Turn crafts scraps into a bright, bold holiday picture frame. Trace the picture frame backing onto a piece of thin cardboard. Cut the same shape from two different-color blue pieces of felt. Glue the lighter piece to the cardboard.

Quick gilded holiday ornaments are something that you can do at home with maybe a product that you've never seen before, but it is available everywhere. Hi! I'm Sandra Lee, and I've got a great project for you, if you like to create gifts or ornaments all by yourself in a matter of minutes. Now, all I did was I went to the store, and I bought some great holiday ornaments in all sorts of different colors, whether it's traditional red or gold or some blues and greens. It is fantastic! What these are, are metallic paint pens, and they're available in your craft stores, school supply shops.

Cut out the center of the darker piece with scalloped-edge scissors, leaving a 1/2 inch border; attach the darker felt piece around the rim of the cardboard (and the light color felt). Glue ivory buttons into a tree shape, decorating with small colorful buttons as ornaments.

Christmas Ideas for Kids

The Christmas holiday season is a time of the year when kids normally get two weeks out of school for the holiday. The weather is usually to cold for the young ones to spend much time outside. They need things to keep them busy while you do what is needed to get ready for Christmas or just relax.

Where to find kid friendly hotels in California for family vacations?

In this article you will find six fun Christmas Ideas for kids to keep them busy, happy and out from under your feet.

Use Calendar for Fun

Use a calendar to write down fun things for your kids to do each day that they are at home. This will help them pass time as they wait for Santa to arrive on Christmas eve. You could have them do crafts one day, color Christmas pictures, watch a Christmas movie or take them somewhere for the day as a family such as waiting until night fall and taking them to see Christmas lights in your area.

Sweet Christmas Treats

My kids use to love to help with making cookies and candy. Let the kids use the cookie cutters to make their cookie designs. Then let them decorate the cookies. Another easy thing for kids to do is to make peanut butter balls. Kids love to get messy so have them wash their hands and dig into the peanut butter mix and make the balls.

One last thing that my kids love was using cookie cutters to make Christmas Jell-O Cookies as they called them. Just make your Jell-O in a mold of your choice. When it is set flip into a cutting board or even just the kitchen table. Give the kids the cookie cutters and cut the designs out of the Jell-O. Put on a dish cover and put back in the fridge to keep chilled until ready to be eaten.

Track Where Santa is at this Christmas Eve

There is a website that you can go to have your children track where Santa is at on Christmas Eve. The little ones can also play games and listen to Christmas music at the website. There is many fun things for them to explore and do to keep them happy. Visit NoradSanta today.

Christmas Movie Family Night

There are many excellent Christmas movies that you can share with your children this holiday season. Pop some popcorn and gather the children around for a classic Christmas movie such as Miracle on 34th Street, it's a Wonderful Life, or Home Alone or what ever your favorites are.

More info on http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1277798/6_fun_christmas_ideas_for_kids.html?cat=74

Christmas Craft Ideas For Kids

Are you looking for a great craft idea for your children’s Sunday school class? Then check out these websites. They list many great kids Christmas crafts, ideas and projects. Arts and crafts are not my strong point. So I’m thankful for all the easy and free Christmas craft ideas for kids. Try these for your Sunday school lesson, children’s church, or at home with your children.

Free Christmas Craft Ideas For Kids

Christmas Time Together is the best place to find free, easy and clear craft projects for children. Your kids will love these art projects. Some craft ideas include: Advent Mural, Angel Tree Ornament, Bead Wreath & Candy Cane, Bell Ornament, Candy Basket, Cookie Cutter Ornament, Christmas Card Ornaments, Christmas Cornucopia, Christmas Cracker, Christmas Piñata, Christmas Place Mats, Clothes Pin Angel and many more. These crafts are free and easy to print off instructions.

Craft Central Station Christmas Idea page offers more great Christmas projects for kids. They offer a wide range of craft, gift, art, and card projects for children.

