Kids Love Christmas

Original Television Christmas Classics

2009-12-17T06:39:00.000-08:00

I found it! I found it! I'm so excited! Remember yesterday when I was telling you that my daughter had seen a DVD advertised with all the cool old TV Christmas movies on it? Well, I went digging around on Amazon, switching up my search terms - a little here - a little there...

And I found it! Funny thing is, I'm not sure whether I'm more excited for her or for me! I mean, this is my childhood we're talking about, right?

Right!

Well, and people older than I, as well. I'm not sure exactly how old these movies are - that is the next thing I'm gonna go digging around to find. That quest shouldn't be too hard - between IMDB and Wikipedia, I'm sure I'll have the answers in no time at all!

Here it is!!!

The reviews on the thing are amazing!! People are so happy to get these! Remember how it was when we were kids and we would be SO EXCITED that the movie was going to be on and it was the ONLY opportunity we had to see it???

Oh, what about every year when The Wizard of Oz would come on TV? Same thing! It was a MONDO big deal!

Weird, huh? Now we're in TOTAL control. Blessing in disguise, kind of, I'd say - that buildup of excitement is missing quite a bit. And everyone at school the next day talking about it...

Ah well...

Oh! Look, I found another one:

Cool!

Charlie Brown Christmas

2009-12-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

I just love "A Charlie Brown Christmas"!! It is definitely one of my favorites! I missed it last night on TV, so I went looking for it on Hulu.com and found it there. Yea!!

~~That player is just a little too wide for this theme~~ Never mind! I got it fixed - cool! I wasn't sure if it would look ok if I adjusted the sizes myself, but, it did great!

I know my daughter is having so much fun watching lots of Christmas movies over the last couple of weeks. (Ack! I've been horrible so far and haven't watched any with her - must remedy that!!)

She saw a DVD advertised with all of the old Christmas movies on it - you know the ones - Frosty the Snowman, Charlie Brown and all that. I need to hunt that down for her!

I did find this "A Charlie Brown Christmas" book:

They're also selling something a little strange. They are selling the 'tree' from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" for $15. Um, yeah, that's a bit on the weird side.

It's ...a branch

...on some wood.

That's it. Just goofy, if you ask me! LOL

Here - you wanna see it? I'll go get the link for it:

And OMG!! It's not $15 - it's $25! That's crazy. I think it be would cuter, sweeter, and more fun to make one than buy one. Oh well, what do I know?

Christmas Crafts For Kids

2009-11-12T06:57:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun and adorable Christmas crafts you can make with your kids! I really like the button crafts - those are just too cute!

A Christmas Carol

2008-12-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

I'm going with my daughter and the whole sixth grade from her school to see the play, "A Christmas Carol" tomorrow! I can't wait!

I've never been to Georgia before, so it will be my first time there, too. I absolutely love this play and I think we're going to have a blast!

Illustory - A Totally Awesome Christmas Present!

2008-12-16T12:19:00.000-08:00

The IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit is a WONDERFUL gift for young children! That's what this bookworm thinks, anyway! I bought one for my nephew last year and it was a HIT! He and his parents absolutely loved it! DJ got to make his very own book with his very own story and his very own pictures! How much cooler than that can it get? ;)

Here is the description from the manufacturer:

Here's your child's opportunity to take their own story and drawings and turn them into a professionally typeset, hardbound book.This multi-award-winning activity kit allows any child to be the author of a 12-page, typeset, 7" x 9", hardbound book. Budding authors write, illustrate and design their book, then mail the manuscript to the publisher for publication. Imaginations will run wild illustrating and writing a story using the 10 washable markers and 18 special book pages included in the kit. Once complete, send everything to the publisher in the prepaid envelope (included). In just a few weeks, your child's book arrives bound and ready to be added to the family library. Extra copies can be ordered for an additional cost and make thoughtful gifts for teachers, friends and family. IlluStory also offers an Internet production option that includes online drawing tools, backgrounds and stickers, allows for more words per page, and offers a choice of font styles and colors and faster production times at no extra cost. Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award Winner, Parents' Choice Classic Award Winner, Family Life's Best Learning Toy Award Winner. IlluStory Paper Sketching and Tracing Creations By You Arts and Crafts

Seriously, you have got to check this thing out! I only wish that IlluStory
had been around when my kids were little.

Wonder if they make a teenage version? Hmmm... ;)

Puppy loves Christmas, too!

2008-01-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

And now it's time to take down the tree and pack up all the decorations and we're so sad. Well, Puppy will be glad to be able to look out the front window again. Darn tree in his way! LOL!

It's all just over so fast, though! Even though we got our tree earlier than usual this year, and were prepared for the big day way earlier - it still just went by lickety split!

