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Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

Christmas Bliss – Eliminate Stress and Experience Great Joy

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Remember what Christmas is about to eliminate stress and feel blissI titled my post Christmas bliss because one of the definitions of bliss is — great joy! That is what we all should feel on Christmas. For those of us who honor the true meaning of Christmas, we are celebrating God’s greatest gift to us — the birth of his son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Because of this, there is so much to celebrate and be thankful for on Christmas Day.

Unfortunately, for many people it can also be a really stressful time and why wouldn’t it be? We are bombarded with commercials of people giving cars with big red bows on them, a zillion different toy commercials that have our children repeating over and over, I want I want I want and if he didn’t go to Jared well, then maybe he’s just not that into you. Others of us measure our Christmas success by how many different kinds of Christmas cookies, candies or other goodies we can mass produce in a month. What it boils down to, is many of us simply try to do too much and want everything to be as perfect as possible. Then, when we fall short — well, we feel like we have failed.

Please believe me when I say that there have been many Christmases where I mailed presents late, got caught up in the stress or wished I had just done more — but you know what? Christmas still came and I still felt great joy when the day finally arrived.

My Favorite Christmas Story

How The Grinch Stole ChristmasOne of my favorite Christmas stories – How the Grinch Stole Christmas – illustrates this point beautifully. It has such a great message and one of my very favorite parts of the story is when the Grinch is listening for the Who’s to be sobbing and sad because all of their Chirstmas decorations and presents have been stolen by him but when they wake up they aren’t sad. They feel great joy and instead of crying, the Grinch hears singing and you know what…

“Christmas came just the same…It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.” Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! “Maybe Christmas he thought doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas …perhaps…means a little bit more.” ~ How the Grinch Stole Christmas • by Dr. Seuss

Making It So Everyone Can Enjoy

So how can we enjoy all that this blessed season has to offer and still keep things in perspective. I touched on this a bit in the post I wrote last year The Magic and Meaning of Christmas and I’ll provide a few simple tips on how you can feel the true joy of Christmas through and through.

gingerbread cookiesScale it Down a Bit

Don’t overdue by trying to be perfect. Don’t overspend, don’t over plan just don’t over extend yourself to the point where you and your family are stressed and miserable. See those gingerbread cookies pictured above. I made them. They aren’t perfect (gingerbread heads were rolling) and even though I had wanted to make about 3 different kinds of cookies, I got so stressed out making those that I decided not too. This year St. Nick is going to have to be happy with the cut and bake cookies from the store. Whew! What a weight off my shoulders.

Give Generously

This can be of your time, talent, heart and/or your treasure. Whenever you give, give with love and not out of a sense of obligation. I just read a wonderful story about an anonymous person who paid off a bunch of layaways for some people at Kmart. It honestly brought a tear to my eye. While the season can sometimes bring out the worst in people, it also certainly brings out the BEST in people too. You don’t have to spend money to be generous, you can volunteer to help with a toy drive, ring the bell for the Salvation Army, work in a soup kitchen or winter shelter, there are so many things you can do and it will really help you to feel the true spirit of the season.

Simplify Gift Giving

If you have a big family you can draw names or choose just to buy for kids. There are lots of fantastic DIY Christmas present ideas and photo gifts are fun, special and usually economical.

Stay Home

Traveling to see family is something that many people do but sometimes it just can’t happen. Traveling (especially with children) is stressful on a normal day but during the holidays you multiply that by about a thousand! I’m not just talking about traveling out of state either. I know many families have several places they need to be. Consider hosting your own celebration, trading off every other year or visiting one family on Christmas Eve and one Christmas Day. If you have a lot of invites it is a huge blessing to know so many people love you and want to spend the holidays with you, but it can be tough too.

Celebrate the True Meaning of Christmas

If you are feeling stressed or getting caught up in the holiday craziness instead of appreciating all the beauty, wonder and magic think back to that first Christmas. When a young mother gave birth to her sweet baby boy in a barn. She and her husband didn’t have much but they wrapped him in some blankets and laid him on soft clean hay in a manger. Simple yet miraculous.

Nativity Clipart

John 1:14 — The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 

I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!!!

