This blog post and video are made possible because of a partnership with HSN. They rock!
Call me crazy, but at this point in November I’m actually craving the craziness of the holidays. We are hosting Thanksgiving dinner for nineteen people at our house and I. CANNOT. WAIT.
And let’s face it — I haven’t even planned the menu for that meal, and we’re already catapulted into Christmas.
Still, I picture myself hosting parties with Pinterest-inspired holiday cocktails, creating a spreadsheet for the perfect gifts, and checking them all off by early December during leisurely strolls through our nearby boutique-filled mall. Every single year I vow, “This is going to be the year I’m organized. This is the year I will ENJOY the season. This is the year!”
Inevitably, I won’t host a single party. And If I’m not careful I might do a mad dash to the mall, overspending on gifts the people in my life really don’t need.
But at least this year I’ve promised my family I will simplify. Yep, THIS IS THE YEAR! So here’s how it’s going to shake out here at the Holderness House:
1. I will attempt only one Pinterest recipe/craft and not feel ashamed when it’s a complete failure.
2. I will do as much shopping as possible from the couch. That’s pretty much it. Fewer crafts and more time on my butt.
Last year was a memorable holiday season because we made this little video a few people were nice enough to watch. Some of those people were the fine folks at HSN. This is not your grandmother’s home shopping network. Penn and I flew down to visit their studios over the summer and had a blast.
Since that trip, HSN.com already helped me simplfy. No mad dash to the mall! It’s just easy — they have everything. AND, get this – they’re the parent company to Chasing-Fireflies (read more about my children’s obsession here). So this was a no-brainer partnership for our family.
We’re excited about this video we created for HSN. It’s become our mission statement for the holiday season. Here’s the inside scoop on what you’ll see:
1. Good grief, did we have fun with this one! HSN basically let us do whatever we wanted. What we wanted were a bunch of over-the-top Victorian carolers following us around and getting in our business. I think you’ll agree they steal the show.
2. Those carolers are all members or friends of our production company, Greenroom Communications! See that bobbing head over Kim’s shoulder? That’s Sharon Delaney McCloud. She had the courage to start this business and lure Penn and me out of our TV jobs. Without her, there’s no Xmas Jammies video. The crazy redhead handing me my spectacles? That’s Ann Marie Taepke, our director of digital strategy. Also making appearances: our Business Manager Ketti Kluth, her husband Dan, and his buddy Fredo (the guy running behind the SUV in the mall scene).
3. The city of Raleigh was a great backdrop for the video. We stayed away from the big malls, but the independent shops were so great to work with – they opened their doors for a bunch of crazily dressed people, and they seemed to love every minute of it.
4. If you ever want to make a Victorian caroler outfit, we’re pretty sure those neck accessories were actually TREE SKIRTS that the rental shop re-purposed. Genius.
