Just think, all that crazy last minute shopping not only robs you of your energy and Christmas spirit, but it can also be a major drain on the finances as well. For many people, money is tighter this year than ever before. With some creative thought and planning, you can give thoughtful gifts that will not only be appreciated but won’t put you in debt until next Christmas.

Get together with your family and friends and share with them your idea, reach a mutual agreement not to exchange gifts. Stop worrying about running around and stressing about what to get for whom and how you’re going to pay for everything.  This year without having to worry and stress, you can actually spend your time in ways that count and focus on quality time with those who matter most to you.

Now, for those on your gift list it’s time to come up with some special ideas for your gifts.  Think about each person and what would help them the most or make their life a little easier.  Maybe you have a family member or friend who has a baby or children; you can make some coupons the offers babysitting services. Maybe you can offer lawn mowing services for an elderly neighbor, or errand running for a homebound person. Keep each person in mind when you do this and take special care to make sure you’re not stepping on any toes and that your service won’t be seen as an intrusion or inconvenience.

For the smaller children on your list, consider making a gift for them. Children love stories, so why not write a story about that child for them? You can either type it up and illustrate it using your computer, or write it in big block letters and illustrate it with pictures you’ve clipped out or drawn yourself. You can also make things such as modeling clay or bubble blowing liquid. Check your local library or internet for more great ideas for children. The best part of these gifts is the time you spend with the youngster playing with the clay or reading the story time and again.

And though it may seem a bit more difficult to think of a gift for older children and teenagers, they also cherish the gift of your time. If you have a special skill, such as cooking, baking, or painting, why not take the time to pass it along. Purchase a canvas and some paints and show your favorite young person how to paint landscapes or pass along a favorite family recipe by teaching him or her how to prepare it.

Consider donating some of your time to places that really need additional hands around the holidays. Your local soup kitchen, homeless shelter or neighborhood nursing home might need someone to help serve food and clean, or just simply to spend time with their residents. Your time and help will be greatly appreciated by the staff and the people they serve.

The holidays shouldn’t be a time of stress and worry over how much money you’ve spent on gifts, but about togetherness and generosity. Giving the gift of your time is probably the most generous gift any of us have to give, and the one that most people are most appreciative of and enjoy receiving.

By Shel Silverstein

Tonight’s my first night as a watchdog,
And here it is Christmas Eve.
The children are sleeping all cozy upstairs,
While I’m guardin’ the stockin’s and tree.

I’m guarding the stockings I’m guarding the stockings I’m guarding the stockings
What’s that now—footsteps on the rooftop?
Could it be a cat or a mouse?
Who’s this down the chimney?
A thief with a beard—
And a big sack for robbin’ the house?

What’s going on here?
I’m barkin’, I’m growlin’, I’m bitin’ his butt.
He howls and jumps back in his sleigh.
I scare his strange horses, they leap in the air.
I’ve frightened the whole bunch away.

We’re outta here.
Now the house is all peaceful and quiet again.
The stockin’s are safe as can be.
Won’t the kiddies be glad when they wake up tomorrow
And see how I’ve guarded the tree.
Merry Christmas

]]> http://christmasblog.twasthenightb4christmas.com/christmas/christmas-guard-dog-2/feed 0 http://christmasblog.twasthenightb4christmas.com/christmas/christmas-decorating-the-natural-way-2 http://christmasblog.twasthenightb4christmas.com/christmas/christmas-decorating-the-natural-way-2#comments Mon, 13 Dec 2010 01:16:54 +0000 Admin http://christmasblog.twasthenightb4christmas.com/?p=66 Tired of of the same old Christmas decorating schemes, the same colors and same ornamentation year after year? How about trying something new and fun this year, add some natural elements to your Christmas decorating.

You can easily achieve a beautiful change of scenery by using materials from your own garden or anywhere green outdoors. You may need more imagination and resourcefulness to find the ornaments hidden out there because winter often tends to cover them.

You can create ornaments from dried greenery, fruits, flowers and more. You are only limited by your imagination. If properly and creatively arranged, whatever you make will be the perfect choice.

