Monthly Musings 2024: Last Minute Holiday Tips/Prepping for the New Year

 

We are here Besties! We have made it to the last Monthly Musings of 2024. Holly and I have such fun hosting this link-up every month and the December questions are going to be so much fun. Are you ready to talk last-minute holiday tips and look to the New Year? I am!

1. What do you do about last-minute gifts you forgot to buy?

I think it is always Good to have a few gift cards on hand, a fantastic candle or a beautiful hand cream or body butter works too. Have these wrapped with a blank tag ready to go.

2. Favorite last-minute holiday recipe?

I personally believe that you should always have a block of regular cream cheese in your refrigerator. You can turn this into a quick appetizer in minutes. You can cover the cream cheese with salsa, apricot jam, or cocktail sauce and mini shrimp and serve with crackers.

3. Favorite part of the holiday season so far?

With Thanksgiving falling so late and then I got sick in early December, I felt a little behind for a bit. I have to say my favorite part of the holiday season so far has been watching Christmas movies with Running Daddy. We have watched some really fun ones this season.

Some of our favorites have been:

Our Little Secret (Netflix) 

A 90's Christmas (Hallmark)

Deck the Walls (Hallmark) 

A Dance in the Snow (Hallmark Mystery)  

We also watched some old favorites:

Love Actually

The Family Stone

We have gladly spent so much time in ice rinks the last 12 years that the new downtime is truly a gift.

4. Best stocking stuffer/small gift?

Santa usually fills our stockings with candy and gift cards. 

5. Favorite holiday sweet treat?

Honestly, I love them all but I do love Christmas cookies. I am not much of a baker but since I have had a little more time the last few weekends, I have made cookies the last two weekends.

I adapted a recipe for Monster Cookies from Christmas with Elvis and they are really Good. They also make a lot in this recipe so a bunch of them are currently in the freezer.

I also love peppermint Oreo truffles and I will be making those this weekend.

6. Will you make a New Year's Resolution?

I will probably go with a word for the year as I have done the last few years. Stay tuned for that!

7. Do you use a planner? Paper or electronic?

My new Plum Planner arrived this week and I love it. I use this for planning my day and to-do lists. We keep our family calendar on Cozi. So I am in the both category for planners.

8. Stay up until midnight or sound asleep when the ball drops?

This year we have been invited to several parties so we will be up until midnight rolling into 2025.

9. What do you do on New Year's Day?

The first thing that we do on New Year's Day is celebrate that Running Daddy and I met on New Year's Day 2024. It is also one of the few days of the year that I just let myself totally relax.

10. Are you taking time off in December?

I did not take enough vacation tine in 2024 and I am totally feeling it. I am actually taking a Good amount of time off in late December for the first time in a very long time. I am a little nervous about it because year-end can be busy for me and a new Congress gets sworn in on January 3rd, but I am also really looking forward to time off.

That's a wrap on December's Monthly Musings. If you are joining us as a writer, please link up below. My heartfelt thanks to every writer who joined us in 2024. You truly are the Best part of Monthly Musings.  

I also wanted to thank everyone who takes the time to come to this site. Good Better Best has seen a huge growth in 2024 and I am truly grateful to everyone who makes Good Better Best part of their day.

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