In the year 1970, Cape Cod saw the birth of the very first store of the Christmas Tree Shops. Since that time, this chain of stores has now become a local phenomenon. This store, which offered bargains galore on numerous household products and Christmas decorations, actually took up three different small stores. These were known as the Front Shop, the Back Shop and the Barn Shop. This is why the store was known in the plural as the Christmas Tree Shops. A decade later, this popular store began an expansion that is still going on today. Many states – ten, to be exact - in the Northeast area of the country are seeing new Christmas Tree Shops open in their communities. The newest store is located in York, Pennsylvania, with more on the way.
Bargains and Baubles
While the Christmas Tree Shops have a wide selection of Christmas trimmings, all at bargain prices, decorations for the holidays are not the only fare that these stores offer. This chain consists of a number of super-stores that still keep their country charm, with buildings that mimic old Victorian or Colonial styles. Some are even crafted to look like barns! Inside these country buildings, shoppers will find an array of household furnishings, toys and other items at the best prices around. The chain of Christmas Tree Shops has expanded it popularity from the locals to becoming large tourist attractions for the neighborhoods that they are located in.
A Little History
In 2003, the Christmas Tree Shops company was purchased by the company, Bed, Bath and Beyond. In January, 2007, the original store in Cape Cod was closed. However, the expansion of the Christmas Tree Shops is continuing with the opening of the store in Pennsylvania, and new stores coming soon to areas of New York and Massachusetts. Although there was some concern when Bed, Bath and Beyond took over the chain that customer service might be compromised, that does not seem to be the case. In fact, many long-time employees are still working for the Christmas Tree Shops who have important knowledge of and experience with the customer base of the company.
If you are interested in checking out what the Christmas Tree Shops have to offer, you can check out their website to get a complete listing of their store locations. There is also a chance to sign up for their e-mail list and to order gift cards for family and friends. These shops have become so popular in the Northeast area of the country, that most that live in the area are familiar with the name, the Christmas Tree Shops. For a large selection and the best prices, the Christmas Tree Shops can simply not be beat.
Christmas traditions bring families together. If your family doesn’t have any family traditions, or you would like to start new Christmas traditions, it is actually fun and easy to do. Here is how.
Christmas traditions are something you do every year that is special to your family. They bring families closer together and build the foundation for happy Yule time memories.
Family Meeting
You may want to have a family meeting to brainstorm ideas for your new Christmas tradition. Make sure to have a pen and pencil handy to write down everyone’s thoughts. You may want to combine several ideas. For example, if one family member wants to start taking a sleigh rides every Christmas Eve and another wants to go on Christmas light viewing trips, then maybe you can book a sleigh ride that goes through a Christmas lighted area.
Ideas
Sometimes it is hard to come up with ideas for family Christmas traditions. Here is a list to get your imagination going:
Get everyone together to make Christmas cookies. Make sure to have plenty of icing, sprinkles, and decorations so that the family can get creative with the decorating part.
Learn how to make different Christmas bread every year with your family. The search for the new bread can be just as fun as making it.
Go on Christmas light viewing car rides, complete with a thermos full of hot chocolate.
Go see a movie Christmas afternoon, or make sure that everyone in the family gets a new DVD as a present and have a Christmas movie night.
Take the family mistletoe hunting. Read up about where they like to hangout on the internet or in books from the library.
If you have small children, start making a plaster of Paris mold of their hand every year and use it for a tree ornament. The kids will love to see how much they have grown every year. There are many kits that you can buy to do this with very little mess.
Go to a Christmas play or Mass. Check your local paper or contact your chamber of commerce for ones happening in your community.
Go ice skating together and finish off the day with a cozy dinner.
If you are musical, teach your child a new Christmas song on the instrument of your choice.
Make homemade Christmas ornaments for your new Christmas traditions. Craft magazines will have plenty of ideas that even small children can do.
Christmas photo cards are a creative way to personalize your holiday cards. They can easily be made with a computer and a home printer. Here’s how.
What You Need
To make your own Christmas photo cards you will need card stock or premade photo card stock that you can buy in the office supply section. You will also need a picture, and idea of what you want to say on the card, and envelopes.
The Picture
First, a picture needs to be chosen for the Christmas photo cards. The picture you choose needs to be clear, sharp and closely cropped. The picture can be of your family, your pet dressed in a cute Christmas outfit, or your children dressed in their Sunday best. Scan the picture into your computer. Crop it, adjust colors, and contrast as needed with a photo editor like Photoshop. A good one called The GIMP is offered free on the internet.
Layout
Next, plan what you want your card to look like. You can design one from scratch or around templates that are provided with your word processor or photo editor. Microsoft Works has some good card templates.
