Monday, June 28, 2010

Preparing Your Home for Christmas Guests

If many guests are expected for Christmas in your home it is best to plan everything in advance. Since taking care of every little thing can stress you out, you could start preparations early at a time when you have an hour or two to spare. It is always best to check the amount of space in the house before you invite people over.

Make sure that you have bedding, sleeping bags, inflatable beds or beds for people other than your family members. If space is not a problem but the bedding is you could ask your guests to bring along bedding of their own depending on your relationship with them or else you would have to check them into a B&B or a local hotel. You will have to do the bookings way in advance because they would be filled up for Christmas. Usually children love sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor because they think of it as an adventure.

When you have sent out invitations start planning the purchases you have to make and the things that will have to be accomplished before hand. It is best not to leave anything at the last moment. If you find it difficult to handle things on your own, delegate jobs as well as deadlines for them to be completed to the members in your house. Always try and do a little work every weekend a couple of months before Christmas. Make nibbles and food that can be defrosted and also heated when required with minimum supervision so that you will get more time to socialize and converse with your guests and spend less time slaving away in the kitchen. You could opt for ready-made dips and healthy snacks that are easily available in supermarkets so that you can have a relaxed evening. Sip on a drink and put up your feet. You need to enjoy Christmas, too.

It is your duty to make your guests very comfortable. See to it that you have spare toiletries and plenty of towels in case they have not brought them along. Give them some space so that they could hang up their clothes. Keep some activities and games ready before your guests arrive so that they can enjoy themselves. Dominoes, Card games, Jigsaws, Pictionary, Scrabble and Monopoly are enjoyed by one and all. Ensure that you complete all your house work so that you need not run around even when your guests have arrived. Have some DVDs ready so that they are occupied.

If your guests will include children you will need to provide everything needed for that special letter to Santa. These letters are an important Christmas tradition for most families in the United States and Canada. The letters provide information for adults about what the children want for Christmas and they offer kids a fun activity. If you really want to impress your guests you can have personalized letters from Santa delivered to your home for them. This will delight the kids and it will insure them that Santa will know where to find them on Christmas. Something as small as these inexpensive packages from Santa can be the highlight of the holiday season for kids. If you plan everything in advance you will be able to enjoy yourself in the company of your guests. Preparing your home for Christmas guests will be a breeze if you start way in advance.

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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Fun and Creative Christmas Crafts

Holidays always bring out the creative aspects in everyone. Christmas implies that there are a number of food items that are to be baked, many things are to be made and crafts have to be created. If you do not follow the tradition of making crafts for Christmas it is high time you did it.

Children love to meet and create things by using their hands. They feel that they have accomplished something great when they have put in a lot of hard work and made a beautiful Christmas craft. They will enjoy being involved in the procedure of making great Christmas crafts all by themselves and will also never forget the beautiful time they spent with all members of the family. You could start the process by first making them write a letter to Santa Claus in which they could mention the gifts that they are expecting for Christmas so that you would get an idea of what to gift them. Later, you could send them a letter in reply as if it were from Santa Claus.

The next step would be to think of a craft that would be easy for the children to create. You could suggest a wall hanging, ornaments, a decoration for the table or anything else. If you are not the creative types and can't think of anything interesting, you could approach your child's teacher for ideas. She/he would be able to give you great ideas for Christmas crafts. When you decide on the crafts that are to be created you could get all the materials required from a local store that stocks craft supply. If you are not able to come across a local store or you do not have the time to shop you could purchase what you require online. You will easily get markers, Christmas magazines, construction paper, green and red pompoms, googley eyes and many more such items on the Internet. Go through the directions for a particular craft so that you are clear as to what is to be bought. If you wish to create something unique you could try making a sock friend, jingle spider or a cradle ornament made of walnut shell.

You could also use construction paper and create a mask of a reindeer. You would require brown or light brown paper, red pom-pom, brown paper, Popsicle stick, googley eyes and glue. You could make an outline of your hand on a construction paper of dark brown color. Do the same for the opposite hand. Cut these tracings. They will be the antlers of the reindeer. Cut a head shaped like a teardrop from light brown or tan paper. Apply glue close to the bottom of the two hand cut outs. Place them on top of the cut out of the head where the antlers of the reindeer should be. Glue the googley eyes on the face. Glue the pom-pom for the nose. Make a mouth either by coloring or drawing. Glue the Popsicle stick at the bottom of the head at the back. When everything dries up show the reindeer mask to everyone. You could come up with many such fun and creative Christmas crafts to the delight of your children.

