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.

Christmas Celebrations around the Globe

Christmas is a festive occasion that is celebrated every year around the world, though different people have different traditions and ways of celebrating this occasion. It turns more special when the entire family is involved in the festive preparation. There are favorite traditions related to Christmas that are consistent throughout much of the world. For example, many places use a Christmas tree and the children believe in Santa Claus. Writing letters to Santa Claus is a cherished tradition of the holiday season and personalized letters from Santa become treasured keepsakes.

People across the globe celebrate the Christmas holiday in different ways – below you will see some of the basic traditions from around the world.

France:
Christmas goes by the name of Noël in France and Santa Claus is called Pere Neol though they sure decorate the Christmas tree in the traditional way with red ribbons and real candles instead of the garland electrical artificial lights and fancy decorations that are used in America. The French also believe in decorating the real Christmas trees that are outside their own house like the evergreen tree. They trim it and shape it up to give it a perfect Christmas tree shape.

Hungary:
The Hungarians call Santa Claus as the Winter Grandfather or Mikulas in their language. But he doesn’t visit the children on Christmas Eve and instead visits them on December 6Th. So the children clean their rooms and prepare for Winter Grandfather’s visit. They expect Santa to leave candies and toys in their freshly cleaned boots and the children who don’t clean their rooms and shoes get a golden birch instead and no gift. And according to the Hungarian belief they visit their relative’s house to give Santa and his elves time to set up the gifts in the house.

Germany:
In Germany holidays are considered to be lively decorated to embattle the festive occasions. And the Germans simply love to put electric candles as Christmas lights and also cover and decorate their homes with lights of different colors. A special German decoration called Adventshranz which is actually a leaf like wreath which has four candles and most Germans prefer to dedicate the Christmas day with a manger scene that is the famous depiction of the stable and they believe that St Nicholas brings them gifts on December 6th.

Latvia:
Latvia is considered to be the home of the first Christmas tree. The whole family enjoys a traditional meal of bacon sauce, sausages and small pies.

New Zealand:
People of this country celebrate Christmas in the summer season as they have their summers during December. And the Christmas dinner usually includes BBQ, ham and shrimps.

United States:
Americans love to celebrate with the entire family exchanging gifts and enjoying a hearty meal.

It seems that adults everywhere enjoy giving gifts to young children whose joyful laughter and love fills the air during this joyous time of year.

Getting Ready For Christmas

Christmas comes around every year just like clockwork but at times people are not prepared for it. Having an artificial Christmas tree on hand can be a help. It saves you shopping time and money. Of course, all of us should be planning ahead for Christmas, but somehow it seems that time gets away from us. Before we know it the summer has ended and fall begins. We suddenly find ourselves preparing for Halloween then it seems almost overnight we are thinking about our Thanksgiving Dinner, and then, BAM, out of nowhere Christmas is upon us. Believe me, I understand. That happens to me lots of years – in fact, almost every year. But there are some things we can do to be better prepared.

Don’t wait until Christmas to begin your shopping. Begin as early as right now with things like stocking stuffers. Buy small toy gifts for the Christmas stockings that are hung near the fireplace on Christmas Eve which the children eagerly wait to be filled with small stocking gifts that Santa’s elves will fill up. You can also fill up children’s stockings with cash as this way they will learn valuable lessons about the importance of money and will be happier to receive it. Gift cards are also to the advantage of the children as they can easily choose their own gifts according to their likes and dislikes and this gives them a boost of confidence and makes them feel proud too. You can get gift cards from nearly all retail stores.
If you need a new or your first artificial Christmas tree, then shop early for it. There are good reasons to do so. First of all, you can shop for these trees year round if you are willing to shop online. And by the way, shopping online actually offers the best selection available. By buying a tree in the ‘off season’ you are sure to find a great deal being offered. Take advantage of that. Plus the artificial trees are more cost effective and durable in the long run. Now days you can choose a pre-lit tree with a remote control that allow you to choose between clear or multi-colored lights. Some artificial trees are as simple to assemble as a pull up type style that can be done in five minutes or less and artificial trees are not likely to cause health problems related to asthma or allergies.

So celebrating the Christmas season is a treasured tradition and some people even decorate the Christmas tree according to a theme while others prefer to decorate it in a free style. You can get all your Christmas decorations and frills easily from the departmental stores who have special discounts for the Christmas season and this makes it possible for you to purchase your Christmas decorations at a cheap price.

Another fabulous option for your Christmas shopping can be through the internet as you can search for the most fabulous decorations at affordable prices. Plus you can also buy unique hand crafted Christmas frills through them. Plus you can also design and make your own Christmas decorations by taking the help of free tutorials that help you design your own beautiful Christmas decorations.

Prepare your craft box ahead of time. You already some of the projects that kids will want to take part in during each holiday. During Christmas a regular tradition is that of writing letters to Santa. The kids in my family always want to decorate those letters and envelopes. Another craft project they love is decorating pine cones with glitter. All of the craft supplies needed for the typical projects can be collected months ahead of time. Do whatever you can now to make the holiday season better organized and less stressful.

