Antique Christmas Ornaments

The Santa Clause

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 02:48:27 +0000

Decorating by using Candies

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:58:50 +0000

Are you a candy lover? Why not express your really like of candy by developing whimsical house room interior away from sweet treats? Candy is low-cost to purchase which enables it to include an eclectic contact to nearly any space in your home. Candy hearts, candy canes, wrapped miniature chocolate bars, and lollipops may be employed to write pretty residence clothing. Several from the ideal candies in producing house decorative style are difficult candies in diverse shades, however it won’t end there. Here are some special ideas for decorating with Candy boxes. Layering candy vases, invest in a few of obvious vases from a build hold as part of your locality. Pick different colorful difficult candies from the favored candy keep. Place on the bottom in the clear vase a level of one particular colored tough candies. Opt for a different candy that compliments the colour of the first layer then coating it as the second coating. Go on increase much more layers until you achieve the best with the vase. showing bowls of candy – A Apparent bowls complete with colorful candy can craft some enjoyable for décors, also you are able to offer you it in your site visitors once they visit your location. There’s anything comfortable and homey about discovering a bowl of candy in a household you are going to. Be constant on the type of candy that you simply utilised to location in bowls for your home decor. If the house is filled with antiques and nostalgia products, pick several with the reflective candies for instance rock candy for with your ornamental bowls. In holidays just like Christmas then increase candy canes and red and white peppermints in your bowls and whilst on February placed colorful candy hearts. Making a hanging candy decoration. Acquire a styrofoam ball out of your preferred community build store. Fasten each of ribbon in a ring on major of the golf ball which includes a little heat glue gun for suspending your decoration . You can now include the styrofoam basketball with challenging candies by signifies of the minimal temperature warm glue. Dangle it from a doorway knob in your home or anywhere else which you preferred to decorate. Making a candy image body. Avail a easy wood frame from the desired write store. Coat it with paint together with your favorite coloring. Attach tough candies onto the body with hot glue gun to make a whimsical contact. For an explosion of hues then be creative with bold lollipops. Spray an acrylic sealer to increase protection. That is good for any child’s space. Just allow it to be guaranteed that the child is not going to eat the candy. Decorating through candies could be signifies of enjoyable and it is a good way to include life and warmth of touch and humor on your property. Why not attempt to sweeten your home with Candy Boxes decors.

Travel Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:03:40 +0000

Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram literally means “Abode of Lord Ananta” in Sanskrit and Malayalam. The name derives from the deity of the Hindu Religion. Anantha is the serpent on which lord Vishnu or Padamnabhan reclines. The city is built on hills by the seashore on the west coast. The city and the suburbs cover an area of about 250 square kilometers that is located between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea on the west coast of India the extreme south of the mainland. The elevation of the city is 16 ft above sea level. The city is known as Trivandrum also. It is the capital of Kerala. Mahatma Gandhi referred it as the “Evergreen city of India”. It is the largest city in Kerala and a sizable number of international tourists visit here annually. There are reputed science and technology institutions such as the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC), Techno Park, the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) and the Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER). Apart from these India’s first and only animation park is situated here. It is an ancient city with trading traditions dating back to 1000 BCE. The city was the famous trading center of spices, sandalwood and ivory.

The city is bounded by the wooded highlands of the Western Ghats on the east and northeast, and the Arabian Sea on the west. It is a long shoreline, with internationally renowned beaches, historic monuments, backwaters stretches and a rich cultural heritage.

Tourism contributes significantly to the economy of the city. Foreign tourists use the city as a hub to explore the tourist cities around Kerala. It is also a major destination for medical tourism, as there are many recognized Ayurveda centers. The city has a climate that borders between a tropical savanna climate and a tropical monsoon climate. The mean maximum temperature 34 °C and the mean minimum temperature is 21 °C.