Many craft stores, nurseries and tree places offer lovely greenery and dried natural fruits and flowers that you can use. With the addition of ribbons, bows and even some glitter, you can create your own Christmas decoration masterpieces.

For some added color, you can add flowers, in pots and baskets and decorate with some pretty ribbon and bows. They will last throughout the holidays, giving a fresh note to your Christmas decorating. You will also be adding a natural feeling and a perfume that reminds of the forest and of the garden full of flowers.

You can enrich your decorating with fruits and vegetables in attractive colors. Or just add some cherries and yellow or green apples, pears and bananas. That should give you a colorful combination that can last a while.

Remember that when you use branches in your arrangements to slice a little of the base that will go in the water vase. This way you will stimulate absorption and make your decoration last longer.

For your Christmas dinner table centerpiece, make sure it’s not too tall, so it doesn’t get in the way of friends and family eating and talking to each other. Taller ornamentation that you create be placed on accent tables and in buffet areas. This way they can be admired and enjoyed by your guests without getting in their way.

Just give your creativity and imagination free reign and you will come up spectacular decorations and ornamentation that will indeed make holidays special and unique!

These days, it’s more common for people to draw a name out of a hat or get assigned a person to buy for. Or the family creates a type of “white elephant” exchange instead of having family members buy for individuals in particular. So, what many families need is a fun way to exchange the gifts, whether they be for a specific person or whether they are ‘white elephant” type gifts.

If the family members drew names, there are several fun things you can do. The gifts can be hidden and clues given as to the location of the gifts. So, if you arrive at grandma’s house with your gift for Aunt Martha, you might tuck her gift into a kitchen cabinet. Then you’d create a series of clue as to here it is. You might say, “Cinnamon lurks here” or “it’s the hub of the home, but not always the home of the hub”.

The clues can be silly or deadly serious. They can be designed so someone will know where to find their present in just minutes, or designed so that it takes a series of clues to get someone right to their gift. If the group is small or the house particularly large, and the participants have the time you can always create a hunt where more than one tip is left and one tip leads to another, which leads to another until the gift is finally found.

Why should the kids have all the fun? Create some fun gift exchange ideas for adults. Whether the family is doing a name draw and exchanging regular gifts or not, you can have some good family fun with a white elephant gift exchange. How about a themed white elephant gift exchange? If the family is into fishing, you could create that as a theme. Everyone must bring a gift related to fishing (this could be anything from sporting goods items, to a singing bass that goes on the wall). It could be a hand held electronic fishing game or a board game with fishing as a theme.

In that same vein, you could create a “cooking” white elephant exchange or a camping themed gift exchange. Again, it’s more about what will please members of the family than anything. Then create some fun games for the exchange itself. Perhaps everyone draws a number and gets to pick their gifts from the pile in the middle based on their number. Perhaps you begin the game that way, but then also people to ‘steal’ someone else’s gift if they choose.

You can require that the gift recipient shakes a gift, studies a gift and makes a good, educated guess as to its contents before opening it. If they are right, they can “steal” someone else’s gift, but if they are wrong, they keep theirs. Add to the silliness factor by playing a card game and dictating that people can’t get their gift and open it until they win a hand in the card game (ideally something fairly quick like poker or rummy).

The idea behind any family gift exchange should be enjoying each others company and enjoying the Christmas spirit. As long as it’s fun and engaging, there’s no reason why the adults in the family can’t have some fun games for exchanging gifts just the kids might.

• Be especially patient with your humans during this time. They may appear to be more stressed-out than usual and they will appreciate long comforting dog leans.

• They may come home with large bags of things they call gifts. Do not assume that all the gifts are yours.

• Be tolerant if your humans put decorations on you. They seem to get some special kind of pleasure out of seeing how you look with fake antlers.

• They may bring a large tree into the house and set it up in a prominent place and cover it with lights and decorations. Bizarre as this may seem to you, it is an important ritual for your humans, so there are some things you need to know:
  • Don’t pee on the tree.
  • Don’t drink water in the container that holds the tree.
  • Mind your tail when you are near the tree.
  • If there are packages under the tree, even ones that smell interesting or that have your name on them, don’t rip them open.
  • Don’t chew on the cord that runs from the funny-looking hole in the wall to the tree.