Decide if you want the card to be a post card or a folding card and choose the greeting that will go on the card. This can be as simple as a “Merry Christmas!” or as detailed as a holiday letter.
Your photo will be on the front of the card. Any text or greeting will usually go on the flip-side of a postcard or on the inside fold of a folding card.
You may want to add some Christmas clip art to your Christmas photo cards. Free clip art can be found on the internet and many word processors come with nice clip art.
The Envelope
You may want to print a design on the envelope to match your Christmas photo cards to add a nice, finishing touch. This can be done by setting your word processor template to envelope and entering the size of the envelope.
Printing
When printing your card make sure that your printer is set to high-resolution color printing for card stock. If you are printing a folded card, make sure to set your printer to double-sided printing. Also, make sure that you follow your printer’s directions for printing two sided paper so that your Christmas photo cards will not print up-side down!
Finish
To finish your card; fold it, add your signature, and mail. Happy Printing!
Believe it or not it is not only those who are seriously under the influence that join in on Christmas kareoke, although for many it helps. However, it is not necessarily how far under the influence a person is that makes them sound good while singing, as much as it is how much influence the listeners are that grades their singing ability. Despite all the jokes and good-natured jabs that are made regarding this entertainment venue, many people and families enjoy participating in Christmas kareoke, singing some of their favorite songs of the season.
Several disk jockeys who provide music for holiday parties also provide kareoke services and it is not unusual for the highlight of many holiday parties being inviting guests to participate in singing Christmas kareoke. Some folks freeze at the thought of being front and center with all of the attention on them while others thrive on the exposure, good or bad.
Whether a person can sing well or not does not enter the equation when they choose to participate in Christmas kareoke singing, but seldom can their enthusiasm be questioned. The screen will display all the words to the songs, but their ability to carry a tune may be brought into question the minute they being singing Christmas kareoke.
Many Stars Offer Kareoke Opportunities
Regardless of the music genre people enjoy singing along with Christmas songs and many of the top artists have made their holiday selections available for use with Christmas kareoke machines. Many people even buy their own portable kareoke players to use at home, but many of the less expensive models to not display the lyrics on a screen and have to be read from a song book.
Some of the more expensive models connect through the home CD player and television set and even allow for the recording of the entire show. Catching someone singing Christmas kareoke can be a great way to spread the family memories with those who could not attend the holiday party. Being able to sing has never been a requisite for grabbing a microphone and shouting out the words to a favorite holiday song and no matter how good a person may sing, there is sure to be a critic in the room.
There is also a way to use Christmas kareoke as a fundraiser for many charities. People may be willing to pay to have a CD of them singing a Christmas song or two, and by selling the CDs any money raised can be donated to the company’s favorite charity.
There is rarely a shortage of Christmas craft ideas, especially during the summer and a few of them will find their way into stores one the store begin displaying holiday merchandise. It is common for many school children to make handmade gifts and decorations for their families, but there are some really creative people that make a good living coming up with Christmas craft ideas and turning them into a salable product.
There are many different levels of Christmas craft ideas, some easy to make and others that might take several days to complete. Depending on the end use of the craft will determine when it has to be started. For example, it may take a skilled crafter only a few hours to design a wreath to hang on the door, while a person making a sleigh and reindeer to place on the front yard may take a few days to complete. If it is to be painted add a few more days for the paint to dry.
There are many small Christmas craft ideas that can be simple to make and take very little time. For example, a small metal bucket, about two-inches high can be filled with small cotton balls, about one-quarter inch in diameter and labeled as ammunition for a snowball fight.
Craft Ideas Only Limited By Imagination
Those who attend craft shows for the holidays are increasingly surprised by the creativity involved in the Christmas craft ideas they see offered for sale. Typically, a person will be working on a craft when the idea for something slightly difference will pop up. Imaginative people can quickly turn new Christmas craft ideas into reality simply by looking at an existing product and adding their own special touch.
Materials used to make crafts have no boundaries and stars, made of thin metal can be painted with a winter scene and turned into a holiday craft. Snowmen and old wooden sleds are some of the most often items used in Christmas craft ideas, with many variations of the same theme. Those who lack the imagination often simply replicate an item they saw, sometimes from a picture or sometimes they buy one, take it hope and shamelessly make copies.
If a person wants to make homemade Christmas gifts, they can also buy holiday catalogs to get plenty of Christmas craft ideas, to make at home. This offers the opportunity to give truly unique gifts and put a little of themselves into every present.
Christmas can be the most financially draining time of the year. However, there are many ways to find affordable Christmas gift ideas.
Make It
If you are crafty or have any special skills, you can make a present. For example, if you knit you can make the person an afghan. If you are a closet poet or song writer, write a poem or song about the person. Perform the song or poem and have the original framed.