The city comes to life during Onam Festival in August/September. This is the harvest festival that signifies association of the people with agriculture. On the eve of Christmas festival, the city wears a colorful look. The tourism week celebrations with many cultural events are held every year during the Onam festival. The common cuisine is the Keralite cuisine, which is characterized by the significant use of coconut and spices. The popular fast food is easily available in the city.

Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) Sight seeing

Padmanabha Swamy Temple: The temple is located inside the East Fort. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu; the temple is a blend of the Kerala and Dravidian styles of architecture. It is known for its mural paintings and stone carvings.

Kovalam Beach: A former fishing village that is 16 kms away from Trivandrum. This internationally renowned beach resort has been a favorite haunt of tourists since 1930s. It consists of three adjacent crescent beaches. The southernmost, known as the Lighthouse Beach, is an evergreen and pleasant climatic beach resort. This world famous beach is known as the “Paradise of the South”.

Varkala Beach: It is located 30 Kms north of Thiruvananthapuram on the seacoast. It is a seaside resort and spa. The Papanasam Beach at Varkala is a quiet, less crowded beach known for its white, silvery stretch of sand, mineral springs and rocky cliffs. The 2000-year-old Janardana Swamy Temple and the Nature Care Center are the main attractions of Varkala Beach.

Vizhinjam Rock Cut Cave: These eighteen sanctuary rocks cut sculptures can be seen in the cave temple at Vizhinjam. The granite cave encloses a one-celled shrine with a loose sculpture of Vinandhara Dakshinamurthy. The outer wall of the cave depicts incomplete statues of the Hindu God Shiva and Parvathi.

Ponmundi: It is an idyllic hill resort with narrow, winding pathways with cool, green, wooded environs. It is located 915 meters above sea level. It has a variety of beautiful mountain flowers, exotic butterflies, small rivulets, springs and the deer park. This hill station has excellent trekking trails.

Veli Tourist Village: It is a picnic spot where the Veli Lake meets the Arabian Sea. There are Pedal boats and speedboats that you can hire to explore the charms of the lagoon.

The Kanakakunnu Palace: The palace and its sprawling grounds are the venue for many cultural meets and events.

Shankhumugham Beach: It is situated 8 kms away from the city; this is a favorite haunt of sunset watchers. The beach is adjacent to the Thiruvananthapuram Airport and Veli Tourist Village. An indoor recreation club, the matsya Kanya (a gigantic, 35 m long sculptures of a mermaid) and a restaurant shaped like a starfish are some of the attractions.

Kuthiramalika Palace Museum: The palace was built by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Balarama Varma – the King of Travancore, who was a great poet, musician, social reformer and statesman. This rare specimen of workmanship in the traditional travancore style of architecture also has exquisite woodcarvings. The palace museum displays paintings and various priceless collections of the royal family.

The Napier Museum: It was constructed in 19th century, the indo – saracenic structure boasts a “natural” Air-conditioning system and houses rare collection of archaeological and historic artifacts, bronze idols, ancient ornaments, a temple chariot, ivory carvings, gables and turrets. A repository of fine works of art, the chief attraction is the 250-year-old temple car designed for Lord Vishnu that is artistically made and beautifully ornamented. There are objects carved out of wood, models of temple and antique jewelry etc. The use of plastic is banned in the museum premises.

Shree Chitbra art Gallery: It is located near the Napier Museum. It displays select paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, Svetlova and Nicholas Reorich and exquisite works from the Rajput, Mughal and Tanjore schools of art in India. The collection also includes paintings from China, Japan, Tibet and Bali.

Boat ride: A boat-ride on the enchanting backwaters of Kerala is the speciality. You can enjoy waterways of Thiruvananthapuram visiting the panorama of beautiful landscapes, beaches, coconut palms and friendly local people.

Cape Comorin – Kanyakumari Excursions

Thiruvallam: This serene backwater stretch is situated 10 kms away on the route to Kovalam. It is known for Canoe Rides.

Aruvikkara Dam: This picturesque picnic spot is situated 16 kms away on the banks of the Karamana River. You can see the stream full of fish fed by the visitors.

Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin): The last tract of land in India or the point where the three seas meet is the renowned Kanyakumari. It is one of the most popular tourist spots of India. It is the very tip of the Indian peninsula and the confluence of the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.

How to Reach Thiruvananthapuram

Air: The city is well connected by major cities of India. It is internationally connected to Colombo, Mali, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait.

Rail: Thambanoore is the Central Railway Station, which connects rail services to important cities of India.

Road: It is well connected by major cities of India.

Christmas That Brings New Greetings Session in Your Life

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:01:17 +0000

Christmas is one of the festivals celebrated all over the globe with utmost fun and frolic. Every year Christmas is celebrated on 25th December with strengthening the bondage with closed ones, decorating the house with the varied Christmas décor items and ornaments, using candles, artificial flowers, lights and by exchanging gifts are becomes a part of Christmas celebrations. The way of celebrating Christmas varies from one country to another. Different communities have their own way and tradition to celebrate the occasion of Christmas. But there are some activities which are common in every community while celebrating Christmas. Like offering gifts to loving ones, mid night parties, Christmas eve party, Christmas recipe, Christmas decoration, Christmas trees, santa girls, Christmas ornaments, Christmas songs and carols. All these items and activities are common in every tradition but the way doing is different that varies from one community to another.

Firstly, Christmas decoration plays an important role during Christmas celebration. It is very exciting to decorate outdoor, indoor, Christmas trees, Christmas party field by different artificial lights, flowers, candles and other types of Christmas ornaments. It really needs creativity and seems to be very nice and pleasure when you involve with your family members in the process of decorating the house during Christmas. In old ages most of the people prefer to decorate with homemade ornaments which look very simple and sober. But now days different types of ornaments are available in the market with different colors like metal ornaments, artificial ornaments, Christmas trees ornaments, glass ornaments, wooden Christmas, crystal, sports Christmas celebrations, sports Christmas celebrations and lots more. A personalized touch can always be given to the decorating christmas items before the occasion of celebration that are brought from the market. Besides Christmas decoration, parties and recipes plays an important role during the event of Christmas celebration. Christmas parties involves various categories like Christmas party games, Christmas party nights, christmas party venues, christmas party menus, christmas party food, christmas gift party ideas and corporate christmas party. All these above are the points that one has to plan before arranging christmas party. Apart from christmas party, recipe are very important to make christmas event one of the memorable and enjoyable. Christmas recipes, food and delicacies that leave you spellbound during the period of christmas holidays. Christmas cookies and cake can be seen in everyone’s kitchen during the Christmas season. Children as well as adults love christmas cookies. There are many Christmas cookie recipes that one can try on Christmas to make one of the memorable events of life time.

History of Modern Unique Christmas Ornaments

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 02:11:26 +0000

Ornaments are everywhere you turn in the stores, starting as early as the day after Halloween. As December rolls around everyone seems to be putting up their tree, even those who don’t celebrate the Christmas holiday in other ways. With the variety of ornaments available today one of the best ways to put unique ornaments on your own tree is to review where they started from.

The origins of the Christmas tree are uncertain but as an evergreen it was considered a symbol of life and rebirth long before it became part of the Christmas celebrations. At some point the Germans started bringing the tree inside their homes and decorating it. These early decorations also had religious significance, such as candles and fruits.

With time the decorations became more complex. Hard cookies and strings of cranberries were added, for example. Some enterprising businessmen saw an opportunity and began making ornaments to sell. German glass ornaments came in many colors and shapes and became ever more popular.

The tradition spread across the ocean to the point that in 1860 Queen Victoria and her family standing around their Christmas tree were featured in Godey’s Lady’s Book, a popular magazine. Other English families decorated their own trees with bits of colored paper and small crafts. These Christmas ornaments were often brightly colored, glittering, and nearly gaudy.