I guess I better start gingerly packing my beloved angels and nativity scenes and the kids' yearly ornaments away in a box to go back in the garage for a whole year. It sure was fun while it lasted!

I believe in Santa!

2007-12-25T06:03:00.001-08:00

The Twelve Days of Christmas by Straight No Chaser

2007-12-20T14:22:00.000-08:00

I love this video! You will, too - I promise!!

Christmas Treats to Send to Your Kid’s Class

2007-12-19T14:12:00.000-08:00

Your kids have been asked to bring Christmas treats to their class. Need some tips?
Here are some delicious Christmas treats to send to your kid’s class.

• Homemade gingerbread cookies
• Homemade Christmas cookies, decorated with color icing
• Homemade peanut butter cookies
• Homemade oatmeal raisin cookies
• Bags of homemade meringue cookies, tied with color cellophane and a bow
• Homemade chocolate brownies
• Homemade chocolate fudge
• Homemade chocolate chip cookies
• Homemade chocolate chip cookies with M&M’s
• Homemade Christmas cupcakes decorated with a smiley face
• A homemade Christmas devil’s food cake, decorated with candy canes
• A homemade angel food cake, with vanilla icing and decorated with an angel ornament in the center
• A chocolate cake, with chocolate icing and gummy bears on top
• Bags of candy, wrapped in color cellophane and tied with a bow
• Jelly apples, wrapped in color cellophane and tied with a bow
• A Christmas tin filled with three flavors of popcorn
• A large basket filled with apples, oranges, and different colored lollipops
• Mini black and white cakes (you can find these in most bakeries)
• Muffins, of any kind, placed in a large basket
• A large Christmas can filled with mini boxes of raisins
• Mix Oreo cookies, ginger snaps, and homemade meringue cookies; put the cookies in a Christmas tin.

If you’re really ambitious you can make a gingerbread house, using ingredients and decorations which can be eaten, and surprise your kid’s class with this unique treat.

Combine any of the cookies and candies above as a Christmas treat. Simply put them into a tin or basket and deliver the goodies to school. Or set them on a brightly colored plate and wrap it in cellophane. You could even purchase little stockings, plastic cups or tins for each child and put a handful of treats in each.

There is no denying that kids love treats. Whether the treats are cookies, candies or chocolate, you will put a big smile on their faces with any treat you choose.

Christmas Is...

2007-12-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas means so many different things to all of us, and this lovely book called, "Christmas Is..." explores many of those things. Go ahead - take a look! This is what's called a Looky Book! Click on it! Really!

Tonight we got CAROLERS!!

2007-12-06T20:17:00.001-08:00

We were having a bit of a difficult night tonight - homework struggles and whatnot, when I heard a ruckus outside. And then the doorbell rang, and guess who it was!

CAROLERS! They completely made my night - took all my 'grump' away! It was really sweet!

And they just adored Lucky, as you can see in this next photo - he was getting right up in the middle of them, begging to be a part of the group! Haha!

He even tried to leave with them when they left! Silly dog! You can't sing!

THANK YOU, CAROLERS! You sure cheered this mama up!!

Christmas Parade

2007-12-06T20:07:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun the other night at the Christmas Parade and I wanted to share with you my picture of Santa on the firetruck:

Doesn't he look great? All of my pictures are pretty dark - I think I need to learn about night photography! I got some pretty good ones, though. I'll try to share more with you here, but, they may all just go up on Hippie Spelunker - H2. I want to make sure my family sees them - and I don't know if they come here!

Shawn decorated the table!

2007-12-06T09:57:00.000-08:00

My sweet son, Shawn, decorated our dining room table (I use the term loosely... *sigh*) yesterday morning before he left for school! It was so sweet of him. He used his Santa's and his little Christmas tree that he bought last year at the school store! Last year, he wanted to keep them in his room on his dresser, to have his room be festive. So I thought it was really nice of him to bring them out here for everyone to enjoy!

Aren't those Santa's so adorable? I just love them! Sammie wanted to separate them, but, I think they look neat together. And Shawn wanted to keep them together - so together they stayed. And they look so pretty with Sammie's flowers, too!

And here is his mini Christmas tree:

I love that he wanted a Christmas tree for himself - I think that is so cool! And that ornament on top is from the coolest Aunt on the planet! My sister-in-law/best friend Tracy! She was so excited for him when she found it, because, we can never find stuff with his name on it - or if we do, it's spelled the Irish way. We find all kinds of stuff for the other two - Patrick and Samantha - those two names are easy. Shawn - surprisingly, is not so easy.

He was so excited after he put that stuff out, running into my office to tell me, "Mom! I decorated the table!" Awesome!

And then, later that evening - my husband got out all the rest of the decorations and Sammie put a bunch of those out and about while Mark and I sat here working on our computers. It was really sweet - I'll have some pics for you when we get those fixed up just right.