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Friday, June 18, 2010

You Can Have a Stress Free Holiday Season

Everybody loves decorating their homes for Christmas because it is a lot of fun and it offers the perfect opportunity to spend time with the family. The end result is a beautiful home and cherished memories. Most people feel extremely proud of the decorations they have put up. Everybody wants to decorate their surroundings and not spend much money. You might want to do so without being anxious so that you can have a stress free holiday season. There are ways in which you can undertake Christmas decorations easily without spending a lot of time and money, plus it will allow you to relax and spend time with your family members.

It is always best to shop around for decorations after Christmas because the prices of the decorative articles are reduced and you can get them at extremely cheap rates. Save money before the festival so that you can spend it later in order to get stuff for next Christmas. You need not fret over missing out on the sales after Christmas last year because you will be able to find holiday decorations that are discounted for coming Christmas. Usually stores start selling Christmas items after Halloween. You can avail of some really good deals on lawn ornaments, light strands and ornaments for the house. Do not forget the dollar stores. You could check out the light bulb department or the hardware section of Wal-Mart stores. You could also buy a little every week so that you will be able to purchase gifts later on. You could buy ornaments costing $20 every month from October onwards so that you will have a good inventory when Christmas arrives round the corner. You can also opt for stores that allow you to pay some amount every week so that you will get the items you desire. You will not have to worry over items that are out of stock.

Now days many people start decorating for Christmas on Thanksgiving Day. One should spend about half an hour everyday in putting up decorations little by little at one time. You could light up the house after all the decorations are done. Do not spend the entire day doing everything at one go. Always check if the lights are working before you put up all the strands. You do not want to realize that they do not work after you have put them up. Let the children help you in decorating as it would reduce your work and will also be exciting for them. This will help you in spending time together. You will enjoy listening to their ideas and plans for Christmas.

Children love being involved in the activities of grown-ups. They might be proud in just giving directions as to where certain ornaments are to be placed. You could make them sit down and write letters to Santa Claus regarding the gifts they want on Christmas. You could write a reply to the letter and make it look as if Santa Claus has written it himself or you could get the letters personalized from a quality online supplier.

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Sunday, June 13, 2010

How to Spend Less Money during the Christmas Season

Christmas is the happiest period of the year for a majority of people all over the world. It is a special season that is celebrated from Thanksgiving up to the 25th of December. Besides the religious celebration of this festival, many people give more attention to Christmas in order to make it very special for their children. Many people see to it that their children write letters to Santa. The real reason behind writing these letters is to find out what exactly the children want from Santa Claus.

Nowadays, many people have started ordering letters from Santa Claus by either writing the letters themselves or getting it customized as a reply to the ones written by their children. They also give Christmas gifts along with the letters or give the gifts separately. Children become very happy on receiving these. Many families work on a tight budget. The money spent in the entire month is accounted for. The budget is followed throughout the year but Christmas changes all that.

Everybody wants to spend less money during the Christmas season. Santa gifts are usually those having a theme of Santa Claus. They are sometimes given before Christmas. The gifts could be of any type like craft items, figurines, ornaments and so on. These gifts need not be expensive. If you give children gifts from Santa Claus before Christmas they will be in the spirit of the festival from early on and this spirit will be kept stronger for a long time. These gift items will also affect the adults positively. Some craft kits require the children and parents to work together. They do not cost a lot of money. One does not get such opportunities for bonding with their children nowadays.

Children usually write letters to Santa Claus in Christmas telling him about the gifts they want but are always thrilled when they receive a letter from Santa Claus himself in reply to their letters. You could get personalized letters from Santa Claus from a number of suppliers on the Internet. You will have to conduct research so that you are clear about what service each supplier provides as well as the rates they charge. You will be able to go through their past work so that you get an idea of how experienced they are. You will have to give them the name of your children, their gender, accomplishments, Christmas wishes, and so on so that the letter looks like it has been written especially for your children and the children will be led to believe that Santa Claus has really written the letter. The personal details you provide will be edited in such a way that this will be possible. You would be able to select from a variety of stationery designs for the letter as per your budget.

You could also provide your children with a number of small gifts from Santa Claus which would delight them and also occupy them with something constructive to do. This will ensure that the parents will have the time to prepare for the festival without the children getting in the way. Children could be given gifts that are small and inexpensive and having Santa as the theme. You could give them Santa craft or an activity book revolving around him that requires participation by the children. This will keep Santa Claus uppermost in their minds.

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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

The History of Decorating and Using Mistletoe at Christmas Time

The Christmas season is considered a special time in the entire year. Everywhere you will find people who are happy and also kind to each other during Christmas as compared to the rest of the year. Children are extremely happy during this season because they wait eagerly for the annual visit from Santa Claus. This happiness could be taken to a new level by parents by gifting their children personalized gifts and letters from Santa. The children would be doubly thrilled.

