Peace on Earth T-shirt

Peace on Earth Jr. Raglan

 

Peace on Earth and good will towards men. Dove design. A religious or spiritual design for Christmas.

 

Stocking Stuffer Gift Ideas for Teen Girls

Stocking Stuffer Gift Ideas for Teen Girls by Rachel Paxton

It’s fun to buy stocking stuffers for teen girls. I always use this time of year as an opportunity to give them the little treats they want and/or need throughout the year but that I don’t want to spend the extra money for. Here are some items our teenage daughters will find in their Christmas stockings this year:

$5 Starbucks card
AA batteries for portable CD player/MP3 player
Matching knit camisole/panties
Fun fashionable socks
Small hoop earrings
Chocolates and hard candies

I try to find them things that they can use but will also not necessarily expect in their stockings. Listen for clues for what to get when you’re out shopping with them. They really make it quite easy! Here are some other ideas:

Movie tickets
Fast food gift certificates
Perfume/body spray
Lip gloss
Nail polish/manicure set
Disposable camera/film
CD cleaner/scratch remover
Journal/pen
Small inspirational book
Tear-off calendar
Car or room air freshener

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, organizing tips, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

Article Source: http://www.ladypens.com

You could also see Goode Girls for t-shirts are more!

 

Lighted Holiday Potpourri Jars

Lighted Holiday Potpourri Jars by Rachel Paxton

Lighted potpourri jars are a festive addition to any holiday decor. They are inexpensive, easy to make, and make great hostess gifts.

SUPPLIES:

1 package Christmas lights (20-bulb strand)
Wide-mouth canning jar
Potpourri
Holiday ribbon
Pinecones, small holiday decorations
Doily or holiday fabric cut to fit over the mouth of the canning jar
Glue gun

DIRECTIONS:

Plug in light strand and see if any bulbs are burned out and need to be replaced. Arrange light strand and potpourri in canning jar while lights are on so you’ll be able to get it just right and be able to see what it will look like when it’s finished.

Place doily or fabric on top of jar, arranging the cord of the light strand so it’s coming out where you want the back to be. Tie some ribbon around the neck of the jar to hold the fabric in place. When you get it arranged the way you like it, use the hot glue gun to glue the fabric and ribbon down in several places so it will hold.

Decorate the outside of the jar with festive decorations like pine cones or artificial holly berries. Craft stores have a variety of holiday decorations you can cut apart and re-arrange any way you like.

Experiment with different potpourri scents. The lights in the jar will warm up the potpourri and help the scent fill the room. These jars are very pretty and will look different depending on if you use clear or colored lights. These are great for last-minute present ideas or hostess gifts. Happy holidays!

Photo of finished project:
http://www.crafty-moms.com/articles/112902a.shtml

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit http://www.crafty-moms.com.

Article Source: http://www.ladypens.com

 

10 Christmas Activities for Families

10 Christmas Activities for Families by Whack-E-Doo Mom

For children, Christmas is magic. It’s wonder and excitement. Often times, for grown-ups, it’s mile long shopping lists, mile long lines in department stores and mile long credit card bills piling in after the first of the new year. Don’t allow the hassles and stress of the holidays to diminish your Christmas spirit! Christmas is a time for memories, not migraines! Here are some fun ideas for you and your family to regain the true meaning of Christmas.

1. Ambush your kids with a surprise late night drive around town to see lights and decorations. Get them all set for bed, in nice warm jammies. Then, right when you are about to tuck them in, scoop them up, bundle them in blankets, buckle them in the car and go cruisin’! Be sure to have Christmas tunes ready in the car to sing along to. Older children will especially get a kick out of this special holiday adventure!

2. It’s important to teach your children that Christmas is not just about presents under the tree. Have your children decorate an old shoe box with reds and greens and ribbons and bows. Then talk to your children about gifts that don’t come wrapped, gifts that you can’t touch, such as love. Help your children make a list of all the gifts that they are thankful for that can’t be wrapped and put under the tree. Put the list in the box and place the box in a prominent spot in your home as a reminder of this life lesson. You can pack the box away with your holiday decorations and add a new list each Christmas.

3. Lights, camera, action! Act out your family’s favorite Christmas story, such as Frosty the Snowman or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and record it. Everyone knows how the story goes, only rehearse your skit once, then capture it on film. You are guaranteed tons of laughter and a great memory!

