The holidays are my favorite time of year for many reasons. Everyone always seems to be in a better mood and the air seems like it is filled with magic. Yes, I’m one of those “Christmassy People” who feel like the “A Wonderful Life” movie is going to happen every holiday season. (Did I just date myself?)

This holiday season I’m pairing with Country Inns & Suites by Carlson to bring a Happier Holidays Sweepstakes to you and your family. This holiday season they are offering the chance to win:

Each Grand Prize Winner will win four (4) free nights at a Country Inns & Suites location, and a $300 gift card. There will be 25 Grand Prize Winners for the entire program period.

For full details and how to enter keep reading…

Creating My Family Memories with #HappierHolidaysSweeps

#HappierHolidaysSweeps with Country Inns & Suites Hotel

Decorating and holiday baking makes a Happier Holiday at the Gibson home. Every year my daughter, Avrielle – age 8 loves the holidays because she was born on Decebmer 31^st. We tell her that every year the holiday’s ends with a birthday bash in her honor – no wonder she loves to decorate the house and bake holiday goodies with me throughout the season.

Images via: Stagetecture

Decorating with holiday decorations for Happier Holidays

It’s been a long lasting tradition since I was young that my parents would always decorate the house with gorgeous lights, and fresh evergreen trees as we lived in Colorado growing up – so there was no talk of “artificial trees”. Now that I live in Florida we still get a real tree every year and my daughter likes to help me decorate the fireplace mantle, and bring out family ornaments that date back to 1984. I think family traditions are important around the holidays and decorating and baking always transform our home!

Baking holiday memories with my family

My older sons, age 20 and 17 don’t like for me to take pictures of them baking, so Avrielle (who is far from camera shy) agreed to making our favorite Gibson sweet potato casserole and sweet potato pies this holiday season. It always amazes me how children love to take on your family tradition and make it better. My father has an infamous Christmas sugar cookie recipe we make every year and each year we try and find a new sprinkle to top them with.

Here at Stagetecture I always try and bring you ideas to make your home feel more welcoming and inspiring for you, and your family and friends. I’d love to hear how you make a Happier Holiday for your family. Do you string up a massive amount of outdoor lights like Clark Griswold from National Lampoon’s Christmas movie, or do you like to have a small and intimate Christmas Eve dinner with those you hold dear?

However you have a Happier Holiday, Country Inns & Suites wants to make your holiday travel easier with a chance at their #HappierHolidaysSweeps hotel stay for (4) nights.

Click on the Country Inns & Suites picture below to enter the sweepstakes

Here’s all the Sweepstakes details:

1. How to Enter: Post what makes for your Happier Holiday on Twitter or Instagram with the #happierholidayssweeps hashtag, or entering through a registration form, entrants will be entered for a chance to win.
2. Registration: is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are at least twenty-one (21) years old at the time of entry.

3. Program Period: 12/1/2014 @ 12:00:00 P.M. CT – 12/22/14 @ 11:59:59 A.M. CT

4. Entry Limit: Entrants can enter up to three times a day (one per entry method – Twitter, Instagram, and Registration Form hosted on the Country Inns & Suites blog) throughout the entire promotion period.

5. Prize(s) and Values: There will be 25 Grand Prize Winners for the entire program period. Each Grand Prize Winner will four (4) free nights at a Country Inns & Suites location, and a $300 gift card. 

Want to join the Happier Holidays conversation? Follow Country Inns & Suites on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, and on the Country Inns & Suites blog for holiday deals, holiday packages, travel tips and more.

For more holiday travel ideas on Stagetecture, click here.