Round-Up of Interesting Reads #9: Santa is Coming!

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is only a week away.  I hope that you will have the opportunity to spend some nice, quiet time with your family and friends during this most joyous of holidays.  To help you get into the Christmas spirit, and get the most out of this last week before the big day, I have assembled a lot of fantastic reads in this edition of the Round-up.  Please take some time to check out each article and share some laughs with me when you watch the video clip at the end of this post.  Merry Christmas!

• Brad And J’s 1st Annual Christmas Stimulus 2009. Brad from Enemy of Debt and J. Money from Budgets are Sexy have teamed up to offer a truly generous giveaway.  All you have to do is leave a comment on each of their posts, and you will be eligible to win $300, no strings attached.  Talk about a sweet Christmas gift!  Hurry, though, because the deadline to enter is midnight on Saturday, December 19th.

• A Brief Guide to Holiday Tipping. J.D. from the great Get Rich Slowly blog provides some practical and straightforward advice for who you should be tipping for Christmas and just how much you should give to avoid looking like a Scrooge.

• Traveling by Plane With Kids: My Tips & Experiences. For you poor souls that must travel long distances with small children over the holidays, I suggest you take a look at this very helpful post.  Samantha from Mama Notes has lived through a very long plane ride with her baby boy and lived to tell about it!

• 8 Tips for Handling Extended Family Stress During the Holidays.  This awesome post from contributor Corey at the Simple Mom site is a must-read for anyone who will be dealing with enjoying extended family as part of their Christmas festivities.

• Keep Christmas Simple: 5 Quick Tips to Help Stay Focused.  With all of the hustle and bustle of the season, it’s easy to forget to slow down and enjoy our time spent with family!  Jeff from My Super Charged Life gives some very helpful tips to help keep us focused.

• 5 Ingredients. 5 Minutes. 5 Meals. – Holiday Appetizers. Zen Family Habits is always a great place to find practical resources for a fulfilling family life.  If you will be hosting guests, I think you’ll really dig these simple recipes.

• Man Knowledge: Early 20th Century Battles Every Man Should Know.  The Christmas season always helps remind me of the constant sacrifices made by our armed forces.  Their selfless service is very much highlighted during the holidays when many will not get the opportunity to share Christmas morning with their own families.  I think everyone should read this post from the Art of Manliness, which will grow your appreciation of the heroic service provided by so many military members throughout modern history.

• Don’t Wait Until January 1st – Button Up Your Life NOW.  Ron from The Wisdom Journal encourages us to take action today to improve our lives.  And in Ron’s typical style, he doesn’t just give advice, he provides solid resources to help you reach your goals.

By the way, if you need a “push” and some motivation to get off your butt (like I do), you won’t want to miss a little competition  I’m cooking up to kick off the new year!  Look for a post in the next few days that announces “Improve Yourself! 2010“.  If you don’t already, I’d really encourage you to subscribe to receive new posts by RSS or Email so you don’t miss your chance to be part of this exciting contest…great prizes will be included!

• 10 Awesome Christmas Gifts for Married Couples. If you still need to buy a gift for your spouse or another married couple, why not make it a meaningful and helpful present?  My post makes it easy with links to great gifts that you can buy at the lowest price from Amazon.  If you know someone who could use some career advice or some motivation/direction in their life, then I highly recommend you check out Dan Miller’s site at 48 Days.  Click “Christmas Deals” for some insane discounts, including autographed books!

• Finally, I’d like to share an awesome compilation video from one of my favorite Christmas movies…I think you’ll recognize it.

And please don’t forget the reason for the season:

Keep Christ in Christmas!

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Tags: Holiday, Link Round Up

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3. Weekly Round-Up of Interesting Reads #5
4. Weekly Round-Up of Interesting Reads #2
5. Weekly Round-Up of Interesting Reads #1