Unfortunately sometimes the complete opposite can happen, thanks to the few truly awful Christmas movies out there. When you unwrap the presents under the tree, and find a new DVD among your presents, don’t be so hasty to play it straight away. You could ruin Christmas for everyone. Consult this short round up of the best, and the worst, Christmas movies out there, to avoid a catastrophe and keep everyone brimming with holiday happiness.

Avoid: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Just the title should put you off ever putting yourself through the torture of watching this movie. This 1964 film is so bad it actually has become something of a cult classic, with showings on some comedy cable channels, but don’t let that even tempt you to watch it. The plot centres on Martians kidnapping Santa Claus because there is no-one on Mars to give the kids presents. Everything about this movie is bad, from the acting to the special effects. It’s a ridiculously stupid film should never in any circumstances be watched on Christmas day, and will only leave you irritated and longing for the wasted hour and a half back if you do dare to watch it.

Watch: The Nightmare Before Christmas

A fantastic tale that will entertain the kids, grandparents, and everybody in between, The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of the great Christmas movies of all time. Dark and funny, this story can be scary in parts, but there is no denying viewer’s come away feeling uplifted. The animation is flawless, and the songs and characters are fantastically entertaining. Definitely one movie that the whole family to curl up on the sofas and loveseats to enjoy.

Avoid: The Star Wars Holiday Special

A complete travesty that plagues the world of Star Wars, The Star Wars Holiday Special was a freak that was shot and buried soon after it was made. Aired once on television around the time it was made in 1978, George Lucas has despised the movie ever since. He was actually quoted saying that if he had the time, he would personally smash every existing copy of the movie. Harsh words you may think, but you would probably agree if you have ever had the displeasure of watching this monstrosity. The plot revolves around Chewbacca and his family, as he tries to get back to his home planet for Life Day, the yearly celebration when all the family come together. Amazingly some of the original Star Wars actors grace the screen, if only fleetingly, but that doesn’t make it any better. Avoid at all costs.

Watch: It’s a Wonderful Life

Arguably the greatest Christmas movie of all time, no one can deny that It’s a Wonderful Life is a perfect movie to watch on Christmas day. The tale of a compassionate businessman called George Bailey, who is suffering from bad luck just before Christmas. The film shows how he helps the community no thanks to a rich skinflint that wants to see him fail, and embodies the Christmas spirit in such a way that other films have tried so hard to achieve. Heartfelt and warming throughout, this film has been known to bring a tear to the eye of grown men.

Avoid: Deck the Halls

This weak comedy will leave you closer to crying than laughing, and will probably result in you throwing ornaments at your tv if you watch it. Starring Danny DeVito and Mathew Broderick, their two characters seem to have to outdo each other throughout this film, culminating in a battle to see who can cover their house in more Christmas lights. It’s a tragic film you will undoubtedly find in the discount bins of supermarkets if anywhere. So if it does appear under the Christmas tree, make an excuse not to watch it or prepare to be bored silly.

Don’t Let Christmas be Ruined

Ok, so there are plenty more bad Christmas movies out there and a whole bunch of good ones too, but with this list you can avoid a total catastrophe. When it’s a toss-up between Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and It’s a Wonderful Life, you can argue with conviction what you should watch!

Now is the time to plan ahead so the 2012 holidays are merry and bright, not overshadowed by looming debt. Starting a Christmas Club account might be the perfect way to get your finances off to the right start this new year. Better Business Bureau is advising consumers to plan ahead and make the upcoming year’s holiday season easier on the family finances by setting up a Christmas Club account now.

Traditionally, Christmas Club accounts have been offered at credit unions and most banks. Customers can set aside a small amount of money every month into a savings account until the fall, when they can then start making withdrawals to pay for holiday expenses. According to the Credit Union National Association, nearly 72 percent of credit unions run Christmas Clubs, and consumer interest in these clubs is holding steady.

Some retailers are also offering their own form of a Christmas Club that pays interest on the money you set aside with them throughout the year. However, unlike setting up an account with a bank or credit union, the money must be spent with that retailer.

“Along with taking the time to shop around for the best interest rate, it’s also important to read all of the fine print that accompanies such an account,” said Katherine Hutt, spokesperson for the Council of Better Business Bureaus. “A Christmas Club account is a great savings tool throughout the year and the perfect way for families to get a hold of their holiday spending.”

BBB recommends that it’s never too early to consider budgeting for next year’s holiday season and offers the following advice on setting up a Christmas Club account:

Build a budget and stick to it. Consider how much you spent in the previous holiday season to help anticipate how much you will want to set aside every month. To help you budget for the holidays, BBB, along with ClearPoint Financial Solutions, has developed an interactive budget tool that includes a holiday spending calculator.

Start saving now. The sooner you start setting aside money every month, the better. By setting up a Christmas Club account in January or February you’ll benefit more from the interest rate and start the year off on the right foot.

Shop around and ask around. While the interest rate on Christmas Club accounts is not typically very high, it can vary, so shop around for the best deal.

Read the fine print. Christmas Clubs are essentially short term savings accounts, but there are a few details that make them different. In some cases, there might be a minimum required deposit to open the account, or a minimum amount you must deposit every month. In addition, there is often a financial penalty for withdrawing the funds before the holiday shopping season arrives.

Automate the process. Most Christmas Club accounts allow for monthly automatic deductions from your bank account or paycheck. This helps lessen the pinch. Just make sure that you don’t set aside so much that you run the risk of overdrawing on your accounts.

Know the deal with retailer Christmas Clubs. Some stores are now offering their own Christmas Clubs. The money socked away with the business all year long can only be used at their stores, so evaluate your holiday shopping needs before signing up with a specific retailer.

For more consumer tips you can trust, visit www.bbb.org/us/bbb-news.

I couldn’t sleep last night, so many things on my mind and I couldn’t shut it off.

I had a moment of panic when I realized it was Christmas Eve and I hadn’t bestowed a single thought on a certain jolly old elf. I remembered that years after I learned the truth about Santa, I STILL used to go the window late at night on Christmas Eve, staring up at the moon and hoping to see the silhouette of a sleigh, or listening for the sound of bells….

But not last night. After five decades of life on this planet, something had shifted, some internal clock, perhaps, that said “Time to put away childish things.”, and the fat man with the red suit had gotten lost in holiday traffic and rampant commercialism and “Whose season is it, anyway?”.

And yet….

I’m a cynic. (Five decades of dealing with human beings will do that to you.) I’m no longer surprised when I hear of another serial murderer, another war waged in the name of the Prince of Peace, another corporation pouring poison into the sky for the sake of a bigger bottom line, another species hounded to extinction in the name of the great god Profit.

And yet….

There are times, still, when people surprise me. But in the spirit of the season, let’s let Mr. Dickens say it for me, from the pages of A Christmas Carol: “when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.”

Indeed.

Remember Hurricane Katrina? Remember the tremendous outpouring of assistance from so many people, people who in many cases were in straitened financial circumstances themselves? Forget the waste, forget the mismanagement. Focus only on the fact that people – ordinary, everyday, people – “seem[ed] by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely” and gave – not from their abundance, but from their hearts.

Call him who you will – Kris Kringle, St. Nicholas, the Holly King, Father Christmas, or the beloved, familiar Santa Claus – so long as love and generosity and the spirit of giving exist in the human heart, so long will Santa Claus live and endure, even in the hearts of the most cynical.

Thanks, Santa.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

* The author wishes to acknowledge the direct inspiration of Francis Pharcellus Church, writer of the famous editorial “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus”.

My Personal Yule Ritual

You won’t find this in any book. I created it pretty much out of thin air, and it’s changed very little over the years.

I live in an apartment, and just across the street is another apartment complex. It’s surrounded by a holly hedge – which is, in its turn, surrounded by a chain-link fence. The holly grows through the fence (as holly is wont to do) and November will find me there with a canvas tote bag and a pair of plant shears.

I snip enough 3-4″ lengths of holly to fill a small cast-iron cauldron (the womb of the Mother Goddess) about three-quarters full. (I wear heavy gloves during this procedure; holly is as prickly as an agitated cat.) There are lots of pine trees around and I’ve occasionally been known to add a handful of dry pine needles to the mix.

In either case, I set the cauldron aside until the Winter Solstice; by this time the holly is all nice and dry (and pricklier than ever). I go online to verify the time of sunset and about fifteen minutes beforehand I douse the holly with charcoal starter, sometimes adding a stick or two of incense – cedar, pine, spruce, cinnamon… even frankincense and myrrh have put in an appearance. I think about the significance of the Solstice for a few minutes, and when the sun disappears below the horizon, I use a fireplace match or a grill lighter to ignite the holly.

I tend the fire until it burns itself out (which can take a while; dry holly burns quite enthusiastically – and incidentally, so do eyebrows). In the meantime, I’ll drink a glass of homemade wassail (or store-bought eggnog) and toast the reborn Sun.

Later, the Yule Log got smaller, in keeping with smaller fireplaces. It would be decorated with greenery and sometimes doused with wine; and after an appropriate ritual, it would be set alight. Somewhere along the way, the tradition of keeping it burning for twelve days and nights was shortened, too. Now it need only burn overnight, from Christmas Eve till Christmas day.

With fireplaces being less and less common these days, the practical Pagan has adapted. Some choose a small log, some twelve or sixteen inches in length, flatten it along one side to make a base, and drill from one to three holes into the top, suitable for the insertion of candles. The candles are generally (but not always) “fire” colors, with red being the most common. The log is decorated with greenery, sometimes real, sometimes artificial – pine, spruce, fir or other evergreen boughs, holly and mistletoe are a few possibilities – and the candles are lighted at sunset on the Winter Solstice. Tradition says they should burn through the night; but given safety considerations, most only allow it to burn so long as someone is around to keep an eye on it.

In other households, the Yule Log has evolved into the Yule Candle, a pillar-style candle in the colors of the season. It can be inscribed with suitable symbols and lighted at sunset, as above.

Tradition says that you should keep part of the Yule Log to light next year’s Yule Log with, and houses that preserve a part of the Yule Log are supposed to be protected from lightning.

(For more information on the Yule Log, go here: http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/yulelog.asp)

The drink itself started out as something similar to mulled cider, but there were plenty of regional variations, and even now, if you Google “wassail recipes”, you’ll find a bewildering variety of options available to you. I take the lazy way out; a carton of Aspen mulling spice, a gallon of apple juice and a crock pot set on low and I’m all set. Traditionally served hot, it’s also delicious served cold, or you can warm it up in the microwave.

The earliest form of wassailing seems to have been a fertility ritual, focused specifically on fruit trees. A large bowl of wassail would be prepared – some of these bowls were very ornate – and it would be ceremoniously poured on the roots of the fruit trees, the aim being to ensure a bountiful harvest in the coming year.

A later custom, also called wassailing, involved groups of carolers going door to door to regale their neighbors with the music of the season. In return, they would receive food and drink (including wassail) and sometimes money. It is this latter custom, I suspect, that led to two well-known carols – Here We Come A-Wassailing and Here We Come A-Caroling – and explains why the tunes are identical.

Waes hael!

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

“Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONDER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes — how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

“HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!”

There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home. A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.

In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Also appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the name “Mr. James Dillingham Young.”

The “Dillingham” had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to $20, though, they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. But whenever Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was called “Jim” and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della. Which is all very good.

Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn’t go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling–something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.

There was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pier-glass in an $8 flat. A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks. Della, being slender, had mastered the art.

Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.

Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and his grandfather’s. The other was Della’s hair. Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty’s jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.

So now Della’s beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.

On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street.

Where she stopped the sign read: “Mne. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds.” One flight up Della ran, and collected herself, panting. Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the “Sofronie.”

“Will you buy my hair?” asked Della.

“I buy hair,” said Madame. “Take yer hat off and let’s have a sight at the looks of it.”

Down rippled the brown cascade.

“Twenty dollars,” said Madame, lifting the mass with a practised hand.

“Give it to me quick,” said Della.

Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor. She was ransacking the stores for Jim’s present.

She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no other like it in any of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside out. It was a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its value by substance alone and not by meretricious ornamentation–as all good things should do. It was even worthy of The Watch. As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim’s. It was like him. Quietness and value–the description applied to both. Twenty-one dollars they took from her for it, and she hurried home with the 87 cents. With that chain on his watch Jim might be properly anxious about the time in any company. Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather strap that he used in place of a chain.

When Della reached home her intoxication gave way a little to prudence and reason. She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love. Which is always a tremendous task, dear friends–a mammoth task.

Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy. She looked at her reflection in the mirror long, carefully, and critically.

“If Jim doesn’t kill me,” she said to herself, “before he takes a second look at me, he’ll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do–oh! what could I do with a dollar and eighty- seven cents?”

