Are You Wondering How To Care For Your Poinsettias?

Invariably, each year during the holiday season, one or more of my children or grandkids will give me a beautiful poinsettia plant. And with time, the plant dies and I feel awful about it. But this year I have a plan to keep my plant alive, and if possible, to even get it to bloom again next Christmas. The truth is that I love the plants. I used them as centerpieces for my tables this past Christmas.

The important thing to know about your plant is that the care you give it now will have a direct impact on whether it survives, and whether it blooms for next Christmas. The plant should be placed near a sunny window – preferably one facing any direction but north.

If your goal is to keep your plant in bloom for as long as possible you will need to regulate the temperature of the room it’s in. Generally, the temperature should be 65 – 75 degrees, but it is okay to drop the temperature down to even 60 degrees at night.

Water, of course, is essential to keeping your poinsettia looking its best. Give the plant water when the surface of the soil feels dry and water until you see it begin to drain out the bottom. A word of caution, don’t allow the plant to sit in water. Because most home environments are somewhat dry during the winter time you will probably find that you need to water your plant very often – maybe even every day.

The same care will continue until the end of March. Beginning in April you will need to gradually decrease the watering. Keep a close watch on your plant though, being sure that the stem does not begin to shrivel. After a couple of weeks your plant will become accustomed to less water. At that time you can move it to a cool spot – many people put them in a basement or a garage. Ideally you will find a spot that maintains a somewhat steady temperature of around 60 degrees.

By the middle of May you should cut the stems down to about 4 inches and then repot the plant in a slightly larger sized pot, using new soil. Be sure to water the plant well and then place your plant in a sunny window. Now the temperature should be maintained again at about 65 – 75 degrees. And you will again water the plant when the soil surface feels dry.

When you begin seeing signs of new growth it is time to begin fertilizing your plant every two weeks. In June you can move the plant outdoors to a partially shaded location. Don’t neglect the watering and fertilizing though.

Early in July you should pinch about an inch off of each stem. This helps to encourage a strong plant that branches out. By the middle of August you should have a plant that has leafed out and beautifully branched. Once again you will need to cut back the stems – leave only three or four leaves per shoot. And now you are ready to bring your plant back indoors to your sunniest window. Watering and fertilizing schedule should continue.

In October you will need to keep the plant in total darkness from about 5pm to 8am. This is required if the plant is going to re-bloom. If necessary you can place a cardboard box or other protection around or over the plant for those hours. This treatment should continue until about the end of November. In fact, Thanksgiving Day weekend is a good way to remember this. At that time you can again place the plant in a sunny location and not worry about darkness. By this time you should see flower buds on your plant!

It’s safe to stop fertilizing the plant by the middle of December. You will now water as usual and treat the plant just as you did when you first brought it home (or received it as a gift). If each step has been followed your poinsettia should be back in bloom and looking lovely!

Making Christmas 2010 Even More Special Than Christmas 2009

I’m working hard to stay ahead of schedule for things now and to be more organized when it comes to planning for events, holidays and other special occasions. I started my new year out with a day planner that has plenty of space to write in. I have already added tasks that have to be done at various times of the year for my home, my family, and my business. With that in mind I decided to also add some plans, ideas, and thoughts about things to do for each holiday. Of course, Christmas is the one that requires the most planning and preparation so I wanted to start there.

One of the things I have been doing already is reviewing how the past Christmas went and how I could have improved things. I am always looking for ways to save money, to keep organized, and to involve my family in the processes.

Some of our regular Christmas traditions include the simple things like making some handcrafted decorations, writing letters to Santa Claus, and having a fabulous Christmas dinner. Christmas Eve is also a big event around my house – that is when my children and grandchildren gather to exchange gifts and socialize.

I have decided to add a task of creating one handcrafted gift per month between now and November. I’ll try to stick with that. I have some things that my mother and my grandmother made for me that I simply cherish. I want to pass that tradition along to my family by giving them things that I personally make.

Another idea I have is that when my grandkids come over I will encourage them to make Christmas cards. I’m going to purchase some quality materials to use as well as scrapes from Christmas wrapping paper and old Christmas cards. Depending on how the cards turn out, I will either use them myself or the kids can give them to their friends or they may simply be used for decorations and kept as Christmas keepsakes.