4. Start a Christmas tradition that each year your family will do something new, something that your family has never done before to celebrate the spirit of the season. It can be anything – ice skating, caroling – have each member of the family come up with an idea for a first-time activity and write them down, then throw all the ideas into a hat. Then write each member of the family’s name down and throw them into a separate hat. Mom or Dad can choose the name out of that hat and whoever they pull out gets to pull the activity out of the other hat. Maybe your experience will be a one shot deal (we had a skiing fiasco in our family last year) or maybe it will be something your family wants to add to the Christmas traditions you already celebrate each year.

5. Get out of the house! Check your local newspaper for community Christmas events that you and your family can enjoy together – going to see a high school production of “The Nutcracker”, joining an organized caroling event or attending a live nativity scene.

6. Put together a time capsule to be opened on a future Christmas. Have your child include their Christmas Wish List, holiday crafts that they’ve made in school and whatever else you’d like to add as a Christmas memory. Mark the box with “Christmas” and the current year and then the year you’ll uncover the time capsule – how about five years from now? Your then eight year old will be horrified to learn she wanted a Barney tape when she was three! You don’t have to actually bury your Christmas Time Capsule – unless you want to – it will stay much safer up in the attic or hidden away in the garage.

7. Tell your children the story of the birth of Jesus. Explain to them that the baby Jesus was born poor and homeless and that even though that was many, many years ago there are still babies born today who don’t have what they need. Take your children to the store and have them pick out gifts for babies born like baby Jesus. Take your children with you to a pregnancy center or woman’s shelter to donate the items. Say a special prayer at bedtime that night for the babies who will receive their gifts.

8. Expose your children to Christmas traditions from around the world. Do some research online or check out a book from the library and educate yourself on Christmas customs from different cultures. Then share your new knowledge with your little ones. One of the traditions you learn about may speak to you and you may want to incorporate it into your own family’s holiday traditions.

9. Hear ye’, hear ye’! Create a family newsletter to send out with your Christmas cards or through email this year. Tell about what’s happened in your family in the past year. Each member of the family can have their own message, older children can write their own and younger children can dictate to you what they’d like to share. You can even include photos, recipes, a word search – whatever you’d like.

10. Many families give their children’s school pictures or a family portrait in a frame as a Christmas gift. Why not add a really personal touch to an already personal gift? Help your children decorate the frames in any manner they choose. You knew you’d find a use for those odds and ends craft scraps of yours!

Hope these suggestions have been helpful. Don’t try to do all of the activities or you’ll wind up more stressed than before, just pick those that spoke to you. Christmas can be a magical time full of wonder and excitement, even for busy grown-ups. Don’t lose sight of what matters this time of year and don’t pass up an opportunity to make a special Christmas memory. Even the seemingly simplest activity can create a special Christmas memory for your child. Maybe even one they will share with their own children someday when they’ve turned into a busy grown-up and need to rediscover their Christmas spirit.

Happy Holidays, here’s to the memories…

Revel in the ramblings of The Whack-E-Doo Mom on her blog at http://whack-e-doo-mom.blogspot.com .

Article Source: http://www.ladypens.com

 

How To Avoid Holiday Overeating

How To Avoid Holiday Overeating by Naweko San-Joyz

The holidays are upon and so is the urge to overeat. While a few nibbles on grandma’s triple chocolate truffles and aunt Glinda’s red velvet cake might seem innocent enough, according to “Consumer Reports on Health” that’s exactly how most people pack on their annual weight gain- overindulging during the holiday seasons.

Most reasons for overeating during the holidays are purely psychological. You could easily avoid overeating if you knew the dieting mind games and the mental tools needed to combat them. To help you stay on track during the holidays, use these tips to defeat the five most common dieting mind games before they kick-off the holiday seasons.

#1. Beating the “feel good” factor

People overeat during the holidays because it makes them “feel good”. Chocolate and sugary foods load the body with serotonin- the feel good hormone. Instead of eating sweets to feel good, try talking with a visiting relative and joking. Plus, give out lots of hugs; this will also boost your body’s level of “feel good” hormones.

#2. “It’s the only time this year I’ll get to eat this food”

The “holiday food shortage” mentality spurs overeating. There is never a shortage of holiday food. When you get the urge to overindulge in a particular food, get the recipe and make the dish yourself.

If a dish proves irresistible, eat a portion and still get the recipe. That way, psychologically you’ll know that if you ever want to eat this dish again, you can.

