7899,"date":"2023-12-01T06:02:17","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T13:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.happysimpleliving.com\/?p=7899"},"modified":"2023-12-01T06:04:58","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T13:04:58","slug":"easy-times-dec-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.happysimpleliving.com\/easy-times-dec-23\/","title":{"rendered":"Easy Times, December 1, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Happy December, friend! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s the hap-happiest time of the year, but this month can also be a time of extreme busy-ness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking from my own experience, no matter what steps I take to plan ahead there is always A Ton to Be Done in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Clark<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here are three strategies that have helped our family enjoy a more balanced holiday season:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embrace Flexibility<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If we learned anything in 2020, it’s not to hold on too tightly to any set plan and be willing to change things up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some years, the children will be small and you’ll want to focus holiday celebrations on them. Later as adults, you might scale back gift giving a bit. And occasionally you might have to plan Christmas around a global pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honor Traditions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ask your loved ones which traditions really matter most. Sometimes the most important thing turns out to be something simple like watching a favorite holiday movie together or driving around looking at the lights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practice Pausing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It takes every ounce of discipline I have to put my phone in another room, turn on the Christmas tree lights, and have some quiet time first thing in the morning. But those peaceful moments with a cup of coffee are sometimes my favorite part of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How about you? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How do you make the most of these special December days? I always love hearing from you, so share a comment below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful<\/em> holiday season filled with both joy and peace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until next month,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eliza Cross<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

30 Beautiful, Simple-to-Make Christmas Cookies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Red<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This roundup of 30 Christmas cookie recipes is extra-special. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each sweet treat on the list is not only pretty, it’s easy to make. Check out these exceptional cookies.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

A Few of Our Favorite Holiday Recipes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These are a few recipes we make every Christmas season:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mini Cheese Balls<\/a> – Shown above, the perfect easy party appetizer skewered on pretzel sticks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Homemade Cheez-Its Crackers<\/a> – My son makes these crispy, cheesy crackers for family Christmas gifts each year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cinnamon Crispies<\/a> – We have these cream cheese filled roll-ups every Christmas morning. I make them ahead of time and freeze them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Molasses Ginger Crinkle Cookies<\/a> – These cookies get added “zing” from candied ginger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

24 Old Fashioned Christmas Ideas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Do you ever reminisce about Christmases past and wish you could relive some of those simpler times? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bring back a touch of nostalgia to your celebrations with these old-fashioned Christmas ideas<\/a>. This article is one of our most pinned on Pinterest! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you’re longing to slow down a bit and really enjoy this special month, here are some ideas: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

15 Ways to Have a More Meaningful Christmas Season<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Ways to Enjoy More Peace This Holiday Season<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

7 Ways to Prevent Holiday Clutter at Home<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

How to Remove Sticky Price Labels<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Close<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

WHY<\/strong> do stores insist on using the stickiest labels (and affixing them in the worst possible place on the item)? These are age-old questions, but we’ve got solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read “How to Remove a Sticky Label<\/a>” and save your fingernails this Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

More Simple Living Ideas on Pinterest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’d love to connect with you over at Pinterest<\/a>,<\/strong> where we have dozens of boards with ideas and recipes to make your life easier! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cranberry<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"limit_modified_date":"1","last_modified_date":"2023-12-01T06:04:58","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[963],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"yoast_head":"\nEasy Times, December 1, 2023 - Happy Simple Living<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The December 2023 edition of the monthly newsletter for the Happy Simple Living blog, with holiday recipes, tips and ideas.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Easy Times, December 1, 2023 - 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