Oh! And we've got our Insta-Snow to use for my Christmas Village - totally awesome! We got it from Vat19.com - totally awesome online store! But it comes from SteveSpanglerScience.com - totally awesome science guy!!! The Insta-Snow is going to add the perfect touch to my Village!

Christmas Printables and all kinds of fun!

2007-11-30T19:16:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Meme

2007-11-30T15:07:00.000-08:00

I'm swiping this from my new blog-buddy, Domestic Chicky. A Christmas meme - how fun, right?

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both
2. Real tree or artificial? Real
3. When do you put up the tree? A week or two before Christmas
4. When do you take the tree down? Sometime in January
5. Do you like eggnog? I do - sans alcohol, please
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Three-story Barbie dream house
7. Do you have a Nativity scene? Yes - we have about five of them. One is from my childhood, and others we have collected since we've been married. Two of them are tiny, though.
8. Hardest person to buy for? Husband - hands down!
9. Easiest person to buy for? My dad - book store gift certificate - every time - the man eats books for breakfast!
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A watch - that I thought was going to be an engagement ring.
11. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? Neither - became overwhelmed and gave up on sending them a few years ago.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I don't - hubby does it.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Oh sure!!
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My mother's stuffing and my mother's cheese ring.
16 Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored!
17. Favorite Christmas song? Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
18 Travel at Christmas or stay home? Mostly stay at home, although, when I was seventeen, we went skiing, and we actually skied on Christmas day and it was awesome!!!
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Nope.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel!! Although, I am saving a star with tinsel and lights from my childhood.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas Eve, the rest in the morning!
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Lack of money, grumpy men.
23. Favorite Christmas tradition? Believing in Santa Claus!!
24. Up early or sleeping in? Early!!!
25. Who hands out the gifts? Take turns.
26. Does Santa wrap your gifts? When I was a kid, yes. For my kids - no.
27. Do you tell the Christmas story? Some years we do.
28. Do you leave cookies for Santa? Yes, of course!

Alrighty, then. Let’s hear all about Christmas at YOUR house. Tag. You’re it!

Making Christmas crafts with kids

2007-11-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

I just love making Christmas crafts with kids and I can't wait to get started! Now that Halloween is over, I'm sure we'll do a few Thanksgiving crafts here and there, but, I'm really ready to start working on some Christmas crafts! Get out all of your red and green construction paper and let's decorate the house in joy and love!

Make your holiday wrapping paper

2007-08-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

Making wrapping paper is an enjoyable activity to do with your kids. Here are a few different ways to try it.

Using tin foil as wrapping paper is a great idea. Take a gift and wrap it in aluminum foil, which you can purchase at any supermarket. I think I would probably use the commercial grade, to prevent my clumsy rips. You can decorate the wrapped gift in several ways. Attach a Christmas card or cut out pictures. Or gather together some Christmas stickers and place the stickers you have on the box.

Another idea is to take fabric, and use it as wrapping paper. This is ideal for a small gift. Simply wrap the fabric around the gift and close the top with a ribbon. I think this would be so cute!

Make wrapping paper from your Sunday newspaper. The newspaper is filled with full color inserts and Christmas ads, which are usually two to four page store specials. The Sunday paper also contains comics in color that would be great for this. Select some pages and pull out the pages that you choose. Take some scotch tape and tape the pages together so that you have enough paper to wrap the gift. Attach a bright ribbon to match the colors in the paper. This is a unique and fun way to wrap a gift.

Kids love to show off their artwork. Why not wrap the gift in plain newsprint or a paper bag and encourage your child to decorate it? Your child may be more excited about their artwork than presenting the gift itself. Simply present your child with the standard tools – crayons, markers, rubber stamps, stickers -- and let them go crazy with it.

If you don’t have paper bags or newsprint, you can take the artwork that your children bring home from school to create gift wrap. Simply take several pieces of their existing art and help them use it to wrap the gift. Just make sure it isn’t their “most special favorite” artwork before you begin.

While most people are deciding on what wrapping paper to buy, making wrapping paper with kids can be so much more enjoyable, and easy to do. Whether you use tin foil, ribbons, ornaments, drawings, or goodies – these original ideas will make gift wrapping a pleasure for you and your kids - and a sweet surprise for the recipient!

Simple Christmas decorating

2007-05-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

Ready to decorate for Christmas? You and the children can try these simple ways to add some Christmas spirit to your home this holiday season.

Use Bows - Pretty Bows add a special touch to any decoration. Choose your color scheme this year, then buy matching ribbon and make lots of bows to add around your house. You can even find color-coordinated pre-made bows in the Christmas section to match your tree decorations.

