Is it Time to Focus on the End of the Year? – Sunday Morning Coffee

October is here and I am suddenly (and constantly) thinking about the end of the year. Is it time to start planning for the holidays?

Thanks for joining me for Sunday morning coffee. Today I am sharing my weekly thoughts about entertaining, decor, crafts, and recipes, and trying to figure out why October triggered my thoughts about the end of the year! Is it time to start planning for the holidays?

Volume 37

A Little Bit About Me

It’s the third of October and suddenly my brain is focused on the next three months. Is it really time to be thinking about the end of the year?

Here is the thing. As a blogger, Q4 (which is a much shorter way than saying October, November, and December) is the busiest time of the year.

Why is that?

Q4 is a crazy time of the year for a blogger. We are churning out lots of content for the holidays as everyone is looking for recipes and ideas for crafting, decor, and entertaining. (Plus brands are advertising like crazy for holiday shopping and ad revenue is at an all-time high.)

I get asked all of the time how I can do everything that I do and also how do I get paid?

I don’t think bloggers talk about this much but since I am asked this every week, here is the scoop. Every day, and yes it is every single day, I write a blog post and share my thoughts also on social media. I love what I do because I get to create so many wonderful things and share all of my ideas with all of you.

So how do bloggers and influencers earn a living?

There are a lot of ways but here are the three primary ways. We earn through the ads on our blog and through affiliate links. If you click on any affiliate links and buy anything then we make a commission. In fact, if you go to my Amazon link to do your shopping, that helps me a lot. It doesn’t cost you any more but it really helps me!

The third way we get paid is by working with brands. I do want to mention that if I am sharing a brand that you like, please engage with the post because that tells the brand that they did the right thing by choosing me as their partner!

Enough about that.

But thank you for asking.

So why am I so focused on the end of the year? I just finished some huge projects and I finally have time to focus on the holidays and what I want to do.

Have you even started thinking about the holidays?

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What Do I Have Planned for the End of the Year?

I had some time to sit down this week and I decided on my theme for Christmas. I also created my mood board for the holidays. This is the only time I am sharing my holiday mood board and I love it!

What do you think?

As you may have guessed, cranberries are going to be my theme for the holidays. I love the strong, bold, and beautiful color of cranberries and can’t wait to get started using this color in my decor, entertaining, crafts, and recipes.

You might have noticed that I already shared a recipe this week with pears and cranberries. Yay!

My blog posts for the next few months will feature fall content through the third week of November. I am also going to start sharing Christmas content in November too. I can’t wait to share the Twelve Days of Christmas blogs I will be creating with my favorite blogger, KariAnne at Thistlewood Farms. You will see those in early November.

If you are wondering why I would share holiday ideas in early November it is because I hope to inspire you! The earlier I start, the more time you have to think about it and maybe try some of my recipes, crafts, entertaining, and decor ideas.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Back to fall.

Have I told you how much I love persimmons? Can you guess what inspires me for fall? The color of persimmons! So get ready to see a few more. In my decor, recipes, and everywhere. (These persimmons are faux by the way.)

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And just in case you want a little “end of the year” inspiration …

Do You Have any Holiday Travel Plans?

I am trying to plan a trip between now and the end of the year and I am going to try my hardest to make it happen. Coordinating a group to travel is not easy but I think if we can find a safe destination to travel then it might just happen.

We are hosting about twenty-five family members for Thanksgiving and I cannot wait. It’s not warm enough to dine outside but we could fit in the Carriage House or in the dining/living room. I have already started making plans for my table and I can’t wait to share them with you!

Here are some of my Thanksgiving tables from previous years.

Aren’t the place cards on these two tables wonderful? I love them and I cannot wait to share some new ideas with you for this year!

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Reflections on the Week

Last week was so much fun! It was busy and I loved sharing lots of new content.

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Good Things From Martha

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What’s Ahead for the Week

I have so many fun things scheduled for this week. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I am part of a three day Thanksgiving preview featuring a Thanksgiving table, a DIY, and a recipe. I am also sharing a new pumpkin craft, lots of recipes for “chips”, and a DIY topiary. Which sounds the most exciting to you?

Catch up on Sunday Morning Coffee

• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 37 – Classic Antiques or Unique Vintage?
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 36 – How Well Do You Know Me?
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 35 – Happy Anniversary
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 34 – Happy Labor Day Weekend
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 33 – Fall Flower Arrangements
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 32 – Happy Fall
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 31 – When the Seasons Change
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 30 – Late Summer Dinner on the Beach
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 29 – Repurposed Decor
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 28 – Summer Fun Outdoor Partyy
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 27 – How to Use a Soft Summer Color Palette
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 26 – Endelss Summer Nights
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 25 – Summer Decor Finds
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 24 – Summer Decor Tips
• Sunday morning Coffee Volume 23 – Beach House Renovations
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 22 – Happy Sunday Morning Coffee
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 21 – Easy Home Ideas
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 20 – Thirty Summer Days
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 19 – Summer is Almost Here
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 18 – The Carriage House is Done
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 17 – Sharing Joy and Thankfulness
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 16 – Summer Entertaining
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 15 – Projects at Home
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 14 – How to Get Ready for Summer Days
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 13 – The Best DIY Projects
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 12 – Just Do It Yourself
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 11 – Creative Inspiration
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 10 – Inside the Life of a Blogger
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 9 – Live Your Best Life
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 8 – Living Green
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 7 – Why I Love to Entertain
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 6 – February is All About Living Beautifully
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 5 – Our Beach House in Ventura, CA
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 4 – The Story of My 100 Year Old Home
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 3 – I Think I Might Be Martha’s Biggest Fan
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 2 – A Tribute to My Mom
• Sunday Morning Coffee Volume 1 – How Chip and Joanna Influenced My Life

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