Christmas Countdown - start your Christmas Planning Now!

 

Only 163 days to Christmas 2011!

If you're ready (are you ready?) to start planning for Christmas, take a look at christmas.organizedhome.com/printable/christmas-planner, a great resource for printing your own Christmas planners, calendars and checklists.

Even if extensive Christmas planning isn't your thing, you'll probably find it helpful to write a Christmas List.  

Make a simple list of friends and family, anyone you need to buy a Christmas Gift for. Then list any other essential Christmas items you may need, such as new decorations, lights, tableware etc.

Don't forget Christmas cards, wrapping paper, Christmas crackers - and you may wish to think about your Christmas menu.

Once you feel you have everything down on your list, set a budget for each new thing you need to buy this Christmas, and make a note of your budgetted amounts at the side of each item on your Christmas list.

Add up all the amounts to see what your grand total is - this is an estimate of what you are likely to spend this Christmas, although it is likely to be a conservative estimate - most of us end up spending more than we intend each Christmas. You might add an extra 'contingency' amount onto the subtotal for this. Consider Christmas parties, secret Santas and party outfits.

Next, divide your grand total by the number of months left between now and November, to create a monthly saving budget. If you start your Christmas planning in July, you have four months to prepare!

Now you can start a Christmas savings plan to ensure you have enough funds to pay for everything!

Happy Christmas planning!

Virtual Christmas Tree Fun

Have fun decorating a virtual Christmas Tree - great for the kids, click on the tree below to get started and you can adorn the tree with candy canes and baubles etc.
Thanks to http://www.christmaswebmaster.com/decorate.html for this resource.

Christmas Cards

All About Christmas Cards

Most of us send Christmas cards to friends, relatives and colleagues each year - but do you know why we send Christmas cards?

The first commercial Christmas cards were created and sent way back in 1843 when Sir Henry Cole of London came up with the idea to help promote his 'penny post' idea that had been launched just three years earlier. The first Christmas cards featured an illustration of a family drinking wine - controversial as it was deemed inappropriate to associate alcohol with a religious festival. The idea of Christmas cards soon caught on though, and by the following year several thousand were sold, and by 1875 the idea had caught on in the USA.

Traditionally Christmas cards featured festive designs and illustrations - from Christmas trees, baubles, gifts and family scenes, nativity and other religious designs, winter scenes and snowmen, reindeer, cute animals and of course, everyone's favourite Christmas card character - Santa Claus.

Today, Christmas cards have evolved into a massive industry - Christmas cards come in every imaginable design, size, shape and quality, with a vast choice of message and greetings. Most Christmas cards feature an image on the front, with an optional greeting, and then a full message inside, typically "Merry Christmas And Happy New Year". You can also buy personalised Christmas cards.

The internet age has also brought technology into the Christmas card world - virtual Christmas cards are sent by email and many prefer this paper-less option as it has less environmental impact.

Many businesses, small and large, send Christmas cards to their customers - a goodwill gesture no doubt designed to raise brand awareness and revenue!

You can buy special Christmas cards that give a percentage of profits to a charity - many charities now have their own Christmas card ranges nowadays, so you  can combine your Christmas card buying with charity.

You can buy extravagant and special Christmas cards, cards for every member of the family, for a whole family, from a whole family, Christmas cards for specific relatives, even Christmas cards for pets!

Consider buying multipacks of Christmas cards if you have a large family or a lot of friends.

Countdown to Christmas - 171 Days To Go!

Only 171 Days until Christmas! 

The countdown has begun:

It's now less than six months until Christmas 2011!  

Ho-Ho-Ho!

Great Christmas Shopping Website Link

Christmas Shopping fanatics!

Check out this website www.24studio.co.uk/christmas - packed full of wonderful Christmas stuff, and it's on sale even in the summer! (A Christmas maniac's dream!)

They specialise in personalised gifts (also great for Christmas!), but what I like about this online shopping website (UK) is their fab range of random and funny Christmas novelties.

Like.... this Santa Toilet Seat Cover (yes, you did read that right, it's a cover for a toilet seat!!)

I never really considered Christmas decorations in the bathroom before, but why not!? The message on the hat (and on the mat) reads "Santa sat here"....
Very cute, I think I need one!
Buy Santa Sat Here toilet seat cover and mat set from 24studio.

Wandering around their website I also found these charming angel / reindeer door stops - shame they don't have one in a Father Christmas design but these are still very festive and sweet.

Available from 24studio (UK based) :

Buy festive door stops

One final thing I had to show you, also from Studio:
Santa LED window light in Santa / reindeer design.

These are very sweet window decorations (can also be fixed to a wall) - each has 10 LED lights built in and comes with stickers for fixing to your window, and transparent cable to keep things neat.

Santa / Reindeer LED window decorations by 24studio.

24Studio also have an impressive selection of Christmas cards and wrap, so are a good place to start your Christmas shopping, especially if you like to start early!
Christmas decorations, Christmas cards and wrap, Christmas trees & lights, Christmas gifts.

Christmas Resources for Children

Here's a great resource for teachers, parents and anyone looking to entertain or educate young children about Christmas: www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/teacher/christmas.html

This brilliant collection of resources includes advent calendars and Christmas craft projects, maths and english projects with a Christmas theme, and all kinds of information about Christmas traditions. Plus, free Christmas clip art, music clips and fun Christmas stories for children.

This is a great resource for entertaining children at Christmas (and in those excited weeks before Christmas!)

Christmas Fun

Featured Christmas link: www.northpole.com

Looking for Christmas fun, games and activities for kids and grown ups, with printable stories and colouring pages, Christmas countdown calendar, e-cards, recipes and Christmas ideas. Visit www.northpole.com for Christmas fun!

http://www.northpole.com/