Christmas Trees are an Important Part of Christmas

Many people don’t believe in a Christmas without a Christmas tree. This would be as difficult for some as a Christmas without letters to Santa. After all, the two are tied together. Children write letters to Santa Claus so they can assured they will not be forgotten at Christmas time. Their goal is usually to insure that Santa will leave a wonderful package for them. While it's true that some kids receive a package from Santa in the mail, most look forward to what is left under the Christmas tree. However, those special letters from Santa are magical reminders that Santa Claus is real and that they really can get the things they want for Christmas. And not surprisingly, this all starts with a beautiful Christmas tree.

During the Christmas festivities choosing the perfect Christmas tree is one of the family traditions that kids look forward to. First you need to decide if you want a real or artificial Christmas tree and also understand the pros and cons associated with each.

Many people prefer to buy real Christmas trees. The reasons are varied, but basically, these individuals say that only a real tree can give the authentic ‘feel’ to the holiday. They will mention that the smell of Christmas fills the home when a real Christmas tree is used as the center piece of the decorations. But also, they will tell you that using real Christmas trees is kinder to the environment.

There are different beliefs about the first Christmas tree but we don’t exactly know who started the tradition. In due time the tradition of decorating Christmas trees started and new decorations and traditions evolved. Over the years various groups and even different families came up with their own traditions and decorating styles and that resulted in personalization of holiday adornments.

People started using artificial Christmas trees at the beginning of the 18th century and from then on the tradition of buying artificial Christmas trees continued. You have an array of choices to select from as a wide range of the different artificial Christmas trees are available nowadays. A quick search through some of the online stores will reveal that there are several different styles , shapes and colors of trees available.

The real pros and cons of using the real Christmas trees and the Artificial ones vary as different people have different opinions on them as they believe that by picking one or the other you are destroying the environment or are dishonoring the spirit of Christmas.

Artificial trees have increased in popularity as the manufactures design them more like real trees and they are also easier to assemble. One of the greatest advantages of these artificial trees is that they can be easily assembled. Plus the artificial trees can be dismantled and stored for next Christmas quite conveniently and can again be re-used from year to year. The fact that an artificial tree can be re-used means you will save money. And, since Christmas is an expensive time of year, saving money is a good thing.

But the biggest disadvantage of the artificial Christmas trees is that they are made of non renewable petroleum and if accidentally burnt they start to release toxic fumes which will spoil the environment. Plus the artificial trees are not recyclable and so they end up in landfills and stay there for a long time damaging the environment in the process.

Not only do real Christmas trees smell wonderful, but the shopping experience for them can be lots of fun for the entire family. Plus, the real Christmas trees are renewable sources and there are many Christmas tree farms that grow Christmases trees from year to year. But the real Christmas trees need to be maintained and watered regularly and you will also need to clean up the pine needles that fall from the tree. Additionally, at times, at least for some people, these pine trees can also trigger allergies.

Create Memories of Fun and a Cherished Christmas

Christmas has always been a celebration with a lot of fun and a magical touch. We can celebrate Christmas in such a way that it turns out to be a festive occasion that brings the whole family together. This gives the whole family a chance to enjoy the Christmas festivities and spend time together by interacting and creating warm and lasting memories.

With the start of the holiday season you can spend time with all your friends and family members and enjoy watching Christmas movies, pleasant conversation and great food that we save for holidays and other special occasions. This time of year gives you a chance to interact with your family free from the worries of your stressful work life.

Simply enjoying time with your family is truly the best part of any holiday. It helps to create memories and strengthen the bonds that hold us close. This helps us capture the magic of an old fashioned Christmas. Old and new traditions alike can be shared and enjoyed by all. A perfect example is that of decorating the Christmas tree. In the old traditional way the Christmas ornaments were traditionally made from hard cookies. The cookies can be baked, decorated and hung by the entire family. This is an extremely inexpensive way to adorn a tree but it is also one of the most enjoyable ways to spend time with your family and loved ones.

Hanging your Christmas stockings under the fireplace on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to drop by and fill them up with Christmas gifts is another part of the Christmas festivity that kids especially love. You can also involve children in simple Christmas crafts that will not only be fun but educational too.

You can start to buy Christmas gifts from discount stores or directly from manufacturers and also use discount vouchers and credit card reward points to buy the gifts as this will help you to spend less and still get good gifts. There are lots of ways to save money during the holiday season while still enjoying all the fun that goes along with Christmas. The truth is that some of the least expensive gifts and activities are the most fun and memorable. Create an exciting fun time in a cost effective way by adding new traditions to your family activities and making things by yourself.

Writing letters to Santa Claus is one activity that kids love to do. It’s thought provoking and fun, and it doesn’t cost anything to do. This helps parents out by providing them with a list of the things that the kids want for Christmas. In turn, some parents even write letters to their children and grand children from Santa. While this is a nice idea you can also send customized Christmas letters from Santa to your kids during the holiday season. These packages always bring a twinkle to children’s eyes and these become moments that you both end up cherishing for life.