At 7 o’clock the coffee was made and the frying-pan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops.

Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit for saying little silent prayer about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: “Please God, make him think I am still pretty.”

The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two–and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.

Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.

Della wriggled off the table and went for him.

“Jim, darling,” she cried, “don’t look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold because I couldn’t have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. It’ll grow out again–you won’t mind, will you? I just had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say `Merry Christmas!’ Jim, and let’s be happy. You don’t know what a nice– what a beautiful, nice gift I’ve got for you.”

“You’ve cut off your hair?” asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at that patent fact yet even after the hardest mental labor.

“Cut it off and sold it,” said Della. “Don’t you like me just as well, anyhow? I’m me without my hair, ain’t I?”

Jim looked about the room curiously.

“You say your hair is gone?” he said, with an air almost of idiocy.

“You needn’t look for it,” said Della. “It’s sold, I tell you–sold and gone, too. It’s Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered,” she went on with sudden serious sweetness, “but nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the chops on, Jim?”

Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della. For ten seconds let us regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the other direction. Eight dollars a week or a million a year–what is the difference? A mathematician or a wit would give you the wrong answer. The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them. This dark assertion will be illuminated later on.

Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table.

“Don’t make any mistake, Dell,” he said, “about me. I don’t think there’s anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But if you’ll unwrap that package you may see why you had me going a while at first.”

White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper. And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.

For there lay The Combs–the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jewelled rims–just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.

But she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and a smile and say: “My hair grows so fast, Jim!”

And them Della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried, “Oh, oh!”

Jim had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him eagerly upon her open palm. The dull precious metal seemed to flash with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit.

“Isn’t it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You’ll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it.”

Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled.

“Dell,” said he, “let’s put our Christmas presents away and keep ‘em a while. They’re too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on.”

The magi, as you know, were wise men–wonderfully wise men–who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest.

Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.

But when Frigga came to the little mistletoe, she saw that it was small and weak and did not make it promise. Then the queen of the gods returned to Asgard to share her news with the Aesir.

When the gods heard this, they created a new game. Baldur would stand in front of them and they would hurl spears and stones, axes and all manner of weapons at him. But because of their promise, all the weapons bounced back or turned aside.

Now when wicked Loki, the trickster god, heard of this, he was angry and sought some way to undo the magic Frigga had woven. He came to her one day, disguised as an old woman, and sought speech with her.

“And is it true,” he asked, ” that you exacted a promise from everything in the world never to harm your son Balder?”

“It is true,” Frigga said. “Oh – I did not ask the mistletoe to promise; but it is so small and weak, it could not harm anyone.”

So Loki left and came to where the mistletoe was and saw that it had grown hardy and strong. He fashioned a short spear from it and with this he came to where the gods were playing their new game. He came to the blind god Hod and said, “Honored sir, why do you not join in the game?”

“Gladly would I show honor to Baldur,” Hod said, “but I have no weapon, and I cannot see to aim.”

“I will help you,” Loki said. “Here is a weapon, and I will guide your aim.”

So Hod threw the mistletoe spear; but instead of falling short, it pierced Baldur through and through, and he fell dead upon the spot.

The Aesir seized Hod, but wicked Loki had vanished; and the tale of how he was caught and punished is not a fit subject for Yule.

In one version of the story, Baldur was restored to life, though he had to spend part of each year in Hel’s kingdom. We call that time of year Winter now.

When Frigga’s son was restored to her, Frigga decreed that from that day forward, mistletoe would nevermore bring death into the world, but only life. And that is why couples kiss beneath the mistletoe at this time of the year, to celebrate Baldur’s resurrection.

…And now for the list of Christmas craft projects, most of which are so easy that even the ‘craftily challenged’ can make them. There’s a bunch of nifty decorating ideas sprinkled in, too… enjoy!

I love giving gifts in jars. Do you? Check out this wonderful Peppermint Stick Cocoa — Gift in a Jar tutorial. This would be a great gift for anyone on your list, and a perfect addition to a gift basket full of homemade goodies.

Speaking of jars… you could fill these cute Mason Jar Snowmen full of candy!

Check out this Santa Suit Candy Bar Wrapper project, another gift basket or stocking stuffer idea. How cute!!

More chocolate, anyone? Cookie Cutter Fudge from Betty Crocker… oh my!!

Or how about finishing off your wrapped gifts with one of these cute Felt Poinsettias.

Check out Christmas Decorating with Kitchen Items such as spatulas, muffin tins, dishtowels, and more from Better Homes and Gardens.

Another cute idea from the kitchen is this Christmas Gift Idea-Oven Mitt… isn’t that cute? Easy, thoughtful and inexpensive!

Use up your Use scraps of Christmas patterned fabric on these easy to sew dish washing liquid bottle aprons.

This is a must see… the Yarn and Styrofoam Christmas Tree!

More Styrofoam goodness… check out this Never Melt Snowman Project.

Another snowman project, have a look at this little Jingle Bell Snowman.

Kids love Santa’s Reindeer and they will love making these cute Wooden Reindeer Christmas Ornaments. You could even substitute the wooden hearts for hearts cut out of brown craft paper.

String popcorn for your tree, but be sure to make a second batch to make these Christmas Popcorn Treat Bags!

Here’s a great way to display your Christmas cards… make this magnetic Christmas card display.

There may be snow on the ground, but Spring is just around the corner and everyone loves Garden Furniture.

Alright guys, I’m going to stop there, but I can see another post like this coming soon! Feel free to leave links to your Christmas crafts below, I’d love to check them out!!

Wrapping technique

Of course, there is no gift wrapping rule set in stone, and it always depends on the particular item you’re wrapping, but for a square/rectangular shaped present, there are a few guidelines you can follow to make it easier to handle:

• When the paper is laid out with the present, leave an extra inch or so of overlap to make sure there will be enough paper to wrap round.
• For gifts that aren’t rectangular, find a suitable box to make wrapping easier and keep the recipient guessing!
• If perfection is your aim, go for paper that comes rolled rather than flat, as it will have fewer creases in it which might show up on the wrapped present.
• Transparent sticky tape is better for a cleaner look on the end product.

Protecting items

For non-standard gifts it’s easy to forget about keeping the item safe, especially if sending in the mail. You don’t want to damage your Christmas gift in transit, or the beautiful wrapping job you did either! Delicate items should be completely wrapped in bubble wrap for transit. For heavy packages, it’s worth investing in high-grade cardboard boxes that won’t rip when carried, can withstand being stacked on top of, and also where appropriate can hold-up against moisture, keeping gifts safe. For perishable goods like food or plants, it’s important to keep them at the correct temperature, and avoid transit/delivery if possible, unless relevant arrangements have been made.

Other ways to present your gifts to others…

Aside from putting in a box and wrapping up, there are many other ways to present gifts for loved ones at Christmas. One way is in a hamper or basket, which is especially suitable for large amounts of smaller items, such as a basket of grooming products like bath salts and shampoos, or the more popular option of a food hamper which traditionally contain a variety of jams, meat, spreads and general condiments around Christmas time. There is also the option to encase a present in visibly recycled material for more environmentally conscious friends and family, the likes of which can nowadays be bought from most card shops. Of course there’s always the handy gift bag quick wrap method. Gift bags are inexpensive, come in all kinds of cute Christmas designs and patterns. There’s an array of sizes to choose from sure to fit any gift… stuffed with a little colored tissue paper to hide the gift makes a beautiful presentation you’ll be proud to give!

This year’s tree is a 74-foot Norway Spruce that was cut down in Mifflinville, Pa., a rural town in the state’s northeastern region, and then moved to Manhattan on a flatbed trailer. The tree, which is approximately 75 years old, was first spotted by the Rockefeller Center team during a routine drive down Interstate-80 in early November. Rockefeller Center’s head gardener said that he saw the tree out of the corner of his eye from the driver’s seat.

For years Debra Keller would take her granddaughters to New York City to take in the holiday sights. But, this year when they visit Rockefeller Center, it will definitely be magical to see be their own tree! “To be honest it won’t be sad to see the tree go,” said Keller, 56, in a statement. “We just feel honored that the tree was chosen and will be enjoyed by so many people when it’s sitting in the middle of Rockefeller Center.”

Since it’s been in place at Rockefeller Center, workers have been busy decorating the huge evergreeen with 30,000 environmentally friendly LED lights using nearly five miles of wire to cover the tree limbs. Then topped off with a Swarovski crystal star, adorned with 25,000 crystals and one million facets.
Tourists present while the tree was being lifted into place Friday Nov. 11, said seeing the giant tree in person was “cool,” and said that it was bigger than they had imagined.

The lighting ceremony scheduled for tonight, the tree will remain lit until Friday Jan. 7. After that, the tree will be milled into lumber for Habitat for Humanity.

So here’s a Youth Christmas Planning Checklist…

Form a Christmas Party planning committee

• Who needs to be involved in the planning for the Christmas Party? (i.e. parents, youth workers, youth, pastoral staff, others?)
• What are the roles in the planning and preparation for the Christmas Party and who will be responsible for each role?

Coordinate your Youth Christmas Party with the church as a whole

• How will the Christmas Party fit into the over all schedule of Church activities? Does it complement the Church Christmas theme or focus?
• Will there be duplication? Should some parts of the Christmas party be jointly organised?
• Will there be conflicts of manpower and facilities?
• Is your planned date for the Christmas Party on the overall church calendar?
• Who will you need to coordinate with? Will it be part of the overall church Christmas plan or separate?

Decide the Christmas Activities Schedule

• List the individual activities that will be part of your Youth Christmas program.
• What are the times and dates of each event?
• What is the venue or location for each event?
• How will the Christmas Party fit into the schedule?

Decide your Goal for the Christmas Party

• Purpose: What is the purpose for the Christmas party? Is it evangelistic? In appreciation? A simple celebration? To reach out to the community? To help the needy?
• Target group: Who is the target group for the Christmas Party? Who do you want to attend the Christmas Party? (age group, Christians / seekers, friends of youth, parents, youth workers, community, etc.)
• Brief Description: Write a clear description of the Christmas Party and its goals.
• Theme: What is the theme for the Christmas Party?

Plan the Details for the Christmas Party

• What is the official name of for the Christmas Party? Does the name clearly communicate the purpose and content?
• You should have already written down the date and time and venue for the Party. In addition you will want to add directions to the venue? Is there a map available? About how long will it take travel there? Is it difficult to find?

Tentative Christmas Party Program

• What activities will fill the time during the Christmas Party? OVER PLAN and have ALTERNATIVES. (e.g. Icebreakers, gift exchange, Bible study, Movies, Large Group Games, etc.) If you are using another venue, doing an on site inspection in advance will help you better prepare for Christmas games and activities. If there is a gift exchange, how will the exchange be coordinated?

Christmas Party Finances

• What’s the expected actual cost?
• What is the budget for the Youth Christmas Party?
• What is the cost to participants?
• If there is a Christmas gift exchange, what is the price range for the participant’s gifts?
• Are there sponsors / sources of supplies or food for the Christmas Party? Will parents or church members make contributions of Christmas goodies and food?
• Are there scholarships available?
• Does the cost change for early or late sign-ups?
• When is payment for the Christmas Party due?

Christmas Party Arrangements

• Reservation of Venue?
• Recruit Adult chaperones / volunteers for the Christmas Party – A good rule of thumb is to have one chaperon (parent/youth pastor/leader) for every eight youth that attend. (Some groups may require more or less supervision)
• Are there to be Special speakers / special items or programs utilizing outside people?
• Someone trained in first aid or medicine on site in case of an injury.
• What food will be available at the Christmas party? Meals and snacks should be designed to meet the needs of all attendees. Are there any special dietary requirements or restrictions?
• Are there any transportation requirements?
• Contact information for those responsible for major roles and duties?
• Address and contact of nearest medical emergency aid?
• What Rules will be enforced?
• Create an ‘Incident Report’ form for any injuries, accidents or security breaches that occur during the Christmas Party?

Christmas Events Publicity

• Promotional fliers
• Church Bulletin
• Church / youth Calendar or events
• Invitations – Your invitations should state the starting and ending time of your Christmas party and should mention the food you will be serving. And don’t forget to include directions to get to the venue, expecially for first timers. You also will want to include any cost and indicate whether or not participants should bring a gift for a gift exchange and costing for such gifts.
• Sign-up form / Permission slips
• Postcards to invite friends
• Posters / Bulletin Boards
• Website / emails
• Local newspaper

Equipment and resources needed for the Christmas Party

• Are the tables and chairs available at the venue sufficient for participants and the food?
• Sound system? Upbeat Christmas Music?
• Special lighting?
• Special equipment?
• Materials and resources for games?
• Parking space? Drop off and pick-up point for parents?
• Requisition forms for supplies, Checkout / return out form for any equipment or supplies that are borrowed?

