Letters From Santa & Christmas Trees

If you celebrate Christmas, chances are you will celebrate the holiday season with a Christmas tree in your house. Although all across the nation there will be Christmas trees decorated this holiday season, none will be exactly like yours. Christmas trees are a tradition – many of us plan a special day of writing letters to Santa (and dreaming of getting letters from Santa!) and decorating the Christmas tree.

You may choose to use a theme in your decoration, or even stick with one or two colors. Using a theme is nice because it helps makes the shopping experience easier when you are purchasing your decorations – it helps you focus in.  Most of us have some great decorations that we use year after year – so we want to always find a way to fit those in with what we do every year.

Department stores or even drug stores are usually the least expensive places to purchase Christmas ornaments and other decorations. This means you should be able to purchase your Christmas tree decorations, whether it’s lights or ornaments, at a relatively affordable price.  Another place to check is a dollar store. It’s amazing what you can find in these shops.

Christmas specialty shops are another option and depending on where you live, you are likely to have at least one or two of these shops near you. The only concern about these Christmas shops is that they tend to have high prices on their items; however, the quality is often better than what you usually find in typical department stores. 

If you don’t have one of these shops near you, you can still find great Christmas decorations online. Countless websites offer high quality, elegant Christmas tree decorations and ornaments. Other ideas you might want to keep in mind include companies or individuals that specialize in creating unique, handcrafted Christmas ornaments.  As you might expect, handcrafted Christmas ornaments, especially those that are customized, can be quite expensive.  Another option is creating some of your own Christmas decorations. There are lots of websites that offer instructions for Christmas craft projects – and most of them are easy to do. 

As mentioned earlier, there is a good chance that you already have a collection of Christmas tree decorations saved from previous years.  Re-using these older decorations can save you lots of money – seeing those older ornaments has a way of bringing back memories from days gone by.

The Christmas decoration business has become a huge business. In fact, it seems that as soon as Halloween is over the Christmas decorations are on the shelves at our local department stores. While shopping for Christmas decorations is fun, the best part is trimming the tree with someone you love.

Great Gift Ideas For Co-Workers From Secret Santa

Image via Wikipedia

A Secret Santa format is often used in an office and other work settings. This can sometimes meant hat you are shopping for someone that you do not know very well....which of course, can make giving a gift that will be appreciated a little tricky.

Here are a couple ideas. First of all, a Secret Santa Gift is usually limited to a particular price range. This can add to the difficulty or it can make it easier. Taking the easy way out is my suggestion.

Think Gift Cards. You can now purchase gift cards almost anywhere. This includes restaurants, book stores, department stores, home improvement centers, and even drug stores. All you have to do is pick one and purchase the needed number of cards.

Another idea is a great coffee mug filled with soup mixes, coffees, coca or tea samples. A simple gift basket filled with various bath items is another wonder suggestion. You can purchase an inexpensive basket, line it with a nice washcloth or towel and then pile in the accessories. Shop at a 99 cent store tor lots of cheap but useful stuff to put in your basket.

More ideas coming soon!

Christmas Joys And A Santa Claus Postmark!

It’s time to start planning for Christmas again and how to make it even more unique. If you are like the average family that recognizes and acknowledges this magical holiday, you will be dragging out your favorite and most cherished decorations from past Christmases plus adding more. Most people seem to continuously build their supply of adornments. After all, there are always new and gorgeous ornaments, wreaths, garlands, and other decorative embellishments we can add. The truth is that having a wide rangeoffers the opportunity to either have a themed oriented decorating scheme, or a free for all style.

Decorating your home and surroundings is usually a Christmas tradition that all members of the family participate in. Even the very young get into the act. And of course, us adults sometimes get a little emotional at Christmas time. It’s not hard to do as we think about favorite Christmases from years gone by. And if we are really lucky we will even have some keepsakes from those times that seem to keep us in touch with our past.

Christmas traditions are a wonderful way to bridge the gap between old and new, and young and old. The passing down of traditions keeps a bond of sorts between the generations. Just as our parents celebrated during the holidays, we have followed, and our kids will too.

Whether your family traditionally spends a specific time making and displaying Christmas craft projects, or simply decorating, or just spending quality time together, these can all become memorable Christmas traditions. And great memories will be a part of each Christmas as the tradition is carried on.
My family’s Christmas traditions include putting our Christmas tree up on Thanksgiving Day. Afterward, we work on a few Christmas craft projects – a family favorite is making snowmen out of Styrofoam balls. It’s easy enough even for the youngest members to do and fun for all.