Indoor Lights - Use clear, white lights to decorate inside this year. If you have indoor trees or greenery, add a small string of clear lights to them. You can add lights just about anywhere. Placing a string of white lights in an oversized vase or bowl will make a festive modern statement. String some lights on your mantelpiece for a more traditional feel.

Special Family-made Wreath - Instead of buying a wreath to hang on your door this year, let your kids make one. Buy a plain, undecorated wreath and a nice variety of miniature tree decorations. Let them show you where to place the decorations on the wreath, and you use the hot glue gun to help the kids create a special wreath for your family’s front door.

Nature Centerpiece - Do you have pine and oak trees in your front and back yard? Gather pine cones, acorns and colorful leaves. Create a beautiful nature centerpiece for your holiday dining table. Make holiday swags with sprigs of green pine needles, complete with a red bow in the center.

Holiday Scented Candle - Stock up on holiday scented candles. Keep several candles lit in a few safe spots, out of reach of the little ones, while entertaining. Some popular holiday scents are gingerbread cookies, French vanilla, cinnamon sticks, and eggnog. Check your local department stores or specialty candle stores for more fun holiday scents.

Make Christmas tree decorating a family tradition

2007-02-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

There is something special about walking into a room and seeing the Christmas tree. It instantly makes you feel happy. Kids especially love to see the tree all lit up and sparkly. The ornaments, lights and sparkle hold them in awe for hours. Here are some tips for making tree decorating a fun family tradition.

Have Fun - First and foremost make this occasion fun. If decorating the tree isn’t fun for you, it won’t be fun for your family. So relax and enjoy it, even if little Emma isn’t putting the crystal ornament exactly where it should go. If there are some ornaments that are precious keep them in a separate box up high so that the adults can add them to the tree and make sure you have lots of fun wooden or non-fragile decorations for the kids to put up.

Theme - Before you get started decorating, choose a theme. What kind of tree would you like? Do you want a traditional green and red tree? Or does your family want something funky and different? Get together, brainstorm and decide how you want your tree to look.

Lights - Does your family like white lights, or do they prefer colorful bulbs? Choose lights that your whole family will like to see on the Christmas tree. There are tons of options out there, from single color strands to lights that play Christmas music as they blink.

Handmade Ornaments - A really fun tradition for your family is to have everyone make ornaments. Set aside a special day just for this - a day when every family member will be able to pitch in with their creativity. Use cookie cutters, colorful paint and beads to create an assortment of unique ornaments. You can also buy ribbon and wire in the Christmas department and make tons of bows to decorate your tree.

Store-Bought Ornaments - Add some sparkle and shine to your tree with things like tinsel, icicles and garland. Or, if your family isn’t crafty and does not want to make ornaments, go together as a family and pick out ornaments for the tree.

Make it Special - Make the tree decorating day a special time. Play Christmas music, put out fresh baked cookies and chocolate with tiny marshmallows. Gather a group of close family and friends around and make it a really festive affair.

Once you decorate your tree go on a Christmas walk around the neighborhood and take in all the sights and lights around you. Then bring everyone back to your place for a hot Christmas stew or casserole… you’ll be creating a family tradition for years to come.

Have a fun Christmas party for kids

2006-12-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some ideas to throw the perfect Christmas party at home for your kids.

Prepare and Decorate for the Party
If you are using your basement or family room, add a small decorated tree. Even a tabletop tree or a construction paper tree on the wall will work.

Hang red and green streamers across the ceiling or from one end of a wall to another; and hang a “Merry Christmas” sign on the wall.

Set a table in the corner and place all Christmas paper products and tableware on it. (Christmas tablecloth, napkins, dishes, cups, and plastic flatware)

Before the guests arrive, get out your Christmas CDs and play them until the party is over.

Once the guests have arrived, you are ready for the party to begin.

Activities for your Party

• Play musical chairs, using jingle bells or any Christmas song for the music.

• Play charades. Kids are very animated, and would love this game. Choose Christmas-related words like: gift, Santa, elf, tree, Snowman, etc.

• Play pin the nose on Rudolph

• Play “Santa Says” - a fun Christmas version of “Simon Says” for kids.

• If any child can dance or sing, invite him/or her to give a performance.

• Have a sing-a-long to the Christmas music.

• Play “finish the Christmas story.” Have an adult begin a story about Santa or an Elf, and then ask each child to add a line or two. Once the story is concluded, the story can be printed out by another adult who has been writing down each line. Give each child a copy of the story, and have the kids sign the story as a keepsake.

• For the big finale, have an adult dress up as Santa Claus and hand out Christmas stockings to each child. Ensure the child’s name is on each stocking. Fill the stockings with goodies, such as: candy; small dolls; toys, or whatever is fitting, but inexpensive.