Handling emergencies

• Any time you get a group of youth together there is a possibility of accidents. They will happen. So be prepared for them.
• Christmas Party Attendee list – Name, contact number for parents, and permission slips if you are leaving the church premises. Keep the contact information together in a folder and available at all times in case of an emergency. Make a master copy and a standby copy.
• Sponsor list
• Emergency contacts
• Fire, medical, and police department numbers
• What is the name, address and phone number of the nearest hospital or urgent care facility? (This information should be included on your health form/parent release.). What is the most direct route from the venue?
• What are the venue management contacts?
• Prepare a Parent’s contact list.
• Prepare a Volunteer list with assigned roles and contact numbers?
• What transportation arrangements are required. Contact numbers?

Christmas Party Volunteer Training

• Screen Volunteers
• Meet with volunteers as a group before party.
• List responsibilities and contact numbers for each volunteer including a ‘Chain of Command’ – who reports to whom, who makes final decisions?
• Make sure volunteers are clear on the rules.
• Familiarize volunteers with the layout of the venue – especially exits, potential problem areas or hazards.
• Assign people in your team to be responsible for cleaning up any spills/ broken glass as soon as it happens?
• Trouble shoot with volunteers. What things could happen during the party and how should the volunteers respond?
• Have people and vehicles on standby to travel with youth in case of emergency.
• Instruct volunteers in how to complete the ‘Incident Report’ form for any injuries, accidents or security breaches that occur during the Christmas Party and what information is needed. They need to get signatures of any eyewitnesses.
• Go through the entire Party schedule. What resources are needed for each item on the schedule and who is responsible to make sure they are ready?
• Volunteers must be flexible and ready to help out as needed.

The Day of the Christmas Party

• Set up the decorations according to your theme.
• Set up for games / activities
• Test the sound system and Christmas music
• Delivery and storage of food and supplies
• Identify key volunteers to participants, especially the medical person.
• Are floor surfaces clear of trip hazards and electrical cords?
• Are all security, staff and volunteers easily identified with either a uniform, t-shirt, ID badge or cap?
• Are Emergency/Fire exits clear of any obstructions and will they have adults monitoring them?
• Are there first-aid supplies, fire extinguishers? If so, where are they located?
• If you are going to have a gift exchange, have quite a few backups for those that forget or unexpected gifts. Try to insure that everyone gets a gift.
• Be sure to have someone take photos and video of the event. They make great Christmas Party souvenirs.
• Clean up – It’s important to leave the hall or building in the same shape as you found it.
• Involve everyone in this process.

After the Christmas Party

• Return rental or borrowed items
• Thank everyone who made the Christmas Party possible
• Meet with the Christmas Party planning committee and evaluate. Ask: What worked well? What could we have done differently? What did we learn from this process?
• Review any incident reports completed and see what steps can be taken to prevent similar incidents happening at future youth events.
• Complete and file a written event summary including any resources and suggestions for future planning of Christmas Parties.
• Send “thank you” cards to everyone who help in any way

This document is a guide only. It contains general information and is not intended to represent a comprehensive checklist. Have suggestions to add? Any words of wisdom? Please click on the comments link below and share with us your wisdom and experience in regards to organizing Christmas Parties for your youth!

Youth Christmas Party Planning Checklist By Ken Sapp

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Sapp

Ken has been actively involved in youth ministry for almost 20 years and has been writing youth materials since 1988. He has written for numerous Youth weekends and summer camps around the world. He also does training workshops for youth leaders and teachers in Asia and is recommended by others for his creativity and for his passion in mentoring youth. A great resource for planning your Christmas Party is the Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection found at http://www.CreativeChristmasIdeas.com

Yule is the Pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice.

What is the Winter Solstice?

“Solstice” is a Latin word that means “sun-standing-still”. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year.

Why is it significant?

To our ancestors, living in a largely agrarian society, the Winter Solstice marked the beginning of the end of Winter. Winter was a time of cold, of hunger and privation, a time when darkness came early and seemed to last longer and longer every night. The Sun, the source of life, appeared weaker every day. Would a time come, they must have wondered, when it would simply go out like a burnt-out candle?

From this fear came all manner of customs, rituals and ceremonies, from virtually every culture – all devoted to one end: to strengthen and ultimately draw back the Sun, lest the world perish in cold and darkness.

There’s been an email making rounds telling folks that they can send Christmas cards addressed to “A Recovering American soldier” care of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. While this might seem like a good way to show support for wounded soldiers, the information in the message is incorrect. If someone forwards this email to you, don’t forward it because cards sent to “A Recovering American soldier” or similar will not be accepted by Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In fact, the original Walter Reed Army Medical Center closed down in August 2011.

However, you can still support our troops by sending Christmas cards to service members via the “Holiday Mail for Heroes” campaign operated by the American Red Cross.

Please send a Christmas card or mail to:

Holiday Mail For Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

According to the American Red Cross website this is the fifth year that the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes have partnered to ensure all Americans have an opportunity to send a touch of home this Christmas to members of our US military, veterans and their families, many of whom will be far away from home this holiday season.

So when doing your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to the address. Just think of how many cards these wonderful special people who have sacrificed so much would get, if everyone sent just one card!

What you need:

Felt – assorted colors
Glue
Scissors
Googley eyes
Pen or marker
Template

Download our template and print it at 100% on card stock, then cut out. With a pen, trace ears and body onto felt, then them cut out. Cut inner ears and a dot for a nose from felt in a contrasting color. You can cut dots for eyes from black felt if you want, but I used google eyes.

Glue the face and inner ears in place. Make slits in body for ears and candy-cane tail where marked; to make cutting easier, fold felt across center of slits, and snip. Slip ears through slits at front; then slide wrapped candy cane through body slits, tucking the end underneath the ear piece at the back.

We dressed these little cuties up with some hair accessories!

What you need:

Green Candy Canes
Grinch Poem Tag
Curling ribbon
Hole Puncher
Scissors

Print out the Grinch tags on card stock and cut them out. Punch a hole near the upper left corner of each one. Cut curling ribbon into 10 or so inch lengths. Thread the curling ribbon through the hole in tie to the bend of the candy cane. Then use the scissors to curl the ribbon by dragging the edge of the blades along the ribbon really fast.

If you’re going to make your own tags to attach to the candy canes use the following poem. Simply attach the poem to the green candy cane with the curling ribbon.

When the Grinch discovered
There was no way,
To Keep Christmas from coming
On Christmas day,
He devised a new plan…

Though not quite as mean.
He licked all the candy canes,
‘Til he turned them all green.

Our Grinchy tags are formatted to fit Avery business cards, use template #5371.

Jo-Ann recognizes that many families have long-standing traditions of creating handmade crafts and gifts for the holidays. This sense of camaraderie that brings friends and family together during this time of year helps makes Christmas more special, memorable and meaningful.

“Christmas is a very busy time of year for our customers. They’re knitting scarves, making Christmas cards, sewing stockings and creating gifts for friends, family, co-workers and charities,” said Barbara Shears, director of consumer insights for Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores. “The personal and handmade elements that are added to each celebration make Christmas more enjoyable for everyone.”

This year’s collection of keepsakes, gifts and crafts includes items to make and display every Christmas. Pillows decorated with Jo-Ann exclusive holly designs, a tree skirt embellished with fleece and felt poinsettias, and an elegant candlewick-embroidered table runner are among the home decor ideas to treasure each holiday season. A designer-inspired red and white scarf, holiday-themed dog accessories and beautifully decorated snowflake cookies are among the crafts that are a joy to make and give.

“The warmth and coziness of our new Christmas projects should inspire people to create handmade items for the holidays,” said Shears. “And with all the sewing, crafting and idea-sharing that will be going on, hopefully new holiday traditions will be made, too.”

For more products, projects and inspiration, visit your local Jo-Ann store or log onto Joann.com.

“Although we’ve just said goodbye to summer, the holiday season is right around the corner and many of our local retailers are already displaying Christmas trees and holiday decorations. As we begin planning for the Christmas holidays, we want to remind people of the fire dangers of improperly displaying and caring for their Christmas trees and other holiday decorations,” said Jami Warner, Executive Director of the American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA).

No one wants to spoil the festive environment of the winter holiday season, but Christmas trees in homes present hidden dangers that homeowners may not consider. A primary concern with a Christmas tree is fire danger, often brought on by the combination of electrical malfunctions and, in the case of a real tree, a drying tree.

According to a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) report, U.S. fire departments responded to more than 200 home structure fires annually from 2002 to 2005 that began with Christmas trees. Each year fires occurring during the holiday season injure 2,600 individuals and cause over $930 million in damage, according to the United States Fire Administration.

Electrical failures or malfunctions were involved in nearly half of the fires, while nearly a quarter occurred because a heat source was located too close to the tree. Decorative lights with live voltage were involved in more than 20 percent of the instances.

Electrical malfunctions can also ignite artificial trees and homeowners should take the same precautions in terms of tree placement and decorations as they would with a real tree.

Additionally, in the same three-year period, an annual average of 90 outside and other non-structure fires on home properties occurred because of Christmas trees stored on the property, the report indicates. Two-thirds of these fires occurred in January, with 64 percent of them being set intentionally. This suggests that discarded Christmas trees may be an attractive target for arsonists.

According to the NFPA even a well-watered tree should be taken down after four weeks. If you decorated your real tree right after Thanksgiving, it should be discarded the week after Christmas, not New Year’s Day.

While styles from the 1950s inspired the ornaments depicted in the stamp art, sincere wishes for happy holidays never go out of fashion. These stamps offer a fashionably “retro” way to enhance the season’s greetings.

Evergreen trees and branches have been used as winter holiday decorations for hundreds of years. Trees were trimmed with fruit — apples were a popular choice — and nuts, candies, or paper. Glass ornaments first appeared in the late 19th century, in Germany, and their use quickly spread to other countries.

William J. Gicker art directed these stamps using illustrations by Linda Fountain. Drawing on styles popular during the 1950s, she first sketched the ornaments then rendered them using cut paper. These renderings were scanned and turned into digital files. The actual objects are slightly larger than a sheet of typing paper.

These stamps are being issued in books of 20 self-adhesive Forever stamps, with five of each different design. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.

Made in the USA. Get them at your local post office starting October 13th, or you can pre-order at USPS.com Find them here

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is an annual Christmas tree lighting that takes place in New York City’s Rockefeller Center, in mid-town Manhattan. The tree is erected and lit in early December or late-November. In recent years, the lighting has been broadcast live nationwide on NBC’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center show. The tree, usually a Norway spruce 69 to 100 ft (21 to 30 m) tall, has been put up, with the exception of 1932, every year since 1931. In 2010, the tree was lit on November 30, and is scheduled to remain illuminated until the first week of January, 2011. The tallest Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center was a 100 ft (30 m) foot spruce erected in 1999.

Many Rockefeller trees were given to Rockefeller Center by donors. The late David Murbach, Mgr. of the Gardens Division of Rockefeller Center, scouted in a helicopter for the desired tree in areas including Connecticut, Vermont, Ohio, upstate New York, New Jersey, and even Ottawa, Canada. Once a suitable tree is located, a crane supports it while it is cut, and moves it to a custom telescoping trailer that can transport trees up to 125 ft (38 m) tall, although the width of New York City streets passing through Rockefeller Center limits the height of the trees to 110 ft (34 m).

Once at the Rockefeller Center, the tree is supported by four guy-wires attached at its midpoint, and by a steel spike at its base. Scaffolding is put up around the tree to assist workers in putting up 30,000 lights attached to 5 miles (8.0 km) of wiring.

The star that has topped the tree since 2004 is 9.5 ft (2.9 m) in diameter and weighs 550 pounds (250 kg). This “Swarovski Star” was created by German artist Michael Hammers, who in 2009 additionally designed his own star lighting production.

Although the official Christmas tree tradition at Rockefeller Center began in 1933 (the year the 30 Rockefeller Plaza opened), the unofficial tradition began during the Depression-era construction of Rockefeller Center, when workers decorated a smaller 20 ft (6.1 m) balsam fir tree with “strings of cranberries, garlands of paper, and even a few tin cans” on Christmas Eve (December 24, 1931), as recounted by Daniel Okrent in his history of Rockefeller Center. Some accounts have the tree decorated with the tin foil ends of blasting caps. There was no Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in 1932.

The decorated Christmas tree remains lit at Rockefeller Center until the week after New Year’s Day, when it is removed and recycled for a variety of uses. In 2007, the tree went “green,” employing LED lights. After being taken down, the tree was used to furnish lumber for Habitat for Humanity house construction.

