The Joy Of The Holidays

The true joy of the holidays is the new memories we collect every year and carry with us forever. I am fortunate to have a mother who understands the value of Christmas memories. She always made the holidays a seamless ribbon of happiness. In our family we kick off the Christmas season on Thanksgiving night when we set up our Christmas trees. Everyone in the family helps place decorations on the tree. Almost every one of our ornaments has a story from Christmases of the past. In the bottom of the boxes my mom has collected Santa letters from all her kids and grandkids.


After the star is placed on the top of the tree my mom sets up the dining room table with special stationary. Every member of our family writes a letter to Santa. The wishes in these letters range from the year’s must have toy, (and sometimes it isn’t only the kids wishing for that one), acceptance to a certain college, or for those with more wisdom, happiness for their family in the year to come. It amazes me that mom can get everyone so involved! She truly glows with the spirit of Christmas. Even sulky teenagers drop their façade of cool and allow themselves to act like a kid. My children are just as amazed as I was as a child that Granny knows Santa’s official address.

While we are all writing our letters and helping the small ones with theirs we read some of the old letters from the ornament box. Through these letters we get a glimpse of ourselves in the past. There are letters from children wishing for a gift from Santa that include such things as white unicorns and robots ten feet high. My Dad’s letters are always about the same thin, he wants as much time out on his boat as possible. As we have grown the wishes in the letters have changed. There are many laughs and hugs exchanged between us all. We all like to read the one from my cousin pleading with Santa to trade his new baby sister for a little brother.

As the night wears on my mom tucks the little ones in around her and tells them stories. At some point my mom has set out plates with delicious cookies throughout the family room. All the kids ask my mom all about the real Santa since she is one of the leading experts. There isn’t a topic they skip - my mom knows it all, from elf shoes to the naughty list. All of the little eyes flutter shut one by one, giving the adults time to talk a little more freely. Looking around at my family I am delighted to know that there are countless more Christmas memories ahead!

Fill Your Home with the Fragrances of Christmas

Smell is a very powerful sense. It is capable of setting off innumerable responses in human bodies. It causes us to recall memories, vividly and accurately. It triggers the sensation of hunger or makes mouths water. It causes reactions that are physical like a smile and a deep breath when we smell delicious scent. The sense of smell is responsible for the way things taste. It is during holidays that scent plays an important part in one’s sense of memories, comfort and enjoyment. Here's how you could fill your home with the fragrances of Christmas.

When you bake something delicious in the oven that is when the smell will trigger the feeling that Christmas is round the corner. Be it pie, cinnamon rolls, gingerbread or cookies the scent of such delicious goods that are baked will result in a tempting scent wafting through the house. If you are not much into baking you need not worry. There are numerous frozen desserts, refrigerated dough and rolls that you could put into the oven. You could burn candles that are scented in order to add a festive scent as well as warmth to your house. You will find 100 scents in Yankee candles. Of these 40 are deliciously suitable for giving out a holiday smell in your house. The glow from these candles will make a cozy setting on a night that is cold and wintry. Many stores dealing in craft stock pinecones that give out cinnamon scent. This will result in the scent of cinnamon in the house. The pinecones could be used as Christmas decoration. You could place a basket full of pinecones that are scented on the hearth. Once the scent of cinnamon oily fades away you could throw the pinecones into the fire so that on burning they would release even more scent.

Since Christmas will soon be here now is the time to fill your surroundings with the fragrances and aroma of Christmas. You could make use of aromatherapy candles, stovetop scents and Christmas potpourri so that your house would be filled with lovely fragrances. You could always look around for the best deals when it comes to aromatherapy scents and candles so that you could benefit from the wholesale pricing. The Citrus Ginger Candle is a combination of a hint of seasonal citrus and warm, inviting spices. The scent embodies the holiday season and you could use it throughout December. The scent of the almond candle is similar to delicious marzipan. This can be used for get-togethers with friends in the afternoon. The Cashmere Mandarin Candle is exotic, light and spicy. You could use this aroma in winter in the bathrooms while you soak yourself after a long entertaining evening in a bubble bath.

