Search Results for: blog start a holiday tradition

Holiday-Themed Sanity Savers

Whether you are hosting a Christmas party, a Hanukkah get-together or you simply need ways to keep your kids busy while they are home from school during the holiday break, the following ideas will go a long way to preserving your sanity: Games:  Get into the holiday spirit by modifying traditional kids’ games, such as “Duck, Duck, Goose.”  A holiday version could be “Reindeer, Reindeer Rudolph” or “Elf, Elf, Buddy” (Will Ferrell’s name in the movie “Elf”). Another option is to turn “Simon Says” into “Santa Says.”  These types of interactive games are great ways for kids to burn off … Continue reading →

The “After Christmas” Sales have Started!

It’s not even Christmas yet, but stores are already putting their holiday items on sale. Last year, the “After Christmas” sales started about a week before Christmas. This year, you can take advantage of those sales right now. Target has a small batch of coupons that will help you save on some of the holiday items that you can find at Target. The coupons are: Get $1.00 off when you spend $7.00 or more on Holiday boxed card sets. Get $1.00 off when you purchase three greeting cards. Get $0.50 off when you buy 1 Holiday card set. Get $1.00 … Continue reading →

Holiday Journaling

Now that most of the Christmas commotion has died down and out-of-town guests have vacated your home, it may be a good time to collect your thoughts for your holiday scrapbook. After a whirlwind of cooking, cleaning, wrapping and caroling, it’s nice to reflect on the memorable moments of the holiday and look ahead to the New Year. While some people find journaling to be an intimidating proposition, scrapbooks really benefit from unique perspectives. You will find that a layout can only be enhanced when you include your thoughts or commentary on certain events and photos. If you are struggling … Continue reading →

Holiday Traditions

Each family has its own unique set of holiday traditions. Whatever the traditions in your family, it is likely that you can look back through the years and see how certain things became a part of what your family does. For example, my father’s side of the family has always gotten together on Christmas Eve. I think that this tradition started when my cousins and I were born because each set of new parents had two sets of grandparents to include in their Christmas visiting schedule. Instead of trying to have each set of cousins make it to two sets … Continue reading →

Holiday Photo Ops

The holiday season is ripe with memorable photo opportunities. From the excitement of gift opening to the traditional carving of the Christmas ham, and hugs galore for visiting friends and family, now is not the time of year to be without your camera. In fact, now is the time to make the most of your picture-taking tool. I recently attended a Christmas party where the host’s camera took center stage. Rather than walk around the shindig snapping pictures of guests, my friend set-up a mock photo booth where people could shoot their own pictures. The camera sat on a tripod … Continue reading →

Sticking To Your Holiday Budget

As we head down the final stretch to Christmas Day, stores are pulling out all the stops to lure in last-minute shoppers with sensational seasonal sales. If you have gotten this far sticking to your holiday budget, don’t be tempted by these late season offers. Often, they don’t save you as much money as you’d think. Procrastinators on a budget should stray from big-box retailers during the final days leading up to Christmas. To preserve your budget, head over to the local Dollar Store for economical gift ideas. For example, if you are looking for a last-minute present for your … Continue reading →

Christmas eCards – Old Tradition Meets Modern Technology

People started sending Christmas cards to family and friends in 1843. This is a tradition that we still do today, and not all that much has changed about the content of a typical Christmas card. The newest innovation with Christmas cards comes in the form of eCards. Sending a Christmas card to a relative through email is a good way to keep in touch. There are two basic styles of Christmas eCards. One is the type that feels somewhat traditional. These are the ones that show nativity scenes, and images of snowmen and Santa Claus. The other style is absolutely … Continue reading →

Tasty Traditions – Cookies and Family History

No matter what holiday your family is celebrating this time of year, one thing is probably a given. There are likely to be many sweet treats on your table that are not usually there throughout the year. Did you know that if you have European ancestors, they may have started baking Christmas cookies as far back in time as the 1500’s? Sweet treats have long been associated with celebrations throughout the year, as the ingredients used to make them like sugar and spices were too expensive for most people to have on hand all year long. The array of cookies, … Continue reading →

Homemade Holiday Decorations for the Craft-Challenged

I am no Martha Stewart, but that doesn’t stop me from having fun tackling artsy holiday projects to display during this magical time of the year. Shortly after Thanksgiving, my 7-year-old and I took on a candy cane craft project we first saw hanging at a Ben Franklin store. Nearly three weeks later we are finally done putting together the seasonal showpiece. Okay, it didn’t really take us three full weeks to craft the minty, blinged out wreath. It just seems that way. Truth be told, you could easily construct the sweet masterpiece in a single afternoon. Here’s what you … Continue reading →

Christmas Tree Traditions

If your family celebrates Christmas, chances are that your family photo albums have many pictures of your family’s Christmas trees throughout the years. Each family that gets a Christmas tree for their home every year has a slightly different ritual for doing so, too. When I was younger, my parents would usually get a tree in mid – November. We had a wood stove in the room where we would put the tree, so getting it earlier was not really an option because the stove would dry the tree out and result in needles all over the floor. Some years … Continue reading →