I have also been collecting some easy candy and cookie recipes. My grandkids love to help me in the kitchen so I think instead of me doing it all myself this year I will have a special day of them helping me with these tasks. They will enjoy it and it should be good for some lasting memories – of course, I may be exhausted by the end of the day. Lol

I’ve also thought about making letters to Santa something that the kids do periodically throughout the year. They enjoy writing to him so much that it seems a shame that it is only allowed during the holiday season. After all, Santa is always available, right?

As time goes on I will share some of my ideas for the handcrafted gifts as well as the kid-friendly recipes. Please share any ideas you have too.

Christmas Craft Projects Made Easy

If you have been reading this blog regularly then you know that I like to decorate my home with Christmas craft projects that have been made by the children in my life. In fact, the whole family gets involved in our projects. The fun starts on Thanksgiving Day.

After eating an enormous meal we clear the table of food and dishes. The adults usually drift off to the living room for some conversation and of course, some of us are still enjoying dessert or an after dinner drink. So that we can talk without the children interrupting we occupy them with Christmas crafts.

The first thing they do is write their letters to Santa Claus. This is always fun for them and as adults, we enjoy watching and listening as they carefully write details about what it is they want. It’s fun to see the differences in how each of my grandkids crafts their letters. I have one grandson that feels he needs to justify why each request is reasonable and he then explains any bad behavior that he may have exhibited in recent times. My grand-daughter on the other hand seems to feel she deserves whatever she asks for, because without a doubt she has been good all year long.

After the letters are completed and the envelopes are addressed to Santa at the North Pole, the kids begin working on small Christmas projects. They make simple things like glitter decorated pine cones and Styrofoam snowmen among other favorites.

Throughout the year I have learned to collect crafting materials. Any type of Styrofoam is saved, as well as scraps of ribbon, lace and cloth. I even have a collection of buttons that comes in handy for craft projects.

I keep all the supplies in a large plastic container – it’s actually a sweater box that is designed to fit under the edge of a bed. Believe it or not, this craft box as we call it is one of the things my grandkids love most about my house. They love to play with pipe cleaners and the other unique sort of things I collect.

The box holds small shells, a collection of beads, various colors of glitter, glues, pine cones, dried flowers, glue guns, colored markers, crayons, colorful paper, old Christmas cards and other remnants of beautiful paper and cards. In reality, it is a sort of junk box full of little treasures that can be used in creative ways.

My suggestion is that you begin a ‘craft box’ now. By the time the holiday season gets here you will have lots of craft stuff. Just start adding little treasures that you find. If you are like me you probably have some cheap imitation jewelry that you could toss in the box. Buttons can be decorated to be beautiful little treasures. Tiny artificial flowers can add a lot to a homemade Christmas ornament.

When the kids make the Styrofoam snowmen they like to add a scarf and other adornments. Use your imagination. It’s fun to help the kids come up with ideas and ways that they can use the odds and ends that you collect. You will have fun while helping the kids to learn about improvising and innovation. It’s fun for old and young.

2009 Winners Announced!

PackageFromSanta.com has announced the winners for the 2009 Photo Contest, the $200 Toys R Us Giftcard Giveaway, and the $100 Testimonial Contests!

Go here to see if you're the lucky winner:
http://www.packagefromsanta.com/photocontest.aspx

Thank you to all the people that entered the contests, and for spreading the word about PackageFromSanta.com!

Start A Hobby Now That Will Save You Christmas Money & Create Memories

If you are like me you have been family gatherings and other Christmas events and envied friends and relatives that have made or received wonderful handcrafted Christmas gifts. This might include things like hand-knitted or crocheted sweaters, scarves, hats, and gloves, to beautiful wooden jewelry boxes or other items.
For me, it is not simply the gift itself that goes into such items, but instead, it is the care and love, just knowing that someone took the time out of their life to actually create a gift for someone makes it so much more meaningful than a store bought gift.

I’ve always had a love for handcrafted items. Even when I was a small child, although I have to admit that my letters to Santa would include requests for Barbie dolls and stuffed animals, some of my favorites Christmas gifts included the Barbie doll clothes my grandmother would make me each year and the doll house furniture made by my dad. In fact, I recently found my collection of Barbie clothes and I passed them down to my own granddaughter. She was thrilled, just as I know my grandma would be to know that those doll clothes are still being used today – loved again by another little girl.

And just as an example, those doll clothes did not cost my grandma anything to make except for the minor cost of the thread and buttons and other trim she used. You see, my grandma was an avid sewer and she used the scraps of her projects to construct doll clothes and quilts. I remember that she would get up early to clean her house and do her daily cooking – just so she could spend hours at her sewing machine each day. Then at night she would do the handcrafted projects like doll clothes and quilts. And yes, as I got older, other gifts from her included the quilts, hand embroidered tablecloths, pillowcases and decorative table spreads. These are cherished keepsakes – some of which I have already passed down to my own children.

