Wrapping Homemade Food Gifts for Christmas

Giving food gifts and creatively wrapping them is not exactly a matter of decoration, it is more an extension of personal style. At Christmas we beautify our homes, we entertain, and wrap gifts. Some people enjoy giving homemade gifts straight from the kitchen. Because many people enjoy homemade items at Christmas time, you may want to create interesting ways to present them...READ MORE>>>

Homemade Holiday Wreaths for Your Front Door

Front door decoration give the first impressions to guests during the holidays. Many people hang a simple wreath or pine, even before the weekend of Thanksgiving. It's easy to create a holiday mood and ambiance with anything from a few green branches tied with a bow to a very richly ornamented crown. To make your own crown, you will find forms and all accessories in a well-stocked garden. Here are some ideas to consider...READ MORE>>>

Christmas and Holiday Decorating for the Busy People

It seems that everyone has more load of responsibilities over the holidays than at any other time of year. Most people are just too busy with family and jobs to entertain or to decorate in a fancy manner. In this regard, the following would give you some ideas for DIY party decorations that can make your home warm, refined, and welcoming without too amount of time invested...READ MORE>>>

The Nutcracker Suite: A Popular Classic Christmas Ballet

One of the landmarks in ballet history was Pyotor Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s creation of the Nutcracker Suite.  With Swan Lake (1876) and The Sleeping Beauty (1879) behind him, he was commissioned by the director of St. Petersburg’s Imperial Theater to write a new ballet to a book by Marius Petipa, who completely outlined the moods and dances the musical score was to fit.  Tchaikovsky’s Opus 71, The Nutcracker, premiered by the composer himself as an orchestral suite on March 19, 1892, is based on Alexander Dumas’s version of a story by E.T.A. Hoffmann.  It was then choreographed by Lev Ivanov for a first performance at St. Petersburg’s Maryinsky Theatre on December 18, 1892.   The first night was not as triumphant as that of Sleeping Beauty’s.  It was confusing for the Russian audiences of that day to see a performance dominated by children in the first act, and they did not exactly favor the German story on which it was based either.  Today, however, there is hardly a major world dance company or regional ballet that does not mount an elaborate Christmastime production of The Nutcracker...READ MORE>>>

The Magical Experience of Christmas

Christmas is that special time of the year when joy and ethereal magic fills the season. It emanates in the delightful ornaments, awesome gatherings with family and friends and the sheer sense of joy one experiences both from giving and receiving presents. 

While is apparent that the commercialized nature of Christmas nowadays is often rebuked, we still cannot deny that shopping is a significant and fundamental activity that adds to the magic of Christmas, especially for the fashionistas and the shopaholics. At the malls or shopping centers that several of the favorite sights, sounds, and scents of Christmas can be sensed.

Something about Christmas and the holidays bring about special and unforgettable memories...READ MORE>>>

Movies to Watch on Christmas

Movies and films with a Christmas theme can help create a fun atmosphere and at the same time also impart moral lessons.

While each person will have varied opinions and choices on their favorite Christmas movies, there are some classics that remain popular to this day. There are some notable newer movies as well.

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Tips on Shopping For Christmas Gifts For Children

 To a lot of people, Christmas is a magical season; and more than anyone else, the season of Christmas is enjoyed most by kids. It could be the thought of some much awaited break from school activities, the allure of the decor and lights, the beauty of the first snowfall that is often associated with Christmas or the anticipation of the gifts and toys that excites the children so much. But it is plainly seen that most kids are genuinely fascinated by Christmas. This is one main reason why adults enjoy shopping for kids during Christmas season.

When Christmas shopping for children, there are some considerations one should take note of. Some of the particular concerns include choosing age appropriate toys, picking out toys which are not overly noisy or too large for the child’s size and living conditions, choosing toys the child does not already possess, choosing toys which are acceptable to the parents, and most importantly, selecting toys the child will find enjoyable...READ MORE>>>

How to Shop For The Right Christmas Tree For Your Home

The Christmas tree tradition in the United States came from German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania.  This tradition of Christmas trees is believed to stem from Germany from as early as 700 A.D and was part of the German tradition in the 1800s.  During that period Christmas trees became available for sale in the United States since 1800s just about the same period that the former Woolworth's department store began selling ready-made decorations for Christmas trees.