Coupon
A custom made coupon book can be a well loved Christmas gift idea. Make special coupons for doing chores, organizing, and cleaning for the person. You could offer to organize their pictures into albums, do a week’s worth of dishes, or clean their garage. If the person is a spouse you could offer romantic treats such as foot rubs and date nights. A coupon book can be made by printing off blank coupons that can be found on the internet and bound with staples or ribbon.
Gift Baskets
If you have a whole family to gift, and have no idea what they like, a gift basket may be perfect. You can fill an inexpensive basket with homemade cookies or muffins, packets of cocoa mix, mugs, and fresh fruit. A child may love a gift basket filled with treats from the dollar store. Some ideas may be chalk, bouncy balls, jump ropes, balloons, colorful windmills, small stuffed animals, play clay, and candy.
Tweens may like a gift basket filled with hair ties, clips, brushes, make-up, nail polish, and a magazine or two. A new mother may like a gift basket full of pampering bath salts, foot creams, and lotions. If you can, add a gift card to a spa, beauty store, or department store. The important thing is to incorporate thoughtful Christmas gift ideas that consider what the person likes into the gift basket.
Treasure Trunks
Kids love treasure, so why not give them a treasure trunk? This Christmas gift idea is simple and you can incorporate items from thrift stores, dollar stores, and your own closet.
First, find a trunk with a safety lid. This can be a decorated plastic tub, cardboard box, or a real trunk. Next, choose a theme. If your theme is dress-up, you can fill the trunk with costume jewelry, hats, old clothes, toy wands and swords, shoes, ribbons, and flags. Several theme ideas are pirates, princesses, knights, animals, spacemen, or aliens.
As you can see, with a little thought you can come up with creative Christmas gift ideas that are quite affordable.
Christmas decorating has become a favorite pastime once the Thanksgiving turkey has been carved, and many folks are constantly on the lookout for new and unusual ways to adorn their homes during the season. One of the least expensive ways to make a festive statement is through the use of Christmas candles that are strategically placed throughout the house. Christmas candles can add a warm and inviting glow to any room, and can dress up your holiday décor before they are even lit. Today you can find Christmas candles in a wide array of colors, sizes and styles to meet the needs of even the most discriminating holiday decorator.
All Around the House
As long as it is safe to do so, you can place your Christmas candles in some of the most unexpected nooks and crannies of your home. The powder room is a popular place for Christmas candles to make an appearance, and if you select from the scented varieties, your bathroom is guaranteed to smell festive as well. Another fun way to use your Christmas candles is to make an arrangement of them inside of your fireplace on evenings when it is too warm to build an actual fire. This is a safe place to display a beautiful Christmas candle display, and you can add a warm glow to an otherwise dark hearth.
Of course, the dining room table is the perfect setting for Christmas candles, but keep in mind that it is poor manners to set candles on a table without lighting them when your guests sit down to eat. You can opt for a pair of classic tapers that will add elegance to your Christmas table, especially if you go for colors like white, silver or gold. You can also place a few pillars of assorted sizes on a decorative plate for a centerpiece to your table. Add some greens, Christmas ornaments or even candy around the edges of the plate to add to the festive look. Another way to display Christmas candles on your dining room table is to line up a number of tea lights down the center of the table for an understated glow.
Outdoors
You can also use Christmas candles outdoors to invite guests into your home. Try creating luminaries, by cutting shapes into paper bags, filling with sand and placing a tea light in the center. A porch that is lined by these candles will be a warm and welcoming one indeed. If you are concerned about safety when it comes to using your candles in various locations, you can also opt for the safer electrical version. These lights can give the same look as a Christmas candle but without the concern over the fire hazard that might result.
The Christmas season is a fun and joyful time for those who enjoy decorating their home. It is important to realize that you do not have to go all out. You can decide to simply decorate a table or to decorate your entire home. Traditional Christmas decorating has been around for centuries and taking some hints from the days gone by will help to make your home into a beautiful place that is filled with Christmas spirit and joy.
Christmas Decorations for Your Table
You can decorate your home without spending a lot of money. Simply go into the woods and find some pine cones that you can spray paint gold. After the paint dries you can add some fake snow. This will create a beautiful centerpiece for your table. You can add holly leaves, mistletoe and tinsel to make a beautiful, inexpensive Christmas table that is also a very old Celtic symbol of fertility.
Christmas Tree
The Germans started the Christmas tree tradition, which has become one of the most popular traditions around at this time of the year. There are many different types of trees that you can choose from. What you decide to choose is entirely a personal preference. In the olden days candles were used to light Christmas trees but they are quite dangerous, especially if the tree’s needles became dry and brittle. This is why today it is quite normal to use electric lights. In fact, most people use several strands of lights to turn their tree into a twinkling beauty. As you can see, it is quite easy to go over the edge with Christmas decorations but in most cases it you are better off to keep things simple.
