More people every year choose to give Christmas gift baskets as holiday presents to loved ones. This idea also works quite well for employer, employee, and co-worker gifts. They can be ordered from specialty companies, or simply made yourself, if you are a bit creative. A great aspect of gift baskets is that they can be customized to match individual tastes.

If you choose to order the gift baskets, you will find that there are many choices available to you at all different prices. You can get ready made baskets filled with everything from candy, fruit, and other delicacies to sausage, cheese, crackers, and more. There are also Christmas gift baskets filled with exotic teas and coffees, along with the mugs to serve them in. These can be ordered and delivered directly to the recipient’s house. Read the rest of this entry »

Christmas will be here sooner than you think, so it’s time once again to start making Christmas crafts, such as homemade ornaments or mobiles. Every new Christmas season gives me another chance to get creative! It also presents me with the task of looking online for new Christmas craft ideas. But that’s a blast, and I actually look forward to it. I’m confident I can gather all the components I need in just a short time.

As a rule my process is to search for free vintage Christmas clip art that will give me the main idea for the craft project. Since this will be a Christmas project, I plan to look for Christmas angel images. That shouldn’t be a problem, due to the number of Christmas images available on the World Wide Web. I’ve also found in the past that vintage Christmas greeting cards that are available on the World Wide Web can make designing an Christmas craft project easier. Because the cards already feature terrific Christmas themes, it won’t take much to create a fun craft project.

Another marvelous idea for creating Christmas crafts is to use Christmas scrapbook embellishments. These include vintage art, paper photo frames, borders and many other fun elements. As an example, dimensional stickers have recently become very popular. Additionally, colorful scrapbook papers you can either download off the Internet or buy in a store can add a lot to the project. Professionals also use these elements, so using them will give you reliable, professional-looking results. So as you plan to make Christmas crafts this holiday season remember the value of using the Internet. Keep it simple by choosing beautiful images and letting them do most of the work. That will help you produce exemplary results and will also make the project easier to construct. You’ll probably get great reactions from friends and family members too. And if you plan to sell your Christmas crafts, you can be confident that your crafts will be top-notch.

Christmas pudding is a dessert traditionally served on Christmas day in Britain, Ireland and some Commonwealth countries. It is sometimes known as ‘plum pudding’, but this name can also refer to other kinds of pudding based on dried fruit.

Christmas pudding is made with dried fruit and nuts, together with suet, and then steamed. It is very dark, almost black, and usually moist with brandy or other alcoholic beverages.

Christmas puddings were traditionally prepared five weeks before Christmas, most frequently on the Sunday of the week before the start of Advent (which is sometimes known as ‘Stir-up Sunday’. However, as Christmas puddings keep extremely well for a long period of time (months, or sometimes even a year or more), many families like to put aside an extra pudding, to be eaten later in the year (for example at Easter). Some families even go so far as to make their Christmas pudding the year before!

Of course, not everybody makes their own Christmas pudding themselves nowadays - you can buy ready-made puddings in all major supermarkets - and all you have to do with these is simply heat them up. Traditionally a small silver coin was placed in the pudding (such as a sixpence) which could be kept by the person whose serving included it, and which hopefully would bring wealth for the coming year. Other tokens such as a silver thimble (for thrift), an anchor (for safe harbor) or a tiny wishbone (for luck) have also sometimes been included in Christmas puddings.

Christmas pudding is traditionally decorated with holly, and may be doused in brandy and fired. It may be eaten with brandy butter, cream, custard or other similar sauces.

By S. Tanna. First published at http://www.guide2christmas.com/p1_christmas_pudding.php

Discover Christmas traditions, foods, and how Santas Sleigh compares to a supersonic jet aircraft at http://www.guide2christmas.com/

Festive Christmas tableware is a great idea when you are getting your home decorated for Christmas. You probably already have dishes, bowls, mugs, glasses etc. that have a Christmas decoration - or they might even be a solid red or green. Use these festive dishes at all of your meals throughout the Christmas holiday season - not just on Christmas day itself. If you can’t afford to buy a complete set at once, just buy a couple of pieces each year (especially at after Christmas sales or at flea markets). Read the rest of this entry »

If left without a heavy supply of Christmas ribbon, a holiday season is very incomplete. One of the Christmas season’s most supple must-haves, Christmas ribbon serves a large amount of purposes. From Christmas tree decoration to gift wrapping, Christmas ribbon makes more festivity out of anything. Tasteful Christmas ribbon is a wonderful addition to nearly all Christmas items. It makes the holidays complete. Read the rest of this entry »