Potpourri consists of heavily scented foliage, herbs and different flowers mixed together in order to fill your house with an attractive fragrance. It is also very beautiful to look at. You could display it in a favorite crystal piece, decorative bowls or baskets. The reality is that whether you are wrapping gifts or helping your children write letters to Santa or simply enjoying the wonderful holiday decorations in your home, the fragrance of Christmas adds a special touch to the season.

Traveling Tips and Advice for the Christmas Season

Are you on the lookout for traveling tips and advice for the Christmas season? Here is something exciting and different that you could do this year. Since children enjoy themselves the most during Christmas you could plan a trip to Lapland.

The land is located in the Arctic Circle. This is where Santa Claus lives. You could celebrate Christmas by meeting Santa Claus, his reindeer and Elves in his residence before he starts off on Christmas Eve. Every child gets to meet Santa and also receives a gift. They can enjoy ride on sleighs that are pulled by reindeer, enjoy log fires that are cozy, Christmas carols, snow mobiles, husky rides and a beautiful Christmas Gala dinner. You will be able to experience a really wonderful Christmas holiday with your family.

You could also celebrate Christmas at the unique Ice Hotel situated in Jukkasjarvi in Sweden. This is located 200 km is the Arctic Circle. It is built every year from ice that is crystal clear that is available from the Tome River that flows very fast. It is designed differently every year along with its suites. You could spend a night in a cozy and warm bed in this hotel. You could then check into a Swedish hotel for the rest of the days. You could indulge in a number of winter activities outdoors or you could sit peacefully by the fireside and play games or read a book.

You could plan a holiday in Sydney, Australia if you have had enough of the snow and cold and wish to celebrate Christmas in summer. The weather there in December is great. You will be able to enjoy Christmas as you normally do with Christmas carols, Christmas trees, Santa Claus and turkey dinner. Sydney hosts various free events in Christmas like the fantastic display of fireworks on New Year's Eve, concerts, slide shows, entertainers and choirs.

You could go on a cruise during the holidays. This would be ideal for mothers because they can relax once the family is on board and the party starts. The adults could relax in the day time while the children enjoy themselves. Evenings would be reserved for decking out for Gala dinners every night during the Christmas season. You and your family could enjoy fantastic entertainment, delicious food as well as a stress free Christmas.

You could go to New England in order to enjoy Christmas. You would come across skaters on a pond that is frozen, white churches having slim spires, cute colonial homes having huge holly wreaths hung on the front doors, lights twinkling on Christmas trees and so on. These are images you will find on thousands of Christmas cards. You will come across beautiful B&B’s and hotels which will give you a fantastic Christmas. These buildings are old colonial style.

Traveling during the holiday season can add a wonderful touch to the magic of the season. But children often worry that Santa won’t be able to find them when they are away from home. To relieve their anxiety just take along your paper, pens, and envelopes and have the kids write a letter to Santa when they arrive at your destination. Then in a day or two you could have authentic letters from Santa delivered to your children at your holiday location. The kids will be amazed that Santa found them so quickly and this will truly brighten the entire holiday event. Be sure to have your camera ready to capture the moment your kids the personalized letters from Santa Claus. And don’t be surprised if the letters become long cherished childhood keepsakes. Your kids will always associate wonderful memories with the letters and your holiday vacation. Just plan ahead and you can make it happen! Your kids will be surprised and delighted.

Keeping Your Pets Safe during the Holidays

Everybody loves Christmas holidays because it is that time of the year that marks merry reunion with friends and family. Festivities are ongoing throughout the season and the joyfulness is contagious. Adults are busy shopping and planning, children spend hours writing letters to Santa Claus, and all enjoy decorating the home. But we tend to forget that these holidays are disastrous for our pets.