When they receive the letter as well as gifts they will jump with joy. The gleam in their eyes will make all your efforts and the money spent worth it. Every parent wants to see the look of joy and happiness on their children's faces. There’s no better way to do this than to give gifts and personalized letters from Santa. Do you wish to know the history of decorating and using mistletoe at Christmas time? The mistletoe is a partial parasite. It grows on the trunk or the branches of a tree and its roots penetrate the tree and absorb all the nutrients. It can also produce its own food with the help of photosynthesis. The mistletoe that is used as a Christmas decoration is found in North America. Since ancient times it has been considered as a secret, mysterious and magical plant. It is known to restore life, protect against poison and is considered an aphrodisiac. Kissing under this plant is associated with a Greek festival known as Saturnalia. In Scandinavia, it is looked upon as a plant of peace. Enemies or warring spouses kiss under it in order to declare a truce or to make up respectively. At Christmas, if a young lady is standing under mistletoe that is brightly trimmed with ornaments, ribbons and evergreens she can be kissed by anyone. The kiss could imply goodwill and friendship that would last or deep romance. It is thought that those who are brought together in such a way are sure to get married the next year. The Christmas mistletoe is burnt on the 12th night in some parts of England in case the couples who kissed under it do not get married ever. Many people look upon it as a symbol of frolic and fun at Christmas celebrations.

This custom of kissing under the mistletoe is still prevalent in Europe and Canada. If a couple kisses under it, it is looked upon as a commitment to marry and a prediction of long life and happiness. The legend behind the mistletoe is that it was a sacred plant of the Goddess of Love by the name of Frriga. She was the mother of the God of the Sun in Summer, Balder. When he dreamt of death his mother was greatly alarmed because if he died, life would end on earth. So, she went to all the elements and every plant and animal and took a promise from everyone that they would not harm her son.

Frigga forgot all about the lowly mistletoe that was not to be found on or under the earth other than on oak or apple trees. The God of Evil, Loki used the mistletoe in order to make an arrow tip and asked Hoder, the God of Winter to shoot it. Balder died and all the beings on Heaven and earth cried for him and tried to bring him back to life. His mother was able to restore him. Her joy knew no bounds and she kissed all those who passed under the mistletoe. This is why the mistletoe symbolizes love that can conquer death and is used as a Christmas decoration throughout the world.

Explaining the history and beginnings of Christmas traditions is often a part of the fun when families are working on Christmas craft projects and writing letters to Santa. Keep visiting this blog for explanations of other long cherished Christmas traditions.


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Thursday, June 3, 2010

Snowflakes and Mistletoe Add To the Magic of Christmas

When Christmas is round the corner many children start counting the days because they are eagerly anticipating Santa Claus and his gifts for them. This is the time of the year when children have more fun than ever, but for adults it can be extremely hectic. Some advice for making this holiday season less stressful is ordering personalized letters from Santa Claus and also purchasing some pre-Christmas gifts early. This adds to the fun for the children and helps to relieve adults of last minute hassles.

Every year children in the United States, Canada and around the world write letters to Santa Claus so that they can tell him what they expect for Christmas. Normally, they do not expect an answer to their request except for an occasional note that says thank you on a plate that the children have left cookies on for Santa on the eve of Christmas. If you order personalized letters from Santa Claus for the children, a special spark would be added to the season and you would not be able to wipe off the smiles on the faces of your children. You can get these letters from many different suppliers but some are much better than others. Just like any other shopping, comparison shopping proves that some vendors are not concerned with creating a quality product. However, packages from Santa are available that are sure to please you and amaze your children.

You will have to give personal information to the supplier in order to personalize the letters. You have to provide the name, age, gender, as well as other details. All this is edited so that the letter looks like it is addressed to your child specifically by Santa himself. The illusion will be maintained that Santa knows everything about each child. The joy of your child will know no bounds when he thinks that Santa wrote a personal letter to him. Combine the arrival of this unique gift with inexpensive pre-Christmas gifts and your kids will be delighted. The waiting period that leads to Christmas can be made more exciting with the help of activity pads, gift items that are small and craft kits. Some activities of this kind will also give the adults a lot of fun. You could look around for specific craft projects that are designed so that the child and parent work together closely in order to complete it as per the schedule. This would make the countdown to Christmas a fun affair for both. You could personalize the small gifts. A personal touch could be added to the project that is completed with the help of items like ornament craft gifts to hold photographs, personalized ornaments and other items. It will make the project yours as well as your child’s.


You will all cherish the time you have spent together some years later. The period before Christmas can be very hectic but children enjoy this period because of the gifts that they are going to get from Santa Claus. You can make the season merry with the help of a Christmas package from Santa Claus while snowflakes and mistletoe will add to the magic.

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