Pajama Drive

As one of our Christmas advent activities we hosted a pajama drive for the Pajama Program.  The Pajama Program is a wonderful organization that believes every child deserves a good night.  One might not think of pjs as a luxury but in fact thousands of children in our country go to sleep each night without the comfort of wearing pajamas.  This was our second year hosting a pajama drive and it was super fun and successful.  Each guest that donated a pair of pjs got a Christmas cookie and some hot chocolate as a thank you.  Next week my kids will donate all of the pajamas they collected to a local shelter where they will pass out our donated items to some very deserving children.  If you are looking for a fun and easy way to get your kids involved in a philanthropic project, why not host your own pajama drive?  

Check out http://pajamaprogram.org/ for more information.  

Teacher Gifts

Nothing can bring quite as much stress as realizing in mid-December that you still have your child's teacher to shop for.  With my daughter in middle school now, we have several more teachers to shop for than before.  This year I decided to give a small box of assorted cookies to hand out to all of our teachers, neighbors, and a few special doctors too.  I am not a baker, mostly because I can't help myself from overindulging and I am not adverse to eating a cookie for breakfast if is in the house.  With all that in mind, I had my favorite pastry chef make the cookies and she even packaged them up for me.  Voila! I can check teacher Christmas gifts off my list. 

My Stylish French Box

I belong to a few different "box" subscriptions and they are all fabulous but none elicit the excitement and joy quite like when I open up My Stylish French Box.  I was fortunate enough to stumble upon Sharon Santoni's Instagram account just before she was about to launch her first box.  These beautifully packaged boxes arrive, overflowing with the most wonderful items direct from France.  This past week I received my Christmas box and it was above and beyond anything I could have imagined.  Each item I carefully unwrapped was more fabulous than the last.  Among the items were two antique crystal chandelier tears and a Nutcracker candle that smells heavenly.  I added the chandelier tears to a little faux Christmas tree on our hall console.  They add just a touch of elegance to the rustic tree.  I placed the candle by two mercury glass Christmas trees on the same table and the effect is gorgeous.  Each time I walk by this console I smile.  How could you not?