Danielle’s Place has dozens of free and easy Christmas crafts for children. Some crafts include:Craft Stick Christmas Star Ornament Craft for Kids, Peppermint Candy Frame, Coffee Filter Angel Craft, Ice Cream Cone Christmas Tree Craft, Poinsettia Flower Angel Craft, Picture Frame Christmas Ornament Craft, Lace Angel Craft, Angel Hershey’s Kiss Party Favor Craft, Communion Cup Reindeer, Christmas Candle with Base Craft, Gift Bags with gift tags Craft, CD Christmas Ornament Craft, Nativity Craft, Baby Jesus Envelop Craft, and many printable card crafts in her members area.

Bible Kids Fun Zone Christmas Crafts has many craft and coloring pages your can print off to use in your Christmas Sunday school lessons. This site has dozens of Nativity coloring pages, cards and crafts. Their best crafts are in the membership area, but they also offer many free children’s craft ideas.

The Christmas Zone at Kidology.org is a great place to find crafts and Sunday school lessons about Christmas. They offer many free items, but you’ll need to buy a membership to get full access. I usually look here first when I’m planning a craft for kid’s church.

Source - http://ministry-to-children.com

50 Christmas Ideas

Christmas is quickly approaching, and it’s time to start planning. I’ve found that if I take the time to PLAN a frugal holiday season, I get less caught up in the urge to spend once December is here. With that in mind, here are 50 frugal things you can do to celebrate the holiday season.

1. Read a book a day. I read about this tradition a couple of years ago at Debt-Proof Living, and it’s quickly become my family’s favorite tradition. Buy 24 children’s Christmas books (I bought them used to save money), wrap them up, then have your children unwrap one book a day starting December first. We re-wrap the same books year after year, and my family looks forward to reading our Christmas favorites. Apparently Mary Hunt devotes a section of Debt-Proof the Holidays to this tradition, so head to the library and check it out!

2. Celebrate Advent with an Advent Wreath. You can even make the wreath yourself. That’s more frugal than buying one. There’s even a “no-flame” version for families who have young children.

3. Pray for people send you Christmas Cards. A good time to do this is after dinner. Or pray for them during your advent time, if you’re using the advent wreath.

4. Attend a Christmas pageant in your community. Many churches and schools put them on. Check your paper or call your local churches to find one. This year one of our local churches is putting on a production of Narnia. I can’t wait!

5. Have a family slumber party in the living room. Pull out the sleeping bags and turn on the Christmas lights. Just enjoy being together as a family.

6. Go Christmas caroling. Grab some friends or just go as a family. Get to know your neighbors as you bless them with Christmas carols.

7. See the Christmas lights. Drive around your town and look at the decked out houses. Vote on which neighborhood has the best display.

8. Look at pictures from Christmas past. I don’t know about your family, but mine likes to look back in time. Pull out the photo albums. Tell your children about your Christmas celebrations as a child.

9. Do a puzzle together.

10. Bake Christmas cookies. My daughter and I have been making sugar cookies together every year for a long time.

11. String popcorn.

12. Read the Christmas story. Read it straight out of the Bible, or use a bible storybook if you have young children.

13. Pick up some library books and study Christmas Traditions in other countries. This year I’d like to learn about Sinterklaas with my children, since I am Dutch, and my ancestors celebrated Sinterklaas.

14. Host a White Elephant gift exchange. These are so fun. With the right group of people, you’ll be rolling in laughter. If you’ve never hosted a white elephant gift exchange before, the instructions can be found here. Now where did I put that rubber chicken?

15. Make your own gifts. My personal favorites are gifts in a jar and homemade calendars. Gift baskets are also fun. There are a ton of gift mixes at Food Gifts From Your Kitchen.

16. Participate in Operation Christmas Child or another charity. We like to fill shoe boxes for children the same ages as our children. Our children help us shop and at the same time learn that Christmas is about giving, not getting.

17. Make paper snowflakes with your kids. If you want a real challenge, make a 3-D paper snowflake.

18. Make a paper chain to count down the days until Christmas. Alternate green and red construction paper. You can attach the chain to a paper cross or Christmas tree and hang it up on your child’s wall. Each night before bed take off a link. On Christmas Eve, the child takes off the last link, and then gets so excited that she can’t sleep. Oh wait…that happened to me. Hopefully it won’t happen to you.

19. Have a Christmas movie marathon. Get the movies from the library if you want to be really frugal. Some of our favorites are The Polar Express, Miracle on 34th Street, and A Christmas Story.