“Customers will be delighted by the gifts and bargains they’ll find in Dollar General’s aisles and online this season,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s chief merchandising officer. “We know times are tight for everyone, and we’ve worked hard to keep costs low while bringing our customers what they want and need for a festive holiday. The deals we have in store will help everyone have a bright holiday on a budget.”

Dollar General has expanded many departments for the holidays. Shoppers will enjoy the variety of holiday-themed items in home decor, gift wrap, baking, toys and much more.

Dress up your home

Get your home in the holiday spirit with accessories and holiday accents. Light up your home with strands of twinkling lights in white or a variety of colors. Set a holiday-themed table with decorative place mats, napkins, table cloths and table top accessories starting at just $1. Put a little holiday fun in your home with decor featuring gingerbread men, Santa, snowmen or other holiday themes. Welcome guests with a wreath on the door or create a magical holiday world outside with large inflatable characters such as Santa, Mickey Mouse and more.

Decorate with $1 Ornaments

Dollar General has a large selection of ornaments for only $1. Choose from an array of styles including traditional, whimsical, sentimental, vocational and much more. Not only can these be used to decorate your tree, but also to accent a gift or put the finishing touches on your holiday place settings.

Make them smile with toys

Make the kids in your life happy with affordable toys. Find bargains at Dollar General on all their favorite licensed toys including Bratz, Hot Wheels, Barbie, Pillow Pets, Cars 2 and Toy Story 3. Dollar General also offers games, puzzles, plush toys, dolls, trucks, stocking stuffers and much more. Budget-friendly toys are easy to find at Dollar General with more than 300 toys priced at $5 or less.

Learn more about Dollar General’s holiday assortment at www.dollargeneral.com.

I found a package of orange tissue paper at Walmart for only 97 cents, and a package of 3 battery operated votive candles that flicker for $1.00 at my local Dollar Tree. So I spent only $2.11 total to make 3 mini’s. I always have foam brushes and my own jar of decoupage on hand. If you don’t, it’s easy… just mix 3 parts glue to 1 part water, store in a air tight wide mouth jar. For me that’s yet another recycled candle jar… my craft room is stocked with them.

The first thing to do is measure the length from just under the lip of your jar, around to the middle of the bottom. For the candle jars I used, that was about 3 inches. Cut about 12 strips of tissue paper 1 inch wide by the length of your jar. I didn’t measure mine to exact 1 inch width strips, I just eyeballed it.

After the first strip of tissue paper, I stuck my fingers in it and held it upside down and starting laying the strips — start just under the lip. Brush on a layer of glue, lay on a strip of tissue paper and smooth it out, wrap it around the bottom. Brush a layer of glue over top of it and start layering them around, letting them overlap a little.

And now turn it over to dry. I really slathered mine good with the glue and I didn’t worry to much about there being a few wrinkles.

After my jar dried, I cut out my pumpkin’s eyes and happy grin from black construction paper and glued it on with my glue mixture. I covered the whole thing in one last layer of glue and set it upside down to dry again.

Once it’s dry, just place your votive in, turn off the lights and watch it flicker! HOW CUTE!!

The hardest part of this craft was the waiting for glue to dry! This was the first time I’ve used the battery operated votives, and I absolutely love the look of them. They look like a real flickering candle… and you don’t have to worry about burning the house down. At 3 for a dollar, I will be stocking up.

Christmas crackers, cookies, and some simple foods will make feeding your guests quite simple. For your Christmas meals, consider either hiring a caterer or purchasing already prepared foods at the grocery store or local restaurant. This way you won’t have to focus on menu planning or cooking, plus there will be plenty of food for everyone to eat. If you really want to have homemade food at your Christmas celebration, you may want to have some friends or family members come over and help you prepare the food and make a tradition out of that as well. Most people love potlucks, so you’ll find that most of your guests will be quite receptive to this idea.

If you are focused on meal planning and decorating, it might be hard to find the time to also clean the house. A great time and stress saver is to hire your kids or a cleaning service to help get the house in order quickly. Hiring someone to help for a few hours can really make Christmas party planning much less work and less stressful. Making a party planning checklist can be a real time saver and will also help keep everything organized. Each day, do a couple items on your list so by the time your Christmas party rolls around, a lot of the basic details will be completed.

Ideas for Christmas centerpieces as well as other holiday decorations are abundant both online and in craft stores. If time is limited, check your local grocery store or florist for holiday plants or centerpieces made from live plants to decorate your home. Just hanging strands of garland on your door frames is a simple and inexpensive way to make your home look great for your Christmas parties, so don’t think you have to spend a ton of money to make your home look great.

Holiday party planning should be a lot of fun, so don’t let yourself get stressed out as you begin to plan your Christmas party. Sharing the holidays with friend and family can be stressful if we worry about getting every single detail perfect. A Christmas is really about enjoying everyone’s company and the magic and miracles of the season. Many of the best Christmas parties are the result of not only great organization, but a hostess who used creativity to stay within a budget and invited others to share in preparing for the party. Christmas is about bringing family and friends together to have fun, not to stress you out! Enjoy the time spent with those close to you and have a great time at your Christmas party.

Walmart announced the news to its nearly 9 million Facebook fans, many whom have expressed their desire for Walmart’s layaway service. Customers have indicated that they are most interested in layaway for toys and electronics, and that during the holidays is when they need layaway the most.

“We’re always looking for ways to ease budget strain for our customers, and we know this holiday season in particular brings with it additional financial pressure,” said Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising officer, Walmart. “Our layaway program for Christmas, along with our every day low prices and great variety of gifts, will provide a worry-free way for our customers to fulfill their families’ Christmas wish lists.”

Walmart’s Christmas layaway program will enable customers to make payments when they want and for how much they want on the hottest Christmas gifts. Toy and electronic gifts with a retail price of $15 or more will be eligible*, including dozens of toys on Rollback to $15 starting Sept. 12, such as Leapfrog Scribble and Write, Disney Princess Toddler Dolls, Transformers 3 Mechtech and select Lego playsets. Other great gifts at an every day low price included in the Christmas layaway program are bicycles, HDTVs, and video games.

“Our customers told us they want a hassle-free layaway option during the holiday season,” said Mac Naughton. “With our Christmas layaway program, they can focus on what’s important to them during the Christmas season instead of stressing over mandated payments or how to tuck money away for gifts.”

Layaway payments can be made at any register. Putting an item on layaway and picking up layaway orders is done at the Walmart.com counter in the majority of stores. Pick up hours are 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. local time. Layaway orders and pick up will not be accepted on the day after Thanksgiving.

For more information on Walmart’s holiday layaway program, please visit www.walmart.com/Layaway.

* In order to participate, each item must have a price of $15 or more, customers must have a total minimum layaway purchase of $50, make a 10% down payment on the total purchase, and pay a one-time non-refundable $5 service fee. Items put on layaway must be paid in full and picked up on or before Dec. 16. There is a $10 cancellation fee for any orders not picked up by that date or cancelled by the customer. Cancellation fees and service fees may vary by state. Contract wireless phones are not eligible for the layaway program.

With more than 100,000 American men and women deployed overseas this holiday season, families across the nation are facing the challenge of preparing for the holidays without their loved one. For all that those deployed do for our country; Christmas Decor is giving a little back to the families of these brave men and women.

Christmas Decor, the nation’s leading professional holiday and event decorating franchise, began the Decorated Family Program in 2005 after a franchisee attended a holiday dinner party and began to consider all of the men and women overseas who will not be able to celebrate with those they love. The program, now in its sixth season, was created to thank our country’s soldiers for their dedication and support by decorating their family’s homes.

Each holiday, hundreds of Christmas Decor franchisees nationwide participate in this event by donating their products, resources and time to decorate the homes of military families as part of the Decorated Family Program.

“It is so rewarding to see how much happiness our decorations bring to these families. For all of the sacrifices their loved ones make for us to have a happy and safe holiday, they are so deserving of some extra holiday cheer,” said Blake Smith, President of Christmas Decor.

People can nominate deserving military families in their community by filling out the nomination form available on the Christmas Decor fan page on Facebook ( http://facebook.com/christmasdecor ). When the form is completed and submitted, it is automatically sent to Christmas Decor Corporate via decoratedfamily@thedecorgroup.com. This form allows people to explain why the family should become a “Christmas Decor Decorated Family.” Winners are awarded based on their location (to ensure there is a local franchise to provide the award) and the impact of their story on the judges. People can also post their Decorated Family stories on the Christmas Decor fan page on Facebook to enter a contest to receive a special prize. The lucky winning family will be the one with the most “like” votes on the Facebook page.

“It kind of brought the holidays here because before it was going to be a low-key Christmas,” said Kim Chapman of Phenix City, Ga., wife of deployed Serg. C.J. Chapman, a mechanic for the U.S. Army. “Military, they go, they do their thing. Sometimes they feel forgotten. This made C.J. feel so special. It was a great way to say ‘Thank you.’”

“It was probably one of the best Christmas presents I’ve ever had. It’s pretty much like a dream come true,” said Kim’s husband, Serg. C.J. Chapman, who was able to see his home decorated briefly upon his arrival home after a tour overseas before having to return to Fort Worth, Ga. for reintegration classes.

The gratification is often two-fold. Auburn-based Christmas Decor franchisee Barry Jowers expressed his thoughts on decorating the Chapman’s home for the holidays, saying, “It’s really humbling to see how appreciative someone can be like that. I got a lot of out of it. Just seeing how happy she (Kim Chapman) was, it makes me tear up.”

With nearly 300 locations, Christmas Decor, Inc. is now the largest professional holiday and event decorating franchise. The company offers a complete decorating service program including display design, installation, maintenance, and removal of holiday lighting and decorations. Now the franchise is in the enviable position of being able to give back to communities.

“These service members and their families are real life heroes,” said Smith. “We want to show our gratitude for all that they do for our country.”

The company is seeking to attract hundreds of nominations that result in decorating at least 200 homes for the 2010 holiday season. The deadline for nominations is November 11th, 2011. For more information about the Decorated Family Program please visit the company’s website, www.christmasdecor.net .

About Christmas Decor Since its inception in 1986, Christmas Decor has risen to become the premier holiday lighting and decorating company in North America. The Texas-based company was founded by Blake Smith as an off-season supplement to his landscape business and as a method to provide year-round work for employees. Christmas Decor quickly emerged as a viable business opportunity and today, operates in more than 350 markets in 48 states and Canada. Plans are underway to open locations in more than 100 new markets through franchise expansion in select communities around the country. Christmas Decor is highly revered in its field and has received consistent recognition for its efforts; some highlights include having been named one of a Top Ten Home Improvement Franchises for 2008 by Entrepreneur Magazine and AOL Small Business. Christmas Decor’s parent company, The Decor Group, also offers the Nite Time Decor franchise opportunity, a growing 30-unit concept specializing in architectural and landscape lighting services. For more information, visit www.christmasdecor.net .

SOURCE: Christmas Décor, Inc.

According to the American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA), the trend this season will find consumers choosing different sizes, shapes and colors of Christmas trees, both traditional and non-traditional, as more than a place to put the Christmas gifts. “We’re finding that the many Christmas tree options available to consumers today are being utilized more and more as holiday decorative accents, such as wreaths, swags and garlands,” said Jami Warner, Executive Director of the American Christmas Tree Association.

“The two-plus tree household is evidence that the family Christmas tree has evolved into a design feature, both indoor and out, rather than the main traditional decoration during the holiday season,” said Warner.

“Because Christmas trees are available in so many different styles that can fit into any space and any budget, there’s really no obstacle to buying a different Christmas tree for every room in the house, as well as the front and back yards,” said Warner.

Leading retailers have reported their customers are tending to buy more than one tree, with their research suggesting that the second, smaller one is being bought for children’s bedrooms, giving parents and their children an opportunity to express themselves during the holidays with their own style.

“Last season we also saw an increase in the number of consumers who bought one kind of Christmas tree for use in their home, and a second tree that made it easier to transport and use at their holiday destination,” Warner added.

About The American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA):The American Christmas Tree Association is a non-profit organization that seeks to provide consumers with factual data to help make intelligent decisions about Christmas trees and the Christmas tree industry.

For families, I suggest a Christmas movie theme gift basket. Pick 2 or 3 family friendly Christmas DVD’s or Blu Ray such as National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, The Santa Claus, or maybe some classic Christmas TV specials like the Grinch, or Rudolph for families with smaller children. Add in some microwave popcorn, boxes of movie theatre candy like Milk Duds, or Junior Mints and 3D glasses if needed. It really depends on the size of the basket how much you can stuff in there!

For a couple or neighbor, the classic ‘country picnic’ basket comes to mind. A bottle of wine, a pair of wine glasses, then tuck in some gourmet cheeses and a variety of whole wheat or other multi grain crackers.

