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Saturday, December 8, 2012

Decorating Your Home For Thanksgiving

Do you enjoy decorating your home for a family gathering? Then Thanksgiving is YOUR holiday! After all, you have your family and friends gathered at your home or the home of a close relative for a very special holiday occasion. How do you make them feel festive and welcome? How can you decorate in a way that is tasteful and fun?

First of all, remember why you are coming together. Thanksgiving is about giving thanks (I know - duh). But really, think about what this means. It is a time to reflect and consider what makes you grateful. Most people would say they have gratitude for their family. So, translate that into your home decorations on this occasion. Put out photographs of family events. You might include pictures of grandparents and great-grandparents or of occasions that people have forgotten. This will become a wonderful way to pass along family stories and introduce young people to their family history.

What else are you grateful for? Perhaps it is the great weather or great food. What does that suggest to you as decorations? Stage the table in autumn colors: gold, olive-green, red, orange. Get candles to place in the center of the table in matching or complementary colors. You might create a garland of dried flowers or silk leaves in those warm colors and hang them along a mantle or stairwell banister. Or drape them over wall art or the photos you have placed around the room.

Fall fruits and vegetables also make beautiful decorations and you might place them in bowls or along your dining table. Or even on any hors d'oeuvres tables you set up. Squashes come in lovely color varieties. So do oranges and pumpkins and cranberries and gourds of various types. Perhaps a lovely basket can hold these. Decorate the baskets with ribbons in the autumn colors and that will bring out the loveliness of the hues of the fruit and vegetables. Even find a classic cornucopia shape and place fruit and veggies as if they are spilling out of the frame. Remember these foods represent the harvest as well as the abundant meal you are about to serve. What else could you do to add to these items to reflect the harvest season? Don't forget the turkey! Create a "turkey" out of fruits and veggies or have the children in the family draw turkeys which are then placed around the room where the family will dine. This will both occupy the children before the meal and allow them to participate in the conversation at the table once the meal commences.

Another fertile area for your decorating imagination is the history of the holiday itself. It was a celebration of gratitude for the harvest and for the survival that a good harvest represented. You can find Pilgrim hats and cartoon figures as well as images of the Native Americans whose generosity and friendship enabled the Pilgrims to live through the winter. If you don't like cartoon-style figures, you can be more discreet and create buckled shoes such as those worn by the Pilgrims and place them by the fireplace or the front door!

One way to welcome people to your home from the first instant is to place an autumn wreath on your front door. Again, use autumn colors of orange and gold and red. Many people successfully use a grapevine as the base for the wreath and then tie fruit or veggies or silk leaves onto that frame.

Most important of all, remember the purpose of Thanksgiving and take the time to experience and express gratitude for one another and for the gifts of the season. Make time during the dinner for people to share what things they are grateful for in the past year or at any time. No doubt, someone will mention their gratitude for your creativity and for the lovely setting you have created for them to enjoy the holiday and one another's company!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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How to Make a Christmas Hamper

A luxury Christmas hamper under the evergreen really does give you that magical feeling, wouldn't you agree? Want to save some pennies this festive season? Why not make your own Christmas hamper? Honestly, it's a cinch.

Homemade hampers exude the thought factor. And the beauty of making gift hampers for Christmas really shows you care. Aside from saving you a few pennies, the real advantage is you can make it as simple or as luxurious as you like.

Here are some top tips for Christmas gift hampers success...

Buy a basket.Wicker baskets can be found in most garden centres, online and in some department stores. But it's worth scouring your local charity shops, too, as you can sometimes pick them up for little to nothing. You can also use a pretty plate in a cellophane wrap to present your gifts, or a nice tray - both of which also work as an extra special present.

Cheese please. If you're making luxury Christmas hampers for cheese lovers, then besides the brie, mozzarella, cheddar and what have you, indulge them with a few goodies to go with it, such as crackers, red onion marmalade or chutney and perhaps a bottle of red wine.

Chocoholics. Know an insatiable chocolate lover? Keep them sated with a Christmas gift basket brimming with the sweet treats they love the most. How about putting your baking skills to the test and making them a chocolate cake? And who would say no to a box of milk chocolate truffles or peppermint creams? Or for those who love to bake their own chocolate delights, try adding a cupcake making kit.

