Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Monday, December 22, 2008

Santa Clause!

I just love being Santa Clause. I love cookies and milk and I love bringing joy. Let’s just hope I can keep my girlish figure and still be Santa!

I have spent the last 22 days bringing you ideas for the holiday season. I have touched on so many areas wrapping, entertaining, decorating even a short blog on keeping your holiday spirits up.

Yesterday, my blog was that fun gift for someone who has everything ……… how about a more meaningful gift? How about a gift of generosity? Many charitable organizations are struggling this year, you can make a difference…even with a small contribution. It’s easy check out these two website for organizations.

http://www.redefine-christmas.org/ & http://www.changingthepresent.org/gifts

Now, once you have decided on the donation…………how do you present your gift?

• A home made greeting card, maybe use parts of the recycled cards from last year
• Jack -in-the-Box, attach a note to ‘Jack’ and let him pop up with the gift!




• Research the organization you selected, print out some history or a moving story about the organization. Roll it into a scroll and tie off with holiday ribbons, berries or candy canes
• For Habitat for Humanity ………tie a note to a hammer!
• Select a beautiful frame, maybe even a festive one! Create a ‘certificate’ about your donation.
• Flowers, send sunflowers with a card stating you have spread a little sunshine in the recipients name …………….
• Write a poem about your donation.
• Simply wrap a beautiful box with a card inside stating the donation.
• If you have chosen a organization benefiting children’s education, put your ‘certificate’ in a pencil bag with pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners etc.
• For the Heifer Organization hang a note around a ceramic cow or chicken

What ever your donation have some fun with the presentation…….and make a difference this holiday season!!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Let’s face it we all at one point in the holiday season loathe the shopping! It usually happens to me when I have to buy that gift for someone impossible to shop for. My prince is impossible to shop for, 20 years of scratching my head has resulted in some real duds. In fairness to him, he’s been a really good sport, there was the year I bought the John Deer Clock for his garage, on the hour it chimes with a tractor starting …………. There was the year I bought him the rack to hold his fishing poles and well…………it’s still in the box! Then there was the year I bought him the new frying pan……I know, that’s bad, but he said he wish we had a decent pan to make eggs in…………..We’ve pretty much come to an agreement, he tells me what he wants exactly and I just buy it…….if he doesn’t he gets socks and underwear only under the tree!


But how about those people that have everything, the ones you can’t buy sock & underware for? I came up with a gift idea that is fun and bound to get smiles …………design a gift around a Christmas Carol!

Here’s one I did this year………….Santa Baby…..This was a lot of fun.

• I found a beautiful box with a Christmas tree on it representing ‘under the tree’ & filled the box with parts of the song………
  
• A matchbox car to represent ‘convertible light blue’
  
• A box of Choxie Chocolates they have XOXOX on the box to represent ‘boys I haven’t kissed’
  
• An angel ornament to represent ‘an angel’
  
• A cut glass ornament to represent ‘decorations from Tiffany’s’

All of these items in the Christmas box sat on top of a larger box filled with a faux chocolate fur throw to represent ’sable under the tree’. The package was topped off with beautiful ribbons and a tag with the words to Santa Baby!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Honey, why don’t you join Jackie and me in my suite at the Palace Hotel, huh?

Friday, December 19, 2008

It’s a snow day today, 7″-14″ of the lovely white stuff is expected. Upon the announcement my daughter pulled the covers over her head and returned to a slumber I haven’t experienced in 17 years. My son bounced down the stairs ‘Mommy? It’s a Snow Day?! YES!’ ………Me? I plan on attempting to keep my sanity with two kids snow bound less than a week before Christmas!

This snow day may be exactly what I need, my own little Christmas Gift from above! ………… Here is how I plan on using this unexpected day off.

• Clean out and organize the storage room for the Christmas decorations. How nice will this in a few weeks when I break down the decorations……….
• Organize my ribbons & wrapping paper……..this always gets a little out of hand in the days before the big day.
• Bake……….this will be nice no pressure to finish a batch of cookies before I have to run a kid to karate, track, cub scouts………….