During Christmas, innumerable pets are injured because of decorations, foods or holiday plants. Help your pets to celebrate this festive occasion safely by ensuring that they are protected from Christmas health hazards. Beautiful holiday decorations like Christmas lilies, poinsettias, holly and mistletoe are toxic when pets ingest them. Mistletoe is responsible for cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems. Poinsettias and holly cause lethargy, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. If you plan to decorate the dining table with the help of holiday plants keep them in a place that cannot be reached by pets between mealtimes. The mistletoe should be hung where pets will find it difficult to reach.

Cats are attracted to berries which are extremely poisonous. Do not allow your pets into the room where you have kept your Christmas tree if there is no one to supervise. If your pet eats pine needles, its intestine could get punctured. Always unplug the lights of the tree before you leave the house and either tape or secure the electrical cords of the holiday lights so that your pet does not chew them. The Christmas tree should be secured to the ceiling or wall so that it does not fall on your pets. Restrain your pets from drinking water from the holder of the tree becomes even fresh water would contain the residue of fertilizers and water that are stagnant is a breeding ground for bacteria. If you tend to use water preservative for your tree go for one that is non-toxic so that it will not harm your pet in case it drinks it when you are not around. Do not use aspirin in tree water to preserve it because if your pet ingests it accidentally it could become seriously ill or even die.
Keep away Christmas ornaments and tinsel. Cats like to play with the latter. Some even eat it but this is dangerous as it can block the intestines. Pets think of ornaments as toy balls. The shards from glass ornaments that are broken could injure the paws and mouths of your pets. If swallowed, they could injure the intestine tract and stomach grievously. If your pets continue playing with the ornaments, hang some balloons on the lower branches of the Christmas tree. Be around till your pet snares one. The sound of the balloon bursting will make your pet leave the Christmas decorations alone.

When your children open their gifts make them put the toys away because the smaller parts of the toys could result in intestine blockage or choking in pets and would require surgery in order to remove them. A majority of pets love to doze on a hearth that is warm. Even if the fire is out make use of fireplace screens. Extinguish candles when you leave the room and keep them out of reach of your pets.

Tips and Ideas For Stocking Stuffers That Will Be Treasured

Once people have purchased their gifts and placed it under the Christmas tree they suddenly remember that they have forgotten to stuff the stockings hanging over the fireplace. Budgets set aside for holidays are usually spent at such a time. One might be short of money. In spite of budget constraints there are many ideas for stuffing stockings that would delight the children and would also be practical at the same time.

First of all it is always best to have the children write letters to Santa Claus. This provides them a way to mention the gifts that they want for Christmas – and many times parents are surprised at what the kids ask for in these letters. This will tell you what they want.

You can visit the dollar store nearest your house to look around for the gifts. You will come across a huge variety of goods available at a variety of prices which would easily help you to fill the stockings to the brim. Certain tips and ideas for stocking stuffers that will be treasured have two benefits. Do not wrap batteries along with the gifts. Stuff them in the stockings separately because you will have to buy them in order to make the toys work, so, they should not be grouped under extra expenses. Once you separate them you could start stuffing the stocking. This would be convenient for the kids to put the batteries in any toy or electronic device they wish to play with first.

You could purchase school supplies that would be required by your children and stuff the stocking with them so that you do not have to buy it in the future. If you are very busy during Christmas you will not find time to take pictures. Your children will be able to do it if you gift them a disposable camera. They will click pictures from their perspective which will be unique and could be added to a photo album. You could stuff supplies for art and craft which will be needed by the children later on. Children love creating. Material for art and craft is great as stocking stuffers. You could purchase paints, markers, colored pencils, crayons and coloring books which would keep children busy during Christmas and after it, too. Card games or mini games are ideal editions for travelers. Buy them so that the children could play them in the car on their own so that they will be occupied when you are making a holiday trip.

You could write Christmas letters to your children telling them about all the fun you had with them in the last year. This will not cost money. You could start a beautiful Christmas tradition. Your letters would be treasured by your children even after Christmas. It is always better to set aside a little time in order to give a little thought to stocking stuffers which would not require you to incur extra expenditure in order to fill the socks hanging on the fireplace while bringing unlimited joy your children when they see what is inside.

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.

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.