Everyone grows up with different things they love.  My husband always loved baseball and Star Wars.  My brother was a Warcraft nerd.  For whatever reason, my dad has a real passion for Moxie the soda drink.  My mom always loved knitting and being crafty.  But me? Well – I’m a nerd too and, true, I do love Star Wars like Tall Dad – but my one true love is Christmas.

I’ve watched Elf non stop, White Christmas was always in my DVD player year round and the Barbara Streisand Christmas CD I’ve had since the mid nineties has been played so much that I have literally worn it out to a point that a player can no longer read the data on the disc.

And while I don’t know what my kids will love as they grow older (How To Train Your Dragon is certainly part of my son Rhys’ repertoire already though) I can tell you that my love of Christmas has not been lost on them. In fact, Rhys and Felicity seriously LOVE Christmas.  Let me explain…

So I will admit that I may or may not have led my kids down the Christmas path.  I’ve read Christmas books to them even when it was the middle of the summer.  Rhys and I have been practicing 2 part harmonies in Santa Claus is Coming To Town over the past number of months (I wish I were kidding), and I seriously swear that Felicity smiles just a tad bit extra when I put her in her elf outfit every other day.

It’s gotten to the point that when I began Christmas shopping earlier this year, that my son kept yelling, “Merry Christmas!”

To. Everyone.

A video posted by Mary Larsen (@mary__larsen) on Nov 25, 2015 at 11:00am PST


Again, I wish I were kidding.

It’s more probable than not that I have infected with Buddy The Elf sized Christmas sized Christmas cheer.

So when I held a little Christmas party at my house for some of my mom friends and their kids, I knew that my kids were going to freak out.  And I wasn’t wrong.

Santa made a special stop to my house and I have never seen my children happier together.  It also helps that my dad is the perfect Santa Claus.

We had a bunch of people over, kids were running around my house all lit up on hot chocolate and candy canes, and we may or may not have had an unbelievable waffle bar. The theme was a pajama party – in honor of the kids in PJ’s in The Polar Express, so breakfast foods were the right fit!

We had a ton of other stuff too all of which I picked up at Sam’s Club.  I had been able to get all of my everyday essentials there for cleaning my home for the party, as well as some decorations, so I decided to get some food with my savings. It’s so affordable – and I knew that I would enjoy any and all leftovers – fresh fruit and veggies, juice, and my new staple – mini quiche. 

So while the kids watched The Polar Express on constant repeat, the adults had mimosas and found a way to enjoy to the happiest and most magical time of the year.

It was an amazing party.

Everyone left with a little more cheer (even though it may not be Buddy The Elf sized like mine), a little more full bellies, and a little more love from all the people that matter most to each other.

In fact, I didn’t care that my house was a complete disaster after everyone left.  (15 toddlers running amok in your house for a few hours will tend to do that.)  I broke out my cleaning supplies like my Swiffer Sweeper Wet Mop and my holiday themed Bounty paper towels (I mean, come on, if it’s holiday themed – it’s for me!) and just cleaned the house like it was my job. 

Tall Dad washed the dishes and put the leftover food away, after I snagged a few more of those mini quiche, and I vacuumed, washed floors, and wiped down tables. After about an hour of cleaning, we rested our feet, and turned on a Christmas movie. 

We had a full (clean) home, and a happy home at that!

It was a great party.  I was happy. My guests were happy.  And most of all, my kids were ecstatic to see all the happiness of what a Christmas party could be.

Now I just have to get Felicity to work on her part for a three part harmony of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer….

Sam’s Club really saved the day for me by the way.  

All I had to do was just order my items for the party online and they gathered it all up in store for me to pick up at my convenience.  Ain’t nobody got time to go shopping when you’ve got two kids, a media company to run, and all of the responsibilities of trying to be the best wife I can.

I ordered what I wanted a day ahead online,  scheduled a time for pickup, and then got the goods the morning of our party!  I’m even often stopped to get an iced coffee on the way, whateves, it’s December, but I’m a Rhode Islander so we drink iced in December.

It was a mini trip, but I felt like a rockstar. Buy buying participating holiday essentials Bounty paper towels or Swiffer refills, members will save about $97.   That was money that I was able to spend on other items for our awesome breakfast pajama party. 


And lord knows that saving time and money helps this busy mom! If you’ve never done Sam’s Club Pick Up – it’s easy. You just park in the specially marked parking outside of front of the building, and then walk to Member Services. They will have all of your items waiting for you at your designated time 🙂 

Load up your car with your goods, and head on home! 

Sam’s Club actually has an amazing giveaway going on right now —  win one of five Sam’s Club giftcards by entering below!

$100 Sam’s Club Gift Card Giveaway for Everyday Essentials

Best of luck with the giveaway. $100 can go a looooooong way at Sam’s Club!  

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, friends!

Vendor calculation based on proprietary methodology comparing average non-promoted retail price per unit from a combination of leading U.S. retail outlets vs. average retail price per unit at Sam’s Club® for 2 months ending September 26, 2015. Pricing and item availability may vary in Alaska, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Wisconsin, and on SamsClub.com. #fullhomehappyhome