Greetings!
It's officially that time of year... time for the holidays, and having the opportunity to spend extra quality time with family and friends. It's easy to get into the "ACK! I need to get X, Y, and Z done before the weekend!" mentality. I'm here to tell you that the holidays don't have to be focused on the stuff, the to-do list, the shopping list. Let's focus on the quality time that you get to spend with your loved ones. Let's make a choice, and rather than giving gifts that end of being quickly donated, broken, or on a shelf collecting dust, give the gift of your time, an experiment, or a contribution to a College Savings Plan. I've included a few fun monthly subscription boxes for fun ideas.
(And.... If you must give toys to those little ones in your life, take it from this mom - give toys that have a volume control AND an off switch, and make sure they're not going to take up too much space).
Take deep breaths, and ENJOY this time. Life is too short.