20. Invite some friends or family over for dinner. It doesn’t have to be formal. Just enjoy the company. Make it a potluck. Or have a soup night. Have everyone bring their favorite soup in a crock-pot.

21. Make a gingerbread house. You can try the ambitious way, or you can make one the easy way.

22. Visit a nursing home or an elderly shut in. The holidays can be a difficult time for those who have lost loved ones. Visit an elderly person with no family nearby. Bring some flowers, food, or a homemade Christmas card. It will brighten their day…and yours.

23. Attend your community tree-lighting ceremony. Many communities have them, and they are festive occasions. If you don’t mind the crowds, tree-lighting ceremonies can be a lot of fun.

24. Put on some Christmas music and dance with your spouse and children.

25. Learn the history of Santa. I think it’s pretty fascinating.

26. Track Santa on NORAD.

27. Make candy. Our favorites are fudge and peanut brittle.

28. Make a Paper Mache snowman.

29. Play in the snow.

30. Simmer some hot cider. There are many good recipes out there. Or if you’re lazy, just heat up some bottled cider.

31. Go ice skating. Ice skating rinks frequently have special rates when kids are out of school for the holiday break. Call your local rink to find out about specials.

32. Have a birthday party for Jesus. Make a cake, invite the neighborhood kids over, and have a party. For gifts, you could give time or make a commitment to read your Bible, pray…whatever you can think of!

33. Watch the Christmas specials on TV. My personal favorites are Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and A Charlie Brown Christmas.

34. Send a card with a Christmas postmark to someone special. You can have letters postmarked at the North Pole, Bethlehem, Noel, and many more interesting places.

35. Read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever with your family. If you’ve never read it, you should. It’s really funny!

36. Hang mistletoe. Then kiss your sweetie.

37. Make your own Christmas cards. Have everyone pitch in. Family Fun has some good ideas.

38. Write a Christmas letter, with everyone in the family telling their own story of the past year. Our friends do this. They start the letter with “Dad’s Turn” and work their way down to the youngest child’s turn. It’s fun to read everyone’s differing perspective on the past year.

39. Make a video and send it to far away relatives for Christmas. We did this for years. We’d sing songs, tell stories, and just have a good time. Our relatives appreciated seeing how the kids had grown over the year.

40. Make Christmas ornaments.

41. Cut your own Christmas tree. In Oregon you can buy a permit to go to a designated place in the forest to cut a tree. The permits are $5.00. You can’t beat that. If you don’t have a forest, try a Christmas tree farm. It’s more expensive, but still often cheaper than buying from a lot. Of course the most frugal option would be to buy a fake tree to use year after year. But if you like live trees, cutting your own is the way to go.

42. Take a walk and collect pine-cones, acorns and the like for decorations.

43. Make an Advent Calendar. You could make a simple paper calendar. Or if you’re more crafty, you could make something more complicated. There are many options.

44. Make a Jesse Tree.

45. Fix a special Christmas breakfast. I usually make the Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns and Christmas Breakfast Sausage Casserole. I like these recipes, because the bulk of the preparation is done the day before.

46. Hold an open house. Send invites to all your friends, telling them to stop by your house between the hours of two and five. Set out simple finger foods, and enjoy socializing.

47. Take your family’s picture in front of the Christmas tree. Make it a yearly tradition.

48. Send a card to a recovering U.S. Soldier. The soldiers have given so much for us. Help make their holidays a bit brighter by thanking them. The address is: A Recovering American soldier, c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Avenue,NW,Washington,D.C. 20307-5001. Boomeyers, one of my commentators, has informed me that cards addressed to Any Soldier (as opposed to a real name) will no longer be delivered due to security concerns. So I’m going to amend #48. Send a card to a U.S. soldier that you know. If you don’t know a U.S. soldier, consider making a donation to an organization that supports the troops. Or contact your local National Guard to see how you can help. Thanks, boomeyers, for correcting me.

49. Record your children singing their favorite Christmas carols. Children’s voices change so much over the years. Twenty years from now, you’ll be glad to have the recording.

50. Go to a Christmas Eve Service. It’s completely free, and it will put you in the right frame of mind to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

Whatever you do, slow down and enjoy the season. Don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas that you forget to take time to enjoy your loved ones.

