Easy Holiday Decorating with Faux Florals

Holiday Decor

MBE partnered with Nearly Natural for this review

Easy & Beautiful Christmas, Hanukkah Decorating Ideas

The festive holiday season inspires many of us to turn our homes into a colorful celebration which sets the mood for entertaining and gatherings of family and friends. Decorating couldn't be easier and more stress-free with the huge selection of seasonal realistic looking Instagrammable and Pinterest-worth decorations Nearly Natural offers out-of-the-box ready to enhance your lifestyle no matter what holiday you're celebrating. 

A Sampling of Family Favorite Seasonal Decor

From pretty faux arrangements, wreathes and swags to Christmas trees, there's something here for everyone's taste. Unlike fresh flowers, greenery and real pine trees, you don't have to worry about these drying out or leaving a trail of pine needles around the house. In fact, though these floral decorations look real, they're light weight and store easily in boxes, so you'll be able to enjoy them not just this year but for many holiday seasons to come. 

Holiday Ideas to Decorate at Home

My brother Forrest and his wife Tina in Arizona celebrate Christmas. So, for their number one choice, they could not resist the Nearly Natural 32 inch Geranium and Berry Swag ($59.99) you see below. 

"The vibrant red really jumps out in this appealing holiday swag," Tina says. "The flowers, delicate berries and multiple colors of greenery display beautifully. And the best part is the wide variation of ways you can show this off in your home. 

"Not only does this garland look lovely on a mantle or shelf, but thanks to the strong circular loop on the back, you can also easily hang this above a door or archway. It also works well as a table centerpiece and can even be paired with candles or other lighting for a truly festive look."

Just as festive for quick, stylish and easy holiday decorating is the 27" Hydrangea Teardrop from Nearly Natural ($74.99). 

"This deep red Christmas floral arrangement is a stand out," Tina comments. "Contrasting with glitter on the edges of the leaves and berries, this decoration radiates sparkling good cheer and joy as guests enter our home. Against the back drop of the detailed metal scroll work, the pine sprigs and natural pine cones make this look so alive and cheerful, too. 

"The scroll design also is functional, allowing for easy and secure hanging, and shows beautifully indoors or outside in a protected area such as a front doorstep or backyard patio deck. An added plus of this floral style is it presents well on both neutral and colorful walls, and goes with just about any kind of home design from traditional and modern to bohemian and eclectic."

Hanukkah Wreath Ideas

Meanwhile, in California where I live, we are Jewish and my immediate family celebrates Hanukkah. I've always loved wreathes, though. So, looking for something with more neutral colors (other than the traditional red and green) and being partial to hydrangeas, which are my all-time favorite flower, I picked Nearly Natural's 24" Gold Trimmed Hydrangea and Berry Wreath ($74.99).

Just like Tina's Teardrop red wall hanging, the predominantly white wreath I received is trimmed with sparkles, in this case gold glitter. 

Large faux blooms of lush white hydrangeas circle around the wreath, garnished by sparkling pinecones and frosted white berries against a field of green ferns and very real-looking hydrangea leaves. Ready to hang on your wall out of the box. 

Feel like being creative? Add embellishments to personalize your wreath like I have. This wreath is so versatile for Hanukkah and throughout the winter months to add a little sparkle and cheer to our lifestyle. 

This wreath multi-tasks, too, and looks beautiful wherever it is displays. It makes a gorgeous backdrop for a festive party buffet table as well as a pretty decoration to hang on the front door, in your kitchen or on a wall of a protected patio.

About Nearly Natural

What's your favorite? Check out the beautiful Christmas Collection from Nearly Natural which includes 181 artificial, but real looking, seasonal faux floral items to celebrate the winter holidays. Whether you like one of the pieces MBE has showcased in this story -- or prefer a Christmas tree, floral arrangement in a vase, something that looks like a live house plant, or any one of their other imaginative seasonal products -- there are so many choices to choose from to fit every lifestyle.

SAVE 20% OFF for the Holidays

Order now for fast, direct shipping to your home. Use MommyBlogExpert's exclusive savings code XMASJJ at checkout to save 20% off your total Nearly Natural product order. To learn more and buy, visit Nearly Natural as well as follow the brand on Facebook and Instagram.

I'll Be Next Door For Christmas Movie Review + Giveaway

Movies

MBE partnered with I'll Be Next Door for Christmas for this post

Giveaway Details Below

Time to break out those ugly holiday sweaters and check out the hilarious new Christmas comedy movie I'll Be Next Door for Christmas which was released on Digital today! If you've seen MBE's Christmas Fun Holiday Stuff Pinterest Board you know that -- yes -- those ugly sweaters really are a thing this year. But what about that fictional dysfunctional family with the mom or dad who really goes over the top for the holidays, decorating every square inch of their home inside and out, embarrassing their teenager so much she takes drastic measures?

That's the exact premise of this funny holiday family movie release I'll Be Next Door For Christmas from United States Motion Picture Company. Available digitally as of today for rent or purchase on iTunes as well as via streaming on Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, DirecTV, AT&T, Dish and Video of Demand.