What are you doing this year to eliminate holiday stress?

Santa Claus and Children

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santa claus and kidsWhat is it about Christmas that just brings out such glee in kids?  Is it the wonderful, beautiful lights that festoon every lamppost or anything upright for that matter?  Is it the entry of seasonal, very delicious meals?   For kids, Christmas time is Santa time! The moment my tree comes out of hiding at home, my kids automatically do their own short versions of Balki Bartokomous’s ‘Dance of Joy’ (age hint here).  It is such a funny thing to see and truly the excitement from them is fantastic.  Then the pressure sets in and I start to feel all the responsibility attached with Santa Claus and making sure they have a memorable Christmas.

Where Did Santa Claus Come From?

This year, I started to think about this tradition.  What is it really?  Where did it come from?  And how do I divert the seemingly mindless consumerism of the idea of Santa Claus to what Christmas should truly mean?  I did some research first (naturally) and this is what I found.

Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, and simply “Santa”, is a figure with legendary, historical and folkloric aspects who, in many western cultures, is said to bring gifts to the homes of the good children during the late evening and overnight hours of Christmas Eve, December 24.[1] The modern figure was derived from the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, which, in turn, may have part of its basis in hagiographical tales concerning the historical figure of gift giver Saint Nicholas…Santa Claus is generally depicted as a plump, jolly, white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots (images of him rarely have a beard with no mustache)… According to a tradition which can be traced to the 1820s, Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, with a large number of magical elves, and nine (originally eight) flying reindeer. Since the 20th century, in an idea popularized by the 1934 song “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”, Santa Claus has been believed to make a list of children throughout the world, categorizing them according to their behavior (“naughty” or “nice”) and to deliver presents, including toys, and candy to all of the good boys and girls in the world, and sometimes coal to the naughty children, on the single night of Christmas Eve. He accomplishes this feat with the aid of the elves who make the toys in the workshop and the reindeer who pull his sleigh. (Wikipedia)

Basically, it appears that the current tradition of Santa Claus and gift-giving is in fact a mix of ancient Greek folklore, Germanic Paganism, and Dutch folklore.  The figure of Santa Claus can be derived from a combination of the Greek Saint Nicholas of Myra, a Christian saint known for giving generously to the poor, who is also the basis of the Dutch Sinterklaas, and the Germanic god Odin who was known to ride his eight-legged horse Sleipnir over great distances and giving gifts to children who would leave carrots and treats for his horse to nibble on as he passed their chimneys.  Sinterklass is a stately old man who gives gifts to well-behaved children, and Odin is known as an old man with a long white beard.  Over the centuries, all these figures appear to have merged together to become the Santa Claus of today.  Of course, thanks to Coca Cola, we have the ubiquitous jolly, round, old man with a long white beard, in a bright red suit.

Where To Focus This Year

All in all, the main theme of what are the supposed origins of the current tradition is giving and this is what I want to focus on this year.  I am trying to teach my kids that this is the season for giving- giving to the people you love as an expression of love, to your friends as an expression of friendship, and not so much in expectation of something in return.  I have started asking them what they want to give their friends and cousins and aunts and have tried to tell them that it does not matter what they get if they get gifts and that the important thing is that they are able to show friends and family their love and friendship. Now, I don’t want them to be too materialistic so I tell them that they don’t need to buy anything expensive to show how they feel and that they can make their gifts too.  Of course, I don’t want to be a complete Scrooge and take away the joy of wishing for favorite toys so I have also asked them to make their list to Santa but I have told them that he won’t be able to give everything on the list because he has to give other children gifts too and that it is still great if he gives them one or two from their list, to which they expressed satisfaction.

What do you guys think?  Too Scrooge-y or over-thought? What are some of your thoughts about the meaning of Christmas, beyond the lights and the commercialism of it all?

Christmas Crafts for Kids

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Children love to create gifts that they can give to loved ones. This is their heartfelt way of showing those who love them most that they love them back. We must keep in mind that not all crafts our kids create will look perfect but that is what makes them so beautiful!

Here are some fun and creative crafts that will be simple to make and your friends and family will be delighted to receive. I also believe that these crafts are so simple that even an uncrafty mom such as myself, can happily join in the fun.