Source - http://beingfrugal.net

Nightmare before christmas

Several of the religious festivals during the winter holiday season are celebrated with the exchanges of gifts, and the winter holiday season thus also incorporates the holiday shopping season, which lasts from the beginning of the holiday season (incorporating the Christmas shopping season) to the January sales which extend from late December well into January.

In the United States, the holiday shopping season, during which a quarter of all personal spending takes place, is traditionally considered to commence on the day after Thanksgiving, a Friday colloquially known as either Black Friday or Green Friday. This is widely reputed to be the busiest shopping day of the entire calendar year. However, in 2004 the VISA credit card organization reported that over the previous several years VISA credit card spending had in fact been 8 to 19 percent higher on the last Saturday before Christmas Day than on Black Friday. A survey conducted in 2005 by GfK NOP discovered that "Americans aren't as drawn to Black Friday as many retailers may think.", with only 17% of those polled saying that they will begin holiday shopping immediately after Thanksgiving, 13% saying that they plan to finish their shopping before November 24, and 10% waiting until the very last day before performing their holiday gift shopping.

According to a survey by the Canadian Toy Association, peak sales in the toy industry occur in the winter holiday season, but this peak has been occurring later and later in the season every year.

In 2005, the ceremonial kick-off to the winter holiday season for online shopping the first Monday after Thanksgiving, was named Cyber Monday. However, although it was a peak, that was not the busiest on-line shopping day of that year. The busiest on-line shopping days were December 12 and December 13, almost two weeks after Cyber Monday. Four of the largest 11 on-line shopping days in 2005 were December 11 to December 16, with an increase of 12% over 2004 figures.

Some stores in Canada hold Boxing Week sales (before the end of the year) for income tax purposes.

http://en.wikipedia.org

Jingle Bell and other beloved Christmas Carols

A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas, or the winter season in general. They are traditionally sung in the period before and during Christmas. The tradition of Christmas carols hails back as far as the thirteenth century, although carols were originally communal songs sung during celebrations like harvest tide as well as Christmas. It was only later that carols began to be sung in church, and to be specifically associated with Christmas.

A popular urban legend was that they were named after a little girl named Carol Poles who disappeared in 1888 in the Whitechapel district of London. According to the legend, the little girl was reported missing around Christmas and many people went searching for her at night. Due to fears concerning Jack the Ripper, the group would sing Christmas carols upon knocking in order to declare their good intentions.

Traditional carols have a strong tune and consist of a verse and/or chorus for group singing. They are often based on medieval chord patterns, and it is this that gives them their uniquely characteristic musical sound. Some carols like 'Personent hodie' and 'Angels from the Realms of Glory' can be traced directly back to the Middle Ages, and are amongst the oldest musical compositions still regularly sung. Carols suffered a decline in popularity after the Reformation in the countries where Reformation settled, but survived in their rural communities until the revival of interest in Carols in the 19th century. Composers like Arthur Sullivan helped to repopularise the carol, and it is this period that gave rise to such favorites as "Good King Wenceslas" and "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear."

Today carols are regularly sung at religious services. Some compositions have words which are clearly not of a religious theme, but are often still referred to as carols.

Secular songs such as "White Christmas" and "Blue Christmas" are not true Christmas carols, though they are also popular in the period before Christmas, and should therefore be considered to be Christmas songs.

Carols can be sung by individual singers, but are also often sung by larger groups, including professionally trained choirs. Most churches have special services at which carols are sung, generally combined with readings from scripture about the birth of Christ, often this is based on the famous Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge. Some of these services also include other music written for Christmas, such as Benjamin Britten's "Ceremony of Carols" (for choir and harp), or excerpts from Handel's "Messiah."

There is also a tradition of performances of serious music relating to Christmas in the period around Christmas, including Handel's "Messiah," the "Christmas Oratorio" by J. S. Bach, "Messe de Minuit pour Noel" by Charpentier, and "L'Enfance du Christ" by Berlioz.

In England, and some other countries (i.e. Poland (koledowanie) and Bulgaria (koledari)), there is a tradition of Christmas carolling (earlier known as wassailing), in which groups of singers travel from house to house, singing carols, for which they are often rewarded with money, mince pies, or a glass of an appropriate drink. Money collected in this way is normally given to charity.

