Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Create A Beautiful Christmas Gathering The Simple Way

Are you having guests over for the holiday season and don't know what you are going to about cooking, entertainment, food and drinks, and maybe even decorations? Well I am about to give you some simple, quick and inexpensive ways to make your Christmas gathering a beautiful occasion this Christmas season.

Something that you could serve that is quick and easy is a party tray. Whether it be a cheese tray with a variety of cheese and crackers, or a meat tray with sliced summer sausage or pepperoni, or it can be a vegetable tray with a variety of vegetables and some dressing to dip. This is a fun and inexpensive treat that all of your guests will love- even vegetarians.

For entertainment at your family gathering why not play a game or two? Charades or Christmas bingo are always fun and easy to prepare for. Charades is a great game for larger groups of people, you need two teams; one person from each team is given a secret from a movie, song title or a book to mimic to their team. The team has to try and guess it within 2 minutes.

Teams take turns and earn points for the correct answers in the time limit. No verbal cues are allowed. Creativity can be used when designing your own Christmas bingo game or you can purchase manufactured games in card shops. The point is to make things fun.

A great game for young kids is pin the tail on the reindeer. It is the same concept as pin the tail on the donkey but you use a reindeer instead.

Decorations can also be a worry, but I will share a few ideas that have worked for me in past years. One suggestion is to purchase plain wreaths (they can be artificial or real) and decorated them yourself with pinecones, berries, ribbons and small Christmas ornaments or anything else festive that you can find. Wreaths look great on your front door or above fire place as they give off a warm and festive feel.

Another idea is using old Christmas cards around the house. For instance you can put them on a mantel or if you have steps you can line them up the stairs. If you have small children they might like to make a Christmas count down calendar to count down the days till Christmas it's is a great way to get the kids involved for the season. You can try any of these easy ideas to make your next family gathering special for you and your family- they will help to make memories that will last a lifetime.

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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Christmas Then And Now

If you are like me you were fortunate enough to grow up with grandparents and even great-grandparents that were around on holidays and other special occasions. I remember how I loved listening to their stories of adventure and old times. Of course, as a child, some of my favorite stories were about Christmas and how they celebrated.

I can remember sitting and listening to my great- grandmother for hours as she told stories about the gifts that she received as a child for Christmas. The ones that stand out are handmade clothes, hand carved jewelry boxes, knick knacks carved from wood, and rag dolls. She said that sometimes they would even get fresh fruit such as oranges and apples as presents.

At that time she lived in a very rural area so a trip into town was required if you were going to enjoy fruit – and that was horse and buggy days. Times sure have changed!

As time went on department stores opened up everywhere and shopping became more convenient. Then along came shopping malls and soon the hassles associated with shopping, things like finding a sitter for your children so you can shop for their Christmas gifts, searching the parking lot over for a place to park, or standing in long lines to pay.

Christmas is not supposed to be stressful. It is a time to be with family and friends and enjoy each other. We need to simplify things so the holiday season is more joyful.

The modern, less stressful way to shop is online. You can go to dozens of stores in just minutes and do not have to deal with the hassles of physical shopping. Just wait for the kids to go to bed - you can even shop in your pajamas and have a little snack beside you. The reality is that you can get all of your shopping done in one night without ever leaving the house.

It is amazing how Christmas has changed over the years, and how shopping has evolved. Maybe online shopping can help put the focus of Christmas back where it should be, back on spending time with the ones we love.

This holiday season we plan to keep it simple and just spend quality time with our loved ones. Each of us will be making a handcrafted gift for other family members. We plan to make this a new Christmas tradition. With so many people having financial problems I believe simple traditions will become increasingly popular.

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Thursday, September 17, 2009

A Christmas Dinner Fit For Santa Himself

Arctic Ocean mapImage via Wikipedia

Last year I went to my mother-in-laws for Christmas Eve dinner. As our tradition continues, everyone read the Childrens Letters to Santa that would be placed beside the snack we would all leave out for him. And the children merrily shared their Custom Santa Claus Letters from the North Pole with everyone.

My mother-in-law is a talented cook and she made a wonderful chicken dish; it was crispy on the outside but tender and juicy on the inside. It was scrumptious! I have included a dessert recipe to top this delicious meal off, and trust me, everyone will love this. I can't imagine a better meal for the Christmas season. This recipe only calls for about fifteen minutes prep time after marinating overnight. Whether you plan to have a large or small group this year, this recipe has you covered as it provides about 16 servings. You will need the following ingredients:

• 16 boneless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 2 cups sour cream
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons celery salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 to 2 cups crushed butter flavor crackers
• ½ canola oil
• ½ cup melted butter

Directions:
Place the chicken in two large zip-lock plastic bags. In a bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings. Pour over chicken; seal bags and toss to coat. Refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to cook, drain and discard the marinade. Coat chicken with cracker crumbs; place in two large well-greased baking dishes.