For the Christmas-aholic… you know, that guy who listens to Christmas music year round, and quotes Buddy the Elf, I have a perfect basket for them! Fill it wth a can of Borden’s canned Eggnog since there’s no refrigeration needed until after it’s opened, a pair of Moose mugs or a Christmassy coffee mug, a fruitcake, a can or bottle of Coke with the Coke Santa on it, a Hallmark ornament, Christmas DVD, Perry Como or other classic Christmas CD, some candy canes, and other stocking stuffer type items.

You can get all different sizes of baskets in department stores, big craft stores, and even dollar stores have a nice selection of baskets at times. I also like picking up unique baskets at yard sales and thrift stores through out the year. You can spray paint them solid Christmassy colors then use craft paint and foam stamps in Christmas shapes to decorate the outside of the basket. I run leftover Christmas wrapping paper through the paper shredder and use that in the bottom of the basket for padding, like Easter basket grass.

A few more ideas for Christmas Gift Baskets

Christmas gift basket for chocolate lovers: add gourmet chocolate bars, boxed chocolates, chocolate syrups for ice cream or chocolate flavorings for coffee, chocolate flavored novelty items like lip balm or hand creme.

Christmas gift basket for coffee lovers. add fresh gourmet coffee, specialty flavored creamer or syrups, coffee cakes or tea cookies, chocolate melting spoons and of course a Christmas coffee mug of some sort.

Another great idea for Christmas Gift Basket is Italian gift Basket. The Italian gift basket includes gourmet or homemade pasta sauce, gourmet pasta, fresh mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, garlic bread and olive oil.

For the guy who really loves his car: steering wheel cover, little tree shaped air fresheners, car wax, Armour All wipes and a can of tire shine, a microfiber chamois or washing mit, and maybe some fuzzy dice for a laugh.

Use your imagination and go crazy! Everyone loves a thoughtful gift basket!

Ingredients:

8 – 12 crushed up candy canes
White chocolate chips or 1 package Almond bark

Melt choclate or almond bark in double boiler, fold in Crushed candy spread out on cookie sheet. Freeze for one hour or until set, break into pieces. I save the smaller crumbs from the candy canes and sprinkle them over the candy while it’s still cooling off. Press it in lightly.

What you need:

Gum drops
Plastic baggie
Gift tag

Place gum drops in a baggie and attach this poem

Heard you’ve been naughty!
So here’s the scoop
All YOU get is
Gingerbread Man Poop!

Here’s an alternate poem you can use.

Run!! Run!! as fast as you can,
You can’t catch me,
I’m the Gingerbread Man!

So I chased him all over,
up and down, all around town.
While he was running,
all I kept seeing was brown.
I never did catch him,
but I’ll give you the scoop.
That brown I saw?
That was his gingerbread man poop!

This is one of those beliefs that is so widespread that a survey of florists found that most of them believed it to be true. That’s because it has been the conventional understanding about poinsettias for many years. The consensus of government agencies, health centers, veterinary groups, and plant and flower organizations that we’ve surveyed, however, is that poinsettias are not toxic and do not pose a health threat to children or pets.

The belief in poinsettia poison appears to extend back to 1919 when the two-year-old child of a U.S. Army officer died. It was believed that the death was caused by the child ingesting poinsettia leaves. The American Society of Florists has looked into the matter extensively and says there was never any proof that poinsettia leaves were responsible for the child’s death and the report was later determined to be hearsay.

The America Society of Florists joined with researchers at Ohio State University to test various parts of the poinsettia plant on rats. Their conclusion was that there was no toxicity or any other side effects even when the rats were given large doses.

POISENDEX is the source of poison information for the majority of poison control centers. It says that a 50-pound child would have to eat more than a pound-and-a-quarter of poinsettia leaves to exceed the doses used in the Ohio State research, which would be 500 to 600 leaves.

The American Society of Florists says no other consumer plant has been tested for toxicity more than the poinsettia.

The ASPCA Animal Poison Center in Urbana, Illinois says it regards poinsettias as having such low toxicity risk that it doesn’t even recommend decontaminating animals that may have ingested them. The center says that there can sometimes be gastrointestinal distress from having ingested something alien to the digestive system.

The American Veterinary Medicine Association of America (AVMA), doesn’t include poinsettias on its list of plants that are a threat to animals.

Because of the belief that poinsettias are toxic, there are numerous visits to hospitals each year by concerned parents or pet owners whose children or pet have ingested or in some other way been exposed to poinsettias.

A study released in 2000 by Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University found that out of nearly 23,000 poinsettia exposures reported to poison control centers nationwide, there was essentially no toxicity of significance of any kind.

How to Choose your Poinsettia

Choose a plant with dark green foliage down to the soil line.
Choose bracts (modified leaves) that are completely colored.
Do not purchase poinsettias with a lot of green around the bract edges.
Do not choose plants with fallen or yellowed leaves.
The poinsettia should look full, balanced and attractive from all sides.
The plant should be 2 1/2 times taller than the diameter of the container.
Choose plants that are not drooping or wilting.
Do not purchase plants that are displayed in paper or plastic sleeves.
Plants held in sleeves will deteriorate quickly.
Do not purchase plants that have been displayed or crowded close together.
Crowding can cause premature bract loss.
Check the plant’s soil. If it’s wet and the plant is wilted, this could be an indication of root rot. Check the poinsettia’s maturity.
Check the true flowers which are located at the base of the colored bracts.
If the flowers are green or red-tipped and fresh looking the bloom will “hold” longer than if yellow pollen is covering the flowers.
When you take the poinsettia home, be sure to have it sleeved or covered when outdoor temperatures are below 50�F.

How to Care for your Poinsettia

After you have made your poinsettia selection, make sure it is wrapped properly because exposure to low temperatures even for a few minutes can damage the bracts and leaves. Unwrap your poinsettia carefully and place in a sunny window. Keep the plant from touching cold windows. Keep poinsettias away from warm or cold drafts from radiators, air registers or open doors and windows. Ideally poinsettias require daytime temperatures of 60 to 70�F and night time temperatures around 55�F. High temperatures will shorten the plant’s life. Move the plant to a cooler room at night, if possible. Check the soil daily. Be sure to punch holes in foil so water can drain into a saucer. Water when soil is dry. Allow water to drain into the saucer and discard excess water.
Fertilize the poinsettia if you keep it past the holiday season.

Submitted by: Julie Vernell

You put your antlers in,
You put your antlers out.

You put your antlers in,
And you shake them all about.

You do the reindeer pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That’s what it’s all about!

You put your right hoof (hand) in
You put your left hoof (hand) in
You put your hind legs in
You put your tail in

Alt version:

You put your red nose in,
You put your red nose out,

You put your red nose in,
And you shake it all about.

You do the Rudolph pokey,
And you turn yourself around.
That’s what it’s all about!

1/2 gallon Rainbow sherbet.
2- liter 7-up
2- liter of Hawaiian punch

Mix it all together in a punch bowl.

Graham cracker crust should cover bottom & 1 ½ inches up sides of springform pan. Bake in 50º oven 10 minutes. Drain pineapple well, pressing out juice with back of spoon. Reserve ¾ C. juice. Cover pineapple & refrigerate. Combine juice with pumpkin, sugar, eggs, spices, & gelatin in medium saucepan. Cover & simmer gently 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Beat cream cheese & vanilla until fluffy. Gradually beat in warm pumpkin mixture until well blended. Pour into prepared springform pan. Cover, refrigerate overnight. Remove sides from pan. Place cheesecake on serving plate. Fold pineapple & marshmallows into whipped cream. Spoon on top of cheesecake.

Makes 8 servings.

2 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 1/4 cup sugar
3 cups butter, softened
3 large eggs
6 3/4 cup flour
3 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups toffee chips
2 cups mini M&Ms

Preheat oven to 375. Cream sugars and butter. Add eggs and beat thoroughly. Mix the flour, soda and salt together and then add to the sugar mixture. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips, toffee and M&Ms. Form balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 min.

4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups chopped walnuts

In a 4-quart heavy saucepan combine the sugar, the milk, the corn syrup, the pumpkin puree, and a pinch of salt, cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved, and cook it, undisturbed, until a candy thermometer registers 238 degrees F. Remove the pan from the heat, add the butter (do not stir it into the mixture), and let the mixture cool until it is 140 degrees F.

Stir in the vanilla extract and the walnuts, beat the mixture with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until it begins to lose its gloss, and pour it immediately into a buttered 9-inch square pan. Let the fudge cool until it begins to harden, cut it into squares, and let it cool completely.

The fudge keeps, stored between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container, in a cool place for 2 weeks.

Makes about 2 pounds.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for pan
2 1/2 cups (12 ounces) dry-roasted, salted peanuts
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon baking soda

1. Butter a large baking pan; set aside. Combine peanuts, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Set over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

2. Insert a candy thermometer. Continue boiling, without stirring, until temperature registers 295�, about 6 minutes. When sugar begins to brown, stir nuts gently to ensure even cooking. Remove saucepan from heat, and stir in the butter and baking soda; the mixture will begin to foam up, so mix quickly. Pour onto the prepared baking pan.

3. As soon as candy is cool enough to handle, use your fingers to stretch the brittle as thinly as possible over the baking pan. Allow the brittle to cool completely, about 45 minutes, then break into bite-size pieces. Store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Makes 1 1/2 pounds
Foods with a high sugar content, such as peanut brittle, tend to draw moisture from the air, so try to make this candy when the weather is sunny and dry rather than humid or rainy.

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter, preferably all natural
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
36 1 3/8-inch paper candy cups

1. Combine sugar, peanut butter, and butter in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-low speed until combined. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip, and set aside.

2. Melt chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water. Keep melted chocolate over hot water near work area. Use a small spoon or small paintbrush to coat insides of the paper candy cups with the melted chocolate, making sure to cover the bottom and sides well. Transfer cups to a rimmed baking sheet or muffin tins (which will keep the cups from sliding around). Transfer to freezer until set, about 10 minutes.

3. Remove cold chocolate cups from the freezer. Pipe peanut- butter filling into each cup until three-quarters full. Spoon melted chocolate into each cup to cover. Return to the freezer until set, 15 to 25 minutes. Peanut-butter cups may be served right away, or kept tightly sealed in the freezer for 2 to 3 days. To serve, remove from freezer, peel off paper, and eat cold.

Makes 36

4 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups light corn syrup
4 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound plus 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped in small pieces
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
Vegetable-oil cooking spray

Makes about 150 The better the quality of chocolate used in these caramels, the more delicious the result.

1. Spray an 11 3/4-by-16 1/4-inch baking pan with vegetable-oil spray. Set aside in a spot where it will not be moved. In a heavy 4- quart saucepan, combine 2 cups cream, corn syrup, sugar, and salt. Clip on candy thermometer. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, 15 to 20 minutes. Wash down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystals.

2. Cook, stirring constantly, until temperature reaches 220�, 6 to 8 minutes; watch so mixture doesn’t boil over. Continue stirring, and add chocolate and butter; keep mixture boiling, and slowly add remaining 2 cups cream. Cook, still stirring, until temperature reaches 240� (soft-ball stage), about 60 minutes, keeping mixture at a low boil.

3. Without scraping pot, pour mixture into prepared pan. Let stand uncovered at room temperature for 24 hours without moving.

4. To cut, spray a cutting board with vegetable-oil spray. Unmold caramel onto sprayed surface. Using a large knife, cut into 1- by-1 1/4-inch pieces or other shapes. Wrap each piece in cellophane or waxed paper.

Ingredients:

1 bag milk chocolate chips
1 can milk chocolate frosting
1 t. vanilla

Melt all ingredients together in medium saucepan over medium high heat until well combined and smooth. Pour into greased 9″ square pan and cool completely. You can refrigerate to help set. You can add nuts as desired, and change flavors with different frosting/chip combos!

2c. flour
2tbsp sugar
4tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. Pumpkin
4 eggs, seperated
1/4 c. melted butter

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine milk, egg yolks, butter, and Pumpkin, stir into dry ingredients until just blended. Beat egg whites until stiff and blend into batter. Pour onto hot oiled griddle, about 1/3c. at a time. Cook until tops bubble then turn and cook until the underside is done, about 3 minutes. Enjoy with a little powdered sugar, and a cup of eggnog!

3/4 C. butter
3 C. sugar
2/3 C. evaporated milk
1/2 C. canned pumpkin
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
2 C. butterscotch baking chips
7 oz. jar marshmallow cream
1 C. chopped toasted almonds or desired nuts
1 t. vanilla

In heavy saucepan, combine first 5 ingredients; bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling until mixture reaches 234° F. on candy thermometer.

Remove from heat; stir in butter scotch chips and marshmallow cream until melted and smooth. Stir in nuts and vanilla.