• Take pictures as Santa hands out the presents. Have several copies made for the kids so they will have a lasting memory of the party.

Whatever Christmas party ideas for kids you select, you can be sure that anything you do will not only be appreciated, but will give all the kids an opportunity to have a great time with their friends.

Homemade Christmas cards

2006-12-15T07:53:00.000-08:00

The Christmas holidays are the most joyous time of the year for families. Especially important is the time families spend together decorating, wrapping, and baking. So let’s explore how you can spend family time making Christmas Cards with your kids.

Here are some items you will need. Buy a Santa coloring book and a package of colored construction paper. Cut the construction paper to the size of the cards your family wishes to make. Get out the crayons, magic markers of all colors, cotton balls, pipe cleaners, ribbons, glue or glue stick, sparkles, red, black and green fabrics, and small candy canes. Your family is ready to begin making unique Christmas cards.

Make Christmas tree cards by drawing several trees on green construction paper. Cut the trees out. Glue fabric and candy to the cards for a beautiful visual effect.

Draw a house with Santa climbing down the chimney. The card can be decorated with cotton balls for Santa’s hat and beard with a line of trees cut from construction paper for the front of the house. Use colored markers to add ornaments to the branches of the trees. Sprinkle glitter on the ornaments, as well as the tree, to resemble snow.

A picture of a full-sized Santa could be cut out of a coloring book, and pasted to the front of a card. After it is colored in with crayons, add fabric to enhance the picture. Make a green sack out of material and place it over Santa’s shoulder; use black material to glue onto Santa’s boots; use the red material to glue onto Santa’s hat. You can adorn the card with small candy canes.

Draw a reindeer and sleigh card. Instead of drawing antlers, take some brown pipe cleaners, arrange the brown pipe cleaners into antlers and glue the pipe cleaners to the top of the reindeer’s head. If the coloring book has a picture of the sleigh, cut the sleigh out of the book; color the sleigh using crayons; and paste the sleigh in front of the reindeer.

Once the fronts of the cards are decorated, your family can write a personal Christmas message inside the card, with everyone signing their names using colored crayons or markers. Or, to really make the card special, insert a family photograph and sign all your names.

Making personalized Christmas cards is probably one of the most popular craft ideas for the entire family. While the kids are on Christmas vacation, take a day to sit around your kitchen or dining room table and create memorable Christmas cards.

Cutest doormat ever!

2006-12-15T06:31:00.000-08:00

Ya'll have got to see this Christmas doormat, it is so cute - the kids would just love it!

A friend told me about this store a few months ago and now I am hearing about it everywhere and thinking of them for all kinds of different gifts - for everyone!

I think I'm a Personalization Mall addict!

Ok, enough babbling - here's the doormat:

It's the Holly Jolly Christmas Doormat

I really, really want one!

How to make a gingerbread house

2006-12-10T10:04:00.000-08:00

Would you like to make a gingerbread house? There are a few options. Either start from scratch, which may take more than a day to complete, or buy a Gingerbread House Kit which includes all of the items you’ll need to build this holiday favorite. Whatever the choice, your kids will have a lot of fun making it. This is a perfect way for them to use their imagination and creativity.

If baking is not your thing, simply go out and buy the kit so that your kids can spend more time decorating it. Putting the house together is pretty simple. Just follow the instructions given in the kit. You will need edible glue to hold the pieces together. Make the glue using this recipe:

1 egg white
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-2 cups confectioners sugar

Make sure the glue is thick – like glue should be. Put it into a piping gun, and you are set to go.

Once the house is built, you get to start on the fun part. Let the kids pick out what types of candies they want to use to decorate the house, for example, gum drops, M&M’s, candy canes, or cookies.

Here are some more ideas:

• Put some trees in front of the house. How about using pretzel sticks with green candy leaves attached?
• Add food coloring into part of the glue to add color to your gingerbread house. Use the colored glue to outline the windows, roof, and other parts of the house.
• Make gingerbread cookies as people and set them in front or inside of the house. Decorate the gingerbread cookies to give them a more personal touch.
• Perhaps the kids would also want to add a chimney. Use licorice squares.
• Add a gingerbread Santa cookie on the roof.
• Want to add your family pet? Buy animal crackers and place them outside the house.
• Take a graham cracker and pipe on the family name, or the names of the kids who decorated it. That’s a great personal touch.

There are so many ways with which kids can decorate a gingerbread house because their imagination is never-ending. The main thing is to provide the tools and then have fun doing it. Whether it is a small, medium or large gingerbread house, the possibilities are endless. Not only will they have fun, but it will be a learning experience as well. Be sure to take lots of pictures!

Christmas Décor Ideas for Kids to Make

2006-12-09T10:03:00.000-08:00

Kids love making their own Christmas decorations for their home and displaying them proudly.