#3 “This dish reminds me so much of home” sentimental overeating

It’s not the food that reminds you of home but the people with whom you enjoy the food that reminds you of home. Food is so wonderful and powerful because we associate people with the food. Instead of remembering your family by eating, try to recall some of the other activities that your family enjoys doing together such as shoveling snow, ice skating or making Christmas ornaments.

#4 I’ll make it up at the gym

Exchanging pecan pie for 30-minutes at the gym makes the gym seem like something “bad”. Instead decide what sport or activity you want to engage in this winter: hiking, walking, ice skating, swimming, golfing etc.  Exercise because you want to, not because you have to. (Note: Have you seen how empty gyms are during the holidays?)

#5 It’s no big deal, it’s just once a year

While people may only gain around one pound during the holidays, if you’ve been gaining an extra pound for last 10-20 years this adds up. While overeating this year may seem OK, if you keep doing it, you’ll consistently gain more and more weight.

In short, the easiest way to keep your body weight on track this holiday season is to focus less on food and more on the people that you love. Now, just remember, before you down that how jug of spiked eggnog, ask yourself, “Do I need to go hug somebody first?” Happy Holidays.

Are you a pro at yo-yo dieting? Let Naweko show you how to go from slob to sexy using the secret mind tools that even fitness models won’t tell you about. Get the real scoop on how to lose weight and keep it off at http//:www.Noixia.com

Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com

 

Holiday Treat Traditions Around the World

Holiday Treat Traditions Around the World by Jane Roseen

When the holidays come around, it always seems as if there are treats galore! The stores quickly fill up with egg nog, wasail ingredients, and chocolate shaped into just about every shape imaginable. But this year, how about looking at the more traditional holiday treats to spice up your gatherings. By focusing on the traditional and meaningful instead of the gaudy and commercial, you may find that you introduce your family and friends to treats that they love to both eat and discuss.

In Austria, families traditionally spend Christmas Eve together, starting the evening with a church service. Following church, they gather for a traditional dinner. While their main course of Gebackener Karpfen, or fried carp, may not suit everyone’s fancy, their dessert of Sachertorte may indeed. Sachertore is a chocolate and apricot cake; the richness of the cake is determined by the depth and quality of the chocolate used.The cake is then frosted traditionally with chocolate frosting, creating a delectable treat for almost any palate.

When December 6th reaches Germany, they celebrate the evening with St. Nicholas coming to all the children. For the good children comes a shoe or boot full of delicious chocolates, cookies, and other treats. This just starts the holiday season. On Christmas Eve, each family member receives a plate of all kinds of treats, including fruit, nuts, marzipan, chocolate, and cookies.These treats are sure to bring sweet dreams for Christmas morning!

Mexico celebrates the holiday season with La Posadas, which marks the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Starting on December 16th, this celebration takes place each night with people going from door to door, singing traditional songs and asking for admittance for Mary. When the door is opened, everyone celebrates and the children enjoy the tradition of the piñata.The piñata is a brightly colored container made of either pottery (traditionally) or paper (in modern times) filled with all sorts of treats for the children. One by one, the children are blindfolded and try to hit the piñata with a stick. Finally, the piñata breaks and everyone celebrates by devouring the delicious candies and treats.

And in France comes probably one of the most indulgent treats, the sabots. Traditionally, the sabots were wooden shoes that the peasants wore. On Christmas Eve, the children would put their sabots in front of the fire in hopes that they would awaken to sabots filled with treats. In modern France, however, wooden shoes are obviously not as prevalent.Instead, sabots are made of chocolate by pastry shops and filled with all sorts of candies.Obviously, these are no longer set in front of the fire.

For your next holiday gathering, why not pick a traditional theme and impart both delicious food and knowledge upon your guests.They will in all likelihood be thrilled not to rehash the same tired holiday offerings.

Jane S. Roseen is the Owner and President of Harmony Sweets, an international gourmet chocolate shop. Harmony Sweets’ mission focuses on individual consumers purchasing gourmet chocolates from around the world for their friends and relatives, as well as corporate gift giving. Gourmet chocolate gift baskets and personalized chocolates are also available. Website: http://www.harmonysweets.com

Article Source: ArticleRich.com

 

Christmas - Pagan Origins

Christmas - Pagan Origins by Brigitte Smith

The Winter Solstice was traditionally celebrated on December 21 in the northern hemisphere. Well before the birth of Jesus, ancient peoples marked the Winter Solstice with celebrations and rejoicing that the coldest part of the year was behind them. From December 22, the days start to lengthen and the days gradually get warmer.