In Australia, where it is the middle of summer at Christmas, there is a tradition of Carols by Candlelight concerts which are held outdoors at night in cities and towns during the weeks leading up to Christmas. In Melbourne, "Carols by Candlelight" is held each Christmas Eve. Performers at the concerts including opera singers and musical theatre performers and popular music singers. People in the audience hold lit candles and join in singing some of the carols in accompaniament with the celebrities.

Christmas carols can also be played on musical instruments, and another tradition is for brass bands, such as the Salvation Army brass bands, to play carols before Christmas.

http://en.wikipedia.org

32 most famous Christmas songs

 

The following songs are well known for being performed by more than one different artists:

• "Blue Christmas" – Introduced by Ernest Tubb in 1949, though most famously recorded by Elvis Presley.
• "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" (1946) (composed by Mel Torme and first performed by Nat King Cole)
• "The First Noel"
• "Carol of the Bells", a Ukranian-American carol by Mykola Leontovych and Peter Wilhousky, sung by many choruses, but notably the Robert Shaw Chorale
• "Frosty the Snowman" (1950) – popularized by Gene Autry. Countless artists have recorded it in the years since, perhaps the most famous likely being Jimmy Durante, who recorded the version for the television special of the same name.
• "A Holly Jolly Christmas" , from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (television special), popularised by Burl Ives
• "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" – introduced by Judy Garland in the film Meet Me In St. Louis; covered by many, including Frank Sinatra, Luther Vandross, James Taylor and Vince Gill.
• "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" – popularised by Johnny Mathis, although it had been performed earlier by Perry Como and Bing Crosby
• "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" covered by many including Daryl Hall & John Oates
• "Jingle Bells"
• "Jingle Bell Rock" – best-known version is by Bobby Helms, released in 1957. Hall and Oates also did a version. Another well known singer is Brenda Lee whose version is found in the movie, "Home Alone."
• "Joy to the World" – covered by various artists which include Mariah Carey.
• "Let it Snow" – Vaughn Monroe (1945), Dean Martin (1966)
• "Little Drummer Boy – The 1958 version by the Harry Simeone Chorale is the standard.
• "Mary's Boy Child" – Harry Belafonte in 1957, Boney M in 1978 and re-released in 2005 by G4/Robin Gibb as "Mary's Boy Child/First of May".
• "Mele Kalikimaka" – Bing Crosby, and later, Jimmy Buffett
• "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" – introduced by Andy Williams in 1963
• "Merry Christmas Darling" – Introduced by The Carpenters in 1978 (on their album, A Christmas Portrait).
• "Mistletoe and Holly" – co-written and popularised by Frank Sinatra
• "O Holy Night" – covered by several artists including Kelly Clarkson and Mariah Carey
• "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree" (1958) – best-known version is by Brenda Lee. This song was also covered by Amy Grant.
• "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1949) – popularised by Gene Autry.
• "Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt and Madonna
• "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" – Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, Perry Como and later by Jackson 5 (1970), Bruce Springsteen
• "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy" – Introduced by Buck Owens in 1965; re-popularized by Garth Brooks in 1992.
• "Silent Night" – popularised by Frank Sinatra
• "Sleigh Ride" – composed and popularised by Leroy Anderson (1948); vocal arrangement popularised by Johnny Mathis w/ Percy Faith & His Orchestra (1958)
• "Twelve Days of Christmas" – Standard version is by the Ray Conniff Singers
• "Up On the House Top" by Benjamin Hanby and Kimberley Locke
• "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
• "White Christmas" (first performed by Bing Crosby in the 1942 musical Holiday Inn)
• "Winter Wonderland" – Perry Como (1946), The Andrews Sisters (1946), Johnny Mathis (1958), Tony Bennett (1968)

http://en.wikipedia.org

Christmas Decorations

Most of the Christmas home decorations we see in the Christmas store have evolved from many different cultures. Charles Dudley Warner wrote about the Christmas holiday in 1884 "We have saved out of the past nearly all that was good in it". The evolution of Christmas as we know it today is no doubt better than the old holidays. At the mere mention of holly, ivy or mistletoe the visions of Christmas with all it's wonderful memories wanders into our minds. We see visions of ornaments on trees, snow covered hills, carolers singing, ringing bells and outdoor lights, lighting up the night.  In the winter when most native plants lose their leaves, flowers and fruits, the evergreens, holly, ivy and mistletoe are winter wonders to admire. It is no wonder that these winter delights were used to brighten up the cold dark days of winter.