Christmas Festivity Brings Love and Respect

This article post was written after a discussion I had with one of my neighbors. Fran, my neighbor, wanted to know how to bring up the subject of writing letters to Santa Claus – according to Fran her nieces and nephews do not traditionally write letters to Santa. At first I thought she was joking but after a serious expression I could tell that she was indeed sincere.

It turns out that my friend will soon have her nieces and nephews living with her. This will be her first Christmas to design the holiday for children. Obviously I did what I could to come up with some quick ideas – but I will be available to help Fran when the holiday season approaches. Anyway, in case you may be in the same or similar situation as my friend Fran, here you go – if you want a simple way of bringing up the idea of Santa letters and other things related to Santa Claus just read this post.

Start by making an announcement to the kids, “Come on children it’s time to write a letter to Santa Claus for all the gifts you want for Christmas. Santa Claus will work hard to see that his elves make the gifts in their workshop so each and every child around the world can get his Christmas present."

Santa’s elves are ready to make the Christmas occasion a magical one and Santa is eagerly waiting to hear from you so make a list of all the Christmas presents you dream of and Santa will surely try to send you those presents on Christmas Eve.

You can share your likes and dislikes with Santa as everything is kept confidential and you can start off with the most important items first and then continue on with a sequential order of importance so that you may get the things that you need more urgently first. It is important that you start to behave yourself as Santa knows the good and the bad that you do.

Santa Claus lives in his own secret world and also has a secret workshop. The strange thing is that Santa can hear the good all the bad that you end up doing and the elves jot all your deeds down in their gigantic notebooks. They keep a close watch on the children who lend a helping hand and try to help others in need.

Santa Claus chooses gifts for the children according to the good deeds that they do and if the child is good enough Santa personally visits him and presents him the most precious gifts that he longs for. Start off by giving a little bit during this joyous season from your heart – always remember that it is the thought that counts.

Send Christmas Holiday Cards to your family and friends because these Christmas cards show that you care and think of them and they experience a feeling of being loved and they respect this little gift of happiness with joy. With all the joy of the Christmas festivity that is spread around you need to hug your loved ones and show them that love and respect that is in the air.

Actually Christmas is not only about gifts, it is the season of loving and caring for each other as it is the thought that counts and these valuable gifts are worthless in front of the love and respect that you have for each other during the Christmas festivity. So stay positive and be good all the year round and you will surely have many moments of love that you can cherish for your life.

All of these suggestions can be improvised to meet your own ideas and needs.

Making Your Own Christmas Cake As The Kids Write Letters To Santa

As children reflect on whether what they wrote in their letters to Santa was accurate, you can go ahead and create a fantastic Christmas cake. A Christmas cake usually consists of fragrant spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Not only does it fill the house with a delicious Christmas smell, you can bake as you listen to your children talk to each other regarding what each one included in their letters to Santa Claus. That is always a big part of my fun during the holiday. One grandson is very secretive about everything and another grandchild will tell you everything and more than you would ever want to know. Take my word for, including this tradition is as much fun for the adults as it is for the kids. After all, children are only young once, and to fill it with fun filled traditions just like this one will make Christmas an extra special occasion for them, as well as sharpen their letter-writing skills.

Okay – back to the cake! Undeniably, it is quite tempting to just go ahead and buy a Christmas cake at the neighborhood bakeshop. After all, they do it best right? No matter how tempting it is to buy a Christmas cake, it is much better to make your own Christmas cake. The delicious smell coming from your oven will be something that will stay in your children’s minds when they think of Christmas all their lives. Making your own Christmas cake will give them a dimension of Christmas they will remember forever.

Here is an easy Christmas cake recipe which will put a smile on everyone’s faces each Christmas. Ingredients include raisins, chopped prunes and an equal amount for pitted dates that you have chopped, sultanas and currants, glazed cherries and an equal amount for dark chocolate, a cup of brandy or rum according to your preference, a cup and a half of dark brown sugar, a teaspoon vanilla, four eggs, half a cup of apricot jam and another half a cup of apricot nectar, a couple of cups of plain flour and half a cup of self-rising flour. You will also need a tablespoon cinnamon and another one of tablespoon of icing sugar.

The first thing you need to do is mix all the fruit in the list in a large mixing bowl and add the rum or the brandy. You need to let this soak overnight for best results. Next, preheat your oven to about three hundred and twenty five degrees Fahrenheit. Line a nine-inch round cake pan with two layers of parchment or baking paper on the bottom and on each side.

Next, you need to mix the vanilla, butter and sugar until the entire mixture is creamy. Add in each egg individually and beat well until the entire thing is combined. Stir the fruit into the mixture and make sure that you have mixed it thoroughly. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for about half a minute. Take it out of the microwave and stir in the apricot nectar and jam. Pour this over the fruit mix and stir it well. Add in all the cinnamon and the flour and fold.

Pour this into the prepared cake tin and spread it very evenly. In order to settle the contents, tap it a couple of times on the table. You can then bake the tin in the middle of the oven right in the center for three hours. Test the center with a toothpick to see if it is done. Remove the cake from the oven, cover it with a towel and let it sit in your counter overnight. The next day, unmold the cake and sprinkle with sugar.

Trust me – you will love this cake and you can adjust the amounts of the ingredients to suit yourself.