Handprint Wreath

Let your kids make a Handprint Wreath this ChristmasThis is a craft that each of the boys made as at preschool last year and I absolutely cherish it! It can be a little messy but if you are organized about it this (like their fabulous teachers are) it shouldn’t be too difficult to do with preschool age children or older. Of course, you can do this with toddlers if they will cooperate but my experience in getting the boys to make hand prints when they were that age was not great.

What you need:

  • Fabric — A light colored one like the one pictured above will work best.
  • Thin dowel
  • Green and red paint
  • Sponge paint brush and disposable container
  • Large bow Stamp
  • Ribbon
  1. You can make these as small or as large as you would like. It’s totally up to you. So cut the fabric if you need to then either sew – or my favorite is to use fabric tape – to make an opening that the small dowel can slide through.
  2. Put some green paint into a container then take the sponge brush and paint your child’s hand with it.
  3. Instruct your child to spread out their fingers then push their hand gently onto the cloth. Have them lift their hand straight up. You may have to help them with one hand while holding the cloth with the other.
  4. Paint their cute little hand again and repeat Step #3 several times. You’ll want to turn the cloth so you can make a circle of green hand prints. You can overlap a little and remember — it doesn’t have to be perfect!
  5. Let that dry. Then either you or your child can dip your finger in red paint and make round red berries.
  6. Take the bow stamp and dip it into the paint and stamp the top of the wreath with the bow.
  7. After it dries slide the cloth onto the dowel.
  8. Cut a long piece of ribbon and tie it to each end ot the dowel, so this beautiful piece of art can be display each year!

Painted Ornaments

Painted ornaments are an easy Christmas craft for your kidsThis is a SUPER simple craft. The only thing you’ll have to do it clean up a little. The kiddos do all the hard work and they love every minute of it!

What you’ll need:

  • Paintable ornaments that can be found at any craft store. (They are very reasonably priced especially if you catch them on sale and don’t forget to check your Sunday paper for good coupons!)
  • Paint and paint brush– watercolors wouldn’t be great to use but the thicker paints work.
  • Newspaper
  1. Spread out newspaper all over your child’s work space.
  2. Open the paints, get a small cup of water, a paper towel and let the kids have at it. You may of offer instruction if you wish or you can have a sample painted so they have an idea of that colors they can use.
  3. Not crazy about letting your kids have paint? Markers will work really well too and are less messy. I chose paints though because my boys just get so excited when they can use them.

 Bead Wreath

Bead wreath is an easy craft your kids can make for ChristmasDo you remember making these as a kid? You might even have some of your old ones on your tree or at your parent’s house. This is very simple and not messy at all — unless of course someone spills beads all over the floor 🙂

What you’ll need:

  • Beads (or buttons if you prefer)– any color you like will work just fine.
  • floral wire 16-20mm
  • Ribbon
  • Wire cutters
  1. Bend the end of the wire.
  2. String the beads onto the floral wire.
  3. After the wreath is the desired size bend the end of the wire into the other end — cut if needed.
  4. Tie a bow on top of wreath to cover wire and attach string or yarn to the top so it can hang on a tree.

The boys and I also shaped these to look like candy canes and hung them on the tree. So cute!!!

For more Christmas crafts check out my post from last year Super Simple Christmas Crafts for Kids.

 Do you make holiday crafts with your kids? Any other craft ideas to share?

A Homemade Gift to Light the Way

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ParolFor last minute gifts, some people choose to go the DIY way.  I am one those people and I choose this route for two reasons.  One, I do not want to go out and brave the Christmas shopping chaos of last-minute panic buyers; Two, I want the gift to be special even if it is simple, which a lot of my homemade items are.  The personal touch makes the gift special.

I’ve mentioned before that one staple in my country is the Christmas star or the ‘Parol’.  This is a lantern made traditionally of bamboo sticks and colorful cellophane, white rice paper or Japanese paper.  There are strips of paper coming from the two bottom points that represent the stars rays. The religious symbolism in this lantern comes from the star of Bethlehem that guided the Three Wise Men on their search for the baby Jesus.  No home is complete without some variation of the Christmas star.

