Holidays

Looking for name change advice or some tips for newlywed life? The MissNowMrs experts have created state-specific name change articles and checklists for you. We’ve chronicled our recommendations for how to travel while changing your name AND how to handle voting during the transition.

We’ve also compiled our best guidance for how to handle difficult sister in laws, holidays as newlyweds, the ever-annoying baby questions, and much more. Why? Because, while we are name change experts, we’re also newlywed wives, moms, and sisters.

We hope our name change advice articles help smooth your transition to your new name, and a whole new phase of life. Congratulations and best wishes from the entire MissNowMrs team!

Family Gift Giving 101: Newlywed Holiday Etiquette

Newlywed holiday etiquette, it’s so important! The holidays are filled with happiness, love, good food, great friends, and the creation of many wonderful memories. However, for many, this time of year also comes with great stress, as one is forced to consider the etiquette of gift giving within a new family.

It is absolutely wonderful to give a gift and enjoy the look of thrill that comes with opening it, but giving a gift to a person who wasn’t expecting it often means giving a handful of guilt as well. When you are the one on the receiving end, with nothing to give in return, it can be horribly embarrassing. So now that you’re part of a new family, how do you know who you are supposed to buy for and how much to spend?

Who Should You Be Buying For? This is often the first question asked in new marriages. While it might be obvious what gifts need to be purchased on your side of the family, because you are very familiar with the traditions, it can be far more difficult deciding which relatives of your spouse will expect a present. One of the easiest ways to figure this out is to inquire about the annual holiday events. Is there a big get-together with the extended family? Who attends it? Are gifts exchanged and how?

In many families, especially large families, it is nearly impossible to get a gift for every member, so names will be drawn from a hat so each person buys just one gift. Others may choose to have a gift swap for which each person brings one or two wrapped gifts and names are drawn deciding the order in which participants choose from the table of presents.

Knowing what happens at your spouse’s holiday gatherings can often save you a great deal of worry. If you are still unsure of the situation, consider stockpiling a few small items wrapped and on hand for unexpected circumstances. Consider small ornaments, kitchen gadgets, scarfs, candles or other items that anyone might enjoy and if someone gives you a gift who you haven’t shopped for, use one of these standbys to prevent an uncomfortable situation.

How Much Should You Spend? This question should not have a universal answer. Each family faces a different set of financial circumstances. Staying on budget with your holiday shopping should be the primary goal, rather than worrying about what others are going to shell out for gifts. Create a budget for what you can afford, who you need to buy for, and divide the total among them. That way, there will be no question as to whether or not you have spent enough – you have spent what you can afford.

As a final note, in some families, there will be a price limit set for gifts. If that is the case, abide by the guideline, even if you feel that it is really too little. This avoids embarrassing those who can’t afford to spend more.

Are you anxious about holiday shopping for your in-laws this year? Hopefully our newlywed holiday etiquette explanations helped. Stay tuned for our Top 10 In-Law gifts post later this week!

3 Steps to Setting a Holiday Budget as Newlyweds

Have you considered setting a holiday budget? The holiday season is here and that means many things. Happy music, good food, great friends, and fun-filled gatherings are certainly on the long list of things that come with this time of year. Unfortunately, though, not all thoughts are happy during this season. While giving a gift to a person you love is undeniably wonderful, paying for it isn’t always so easy. If you are like millions of Americans who are finding it more and more difficult to set aside money during this economic downturn, then this might be a good time to consider budgeting for the upcoming shopping spree.

Step One: What Do You Have to Spend? The first step in budgeting for anything is to look closely at what you can afford. What are you bringing in each month and what is being sent back out the door for bills, utilities, mortgage, loans, etc? Once you have a clear picture of what is left over and what you might already have stocked away, you can move on to step two.

Step Two: How Far Does it Have to Go? The money that you have accounted for will likely have to cover all holiday spending. This is something that many people overlook, and therefore, those people end up spending more than they planned by the time the first of the new year rolls around. Stop to make a list of everything that you will need to buy for the holiday season – wrapping paper, ingredients for dishes to pass, decorations, etc. This list should also include the names of everyone you need to have presents for (don’t forget his side of the family). When your list is complete, move on to step three.

Step Three: Allotting For Each Category With your list in hand, you can begin to break down the money that you have budgeted, dividing it up by categories – food, gifts, accessories – and then within each category. At the end of this step you should know approximately how much you can spend on a gift for each person on the list. Keep in mind that you will generally spend more money of gifts for a spouse than you would on a gift for a friend. Those distinctions really matter and will allow your budget to be stretched more efficiently. Create a chart with the names of each person and the budgeting allowance for the gift. Label a third column as ‘money actually spent’ so you can keep close track of how you are doing during the shopping process.

Have you started setting a holiday budget or wish that you did? We’d love to hear your solutions for shopping smartly this season!