Christmas celebrations are, to some extent, the modern day equivalent of the Winter Solstice celebrations.

The actual birth of Jesus is widely believed not to have occurred in December. Nevertheless, the celebrations of Jesus’s birth occur on approximately the same day as the Winter Solstice. Christmas now serves as the mid-winter celebration for the northern hemisphere. Of course, in the southern hemisphere, Christmas falls in mid summer - at approximately the time of the Summer Solstice.

Saturnalia was also a celebration of the Winter Solstice that occurred in ancient pagan Rome. Saturnalia was celebrated in honor of the god of agriculture, named Saturn. During the time of Saturnalia, servants and peasants spend time with and celebrate the holiday with people of higher classes, which certainly did not occur throughout the rest of the year. The Saturnalia festival in itself could last as long as a week in Rome. During that time, people rejoiced all over Rome. The phrase ‘eat, drink, and be merry’ was played out to its fullest.

So celebrations at the time of the Winter Solstice were well established prior to the birth of Jesus. But what about some specific Christmas traditions with which we’re all familiar?

Do you think the Christmas tree originated as a Christian tradition? Well, think again - In Scandinavia during the Winter Solstice, men and their sons used to go in to the woods to cut a tree down. After the tree had been felled, a nicely sized log was cut out of it, and the men would carry the log back to the home. This log was dubbed a Yule Log, and the Yule log was burned in the fireplace. The entire time the Yule log burned, the family would feast. Again, this was a Winter Solstice tradition rather than a specifically Christian tradition. Often, the Scandinavian Yule log might burn for a whole twelve days! Nowadays the Yule log is represented in the form of an iced log-shaped cake, and is associated with the Christian Christmas experience.

As the Yule log burned it sent sparks out of the hearth and as the sparks flew out of the fire place, the family would count the sparks, as they believed that each spark represented a farm animal that would be born on their property that year. These beliefs have little to do with Christmas beliefs and celebrations, but the Yule log is now firmly associated with Christmas in the minds of many.

Even the Christmas story is thought by some to have been influenced by a pagan myth. But despite that, the story itself and all the traditions which have come to be associated with it form a firm part of the Christmas experience of millions, both in the northern and southern hemispheres. So whether you celebrate Christmas in the snow, or on the beach, you’re likely to identify Christmas with Christmas trees, Yule logs, lots of food, and family time.

For Christmas Gift ideas, as well as information on Christmas recipes, Christmas ornaments, Christmas carols, and Christmas traditions, Christmas stockings, and more, Your Christmas Gift Idea has it all!

Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com

 

Preparing for the Holidays

Preparing for the Holidays by Jane Roseen

November has come, and the Halloween decorations are being packed away. Now comes the big social months of the year. That’s right, it’s time to plan for the holidays already. But if you prepare now, before the holidays are right upon us, you will save yourself the last minute headache that seems to come every year.

It can seem at times that November is the quiet month before the big December holidays of Christmas and Boxing Day. However, if you take the time to prepare your home throughout November, you’ll be able to celebrate both the big December holidays and the smaller November holidays in style.Get your decorations in order now. Begin to make your home look festive and joyful. By the time Thanksgiving comes to the United States on November 24th, and the start of Advent comes to the world on November 27th, you’ll be well into the holiday spirit and ready to celebrate with family and friends.

A great way to make a successful transition in decorating between the November fall holidays and the December winter holidays is to choose neutral bases that can be easily accessorized. For example, a blend of various types of greenery at the base of a centerpiece can have the traditional orange and red berries and leaves added to it for your November entertaining. But once they have passed, more traditional December decorations like holly and poinsettias can be added quickly and efficiently.

When it comes to your holiday table, focus on dishes that can be prepared ahead of time and stored. Certain side dishes, pies, cakes, and cookies can be prepared now and frozen or placed in the pantry for holiday dinners and parties. By getting those taken care of ahead of time, you’ll help to minimize the feeling of a “chicken with its head chopped off” that seems to be omnipresent during the holidays. Often, you can garnish those items at the last minute with various sweets or sauces and make it look as if you slaved over the stove all day when you really were able to relax with a cup of holiday cheer.