Treat a tipple lover. If you know a tipple enthusiast, the best hamper ideas for Christmas would be those containing a bottle of their favourite tipple. You don't have to stick with the standard bottle. Personalised wine or spirits, complete with their name pus a special message, are sure to impress. Or try making your own mulled wine. Just add a Christmassy touch with oranges and spices.

Themed Christmas luxury hampers. Homemade hampers don't have to be filled just with food and drink - you can include anything you think the recipient will genuinely like and use. So if they're a green-fingered person, for example, you could include some liquid hand wash and moisturiser along with packets of seeds, a few bulbs for next spring, a new pair of gardening gloves and a gardening magazine. If someone's passionate about cooking, you could put together a hamper complete with unusual ingredients in line with their favourite cuisine, such as Thai, which they wouldn't normally have in their cupboards - along with a recipe book of dishes that use them.

Last but not least, luxury hampers for Christmas need to look good. Coloured cellophane gives a gorgeous, refined look to Christmas gift baskets. This is where a hairdryer comes in. No, seriously! For a professional finish, you can use a regular hairdryer to blow-dry shrink-wrap on to the basket. As a rule of the thumb, it's best to start from the bottom and work your way up to the top.

Line the bottom of your hamper with shredded paper. You can pick up this material from most art shops or if you have a shredder, do it yourself. Add some glamour by mixing in sequins and glitter for a truly festive feel.

Add some festive sparkle over your loved ones this Christmas with our scrumptious personalised hampers complete with all their festive favourites, from fudge, to personalised wine to luxury marmalades. In a few clicks and scrolls, you'll have bought a delicious Christmas hamper for someone special.

Creative Ideas for Christmas Workshops

With Christmas approaching it's a magical and creative time of year. You find yourself wanting to create new designs, decorations and tasty treats inspired by Christmas themes. Organising a Christmas workshop is a great way of gathering people together to share and inspire one another with different forms of creativity. It's fairly easy to organise a workshop and can be a constructive way that's fun for all the family.

A workshop could be organised through work, at your local school through the committee, at a church, or a local hall or venue where workshops and the like are fairly common. The size of the workshop will depend on the size of the event you had in mind. It could be a weekly event that's fairly small and all the local community can get involved or you could develop the event to be held just on one day at the weekend but make the scale larger to include other activities. There are lots of opportunities for people to get involved, come together and enjoy the build up to Christmas.

In terms of content, again, depending on the size you can include as many as the following: bake sales, arts and crafts stalls, or games area for small children to play with interactive stalls. Alternatively, you could choose a small venue, or even open your house for a small number of people to come over and bake, create and make gifts and decorations. You need a good size table; a few would be better and make sure you've got all the equipment you need. You could ask each person to bring something with them, which would split the cost and ensure you have a nice variety of items.

In terms of ideas of what to create at the workshop, there are lots of ideas online and in magazines. One idea that is simple and easy to make is a snow globe; a classic Christmas toy or decoration for your home. All you need is a jam jar or something similar like baby-food jars, olive jars and so on. You then need to choose your centre piece that will be placed inside the jar such as small plastic or ceramic figurines. These can be found in flea markets, charity shops, toy stores and you may even have some in your home, used previously for putting on the Christmas tree. Place the figurine on the jam jar lid securely with glue and fill the jam jar almost to the top with distilled water. Add a pinch of glitter and a splash of glycerine to stop the glitter from falling too fast. Screw the lid on tightly, carefully and turn the jar over and back again and watch the snow fall.

Make Your Own Cards Online to Save Time and Money

Learning how to make your own cards is a valuable skill that can save you a lot of time and money. In addition to making great, personalized cards that your friends and family will love, you'll also have a lot of fun making them! Online, you'll find some excellent card-making tools that are easy to use and let you apply versatile design features to personalize every card you make.

In order to make your own cards, you're going to need a printer and some printable cards. When most people think of printable greeting cards they think of blank white cardstock, but in reality you can find as dressed up or down a printable greeting card as you desire. If you shop online you'll encounter a vast selection of printable cards in themed designs, holiday designs, and formal styles. A lot of printable card sets even come with free envelopes, so you won't have to worry about fitting them. If you like the prospect of making your cards totally from scratch, printable blank cards are available from many retailers in several finishes. No matter what type of printable greeting card you choose, it is important to determine whether or not the greeting cards you select will work with your printer. Most printable greeting cards are inkjet and laser printer friendly, but check your product's specific details to make sure what is compatible with your own office equipment.