Christmas Decorations inside Your Home
Colored paper, silver tinsel and fake snow can all be used to make your home into a Christmas delight. Taking some time to add such touches as fake snow to your windows, holly above the doors and some mistletoe in the doorways will help you to create a Christmas that is full of joy. All of this can be done by simply adding a few Christmas decorating touches to your home.
Christmas Decorations outside Your Home
People used to place Christmas decorations on the outside of their home with a simple holly wreath, but now you see yards and homes decorated with thousands of lights, figurines and blow-up figures. It is easy to overdo things here so remember that simple is better, especially when it comes to the outside of your home.
A Christmas Carol, or originally known as A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, is a Victorian morality novel written by author Charles Dickens (February 7, 1812- June 9, 1870) and published in the December of 1843 by Chapman and Hall of the United Kingdom.
The novel got off to a fantastic start, selling over 6,000 copies in one week, a large amount for that time. Ironically, Dickens only wrote the book to pay off a debt, and today it is one of the best selling Christmas books of all time.
The driving force for Dickens’s creation was his disenchantment with the world’s economic drives and greed. He believed that the problems with the world were caused by an obsession with money and climbing the social ladder. He made his feelings very clear in A Christmas Carol with themes focused on teaching a lesson.
Themes
On the outside, the novel A Christmas Carol seems to be a commentary on how greed is bad. On a closer look the book delves into many social and political aspects of the human condition. For instance, old Scrooge symbolizes “the man” who takes from the poor, without caring for their condition. By the end of the story Scrooge realizes his folly and gives more generously to the needy.
Many of the characters and places stand for things found in society, such as Ebenezer Scrooge stands for the greed of humanity, The Counting House stands for the time’s lust and greed and Utilitarianism.
Interesting Facts
A Christmas Carol became Dickens’s first ever public reading. It was held at the Birmingham Town Hall for the Industrial and Literary Institute, December 17, 1852. He continued public readings of A Christmas Carol until his death. Dickens intended the work to have a musical theme. For instance, the title, of course, is A Christmas Carol and the chapters are called staves instead of chapters.
In Hood’s Magazine and Comic Review (1884), the poet Thomas Hood said about the story, “If Christmas, with its ancient and hospitable customs, its social and charitable observances, were in danger of decay, this is the book that would give them a new lease.” And so it did. When the story was written, many people had stopped celebrating Christmas as much. After the books release, the holiday became popular once more. A Christmas Carol has been made into movies starting in 1908, plays, operas, radio shows, and television specials.
While red and green may be popular colors for holiday decorating, simply being red or being green does not make something fit into a home’s Christmas décor. There are specific notions about what make a good holiday decoration and what fits and what does not is strictly up to the homeowner. Each person has their own ideas of what their Christmas décor should represent and most ignore the color requirements in finding items that appeal to them.
Traditionally, snowmen and images or statues of Santa Claus are part of many families’ Christmas décor, and somewhere along the historical road, model trains came to represent a vision of Christmas history. Many companies manufacture train sets strictly for the holiday season and many retailer have found that the only time this merchandise sells is when people are decorating for the holidays. A model training running around the base of a Christmas tree seems to be a staple of Christmas décor.
Wreaths hanging on the door, inside and out, as well as oversized stockings hung from the fireplace mantle all have their place in Christmas décor. Red ribbons on lamp posts and swags made of greenery often hang as part of a home’s holiday decorations.
Tree And Home Decorations Only the Beginning
In many homes, Christmas décor does not end with the decorations. There are dish towels and placemats for the table that add accent to the decorations and for those really into holiday decorations, small throw rugs and welcome mats are placed around the home. Many believe that a fireplace, used by the fabled Santa Claus to enter a home on Christmas Eve, is a mandatory part of the Christmas décor.
Some communities sponsor Christmas décor contests as it relates to exterior decorations as well as lighting. The movie Christmas Vacation offered the epitome of holiday decorating as the house held more lights than most airport runways. However, creating a Christmas décor is not always about the lights. People have been known to decorate their home to resemble large packages, complete with ribbons and huge bows ties on the roof. For most, it is an effort to show their holiday spirit.
In many homes in late December, a visitor would be hard pressed to find any room in the house that is not adorned with Christmas décor. Bedrooms, kitchens and even bathrooms often sport small reminders of the approaching season. Having a home filled with holiday decorations is also claimed to ease stresses experienced by the family members as they are constantly reminded of the season of good will.