How to make a Parol

One gift that is special, can be used again, symbolizes the season, and is just plain pretty is this Parol. And because of traditional simple roots, it is also easy to make at home.

You will Need:

  • Bamboo sticks
  • Very durable thin string
  • Strong glue
  • Colored cellophane- for a glossy look OR
  • White rice paper- for a classic look OR
  • Colored Japanese Paper- for a modern but muted look

Steps:

  1. Make some thin sticks from a medium sized bamboo pole (fresher is better) that you might be able to find at wholesale flower markets or craft shops.  If you can’t or don’t want to make these on your own, go and look for ready-made ones. They are just as good.
  2. Tie five sticks into the shape of a star and make two of these forms.
  3. Connect the ends of the stars and insert braces inside the star to make it three-dimensional.
  4. Once secure, cover this frame with your choice of paper using the strong glue. You can get fancy and add frills, cut-out paper doilies, fringes, tails, etc. and attach them to the two bottom ends.
  5. Optional: you can purchase a ready-made socket with wiring then it will be easy to put a light bulb inside your parol. Just make sure it doesn’t get too hot or the lantern could burst into flames.

And, viola!  You have your Parol.

You can make this any size and any color you want.  You can make this lit or not. You can make this to be attached directly to the wall or as a hanging piece or even as the décor at the end of the stick for your lawn.  The point is, you can be flexible.  If you are especially artistic, you can create a design on the body of the star as well.  Here are some sample pictures:

I think these are the perfect, whimsical, special Christmas gift to give to your friends.  Even here in the Philippines, where the Parol is a staple, these simple homemade stars are still much appreciated.  There is that added bonus that it is re-usable, cost-effective, and environment friendly.  With a little effort, some materials, and a little bit of imagination, you can give that special gift.

Do you make homemade gifts? What is your favorite to make?

What I Got for Christmas!

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My christmas presents

Photo from DeviantArt

Christmas is over and the chaos is behind us.  It seems so passe to say it because almost everyone says that Christmas is their favorite time of year but count me among the masses, I love it!  It’s a crazy month for me, I am part owner of a popular Ecommerce company and we do an insane amount of business during the month of December so it keeps me really busy.  It’s really tough to stay in the spirit and do all the family stuff, all the work stuff, the blogging and still remain happy and festive, but somehow, I do manage it.  I think I would be crushed if any Christmas passed me by without taking the time to be with family and enjoy our traditions so no matter how hectic it becomes, it is one of those things I will always make time for.

Now that Christmas is passed and we are approaching the New Year, I thought it would be fun to list the wonderful things I got this year.

Under the Tree!

Kodak Zx3 Digital Video Camera

I Love this digital video camera! It’s an economical choice for families, it’s only $149 and takes really great video at up to 1080p.  There are a few choices in the $100 – $150 range for small digital video cameras but my wife picked this one because it’s waterproof.  We spend a lot of time at my mother-in-laws pool during the summer and I can’t wait to get some underwater footage of the kids.  I am excited to start using this to both capture family moments and to add a new dimension to KidsAintCheap!  I will be doing a review on it in a future post

Craft Beer!

That’s right, my wife knows what I like and really enjoy craft beer.  It’s my parental aid of choice 🙂  When unwinding after a stressful day, there is nothing like a quality beer.  My wife has gotten pretty good at picking out what I would like.  She travels a lot for work and a few of the places she travels to have some great beer stores that carry nothing but craft beer.  She got me an excellent selection this year.

Homebrew Equipment and Books

In addition to enjoying craft beer, I also enjoy making my own beer.  My family got some excellent suggestions from my wife and got me a few new books and some equipment that will hopefully improve the quality of my brew.

Restaurant Gift Certificates

As I mention on the about us page of this site, we are in signficant debt and live on a very strict and limited budget.  We do without most luxuries which includes going out to dinner.  We love to eat good food but in the last two years, we could very rarely afford it.  This year we were grateful and happy to get gift certificates (enough to cover the entire meal) to one of our favorite local restaurants.

With Our Powers Combined, we are Platypus!

