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52 Days Until Christmas

November 5, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Christmas lights

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When is the right time to decorate?

Year after year people start decorating earlier and earlier. It is something that continues to anoy me. I think that it actually annoys me more then the thought of retailer trying to cram Christmas down our throats. This is because it is the proof I need to see that it is working.

At what point in history was it acceptable to decorate the outside of your home for Christmas November 1st? Hey, I am an understanding person. I know that it is cold in another month. I know that perhaps hanging the lights now while it is still in the 50 degree mark is nice then waiting a month. This does not, I repeat NOT give you the right to light those lights. I know that this is a free country and we can do what we want but get real. By lighting the lights now you are takking away the holiday cheer the rest of us feel after Thanksgiving.

In my mind you decorate outside the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The are has a certain holiday chill to it. It is crisp and cold. While I know that no one likes to be cold, EVERYONE likes to come in to some hot cocoa and snuggle down to their first Christmas movie together.

So please, this season, just wait. It is three more weeks. That is it. Yes it may be a little colder but the memories that you are making for your kids is worth it all. Not to mention that, as I drive around, I do not want to see your lights! I will be checking!

Becca

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53 Days Until Christmas

November 5, 2008 By 7 Comments
Father Christmas // Santa Claus // Père Noël

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Holiday Commercials

Well here we are again. The day after Halloween and the Christmas Ads began. It really is amazing how this all works. What happened to Turkey Day? Where is Thanksgiving? If we left it all up to the retailers in the United States they would start advertising for Christmas in July. They create such a sense of urgency that I have to wonder who really falls for it.

Before Halloween had arrived Kmart had advertisments out to go do your holiday layaway. While I was thinking that this was a little early I could understand it. By laying away you pay a little as you go and you are assured the items that you picked. You can add to it at any time or take away from it. It is a great way to spend this year without using plastic. I know that Wal-Mart did away with their layaway a few years back so it is an advantage Kmart has this year. The question comes with the timing. Was it too early for people to start thinking about it or did they think that Kmart was right and they rushed out and shopped? I would love to know.

So, where the possibility of understanding was there for Kmart, I am hard pressed to know why there are now so many other commercials out there already for the holidays? Do the advertisers really think that people are that stupid? Do they really think that we are going to feel rushed into shopping for some reason? We have 53 days left until Christmas Day, so what is the rush?

I will tell you what I think that the rush is. People have not been spending. Third quarter profits were downs and all of these companies need to do something QUICK. Between the stock market, political uncertainty and a whole host of other social issues the holiday season may very well be the one thing that could save the commercialised way of life we all know and love.

So what is a person to do? I say go out and shop for what you need. Save the holiday shopping for a few weeks and do not feel pressured. Until Santa Clause comes rolling down the 34th Street, in his float, in the Macy’s Day Parade; it is not time to think about Christmas! I am not denying that it is coming at us quickly. I am simply saying do not forget to enjoy Fall, the harvest and all that Thanksgiving has to offer for you and your family!

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54 Days Until Christmas

November 5, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Gingerbread

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The Art of The Gingerbread House

As a child the thing that has always amazed me was my Grandmother’s gingerbread houses. I always thought that it was so awesome that there was a little house that you could eat. I remember being young and just staring at all of the figures and candy and Santa on the roof. Still to this day Grandma, now in her 80′s, makes her Gingerbread house each and every year. You know what? Still to this day it aamazes me.

Being that I have always been so interested in gingerbread houses I figured it was something I would like to do for my kids. I quickly learned that it was not just a simple throwing together of some big ginger cookies. It was REALLY hard. Now when I tell you it was hard here is what I tried. A few years ago Rob, the husband, and I bought one of those little gingerbread house kits and went to work. I was so frusterated about 10 minutes into it that I had to walk away. Of course Rob, being a chef, had to finish and make it look just wonderful. I sat there thinking that my Grandmother was the most amazing person ever because she did this each and every year for as long as I can remeber and as long as my father could remember.