Use ribbons and bows to decorate lamps, curtains and drapes. Choose different color ribbons and bows according to the colors in your home. For example, if you have white curtains, add red and green bows you can stick onto any surface, and arrange the bows on the white curtains any way you wish.

Kids may want to decorate the drapes using different sized white doilies, and fill the drapes with snowflakes. Attach green or red garland to the bottom of the drapes, and hang small light colored ornaments on the garland.

Kids can also decorate the entertainment center with candles of all colors, little glass bowls of Christmas balls, and Christmas figurines. Whether the entertainment center is wood, white or black, this is a sure way to make the entertainment center a Christmas display.

Have a coffee table? If the coffee table is glass, the kids can decorate the edge of the coffee table with garland and ornaments. Remember to choose a garland that compliments the colors in the room. Tape the garland around the table. Start with taping the garland at one corner of the table and let the garland hang a few inches. Repeat the process: tape and hang, until you have hung the garland completely around the coffee table. Then add favorite ornaments and hang them on the garland. This is a wonderful visual effect that also works on your mantel or a banister or railing, too.

Your children can create Christmas artwork with markers, paints or crayons. If you display it in a nice frame, it will complement your home décor and look like you paid money for it.

And, of course, a favorite Christmas decoration is a gingerbread house. Create a gingerbread house with your children. The gingerbread house will be a perfect display for a countertop or in the middle of your coffee table.

Choosing Christmas décor ideas for kids to make is easy; arranging them to compliment the décor of your home is the challenge. Choose the decorations, and have the kids use their imagination to turn your home into wonderland of color.

Fun Family Christmas Activities

2006-12-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas is a wonderful time to bring your family together. Many families establish certain rituals that are attached to specific holidays. This year, spice up your holidays with some fun family Christmas activities.

Christmas Caroling - Christmas carolers are almost a thing of the past. This year, gather your family, bundle up to keep warm, and go Christmas caroling through your local community. Be sure to visit your local nursing home, as they love these types of holiday celebrations.

Make a Gingerbread House - A gingerbread house is a very fun way to involve your family in a long-loved Christmas tradition. Bake the pieces to your gingerbread house, then let the entire family construct and decorate the house.

Make Handmade Christmas Cards – Instead of buying your Christmas cards, make your own this year. You can purchase all the materials you’ll need at your local scrapbook shop or craft store. Buy blank note cards then decorate them. Insert your family’s Christmas photo inside each card before you mail them out to family and friends.

Lighting of the Tree - A fun family Christmas activity is to make it a special occasion to erect and light your family’s Christmas tree. Plan a special day of family fun. At the end of the day, gather your family to decorate and light the Christmas tree. Then, sit around your beautifully decorated tree and read the Christmas story while you sip on eggnog or hot cocoa.

Teach your Kids the Meaning of Giving this Holiday Season

2006-12-07T09:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas makes kids wide-eyed, with thoughts of a ton of presents under the Christmas tree. Some kids even like to count their presents under the tree. This holiday season, teach your kids the true meaning of Christmas — giving to others.

Give to Others - One simple way to teach your children the value of giving is to have them donate to a local shelter. Have your children go through their toys and clothes. Make sure they give away one really nice thing that they don’t really need or play with. Place an emphasis on the fact that there are many children who have no home or parents.

Another way your children can learn about the gift of giving is to donate canned goods to a local food drive service. These services provide food to families in need. The holidays are often a difficult time for those in need. Take your children to the grocery store and have them choose a nice variety of canned foods to donate.

One more way your children can learn a lesson in giving is to buy gifts for others. Choose a needy family in your church or community. If you don’t know of anyone in need, ask around. Officials at your city’s municipal building, or local pastors will be able to make recommendations to you.

Take your children shopping and help them pick out age-appropriate toys and gifts. Let them wrap the gifts, too. Finally, drive your family to your “adopted” family’s home and let your kids hand out their gifts. You can also give a gift to a local gift drive for children in need, most of these will advertise in stores and the local community during the holidays.

Santa Craft Ideas for Kids

2006-11-20T10:09:00.000-08:00

Kids love Christmas crafts. Santa craft ideas for kids are an easy and fun way to spend time with your kids during the holidays. Here are a few ideas to choose from.

Santa Picture:
Let’s begin with Santa pictures. There are a variety of Santa coloring books available during the holidays. Choose a picture from the book. Cut out the picture of Santa, and place the picture in the center of a sheet of white construction paper. Use a glue stick to secure the picture.

Color the picture with crayons. Once the picture is finished, place cotton balls to cover Santa’s beard, and one at the end of his hat. You can even glue black buttons for Santa’s eyes, and a red button for his nose. Decorate the blank area of the white construction paper by drawing candy canes or trees. When the picture is completed, your kids can sign their names directly under the picture. Take a piece of cardboard and glue the picture to it. Place the picture in a frame, and place the frame in a special place in your home for all to see and admire.

