Save Our Xmas Sanity

An Australian Christmas Carol

When I was growing up, because we were a very musical family, there were always Christmas Carols. My Mother, who was heavily involved in an aged care home, used to come to school and teach my class carols that we would then go and sing to the 'old people'.  And whilst we always sang classics like Silent Night and Jingle Bells, my favourites were always the Aussie songs. 

Now, when I say Aussie Carols, they always involved heat and dust ... the song book my Mother had contained Carol of the Birds, Christmas Bush for His adorning, The Silver Stars are in the Sky, and The Three Drovers... just the names are enough to bring back the melodies and snatches of the words.

...and this is probably the most quintessentially Aussie song of them all... (I remember it being sung loud by Rolf Harris - it was written by him and John D Brown):

Six White Boomers

Early on one Christmas Day, a Joey Kangaroo,
Was far from home and lost in a great big zoo.
Mummy, where's my mummy, they've taken her a-way,
We'll help you find your mummy son, hop on the sleigh.

Chorus:
Six white boomers, snow white boomers,
Racing Santa Claus through the blazing sun.
Six white boomers, snow white boomers,
.. On his Aus-tra-lian run.

Verse: Up beside the bag of toys, little Joey hopped ,
But they hadn't gone far when Santa stopped.
Un-harnessed all the reindeer and Joey wondered why,
Then he heard a far off booming in the sky.

Chorus: Six white boomers ...

Pretty soon old Santa began to feel the heat,
Took his fur-lined boots off to cool his feet.
Into one popped Joey, feeling quite OK,
While those old man kangaroos kept pulling on the sleigh.

Chorus: Six white boomers ...

Joey said to Santa, Santa, what about the toys,
Aren't you giving some to these girls and boys.
They've all got their presents son, we were here last night,
This trip is an extra trip, Joey's special flight.

Chorus: Six white boomers ...

Soon the sleigh was flashing past, right over Marble Bar,
Slow down there, cried Santa, it can't be far.
Come up on my lap son, and have a look around,
There she is, that's mummy, bounding up and down.

Chorus: Six white boomers ...

Well that's the bestest Christmas treat that Joey ever had,
Curled up in mother's pouch all snug and glad.
The last they saw was Santa headed northward from the sun,
The only year the boomers worked a double run.

Chorus: Six white boomers ...

When you think of Christmas when you were a child, what tunes come back to you?  Can you hear a certain tune and be immediately transported back to that innocence where you eagerly awaited a visit from Santa? 

Now, more importantly, what memories are you creating for your children and grandchildren? 

Here's a quick way to get your Christmas gift giving handled!

It 's getting later and later in November.  For our friends in the US, Thanksgiving is here (and therefore almost over).

I DON'T want to count the weeks, or even worse still, the number of days until Christmas!

I was talking with Captain Scarlett today.  He's in the middle of end of year exams, and only needs to be at school when he has an exam on.  Tomorrow he has one at 1pm.  He wanted to know if I could take him (rather than him catch the bus and wait around all morning...).  I said I was actually planning on going shopping tomorrow, Christmas shopping, to try and get it finished.

His reply?  "Mum!  You're normally a lot more organised than this!  You've normally got it all done by now!" 

Oh dear.  So, dear reader, I thought it time I let you into the secret.  I've been so busy with SOXS and the rest of my work, I have NOT got my Christmas gift giving handled.  Yet.

I DO have my list made.  I do have items crossed off that list.  No, none of them are wrapped, however. 

But I DO have a plan.  And here I am to share the secret with you - if you're interested that is. 

If you've done your shopping and have all those gifts securely tucked away, or on display, beautifully wrapped and tagged - what are you doing reading this???

Here's the plan.  Mine anyway.  Since I have the LIST.

Shop Online.

What?  You want MORE information?

Oh.

OK. 

Here are 10 of the top sites we will be shopping at in the next couple of weeks to get our Christmas gift giving sorted - completely!  (In no particular order...)

1.    A Current Affair on Channel 9 aired a segment that Chris (in her flat-on-her-back state) alerted me to about saving online this Christmas.  They recommended these sites as recommended by Netguide...(the best shopping sites for finding the perfect gift) well it might have been a long, convoluted path but I have checked out these sites, and will be going back to a couple to cross some (or even most) items off my Christmas Gift List this week!  These are all Australian sites (with apologies to our international readers)

• www.graysonline.com.au — great for buying wine, they sell an amazing array of quality wines.
• www.dealsdirect.com.au — an online department store where you can buy everything from DVDs to TVs.
• www.oo.com.au — another online department store that sells surplus products sourced from manufacturers and distributors.
• www.oztion.com.au — an online auction site similar to eBay except  you don't have to pay a fee if you don't sell an item.
• www.perfumeempire.com.au — an Australian perfume retailer.
• shopping.com — sells electronics, health and beauty products, toys, games and more.
• www.redballoondays.com.au — for unique experiences such as hot air balloon rides and jet boat rides.