So here I am thinking about this ideal Christmas that I wish to have and in it I think I want another Gingerbread house. Now this year I will not be going out and buying a kit. I think that they are harder then one may think when they put their $9.99 down on the counter. I was to bake the gingerbread and make the glue that holds it all together. Perhaps I will call Grandma up and ask for her help. She would be so honored that someone was willing to keep up her tradition. Since it has been about 5 years since my last attempt perhaps I will find it easier this time. The one thing that I did learn was that it is alright to mess up. All you have to do is put a little sugar glue and it will all be better. It reminds me of the AT&T commercial from last years with the gingerbread dad who is just trying to fix his roof. In the end someone rips off the whole roof and the wife is in the bathtub screaming… It was so cute.

The point is that I think that I can do it and that I am certainly willing to give it a good effort. I will certainly let you know how it goes closer to the time. If anyone would like to send on some tips that would be great!

Becca

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55 Days Until Christmas

November 5, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Christmas Ham

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Christmas Menu

With only 55 days until Christmas it is important to sit back and think about what you will be eating this Christmas. It is a hard question. My grandmother used to serve cow’s tongue and I know that that will not be featured on my Christmas Menu. Figuring out what will is always a challenge. I think that it is important not to fall into a food rut. The last 10 years or more we have had a Christmas Ham and I have loved it. Rob, the husband, on the other hand has not loved it quite as much. He HATES ham. Perhaps this is why I enjoy it on Christmas, it is the only time of the year I can eat it! Either way things need to be spiced up a bit. I thought that for this post it would be nice to see what other people are serving this holiday season. So what do you love to eat for Christmas? What is the featured item on your Christmas Menu? Perhaps I will borrow an idea or two!

Becca

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56 Days Until Christmas

November 5, 2008 By Leave a Comment
The mess before

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The Holiday Cleaning List

The holidays bring a chance to clean and get reorganized. While this is my intention before I start to pull out all of my decorations I am going to yet again need a plan. After spending the entire summer in a cast I feel like my house is a gross mess. I am slightly overwhelmed by it but I am determined to make it sparkle with the lights this Christmas.

What I need is a week by week list of things to accomplish. At this point there are a little more then 7 weeks until Christmas So I have 7 weeks to make it happen. Here is the plan…

  1. WEEK 1: This week I would like to go though the girls toys, without them and make sure that I get rid of the ones that do not get played with, the ones that are broken, and the ones that I hate because they make far too much noise. This is a huge task and I hope that I can complete it in one week!
  2. WEEK 2: Eliminate the clutter. I have a problem with keeping everything and my husband never puts things back where they belong. This means that the house right now looks beyond cluttered. I would like to spend wee 2 getting rid of anything that does not have a home and put things that do have a home away.
  3. WEEK 3: This week I would like to finish switching out all of the summer and fall clothing for winter clothing. It is time and with 5 people to switch for it will certainly take a large hunk of time.
  4. WEEK 4: This week I would like to take out all of the china and crystal and wash it all. It will be nice for it to sparkle this holiday season. This will also make it so that I can just grab any pieces that I want to use when I want to use them.
  5. WEEK 5: It is wash the walls week. This week I would like to scrub the walls and wash anything that is on them. This will help brighten up the walls and elminate all of the dust in the air.
  6. WEEK 6: Wash all of the curtains is what is on the list for this week. I think that perhaps I will even make some holiday curtains for the kitchen this year so I can wash the everyday ones and replace them with a holiday treat!
  7. WEEK 7: This week we will just be streightning. I want everything to be nice for Santa

Although it does not sound like a lot to do it really will be time consuming. Just like everything else in this countdown it will be pread out enough so that we can still be enjoying Christmas and the entire holiday season!

Becca

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57 Days Until Christmas

November 5, 2008 By 2 Comments
German painting, 1457

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Christmas City:

Tucked away in Pennsylvania is a small town know as “Christmas City”. Bethlehem Pa. is know to most as Christmas City and is supposed to be a great place to go and enjoy the holiday season. We have heard people talking about it for a few years now and have decided that this year we will go to see what all of the hype is about.

To plan my trip I went to Christmas City’s web site and explored all of the great things we could do there. It is only about 2 hours away but spending the night may just be worth it. The site has a calender of events, show to go see, shopping to shop and even a holiday lights tour. I am excited to see just what Christmas City is all about. I will let you know and will certainly come back from my trip with some pictures to share with all of you! I am so excited to go to Christmas City. A whole city devoted to Christmas what could be better?

