The Holiday season is ALL about giving, spending time with ones you love most, and being thankful for the life that we are living! I personally believe that you should give back to and help as many people as you possibly can because you never know what someone is going through and always remember that there is someone out there that is less fortunate than you. A really questionable topic that is often talked about is, whether or not we should be tipping the people that do everyday services for us, such as our landlords or mail men, trash people, etc.! Today I am going to be talking all about this topic and what I think about the matter!

Some people say that we shouldn’t have to tip our service people for things that they would normally have to do for us anyway. I mean after all, that is their job, and they are getting paid to do it. It’s not as if they are a waiter at a restaurant where they are making less of an hourly wage and rely on their tips, this is a completely valid argument!

I definitely disagree with this thinking! I think we absolutely should tip these people in our lives during the holiday season. These folks have to go through a whole lot of things for us! For example, your trash people and mail delivery person have to work throughout the winter season even through the freezing cold and snow and inclement weather, or your landlord has to come around when necessary to fix things and take care of problems for you! I order a ton of packages and things online, so the mailman is constantly busy at my home, and having quite a few people in our family creates a lot of trash for the trash man as well! I’m not suggesting that you tip them some crazy amount, but sliding them a little extra love for the holiday season, it will be much appreciated!

After all, the holidays are all about giving back and being friendly with the world! I personally believe that tipping your servicemen will give you the great feeling of giving; it will help you to create a relationship with these service people, and they may just even give you a bit of a better service treatment when you need them next! So if you’ve never tipped these people in the past, try giving a little something special this year for the holidays!

 

 

I always get so excited around the Holiday season! I mean it’s just such a happy, cheery, and fun time of the year! One of my personal favorite things to do around the holidays is to spend the whole night sipping on hot chocolate, watching a good movie, and decorating the Christmas tree with my family! Ever since the kids were little, we’ve always done this together, and it’s just such an amazing time that I cherish and look forward to every year.

I personally love to make my tree look beautiful, like a work of art! I have seen a lot of crazy Christmas trees in my days, whether they be too bare and have not enough flair to them, or too busy with the ornaments all jam packed on there. Now, I know that decorating your Christmas tree isn’t about making it look perfect, but it is nice to have a beautifully decorated tree! If you have come across the issue of having a crazily decorated tree and you want something a bit more elegant, I am here to help! Today I will be sharing with you a few tips for getting the perfect balance of ornaments and decor on your tree!

Select a Theme and Buy Matching Decor: I highly recommend choosing some sort of theme for your tree! Pick out ornaments and other decor that match that theme and your tree will look awesome and everything will coincide with each other!

Completely Cover the Tree: One of the biggest mistakes people make are not covering their tree entirely! A lot of times people focus their decorations on the front of the three and don’t get things all the way around the tree. You definitely will not want to do that, make sure you have decorations all around your tree so you can see its beauty from all angles!

Balance the Decor: Another common mistake people make is to have a completely unbalanced amount of decoration. For example, someone will put a ton of ornaments with absolutely no lights or garland/tinsel. You want to make sure that neither of these aspects of decorating overpower the other. If you’re questioning something, just take a step back and see how your tree looks from a far to get a better look at what’s really going inn

If you follow these tips and rules for decorating your tree, you will definitely have on beautiful work of art cupcake! I hope you all have a great time decorating your trees and be sure to make some fun and happy memories with your family as you.

#BringBackHolidays

It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, isn’t it? I don’t want to be like that this year. I mean, the holidays can be fun, but it’s also vital to stop and smell the roses. At the end of the day, it’s not about the toys that have been bought or the amount of food on the table. What matters most is who is at your dinner table and the memories you’re making. Overtime, things will come and go, but memories will be what lasts forever, in the hearts of your loved ones. As you can see from this video, you don’t know what tomorrow will bring, so enjoy every single moment.  Join the conversation and share this  inspirational story on social media with #BringBackHolidays

Happy Holidays!

Check out this video! A inspirational story that brings to life what matters #BringBackHolidays Click To Tweet

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Goodwill of North Georgia for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Lately, I have been crafting more than ever. My oldest daughter loves to craft so this is a way we get to spend one on one time together while also doing something we both love. I was recently invited to take a Holiday shopping challenge at Goodwill. So, if you know me you know I love a good challenge, so of course I accepted! I was required to head to my local Goodwill of North Georgia and see what holiday Items I could find to help me decorate for the holidays. I admit I was actually shocked that Goodwill offers a number of items to help families decorate for the holidays! I found so many great items and the prices can’t be beat! Many of the Items can be upcycled to create unique, budget-friendly décor.

As we all know when decorating for the holidays, you can spend a ton of money to make your home look great, or you can get thrifty and creative and make your home look wonderful on a dime. If you want to deck the halls and save some dough at the same time, head to Goodwill for some holiday cheer. You can find great items to make your home merry and bright just in time for Christmas.

Since this is the first year decorating my basement I was in need on Christmas decorations so this challenge came at a perfect time! Just take a look at all I got for under $50! Some of the items were brand new! I got 2 snow globes, 5 christmas figurines, 3 glass containers, 10 frames, a tree and a few other odds and ends! My favorite find was this fiber optic christmas tree that I scored for just $7 and it works perfectly! I am in the process of adding more decorations and re-painting the base to make it look even better. I also scored  the ten new frames for $1.00 or less a piece. I will be decorating them in different Christmas sayings or pictures like I done these two below.. For the Basement we are going with the Snowman theme so all of my Goodwill finds are fitting in perfect! I can’t wait to to finish it this weekend! I plan on visiting two more locations over the weekend to see what else I can find! So here is a few tips I would like to share to help you find the perfect holiday additions for your home!

Make a plan

What areas of your home do you want to decorate? Make a plan on how much you will need and form a general idea of what you would like to see in your home. Once you have your plan, you can make a loose shopping list so that you will know what to look for when you go to Goodwill.

Stay flexible

Shopping Goodwill is not like shopping a regular retail store. You may be able to find just what you are looking for, but you may also need to remain flexible in order to decorate your home. It’s always good to have a back-up decorating plan in place in case you cannot find the exact item you need.

Shop different Goodwills

I actually went to two different ones for my challenge. Goodwill works through donations, so if you don’t find what you are looking for at one, check out another. Someone may have donated items at a different location that you need for your home décor. Also be sure to ask if they have items in the back they haven’t put out, yet. This time of year people donate a lot of old Christmas goodies to the store and it may take them a while to sort through it all.

Get creative

If you can paint, glue, and have basic sewing skills you can make a lot with Goodwill items. Be sure to look at items that may just look like junk. You can DIY your way to a great and unique Christmas decoration. For example, a red sweater can be cut and sewn into a table runner. An old broom can be used to decorate a snowman. Tulle from an old dress can be cut and used to make a wreath. Old candlestick holders can be painted to match your decorations. And of course don’t forget the frames! They are easy  and fun to decorate to match your theme. With Goodwill, holiday decor has never been easier or more friendly on the wallet!

About Goodwill

Goodwill is celebrating its 90th birthday of putting people to work in North Georgia! Donations to Goodwill are sold in stores to not just help those looking for inexpensive items. All proceeds help to support the mission of putting people to work.  Did you know Goodwill of North Georgia help 20,000 people in North Georgia find jobs this year alone?! So make sure to visit and support your local Goodwill soon! To Find your local Goodwill or Donation Locations be sure to visit their website today!

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