Choosing Real Christmas Trees

Choosing Real Christmas Trees

For many people, Christmas would not be Christmas without a real Christmas tree. Real trees add a touch of authenticity to your holiday décor that cannot be matched with artificial trees. The fragrance of live trees is an essential part of the holiday season – so much so that air fresheners in pine scents are often used to create the smell of fresh trees.

Shopping For Real Christmas Trees

In most cities across the nation you can find Christmas trees being sold at retail lots. But if you have never shopped for a real tree before there are some things you need to be aware of. Read the tips below – they will help ensure you select a great tree!

First things first – measure the space you intend to place the tree. Sometimes it can be misleading when you see a tree at a lot. It is easy to miscalculate how large the tree really is. With that in mind, be sure to take along a measuring tape when you shop for your tree.

Consider the type of decorations you will be using. Some types of Christmas have very stiff, short needles and others have needles that are softer and longer. And some have branches that are fuller than others. Learning a bit about the various species of Christmas trees can help prepare you to find the perfect tree for your needs.

Check the Tree for Freshness

Although you may not be able to find a tree that is truly ‘fresh cut’ it is important to check the tree for freshness. Grab a branch and run it through your hand. If needles fall off very easily you know the tree is drying out. Also, branches should be flexible and pliable and the tree should smell fresh; it should have a pine scent – it should not smell musty.

Debbie Allen is a writer for Package From Santa. Besides writing about holiday traditions like Christmas trees and real letters from Santa she also shares tips about ways to save money, home décor, recipes and more.

Getting Ready for Christmas – It’s Getting Closer!

Getting Ready for Christmas – It’s Getting Closer!

Getting ready for Christmas takes a lot of effort, thought, and energy; there are so many things to do! Not surprisingly, this can be stressful – especially if you don't prepare in an orderly and organized fashion. But even if you haven’t hung a wreath or prepared a shopping list, it’s not too late to get things done on time and in style!

 Christmas Gifts

Christmas is a time for gift-giving. Even though we all know it is better to give than receive – it is part of the expectations of the season – giving and receiving Christmas gifts is a major part of the season.

But don’t go overboard – it is important to set and stick with a budget. With that in mind making a list is key; include everyone you will be giving gifts to.

If you will be sending packages out you should move those people to the top of your list – that will help ensure their gift will arrive before Christmas. You can give the other gifts personally to people you plan to see during the holidays. And for the people that will be celebrating Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day with you – place their gifts under your tree.

Besides prioritizing your list based on the recipient’s location and when you will see them, you should also prioritize according to the individuals’ relevancy in your life. No – no, this is not the same as making a Santa’s Nice List! It’s more like listing people according to what you plan to spend on them. For instance, your immediate family members and close friends will likely be higher on the list than your mail carrier.

The list will help keep you organized and it will serve as a basis for setting your budget. You might not have enough funds to give gifts to everyone you want to give a gift to. The sorted listing will ensure you have a gift for those you hold dear to you.

Your gift should be appropriate for the person. You can handcraft some of the gifts if you have a limited budget. Some people prefer personally handcrafted gifts because it shows the time and effort spent by the person. Another gift option is donating to a charity in the person’s honor.

 Christmas tree

If you plan to have a live Christmas tree you should shop early – the best ones disappear fast. There might not be enough real trees in stock by mid-December. Of course, if that is the case you can also use an artificial tree.

There are different kinds of imitation trees, some are made from plastic and others may include parts made from wires, wood, and other materials. The benefit of imitation trees is you can reuse them in succeeding years. However, the smell and atmosphere might not be the same as having a real pine tree in your house.

You can also shop online. You can browse through the different web sites quickly and choose an excellent genuine or imitation tree. Some web sites even offer free delivery.

The Christmas meal

For many families, Christmas Day meal is comparable to the meal served on Thanksgiving Day. If you plan to celebrate Christmas at your home, you should make the menu for Christmas Day as early as possible. It is wise to stock up on the ingredients early.

If you will have guests at your home, you can assign some of the food to the different guests. They will enjoy helping out. If you are going to another person's house for the Christmas celebrations and holiday events, you should volunteer to bring some food. You can ask the host what type of food to bring to the celebration.

 Other concerns

If you plan to spend Christmas away from your home you will have to make early reservations for travel and lodging. Travel light – it will help you avoid some potential problems.

After you think you have everything ready for the holiday take one more step. Review what you have accomplished with a close friend or loved one. They may think of something that didn’t occur to you.