Combine oil and butter; drizzle over chicken. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until juices run clear. Now time for that dessert I was talking about. Nothing says Christmas season like this delicious and easy Slow Cooker dessert. Santa Himself may decide to show up early so he can have some! You will need:

• can (21 ounces) apple pie filling
• cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• cup canned pumpkin
• 3/4 cup egg product
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• teaspoons baking powder
• teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* Ice cream

1. Spray 3 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Spoon the apple pie filling into cooker.
2. Beat remaining ingredients except ice cream with electric mixer on low speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl constantly. Pour batter over pie filling.
3. Cover and cook on High heat setting 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with ice cream.

This year I plan to cook this same meal for my family. And while the dinner cooks I will help my children write their Authentic Letters to Santa. It has always been a family tradition of ours to write the letters around the dinner table. Last year the kid's letters from Santa even came with genuine reindeer food that they set out for the reindeer to eat. Each year I look forward to seeing the look on my child's face when he opens his North Pole letter. I can't imagine Christmas without it. The Personalized Christmas Letters can even make adults believe in Santa again.

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Sunday, September 13, 2009

Even Santa Himself Is Doing Christmas On A Budget This Year

With the economy in the shape that it is in most everyone is trying to do Christmas on a budget this year. Every day it seems like the unemployment rates are raising. Most people are trying to save as much as possible in these uncertain times. Here are some ideas to help you save on Christmas this year.

There are lots of simple ways to save money on Christmas, without sacrificing everyone's enjoyment. By simply going back to the basics you can save money on decorations, ornaments, and you can create homemade gifts that your kids would actually enjoy helping you make. Even Santa Himself would love these ideas.

I’m including a couple examples of simple ornaments that I have made in the past with my kids. They enjoy being creative and the time together is a true bonding experience. Crafts are fun and easy, and they can save you lots of money. Check out these ideas!

You will need:
• Gold Bells
• Small Bow
• Green Pipe Cleaner
• Paper Clip or Ornament Hanger

Instructions:
Slide six gold bells on a green pipe cleaner. Twist the pipe cleaner into a spiral tree shape that narrows at the top. Tip: a 20 ounce coke bottle works well for shaping. Twist the top end of the pipe cleaner around an opened up paper clip or an ornament hanger. Our bows have a thin wire that we use to twist around the top of the tree. Try putting glitter on it to add more effect.

Popsicle sticks can be used for all sorts of craft ideas. Here’s one idea:
Lay one Popsicle stick down flat vertically, and then lay others over it, horizontally. Glue in place, and then cut the shape to form a tree. Paint and decorate any way you want it. Don’t forget that those custom Santa Claus letters can be decorated with glitter and stars and other eye catching extras.

Another idea for cheap ornaments is purchasing the plain glass ball ornaments and having the kids decorate them. They can add the year as part of the decoration, which adds to the keepsake.

Even though we are doing Christmas on a budget this year we could never take away are children's Letters to Santa. They love to sit and write their letters to Santa every year. It is a great experience to see what your children write to Santa and it helps you understand what they are wanting for Christmas. Every year when the North Pole Letters arrive, their faces light up with excitement - this is a wonderful tradition we will be sure to continue. When we first got our Custom Santa letters it was certainly a surprise to see how authentic and real they were.

The Personalized Christmas Letters are beautifully crafted and they are a keepsake you and your children will always cherish. The letters from Santa will always be a tradition in our family, and one your family will also enjoy.


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Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Remembering Santa Himself & Other Favorite Christmas Things

Do you remember what Christmas meant to you when you were a child? I do; I was worried about what kind of new toys and candy I was going to find under that twinkling Christmas tree. I was always hoping that Santa Himself would bring me a new bike or a special game. But that is in the past I don't think of Christmas like that anymore.

Now I am older and wiser and realize the season itself is much more than that. Christmas is about spending time with family and loved ones. Not the material things that you receive. It’s about giving, not receiving, and it’s about family traditions and being with one another.

To me it is the simple things that make Christmas magical; from picking the Christmas tree, to hanging lights and decorating the house, and cooking that special supper for everybody to enjoy. My favorite childhood memories of the holiday season include the simpler things like children's Letters to Santa Claus and just loving the break from school to enjoy time with friends and family. I remember the cold, wintry days that required piling on layers of clothes to start out warm and dry before joyfully running outside to have snow ball fights with the neighborhood kids, make snow angels and snow men and ride slides down the old hill. Afterward mom would have a mug of hot chocolate waiting to warm me up.

I can remember my brother, sister and I gathering around the kitchen table to write our Authentic Letters to Santa every year. As a kid I worried about writing that traditional letter to Santa; we always focused on telling Santa what we wanted but I remember trying to justify our bad behavior. One particular year I told him how good I was doing in school in the hope that I was still on his nice list – but I anxiously worried if my mom and dad had told him about some of my misbehavior. I remember all of us lining up to send our North Pole Letters off together. Then we would anxiously wait for our letters from Santa to arrive.

