Last Minute Christmas Plans- Gifts, Desserts, and More!

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

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December is hectic. We've all been busy with school, and now that finals are over, the panic hits- Christmas. There's so much to do! Last minute Christmas gifts are overwhelming, the house needs decorations, and HELLO, Christmas cookies! It can be super stressful to look at all of the things to do and feel so unprepared. Almost every night lately after I've fallen into bed, I lie there thinking of all the things that need to be done. It's terrifying! So, I wanted to come up with a list of lots of easy last minute things that turn out GREAT. Here's to making your life easier than mine has been!

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Y'all know that I absolutely thrive off of Amazon. I've done so much online shopping over the last few days, it's not even funny. Most items that you buy off of Amazon will still ship in time for Christmas, so that's definitely my go-to. Etsy is also super helpful, although I will warn you that some shops have closed at this point. Still, it's worth a shot! 

I like to put together kits with lots of little items, like makeup or jewelry, that the gift recipient will love. It's fun to fill a bag with lots of little things!

1. Holiday EOS are definitely one of my favorite things- they're also great stocking stuffers! The flavors are all amazing. They also come in stick form!

2. It's no exaggeration to say that I have a mug obsession. I love cute, sassy mugs! I'm literally in love with this cat mug

3. The other day when I was on one of my many Amazon searches, I found these adorable tiny notebooks. They are THE CUTEST. 

4. I mentioned this in my Black Friday shopping guide, but guys, I was not kidding. THIS TOPCOAT IS AMAZING. I literally want to buy it for everyone that I know. It's the best topcoat I have ever used in my life. Sometime, I'll have to take a photo of my nails every day with that topcoat on top, just to show you how long it lasts. It's phenomenal. 

5. As a blogger, I have to have my phone on me almost all of the time, and so touchscreen gloves are pretty fabulous. I'm perpetually cold, so they definitely come in handy, haha. 

Hopefully some of those ideas were helpful! I know how difficult gift shopping is- despite all of my Black Friday shopping, I'm still not finished! If you have any other gift ideas, leave them below- heaven knows that I need them!  

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Honestly, what is Christmas without desserts? I have a major sweet tooth, and Christmas desserts are pretty much my favorite thing all year. THEY'RE SO GOOD. Lately I've been scrolling through Pinterest and eyeing all of the gorgeous desserts. Naturally, you have to have something sweet on hand throughout the holiday season. So here are some ideas for some great desserts!

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1. I've seen these cupcakes many times floating around Pinterest, and I really want to give them a try. They look so simple, and I'm sure they'd taste great!

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2. Y'ALL. THIS LOOKS SO GOOD. Oh my gosh. I could cry. This looks like utter heaven.

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3. Some of you guys may have seen on my Instagram story, but last night we made a variation of these cookies, with a hitch- we added crushed up candy cane to the powdered sugar that you roll the cookies in. THEY ARE SO GOOD. Oh my gosh. These cookies are SO GOOD. I may have to go eat another one when I finish this post. 

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4. I've been wanting to try to make Oreo peppermint truffles for YEARS now, and I may just have to do it this year. They look so good!

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5. You honestly cannot go any easier than Rice Krispy Treats. Add some festive sprinkles, and there you go! A super yummy, super simple Christmas dessert for that last-minute party. 

Gosh, now I'm really hungry...

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Ah, decorations. We have such a love/hate relationship. I love decorations, and how festive of an atmosphere that they create. But I am not a crafty person in the least. It's terrible. So, I'm only going to talk about decorations that I don't even think that I could mess up. If I can do them, anyone can.


1. Look at how easy this looks, you guys. You literally just paint a pinecone and a pot. I really want to try it! It's super cute.


2. I always love the Two Sisters site- they have the cutest things! These candles look pretty simple, and I might have to try them. My little sister has been doing lots of crafts with Modge Podge lately, so she may have to help me with this, haha.

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3. I'm a sucker for cute garlands. I LOVE them. I really want to make this one and hang it in my room- it's adorable! 

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4. These look so classy, you'd never notice that they're made from popsicle sticks! I don't know that I could make mine look this good, but I'd really like to try!


5. After seeing this, I honestly want to take all of my mom's glassware and fill it with red and white things.

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Well, there you have it- a last minute guide to making your Christmas amazing. I'm so excited for Christmas, you guys- I hope that your holiday season is the best yet. ♥

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How are your Christmas plans coming?? Are you excited? Do you still have shopping to do? Decorating? What are your favorite Christmas cookies? Let me know below!!!

28 comments:

  1. Wow this was a very well thought out post. Loved the ideas. My housemate has that same cat mug and I have one pair of those touchscreen gloves. They are really good. The desserts and decorations look good. Thanks for sharing.