Becca

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58 Days Until Christmas

November 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
An early official promotional photo from the T...

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A Time Of Giving – Toys for TOTS:

One of the first thing that I think about when I think about the holidays are all of the people who are really struggling through the holidays.  There are people who are ill, people who do not have any money and children who have no coat to get them through.  For decades the holidays have been a time when people have given to others without judgment.  The holidays have been a time when we all come together and are a little nicer then usual.

In high school I worked in a retail store that had a tree of giving.  You were to take a name off of the tree and make one child’s christmas wish come true.  Since I was 17 I have made it a point to adopt at least one child off of a tree each year.  Christmas is after all a time of giving.

I remember the first tag that I had taken off of the tree like it was yesterday!  I felt so sad for this child.  Although my parents did not have tons of money when I was growing up I really did not want for much.  The child who had filled out this tag asked for a coat to keep warm.  I am sure that mom was the one asking but it broke my heart.  In New York winter gets cold.  I bought this girl a coat, hat, two pairs of gloves, a scarf, a warm outfit and felt good about it.  Then I stopped and looked at what I had gotten and was disapointed.  All of these things were things that a child needs.  There are no dreams and desires in a list like that.  So I went back out shopping and bought her a Barbie, a matching Barbie car, a few coloring books, crayons, a baby doll, an outfit for the baby doll, some hair clips, chap stick, Monopoly and a beautiful dress that she could feel like a princess in for Christmas.  I think that I ended up spending about $150 on a child that I did not know.  I had it then and felt really good about it.  It was worth every dollar.

I still make sure to take a name off of a tree although I can not afford to spend nearly what I did that year but I can help make another child’s Christmas wishes come true.  Giving is what Christmas is all about.  It is a huge part of the season.  There are so many things that you can do to give back this Holiday season.  You could grab a name off of a tree, donate a holiday meal to the food pantry, work in a soup kitchen, help out a friend who may be having a hard time making ends meet in the current economy.  There are so many ways that you can give this Christmas.  Even if you just drop one toy in the Toys for Tots collection box it makes a huge difference in someone’s life and someone’s Christmas.

This holiday season please put a little extra time or money aside for someone who needs it.  Not only will they be forever grateful but you will forever feel good about it.   Fifteen years ago I gave Christmas to a little girl who wanted nothing but a warm coat.  I still feel great about it to this day.  So come on and just do it!  It will warm your heart and is a great thing to teach your children!

Becca

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59 Days Until Christmas

November 4, 2008 By 6 Comments
Thanks to everyone who pitched in! It was awes...

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Christmas Gift Baskets:

Gift baskets can be a great way to show people how much you appreciate them.  They can be a great gift for distant relatives, teachers, bosses and just about anyone else you can think of.  The great thing about gift baskets is that they can either be bought or made at home.  I personally think that if you have the time and it will be easy to ship you should give it a try on your own.  It is like the homemade ornament that the kids make in school.  It may look like less then a Lenox ornament but it is so much better because someone made it for you.  There are many places that you can buy gift baskets if you do not have the time and energy to make your own gift basket.  They include Harry & David, GiftBaskets.com, and even 1-800 Flowers.  These companies and many others offer a greta option to the person with no time and some extra money.

If you are like I am you are not one of those people and you will be making your own gift baskets.  There are many themes that you can follow while making your Christmas gift basket.  Here are some that I have done in the past.  I think that the possibilities are endless.

  1. A wine and cheese basket.  This is a great thing to bring to a holiday get together.  Once you find a nice basket, box, or ice bucket you will add 2 bottles of wine, a few different types of cheese and some crackers.  I think that crackers such as Carrs crackers look better in the basket.  I have even added in a half a dozen chocolate covered strawberries from time to time.  People love it when you walk in with this great gift
  2. A movie night Basket.  This type of basket could include someone’s favorite DVD, a year of Netflix or two tickets to get out and go to the movies.  I have used a red and white stripped popcorn box for this one.  In it I add candy, popcorn a gift certificate to buy a drink before the movie and even some movie related memoribelia.
  3. Christmas Ornament Basket:  This is a nice idea for a young couple who is spending their first Christmas together.  In a basket or box type Christmas decoration put a bunch of Christmas Ornaments.  Do not forget to include the “First Christmas Together” ornament.  This will be a memory  that they will cherish for years to come.
  4. It’s A Wonderful Life Gift Basket:  In the movie George and Mary give a gift basket to the Martini family.  This would be a nice gift for someone who is spending their first Christmas in their new home.  Include a loaf of bread with a tag attached saying “so that you might never know hunger”, a bottle of wine with a tag reading, “so that prosperity may reign in your home forever” and a box of salt with a tag attached saying, “So life will always have flavor”.  You may also want to add a copy of the movie to be enjoyed again and again.