Mistletoe for Christmas decorating has a special meaning for the holidays today. The hanging of the mistletoe in the doorways creates many plots and diversions to receive a kiss under it. The mistletoe kissing tradition comes from the Norse myths. Frigga, one of the gods, gave her son Balder a charm of mistletoe to protect him from the elements. But because mistletoe grows neither from the water or the earth nor from fire or air, it grows on trees, it held the power to harm him. One of the other god's arrows made of mistletoe struck Balder down, and his mother cried tears of white berries. She brought her son back to life and vowed to kiss anyone who rested beneath the plant. So the mistletoe  kissing tradition began. In the early days mistletoe was called the all-healer in Celtic speech and in various European countries mistletoe is believed to possess marvelous powers of healing sickness or even averting misfortune. It was also believed to be the remedy against poisons and to make barren animals fruitful. There are traces in Britain of the sacredness of mistletoe as well as holly.

Holly, with its dark green spiky leaves and red berries, was also believed to have magical powers and the ability to drive demons away. Germans considered holly to be a good luck charm against the hostile forces of nature. A Shropshire custom was to leave the holly and ivy up until Candlemas, while the mistletoes were preserved until the next holiday season and hung so that good fortune would follow till the next holiday season.  In the early days food was also central to the holiday decorations. As the Christmas season grew near huge batches of cookies, candies, and sugared fruits were prepared for food and as Christmas decor. As mentioned above not all the early decor in the home came from the kitchen, the woods and fields provided an abundance of  straw, pods, flowers, and foliage for Christmas tree decorations also. Select the following link to view our Christmas wreaths, garlands, Christmas greenery and Christmas ribbon. 

As far back as the fifteenth century, Stow's of London noted that the custom at Christmas was that every household, parish and church be decked with items of ivy, holm, bays and other affordable seasonal greens. Many elders of England will recall the old English mode of church decor of sprigs of holly and yew stuck into the high pews making the churches a miniature forest. The decor extended outside when the city light poles, standards and in London were decorated for the Christmas season. The Christmas trimming evolved next into trimmings of beads, knots of bright ribbon, paper stars and lace bags filled with candies were all homemade by hand. Nuts, seeds, berries, popcorn and other homemade materials civilized the wild beauty of the past. The stringing of popcorn and cranberries are still in use today and purchased in the Christmas store. Tree decor was now open to creative and inspirational holiday decorating ideas that are still with us today.

The popularity of Christmas tree decorating in America grew when imports from Europe began in the 1870’s. In 1880 F.W. Woolworth was amazed when his first shipment of German Christmas ornaments were sold out in a couple of days from the Christmas stores department. Select the following link to view our German glass ornaments. Christmas stores stocked silver foil icicles, chains of tiny Czechoslovakia beads, and crinkly of  wire tinsel that added sparkle to the Christmas trees. Cardboard ornaments, tin metal Christmas ornaments, and paper decor were popular in the Christmas store until the 1900’s. Christmas stores then introduced a wide verity of plastic holiday decorations.

Today Christmas trees are usually the focal point in the American home. Decking the halls and home with wreaths, and garlands add additional beauty. With all the modern advances in the Christmas industry, decorating for Christmas has become an art form. During the holiday season the magic of Christmas comes alive with the creativeness of the Christmas store and designers around the world. There are no rules when it comes to the personal selection of Christmas decorations. We might conclude by observing homes, businesses and Christmas stores that the bells of freedom bells ring when it comes to Christmas creativeness.

In America, the tradition of hanging a wreath on the front door is a welcome gesture of friendship. The original American tradition of the outdoor Christmas lights is a cheerful delight throughout the holiday season. Passerby's of all descriptions can enjoy the beauty of the outdoor lights. Select the following link to view our Christmas tree lights and outdoor Christmas decorations. Through out the cold winter days of December, there are colorful light displays around every corner that bring the holiday spirit to everyone.