Writing the Personalized Christmas Letters became a family tradition that we loved because it brought us closer together. Christmas crafts were always a part of the holiday season at my home. We made snowmen out of Styrofoam balls and decorated them with fabric remnants and buttons. We used craft paper, glitter, and pipe cleaners to create our own ornaments to hang on the tree, and we strung popcorn to hang around the tree. Watching mom and dad put presents under the tree for family and friends always made me feel excited about Christmas and how wonderful it is.
I recall that I loved to help make ginger bread cookies with my mom - they were special cookies for Santa. The fragrant smell of the cookies filled the house making it seem warm and comforting. Knowing that I was baking cookies for Santa Himself made it all the better.

On Christmas Eve the smell of honey glazed ham and apple pie was in the air and everything from sweet potatoes, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, and gravy covered the table top. But before we could eat mom would always give us our Personalized Christmas Letters from Santa. We read them together as a family, and that is a wonderful tradition that we carry on with our children to this day.

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Saturday, September 5, 2009

Mistletoe And Authentic Letters To Santa

As Christmas approaches many of us begin thinking about times from the past and how to incorporate the old with the new in a meaningful way. The fact is that most of us feel the ‘old days’ were better days in that they were easier. We think about Santa Himself and other childhood memories. In an effort to bring the joy we once felt during this season back, we re-visit in our minds those times from the past. We wonder why days gone by seemed merrier and brighter; was it because we were younger and more carefree, or does it have something to do with the way times themselves have changed.

Modern conveniences have given us many opportunities to enjoy things that we never imagined possible. But when it gets down to it, the classic and basic approaches to a favorite childhood Christmas tradition always tend to stand out as the most meaningful memories. Simple Children's Letters to Santa Claus were a big part of our Christmas celebration – they helped to keep the season alive with magic.

Most adults can remember simple Christmas decorations that included strands of lights around a Christmas tree that twinkled in the darkness. The drawback was that if one of those magical light bulbs burnt out, none of the lights worked. And finding the single culprit was quite a task! At the time the situation could be very frustrating, but in hindsight, such things are great memories.

We also remember mistletoe being hung in doorways. The idea was that if a couple was under the mistletoe they could kiss. But the reality is that the origin of the folklore of mistletoe is unclear. It can be traced back to ancient Scandinavian times. The story goes that if enemies met up under mistletoe they would lay down their arms and call a truce until the next day. As the mistletoe tradition was passed down through the generations it changed.

Nowadays the actual process is supposed to be that we hang mistletoe in a doorway and if there is a kiss, a berry is to be removed. When all berries are gone, the privilege of a free kiss no longer exists. But most people simply hang mistletoe, with or without berries, and completely ignore the rule pertaining to the removal of berries.

When it comes to writing Custom Santa Claus letters, the rules are out the window. Some children stick to the essentials. They simply write a note to ask for a list of toys and other gift items that they would like for Christmas. But others craft Authentic Letters to Santa that explain in detail how they have been good and also justify any misbehavior. After all, no child wants to be on Santa’s ‘Naughty List’!

Then the wait begins for the enchanting Personalized Christmas Letters from Santa to arrive. Children everywhere look forward to Santa’s acknowledgment of their letter. They need to know that they will have the Christmas they dream of. As parents we want to make that happen. North Pole Letters are an inexpensive way to create lasting holiday memories that children will take into their adulthood and a tradition they will pass on to their children.

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Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Even Santa Himself Appreciates Saving Money!

It seems everyone is looking for ways to save money these days. From saving money on groceries to the gasoline we put in the cars we drive, we want to get the most for every dollar we spend. And as thoughts of the holiday season begin many of us to look for ways to continue treasured traditions without going broke.

More and more families are opting to spend the holidays in new ways that are less expensive, but have more meaning. Decorating our homes has always been a big part of the Christmas holiday and nowadays there are literally hundreds if not thousands of elaborate choices available to us; from dazzling digital electronics to optic lights that are ever-changing, we could spend hours trying to decide how to decorate our homes. But with all that impressiveness come a stunning price tag.

Getting back to basics has never been more important than now. Parents and grandparents are longing for the simpler times of the past – times when Christmas was enjoyed without the stress and worry of money. When they reminisce about those times one of the most cherished memories is that of the Childrens Letters To Santa Claus.

Believe it or not, as adults recall a favorite childhood Christmas, the simple tradition of the family spending that quality time together as they customize their Authentic Letters to Santa seems to be one of the best things about the holiday. The reality is that this tradition provides the family a time to share and bond.

Traditionally, the letters are written after the tree has been decorated. A favorite treat (usually some delicious cookies fresh from the oven) is a part of the tradition as the delicacy can spur the imagination past a writer’s block. So as the family gathers around a favorite spot and enjoys the sights of a beautifully decorated tree while savoring a wonderful treat, together they write their Custom Santa Claus letters.

The truth is that the writing of the letters is only the beginning of another bonding experience. As soon as those letters are sent off to the North Pole the children wait anxiously for letters from Santa Himself. Because the entire family has participated, this is a shared event and gives a sense of a team. These are the things that great childhood memories are made of!

Fortunately, even in today’s modern world, parents can insure that their children receive responses to those carefully crafted Christmas letters, and it is very inexpensive. The North Pole Letters are customized and authentic, and often become the keepsake that keeps the memory of a perfect Christmas alive. Simple traditions are what create lasting memories – and that’s what makes a childhood special.


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