4 Ways To Get Your Home Holiday Ready + $40 Cash Giveaway

Last year was the first time that we had Christmas on our own with no traveling to see family. I kept expecting that at some point it would just automatically feel like Christmas, but on Christmas Eve I felt myself feeling depressed because the holiday was so close, but the feeling of Christmas seemed so far away. We quickly hurried and made some sugar cookies, decorated them, watched a Christmas movie, and tried to make the best of it, but it really just never felt like Christmas. 

I realized after that the feelings of Christmas come from the weeks of preparation and anticipation beforehand. We never had decorations up except for our tree. We never had an advent calendar to count the days down with. We didn't read Luke 2 in attempt to remember the special meaning of the day... There just wasn't any effort. 

This year all of that is changing. I already have my tree up, the nativity is out, I'm crafting a DIY advent calendar was we speak... Christmas is oozing from every room in this house. If you're needing a little inspiration to get you and your family holiday ready, then look no further. Today I've teamed up with Hallmark to show you 4 ways to get you and your home holiday ready in no time. 

Decorate Your Home: This might be a no brainer, but when you're a young married couple you don't really have a budget for decorations. When we were first married I spent $20 at a dollar store and did what I could to brighten up our first apartment and it was a success. Some things I like to do now are hang our stockings, get some decorative throw pillows, and put up our Christmas tree. 

I'm also that person who really loves to wrap a couple empty boxes and put them under the tree weeks and weeks before Christmas. I think it just looks so pretty and helps to bring that festive vibe into the home. This year I picked up the Hallmark Gift Wrap Pad which comes with 5 assorted prints on a  perforated pad to make selecting a print and wrapping your gifts incredibly easy. I'll definitely be using the rest of this paper when I wrap our real presents this year. 

Light a Candle: I just recently started loving candles and I think they can do a lot for your home. I've really been loving soy candles because they're better for you when you breath them in, and they have a longer burn time than a typical wax candle. I picked up this cinnamon bark scented one from Crafters & Co at my Hallmark Gold Crown store and I love the warm festive aroma that fills our home from it. 

Read Christmas Stories: We love books in our home and every year we add 1-2 new Christmas stories to our collection. I found this Santa's Sleigh is on it's Way to Georgia at my local Hallmark Store and it's quickly getting a lot of use in our home. 

Give Gifts with Meaning:  I love giving someone a plate of cookies as much as the next person, but I also love giving gifts that remind me of the purpose of the holiday and reminding people of our Savior. I love this cute "He is Holy, He is Here, He is Love", manger scene sign that I also picked up at Hallmark and can't wait to gift it to someone this year. 

Because I love you, and because I want to be able to give back to you during this holiday season, I'm going to be doing a $40 paypal cash giveaway so that you can get your home ready for the holidays. Giveaway will run until 12/09/15 at 11:59pm. Enter using the rafflecopter below. 

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