• Read my Christmas book………….remember that fantasy? It might just happened …….well for a half hour or so!




• Keep my son occupied. I am going to challenge him to build a Christmas village out of his Lego’s!




• Finish some gift wrapping




• Brainstorm tomorrows blog
• Take a short walk and enjoy the snow………better yet I will enjoy the holiday decorations on the house, they always look better in the snow!
  
• Take a nap……………..yea, right!

…………..think I can accomplish all of this in one day?

Thursday, December 18, 2008

• Each Christmas Eve my prince & kids open new PJ’s before they go to bed………..
• I read a Christmas novel……..Yes, with all I do through out the season I carve the time out to read this story.
  
• I always stick an orange or apple in the toe of the Christmas stocking when stuffing them with goodies
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  Bake my cookies, so many people get such joy from them…………..still need to do this!




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  I exchange the same ornament back and forth with my good friend and business partner Ed. This ‘friendship’ ball has been going back and forth for quite a few years!
  
• Buy a new Nutcracker for our family collection
  
• In our family my nieces & nephews exchange gifts with my children, but the gifts need to be made by the kids…………..neat huh? My sister came up with this tradition
• I buy special ornaments for my God Children each year. They each have a theme………when they are old enough for their own trees someday they will have quite a collection!
• My Christmas letter…….

• Celbrate a traditional meatless Polish Christmas Eve

• We started a new traditon this year based on the Christmas novel I read last year, Chrismas Jars…………Read the story and you probably can figure our our new family tradition!

• My mom makes a birthday cake for baby Jesus………

So there you have it, a touch of my traditions…..go ahead you can steal a few if you’d like, or make your own.

Either way, have them………… they are good for the soul! And……….the meltdown, go ahead have that too ~ you will feel better after!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Can you imagine how it would feel like to BE Santa? Well, I know I don’t want his waist line …………… but the ability to make so many people so happy, now the jolly fellow is on to something there.

So as we enter this last, busy week before Santa’s big night why not consider being Santa yourself? I’m not thinking of donating to Toys for Tots, working in a Soup Kitchen ………… those are great ways to be Santa…….how about just being a secret Santa? It doesn’t need to be for someone down on their luck, it could be someone who just is a great person! Here are some quick easy ‘Secret Santa’ gifts. You can pick these up in a jiffy, and spend under $10.00!….

• couple of sodas, popcorn & a gift card to rent a movie
• Christmas book, mug & a package of instant cocoa
• iTunes gift card …..package this in a gift box not just a gift card holder
• A journal & some fun pens ……… I like to give those neat gel pens
• Fun funky holiday socks
• Books, think about your recipients interests
• Wind chime
• Small potted plant………maybe a begonia that will bloom in the gloomy months of January & February!

Remember when you are wrapping up your gifts that presentation is important! Even the smallest gifts look spectacular when wrapped and presented with care!

So get out there be Santa ………….and go ahead enjoy a cookie and a glass of milk, one won’t kill the waist line! You are bound to smile as you ho, ho, ho…….does anyone know how many calories burn when you smile? Maybe I can afford two cookies?!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Tick………..tock……… time, what is that this time of year? I have this fantasy……I would love to sit in front of the fireplace one afternoon, drink mulled cider, read a Christmas story, enjoy my house decorated and just relax. OK…… well that’s not happening! I still have shopping, baking, wrapping, and entertaining to do, yes it is a busy time of year. Even with all this to do, I love this time of year, especially the entertaining! Here are some of my secrets to dressing your dining room this holiday season in a flash!

• Try to keep a theme with your table dressing.

• Use unique place cards. Think about ‘place cards’ that can double as gifts! Christmas balls with the guests name (keep them from rolling away by setting them on a couple of large washers) Personalized votive candle holders or mini picture frames

• Keep center pieces simple and low. Row of votives on a mirror, low bowl of Christmas balls highlighted with some fresh greens or antique pictures frames filled with black & white photos ……… maybe these are photos of you and your guests from holidays gone past? Finish off the frames with a few candle sticks and candles.
  