    Joanny
    imachoccakeaholic.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Thank you so much, Joanny! I'm glad that you enjoyed it. :) Those gloves are great, aren't they?

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  2. How long did it take you to write this post?! Ah would have taken me forever! BUT I LOVVE IT and it is so worth it. I got some ideas from your post. Ugh but those sweet treats made me hungry!

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    1. Ahahaha, it actually didn't take me too long, surprisingly. Maybe a little over an hour? I was determined to get something posted. XD I'm so glad that you loved the post!!! :) xx

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  3. AMAZON IS TOTALLY THE BEST. I'm pretty much done with Christmas shopping, almost, sort of...
    And those holiday EOS's are adorable like I don't know how I never saw those before.
    Loved this post. <33

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    1. AMAZON IS LIFE. It's honestly the only way that I survive.
      You haven't? Ohhh, they're so good.
      Love you <3

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  4. Gosh, all of this looks seriously amazing and super festive and cute!! Every year we make these really easy "cookies"... it's actually just a pretzel with a hershey's kiss and MnM on top...but they're super good!!

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  5. Oh this post is all the amazingness! And I LOVE those crafts. I've done the pinecone thing before as a kid and it was so fun. ;D And the desserts...excuse me while I drool all over the place. I love the sound of the oreo truffles. MAKE SOME AND THEN INVITE ME OVER FOR ONE OR NINE, YES PLEASE. :D

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    1. YES YES YES I SHALL BE MAKING THE TRUFFLES RIGHT NOW. I HOPE YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY. ;)

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  6. This post was so well put together! I love all the ideas but why do you have to remind me that I don't have any Christmas shopping done….

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    1. Ahhhh, thank you so much, Abby!! XD I hope that your Christmas shopping went well!

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  7. Woah! I will definitely have to make those Christmas lights cupcakes. They look so YUMMY!:)

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  8. Want to try something great? Go to cincyshopper DOT com give it a slash and add peppermint-brownies on the end. It's a great recipe.

    Be careful about those sweet teeth. They're the first ones to fall out.

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  9. THIS POST <3 amazing, helpful, and very enjoyable :)

    Bernie
    www.uniquelyyou1.blogspot.com

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    1. I'm so glad that you enjoyed it, Bernie!! Thank you for reading!! :)

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  10. Grace, this is the cutest! The only thing that isn't cute is stress. Let me remind you right now of something I repeated to myself several times this week already: I CANNOT DO IT ALL. In fact, that's not even what life's about. Obviously we don't have time to do it all, that's what heaven's for. It's eternal awesomeness and we get to do all of it. In heaven. Not on earth. Take a breath and do what you can with the joyful heart that the Lord's given you and together we can learn how to do everything with grace.

    Okay, I ranted a bit. But I just want to encourage you because you're awesome!

    And now, the post. I now need... 1. to buy a topcoat 2. to make those cookies with candy cane bits (it's one of the main food groups, so nothing can go wrong, right) 3. to make more crafts (and I have LOTS of holiday craft plans)

    Great post! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

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    1. Ahaha, thank you so much for your encouragement, Hannah!! I know that I'm just now answering this comment, but let me tell you, I was definitely internalizing it when it popped up in my email. I needed this reminder!!

      YOU are awesome! <3

      You totally need to buy that topcoat. Candy canes are definitely a food group!!! And ooh, how did your holiday crafts go?

      I hope that you had the most wonderful Christmas, Hannah!!

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  11. Wow, this is such a cute and helpful post!!
    Those notebooks are ADORABLE, but I already have way too many notebooks for my own good :-)
    Those desserts look so delicious, and I love holiday season sweets! Recently, a librarian gave me this delicious homemade peanut butter and hershey kiss cookie :-)

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    1. Oh my goodness, thank you so much, Jollygirl!
      Ahahaha, so do I! I think that I got three more for Christmas. Gotta say though, I don't really mind. ;) It's a good problem to have.
      Ooh, peanut butter and hershey kiss? Yum!!

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  12. ugghhhh Grace now I just want to eat all those yummy looking desserts!
    Okay and that cat mug is actually the cutest thing ever, I want it so bad!

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    1. SAME! I'm ridiculously hungry now, haha!
      Isn't it?? I'm completely in love.

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  13. With all of this time I've got on my hands, I should definitely work on making some yummy looking desserts! I've also had a recent obsession with cats <3

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    1. Ooh, you should! Desserts are a very good way to fill time. Aren't cats just the cutest??

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  14. I love roundup posts! This was super helpful. I actually used tried a few of these! :)
    ~Katie
    http://thekitkatstudio.blogspot.com/

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    1. Aw, really? That's so great! I'm glad that you liked it!!

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