One of the most stressful parts of the holidays, both mentally and monetarily, can be gift-giving. As wonderful of a feeling as it is to give someone a gift you know they’ll love, it’s equally as frustrating when you have no idea what to get someone. When gift givers seem to have it all, it can seem impossible to find something that they would love that’s within your budget. The best idea for the person who has it all is something that they can enjoy and then it’s done. That way, they can create a new memory of your gift without having something else to clutter up their home.Some great gifts along this line include a gift card from the local movie theater, a pass to the local museum or zoo, or tickets to an upcoming play or musical. For some people, the best choice would be something edible that you know they’ll enjoy. Maybe a mix for their favorite cookies, a box of choice candies, or even a gift certificate for an evening out on the town would tickle their taste buds.

Even more embarrassing is when someone arrives at your doorstep with a beautifully wrapped package for you, and you don’t have a matching one for them. But you can avoid this situation by having a stock of gifts that are quite lovely but are not purchased with a specific person in mind. Again, something small but of high-quality in an edible format is often well-appreciated by almost anyone. Beautiful chocolates, high-end cookies and biscotti, and an assortment of flavored teas and coffees are always welcome and in good taste. Have at least a half dozen of these sets purchased, wrapped, and available with a discrete marking coding it so that you know what is in the package. When someone arrives with a gift for you, you can pick up one of these packages as if it were meant from them all along

These next few weeks are a great time for you to get ready for the holiday rush. Order anything you need now while the post systems aren’t so overwhelmed that they take longer or force you to spend more for expedited service. Thanksgiving and the beginning of the month of Advent are coming, and then Christmas and Boxing Day will be here before you know it. Prepare now, and be able to truly enjoy the time with your family and friends.

Jane S. Roseen is the Owner and President of Harmony Sweets, an international gourmet chocolate shop. Harmony Sweets’ mission focuses on individual consumers purchasing gourmet chocolates from around the world for their friends and relatives, as well as corporate gift giving. Gourmet chocolate gift baskets and personalized chocolates are also available. Website: http://www.harmonysweets.com

Article Source: ArticleRich.com

 

Bah Humbug!

Don’t feel like getting into the Christmas spirit? Feel a bit more like Scrooge than Tiny Tim?

Then this “Bah Humbug” t-shirt is for you:

Bah Humbug Ringer T

 

 

 

Why Does Santa Bring Gifts?

Why Does Santa Bring Gifts? by Jessica Cander

The history of Christmas and in particular the reasons for the giving of gifts are not known for certain, but several things are known for a fact. The traditions of Santa Claus and giving presents at Christmas time began long before the birth of Jesus Christ, although it really depends on where in the world you live as to how you believe the whole tradition started.

The giving of presents at Christmas time actually dates back over 4000 years to the Mesopotamians. They believed that every year in winter their primary god Marduk would do battle with the evil spirits of chaos. Upon Marduk’s return it was necessary for the king to then pledge his allegiance to the God and he would die at the end of the year. The Mesopotamians obviously cottoned on to the fact that they were going through kings quicker than they could produce them, so they would dress a convict up as the king and treat him as though he were a king for one day. At the end of the new year festival they would kill him.

On this day they would present gifts to one another to mark the beginning of the new year and the success that Marduk had yet again bestowed on them. This is where the giving of Christmas gifts began.

St Nicholas is believed to have been born around 300 A.D and lived in what is now Turkey. He was a widely revered and loved monk due to his overwhelming kindness. His most famous act of kindness was to save three sisters from slavery by providing them with a dowry in order that they could be married.

As such a popular character he soon became the patron saint of many different groups of people, eventually resting on children and sailors. Traditionally St. Nicholas day was celebrated and remembered on December 6th, although his role as patron saint of children has seen his special day moved to coincide with Christmas.

So one thing that is certain is that Santa Claus visits us on the wrong day every single year. Celebration of Saint Nicholas should in fact be on December 6th, although the moving of St. Nicholas day to the 25th was presumably done to combine his special day with the Christian festival. If the large superstores and toy manufacturers were given the choice I’m quite sure they would rather celebrate them separately, so be warned for next year.

Born is Vancouver, BC Jessica Cander is a professional freelance writer who currently calls the Southern tip of Ireland home. You can read more of her writing on all things Christmas gifts related at the Christmas Gift Center.

Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com