Pour into buttered 9 x 13 or larger pan. cool completely, cut into squares.

Makes about 3 lbs. candy.

Ingredients:

4 cups heavy whipping cream
12 ounces chocolate syrup
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Add all ingredients into a very large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium high until soft peaks form (the mixture will fluff up). Pour into a 13x9in baking pan, cover and freeze for 10-12 hours.

Bring 1 quart water, sugar and cinnamon sticks to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in remaining 3 quarts water, frozen concentrates, and tea powder. Cook until thoroughly heated; serve immediately. Yield: 5 quarts.

2 c distilled water
Essential oil/fragrance
4 pkg unflavored gelatin
Empty jar(s)
Food coloring (optional)

Heat 1 cup of distilled water to boiling.
Stir in 4 packages of unflavored gelatin (e.g., Knox) until dissolved.
Remove the mixture from heat and stir in the other 1 cup water.
Add 10-20 drops of essential oil or other concentrated fragrance.
If desired, add food coloring to tint your gel.

You may also wish to add a mold inhibitor, such as 1-2 T salt OR a small amount of potassium sorbate
OR a splash of vodka.

Pour the gel into clean baby food jars or other small, decorative containers.
The gel will set at room temperature, although you can place the air fresheners in the refrigerator for a quick set (and scented fridge).

Decorate your jars as desired and enjoy! Tips

This project requires heat, so adult supervision is required.

Feel free to scale the recipe up or down to make the amount of gel you need (e.g., 1 cup water to 2 pkg gelatin).

If you wish, you can (carefully) dissolve gelatin in concentrated liquid potpourri (no other ingredients needed) to make your air fresheners. Use a ratio of 1 cup liquid to 2 packages gelatin.

You can make multicolored gels by pouring a new color over one which has already set up (like making a layered gelatin dessert).

Paint stir stick
small craft or ice cream stick
white & black acrylic paint
orange toothpick
scrap material for scarf
black fine tip marker
green embroidery floss
gold cord
light pink acrylic paint

Paint the stir stick white. Paint the handle end of the stick black. Pain the ice cream stick black, let dry. Glue ice cream stick across from of paint stirrer, this will act as the hat brim. Tie fabric scrap around neck as the scarf.

Make a loop and glue gold cord to the back of the head. Draw on eyes, nose and mouth, as well as belly buttons. Add rosey cheeks with slight touches of pink paint. Glue toothpick in place for nose. Tie floss into a small bow and attach to the front of the hot with hot glue.

Craft stick or tongue depressor
corrugated cardboard
white felt
cream or light yellow felt
beige or light yellow yarn
gold cord
small rope or raffia
2 small round buttons, any color
small scrap of material, trimmed with pinking shears
black fine tip marker

Cut 2 dresses out from the white felt. The dresses do not need to be perfect, just a simple drawing of shoulders, arms and a body. Lay both pieces of felt on top of each other on work surface so that they match exactly. Flip one piece over, as if opening like a book. Glue craft stick onto the bottom dress felt so that a small amount of the stick hangs over the bottom of the dress, and a larger portion sticks out above the neckline.

Onto the cuffs, glue cream colored felt circles on as hands so that half of the circle is on the white felt, the other half is hanging over. Fold top piece of felt back over (as if closing a book) the bottom half, sandwiching the craft stick between the two dress cutouts. Glue the top piece of felt to the bottom piece.

Turn body over, lay it face down on the work surface. Glue cardboard wings, corrugated side facing the work surface, onto the upper area of the bodice, covering shoulders and halfway up the top of the craft stick.

Make a loop from gold cord and glue to the back of the head. Turn ornament over and place face up onto the work surface. Glue some yarn on top of angel’s head, you can fray it a bit with a comb first, if you like.

Tie a small bow from rope or raffia and glue to collar area. Glue on buttons and fabric scrap as pictured. Add eyes, nose, and mouth with a fine tipped black marker. Add faux stitching around the edges of the dress with a fine tip marker.

Designed by: Amanda Formaro of CraftsbyAmanda.com – All Rights Reserved

Even in ancient times, cultures had personalities who would bring joy and gifts to deserving people. In Nordic countries, stories were told of Jolnir. The Celts had Cornunos and Germanic people had Vodin, who was pulled in his golden chariot by his giant steeds, Thunder and Lightening (Donder and Blitzen).

Saint Nicholas

Nicholas story begins in the late 3rd century in Asia Minor where he was born as the only child to a wealthy older couple. Nicholas was educated in a religious setting by his uncle who was a priest. At an early age, his parents died in a plague. Nicholas decided to devote the rest of his life to the Church and wisely give his parents wealth away to those in need. Nicholas became a priest before the age of 20 and the Bishop of Myra at 30.

Stories abound about Nicholas being the righter of wrongs, the protector of the innocent and the victor of the people.

Perhaps the story of a noblemans three daughters best illustrates the magnitude of Nicholas generosity. Having lost his entire fortune, a nobleman was left without the means of paying his daughters dowry. Without an adequate dowry, a young lady could not find a respectable mate.

One daughter decided to sell herself into slavery to provide a dowry for her sisters. When Nicholas heard of the predicament, he secretly went to the noblemans house and threw in a bag of gold. At a later date, he tossed in a second bag. In some versions of the story, the legend tells of the gold landing in a stocking.

When it came time for the third daughter to be married, the nobleman was determined to discover the identity of his secret benefactor. He waited each night, listening for the sounds of his visitor. Sure enough, Nicholas was apprehended. The embarrassed bishop made the father promise he would not tell the secret. However, the fathers promise was short lived.

Word spread quickly throughout Myra that Bishop Nicholas was responsible for the hundreds of Saintly deeds performed over the years.

Nicholas began teaching others the blessings of secret giving. As a result, many learned the joys of secret giving and not seeking personal recognition.

Bishop Nicholas was a delegate at the First Council of Niocea in 325 A.D. It was from this council that we obtained the Nicene Creed and the date of Christs birth was set as December 25 to offset pagan celebrations.

His fame spread far and wide. Even after his death on December 6, 343, the stories continued as many miracles were attributed to him.

After his death, some citizens of Myra honored his name by picking up where he left off. They began meeting the deepest needs of hurting souls without seeking any credit for themselves.

Sailors took the stories and teachings of Nicholas back to their homelands. Christian missionaries presented Nicholas as a replacement for the Shaman and other gift bearers in pagan societies. Over the next 400 years, December 6th, Saint Nicholas day and its celebrations spread to other parts of the world.

As the legend of Saint Nicholas traveled, his name began to change. During the Reformation, Martin Luther removed the worship of saints and banished any celebrations linked to Saint Nicholas. Not wanting to disappoint the children, he allowed the continued practice of gift giving. He did move it from December 6th to the eve of Christs birth with the gifts being delivered by the Christkindl or Christ Child.

English reformers found a Saint Nicholas look-alike in Father Christmas. After the Reformation took hold, the legend of Saint Nicholas died out almost everywhere except Holland. Dutch sailors knew Saint Nicholas as their protector and kept his traditions and stories alive. The Dutch would bring the traditions of Saint Nicholas, known to them as Sinterklaas, to the new world.

As Saint Nicholas burst upon the American scene in the early 1600s, he had lost most of his holy attributes and was mainly a symbol of the generosity of mankind. In English, the name Sinterklaas became Santa Claus.

Santa in the New World

The Dutch settled in New Amsterdam (present day New York) and kept the traditions alive and to themselves until the American Revolution. As the new nation broke away from British traditions, they took some of their clues from the Dutch.

Washington Irving wrote of Sinterklaas in his 1809s A History of New York. But it was Clement Moores poem an Account of a Visit from Saint Nicholas that changed the saintly Sinterklaas to the jolly Saint Nick.

The early image of Santa

Thomas Nash was the one to show America what Santa Claus looked like. Nash was the editorial cartoonist for Harpers Weekly from 1860 to 1890. He had a passion for drawing Santa Claus and with each rendition, he added new elements to Santas story.

In the 1880s, an international competition was held to see who could reach the North Pole first. Nash decided to make the North Pole Santas home. Equipped with a special telescope, Nashs Santa could look in on children and make notes in his book of naughty and nice.

In 1890, we had the first department store Santa. James Edgar in Brockton, Massachusetts dressed up in a suit made for him by the stores tailors. Over a thousand people lined up to see Santa that first day

On Christmas Eve, 1891, President Benjamin Harris dressed up as Santa for his grandchildren in the White House.

It was in 1897 that 8 year old Virginia OHanlon wrote a letter to the New York Sun asking Well, is there a Santa Claus?

The Suns famous response; Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exists. Alas how dreary the world would be if there were no Virginias. Thank God he lives forever. A thousand years from now, nay 10 time 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

It was in the 1930s that Santa went through one final facelift. Coca-Cola hired Haddon Sundblom in 1930 to draw a series of ads showing Santa drinking Coca-Cola. It is said that he made many of his famous paintings while looking in the mirror.

The Coca-Cola ads appeared from 1931-1964 and probably did more then anything to shape the image of Santa Claus as we know him today.

Submitted by: David Gruelich

1 package hot chocolate mix
3 Hershey’s kisses
15 or so marshmallows
Gift tags
Plastic Baggie
1 candy cane

Put the following “ingredients” in a plastic bag

1 package hot chocolate mix
3 Hershey’s kisses
15 or so marshmallows
1 candy cane

Attach a tag with the following poem

Was told that you’ve been good this year,
Always glad to hear it.
With freezing weather drawing near,
You’ll need to warm the spirit.

So here’s a little “Snowman Soup”
Complete with a stirring stick.
Add hot water and sip it slow
It’s sure to do the trick.

Here is another poem you could use instead of the one above

When the weather outside is frightful,
Snowman Soup can be delightful.
May it warm your spirit and your soul.
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

When you feel a chill or ‘burrrrrr’,
Use the peppermint stick to stir.
Add hot water and sip it slow.
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow.

4 c. flour
1 c. salt
1 tsp. powdered alum
1 1/2 c. water

Mix ingredients well in a large bowl. Roll out, and cut in to Christmassy shapes with cookie cutters.
Bake ornaments on ungreased cookie sheets for about 30 minutes in a 250 degree oven.
Turn and bake another 1 1/2 hours until hard and dry. Remove and cool.
Sand lightly with fine sandpaper until smooth.
Paint with poster, or acrylic paint or markers.
Allow to dry then seal with clear shellac or spray plastic.

Makes 5 dozen 2 1/2″ ornaments.

White paper
Scissors
Dry sponge
Ballpoint pen
Water colors (red & green)

Draw a yuletide motif on white paper, cut out and place on a dry sponge (one with tiny holes in the sponge are the best).
Then trace the pattern with your ballpoint pen and cut out the shape.
Then, dip in paint, squeeze excess paint out and blot onto either plain white or solid colored wrapping paper.
You can stamp each sponge several times before re-dipping in the paint.

What you need:

Wrapped Candy Canes
Small Googly Eyes
Red or Brown pipe cleaners cut into 2 inch lengths
Small red and green pompoms
craft glue bottles

Warning! Make sure the glue doesn’t come in direct contact with the unwrapped candy cane.

1. Glue eyes on rounded face of the candy cane.
2. Glue pompom on the face for a nose.
3. Use a pipe cleaner and wrap it around the crook of the candy cane (both sides equal) to make the beginning part of the antlers.
4. Manipulate the pipe cleaners to look like antlers.

Tip: Use metallic colored pipe cleaners in gold or silver for a glitzy reindeer.

Plastic spoons
Melting Chocolate
Sprinkles
Plastic wrap
Gift tags

Simply dip colored plastic spoons in melted dark, milk or white chocolate (or candy coating) and top with multicolored or glittery sprinkles. Wrap in clear or colored cellophane, tied with ribbon.

For a special addition to this yummy gift, glue a photo of your child onto a square of paper for a unique gift tag.

Move the cursor over an open area on your desktop and right-click the screen.
Select “Properties” (or “Personalize” in Vista) on the menu that opens.

Select the “Settings” tab in the “Properties” window.

Locate the screen resolution slide box in the bottom left portion of the window.
The resolution listed in the box is the computer’s current resolution setting.





To change your resolution, or find your maximum resolution, drag the slider to the maximum resolution setting. The resolution reading in the box is the maximum resolution of the display.

