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Merry Christmas!! Thank you for being here!

Weekly Recap: Our Family Christmas, an interview with Kathrynne, plus more!

Merry Christmas!! Thank you for being here!

Merry Christmas! I hope you have a joyful, peaceful time spent with those you love most.

Our team will be offline this weekend to spend time with their families on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We’ll be back here on December 26th to resume our regular scheduling and continue bringing you the best deals!

We are SO excited about 2024 and have some really fun surprises in store for you!! Stay tuned!

Psst! Still need last minute Christmas ideas? Check out our Homemade Christmas Gifts Guide for 15+ Easy DIY Gifts with Printable Gift Tags!

A personal message from Crystal:

I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for being here. For your encouraging comments. For sharing this site with your friends. For using our links to purchase deals. For being part of our community on social media.

Even if you never purchase a deal through our links, just by showing up here, it makes a huge difference. Through the income made from the blog (affiliate links, sponsorship, and sidebar advertising) we’re able to give generously to causes locally and globally — including helping vulnerable children in South Africa, partnering with organizations that are fighting against human trafficking, and supporting organizations that are serving families who have children with special needs and children in foster care.

The opportunity to give generously as a result of this blog is one of the parts of what I do that I’m the most passionate about. And we wouldn’t be able to do it if it weren’t for you showing up here. So thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I hope your Christmas season is special, even if life might look very different than you had planned, expected, or hoped.

If Christmas is hard this year…

I keep thinking of the many for whom Christmas is just bittersweet… or maybe plain sad.

I think of the kids in foster care who are separated from their parents and families this year.

I think of the women who have written me about losing their husbands this year.

I think of the unmarried followers who thought surely they’d be sharing this Christmas with a special someone.

I think of the families who are struggling financially who couldn’t really afford to do much for Christmas this year.

I think of the moms who lost babies this year and the women who so desperately wish for a healthy pregnancy.

I think of the couples whose marriages are on the brink of divorce or the heartbroken person whose spouse walked out on them this year for someone or something else.

I think of the families with estranged loved ones who would give anything to get to celebrate with them this year — or even to just hear something from them.

I think of those undergoing chemo, those waiting for a difficult diagnosis, those who are in chronic pain, those caring for a loved one who is dying.

I just want you to know that if you are struggling with sadness or heartache or disappointment this Christmas, I see you. And I’m pausing to remember you, to hurt for you, and to pray for you. You are not forgotten.

And if you are having a wonderful Christmas season, I’m thrilled for you! But please remember to look around and show some extra love and kindness toward those for whom Christmas feels anything like the, “most wonderful time of the year.” The world could use a lot more kindness, empathy, and compassion.

Weekly Recap: Our Family Christmas, an interview with Kathrynne, plus more!

Welcome to my weekly recap post where I share a little peek into our week, share some links to podcasts and posts I don’t want you to miss, and highlight some things you may have missed on the blog this week.

Our All-Day Family Christmas

We celebrated our All Day Family Christmas yesterday — the day that our older kids basically plan everything for, including what we do, what we eat, and the order of events!

If you’re new here, we go to Kansas for a week for Christmas so we started this tradition of doing a family Christmas celebration before Christmas so that we get to enjoy special memories here together in TN, too! We had four friends join us for parts of the day, which was special! Read more about the day and see a number of pictures here on Instagram.

Kathrynne’s First Semester of College

I closed out this year on The Crystal Paine Show by bringing back a familiar voice – my daughter, Kathrynne! In this episode, we reflect on Kathrynne’s first semester of college, exploring the highs, lows, and the valuable lessons learned. From the challenges of living independently to the joys of making new friends, Kathrynne shares her perspective on the transition from high school to college life.

We take a dive into her initial uncertainty about the chosen college, the surprising ease of making acquaintances, and the deeper bonds forged over time. Kathrynne offers practical advice for upcoming college students, emphasizing the importance of intentional connections, reaching out to others, and starting good habits early on.

She candidly shares her experience with procrastination on a major History project, highlighting the crucial lesson she learned in managing time effectively. We also touch on the impact of faith in college, the challenges of maintaining relationships while in different schools, and the overall growth and self-discovery that come with this transformative journey.

I’m so grateful Kathrynne was willing to join me again to share on the podcast and I hope that this episode encourages you — no matter where you are in life, that God is faithful to provide, that community is worth investing in, and sometimes what you think is just a small stepping stone turns out to be the path you’re supposed to be on for longer than just a short season. Listen to the podcast episode here.

Other Links You Might Be Interested In:

David Became a Paine One Year Ago — I reflect on some things we’ve learned in our journey of fostering and adopting him, plus share why there are mixed emotions on this day.
Making Time for What Matters Most — I had the privilege of having my interview with Focus on the Family Chosen for the Best of the Year series and it re-aired again this past week. If you missed it when it came out earlier in the year, you can listen here.
Parenting With Grace — I was honored to be interviewed on the Moms in Prayer podcast sharing encouragement for moms to have less stress and more joy in their parenting, what it looks like to parent from a place of reliance upon the Holy Spirit, and go into your day anxiously anticipating how God is going to show Himself strong on your behalf. Listen here.
My Friend Kate Got Engaged!!! — After 20 years of waiting and praying, it was a pretty epic night! Read more of her story here.

Every Saturday morning, I send out a newsy personal letter from me sharing what books I’m reading (and very honest reviews of them!) products and resources I’m loving, what movies/shows we’re watching, plus insider news, thoughts, and recommendations I only share with my email subscribers. If you’re not subscribed, you are missing out!

In this week’s email newsletter, I’m sharing Christmas movies we watched this past week, a few books I finished and my honest thoughts on them, a game we played a loved this past week, a recipe my kids LOVE that I made for our All-Day Family Christmas and am also making for Christmas brunch with my family, plus first-word news on some pretty big stuff I’m changing on the blog in 2024 (I’ll share here soon, but my newsletter subscribers get first dibs on the announcement! It’s good stuff, by the way, and I think it will allow me to serve you all better!)