I am a big fan of Snorgtees.com, they have some really hilarious t-shirts and I am a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy.  I have only ever used the site to buy gifts for other people because as I mentioned, we are broke and do without things we don’t need.  However, one of my favorite tees is this one and my wife bought it for me.  She spent more than we budgeted but I can’t complain too much!

I also got a bunch of smaller items and some much needed clothing but that is a good synopsis of the physical gifts I was most excited about from my wife, my parents and the rest of my family.  As much as I loved all of those things, they don’t come close to the best gift I got this year.

Not under the Tree

The greatest gift I got this year was not physical and many people wouldn’t even define it as a gift but those people are wrong.  The greatest gift I got this year was seeing the unbridled joy, happiness and excitement on my children’s faces all weekend long.  This was the greatest Christmas morning I have ever had, to see them so enthusiastically embrace the idea of Santa Claus and the excitement in their eyes when they saw the pile of treasure they received was just priceless.  I hope to have many more Christmas’s like this with my family but I know this unbridled youthful joy won’t last forever so I intend to savor every minute of it.

Brian

P.S. For those interested, here is a video I shot the day after Christmas in the freezing cold at a local park.  It’s my two boys riding their brand new bikes.  I shot the video with my new Kodak Zx3!

What did you get for Christmas this year?

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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I know, it’s not Christmas yet but I don’t plan on being online over the next two days so I wanted to take a minute and extend a very Merry Christmas to everyone that has subscribed to our feed or visits our web site.  We only just launched in October and already our readership and recognition in our own space is growing.  Thanks Everyone!

Merry Christmas

Found on Flickr

The Magic and Meaning of Christmas

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The spirit of Christmas

Image on DeviantArt

I can still remember the anticipation I felt – as a child – waiting for Santa. My brother would usually wake up first – several times actually; 10pm, 12am, 2am, then finally at 5am — I would get up with him. I don’t think that kid even slept a wink; he was just so excited.

We had to wait until 6am to wake our Mom up though. It seemed like that hour took forever. Thank goodness our stockings were always right outside our bedroom doors, so we would go through those while we waited.

When I think back to some of my favorite Christmases; I can still feel the butterflies of excitement, the thrill of discovering I had received my most wished for gift and how happy I was to read the letter that Santa had left for me – ME!

Even though I can still tap into those feelings and the excitement of that time – part of me – wasn’t sure I really wanted to do the whole Santa thing with the boys. I really never expressed this to anyone (they would surely think I had lost my mind), and it’s hard to explain how someone – who loves everything about Christmas – could even consider, not allowing her children the same magical experience that she had, growing up.

Of course, Santa does visit our house, and this year the boys are over the moon with excitement. It’s amazing to see how everything is really clicking for them this year but — it again got me thinking, “Is Santa really a good thing to do? Does it take away from the true meaning of Christmas? Is it confusing them?  How can I tell them lying is wrong, when here I am doing it?”

It’s been hard for me to really explain how we go from; “Santa visits you and brings you toys” to “We are celebrating Jesus’ birthday.” If it’s hard for me to figure out how to explain it, you can imagine how hard it would be for a preschool age child to understand it. Clearly — I needed to learn more.

The story of the first Santa

So, I decided to go in search of the first Santa – St. Nicholas.

I was very happy to discover a web site devoted to St. Nicholas. The St. Nicolas Center was able to really connect the dots for me. It showed me how I could incorporate Santa (which represents the spirit of giving) without feeling like I was taking away from the true meaning of Christmas; which if course is to celebrate God’s greatest gift — the birth of Jesus Christ.

To gain a better appreciation – and more understanding – of this wonderful man; I encourage you to visit the site yourself. There is a lot of great information to be gleaned from this web site and many activities geared toward children as well.

I can now explain to the boys that St. Nicholas was a man who loved Jesus very, very much! He loved Jesus so much that he decided to follow His teachings, and rid himself of all his worldly possessions. St. Nick was a kind and generous man who lived to make people happy, to protect children, and to provide for those in need.

St. Nicholas represents the spirit of giving — and there is the magic. When we give gifts out of love instead of obligation — that is when we can be joyful and experience the thrill and delight that the season brings.