In the end – Christmas will arrive whether you are ready or not. Be wise and prepare now. Getting ready for Christmas before it arrives will relieve you of much stress and allow you to relax and truly enjoy the holiday!

Letters To Santa & Christmas Ball Ornaments Crafts

Santa letters are a traditional Christmas activity. Writing these letters to Santa provides time for family fun and bonding. It’s a great way to spend time together during the holidays. Many families have found that craft projects are ideal for family time. A simple way to get started in Christmas crafts is with ball ornaments. Ball ornaments can be used to make several different ornaments. These crafts are inexpensive and great for parties or classroom projects.

One of the easiest ways to decorate ball ornaments is to use a permanent mark to draw designs or your name and the year. Permanent markers come in wide variety of colors. Silver, gold, and copper markers look spectacular on solid colored balls. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination.

You can make a cute Santa with cotton balls. Start of with a plain white ornament. Take two cotton balls and fluff them out with your hands. You may want to use an egg carton to hold your ornament in place while you work on it .Next put a line of glue on the top of the ornament. Place one of the cotton balls on the line of glue. Do the same along the bottom of the ornament. Next you will need to use paint or markers to make the face. Lastly make a hat out of construction paper the ball on the end can made from a small piece of cotton ball. These ornaments are almost as cute as the real Santa.

Using a marker you can write a letter to Santa around the ornament. I do this every year with my kids we have fun reading the ornaments we had made years ago. You may need to help younger child because you have to write pretty small. On the back I have the children write the year and there age. This way we know when each Santa letter was made.

For a baby’s first Christmas I used a pastel ball to record their birthday. For boys I use a pale blue ball and a silver marker. For girls I used pink and gold glitter. If you wanted you could include the birth weight and length

The outside isn’t the only part of these versatile ornaments that can be decorated. The inside can be filled with a number of things. The reindeer food ornament is fun to make. Take a clear ball and remove the top. Now take enough reindeer food to fill it half way. Put the top back on. With the color of your choice write magical reindeer food on the front and back. You fill the ornaments with glitter or crushed peppermint for a different look.

The inside of a ball ornament can be painted in swirls. All you need to do is pour a couple different colors of paint in the ball. Next slowly roll the ornament to achieve the effect you want. Be careful not to use too much paint. You can also glue small jewels or pieces of ribbon on the outside of the ornament.

Besides letters from Santa, the special ball ornaments will probably be your most treasured Christmas mementos. They will mark special years and remind you of cherished times you spent with family members creating the beautiful ornaments.

Santa Letters And Real Christmas Trees Make The Season Merry

Nothing makes visions of Christmas pop in my head more than kids excited about letters from Santa and the smell of a fresh cut Christmas tree. But before you make that purchase there are a few things you need to know.

Before you go to the tree lot to pick a tree determine how much space is available for the tree. Remember that the water base and tree topper will add several inches to the height of you tree. Choose a spot in your home that is away from vents and heaters to prevent water loss. Find a place that will allow plenty of room to for all your kids to find a gift from Santa.

Before you leave make sure that you have planned for transporting your tree home. If you are going to use rope or twine be sure that you have enough.

At the lot you will need to find a tree that fits the space you have decided on. Remember if your tree will be in a high traffic area you don’t want a tree that is too wide. If the tree is brushed when people walk by you risk having ornaments knocked to the ground and breaking.

Before buy lightly run your hand down the branches you shouldn’t have a hand full of needles if you do move on to another tree. Give the tree a gentle shake a very little amount of needles should fall out. You should find gifts from Santa under your tree not a pile of needles.

Once you have the tree at home you need to cut at least a ½ inch disk from the base of the tree. This will allow you tree to absorb water easier. Avoid cutting in the sides of the base. Fill the base with fresh water and place your tree in it. While this is going on I have my kids write their Santa letters to keep them busy. If you have pets you want to secure the tree at the top to prevent the tree from falling on your pets.

Christmas trees soak up a lot of water. Be sure to check the water level everyday. If you allow the tree to dry out you will a lot more needles to clean up.

Now put on the lights, garland, and ornaments. Take pictures to capture the moment. My kids always send a picture of the finished tree with their letters to Santa.

After Christmas is over you need to find something to do with your tree. If you have a live tree (if you have the root ball attached it is a live tree) it can be planted outside. If you plan on doing this it is a good idea to dig the hole before the ground freezes. Otherwise recycle the tree.