• Your humans may occasionally invite lots of strangers to come visit during this season. These parties can be lots of fun, but they also call for some discretion on your part:
  • Not all strangers appreciate kisses and leans
  • Don’t eat off the buffet table
  • Beg for goodies subtly
  • Be pleasant, even if unknowing strangers sit on your sofa
  • Don’t drink out of glasses that are left within your reach

  

My favorite thing to do is to make up Christmas Gift baskets. Friends and family have actually come to look forward to my baskets every year to see what goodies I put together. There’s little more rewarding than to pass out the gift baskets and watch people go through them sharing their gifts and showing off what I tucked inside.

One gift I always include is gift jars. There are so many ideas and they are so easy to make. You can make anything from cakes and cookies to drinks and creamers in jars. Here’s a few great gift jar recipes that you can try and share this year and a few ideas to make them even more special!

AMARETTO COFFEE CREAMER

3/4 cup non-dairy coffee creamer
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 cup confectioners sugar

Combine all ingredients in a container with a tight fitting lid. Shake well to blend. Store in airtight container and give creamer with the recipe for Amaretto Coffee. Yields 12 servings.

Attach to the jar: Amaretto Coffee: In a mug, combine 2 tablespoons of creamer with 6 ounces of coffee.

APPLE, CINNAMON, WALNUT OATMEAL MIX

1 package {7 oz.} dried apples
1 container {18 oz.} quick-cooking oats
1 jar {3 oz.} non-dairy creamer
1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Place dried apples in a processor; process until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and process until well blended. Store in airtight container. Give with serving instructions. Makes 7 1/2 cups mix; about 15 servings.

Attach to jar or container: Stir 2/3 cup boiling water into 1/2 cup oatmeal mix until well blended. Let stand until thickened.

BEST EVER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup white sugar
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Combine the flour, baking soda, white sugar, and the chocolate chips. Place 1/2 of the mixture in a clean quart sized glass jar, and pack firmly. Place the brown sugar on top, again packing firmly. Place the remaining flour mixture on top. Cover with a lid.

Attach an index card with the following directions: Empty contents of jar into a large bowl. In separate bowl combine 3/4 cup of butter, 1 1/2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until creamy. Add to dry mixture.

Drop by tablespoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.

CAPPUCCINO MOCHA MIX

6 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
3 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
1-1/4 cups powdered nondairy creamer, plain or Irish cream
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl, stir together espresso coffee powder, cocoa, nondairy creamer, sugar and cinnamon. Store tightly covered.

For the gift label: “For each cup of cappuccino, measure 4 tablespoons mix into a coffee mug and stir in 6 oz. of boiling water.” Makes 2 1/2 cups of mix ( enough to 10 servings).

EASY COCOA MIX

1(2-lb.) box of Quik
1 (16 oz.) jar CoffeeMate
1(1 lb.) box powdered sugar
1 (8-oz.) box dry milk
**You can also add mini marshmallows to the mix

Mix all ingredients together well. Store in airtight container.

For the gift label: For each cup of cocoa, add 3 to 4 heaping tablespoons of mix per cup of boiling water.

MAKE YOUR GIFT OF COFFEE OR COCOA MIX MORE SPECIAL

Get some spoons and dip the spoon end only in melted chocolate chips; sprinkle with non-pareils or colored sugar sprinkles if desired. Let the chocolate set up. Wrap a spoon or two (depending on who the gift is for) in a piece of cellophane and tie with a pretty ribbon. Include this with a gift jar of cocoa mix or coffee mix.

Make some homemade biscotti. After biscotti is cooled, dip half of each stick into melted chocolate chips (or melted vanilla candy coating also known as chocolate bark). Let chocolate set up. Wrap and add as you would the above spoons. Sew up a pretty gift bag from a festive fabric of your favorite holiday calico or even a shiny lame to wrap your gift jar in. Decorate with twigs of silk holly and a pretty ribbon.