Just before my dad died he had promised to make me a handcrafted jewelry box. I was so looking forward to that. But sadly, my dad died suddenly, before many of his plans were realized.

Anyway, the point of this post is to remind you that it is early in the year and you can start now – start working on some handcrafted items that you can give as gifts for Christmas 2010. You will be giving more than a gift; you will be giving a part of you that is in reality, a family heritage, a keepsake that will be cherished. It will save you money and be much more meaningful than anything you can purchase in a store.

Looking Back on Christmas of 2009

My daughter and I just had a long talk about the past year and of course, the conversation ended with a focus on Christmas and how things turned out. We talked about what went well and what we might want to do a little differently next year.
As we talked about shopping and planning for our gift buying we decided that this year we would do most if not all of our Christmas shopping early and do it online. Over the past two or three years I have done more and more shopping online and now I feel very confident that I can find what I need and save money, time, and hassle in the process.

Because I work from home as a freelance writer, I spend lots of time on the Internet and I have learned that there are many websites which offer online coupons. A simple Google search will bring up lots of sites you can choose from in order to find the coupon you need. You’ll find that some coupons are good for a certain percentage off of any purchase, others are good for discounted shipping rates – oftentimes free shipping, and still others are only good for specific products. I suggest that you visit these sites from time to time to find the coupons you need for whatever you desire.

The discussion about Christmas also included the fact that we wanted to be more organized with our decorations and other Christmas related items. That process has already been started, as we tried to be more organized in storing our Christmas things.

Just as in the past two or three years, Christmas of 2009 included the fun of the kids receiving personalized letters from Santa. These letters add real fun to the holiday cheer and the anticipation of Santa’s visit. That’s a tradition we will continue.

We also enjoy having the kids write their letters to Santa Claus and do simple Christmas craft projects on Thanksgiving after dinner. This keeps the kids busy while the adults enjoy dessert and conversation. The kids love it and we enjoy their enthusiasm as they begin thinking seriously about the Christmas holiday.
Something we plan to try for this Christmas is having our own 12 Days of Christmas. We haven’t quite worked out all the details yet, but we want it to be fun for all. I’ll keep you posted on whatever we decide.

So how about you – have you thought about your Christmas of 2009? What will do differently this year and what are some of the things that you absolutely must keep? Let us know – share your ideas!

Christmas & New Year's Day Are Behind Us!

Happy New Year! Whew!!!

We made it through another holiday season! From what I can see and hear, few people are sorry to put the holiday decorations away for another year. It seems that all my friends and family members agree that while the holiday are fun and even magical at times - they can also be draining.

We go through the stress and worry of trying to find the ideal gifts for others, and ways to make the season especially memorable. Some of us have to schedule out of town visits to family members that live miles away. All of us have to decide on a spending budget and work to stay within its limits. And on top of everything, we want the holiday season to be fun and exciting so we fit in as many activities as possible. It's no wonder that we are now ready to take down that beautiful tree and pack away our Christmas decorations and keepsakes for another year.

If you are like me, then each year you try to take away at least one thing that will make the next holiday season a little better. Of course, all of us could say that better planning and organization might add a little more flexibility when we need it - but that is such a general way of looking at things that it may not be helpful at all in the end. Instead, I encourage you to focus on one or two specifics that could improve your holiday season next year. Make the effort to think about these things now while they are fresh in your mind.

Perhaps you need to develop a new or more family traditions. If so, what will they be? Maybe you need a better plan of shopping - one that can save money or maybe time is the more pressing issue for you. You may have noticed that you need to add someone new to your shopping list or Christmas card list for next year. Take the time to consider these things now.

I will be taking my Christmas tree down today and putting away all of the seasonal decorations. The lovely ornaments that my mother crocheted will be meticulously packed in an effort to preserve them as heirlooms for my children. The letters from Santa will be carefully put away so that my children and grandkids can read them again next year as they write their letters to Santa Claus on Thanksgiving Night. The strand of lights that is not working will be disposed of and the others will be wrapped in an easy to use manner. The point is that the more careful I am with putting things away for next year, the easier things will be for me and my family when we prepare for the 2010 Holiday Season.

Wishing you all the best in 2010 and beyond!