As you can see there are many things that you can do with a little gift basket idea.  These are just a few of the many many ideas running through my head.  A gift basket could be remembered for years to come.

Becca

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60 Days Until Christmas

November 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
geoffrey

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Recalled Toys for Christmas

As we know from last year there are toys which get recalled. If you are anything like I am you are a bargin hunter. I love to buy toys which are on sale for the holidays. This makes my shopping budget stretch further which means that I can buy more and more. The trouble with this is that some stores try to sell recalled items at a discount rather then removing them from their shelves. I think that checking what has been recalled is important before you head out shopping. Here are some great sites to examine what has been recalled and for what.

  1. US Consumer Product Safety Commission: This is the site from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. It covers all of the recently recalled toys in an easy to follow format. I would think that this site has the most valid information given the source.
  2. Parents.com has a pretty comprehensive list of items that were recalled in 2008. It is also a nice site to look around and explore.

Both of these sites offer a comprehensive list of what not to buy while you are shopping this holiday season. After last year I think that it is important to note the some of the toys on the list are there because they contain high amounts of lead. I personally would like to avoid poisoning my children and assume that you would like to do the same!

Becca

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61 Days Until Christmas

November 4, 2008 By 2 Comments
Cookie

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Christmas Cookie Baking Tips

As time gets closer I think that it is important to examine some tips to assure that your Christmas cookies will be the best that they can be.  My mother-in-law, Linda, is the cookie queen.  She has taught me most of what I know about baking cookies.  Some tips are from her and some are things that I have learned over time.  It is important to me that my cookies come out right for various reasons.  As I posted earlier I would like to use cookies as gifts for various people on my list.  I also love to watch the kids get all excited about a plate of cookies.  We also can not let Santa down.  He really likes his cookies and I want them to turn out just right. So here are the tips that I have.  If they are followed you should have nothing but perfect cookies this Christmas.

  1. Test your oven.  A few days or weeks before you plan on baking it is important to test your oven to assure that your oven is holding the proper temperature.  This can be done by buying a thermometer in the grocery store for a few dollars.  This will help you to see if your oven is truly at the proper temperature.
  2. Preheat your oven to the desired temperature.  This is a vital step.  I honestly used to ignore this one.  There is actually a reason that they say to preheat the oven.   Preheating assures that your cookies will cook evenly in the
    amount of time indicated on the recipe.
  3. Measuring matters:  While baking it is important to remember not to eye your ingredients.  While this is an acceptable method while cooking it can be a tragic mistake while baking.  Make sure that you measure with measuring cups.
  4. Use shiny aluminum cookie sheets.  This is important to remember.  Dark pans tend to hold heat longer and will burn your cookies.  A Linda hint is top buy new pans each Christmas.
  5. Make sure that your pans are cooled after each batch.  Linda also says that it is important to rinse the tray and dry it well between each batch.
  6. Do NOT grease your cookie sheets.  Unless the recipe says that you need a greased pan do NOT grease your pan.  This will burn the bottoms of your cookies.
  7. Leave about 2 inches between each cookie.  If the cookies are large you may want to leave some more room.
  8. Cookie Racks.  I bought these last year and have decided that they are a must have while baking cookies.  Without a wire cookie rack your cookies will be soggy nd who wants a soggy, wet cookie?  I know that I do not.

So there you have it.  Some simple and easy ways to assure that your cookies come out just right.  I will post some pictures closer to the time of our cookie baking days with the kids.  It should be a great time and the cookies should come out perfect.  If you have a tip I would love to hear it!

Becca

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