Once you have all of your card-making materials ready to go, it's time to make your own cards! This can seem like an overwhelming process at first, because there are many ways you can go about it. Most likely you'll be using a greeting card template which will organize the contents of your card and guide you on how best to print it. However, since these templates often come in the form of free downloads some worry about their reliability and security. Using an online design program from an established stationery retailer will give you a highly visual card-making experience so you can focus on the details of the design process without worrying about the technical side of things. Another plus is that you will likely be able to save your templates and use them again in the future to quickly make cards for other holidays or events. Look for a program from a trustworthy source that offers a range of creative tools in an easy-to-use interface.

By making your own cards online with a free design program, you'll make your life easier during special occasions and have the opportunity to make heartwarming greetings for those you care about. You'll be surprised by how much the web can offer!

Try This at Christmas: 3 Ways to Change Your Mind About the Holiday

Mark and Angel are doing the holidays differently this year.

For starters, they are only buying gifts if Mark is able to pick up the extra freelance jobs and Angel finds extra catering work. They are optimistic about getting gifts as they both have been hustling the past few months. However, they are committed to financial recovery and health this year so they are ready to stop extra spending if necessary.

October family activities are a little different this year, high on creativity and low on cost. Mark and Angel take their growing family of three little boys on Day trips to Pumpkin patches and the ocean. For food, it's trips to Taco Bell on the beach and free pumpkin mazes- not expensive fish restaurants.

Angel is spending a lot of time cleaning and organizing their home now. With a big move this past year, there is a lot to go through and she doesn't want to spend December in cleaning mode.

"I want to clean now so I can enjoy our home more later," Angel says.

By later, I know she means the holidays. It might be October now, but Mark and Angel are keeping their eye on the upcoming holiday season, preparing to celebrate in a rather counter-cultural way: low on money, high on hospitality and quality (and quantity) time with friends and family.

For the modern girl who is on the run this season, here is some news she may enjoy hearing: the holidays don't have to run her down.

In fact, the time between Thanksgiving and New Years could turn into a season of rejuvenation and celebration. Rejuvenate during the Christmas season? It almost sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't? After all, this is the time of year that starts out with a bang on Black Friday (it really starts in the grocery stores during Thanksgiving week, and doesn't end until after New Year's Day- when the gift cards are redeemed, the decorations taken down and the resolutions put on the shelf (resolutions are mostly a nostalgic ritual anyways, right?)

Some people like the go-go-go sprint of the season. If so, read no further. Keep on keeping on. (I'll send you a Stress Relief Kit in January).

If you have other ideas about how the season might be spent, you are in the right place at the right time.

Focus on your priorities by differentiating what are the big things and what are the little things that will get your finite time, resources and energy this season.

We are constantly at the beck and call of the urgent. Have you noticed that whatever urgent thing comes up turns into a mini-crisis that needs our attention? But other people's drama doesn't need to be your emergency. This goes for the family member who is having another meltdown and the teacher who has committed to the impossible for the Christmas presentation. Mismatched handmade costumes will probably be just fine- and cuter- than expensive catalog ordered costumes. Your friend should probably think about professional counseling for the reoccurring, cyclical crisis that keeps coming.

Mark and Angel are prioritizing staying financially healthy this season. They are also prioritizing hospitality- making their home ready so they can welcome friends and family throughout the season. Angel is wise- she knows she can save herself a lot of stress later if she focuses on organization and eliminating unwanted and unneeded stuff right now.

Decide what is important to you this season: being available to a friend going through cancer treatments, helping your 2nd grader's teacher get ready for the Christmas play, making handmade scarves for your nieces and nephews, volunteering at the Food Bank, sticking to a budget, making the perfect fudge, hosting friends and family in your home throughout the month.

Decide on what will constitute the major and minor events of the season. Decide to let minor events go.

Welcoming people into your home and sharing a meal or snacks with them over a good conversation or a movie is a great, inexpensive, relationship-building way to connect during the holidays.

We often do not remember the gifts we give and spend our money on but we remember special moments of the season shared with family, friends, neighbors and even strangers.

Remember the reason for the season- a time to reflect and celebrate.

Christmas started as a way for people of the Christian faith to celebrate the birth of Jesus, who they believe to be the Savior of the world. It was a time of rejoicing and good food, of getting together with family and friends. As the centuries continued, more traditions were added. The Germans gave us the tradition of the Christmas tree, gifts were given as a symbol of the Wise Men's gift to the baby Jesus. People of past generations and centuries would be shocked to see the mad rush of emptying our bank accounts and adding to commercialism that marks our celebrations today.