"Like everything, you've got to do your homework, but there are some great bargains to be had as long as you know what the recommended retail prices are."

2.    My personal favourite for gift vouchers for time-poor book lovers is Slim Ink (even those who aren't time poor, but would rather spend their time reading than visiting the library or the bookstore!)

3.    The Green Directory - a comprehensive range of Australian and international products and services which are eco friendly and promote sustainable living.

4.    Oxfam shops and internet - every year I do some shopping in my local Oxfam/Community Aid Abroad shop - they have great, unusual products and every purchase encourages fair trade around the globe

5.   For the well-endowed lady, or those who love her - we love Bella Forma Pretty Big Bras & Swimwear - perfect choice, perfect fit, perfect figure!  Ladies - don't we all love to get under-things that FIT, look good and Feel Fantastic?  I'm filling MY stocking at this site!  Oh, and while we are on the subject of well-endowed ladies - (don't ask us why WE are interested in THESE sites :) check out WWB - (Women with Boobs) - divine shirts etc that are guaranteed not to gape across the chest.  Who could ask for more?

6.    We haven't ordered from here yet, but very tempted - especially their Yarra Valley Gourmet produce and wine hampers - who could resist?  Australian Gift Hampers!

7.    I love the look of this website - another Aussie gift site - beautifully done.  Simply Spoilt Rotten.  Isn't that how we ALL want to be this Christmas, and indeed, right throughout the year?

8.    Our favourite shop for getting inspired to organise our offices and our homes (and dream a little dream or two about really getting in control of all that stuff once and for all) - we cannot walk (or click) past Kikki-K!!  Try their gift finder - it's too too much for words!

9.    Alright - this one takes a little more shoe leather, but worth every step.  This site will alert you to the sales going on in your state - this is one of those really well kept secrets, so - shhhh - don't tell everyone - OK?  Missy Confidential.

10.    THIS one definitely falls in the last-but-by-no-means-least category.  Who amoung us can really resist the most divine chocolate?  And what about throwing a bottle of bubbly in the mix?  I ordered a gift pack for my brother for his 40th last year, and low and behold it arrived promptly and he was totally thrilled with it (so much so, he actually phoned me!!)  Try Definitely Chocolate - you're bound to be as delighted as he was... handmade truffle anyone?

[Please note, we are in no way affiliated with any of these sites, and have only actually made purchases from a couple.  We do not make any guarantees of service or supply.  There may be a second top 10 coming soon, as these really only hit the tip of the iceberg in terms of wonderful places on line to do your Christmas shopping.  If you would like to recommend a site/s please either leave a comment at the bottom of this post, or shoot us a quick email to SaveXmas at gmail dot com - we'd love to hear of your experiences and recommendations!]

Sanity Saving Christmas... hold the reindeer!

Week One of our five week special gift giveaway has zoomed past us, and it is time to draw the lucky winner.

Unfortunately Chris has been sidelined (or is that sideswiped?) for the last two weeks with a very nasty back complaint and is really in enforced no-sitting-at-the-computer time.  It's called rest!

Now, I know that's an alien concept to quite a few women out there (and more than a few men, too!), so I am going to be begging Chris to write about her experiences doing nothing at all, once she's back to doing something.

Anyway, the reason for me telling you this, is that is why the draw for this week's gift recipient hasnt happened yet.  It IS going to happen - I even have the SOXS Sanity Saver Kit sitting here beside me, all ready to go to the lucky winner!   

And remember - if you didn't purchase your copy of SOXS - Save Our Christmas Sanity last week, why not pop over and grab YOUR copy RIGHT NOW - that way you'll be in the draw for the extra-special SOXS Sanity Saver Kit early next week!

ooops- we almost forgot to say Thanks! again...

Mad Cow, aka Real Mum, has kindly posted an hilarious review of SOXS here.

Mad Cow, we kinda get your hint that we talk about sitting down with a glass of wine a bit. 

OK, a lot.

Isn't that one way to save our sanity?

We're both REAL Mums - we have three kids each (although Chris' are a *little* older than mine - she's more in the been-there-done-that category now...) and we KNOW exactly what it is like to work, raise children, manage a house, be a wife (well, occasionally, when we can find the time:) and 'do' Christmas all at the same time.