Connecting Jesus to gift giving

Jesus is the meaning and the true reason for the Christmas season.

Deuteronomy 16:17
Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.

Teaching children to give and give with love, is link that connects Santa and our Savior.

What does Christmas mean to you?

Super Simple Christmas Crafts for Kids

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Simple christmas crafts for kidsOkay – before we go any further – I just have something I need tell you all; I am not a super-duper, craft-tastic, Mom. You might be saying, “Come on Christie, you can do crafts! Anyone can be crafty if they really set their mind to it.” Ha! Not true — and here is a quick example to illustrate my point.

When I was pregnant with our boys, I was on bed rest for 3 months. So, I thought maybe I would try to learn how to crochet. My Mom is great and it, and so was my Grandma — so naturally I had to be great at it too, right? Wrong!

My Mom brought me lots of yarn, a few books on crocheting, and spent some time tutoring me on how to make a baby blanket. You would think that someone with 3 months to spare; someone whose day consisted of watching “Little House on the Prairie,” court room dramas, and eating peanut butter toast, would be able to carve out a few hours each day to really perfect the art of crocheting.

Nope! Not me. I made two blanket-ish looking things, but even the dog was too embarrassed to use them. I can’t say that I blame her.

I’ve tried scrap booking, needle point, and sewing; none of which turned out well.

I’m fine with that. I have other talents. I don’t need to be crafty to be complete; but kids love crafts — so I’ve had to bite the bullet and figure out how to do some of these things.

My point is this, if I tell you I have crafts to share, crafts which are simple and easy; you’d better believe they are. I really dislike doing a search for simple crafts; only to  discover I need 20 items, oodles of time (and patience), and there is about a 99% chance our dog will end up with glitter and paint all over her.

So here are 4 crafts for you, which are simple and not too terribly messy. I promise!

Christmas Tree Ornament:

What you need:

  • Craft Sticks
  • Glue gun
  • Green felt or construction paper
  • Markers
  • pipe cleaner/ribbon/yarn
  • foam stickers

Now — you can make this as simple or elaborate as you would like. I have two 3yr olds so we go the simple route.

Directions:

  1. I let the boys color the crafts sticks with green markers.
  2. Then I hot glued the sticks together to make a triangle and attached green felt to the back.
  3. I had some wonderful winter themed foam stickers that a friend gave me and just let the boys put them on as they would like.
  4. Finally, I glued a pipe cleaner on the back so we could hang the ornament up.

See? Simple! If you have older kids, they can use craft glue and they might like to decorate the tree with buttons, glitter glue, puff paint, uncooked pasta, paints, or whatever else you can think of.

We also did some Snowflake Ornaments which consist of the same materials. These are just craft sticks, hot glue, paint, glitter puff paint, and a pipe cleaner. Here’s a photo:

Salt Dough Ornaments

I loved making these because I love to cook. The boys enjoyed cutting out the shapes and decorating them.

What you need:

  • 1 Cup Flour
  • 1/2 Cup Salt
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Cookie cutters
  • Paint
  • Glitter Spray (optional — but totally cool)
  • Black Marker
  • Ribbon/yarn/string

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees
  2. Combine flour, salt and water. Knead and flour dough until it isn’t sticky anymore
  3. Roll out dough until about 1/4 inch thick
  4. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters (if you don’t have cookie cutters handy you can cut into squares or triangles and things like that)
  5. Cook for 2 hours
  6. Let cool
  7. Let the kids paint and decorate. We painted one day and the next they decorated with markers
  8. Give ornaments a little spritz with glitter spray and you are good to go!

Hang them on the tree, tie them on packages, or let the kids wrap them up to give to grandparents.

Foam Sticker Collage

This one is so simple; I’m almost embarrassed to include it — but my kids were quiet for a long time doing this project and they were really proud of their work.

What you need:

  • Construction Paper
  • Foam Stickers

Directions:

  1. Get out the paper
  2. Get out the stickers
  3. Let the kids go crazy creating!

These are simple and the biggest mess you’ll have to clean up, are the backings from the stickers and whatever stickers fall on the floor. That’s it!