Newlywed Holiday Card Happiness

It’s here…the spine tingling anticipation of holidays! Are you celebrating the season as a newly engaged couple or newlyweds? What better way to share your good news and engagement/wedding photos than with a card?

We’ve scouted a few sites and come up with a few of our favorite card templates that allow you to add your own photo and a custom message to family and friends. On the family and friends note…be sure to order enough cards for your family and friends AND his!
For the Romantic
Was your wedding a dream come true with all of the details coming together to make a magical event? Share the love with one of these enchanting cards.

Merry Kissmas
Ornate Charm
Holiday Sweethearts

Classic
Do trees, holly, snowflakes and some Bing Crosby sum up your perfect holiday? Give the gift of good cheer with one of these cards.

Classy Wishes
Holiday Cheer

Modern
Is your style simple and sleek? So are these great cards that showcase your love with minimal fuss.

Simple Celebration
Happy Hanukkah

For the Procrastinator:
Know you’re too busy to get a card out in time for Hanukkah or Christmas? Why not send out a New Years card wishing everyone a wonderful 2012?

Banner of Dreams
New Year Bubbly

Are you sending out cards this year or did we inspire you to? We’d love to hear what your cards are like in a comment!

Easter with the In-Laws As Newlyweds

Are you spending Easter with the in-laws this year? If so, you might be a little worried about how things will turn out. One way to start the holiday off on the right foot is with a hostess gift for your mother-in-law. It shows that you appreciate her hospitality and that you have excellent manners (never a bad thing). Here are a few gift ideas to help you position yourself in the best way possible with your new family members:

1. Easter Colored Chocolate Strawberries – You can make them yourself with this simple recipe or order them from Shari’s Berries. Everyone loves holiday candy, and chocolate covered strawberries elevate Easter treats to a new level!

2. Robin’s Egg Soaps – Help your mother-in-law celebrate spring with this adorable soap collection. It’s a simple, sweet and practical hostess gift, all at the same time.

3. Seasonal Shakers – If you’re completely stumped on what to bring, consider these pewter rabbit salt & pepper shakers. They’ll add a bit of holiday charm to your family Easter brunch or dinner.

4. Upscale Eggs – Indulge your spouse’s family with chocolate truffle filled eggs! No need to wrap, the container is perfect on its own and perfect for Easter with the in-laws.

5. Flower Power – Give a sure-fire Spring gift, a lily of the valley bulb garden. The site and scent will fill the house with Spring and Easter cheer.
Hostess gifts aren’t just reserved for non-family members…so consider taking something to your mom if you’re headed to your family’s house for Easter this year. Every hostess deserves a little thank you goodie.

Those are our best gift ideas for Easter with the in-laws. Should you want to surprise them with your name change, the MissNowMrs app or service can help!

Newlywed Solutions For Juggling Family Celebrations

It’s the beginning of April…time for the panic of realizing that it’s time for juggling family celebrations. For some, the decision is easy and natural, but for most, especially newlyweds, there is a lot of room for hurt feelings and resentment. If you and your spouse are on your way to happily ever after, then both of you must face the realization that with marriage comes compromise and that will become most apparent during holiday celebrations.

Whether an Easter Sunday dinner, Passover or a giant gathering around the Thanksgiving table, holidays are often the setting for the happiest and most memorable moments of childhood. So, it makes complete sense that you’ll feel sad at having to say goodbye to the ways of your childhood in order to make room for an expanding family.

But like it or not, if you want your marriage to have a solid foundation, you will be making holiday compromises very soon. That isn’t to say that you have to bid farewell to the traditions of your family all together. The great thing about holidays is that there are enough to go around. Even if your parents and your in-laws live hundreds or thousands of miles apart, a plan can be made to ensure that some of the customs of your family are experienced even after marriage.

For those who are fortunate enough to have both sets of parents within a near vicinity, the decision making does not have to be so difficult. Even if dinners are scheduled for the same time on the same day, it is possible to dine with one family and share dessert with the other. This can become habit and the parts played can be rotated each year, so both families’ traditions can be welcomed and appreciated.

As for those who have miles separating relatives, the decision may be more difficult, but not impossible. Perhaps your spouse favors his family’s Thanksgiving traditions and you would rather hold onto the Christmastime festivities. In this case spend the first holiday with his or her parents and the second with yours. If this is not the case, then consider cycling. Thanksgiving and Easter with your parents this year and Christmas and New Years with his or hers, but next year those occasions are switched.

The most important thing to remember is that while every couple is different, almost every newlywed makes accommodations around the holidays. Find a routine that works and stick with it so they can be times of celebration, rather than repeated times of stress each year.

What solutions have you come up with to keep both your families happy but also to keep your sanity? Do you cycle, alternate or just have everyone come over to your house? Are your parents or in-laws divorced, causing even more ways to split the holidays? We’d love for you to let us know your solutions for juggling family celebrations in a comment.