And we also know what it's like to feel like we aren't doing ANY of those things competently.  That's why we developed SOXS.  In the words of Mad Cow:

Not only have these two confronted the taboo - suggesting that sometimes Christmas is just not any bloody fun!, and can even be stressful at time - but they're actually doing something about it, instead of sitting around a table, stuffed to the gillets after stuffing their faces on Christmas lunch, and complaining that they didn't get as many presents as someone else!

Who?  Us?  We never complain we don't get enough presents (well, at least not where anyone can hear us).  By golly, we drop enough beeping hints about what we want!!

Mad Cow's writing is sooo funny - why not pop over now and check out her review - and after she manages to convince you that SOXS is what you Just Have To Have - Right Now - pop back here and get your copy! 

Then you'll be in the running to win a SOXS Sanity Saver Kit - one drawn each week!

Gourmet Dinner Party Desserts - Guaranteed to please!

Yesterday, we introduced you to the fabulous Christmas cards over at Real Mums.

Today, we'd like to point you to something else we REALLY like!

Gourmet Dinner Party Desserts.

In the words of Mad Cow, (Real Mum's alter-ego):

The festive Season (festive for whom I'm not sure, but anyway) is upon us, and this inevitably means Entertaining.

You will no doubt be required to Entertain family, friends and quite possible work aquiantances, or even a Boss of some sort (yours, your partners or someone's Boss that you've just picked up off the street - hey, it's the Festive Season!)

We have developed a vast range of Gourmet Desserts that any Real Mum will not only be able to prepare and present, but she will do so competently and be proud of herself for doing so.

Ahhh - this REALLY caught OUR attention - anything guaranteed to please, look fantastic and be quick and easy to prepare - count us in!

Be prepared to be STUNNED!  Be prepared ...

Go there now!

Ho Ho Ho - Christmas cards and chardy - what a combination!

We've had a discussion already about the sending, or not, of Christmas cards. 

If you've decided (once you've consciously considered it) to send cards, the next step of course is chosing the cards themselves.

I was in David Jones yesterday - and I stood in the stationery department and looked at the cards so long a nice sales assistant came over to me to ask if needed any help.  She opened boxes, and showed me the quality of the cards, and the message inside... and was more than helpful.

But you know what?  I still left the store without buying anything.  I'm still not sure whether I was just in overwhelm, or whether it was the perfectionist in me that felt that these boxed cards just didnt 'do the trick'.

Then this morning I found these!  What a total hoot!  Go check out the entire range of new Christmas cards at Real Mums - our favourite will have to be the one with Ho Ho Ho on the front... click here and you'll see why!!!

[We also love the I'm dreaming of a white Christmas one...]

PS To 'get' our title, you have to click over, and check out the cards at Real Mums :) OR you could just take it that the best way to get through the chore task of writing and addressing Christmas cards is to fortify yourself with a bottle glass of chardy... a crisp, cold, Margaret River one - preferably, or perhaps a lovely passionfruity-flavoured sauvignon blanc, seeing we're talking Margaret River. 

Ok let's stop waxing lyrical about wine.  Anyone would think we were addicted!

So it's your pick.

Organising Christmas - Tip#3

The biggest Christmas shopping sanity saver!

Cardinal rule no. 1 - Never, never-ever go shopping without your list!

Repeat - never!

From now until Christmas or December 1 (if you're getting sorted by then) never leave the house without your shopping list.  Keep it in your handbag or pocket.  Take a pen, too, that way when you make a caffeine stop, you can update your list and know exactly what you have to tackle next.

Sometimes I have a perfectly clear idea of exactly what it is I have to get when I am out running errands and shopping for a purpose. Only, somewhere between the first and second stop, I seem to lose steam, and forget what it was I came for.  I have tried sitting down with a cuppa and logically thinking through my list in my head - but it is never any use.  I get home, frustrated and cross with myself, because I didnt make the best use of my time while I was out. 

Is it just me, or do you have days like that too?  A shopping list is a busy woman, with so-much -on- her-mind's best friend!  If it is on paper, written down as you think of it (that includes WHILE you are in the shop!) then you can trust that you will be able to remember it when you need it.  End of frustration.

Organising Christmas - Tip #2

Shopping The Easy Way for Lovers of Books

It is time, after declaring to the world I was going to do it, to actually START the Christmas shopping this week.

And I am determined to do as much of it on-line or local as I can. 

One of my compulsory stops any time I need gifts is Slim Ink - I have given two very special friends a gift voucher from Slim Ink for their birthdays this year - and both LOVED them!

So, for Christmas, I'm stopping by Slim Ink in order to tick a few gift items as done without leaving my home!  This year, Marj has a great special festive offer for current members of Slim Ink - some special gifts with purchase of Gift Memberships - and now is the time to take full advantage of them! 
THEN from 1st to 10th December Slim Ink will be offering 10% discount off all Gift Memberships.