Place the wrapped jar of mix in a basket and include the recipe if desired so the recipient may make more when their supply runs out. Add a bag of home made cookies and a couple of coffee mugs to complete the gift basket.

Now these lovely idea make fantastic Christmas Gifts but they are also wonderful gifts anytime of the year so don’t limit yourself! Have some fun and get creative!

But the story really begins around the 7th century when a monk from Devonshire came to Germany to teach the word of the Lord. Legend says that he used the triangular form of the Christmas tree to symbolize religious meanings. In the Europe of the 12th century, on Christmas day, the Christmas tree was installed upside down, hanging down from the ceiling!

It appears the tree was first decorated at Riga in 1510. At the beginning of the 16Ith century, M. Luther decorated the tree with candles to suggest to his children the sparklings of the stars in the sky.

At the middle of the 16th century, in Germany, appear the first markets specialized in selling presents for Christmas, usually food or objects of practical use.

Christmas decorations that were meant to suggest snow were invented in Germany in 1610. At that time not only they were silvery, but they were also made out of silver. There were invented machines to make thin silver strings for the tree. Silver lasted long but it oxidized very quickly, so they tried to ally it with cooper and zinc, but the product was so heavy that it just broke under the action of his own weight. So silver was used till the middle of the 20th century.

In Great Britain, the Christmas tree came along with merchants that originated from Germany and settled in England. Decorating the Christmas tree meant silver ornaments, candles and pearl-like ribbons all produced in Germany and Eastern Europe at the time. The custom said that every family member or invited person had to have a little tree placed on the table in front of him, with the presents besides it.

In 1846, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert – both born in Germany – appear in “Illustrated London News”, along with their children, all around the Christmas tree. The popularity of the regal family made this custom to spread fast among the people. The tree became a fashion matter not only in the Britain Islands, but also on the eastern coast of America.

Decorations were of a huge variety. Mostly home made because they were expensive at the time. Young ladies spent hours cutting paper snowflakes and stars, folding presents envelopes and paper supports for candy.

In America, the Christmas tree appears around 1747, in German communities from Pennsylvania, but it spreads only along with the development of communications, at the middle of the 19th century.

In 1882 the electric light bowl is invented and in 1892 it is adapted for the Christmas tree.

And so, we get to our present tree that combines all the elements presented above in the most ingenious and creative mixtures.

Christmas light bulbs, Christmas ornaments, Christmas
stockings, and tinsel from the Christmas tree are not food.

I am the alpha dog, therefore I do not need to protect
my new Christmas rawhide from the omega dog by
taking it outside to eat when the wind chill is -10 F.

I will not demolish the Christmas tree and drag the
string of lights out into the backyard through the doggy door.

I will not dive into the Christmas tree to get the
candy canes (which I will eat — paper and all).

I will not eat my Christmas doggie treats until after
they’re out of the stocking!

I will not even THINK about going underneath the
Christmas tree and piddling on the dining room rug.

I will not get into a fight with the bigger dog next
door, making my human have to call the vet’s at Christmas.

I will not get tangled up in the Christmas tree lights
and pull the tree down while trying to get at a cat
through the conservatory window.

I will not pee on Grandma’s Christmas presents that
are under her tree as soon as we enter her house.

I will not pee on the Christmas tree.

I will not steal the neighbor’s Christmas light bulbs.

The bowl underneath the Christmas tree is not a dog
dish. I will not drink from it. It will make me sick.

Christmas lights; we have all seen them and most of us have used them before. When it comes to Christmas lights, we often associate those lights with Christmas trees.  While Christmas lights are most commonly used to decorate Christmas trees, did you know that they can also be used for much more?  If you are planning on decorating your home for Christmas this year, you are advised to examine what else Christmas lights can be used for. After a close examination, you will likely see that they can be used for a lot more than you may have originally thought.

As previously mentioned, when it comes to Christmas lights, we often associate Christmas lights with Christmas trees. This is because a large number of individuals decorate their Christmas trees with Christmas lights.  What is nice about using Christmas lights on a Christmas tree is that the lights come in a number of different sizes and styles.  It is possible to purchase Christmas lights with small light bulbs, as well as large ones.  Traditional Christmas lights come white in color or with a combination of all different colors.  In recent years, the popularity of different colored lights has skyrocketed.  You can now purchase single colored Christmas lights or lights with a specific color combination. These types of lights are ideal for those who are looking to theme their Christmas tree.