Natural Christmas Trees

Traditionally, Christmas trees were not brought in and decorated until Christmas Eve (24 December), and then removed the day after twelfth night (i.e., 6 January); to have a tree up before or after these dates was even considered bad luck. Modern commercialisation of Christmas has however resulted in trees being put up much earlier; in shops often as early as late October. A common tradition in U.S. homes is to put the tree up right after Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November) and to take it down right after the New Year. In Europe, private Christmas trees are not usually put up until at least the middle of December and are usually taken down by the 6th of January. In Germany, Catholics take their Christmas trees down by the 2nd of February.

The best species for use are species of fir (Abies), which have the major benefit of not shedding the needles when they dry out, as well as good foliage colour and scent; but species in other genera are also used. Commonly used species in northern Europe are:

• Silver Fir Abies alba (the original species)
• Nordmann Fir Abies nordmanniana (as in the photo)
• Noble Fir Abies procera
• Norway Spruce Picea abies (generally the cheapest)
• Serbian Spruce Picea omorika
• Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris

and in North America:

• Balsam Fir Abies balsamea
• Fraser Fir Abies fraseri
• Grand Fir Abies grandis
• Noble Fir Abies procera
• Red Fir Abies magnifica
• Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii
• Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris
• Stone Pine Pinus pinea (as small table-top trees)

Several other species are used to a lesser extent. Less-traditional conifers are sometimes used, such as Giant Sequoia, Leyland Cypress and Eastern Juniper. Blue spruce can also be used as a Christmas tree, but has very sharp needles, making decorating uncomfortable. Virginia Pine is still available on some tree farms in the southeastern United States, however its winter colour is faded. The long-needled Eastern White Pine is also used there. Norfolk Island pine is sometimes used, particularly in the Oceania region, and in Australia some species of the genera Casuarina and Allocasuarina are also occasionally used as Christmas trees.

Some trees are sold live with roots and soil, often from a nursery, to be planted later outdoors and enjoyed (and often decorated) for years or decades. However, the combination of root loss on digging, and the indoor environment of high temperature and low humidity is very detrimental to the tree's health, and the survival rate of these trees is low. These trees must be kept inside only for a few days, as the warmth will bring them out of dormancy, leaving them little protection when put back outside into the midwinter cold in most areas. Others are produced in a container and sometimes as topiary for a porch or patio.

European tradition prefers the open aspect of naturally-grown, unsheared trees, while in North America (outside western areas where trees are often wild-harvested on public lands there is a preference for close-sheared trees with denser foliage, but less space to hang decorations. The shearing also damages the highly attractive natural symmetry of unsheared trees. In the past, Christmas trees were often harvested from wild forests, but now almost all are commercially grown on tree farms.

Almost all Christmas trees in the United States are grown on Christmas tree farms where they are cut after about ten years of growth and new trees planted. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agriculture census for 2002 (the census is done every five years) there were 21,904 farms were producing conifers for the cut Christmas Tree market in America, 446,996 acres were planted in Christmas Trees, and 13,849 farms harvested cut trees. The top 5 percent of the farms (100 acres or more) sold 61 percent of the trees. The top 26 percent of the farms (20 acres or more) sold 84 percent of the trees. 21% of the farms were less than two acres and sold an average of 115 trees per farm.

In the UK, The British Christmas Tree Growers Association represents the interests of all those who grow Christmas trees in Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Artificial Christmas Tree

Artificial trees have become increasingly popular, as they are considered more convenient and (if used for several years) less expensive than real trees. Trees come in a number of colours and "species", and some come pre-decorated with lights. At the end of the Christmas season artificial trees can be diassembled and stored compactly. In the U.S., about 70% of trees are now artificial.

Artificial trees are sometimes even a necessity in some rented homes (especially apartment flats), due to the potential fire danger from a dried-out real tree, leading to their prohibition by some landlords. They may also be necessary for people who have an allergy to conifers, and are increasingly popular in office settings.

The first artificial trees were tabletop feather trees, made from green-dyed goose feathers wound onto sticks drilled into a larger one, like the branches on a tree. Originating in Germany in the 19th century to prevent further deforestation these "minimalist" trees show off small ornaments very well. The first feather trees came to the U.S. in 1913, in the Sears, Roebuck and Company catalog.