Santa Christmas Cards:
Making Santa Christmas cards is another craft idea your kids will enjoy. Take a piece of white construction paper and measure the paper to a size of 5x7 inches. Cut the construction paper to that size. Fold the construction paper in half, either horizontally or vertically. Encourage your children to draw their own version of Santa on the front cover. Use crayons or colored markers. After the picture is finished, your kids can write Christmas messages on the inside of the card. Homemade Christmas cards are wonderful to display in your home or send to relatives and friends.

Make a Santa plate ornament for the Christmas tree:
You'll need crayons and markers; cotton balls, a dinner-sized paper plate, and color sparkles. Draw Santa, without his red cap, on the plate using the crayons or markers. Add the cotton balls for his beard. You can even glue the cotton balls into a V shape so that Santa's beard hangs off the plate. The cotton balls can also be used for Santa's hair, too. Use a blue marker to color in Santa's eyes, and a black marker to draw Santa's glasses. Use red food color on a cotton ball to make Santa's nose. You can color the rim of the plate with red or green and add color sparkles to it. Finally, place the Santa plate on the tree by inserting an ornament hook at the top of the plate.

As you can see, there are so many different ways to involve your kids in creating, making, and decorating Santa Christmas ornaments, pictures, and cards.

3 Cute Ornaments You Can Make with Items Around Your House

2006-11-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

These days it is quite expensive to buy ornaments or other decorations for the holidays. As a more frugal and fun option, here are 3 cute ornaments you can make with items you have around your house.

1. Cookie Ornaments: Use whatever cookie cutter designs you have on hand and bake cookies to hang on the tree. If you do not have cookie cutter designs, no problem. Make your own designs. For example make pretzel cookies, which can easily be hung on a branch and decorated with ribbons. Here is how to do it. Roll out a small piece of your favorite dough to about 3 inches. Take the two ends and overlap them at the top to form an upside down letter "Q" - or make any loop shape. After the pretzel is baked, you can tie a ribbon through the hole in the shape of a bow, and hang it on the tree.

2. Paper Tree Ornaments: Take white construction paper and cut out Christmas trees. Your child can personalize each one with his name, stickers, glitter, a drawing, or color each tip of the tree to resemble ornaments. Use these trees to make a border in your child's room or string them together to wrap around your Christmas tree.

3. Christmas Stocking Ornaments: Make your own Christmas stocking ornaments using whatever material you have on hand. Use several fabrics and colors to really make them bright and colorful. Glue on bows, beads or large ribbons. You can also personalize them with your child's name. When the stockings are done, cut a piece of fabric into a loop and sew it onto the top of the stocking. Hang them on the tree proudly.

Making homemade ornaments is not only fun for the entire family, but lets your child expand his creativity and imagination. It is much more meaningful to make something than to just go out and buy it. It is a wonderful and satisfying way to spend time with your children. These home-made ornaments make wonderful gifts as well.

Before you decide to go shopping for Christmas ornaments, first take a look around your house. You'll be surprised at what you may find!

Reindeer Craft Ideas

2006-11-17T11:39:00.000-08:00

Do you know the names of Santa’s reindeer? I always have trouble remembering them, but, everyone knows “the most famous reindeer of all.” Kids will love to create their own Rudolph.

Cardboard Rudolph Art
This one is simple. Using a 5x7 writing pad, take off the brown cardboard at the back. You can cut it for your child, in sort of a peanut shape - to look like Rudolph's head. Use two large black buttons and place them on the cardboard to make the reindeer’s eyes. If you don’t have buttons, you could use almonds or dried beans.

Color a cotton ball using a red marker, and glue the cotton ball onto the cardboard to make his nose.

Cut some brown construction paper into two small triangles and glue them to the top of the cardboard for his ears; and with a magic marker, draw a curved line for his smile.

Put Rudolph on a plate stand to display him in your home - he could even be the centerpiece at the kids' table.

Paper Plate Rudolph Mask
Another idea is to take a paper plate and turn it into Rudolph mask. Lightly color the plate with a brown crayon to begin.

Then, you can make the antlers. At the top of the plate, glue two brown pipe cleaners for antlers. Then cut two or more smaller pieces of brown pipe cleaner and twist them around the longer pipe cleaner, turning them outward to create the antler effect. You may need to reinforce the antlers with a hot glue gun after your child is done creating this mask.

Cut holes for the eyes and color around the holes with a black marker to make his eyes look darker. For his nose, cut out a circle from any red fabric (even patterned fabric would be cute). Glue it onto the plate.