Chris and I are dedicated users of Marj's stunningly high quality service at Slim Ink.  So we highly recommend you stop on over and check out the fabulous service on offer at Slim Ink - your premium library on the internet.  Here are a couple of posts we've written about the fantastic service - here and here.

How to stay positive during the holidays

I'd like to share a post with you that I wrote last year (on November 24th, so a couple weeks later in the season that where we are right now...) about staying positive - and about having realistic expectations around the whole festive season.

Sometimes it's about looking at what you're expecting to do, to be, to have, to experience, and then realising that some of that is pure fantasy.  If you're not the perfect family any other time of year, why would you expect to be now?

If you have only a limited budget (and let's face it - who doesn't??) then why do you have this expectation about buying gifts for all?

And what about the beautiful, magazine-like home?  The 'perfectly' decorated house and tree and a yard that looks like it's been manicured?  Is it like this any other time of year?  So why do some of us expect to get it like that now, when we are at our busiest??

Not to mention all those other expectations, like losing 5 kilos in a week, looking tanned and we just stepped out of a day spa on Christmas day... along with serving the perfect meal, on the perfectly set table?? (Not to mention the perfectly behaved children...)

Of course, it's just a dream, isnt it?  Only these sorts of dreams can actually cloud our reality.  Making what we Do Have seem just that little lacking in some way.  It's time to take a good hard look at our expectations and see what we need to revise/lower/or ditch altogether.

Go and take a look at my post from last year, and Lucy Macdonald's post that inspired it...

Then please would you come back and tell us what you think?  Are your expectations of yourself and the whole festive season realistic, or just a dream in a bubble above your head?  After all, this is what  SOXS is all about!

5 Minutes for Mom during the Festive Season

On the opposite side of the world to us, but only a mouse click away, our friends in the US have just got through Halloween and are busy preparing for Thanksgiving.  And somewhere in all that, they are also organising Christmas. 

I think we, in Australia, have it easy on the celebration front this time of year.  Apart from Melbourne Cup (the race that stops a nation, happening in sunny Melbourne today!) we really dont have anything standing in our way between us and Christmas. 

Here is what Susan and Janice from 5 Minutes for Mom had to say after they ever-so-kindly reviewed SOXS for us:

Does Christmas Stress You Out?

In a couple of weeks the Christmas season officially begins.

Does that statement make you smile or squirm? Are you flushed with warm fuzzies or feeling a rise in your blood pressure?

Well if along with the trimmings and bows, the Christmas season and all the preparation that goes along with it all, brings you a bit (or a lot) of stress, than I have a great tip for you: SOXS – Save Our Christmas Sanity – a downloadable e-book that provides resources, tips, to-do lists and more to help you prepare for your sanest Christmas season yet!

Co-author Karen Wallace emailed us and asked us to review the material and let you all know what we thought. So we happily agreed – bringing you the best of what is out there is what we do!

But the truth is – I am not good at organizing. In fact the thought of arranging a binder makes me want to turn and run. So I did feel hesitant to get started with SOXS. But I quickly found that SOXS is so simple to use, even I can handle it. It is quick to read and includes handy to-do lists and budgets – wow – me budgeting and writing lists! That might be a little Christmas miracle right there!

But what surprised me most about the material is the focus on sorting through and dealing with our negative emotions and feelings about the Christmas season and past Christmases. We all know that Christmas should be about more than parties, gifts and family functions, but somehow those events can envelope us if we let them. Relationship tensions, different family and parenting styles and old family hurts can all fester and burn during extended family gatherings, making the holiday less than jolly. The stress of cooking, cleaning and shopping can make the season of Christ all about us and our obligations.

Co-authors Chris Owen and Karen Wallace walk you through your issues and help you address them and deal with them so that this Christmas you can be free to enjoy your family and focus on what Christmas means to you.

SOXS goes beyond a collection of tips and lists to bring you some personal healing so you can prepare and enjoy Christmas.

Does that sound good to you? If you need some help to get this season started right, than check out their website http://www.saveourxmassanity.com. The e-book is affordable (at about $15 US) and a quick read, with simple steps that you can easily do to get yourself organized and prepared.

And may you have a blessed Christmas season with Christ at the center. (Wow – can’t believe I am sending Christmas wishes in the beginning of November!)

We are so very excited by this review - thanks Susan and Janice, from the bottom of hearts!  5 Minutes for Mom is a wonderful site full of the best in blogging, shopping, parenting and entertainment.  Please pop on over, and let them know we sent you!

Their comments have given us new insights into what we are achieving with our little Sanity-Saver idea, so thanks for that as well, Susan and Janice

Oh! And don't you just love their photo?  Happy, excited children really make Christmas, well, Christmas!