You and the kids will be laughing all the way through this movie about the unbelievably wacky extremes the Dad (Jonathan Mangum, Who's Line is it Anyway and Let's Make a Deal) goes all out for to celebrate Christmas, like you've never seen before. The family holiday photo with the whole family wearing a single 4-person ugly Christmas sweater is just one of many loony scenes viewers have to look forward.

Just as silly are all the equally crazy ways his 16 year-old daughter (Juliette Angelo, Mad Men) reacts to Dad's holiday enthusiasm, like hiring actors to play her parents and pretending she lives next door when her long distance boyfriend comes to town to visit. Watch the trailer to get a sneak peek at some of the outlandish things she does.




Other I'll Be Next Door for Christmas headliner cast members include Beth Littleford, who plays the Mom (The Daily Show), Nicole Sullivan (MADtv, The King of Queens), Kirrilee Berger (K.C. Undercover), Regan Burns (Dog With a Blog) and kitty Lil BUB (of Nine Lives fame).

It's time to get into the holiday spirit with some good home entertainment offering the whole family a barrel of laughs. Don't forget to encourage everyone to wear their ugly sweaters when you gather to watch this together.  Why not go all out? Have a movie viewing party for friends and family and serve festive holiday cookies, maybe even like the ultimate wild 5-person family Christmas Sweater and Parsley the Cat decorated cookies and hot cocoa I received from the movie's crew -- it will only add to everyone's viewing enjoyment.

About I'll Be Next Door for Christmas

I'll Be Next Door for Christmas is the first Christmas movie to successfully use investment crowdfunding. Available for $12.99 ARV. For more information and to see this movie, visit the official site NextDoorforXmas.com as well as follow movie on Twitter and Facebook.

ENTER HERE

MommyBlogExpert's I'll Be Next Door for Christmas Giveaway ends December 18, 2018 at 3 am EST/12 am PST. Open to legal residents of the U.S. only. After the contest ends, ONE (1) qualifying winner will be selected at random from all eligible entries submitted and will receive a gift code good for a free download of the movie on iTunes. I'll Be Next Door for Christmas is providing the prize and the winner will receive via direct message.

Minimize Holiday Stress Mindfulness Tips

Holiday Survival

Secrets to Attaining Calm During the Holidays

The holidays are quickly approaching. Hooray! Or conversely, as Charlie Brown might say, “AAUGH!” 

For all the fun and excitement associated with this time of year, it also can be filled with way too much stress and anxiety. Sure, most people expect to get at least some time off from work, and that seems relaxing enough, but often the holidays can turn into more work and a bigger hassle than our regular day jobs. And that’s especially true for parents, as energy and emotions run high for both adults and our children this time of year. 

“We put so much work into the holidays," says Tom Corner, a motivational speaker and author of the new book Borrowed Eyes and Feet: Finding Enlightenment After Rage. "Shopping, dealing with long lines, preparing the big holiday meal, and enduring an endless stream of social commitments. We even go so far as mentally gearing up for encounters with that family member who knows how to push our buttons and dampen the holiday spirit. As a result, the holiday sparkle might feel more like a holiday inferno.” 

If you can relate, or know someone else who can use some stress reduction, Corner's mindfulness techniques can help to change your outlook and attitude that bring out negative aspects of the holidays. Ultimately, it can improve the odds that the season of merriment doesn’t deteriorate into a high-pressured occasion overflowing with tension. 

Five Steps to Alleviating Tension

Corner suggests a simple five-step process to help yourself, or someone you know, manage the heightened energy and emotions that are so common during the holidays and during other times of stress, year round.

• Pause. Stop everything you are doing.
• Close your eyes. 
• Take a deep breath through your nose, with your eyes still closed. Hold it for a moment. Slowly exhale through your mouth.
• With another breath recite this affirmation to yourself: “I give the gift of love. I receive the gift of love. I am love. All is well in my world.” Feel your body relax. See if you can feel a particular place in your body where you sense relief. Your chest, heart, head, arms, legs. Now open your eyes.
• Replace that Charlie Brown “AAUGH!” with a more meditative “Ah” or “Om.” 

Expectations of Myself and Others

Now that you’ve cleared your mind, Corner says, don't stop there. Beyond those steps, give yourself some extra credit -- and extra mental help preparing for the weeks ahead  -- by asking yourself three important things.

• What are my expectations of the people in my life?
• What are their expectations of me?
• Are our expectations being met (are they aligned)? 

“The answers to those questions will reveal a new way to look at the world and the people in it,” Corner points out. “Typically, our expectations are misaligned, leading to angst, frustration and sometimes anger.” 

Finally, he says, you should embrace the energy of the holidays. “It is all around you,” Corner concludes. “Everyone shares a similar energy of love and the desire for happiness, but we often get lost and lose sight of what truly matters in life. This is when we can pause, quiet our minds for the slightest moment and realign with the energy of love and happiness. that exists within each of us.”

About Tom Corner

The husband and father of three young daughters, Tom is a motivational speaker and author. He wrote his first book in 2014 and has since published four more titles. His newest book, which parents will especially appreciate, is Borrowed Eyes & Feet. Learn more at TomCorner.net as well as by following him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.