Although artificial Christmas trees are very popular, a lot of people still choose to have a freshly harvested Christmas tree either inside their homes, or out on their lawns. Just like all other trees, Christmas trees also come in different shapes and sizes that make a few types more popular than others.
      
Many consider having a Christmas tree in the home very important, accompanied by other Christmas decor items such as garlands and wreaths in order to create a special ambience for the holidays.   
      
It is important to choose the right type of Christmas tree because these are a main attraction in many family activities and traditions...READ MORE>>>

Christmas History: Not Everyone Was Excited About Christmas

When people just go along with the commotions and celebrations of the season, ask, what are we celebrating then?

The glitter of bright and colorful decorations, the sounds of joyous Christmas carols, the happy children, and the cheerful greetings of “Merry Christmas!” may give the impression that everybody is glad that Jesus came to our planet. But reality is, that isn’t true, and it never was... READ MORE>>>
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Homemade Dips and Spreads as Christmas Gifts

 

Make up a basket of treats for a friend, neighbor, or a loved on with choice dips and spreads as gifts.

Red Devil Dip

Walnut-Cheese Spread

Nutty Olive Spread

Creamy Chili Dip

Eggplant Spread

Get recipes HERE 

Getting More Out of Christmas

A few days before Christmas, some of us will still do the last minute Christmas shopping.  Many are weary of shopping because the store merchants began urging us to start buying our gifts and treats long before Thanksgiving.  Some purposely wait up to the last minute in the hopes of getting in on some sales.
At any rate, Christmas shopping gets out of hand, does it not?  Many of us spend too much and are left with big bills to pay after Christmas.  Perhaps we even have to give less to the church and to missions this month because we have overspent or we “might” overspend during Christmas...READ MORE>>>

Christmas: The Schizophrenic Holiday

Christmas may carry Christ’s name but someone else gets most of the attention.

Don’t misunderstand.  I’m no Scrooge dedicated to banishing innocent make-believe.  On balance, Santa Claus has probably made the world a happier place for thousands.  But it seems significant that we have invented a fantasy-figure for our children and ourselves that resembles the Savior so closely.

Several years ago, a religious magazine carried a Christmas cover illustration of Santa Claus nailed to the cross – white beard, red suit, and all.  The editors received a lot of letters criticizing the blasphemy.  But the illustration did what is assumed the editors wanted it to do – it shocked people into realizing how confused we can become at Christmas.>>> READ MORE>>>

Christmas Cookie Bonanza

Seven different cookies all from one basic recipe!

Get recipe HERE>>>

What Kind of Gift Giver Are You?

September and October are the perfect months to start planning your Christmas gift shopping, especially if you’re on a tight budget.  You can carefully choose the gifts and you don’t have to buy them in bulk.  You can buy gifts in a series of shopping trips.  But no matter how early one plans the gifts to give, it is quite realistic to say that no Christmas ever dawns that doesn’t bring its own disappointments, regrets, and plain old sulking.  How we’d wish we could sign a gift-wrapped card with love and enclose it with a check for a million dollars.  But only a few can do that, and still we all want our beneficiaries to say, “Wow, I’ve always wanted this!”  Fortunately, expense isn’t the main factor in getting that response.  In fact many costly gifts remain cold and lifeless things.

What kind of gift giver are you? What do your gifts say about you? Are you annoyed by your own motives for giving at Christmas and on other occasions? How can you improve your gift-giving habits? >>>READ MORE >>>

Why You Should Set a Budget for Christmas Shopping

Some people take an interesting plan to setting a budget for Christmas shopping by waiting until they are set up to start shopping to set the actual budget. These people normally do this since they are saving specifically for the purpose of Christmas shopping. Whether they open a bank account specifically for Christmas shopping, earmark money for this purpose in an envelope every week or plan on using a part of their income from the month of November for Christmas shopping. It is important to set a budget and set a plan for buying all of your Christmas gifts without exceeding this budget.

Read More: Why You Should Set a Budget for Christmas Shopping 

Are You Becoming an Impulsive Christmas Shopper?