Right-click or control-click on the image you want to use.
Select “Save as…” and save the image to your hard drive.
Mac users can either save the image to a folder or add it to their iPhoto library.
PC users will want to save the wallpaper into their “My Pictures” folder.
You can then sync the iPhone with photos in iPhoto 4.0.3 or later on a Mac, or Photoshop Album 2.0 or later or Photoshop Elements 3.0 or later on a PC. Or you can sync with any folder on your computer that contains images. Connect the iPhone to your computer and do the following:

Launch iTunes then click the Photos tab and select “Sync photos from:”
From the pop-up menu, do one of the following:
If your using a Mac, choose iPhoto or your Pictures folder.
If you’re using a PC, choose Photoshop Album, Photoshop Elements, or your My Pictures folder.
Choose Folder, then choose any folder on your computer that has images.
Choose “All photos,” or choose “Selected folders” or “Selected albums” and choose the folders or albums you want to sync.
Finally on your iPhone:

Go to the Photos section of your camera. Browse through the camera roll until you find the picture you want to use.
Select the picture so it is displayed full screen.
Tap the icon in the lower left corner of the screen. If you don’t see the icon, single tap the picture to display the menus.

Here you can select if you want to email the picture, save the picture as a wallpaper, or assign to a contact.

If you want to assign to a contact, press that button. The contact list will open and you can select the contact you wish to link to the picture.
Select Done to complete the process.

Materials needed:

PDF Template (Download)
Pencil
red, pink, black and white construction paper
white glue
hole punch
scissors

How to make them:

Print the template then cut out the pattern pieces.
Trace the face on pink construction paper and cut out.
Trace the hat on red construction paper and cut out.
Trace beard and hat trim on white paper and cut out.

Glue the hat trim on the hat.
Glue the hat over top of the face.
Glue the face at the top of the beard.

Punch out 1 white circle for the hat tip, glue in place.
Punch out 2 black circles for his eyes, glue in place.
Punch 1 red circle for his nose, glue in place.

Fringe Santa’s beard by making cuts from the bottom of his beard to just below Santa’s face. Then you can curl Santa’s beard by rolling the strips around the pencil. Now your ready to glue Santa to your gifts! Also, be sure to write on your Santa gift tag craft before you curl the beard, because it’s much easier that way.

Finally after years of trial and error, I found a way to make the perfect turkey and I am going to share it with you!

Before we get to it though, there are a few things you need to keep in mind when preparing a turkey.

First, make sure your turkey is COMPLETELY thawed out. Running cold water over it, or letting it sit out on the counter to thaw can cause bacterial growth and contamination.

The proper way to thaw your bird is to place it on a pan in the fridge. Don’t remove the wrapper.

It will take anywhere from several days up to a week, to thaw your turkey depending on it’s weight. Time required to thaw a turkey in the refrigerator:

8 to 12 lbs. 2 to 3 Days
13 to 16 lbs. 3 to 4 Days
17 to 20 lbs. 4 to 5 Days
21 to 24 lbs. 5 to 6 Days

Once the bird is thawed, you want to be sure to remove the giblets and neck and all that stuff out of your bird. Clean it thoroughly, and pat dry.

Now its ready to prepare for cooking. First preheat your oven to 475° and make sure the temperature is accurate. If it’s not accurate, your bird won’t cook properly. Melt some margarine, you just need enough to coat the turkey breast, I use about half a stick. Next, separate the skin from the breast. Don’t don’t remove it. You should be able to get your hand between the skin and the breast meat. Rub your melted margarine on the turkey breast meat under the skin. You don’t need butter on the skin. Now, use fresh ground sea salt and fresh ground peppercorns and sprinkle the skin generously with it… it makes the skin really crispy.

Now, stick your bird in a baking pan. (No need to buy a fancy roasting pan. I can’t use one anyway because my oven is really small, and a giant roasting pan just won’t fit.) Place it breast side up, and cover it lightly with a piece of foil. Now you need to calculate how long to cook it for… to calculate cook time you’ll need to know your turkey’s weight. Remember, you removed the neck and giblets.

Basically you’ll cook your turkey for 20 minutes on 475° then turn down the oven to 250° and cook it for 20 minutes per pound. So, a 16 lb turkey would cook at 250° for an additional 320 minutes or about 5 and a half hours. No basting is necessary, but I like to do it a few times during cooking, anyway.

To be absolutely sure that your turkey is thoroughly cooked, use a meat thermometer. The breast meat should be 170°F and 180°F for thigh meat. When it’s done, take your turkey out of the oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes, uncovered, before carving it. Then… enjoy! You’ll find that your turkey is super juicy and succulent, and everyone will want to know your secret!

If you make your turkey this way, I would love to hear from you… be sure to comment below.

Craft stick or tongue depressor
corrugated cardboard
white felt
cream or light yellow felt
beige or light yellow yarn
gold cord
small rope or raffia
2 small round buttons, any color
small scrap of material, trimmed with pinking shears
black fine tip marker

Cut 2 dresses out from the white felt. The dresses do not need to be perfect, just a simple drawing of shoulders, arms and a body. Lay both pieces of felt on top of each other on work surface so that they match exactly. Flip one piece over, as if opening like a book. Glue craft stick onto the bottom dress felt so that a small amount of the stick hangs over the bottom of the dress, and a larger portion sticks out above the neckline.

Onto the cuffs, glue cream colored felt circles on as hands so that half of the circle is on the white felt, the other half is hanging over. Fold top piece of felt back over (as if closing a book) the bottom half, sandwiching the craft stick between the two dress cutouts. Glue the top piece of felt to the bottom piece.

Turn body over, lay it face down on the work surface. Glue cardboard wings, corrugated side facing the work surface, onto the upper area of the bodice, covering shoulders and halfway up the top of the craft stick.

Make a loop from gold cord and glue to the back of the head. Turn ornament over and place face up onto the work surface. Glue some yarn on top of angel’s head, you can fray it a bit with a comb first, if you like.

Tie a small bow from rope or raffia and glue to collar area. Glue on buttons and fabric scrap as pictured. Add eyes, nose, and mouth with a fine tipped black marker. Add faux stitching around the edges of the dress with a fine tip marker.

Jingle Bell Napkin Rings
Materials needed:

6-inch red pipe cleaner for each ring
Nine jingle bells for each ring
Nine red craft beads for each ring (optional)

String the beads and the jingle bells on to the pipe
cleaner, alternating between the two. When they are
all on the pipe cleaner, twist the two ends of the pipe
cleaner together to form a ring.

Chuck Smith is the producer of the event. The Tennessee native, a computer engineer by trade, was intrigued by Christmas lights as a child, and he believed that on Christmas Eve, Santa would make his first stop at the house with the most lights. His passion for flickering lights evolved throughout the years, and his displays became more and more elaborate. People started catching on, and so did the national media. Smith’s displays have been featured on NBC television, as well as major publications like the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times may have summed it up best declaring him “The Granddaddy of Computerized Light Displays.”

Smith named his personal display PlanetChristmas, and he has a popular web site bearing the same name. Through the widespread media attention, avid decorating fans discovered Smith and began contacting him about everything Christmas. Smith’s love for the holiday season put him in touch with a lot of people at both the professional and hobbyist level, and in 2003 he started a Christmas trade show called PLUS (PlanetChristmas Lights Up Symposium).

After several PLUS events, Smith has decided to expand this popular trade show and call it Christmas Expo. “We will feature a wide range of products, valuable to both the professional and neighborhood decorator,” states Smith. “In fact, we’ve already registered attendees from all across America and even Australia. We take Christmas decorating very seriously.”

There is a full slate of educational courses for both the enthusiast and professional at Christmas Expo. Classes include seminars about indoor decorating, outdoor displays, computer animation, how to produce your own drive through park and how to start a holiday decorating business.

Smith says seasonal companies such as landscapers and contractors can learn how to tap into the $500 billion dollar holiday decorating industry by attending classes at the event. “We’re finding in today’s fast paced society that many people like to have beautiful lights displayed around their homes, but they don’t have time to do it So, we’ve designed a course to teach entrepreneurs how to start a Christmas decorating company. This seminar is jam packed with information, tricks of the trade and more for those hoping to capitalize during their slow season.”

Smith adds the show is scheduled right in the heart of summer, June 29 – July 2, to allow both professionals and home decorators ample time to plan and prepare for their upcoming season.

For more information about the Christmas Expo, or to register for educational classes, call Chuck Smith at (615) 301-1671 or visit www.ChristmasExpo.com. The show will be held at the Gatlinburg Convention Center located at 920 Parkway in Gatlinburg, TN, 37738.

It’s the warm and loving feeling
that keeps bidding me to share
whatever bounty I possess
until my cupboard’s bare.

It’s the warm and kindly feeling
that turns stranger into friend
and prompts a cheery word and smile
as down the street I wend.

It’s the good old Christmas spirit
that would be most greatly missed,
so I put it first and foremost
on my Christmas wishing list.

For liturgical Christmas fair, choose a series such as Collectibles ltimate Christmas, Readers Digest, Time Life Treasury of Christmas or Now Thats What I Call Christmas! That would allow you to build a solid traditional base. The Now series will also include a good mix of recent artists and tunes. Avoid buying more than one of these types of packages, as you will begin to duplicate and waste money rather quickly.

Rhino Records Christmas CDs should seriously be considered to add some of the forgotten classics that have reclaimed over the years. Many styles and many genres have been explored. Their Hillbilly Holiday CD issue has been long out of print and contains tunes that have never since been on CD. Like Rhino, the Capitol Ultra Lounge Christmas Cocktails CDs have reclaimed forgotten sounds! Hip-O Records Yule B Swingin & Yule B Swingin Too should also be considered.

For later popular Christmas tunes collect all eight CDs in the A Very Special Christmas collection. Starting from about 1987 up until a couple of years ago, Special Olympics gathered popular artist renderings of classic and original Christmas songs. This series has been scattered over several record labels. The US Marine Toys For Tots program currently has three CDs with lesser known artists in their Maybe This Christmas series.

Dig around for more localized comp CDs from various charities and organizations. Ive discovered a lot of new music and artists looking around for these regional offerings. My very most favorite find to date came about five years ago. I had been on the hunt for A Little Holiday Spark for a few years when an internet contact found a used copy near Detroit. This was a United Cerebral Palsy of Metro Detroit compilation that contained a track by one of my all time favorite artists, Marshall Crenshaw. Mitch Ryder has a track on the CD as well. Ahh, the thrill of the hunt!

For Jazz, collect the GRP Christmas collection, for contemporary Christian, the WOW Christmas series. There are any number of Blues Christmas packages. Rhino has a few as does Billboard and others. Windham Hill will add a Celtic flavor. Rhinos Cajun Christmas Alligator Stomp has what youd expect from the title. There are many Country and Bluegrass collections out there as well.

Always pick up independent record label compilation CDs as they will open up new prospects. Again, Ive learned about new artists and music this way. Alligator Records has at least two Christmas CDs and Yep Roc has a couple. Ive also got a couple of Bullseye Record comp CDs. Compadre Records comes to mind as well as many many others! Double Crown Records has a surf theme going. The guy that runs it will pop into FaLaLaLaLa occasionally and offer special deals!

For very vintage tinsel tunes find Dawn of Sounds Voices of Christmas Past. This CD contains songs from 1898 to 1922! Where Will You Be Christmas Day on the Dust to Digital label follows suit.

The vast majority of my collection has been purchased used. Many of the more popular (traditional) CDs came from pawnshops. The more popular an artist/genre/series is, the more likely youll find them in a pawnshop. Other used sources are thrift stores, yard sales, used music stores and many online stores/auctions. Ive also caught a public radio station selling off their CD collections a couple of times! I picked up one of the Alligator Offerings for three bucks exactly a year after it came out. Scooped up the companion artist Christmas greetings promo CD sent to radio stations only from the same bin!

Most of these will be easily found online, but if anyone needs help tracking any of them down, contact me and Ill see what I can do.

As you can see, I like various artist CDs! I have to really like a particular artist before I’ll buy their Christmas CD(s).

Last but certainly not least, one should visit sites and blogs that feature out of print Christmas music ripped from their original source, usually vinyl, and offered as mp3 files. These tunes have not seen the light of the digital age. Some likely never will. There are too many to list here, but start at Fa La La La La.com and then follow the linkage trail!

Collecting Christmas music is an addiction, one I highly recommend! It keeps one off the street and high on tunes! There are many others that have collections that drawf my own so I know I’m not the only one! I’m only too glad to encourage anyone else that gets bitten by the Yule Tune bug!

Submitted by: RadioJonD

Every family may have slightly different Christmas traditions with regards to Santa Claus, but there are some very easy things any person can do to keep the belief in Santa at an all time high. The following 7 techniques will keep your child believing in the magic and wonderment of Santa Claus and you don’t have to be familiar with the history of Santa Claus to apply them.

1) Have your child write a Santa Letter.
This can be a simple letter that your child can write to Santa Claus. Children absolutely love to write a letter to Santa, but they occasionally need a little parental guidance to pull it off.

Help your child include a special list of gifts they desire for Christmas into the Santa letter. Many children enjoy getting more creative by drawing or cutting out pictures that represent the gifts they want.