• Use chargers under your plates, this sets off the plates and creates the opportunity to do a little more with the places setting!
  
• Use cloth napkins and tie them off with non-traditional napkin rings. Ribbons! Coordinate the colors with your theme
  
• Dress the chairs with bows or a stocking

• Use table runners to add interest to the table cloth………..you can also use multiple runners and weave them across and down the table.

For the buffet

• Here is where your center piece can make a statement! Fill a large vase with fresh greens & roses ( from idea No. 13) Use a large hurricane fill with orange slices, cranberries and holly leaves fill with water and white lilies! No time for the florist? Fill a large bowl with ornaments stick a candle in the center and highlight with a few fresh greens.

• Vary the height of the of dishes. Raise plates on dessert tiers, raise platters on an angle by simply sliding a small plate upside down under the platter.
  
• When using paper napkins, consider two colors and alternate them for a little punch of color.

There you go a quick easy dinning room …………….now call the caterer!

Monday, December 15, 2008

You can always spot my husbands gifts under the tree……… ton of tape, white backing of the wrapping paper sticking out here and there, corners not turned but bunched up and yes the recipients name scribbled across the package with a jumbo black sharpie! “What?” he says, “Nobody cares about the wrapping! Only what is inside!”

Well my prince, I so disagree! The wrapping should be as beautiful as the contents! This year as the clock ticks down to the our blessed day consider some of these unique ideas to wrap up your gifts……….

• Use solid boxes in red, white, green or kraft paper brown. These can be decorated with decoupage (great use for recycled cards from idea no. 7), stamps, stickers or glitter pens. No wrapping paper required, which means no bad corners and tape!
• Make your own wrapping paper. At art stores you can purchase rolls of white kraft paper, sponge designs in silver and gold, drizzle blue and silver paint, or spatter green and red paint.
• Here’s a unique wrapping idea my good friend and business partner Ed came up with years ago when we were creating a window display…….fabric! I prefer silk, it shimmers in the light. Take and wrap the package as you would traditional wrapping paper and tack with regular tape. Once your package is tied off with ribbon, tack the areas where the tape is securing with a small stitch, this will be easy to break when the package is opened! A faster technique is to simply gather the fabric around the package and tie off with ribbon.
• Stack gifts boxes wrapped in coordinating ‘papers’ tied off with ribbons
• Use your old Christmas cards as gift tags ……… don’t cut them in perfect rectangles or squares, let the image dictate its final shape
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• Garlands make great alternative ‘ribbons’, beaded garlands, tinsel garlands, snowflake garlands,

• Tie mini gifts into your bows on the packages, candy canes, small Christmas ornaments (maybe some of those cinnamon ornaments from idea no. 8), mini toys, key chains………how about some mistletoe for your sweethearts package?

How ever you decide to wrap your gifts this year, remember presentation is half the excitement! Let your personality shine as you design your packages….

Sunday, December 14, 2008

• Purchase a variety of synthetic garlands. Ivy, holly, white pine, traditional green pine.
  
• Use the various garlands mixed together
  
• Fluff! Garlands get stuffed into our storage containers and flatten out ….. twist and turn the garlands to resemble true branches
  
• Weave white lights into the garlands, this will create more depth when the lights are on.
  
• Here’s where I create truly spectacular garlands……..stuff real cuttings into the garlands. Make sure you keep up the variety!

• Lastly dress the garlands to reflect your style. Mine are accented with natural elements like pine cones, dried pomegranates and faux berries. Other ideas……… glass balls, ribbons, mini gift packages, candy canes, small ornaments ………

Here’s the best part……..even if you have the house decorated with your artificial garlands already, you can enhance them and make them even better!!!

So, I have breathtaking garlands with only a few pine needles to clean up with my regular vacuuming……….they are perfect, if I do say so myself!!!