Although many individuals choose to use Christmas lights for their Christmas tree, as stated above, there are other uses for them as well.  One of those uses is for decorating the outside of your home.  Online and in many retail stores across America, you can easily find Christmas lights that are designed for outside use, particular around a home. These type of lights are often referred to as icicle Christmas lights.  Icicle Christmas lights allow the lights to hang off the side of a house.  While it is possible to find multicolored outdoor Christmas lights, you will find that they are most commonly sold in the traditional white color.

In addition to decorating the outside of the outside of your home with Christmas lights, you can also decorate the trees outside of your home.  A number of homeowners, each year, decorate the trees outside their home, often exactly like their indoor Christmas tress.  Many times, these trees are relatively small in size; therefore, the same types of Christmas lights that can be used on a regular tree can also, sometimes, be used on an outdoor tree.  Decorating the small trees in your yard is a great way to bring a touch of Christmas to your neighborhood.

You can also use Christmas lights to decorate any one of the rooms that can be found inside your home.  There are many individuals who hang Christmas lights along the top of their walls. This is a great way to bring extra Christmas spirit into the room that your Christmas tree is in, as well as other rooms. In fact, you can even use Christmas lights to decorate one of your home’s bedrooms.  This idea is often loved by teenagers and other children; many enjoy the bright lights and colors. Decorating your home’s bedrooms is a great way to bring the Christmas spirit into a room that you may have otherwise not decorated.

As nice as it is to decorate your home for Christmas, you may also want to decorate your office or your workspace. Unfortunately, not everyone celebrates Christmas.  This may pose a problem, when it comes to decorating your office workspace.  However, you can still, in many cases, use Christmas lights to decorate your office.  In most cases, you will find that it is the decorations that scream Christmas that cause the problems, not the lights themselves. Therefore, if you supervisors approve, you could easily hang Christmas lights around your office walls or along the sides of your work desk.

Isn’t it amazing all of the different ways that you can use Christmas lights to decorate your home or even your office? What is even more amazing is the above mentioned examples are just a few of the many ways that you can use Christmas lights to bring the holiday spirit into your home or office.

In most places around the world, Christmas Day is celebrated on December 25. Christmas Eve is the preceding day, December 24. In the United Kingdom and many countries of the Commonwealth, Boxing Day is the following day, December 26. In Catholic countries, Saint Stephen’s Day or the Feast of St. Stephen is December 26. The Armenian Apostolic Church observes Christmas on January 6. Eastern Orthodox Churches that still use the Julian Calendar celebrate Christmas on the Julian version of 25 December, which is January 7 on the more widely used Gregorian calendar, because the two calendars are now 13 days apart.

The word “Christmas” originated as a contraction of “Christ’s mass.” It is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes mæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038.[1] In early Greek versions of the New Testament, the letter ? (chi), is the first letter of Christ (???????). Since the mid-sixteenth century ?, or the similar Roman letter X, was used as an abbreviation for Christ. Hence, “Xmas” is often used as an abbreviation for Christmas.

After the conversion of Anglo-Saxon Britain in the very early 7th century, Christmas was referred to as geol, the name of the pre-Christian solstice festival from which the current English word ‘Yule’ is derived.

The prominence of Christmas Day increased gradually after Charlemagne was crowned on Christmas Day in 800. Around the 12th century, the remnants of the former Saturnalian traditions of the Romans were transferred to the Twelve Days of Christmas (26 December – 6 January). Christmas during the Middle Ages was a public festival, incorporating ivy, holly, and other evergreens, as well as gift-giving.

Modern traditions have come to include the display of Nativity scenes, Holly and Christmas trees, the exchange of gifts and cards, and the arrival of Father Christmas or Santa Claus on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. Popular Christmas themes include the promotion of goodwill and peace.

Source – Wikipedia