The right Christmas tree skirt will make or break the look of the tree. It is an important part of creating a beautiful looking and functioning tree. Many homes have several options to select from each year, each one offering its own benefits. Sometimes children will select their own favorite, or they may fight about it. The Christmas tree skirt may be something that you want your family to choose together, but with so many style choices, that may be difficult to actually make happen. Read the rest of this entry »

WASSAIL BOWL

5 pints beer 1 lemon sliced

2 c. sherry 1 tsp. ginger

2 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

3 slices white bread, crusts removed, cut into star shapes and toasted.

In a large saucepan, gently heat the beer with the sherry. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring and cooking over low heat until blended. Float toast stars on the surface just before serving. Read the rest of this entry »

Throughout the course of history, different cultures will acquire icons and symbols that go past time and become symbolic images that become part of the landscape of the culture. One such detail in the western world is the Christmas tree. Although the standard image of the Christmas tree has represented an iconic icon that’s survived as part of the Christmas landscape for centuries, it’s fairly amazing that people are entirely acquainted with the Christmas tree and not actually acquainted with in the least with its beginnings.

Does this imply that people are inherently disinterested in their spiritual and social symbols? Surely not! Instead, it’s merely a case of an iconic symbol becoming so familiar in the public’s eye that it no longer acquires any mythical significance. Put differently, when the Christmas time of year comes around, Christmas trees are on sale virtually all over.

There are natural Christmas trees peddled by sellers at an assortment of outlets. And then, there are fake trees that are sold at yet more locales than the natural Christmas tree. Additionally, the sheer variety of artificial trees is reasonably riveting as well. Because artificial trees are reproductions of the real stuff, they are not restricted to size or range of a real tree. Put differently, if you care to have a 6 inch Christmas tree miniature on your desk, you can!

The effect of all this is the great familiarity of Christmas customs and cheer. Although this is inherently a beneficial thing, a certain mental shift begins to take place. That’s, people don’t see the Christmas tree as a classic symbol, but quite a modern one. By this, an interest in the tree’s beginnings and past get lost.

The origin of the Christmas tree derives from German catholic origin. In the original myth, St. Boniface stumbled upon an curious place in his travellings: he came across a group of heathens idolizing an oak tree. (Heathenism and the worship of the earth have been typically interlinked) St. Boniface chased these heathens away and took an axe and cut down the mighty oak. To St. Boniface’s surprise, from the once resting place of the oak an evergreen grew.

This evergreen became a symbolization of Christianity’s endless goodness and, in time, became symbolic with Christmas despite the evergreen tree not being part of any biblical accounts of Christ’s birth. (Evergreen’s are not indigenous to the Middle East) While not a sound mythic story, the tale of St. Boniface and the tree does allow for the answer to where the origin of the tree originates. Hopefully, it will never be forgotten

Of course you’re thinking of Christmas gifts in August, aren’t you? Well, I don’t usually, but this year I am because I want to tell you about a wonderful idea for a gift to your family, but this one you have to start early.

Present them with a family memoir. A memoir is like a biography or autobiography. It’s a way for family members to get to know their siblings and their ancestors and to pass along stories behind the stories such as why ‘the plates are cold.’

I had an opportunity to live with my maternal grandmother for a short time just before she passed away. She was anxious to talk and she was probably thinking a lot about her youth. I regret, now, that I wasn’t more attentive to her and asked her more probing questions. I wish I had recorded what she had to say.

The same is true of my mother and of the many members of the rest of my family.

So for Christmas this year, why not give a gift that the whole family can enjoy for generations? Give the gift of memories.

You can do this by having the extended family share their recollections, no matter in what part of the country they reside. There are many ways this could be done. This is only an idea for one, very easy way and might help to get your creative juices flowing.

Have a family teleconference and have it recorded, then transcribed. Using one of the many free conferencing services, the conference itself would be free except for long distance charges incurred by the callers. The recording can even be done free.

Designate a host. It could be a member of the family or it could be an outsider who would be primed with questions to lead the family members in an agreed-upon direction.

For example, have an older sibling of your parent as the authority or guest, then have your cousins and other members of the extended family participate in the teleconference. You might even want to invite an old family friend who could contribute.

Agree upon a topic. It might be what was my mother/father like when you were children? Was my parent easy to get along with? Or pick a particular year or a specific happening, such as holidays, summer vacations, clothes, education, etc.