Impulsive Christmas shopping is a habit which plagues a lot of people during the Christmas season and it can come in a variety of complications. Some of the dilemmas which often result from impulsive Christmas shopping are spending beyond budget, buying unnecessary items and even purchasing identical items that were already bought. All of these matters present their own set of dismal outcomes which are all caused by impulsive buying during Christmas. However, it is also important to take note that although there are a lot of problems connected with impulsive Christmas shopping, some advantages are also merited to this shopping move.

Read more: Are You Becoming an Impulsive Christmas Shopper? 

Tips on Buying a Christmas Gift for Your Boss

Christmas shopping for your boss can be a hard situation. First of all buying a Christmas gift for your superiors at work is regarded to be somewhat of a faux pas unless the gift is being bought by a group of employees. While giving Christmas gifts to subordinates is commonly an acceptable practice, gifts from individuals to a boss can be deemed an attempt to gain advantages such as promotions or favorable projects or discourses. As a result care ought to be always be taken when giving Christmas gifts to a boss. Taking a look at situations in which giving a Christmas gift to your boss is accepted will help you shop for Christmas gifts for your boss.

When an individual giving a Christmas gift to the boss is not an acceptable practice it is acceptable for a group of employees to buy a joint gift for their boss. As an example, a boss who supervises the work of a small group of employees may receive a gift from this small group jointly and this would be regarded appropriate. In this way the gift is deemed a gesture of appreciation from the members of the group and not an attempt by one of the members to gain favorable discourse. Still, even in this acceptable situation, Christmas shopping for your boss could be quite hard.

Read more: Tips on Buying a Christmas Gift for Your Boss 

The Value of Early Christmas Shopping

If you're one of those folks who get their Christmas shopping done early every year, you'll likely find yourself getting a good deal of mean looks from other people around the holiday season. This is particularly true if you make a habit of allowing others recognize you have already finished your Christmas shopping. This happens since the vast majority of people does not get their Christmas shopping done early and may be jealous of those who pull off to finish their shopping early. The fact that most Christmas shoppers wait until the eleventh hour is evident by the crowds who flock to plazas and shopping centers in the last days before Christmas.

If you abide by this simple strategy when the Christmas season arrives, you will already have most, if not all, of your Christmas gifts bought already and you can spend your time resting and enjoying the holiday season rather than running around trying to find the perfect gift for each person on your list.

Read more: The Value of Early Christmas Shopping 

Behold! The Beauty of Christmas Lights

One of the most enchanting sights to behold during the Christmas season is the beauty of the Christmas lights everywhere. Outdoor Christmas lighting design has evolved from Christmas tree lights to the now popular colorful lighting decoration set up during the holidays creating spectacular scenes.  Did you ever wonder how these Christmas lights came to be? Let us trace back its roots in Menlo Park, New Jersey - to the man named Thomas Edison.

It was Thomas Alva Edison who invented and introduced the electric light bulb in 1879 and its commercial potential, an event that paved the way for the mass use of electrical energy and lights including those used in our Christmas trees today.

Read more: Behold! The Beauty of Christmas Lights 

Tips on Christmas Shopping for Distant Relatives

It may be actually simple to Christmas shop for close relatives who you meet often and know very well. Nevertheless, when it comes to shopping for relatives who you seldom see since they live far away, it can be significantly harder. There are a number of elements which add to the difficulty of this scenario. First of all it is hard because if you don't see the relatives often you may not have a full idea of their current interests or hobbies which would simplify the shopping process. It is also difficult to Christmas shop for remote relatives because you have to weigh the cost and complexity of shipping the items to these relatives.

All of these information can make it easier for you to choose an appropriate Christmas gift.

Read more: Tips on Christmas Shopping for Distant Relatives 

Tips on Christmas Shopping with Kids

While it is surely true that shopping with kids can be hard at times, it is also imaginable to have an effective, efficient and fun shopping pleasure trip with children. It will take a little advanced preparation and cooperation on the children's' behalf but it can be done. This article will cover a couple of the common tips for having a successful Christmas shopping trip with children. Some of these tips include seeing to it the children are well rested, taking frequent breaks, integrating activities suitable for children into the venture and being geared up for any situation.