Once the child’s Santa letter is finished, simply mail it to the North Pole. I suggest you mail it to the following Santa Claus address: Santa Claus, 1 Candy Cane Lane, North Pole 00001. Don’t bother using a return address, you wouldn’t want it to return as ‘undeliverable’ for any reason.

2) Write a letter from Santa and have your child receive it in the mail.
Create a personalized letter from Santa by directly mentioning your child’s name and certain information about your child in the text. This will make for a much more believable Santa letter. Be sure to make these letters from Santa different for each child in the same household. The child will have no doubt that Santa Claus is coming to town after they receive their personalized letter from Santa!

I can honestly state as a parent that the personalized letter from Santa has single handedly restored my son’s belief! The look of shock and amazement on his face when he got an authentic letter from Santa quickly abolished any doubt he previously had about Santa Claus.

Print the Santa letter on authentic looking letterhead, as this will help to reinforce the believability. Many different styles of paper can be found at your local office supply store.

You can add to the fun by getting your letter from Santa postmarked at the North Pole. Simply send your Santa letter inside another sealed, stamped envelope to: North Pole Christmas Cancellation, Postmaster, 5400 Mail Trail, Fairbanks, AK 99709-9999. (It needs to arrive by December 15th)

Many parents add a certificate for being on Santa’s Nice List along with the Santa Letter for added effect. Another great item to add with the Santa letter is a Santa Claus coloring sheet. Combining the personalized Santa letter, the nice certificate, and the Santa Claus coloring sheet is a sure fire method for keeping your child believing.

3) Have your child leave milk and cookies out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.
This is simple enough to do with your child. It lets your child know YOU still believe, too. Make it a bonding experience for you and your child by baking the cookies together on Christmas Eve. Don’t underestimate how powerful this can be for creating joyful memories of Santa Claus, for both you and your child. Did you know that Santa’s favorite cookie recipe is Chocolate Chip?

Put the fresh cookies on a plate next to a glass of cold milk. You can even put a short letter to Santa Claus next to the cookies and milk. These tasty treats will give Santa the energy he needs to continue traveling to the millions of other households awaiting his arrival.

Don’t forget to leave some crumbs on the table Christmas morning. Your child will feel honored that Santa Claus ate the whole plate of cookies and drank all of the milk before rushing on his way.

4) On Christmas Eve, have your child sprinkle reindeer food on the lawn.
Santa Claus gets milk and cookies on Christmas Eve, but what about Rudolph and the rest of the joyful gang? What do they eat? Well, reindeer food, of course!

You can make a batch of environmentally friendly reindeer food with common grocery items such as oats or granola. (Do not use potentially hazardous items, such as glitter in your reindeer food. Although this may make the reindeer food appear to be magical in some way, it can be extremely dangerous if ingested by small children, should they decide to ‘sample’ the reindeer food. It can also be potentially hazardous to the small animals outside such as rabbits, dogs, or cats that may eat the food.)

Once you have the reindeer food mixed up, walk outside with your child on Christmas Eve night and explain the importance of making sure Santa�s sleigh team stays fed. Sprinkle a small amount onto your yard near bushes or trees.

This healthy reindeer snack will give Rudolph and the rest of the reindeer the nourishment they need to continue flying Santa’s heavy sleigh into the night. Your child will be proud for helping Santa Claus on his journey, and is sure to raise the belief in Rudolph and the other reindeer as well.

5) Leave Santa Claus tracks in your house on Christmas Eve.
Being sure to not stain your carpet, leave some dirty boot prints by the fireplace (or doorway). Be sure to draw attention to the Santa Claus footprints on Christmas morning. To a child, this is solid evidence that Santa had been to their house.

6) A month or so after Christmas, send your child a postcard from Santa Claus on vacation.
This not only keeps your child believing, but reminds your child that Santa is in their hearts all year long. It also answers the common question posed by children after Christmas, Where is Santa Claus now?

Be sure to make the postcard from somewhere very warm and sunny. After all, Santa does need a break from all that North Pole snow.

7) Mail your child a birthday greeting from Santa Claus.
This technique works in tandem with the personalized Santa letter you mailed your child previously. Mailing your child a simple birthday card from Santa is an excellent way to keep your child’s belief high throughout the year. Your child will think, Wow! Santa actually knows my birthday! The shock on your child’s face will be priceless.

Parents that have extremely intelligent kids or kids that are getting slightly older will genuinely need to utilize all 7 techniques mentioned above to keep their child believing in Santa Claus. These techniques will assure your child is one of the millions of children that write Santa Letters each and every holiday season one of the millions of children that believe wholeheartedly in Santa Claus.

Submitted by: Alex Russell

Velvet
Interfacing
Rubber stamps
Fabric adhesive, such as Fabri-Tac
Bells or beads
Pressing cloth

Cut a piece of velvet to 4 by 4 inches, and place it facedown on an ironing board. With a hot iron, press a piece of interfacing on the back of the velvet. Place a rubber stamp with the design of your choice on the ironing board surface with the outline facing up. Place the velvet, pile side down, on top of the stamp. Spray lightly with water, and press with the iron set on high. Hold the iron steady for 30 seconds.

Apply the fabric adhesive to the back of the embossed piece of velvet, and attach to the stocking. Hold in place for a few seconds and allow to dry. Embellish with bells or beads.

Submitted by author: David Michael Smith

“It’s crooked.”

“No it’s not,” denies the man, prone on his back under the tree with a grunt.

“Yes it is,” the woman flatly confirms, “it’s leaning to the right, about to tip over.”

“Looks straight down here.”

“Not up here. Better not let it go.”

“You must be going blind,” he snaps.

“Robert, how can you tell whether the tree is straight or not, you’re flat on your back under the ugly thing. Up here it’s definitely leaning like the Tower of Pisa.”

“Well, then, next time you can go get the tree,” the man defends, sliding back out to see for himself. “If it was up to me we wouldn’t get a tree anyway. I’d rather give the money to the poor.”

I sit nearby with my brother and two sisters, on the family sofa, silently watching our parents at work. Dad is the laborer, the Christmas tree erecting specialist, while Mom handles the task of foreman.

“See?” Mom questions, studying the tree.

“That tree is straight as an arrow,” Dad blurts out, frustrated.
It’s Christmas Eve and the family tradition of putting up the tree is well underway. It started an hour ago with Dad bringing home the freshly cut fir, or at least that was what the sign advertised. Funny how all those needles fell off into the floor when we brought it inside. Then Dad had to saw off the top and remove a half dozen branches. For some reason, he ended up wiring in three of the limbs, filling in some bare spots.

Next, with the tree ready to be erected, no one could locate the tree stand. At first everyone thought the other had hidden it, but no logical motive could be given for such a preposterous allegation. A suspicious glare was cast upon the family mutt, Roscoe, but he rolled his brown eyes as if to say “What, me?” Eventually it was found, in the box marked ‘Lights’. No one knew who was guilty of that crime, although a poll of hands later determined poor Dad was the culprit. I waited with the growing impatience of the 14-year-old I was, ready to decorate the tree with bulbs and lights and tinsel and chain links of red and green paper my brother had constructed in school. But the process was taking a lot longer than I thought it would. Our spirits were becoming more and more ‘Grinch-like’.

Somehow I envisioned us eating popcorn and green sugar cookies cut out like little trees, slurping down spicy cider, laughing and smiling like the images on some Hallmark Christmas card, but at this moment it appeared everyone had forgotten Christmas was nearly here. Instead, the world seemed to revolve around the crooked tree.

Again Dad assessed the tree, standing next to my Mom, shaking his head in defiance. “That tree is leaning I tell you,” she insisted, “and it’s going to fall over, probably on top of the kids while they’re opening their gifts tomorrow morning!”

Dad needed a break. Mom did too, and she retired to the kitchen to tackle additional holiday chores. Dad disappeared into the deep recesses of the house. The four kids sat silently on the sofa staring at the tree, with visions of falling Christmas trees upon our heads fresh in our minds.

Finally, I spoke, with the calm determination of John Boy Walton transitioning from boyhood into manhood. “The tree’s cursed,” I judged, to my siblings. “I’m going to go get another.”

I’m not sure if it was because I refused to line the pockets of some revenue driven tree farmer, or because I didn’t have any money (or maybe it was I wasn’t old enough to drive), but I had to take action. I slipped out to the shed, found the old rusty saw that hadn’t seen action since my brother sawed off the head of my kid sister’s Barbie, and into the surrounding woods I went, in search of the tree.

It was cold out, flurries and bitter temperatures in the forecast. The sky was gray, like the Naval ships in Norfolk. As I trekked through the stark wintry woods, brittle brown leaves crunching under my boots, I started to wonder what in the world I was doing. My plan was to find an appropriate tree, within five minutes of entering the forest behind our home, cut it down and bring it back. Surely my family would applaud my Christmas spirit. Or, perhaps they would laugh at my gesture, like Lucy did to Charlie Brown.
“Don’t cut down something with only three branches,” I reminded myself.

Five minutes expired and no tree was found. Ten minutes, then fifteen, and before I knew it I was gone for nearly an hour without any luck. Lower Delaware has lots of pines, oaks, maples, sweet gums and holly, but seldom do you see a ‘Christmas tree’ in the woods.

“Stupid idea, dummy,” my inner voice taunted.

“Aw shut up,” I answered aloud to myself, growing discouraged and desperate.

My feet were frozen blocks and my lips were chapped and dry. I had scratched my face against the sharp fingers of a briar-entwined tree while ducking under some low branches. I had reached my threshold for patience, impatience standing on the other side of the doorway. I was about to abandon my search and whispered a single line of prayer for help. Then I saw it.

Thirty feet away was the tree. Although it was a White Pine, it had the looks of a fir or spruce, nicely shaped, about eight feet in height, full of green needles and a sprinkling of pinecones. I approached it as Indiana Jones would approach a precious, sparkling treasure in some obscure country, with reverence and spellbound intrigue. Then I did what I later would realize was an illegal act; I cut the tree down. I was quite winded by the time I finished dragging the heavy tree back to our yard, perspiration soaking my inner layers of clothing. It didn’t matter. I was happy. This special tree would share our house for the next two weeks, receive a daily drink of water, and be treated with royalty. We would adorn it with colored bulbs and tinsel, and crown it with a shining angel of lights.

Fortunately, my parents were away, at my grandparents for a Christmas Eve visit. I wanted this to be a big surprise. I brought the tree inside and it was a perfect fit.

With the help of my conspirators, we moved the other tree, the cursed one, into my parents’ bedroom. They would fall peacefully to sleep each night staring into the mesmerizing white lights of the tree. We assembled the other tree in the living room, decorated it with old ornaments and colored bulbs, and awaited Mom and Dad’s return. My heart beat with excitement. The ‘Grinch’ was dead! When they arrived they did not at first realize what we had done. I believe they even went as far as entering their bedroom, removing their woolen cloaks and exiting without recognizing a tree now shared their bedroom. It was like one of those silly TV sitcoms, where the main character walks right by some bizarre scene and doesn’t immediately see it. I can almost hear the laughter of the studio audience. Moments later the light bulb lit and Mom exclaimed, “Is there a tree in our bedroom?” as if it was an illusion and only she could see the vision.

“Yeah,” I replied. “Merry Christmas!”

Realizing there was also a tree in the living room, she seemed a bit in shock. An explanation was due and I presented my story.

Something happened at that time, an epiphany of sorts, one of those mountaintop Grinch conversions, or the snowy London morning after the hauntings of poor Mister Scrooge. The mood in the household changed, became merrier. Mom and Dad chuckled over my plight into the forest, both no longer concerned about the vertical precision of either tree. Both trees were completely decorated and lit, and both were proclaimed ‘perfect’. Someone turned the stereo on and put an album on. Johnny Mathis and Doris Day sang Christmas songs backed by choirs and orchestration. Eggnog was served to the children and popcorn was popped. Parents shared festive spirits, served over ice, and kissed under the mistletoe. It began to flurry outside. And the dog was no longer rolling his eyes. Now he had two trees he could nestle under and dream about sugarplums, or whatever canines dream about!

Copyright Notice:

Jinglebell Junction has EXCLUSIVE permission for use of this story. This story may not be reproduced, without permission in writing from the author: David Michael Smith. © 1999 – 2011 All Rights Reserved.

Jar Lids – Baby food jar lids are perfect
Glue
Glitter
Scraps of trim
Magnet
Small photo

Kids have a blast making these for Christmas presents! Cut the photo to fit inside the lid. Set it aside. Around the outside and inside lip of the lid apply glue and sprinkle on glitter. If you have scraps of trim apply it to the outside edge. When dry, glue the photo inside and a magnet to the back.