When the craft projects are done it is time to write our letter to Santa Claus. The kids love this. I always look forward to learning what it is that the children really want for Christmas. When the letters are ready we put them in envelopes addressed to Santa at the North Pole. And when the kids receive an authentic letter back with a Santa Claus postmark from the North Pole they are ecstatic. As soon as their eyes take in the postmark from Santa Claus they are overjoyed, and I get to share in their joy.

No matter what activities you and your family look forward to together, the vital thing is to make it fun and make it unique. There’s something about Christmas that is simply enchanting and I believe that magic lives in our hearts. It just takes thewonders of Christmas to bring it out in each of us.

More Secret Santa Clause Ideas

Image via Wikipedia

Look over some of these suggestions - I think you will agree that they are wonderful ideas for an inexpensive Christmas gift - especially a secret Santa Clause gift. An easy idea is to purchase Christmas themed printer paper to use for printing Christmas songs, poetry, and favorite recipes. Put the compilation into a nicely decorated folder or clear report cover.  Simple candles can be decorated with ribbons and dried flowers, and beads. How about using a simple clear vase, bowl, or even a wicker basket to hold some cinnamon scented pine cones. But add a little glam by lacing a strand of lights through them. It's a beautiful decoration that smells wonderful!

Spreading Goodwill at Christmas

Image via Wikipedia

    The real meaning of Christmas, the season of good cheer, is about giving
especially to provide some assistance to those who need help for their daily
survival and who therefore don't have the material resources to enjoy the
Christmas season. The importance of giving to those in need during Christmas is
embodied in the story of Jesus' birth, which is the reason Christmas is
celebrated.

    For Christians, Jesus was born to save mankind from sin by giving
everlasting Salvation to all who believe in the Word of God and chose to follow
the principles for living in the Bible. Jesus therefore gave in the ultimate way
- he offered himself as a sacrifice for every living person. Christians
therefore believe that Christmas should be about following the example of Jesus
by giving of oneself to others, especially to those who are in need.

    The Christmas season should therefore be about spreading goodwill and good
cheer. This purpose of Christmas is very significant because research by social
service organizations has shown that Christmas happens to be a high time for
depression among the have-nots, among people with problems and others who just
don't have the means and resources to enjoy the merriment of the holidays.

    The hundreds of Santa letters written by children are often a sad
testament to the many unmet needs of families and individuals during the festive
Christmas and holiday times. Just about every child is told the story of Santa
Claus, or hears about him because his presence is everywhere at Christmas. And
up to the age of 7 to 8 years, most children believe the story about Santa Claus
bringing toys and other gifts. That's the reason why so many young children
often write letters to Santa at Christmas time in which the innocently plead for
toys and other gifts because they their parents or other relatives will not be
able to give them those Christmas toys or Christmas gifts that they want.

    Thankfully there are many volunteer and charitable efforts carried out by
groups and corporations that seek to fulfill the needs of children and also of
adults during the Christmas season. One of the most notable organizations that
do such charitable work is the Salvation Army, which has a history of giving
service to those in need.

According to The Salvation Army's website, the organization as known today was
started in 1865 by a Methodist minister, William Booth and his wife Catherine.
They formed a group that preached, provided food and shelter to the homeless,
the hungry and to alcoholics in need of recovery services. The services were
provided in London's East End. Booth and his followers, first known as 'The
Christian Mission,' started to use The Salvation Army name in 1878. 

The Salvation Army is now uniquely associated with the Christmas season through
its many representatives who dress up as Santa Claus and stand outside retail
establishments ringing their bells while they kindly seek donations from
shoppers to help the poor at Christmas.

Individuals also play Santa Claus at Christmas time and help out those in need
by donating toys and gifts through their companies, other business enterprises
such as banks or through their local municipality. These groups usually all have
a box or an area where new toys or clothing can be dropped off and the items are
then donated to families in need or to social service providers for distribution
to the needy during the Christmas season.

Along with much charitable giving at Christmas time, other public interest
groups also work hard to inform and educate consumers about avoiding the after
Christmas blues. This is often experienced in January when the bills and debts
are due as a result of all the spending, much of it on credit, that is done for
the holidays.

These groups try to spread goodwill and cheer in a different way. They try to
provide educational information on spending responsibly during the Christmas
season with the hope that the happiness and good feeling enjoyed during the
season can also carry over after Christmas and not be spoiled by the burden of
having huge bills to pay.