Read more: Tips on Christmas Shopping with Kids 

Tips on Holding Christmas Parties at Home

It can be very gratifying to serve your friends, families and loved ones especially during the Christmas holidays. Taking some time to share food, entertainment and laughter in fun and festive ways is truly a part of the spirit of Christmas.

When deciding to hold a party at home, among the first things to consider is determining whether it will be a formal or an informal event. Among the key matters that demands careful consideration are the number of persons attending, the food and its preparation, and the Christmas themed decoration that fits the holiday festivities. It's also necessary to know who among your friends or family members will be available you out if needed.

Read more: Tips on Holding Christmas Parties at Home 

How to Find The Best Bargains While Christmas Shopping

Finding bargains while Christmas shopping is really easy. In fact it is so easy that chancing on items that are not a bargain is considered more of a challenge. Although most stores have annual sales in the end, almost all retail businesses offer significant bargains in the weeks just before Christmas. These traders know that the buyers will be in full force at this time and offer their best deals hoping to attract a large portion of buyers. The best way to ensure you are getting the best possible deals, while you are Christmas shopping is to spend some time window shopping way before the Christmas season arrives. This will give you a good idea of ​​what types of items are selling today and also give a good indication of the costs of these items. This information can be used when Christmas shopping to find out how much you are saving to buy items on sale just before Christmas.

Read more: How to Find The Best Bargains While Christmas Shopping 

Advantages of Shopping Online During the Busy Holiday Season

Online shopping is now among the most popular ways to purchase products particularly during the holiday seasons. Although a lot of shoppers find delight in the hustle of the holiday shopping stampede in the department stores and malls, more and more shoppers are just all too happy to take alternative shopping route - online, to do even a part of their holiday shopping tasks. Many have discovered the numerous benefits of online holiday shopping. Two of the most common advantages online shopping include the ease of doing last minute shopping and the convenience of not joining the crowded lines, not to mention the traffic and endless waiting at the parking lot, during the holiday shopping trips.

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How to Shop for Clothes as Christmas Gifts

The History of Christmas Carols

Many of the Christmas carols that were prohibited, and early Christmas carols in general, had lyrics that conveyed joyous and merry themes instead of the serious somber words present in church hymns. Around the time when carols were banned, some composers and musicians composed non-religious songs that had extremely varied choral music, which they called carols, for Christmas. After Christmas carols again became popular, a lot of those songs were re-arranged with fresh Christian lyrics and utilized by the church. Making alterations to Christmas carols continues in a different way today with pop artistes singing the carols to different tunes and melodies to give them a style that characterizes the particular artiste. Having Christmas carols with tunes of modern-day or popular music of today means that they're also more likely to endure because younger listeners will be interested in listening to any music that is done by their favorite or other popular singers.

Read more: The History of Christmas Carols 

Office Christmas Party Tips

During the holiday season, particularly around Christmas, the festive spirit, even comes to the workplace where the rat race pace is expected to slow down.  In some companies, considerably the workload decreases. Holding Christmas parties at the office, helps everyone to relax a bit, have fun and enjoy the satisfaction of the results of a year of hard work. Co-workers celebrate goals that have been achieved and also look forward to an even more year ahead.

Some other important thing to observe around Christmas parties at work is acceptable conduct that is regarded casual but still business-like. Though there will be much fun and laughter, it will still be happening within corporate surroundings or within the boundaries of work.

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Tips on Traveling During the Christmas Holidays

Christmas is a time to be with family, loved ones and friends, it's among the busiest times of the year to travel. People travel to different regions and international destinations to share Christmas dinners, exchange gifts and recall warm memories they have of the season. There's also travel for entertainment reasons that are made by tourists inside the country or from abroad. And still on Christmas Day, the highways are filled with vehicles as relatives and friends travel between towns and states to spend the day together.

Read more: Tips on Traveling During the Christmas Holidays 

Interesting Facts About Christmas

It is a recognized fact that the Christmas tree custom is one that was brought to the land of America by German immigrants who retained a practice that was popular in their former homeland. Nowadays, a Christmas tree, even a miniature one, is present in just about each household at Christmas. It is consequently interesting to note some little-know facts about the Christmas Tree and other customs associated to Christmas.

Read more: Interesting Facts About Christmas