The trees and their ornaments were also adopted as an American custom. Their popularity increased over time, with a hiccup during World War I when all things of German origin were suspect. Afterwards, American companies, Corning in particular, began to dominate the trade. More and more companies got into the business, developing new designs and types of ornaments, taking advantage of developments in manufacturing techniques and popular tastes. The real tipping point to today’s commercialism was when Hallmark introduced their line of Keepsake Ornaments in 1973 and met with great success.

To add unique Christmas ornaments to your modern celebration you can return to the ideas of the past and add your own twist to them. Not all ornaments need to be last forever. Try something more temporary, intended for one Christmas only.

Create a fully edible tree. Carve apples into santa faces and let them shrink to be wrinkled and old. Bake gingerbread men and decorate them. Hang purchased candies. Crack open that fruit cake your family has been passing around and see if it works better as an ornament than a desert. Just make sure you keep your nose peeled to make sure everything stays fresh.

Go for gaudy like the Victorians. Cut out images from magazines and get directions on how to fold and glue them from books on papercrafts. Apply glitter and lace until you can barely see bits of celebrities peeking out from underneath.

If you’d rather go the heirloom route, then you can search antique shops for the glass German ornaments or buy the modern alternatives. Christopher Radko has recreated many of the designs in his Shiny Brite collection. These won’t qualify as unique, but they will be something you won’t see on everyone’s tree.

If these ideas seem beyond you then seek out a local artist or crafter that makes Christmas ornaments and explain what about the history of the ornaments appeals to you. Ask for something special that will bring together today and yesterday and see what he or she creates.

World Christmas Ornaments History: Unique, Rare, Old Xmas Treasures

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 01:48:29 +0000

World Christmas ornaments’ history goes back over a long time. The decoration of a Christmas tree with unique, rare, uncommon ornamental treasures is the magic which comes to us in early childhood.    The world today can’t imagine the Christmas celebration without colorful, rare or even unique ornaments. The recommended source to enrich your Christmas ornament collection with the rarest, antique Christmas treasures is http://www.randttreasures.com/ Historically, uncommon Christmas decorations were rare treasures for most of the ancient people in the world.

   According to history, the first, oldest Christmas tree was decorated at Riga city in Latvia, in 1510. Antique Christmas trees were bedecked with uncommon paper flowers, real fruit, wafers and unusual candies. However, there’s the old interesting question; where and who made the first antique Christmas ornaments? World historians don’t have a united answer on this old question. One ancient legend says the first glass Christmas ornaments were made by old German glass-blower Hans Greine in Lauscha in the 16th century. However, many historians are convinced the earliest glass ornaments were really blown in Lauscha in 1847. Anyway, according to history, Germans already had the unique custom of decorating a Christmas tree with real fruit and vegetables in the 16th century.

  Since the 17th century, Germany had been manufacturing rare Xmas decorations for small infrequent parties for sale. There were unique silver-wire ornaments, ornamental glass beads and other uncommon Xmas treasures. German immigrants brought their unique, old tradition of decorating a Christmas tree to North America in the second part of the 18th century. The USA began manufacturing glass Xmas decorations in the late 1930s. The founder of the unusual ornament production in USA was Max Eckhardt. The history shows us the earliest antique Russian New Year ornaments began production in the Klin town in the first part of the 19th century. Those infrequent Russian Xmas treasures were never made in large amounts and were mainly bought for the Russian Imperial Court.

   Manufacturing rare and uncommon Christmas treasures on a mass scale began in the 90s of the 19th century. German factories exported their unique glass, rare cotton and unusual pressed cardboard Christmas ornaments to many countries of the world. The earliest antique glass ornaments were simple shapes; glass balls and glass beads. But some time later glass-blowing masters began blowing different shapes of glass ornaments, vegetables, fruits, animals, birds, people, figures etc. The 1st World War destroyed the German world leadership of ornament manufacturing.