The kids get to have fun and I don’t have to stress about the mess. It’s a win, win for all!

If you have a simple craft idea you’d like to share — please do! I’d love to hear about it.

Are you crafty? What crafts do you enjoy making?

The Greatest Christmas Movies of All Time!

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They may not be the greatest Christmas movies of all time but they area most certainly my favorites. As soon as Thanksgiving is behind me and we get into Christmas mode, I break out my Christmas DVD’s and we start watching. I don’t let a Christmas season pass without without watching every movie on this list. It’s a fun and important part of our families tradition.

If you don’t own any of these and want to pick them up, we recommend Amazon. They have a huge selection of used merchandise available. Most aren’t being sold directly by Amazon, they are sold by other merchants in the Amazon marketplace but I personally prefer it to buying through ebay, it seems better controlled. Many of the movies in the below list are available used for $5 – $10.

1. Scrooge

ScroogeThis version of the Christmas Carol story is by no means the most popular. Most people I know have never seen it and it was not a favorite of the critics but what do they know. This version happens to be my favorite and is also my top pick for our Christmas movie list. It stars Albert Finney as both young and old Scrooge and he does a phenomenal job. It was made in 1970 and what sets it apart from the rest is the music. That’s right, it’s a good old-fashioned musical and it’s one of the things I love about it. I grew up watching this movie. Every year for as long as I can remember, I have watched this movie with my family; first with my parents and sister and now with my wife and boys. I still look forward to it every year. If you don’t own it, it’s a good one to grab and is available from Amazon at Scrooge DVD

2. It’s a Wonderful Life

wonderful-life
It was a very tough decision between this movie and Scrooge for my #1 pick but in the end, Scrooge won out by a very small margin. It’s a Wonderful Life came out in 1946 and stars James Stewart and Donna Reed. I love this movie more than I can describe. I have been watching it for years but it still tugs at my emotional heartstrings and brings tears to my eyes when everyone comes together to help George Bailey in his time of need. If you don’t own it, it’s a must see and it is available from Amazon at It’s a Wonderful Life DVD

3. Miracle on 34th Street

Miracle on 34th StreetAnother Christmas classic! There have been a few versions of this movie over the years but none of the remakes can hold a candle to the original. Miracle on 34th Street came out in 1947 and stars Edmund Gwenn as Santa Clause, John Payne as Fred Gailey, the beautiful Maureen O’Hara as Doris Walker and a young Natalie Wood as her daughter, Susan Walker. It’s about a sweet and kind old man who believes he is Santa Claus. He is surrounded by skeptics but in the end, everyone comes to believe and understand that some things are always worth believing in, even after you become an adult and think you know better. It is available from Amazon at Miracle on 34th Street DVD

4. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeerI don’t care how good the latest computer animation technology becomes, there will always be a place for these classic stop-motion animated movies. The animation is just beautiful, and not that “beautiful for it’s time” nonsense, these movies are beautiful for any time! I am a big fan of all the Rankin/Bass Christmas classics but I decided to just put my favorite one in the top 10. It’s a great story and is typically the first movie we watch to kick off the Christmas season. It is available from Amazon at Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer DVD. They also have a box set that includes Rudolph and a bunch of the others called Original Christmas Classics

5. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

National Lampoon's Christmas VacationIt’s time to bring on the funny! This is the third installment in the Griswold vacation series and it is my favorite. Once again Clark Griswold bites off more than he can chew as he pursues the perfect family Christmas. Despite his best intentions, the Griswold luck takes over and everything goes downhill in a very hysterical way. The movie came out in 1989 and stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo and Randy Quaid before he completely fell off his rocker. The movie is packed full of funny moments and we all have our favorites but really, how can you get through the Christmas season without hearing Randy Quaid utter those immortal words…”Shitters full”. It is available from Amazon at Christmas Vacation DVD.

6. Elf

Elf
I am not a huge Will Ferrel fan, I can usually take him or leave but there are three movies he has done that I love and Elf is one of them. It’s the perfect vehicle for his brand of humor. The first time I saw this movie was in the theater when it first came out with a few friends. I wasn’t actually that impressed. I thought it was okay but didn’t plan on watching it again. The next year I was channel surfing and I came across Elf. I ended up watching it again and LOVED it. Not sure why it did click the first time but I have watched it every year since then. It is available from Amazon at Elf DVD.