The first modern artificial Christmas trees were produced by companies which made brushes. They were made the same way, using animal hair (mainly pig bristles) and later plastic bristles, dyed pine-green colour, inserted between twisted wires that form the branches. The bases of the branches were then twisted together to form a large branch, which was then inserted by the user into a wooden pole (now metal with plastic rings) for a trunk. Each row of branches is a different size, colour coded at the base with paint or stickers for ease of assembly.

The first trees looked like long-needled pine trees, but later trees use flat PVC sheets to make the needles. Many also have very short brown "needles" wound in with the longer green ones, to imitate the branch itself or the bases that each group of pine (but not other conifer) needles grows from. These trees have become a little more realistic every year, with a few deluxe trees containing multiple branch styles. Many trees now come in "slim" versions, to fit in smaller spaces. Most of the better trees have branches hinged to the pole, though the less-expensive ones generally still come separately. The hinged branched trees just need for the branches to be lowered. But they are a little less compact. Better trees also have more branch tips, the number usually listed on the box.

Around 2003, some trees with moulded plastic branches started selling in the U.S. Now there are also upside down christmas trees. These christmas trees are advertised to "Give you more space for presents".

The first trees which were not green were the metallic trees of the 1950s and 1960s. They were aluminium-coated paper, meaning that they also posed a great fire hazard if lights were put directly on them (warnings to this effect are still issued with most christmas tree lights). They were instead lit by a spotlight or floodlight, often with a motorised rotating color wheel in front of it. More recent tinsel trees can be used safely with lights.

Other artificial trees which look nothing like a conifer except for the triangular or conical shape, are also used as tabletop decorations, such as a stack of ornaments.

Some Christmas Gift Ideas

Christmas marks the birth of Jesus. It is an occasion of festivity and fervor. This holiday signifies spreading love among fellow human beings. Christmas gifts hold the real spirit of  celebration. They are the best way to express your love to loved ones. . The best Christmas presents are the memories that are sure to last for a lifetime. There are a variety of  gifts that can be the best ones for a wonderful holiday.They are an ideal way to express love and affection to your loved ones.  In order to select the best present for your loved ones one should know their choice. Christmas presents add a very special touch to every heart and when the best  presents are selected and given on Christmas it is sure to be the most memorable one.

While kids find toys to be best Christmas presents teenagers love funky T-shirts with unusual messages. This would definitely be the best  present that a college going teenager is sure to cherish forever. With the development of technology the latest gadgets like mobiles, music systems, ipods and video games would be the best  presents for teenagers. Best gifts when received are sure to bring cheer and joy to everyone. Real flowers signify freshness and fragrance. These would be the best gifts for your loved one. A short love poem when written can bring love and cheer to your loved one. This would be a wonderful gift  that is sure to be cherished forever. Women love receiving Christmas gifts like diamond necklaces and other jewelry. Surely women will enjoy such gifts spending time dressing up for various occasions. Personalized gifts are a good idea for Christmas. They are ideal for keepsakes and are sure to be kept memorable forever. Cute  presents like cute cuddly teady bears are the best  gifts for kids. One can see a smile on their face while receiving them.

Best Christmas gifts for everyone!

If you want to make the recipient feel special then you may go for unique personalized gifts. Personalized gifts are ideal Christmas present ideas.

• Another interesting  idea is framed photograph. Beautifully framed photograph is a perfect Christmas gift  for loved ones.
  
  
• Hand created oil painting or charcoal drawing of your favorite photograph is another present idea.
  
  
• Creating a DVD of old albums would be also great. Recipient will cherish memories throughout his/her life.
  
  
• One more gift can be a beautiful Christmas gift baskets

 

• Homemade Christmas gifts such as crafts, homemade cookies, cakes and photo frames can be unique  present ideas.
  
• A personalized greeting card suits perfectly on such ocassion.

 

• Kids love watching their favorite cartoons. A set of their favorite collection of cartoons sounds great! 
  
  
• Grandparents should not be forgotten while giving unique Christmas presents. Photo signature quilts can be kept memorable as they keep the signatures of others, which can be remembered later.
  
• A newly wedded couple would find holiday package to be the best gift . It would be a perfect present for the couples to go to their most favorite destinations.
  
  
• Books are always the best gifts for book lovers.

 

Now it’s your time to choose!