Historically, the custom to decorate Christmas trees first came to the British Isles with Queen Charlotte, wife of George III. The Czech Republic had launched its own production of glass ornaments in the 1920s. Rare Czech Christmas decorations had been exported to the USA very successfully. Japan also caught the idea in the 1920s. Japanese Christmas ornaments were not very common but were cheap.

Now, antique Xmas ornaments are real treasures, and some unique rarities can cost many hundreds of dollars. So, check out your old family’s Xmas chest again. Maybe you can locate the real old treasure there. Without a doubt discovering the uniqueness of the Xmas ornament world history is a thrill. Go and find the rarest, old Christmas ornaments and beautify your tree with the antique style. Read ahead for further details.

Teach the Meaning of Christmas With 5 Sensory Crafts

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:39:55 +0000

Christmas is about family. Here is a collection of five crafts that you can make as a family to teach the true meaning and symbols of Christmas. Children will learn to identify Christmas using their five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Pick and choose the activities you think your family will best enjoy, and spread them throughout the season. Start new traditions. Most importantly, use the activities to talk as a family.

Sight Activities:

Make holly wreaths out of green felt or construction paper:

Materials: paper plate, scissors, three shades of green felt or construction paper, old newspaper, glue gun and glue (or craft glue), red beads (optional), 1 inch thick red ribbon tied into a bow (optional.)

Fold a paper plate in half and cut out the center. Discard the center piece. Make a pattern of spiny holly leaves using old newspaper, and use a fabric pen to trace the shape on three different shades of green felt. (You can also use green construction paper.) Use a glue gun or craft glue to attach the holly leaves to the paper plate ring, alternating colors. You can glue red beads in triangular bunches of three to the leaves if you want to add berries. Attach the optional bow at the top or bottom of the wreath.

The holly wreath, hanging on a door or over an archway, makes a fine visual symbol Christmas. The circle is a symbol of brotherly love. Demonstrate to your children how the circle never ends, just like our love for each other shouldn’t end. In olden days when all other plants died under the snow, the holly stayed green, giving hope that life would come again. The red holly berries represent Jesus’ blood, which gave man hope of life after death. The bow is symbol of unity, which families feel at Christmastime. Red is the color of sacrifice. Talk about these meanings with your children as you make the wreath. Every time they see it hanging will be a reminder to them of the true meaning of Christmas!

Sound Activities

Jingle Bells:

Ask your children to close their eyes. Move away from them. Have them try to walk to you with their eyes closed. Then repeat the activity, but this time ring a jingle bell. Bells ring out to lost sheep and guide them back to safety. Jesus is sometimes called the Good Shepherd, guiding every child to safety. You may want to tie the jingle bell to a branch of your Christmas tree, or attach one to your child’s shoelace to remind them of the Christmas season.

Smell Activities

Scented Orange Ornaments:

Materials Needed: several small to medium oranges or tangerines, 1 bottle whole cloves, wire and cutters, 1 inch (or thicker) ribbon, tied into a bow.

Gently make a vertical surface cut at each quarter of the orange. Carefully poke the wire through bottom of the orange and push through the top. Secure by twisting the wire into a circle, thus holding the orange in place. Dry the wire with a paper towel if it got juicy. Push in cloves, thorny end first, along the cut grooves of the orange. Slide the bow down the wire until it tops the orange, and fold back the wire to secure on a tree branch.

This ornament will fill your home with fresh citrusy, gingerbread smells and can also be wrapped to be given as a gift. Gingerbread has been associated with the holidays since medieval times, when the crusaders brought citrus fruits and spices back from the Middle East. At first it was too expensive for anyone but the lords and ladies of the castles to eat. Today it can serve as a reminder that baby Jesus was the prophesied king.

Taste Activities

Decorate Christmas Cookies:

Using your favorite sugar cookie recipe and a variety of cookie cutters, spend an afternoon baking up a batch. Frosting, cake decorating supplies and candy can be used for embellishment. Make a plate to take to a neighbor, or hang the cookies on the tree. Of course, you must eat a few! Cookies and apples were used as the first Christmas tree ornaments in Germany, where they came to symbolize the fruits of redemption.