What does the season mean to you? What motivates you to give gifts. Don't let your answer be: this is what I've always done. Dig a little deeper and feel what drives you.

If you don't like what is driving the mad rush behind the season, is it possible to pivot your stance and change directions? I'm not talking about radicalism, just a shift in thinking, celebrating, spending, and giving. Make it about special experiences and moments that really do take your breath away. Slow down and count the blessings in your life- strong legs to walk through the cold weather, the beauty of frost on the ground and a fresh wreath on the door.

The Christmas season was supposed to increase our joy and thanksgiving, not deplete us of all energy, sanity and money. What small things might you do differently to have a merry Christmas instead of a mad-dash Christmas this year?

5 Ways to Give Creative Gifts at Christmas

Gift giving at Christmas: you either love it or loathe it.

Whichever group you are like, even the most enthusiastic Christmas shopper tends to get droopy the closer it gets to Christmas. In reality, there are ways to share the joy of giving without going broke, crazy or losing sleep for multiple nights in a row. Gift giving takes a bit more creativity at Christmas to be unique, enjoyed and within budget.

The secret to creative Christmas gifts is creativity and organization. With a little time and thought you can come up with creative Christmas gifts. Pick a money budget so you don't overspend. Don't overlook practical gifts such as food gifts. Practical gifts are very lovely for all sorts of people; what you think is an ordinary skill (canning, breakmaking, dried soup mixes) may be someone else's favorite gift. My favorite gifts from my brother and sister in law include homemade salsa and homemade canned applesauce.

Don't forget about the time factor when it comes to homemade gifts. If you are going the homemade route, schedule in the prep time, gift making time and clean up. Making homemade applesauce takes about a good 12 hour day! It's worth it, but it is easier to do if you start with the right mental attitude.

Here are a few ideas:

Instead of giving gifts: host a Christmas dinner. If you like to be "artsy" make fun invites. Or, use an online service to send invites. Make your signature dish, fix a special dessert and decorate with white candles and white twinkle lights. For an icebreaker, let everyone know that they will be asked to share a special Christmas memory from years past. Take pictures. Play Nat King Cole or Michael Buble Christmas music in the background. Instead of a traditional formal dinner: Host a caroling and hot chocolate night. To keep the costs down, ask for people to bring milk, marshmallows, dessert, etc. As the host, you provide the Christmas ambience and background music. To help anyone who isn't familiar with the classic Christmas songs and carols, print up copies of the songs the group will sing. Walk around your neighborhood or call ahead to a nursing home, VA hospital or children's home to schedule a singing time. Don't forget to retrieve the copies of paper for the next year. Instead of individual gifts: Take a picture from the last year and frame it. This works well for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings. The more memorable event in the picture, the more meaningful the picture. Don't worry if everyone isn't looking their best. The candid shot after the nephew stuck his fingers in the side of the birthday cake is priceless. Expose classic literature to all the kids in the family. There are many options with pictures for the kids who need a more than a pirate to keep their attention. Audiobooks are another good option. Some companies have recorded books in live narrative - like a play - with sound effects and animated voices. This is a fabulous option many kids will enjoy. Compile a cookbook of all the favorite family recipes. This can be done as a family affair. Naturally the organizer is going to have the most work. Be sure he or she likes to work on the computer and is happily willing to put in the time. There are also some online stores where you can compile your recipes (everyone enters their own) and then the company sends you the cookbook. It's very little work on each individual's part. Many companies offer a variety of personalized gifts. Use your favorite photos, imprints or family sayings to create smart phone cases, t-shirts, sweatshirts, aprons, mugs, bags, baby shirts, journals and more. Many companies give coupons and discounts if you "like" them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

This list is a starting point for you. Don't forget about going to your local library to browse through magazines and craft books for ideas. Online blogs, Pinterest and other sites could keep you busy for weeks with ideas for creative Christmas gifts.

The most important thing is to act. Make a decision about what you want to do and go with it. Grab some friends and have a "work" day where everyone leaves their regular responsibilities and focusers on their gift making. Procrastination only leads to disappointment and a stomach ulcer. Enjoy the season and enjoy giving (and receiving) creative gifts.