The topic could even be general and everyone gets to ask questions: What kinds of clothes did you wear? What was a favorite activity? What were favorite meals, drinks, desserts, snacks, picnics? What kind of school did you attend? What kind of toys did you have and what were your favorites? Where did you go for vacation and what was your favorite? What were some of the family traditions for the holidays? Did you play tricks on each other and what was the worst that my parent did?

Once the recording is finished, it is easy and inexpensive to duplicate as many copies as needed. Have the audio transcribed and copies of the audio and transcription can be given to each of the family members. The only costs other than the long-distance phone charges, would be the cost to duplicate the CDs, the cost to transcribe the audio, the cost to print the transcription, and the cost of a host if you use a host. It would be good to include some family photos provided by those who participate.

This same gift idea can be used for other occasions and given to friends, neighbors, co-workers, a gift to expectant parents. Use the idea for weddings, class reunions, family reunions, anniversaries, graduations, significant birthdays. Gather a group together to reminisce about a person who is having a significant birthday (like one of those that ends in a zero or a 5).

Use the idea to plan an event, such as family reunions or holiday dinners.

I once did a transcription for a company which was morphing drastically from its beginnings and some of the original personnel were getting older. In this case, instead of using the telephone, they got together and reminisced about what it had been like to be a part of a “baby” company and to see it grow into a successful giant.

So, it’s the end of August and you don’t usually think of Christmas gifts? Perhaps these ideas will get you to thinking and you can start planning for the family Christmas gift now.

We are going to talk about the gift of food in baskets, bottles and boxes. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Get plenty of sleep. Sleep may seem like an indulgence this time of year, but it is absolutely essential to good health and a positive holiday outlook. Rest, slow-down and catch plenty of zzz’s. Be decadent and treat yourself to 3 -5 minutes a day without any books, junk mail or return calls. Take time to breathe, relax, reflect and introspect. If you’re feeling really sassy lie on your back and spread out in the middle of the living floor. Is 3 minutes of your day just for one month too much to ask?
2. Let go. Be passionately motivated to release some of your family, planning, or shopping frustrations. Ask yourself what is the worst that can happen? Just for kicks, reflect back on a particularly stressful holiday situation last year. How bad was it really? The turnout wasn’t as bad as all the images swimming in your head. In the grand scheme of life, not sending your Christmas cards on time probably won’t matter. Let stuff go, and go with the flow!
3. Bond with people. Find opportunities throughout the day to bond and make a human connection. Take the time to look into peoples’ eyes; listen carefully to what they have to say and pass them a compliment about something you know is important to them. That goes for strangers too!
4. Be present. Make a conscious and loving effort to be attentive and live in the present moment. A sure fire quick way to work yourself up is to let your mind run a million miles an hour of things you could, should or would be doing. These random relentless thoughts will just make you anxious and nervous. Your peace of mind and happiness this holiday depends on the attention you give to each minute of your life, while it is ticking by.

PIN THE NOSE ON RUDOLPH

Pin the Nose on Rudolph is a variation of the traditional game, Pin the Tail on the Donkey.  This game can be fun for kids and adults alike! Read the rest of this entry »

9. Change up your scenery. Rather than going through your same daily routine, shake it up a bit! Close your eyes at night before you drift off and sleepily anticipate a self indulgent wild and crazy day. Roll out of bed on the opposite side. Light a scented candle in the bathroom and watch the flame flicker in the morning light. Crank up your favorite piece of inspiring music before you do anything else in the morning. Walk backward through the house. Try tea instead of coffee. Take the scenic route home. Shake up some smiles!

Treat Yourself As You Would Treat Others: Write yourself a love note. Buy yourself fresh stems of flowers. Soak your feet. Valet park the car. Have your groceries delivered. Send your undies to the cleaners. Snuggle with a blankie. Take a long walk. Sleep in. Watch the sunset. Sing yourself a love song. Do all the things for yourself you wish others would do for you. Then, enjoy the most fabulous holiday season of all times!

Image via WikipediaChristmas traditions are as different as the people celebrating them. Families have so many different way of celebrating Christmas and all of the traditions are special and unique. It is guaranteed that everyone has a different tradition and it holds an important place in their hearts. These traditions are important because they reflect how different each family is and instills a sense of identity. With all the chaos the Christmas season can sometimes create, it can be very beneficial to know there is some routine to look forward to. Read the rest of this entry »