Touch Activities

Candle Lights:

Candles have long represented Jesus Christ on Christmas, and have been used on Advent wreaths, lightstocks (Christmas Pyramids), Christmas trees, or single candles at the window. Light a candle and have your children hold their hands up close enough to feel the warmth. Although winter is traditionally a cold season, Christmas activities with your family bring warmth into the heart.

How to Make Christmas Even More Special by Bonding With Loved Ones

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:17:14 +0000

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year. It’s a time for families to gather around the tree and simply enjoy one an others company. Of course for the younger crowd the Christmas presents are a pretty big draw as well, not to mention the impending arrival of a certain jolly gift distributor. Most families have some sort of tradition that is passed down through the years, but if you are looking for a few other ideas to help add even more enjoyment to this blessed holiday, let’s take a look at just a few of the ways that you can bond with each other and possibly start some new traditions to pass down to your children that will be just as special as the ones you’ve come to know and love.
One way to get everyone involved is to give them a job to do as far as decorating. Putting up Christmas decorations may seem like a fair amount of work, at least for those more elaborate setups, but the truth is that if you all pitch in and help one another out you can really bond with one another while creating something beautiful that everyone who passes by will surely appreciate. Spreading the different decorating jobs around will not only get things done faster but will also give everyone involved a feeling of being part of the team, no matter how old or young they may be. Everyone likes to feel involved, and there is no better time of the year to come together on a project. Even the youngest member of the family can help. Assign jobs to them that require minimal skills like hanging ornaments on the tree at the lower levels. Why should you bend down to decorate when it is eye level for them?
Baking is also a good way to get everyone involved. Granted, not everyone is a master chef in the kitchen, but that doesn’t mean that there is no room for them to pitch in. Even giving someone the simplest of tasks can make them feel a part of something. Who knows, perhaps some of the fondest memories you will remember about this Christmas a few years down the track is the enjoyment that you experienced while working together in the kitchen. Plus, home made goodies baskets are always a welcomed gift to give. If there is a family member who is not a wiz in the kitchen, I bet they are capable enough to put cookies in tin and wrap it with a bow.
Lastly, even though Christmas caroling has become a bit of a forgotten tradition, why not gather some friends and family together and try and help to bring it back? Even if you do not feel like going from house to house in your neighborhood, arranging for a special audience such as that of a special needs group or nursing home can bring about a feeling of good will that no gift found under the tree will ever be able to match. It will also teach your children a meaningful life lesson. It is better to give than receive. Truly the spirit of Christmas will shine through this noble act.

Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas for Every Hobby

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:16:28 +0000

Decorating the Christmas tree is a tradition that most people enjoy and look forward to year after year. However, if you’ve been using the same old tired decorations for the last decade, it may be time to freshen things up and try something new. If you’re looking for some new Christmas tree decorating ideas, we’ve got five unique themes that are based on your personality and hobbies. No matter who you are or what you like to do, these ideas can be adapted to reflect everyone’s unique sense of style.

1. The Artist’s TreeThis is a really fun theme for someone who is passionate about art. If you enjoy a particular medium, such as sketching, consider decorating a tree with pencils, small sketch pads, sandpaper blocks, and other tools of the trade. You might even consider making a few small sketches that you could display on the tree, too. For someone who enjoys painting, you could decorate with paintbrushes, paint trays, and small pots of paint (well sealed, of course). The Artist’s Tree can be as fun and creative as you want it to be, and can be easily adapted to any type of art that you enjoy.

2. The Cook or Baker’s TreeFor those who love cooking and/or baking, why not decorate a fun tree to display in or near the kitchen? Decorate it with spatulas, wooden spoons, and other cooking utensils and implements. Cookie cutters are also a fun touch for someone who enjoys baking. Other nice decorations include popcorn strings, empty spice jars, and favorite recipe cards with a hole punched in one end and tied with a ribbon.