7. Die Hard

Die HardThat’s Right! Before you start complaining, Die Hard is definitely a Christmas movie and there is nothing I want to see more after being dragged out into the cold to go Christmas shopping with my wife. There are actually a few great action movies that we love to watch at Christmas time, the first Die Hard is my favorite but Lethal Weapon and LA Confidential aren’t far behind! What makes it a Christmas movie? The whole thing takes place at a Christmas party and if that’s not enough, he beats the bad guy by hiding his gun with Christmas Ho Ho Ho tape! C’mon, it’s jolly and awesome all at the same time! It is available from Amazon at Die Hard DVD.

8. Christmas Story

A Christmas Story
Yes, I am in the “I Love Christmas Story” camp. It seems to me that people either love this movie or can’t stand it and don’t understand why people like it. I am in the love camp. I enjoy the movie from beginning to end. The movie came out in 1983 and my family has been watching it every since. I watch this movie once a year and it cracks me up every year. We are the proud owners of a leg lamp desk lamp, leg lamp night light and a set of Christmas lights. After all, they are major awards! It is available from Amazon at Christmas Story DVD.

9. Love Actually

Love ActuallyI hesitated to put this movie on this list because after all, this is a chick flick and I am sure my wife is going to read this. I try not to admit when I like these kinds of movies, otherwise, I will be flooded with them. But I would be remiss if I left this movie off the list because I really enjoy it. Few things express the spirit of Christmas more then Love and that is what this movie is all about. It came out in 2003 and has a lot of stars. It’s a movie about a different couples and how their love lives interact during the Christmas season. It’s heartwarming and full of the Christmas spirit. It is available from Amazon at Love Actually DVD.

 

10. Polar Express

Polar ExpressIf I had watched this movie alone, I am not sure it would have made it into my top 10. It’s a great movie, don’t get me wrong, but I on it’s own, it’s not a top 10 for me. The tipping point was watching it with my oldest boy last year. He was 3 at the time and was obsessed with trains. When we showed him this movie at Christmas time it was such a special and memorable experience that I couldn’t wait to show it to him again. He was at the edge of his seat with unbridled joy and excitement last year. It was all the things that mattered to him at that moment, Trains and Santa Claus. It is available from Amazon at Polar Express DVD.

Other Movies that I Love but Didn’t Make it to the Top 10

It was really tough narrowing it down to my favorite 10 because I have more than 10 that I really love. I did my best to select the best of the best but it is by no means complete. Here are the rest of the movies in my Christmas collection that I enjoy watching each and every year.

Well there you have it, those are my top 10 Christmas movies. Christmas movies are something I have a real passion for so please, take a few minutes and post your comments below.

What are your favorite Christmas Movies?

Well, It’s Official, Christmas is Finally Coming

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Found on CAPL

Found on CAPL

As far as my kids are concerned, it’s not Christmas until the tree is setup and decorated.  I feel the same way but for a different reason.  I love the smell of it, the way it looks and the spirit of the holiday that it creates.  My kids on the other hand, can’t wait for the tree to go up because they know once we are done decorating it, I will finally setup the train that we put under it.   My oldest son, Harrison, starts asking in March whether Christmas is coming soon and if we will be able to setup the train again.  He is only 4 but doesn’t miss a thing and is quite persistent.   He waits all year for it!

As his father, it’s a pretty fun and special day for me when I finally get to setup the train, grab some drinks and snacks, sit on the floor with my two boys and play with the train.   The process will be repeated just about every night from now until we take the tree down.  It takes real effort for me to keep up my enthusiasm for it, especially after a long day of work. There are days where I just want to go home, eat dinner and relax but then I walk through the door to see two very excited boys, yelling hello over their shoulder as they run in the opposite direction  to get the trains ready for me that makes me feel like a kid again and re-energizes me for the task at hand.

Has the Christmas season started in your house yet? What traditions do you use to start the season?