Then, draw a big smile with a black crayon. You’ve got an adorable Rudolph mask. Simply glue a Popsicle stick to the bottom as a handle and your child has a mask to wear. Now all you need are a few more and you’ll have all of Santa’s reindeer.

Now that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has been created, have you been thinking about the names of the other eight reindeer? The answer is: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.

And here are some more really cute reindeer crafts:

Merry Christmas!

2006-11-14T09:33:00.001-08:00

A good deal on Thanksgiving goodies!

2006-11-07T07:12:00.000-08:00

I just got my newsletter from MakingFriends.com this morning and they pointed me to their super deal for Thanksgiving!

It is a buy one, get one free offer for Thanksgiving craft supplies!

You can check it out here:
Thanksgiving Buy 1, Get 1 Free

I love those Thanksgiving foamies!!

A few fun Thanksgiving craft ideas!

2006-11-04T15:48:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for some fun ways to keep your kids busy during the Thanksgiving holiday? Here are some fun Thanksgiving craft ideas for kids:

Turkey wreath – Buy a straw wreath and various Thanksgiving decorations, let your kids glue on the decorations to make a holiday wreath to hang on your front door.

Turkey cups – With the Thanksgiving family dinner coming soon, you’ll probably have a house full of kids, buy small kid-sized plastic cups and craft markers. Give each kid a cup and let them write their name on it and decorate it.

Turkey placemats – Give your kids colored construction paper and let them make turkeys. After they are finished, mount each turkey on a separate sheet of construction paper, then laminate it. Now they have their own special turkey placemat.

Pinecone turkey – Gather pinecones, then cut out colorful turkey feathers from colored construction paper. Use red felt to cut out the turkey’s comb. Glue your Thanksgiving turkey together, inserting the feathers in between the pine cone leaves.

Thanksgiving flower pots – Buy the smallest red clay pots you can find at your local gardening store (these are super cheap), a bag of potting soil, and packages of various flowers, vegetables, or herb seeds. Let your kids write the name of the seed on the outside of the pot with a magic marker. Next, have them pour potting soil in each pot and plant the seeds. When the seeds begin sprouting in a few weeks, let your kids take their Thanksgiving pots to the local nursing home and give them away as Thanksgiving gifts to the patients.

Make your family's Thanksgiving really special!

2006-11-03T11:13:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is always a fun time of celebration and eating with your family. Here are some ways to make Thanksgiving even more special for your family this year.

Thankful cards – Make a card for each family member that will be your guest for Thanksgiving this year. On each card, tell that person what you love most about them, and why you are thankful for them. Now that is certainly a sweet way to start your family festivities!

Family recipe book – A few months before Thanksgiving, write a list of each family member. Beside their name, make a note of their best dish. Call each member and ask for a copy of that recipe, plus one or two of their own favorites that they’d like to share. When you have all the recipes ready, compile them into a booklet and print them, using your computer and printer. (You can also use professional services, if you wish, to make a longer-lasting recipe book.) After your guests all arrive for your Thanksgiving dinner, give them each a copy of your special family recipe book.

Mini family scrapbooks – Gather family pictures, if you don’t have many pictures, take them to a local copier and have extra prints made. Purchase mini scrapbooks at a scrapbook supply store, along with stickers, markers and various scrapbook supplies. Create miniature family scrapbooks, using one picture per page. Write what you are thankful for, in relation to each family member, on their designated pages. On Thanksgiving Day, give a copy of your mini family scrapbooks to each family member as a memento.

Thanksgiving fun on the web!

2006-11-02T10:31:00.000-08:00

Well, of course - we have to talk about Thanksgiving, too! It is the appetizer for Christmas - and there are a lot of fun Thanksgiving activities out there!

Three of my favorite places for Thanksgiving activities are:

Kids Domain

Making Friends

Enchanted Learning

They have got TONS of stuff on their sites to keep you busy! Crafts, recipes, worksheets, printable books, puzzles, coloring pages - you name it!

When my kids were little, I would squander countless hours on these sites digging up fun stuff for us to do!

On one of those sites - I found a really great (and funny!) Thanksgiving song years ago - and my daughter and I still sing it every year!! See if you can find it - it's about Albequerque the Turkey!

It's TIME!!

2006-11-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

That's right, kids! Halloween is over - and now it's time to start talking ....

CHRISTMAS!!!

It's time to dig all those boxes out of the garage and decorate the house!

It's time to start making some fun Christmas crafts!

It's time to start making some yummy Christmas goodies!

It's time to play all our Christmas music - that sits on the shelf all year long!

It's time to get a Christmas screensaver - with music!

It's just time for so many things, when it comes to Christmas! There is so much fun stuff to do and to make!

Two months of wishing "Merry Christmas"! I love it!

I'm ready - are you?