Elfish Holiday Survival Tips

If you are a little behind in your holiday shopping, decorating, and baking, don’t get down on yourself. You can always regift, dim the lights and order from the bakery.

This is the time of year when everyone believes in Santa and Christmas miracles. If you don’t, keep it to yourself.

Embrace your inner elf. You’ll burn extra calories from the overwhelming anticipation of Christmas, so you won’t gain any weight from the dozens of cookies you’ll consume.

You would like to sing Christmas carols, but you’re tone deaf? Sing louder!

Don’t be surprised if some of your gifts aren’t what you expected. Practice your, “How did you know?” fakey face.

Shopping can be challenging. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.

Don’t wait to be invited to holiday parties. Make your own plans.

Bring your holiday spirit everywhere you go.

Take some time to engage in some of your favorite holiday activities…

like eating!

Okay. So I thought a Narwhal was a creative north pole creature in the movie, Elf. I didn’t know it was a real thing. Ha! I even looked it up.

Narwhals breach

And if all else fails, DANCE!

How do you survive the holiday season? Do you have any tips to share? Do you love this movie as much as I do?

49 thoughts on “Elfish Holiday Survival Tips”

Add yours

  1. I give all the kids in the next generation (13 of them now) money, wrapped around a candy cane or in a little stocking or something (different each year)–simplifies the gift-giving enormously and I’m sure they much prefer it now that they’re young adults. My husband and I love to shop for our own presents and say to the other “Guess what you’re giving me for Christmas this year?!” I make my mother-in-law a calendar with the best family photos from the year (her sons and their wives, all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren), and print the dates of everyone’s birthday and anniversary on their dates. I try to get these and other holiday tasks done by early December so I can have fun with the festivities from then on. ;-D

    Like

    Reply

    1. It sounds like you have it down! Wow. You’re probably done already! I love the calendar idea. One year, my mother-in-law made one for our family. It was super cool!
      Thanks, for sharing your ideas, Gail.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  2. I have a confession to make. I’ve never seen Elf. But I swear I’ll watch it this year!

    And I come from an enormous family (9 brothers and sisters) so we each draw a name and only buy one present. The kids like that idea, so there is a cousins draw too. But that’s probably the only actual simplifying that we do. This year will be unusual because our immediate family will be travelling to be near my daughter and her new baby. So those boxes of decorations and lights will just stay boxed up until next year.

    Like

    Reply

    1. We draw names too, but I still go overboard for everyone in my immediate family.
      Congrats, Grandma! Wow. How fun will that be next year, with a little Taub running around?!!
      Elf is one of my favorites. I hope you like it!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. If I wasn’t visiting family who’ll be expecting my baked goods, I might take your advice and buy from the bakery. Oh the time it would save. But my family loves my cookies, and that alone brings me Christmas cheer. So I guess I’ll bake away!

    Like

    Reply

    1. It’s really hard to give up those time-consuming traditions. I have to bake too, but I go to a cookie exchange, so it doesn’t take too much time. On top of everything else, I make my own Christmas cards. This one promises to be pretty ridiculous. Ha!

      Like

      Reply

  4. I really do love the innocence of this movie. And as for surviving Christmas,well lets see. I guess I just embrace it, which probably accounts for why I’m so busy and am finding it hard to keep up with everything. :o)

    Like

    Reply

    1. Me too on both! Some of you are new followers and don’t realize I create a pop up card every year. It is super time consuming. I’m putting off working on it right now. Ha!

      Like

      Reply

  6. Love that movie and look forward to watching it every Christmas with my adult daughter (who also loves the movie), and her husband and my son (neither of whom love the movie but they love us so they sit through it without making too many comments)!
    Christmas lost its lustre for me six years ago this month when my husband died, but I still love having my family home with me during the holidays and we still keep most of the traditions we always had as a family. Not the same without Gary but we do the best we can and I think that every year I manage to do better than the one before, so that’s something.
    Thanks for the cute post – it made me smile tonight.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Another Elf fan. YAY!
      That is fantastic how you keep making the effort after the loss of your husband. That must be so hard. Being surrounded by friends and family is what Christmas is all about and presents and Christmas songs and baking cookies and shopping and wrapping gifts and decorating the tree and…. 🙂
      I’m so glad you found my blog! Merry Christmas!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. This entire post made me smile. 🙂

    This year, the husband and I proposed a White Elephant style gift exchange for the extended family gatherings … Less expense and, more importantly, SO much less shopping stress!! I’m feeling better already and wish I’d suggested it years ago.

    Like

    Reply

  8. This gave me a big ole smile! I am enjoying this holiday season with a “less is more” attitude. I’m enjoying the freebies our city has to offer at this time and adopted a family in the Operation Santa project….being Santa rocks!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Awww! That sounds fantastic! I’m glad this holiday season has you less stressed. I am in the VORTEX and will feel better when a drawing for my Christmas card, “appears.” I’m procrastinating again. Ha!
      Thanks, Lisa!

      Like

      Reply

  10. I love everything Christmas, and the Christmas movies are a big part of that! Yay for Elf! Yay for SANTAAAAAA!!!! That’s funny about the Narwhal – a friend of mine told me a while back that her husband (in his late 30s) had only just discovered that a cuckoo was a real bird and not just something fictitious in stories!

    Like

    Reply

  14. I’ve never seen this movie, but am aware of it because it’s mentioned everywhere. Quite a hit, I guess. As for holiday survival, I keep to myself as much as possible. And when forced to engage in frivolity, I smile and say as little as possible. Avoidance. I guess that’s my holiday survival tactic, says the introvert. 😉

    Like

    Reply

  15. My favorite holiday movie is The Grinch with Jim Carrey. Kind of over the top with costumes, makeup and acting, but a hilarious performance by Carrey. He basically carried the entire movie.

    Like

    Reply

  18. I absolutely love Elf. The flick cracks me up whenever I watch it. As for holiday tips, I really try to keep it simple. I find giving to a few charities every Christmas makes me feel more in the spirit of the season than heading out to the mall to buy presents for people who just want, rather than need…

    Like

    Reply
  19. Pingback: If We Were Having Coffee On This December Morning… | THE SPECTACLED BEAN

  20. I LOVE this movie Susie!! I watch it every year during the Christmas break Ferrel cracks me up! Thanks for making me smile. I love your Christmas cheer and spirit. I’m behind on everything but it’s all good, no worries over here I’ll catch up. 🙂

    Like

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