3. The Seamstress’s TreeIf you enjoy sewing or any other craft, decorate your holiday tree for it! Depending on the type of craft you enjoy, you could decorate with thimbles, colorful yarns, spools of thread, and pincushions. Neatly rolled fat quarters of fabric are a fun touch for a quilter, just as knitting or crochet needles are perfect for someone who works with yarn. And any seamstress would also love a few tape measures wound around the tree like tinsel.

4. The Fisherman’s TreeA fisherman’s tree can be a real visual delight, with the many colorful and interesting lures available. Make a trip to your local sportsmen’s store and pick up a variety of lures in many sizes, shapes, and colors. Other nice touches are small fish nets, spools of fishing line, and any fish-shaped ornaments you can find. Top the tree off with a new fisherman’s hat, and you’ll have a unique Christmas tree that’s sure to inspire many fish tales during the holiday season!

5. The Handyman or Woodworker’s TreeThis is another enjoyable decorating theme if you have someone in the house who likes to work with their hands. While many tools are too heavy to use as decorations on a tree, it is possible to buy smaller versions of most tools. Small tape measures, flat head or Phillips screw drivers, draftsman’s pencils, wood scraps, and large nuts and bolts all make interesting decorations for this theme.

If none of the hobbies we’ve discussed are of interest to you, then adapt your own Christmas tree decorating ideas based on your personality and interests. Whether you’re a stamp collector, an automobile enthusiast, animal lover, or computer guru, the possibilities are endless when it comes to unique and interesting Christmas tree decorating themes. Just allow your ideas to be inspired by your hobbies, and you’ll end up with an amazing tree that really reflects your personality.

Make this a Green Christmas

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:37:21 +0000

The song says “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas” but we need to make this a Green Christmas this year. We need to keep in mind the need to have an eco-friendly Christmas to help our planet. This quote appeared in Time magazine, “Don’t blow it – good planets are hard to find.”

So what does it take to have a Green Christmas? The good news is going green is very simple especially if you start with the things you can do something about. We cannot do anything about the Copenhagen Climate Treaty going on now. If you want to know more, go to www.cleanskies.com or do a computer search for Copenhagen Climate Treaty. We can do things like reuse wrapping paper or bows. As presents are unwrapped this year, you can save the paper and the bows for next year. You can take the Christmas cards you get and cut off the front cover and then paste them on the presents next year. It recycles the card and is an attractive way to wrap a present. You can even write your To and From on the face of the card.

Another idea is to be sure and recycle your Christmas tree this year. Don’t just throw it out for the garbage truck to pickup and take to a landfill. Find out how and where your community recycles the trees and do that. It does not take that much time and it is a small thing that really helps.

If you have old ornaments, lights, artificial trees, or anything else you don’t want to use for decorating this year, call up Good Will, Habitat for Humanity (If they have resale stores in your area), or other organizations like that to see if they resell them. Again, these items do not go into landfills, other people can buy Christmas decorations for less, and the charity uses the money for their projects. This is a win, win, win situation but please, don’t be a Scrooge and send them your broken stuff!

You can also buy green products as gifts. No, don’t buy green cleaners, but many stores and online sites have very nice Christmas decorations or other items that make great gifts and that are also good for the environment. These might be bamboo clothing, organic towels and sheets, wallets, purses, and bags, and yoga equipment or clothing. There is so much to choose from it is impossible to list them all here. Right now, most online merchants are offering free shipping or other discounts for you to buy online. Go to Products for a Green World/Personal Care for information about these gift ideas.

What about giving green gifts for pets? Yes, there are many great gifts for pets that are eco-friendly. This can be a good time of year to check into other ways of caring for a pet like pet insurance and/or medication. You can buy the same medicines online as you can in stores and if you are not able to travel or there are not pet stores in your community, the online store can be just what you need. Go to Products for a Green World/Pet Supplies for information about all of these ideas for pets.