It’s Time to Deck the Halls

November 3, 2013 by

In our part of the world, the Christmas tree, ornaments, tinsel, and lights all come out after the All Saints Day-All Souls Day weekend. In the United States, decking the halls with Christmas decorations start after Thanksgiving. The excitement that is felt when the decors come out is the same in most countries around the world. Christmas, after all, is one of the happiest holidays around.

In our house, decorating for Christmas is a family affair. Our little ones are not yet big enough to help hang the boughs and wreaths, but they do get a chance to make their own decors and hang them on the tree with your other ornaments. You and your kids can have as much fun making the ornaments as you do while decorating your home.

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Cardboard stars and bells are easy enough for little ones to make. You can cut out 3- to 5-inch bells and stars out of colored cardboard and have an assortment of embellishments like sequins, glitter, or even buttons that they can glue to the bells and stars. They can decorate their own stars with whatever pattern they want. When they are done, punch a hole on top of the shape so you can add a loop of string. Your kids can have the “honor” of hanging their own ornaments on your tree.

There are more crafting ideas online for you to choose from. You can even involve your kids in looking for fun Christmas crafts that they want to make for your home. Jade and Jakei will love “working” as Mama’s decorating elves this season. I’m sure your little ones will have fun too. It’s because of these little elves of our own that this season becomes even more fun and exciting. When you’re done decorating, you can start making your list and checking it twice. As for the kids, waiting for Santa will surely be on top of their own list.

Filed Under: Events, Family Fun Tagged With: ,

How to Make Your Baby’s First Christmas Magical

October 25, 2013 by

When you are a parent, your Baby’s first Christmas is a special occasion that you will never forget. This is the Christmas where you will start special traditions with your family that you will repeat for many years to come. Last Christmas it was only the two of you, but this year you have a special little bundle of joy and you are starting a family together. What can you do to make this Christmas extra special?

Here are a few ideas for family traditions and special memories that you could start as a family for your baby’s first Christmas in order to make it as magical as possible.

Mark Each Year with a Personalised Ornament

You can commemorate your child’s first Christmas with a personalised ornament, such as a bauble with their name on it. There are lots of beautiful personalised ornaments available on websites such as OrnamentShop.com. Then, every year afterward you can buy a new personalised ornament, perhaps to mark special milestones that occurred over the year such as a little book to celebrate going to school, a Mickey Mouse for a trip to Disneyland or a tiny bicycle celebrating learning to ride a bike.

Once you child starts to get old enough to talk, you can hang the ornaments one by one in order, telling them about each year of their life and what each symbolises. The older your child gets, the more ornaments you will have to hang and stories you will have to tell.

Decorating the tree together is a wonderful Christmas memory that you will be able to carry on as your child grows up.

Make Cards Together

Rather than simply buying cards from the store, it will be a lot more thoughtful and meaningful to make homemade Christmas cards! Even though your little one can’t really hold a crayon yet, they can help you make cards by offering their tiny footprints and handprints.

Remember to save a handprint or footprint card with a date on the back, so that you will have a memory of your Baby’s First Christmas.

Evidence of Santa’s Visit

Although your little one will not necessarily remember their first Christmas, they might remember their second or third so it’s time to start thinking about how you can create magical memories for them. One of these ways is by leaving evidence that Santa has been to your house. Perhaps Santa has left footprints in the freshly fallen snow, or has taken a nibble out of a cookie left by the Christmas tree? These magical little clues will live on in your child’s memory for much longer than the present that they receive.

Christmas Pyjamas

Many families will have the tradition of giving each other new pyjamas on Christmas Eve. That way, they will have something warm and snuggly to sleep in while they wait for Santa to come. This might be a great tradition to start with your little one – you could treat them to a new fuzzy onesie for sleeping in on Christmas Eve. There are even personalised “Baby’s First Christmas” ones that you will want to keep and cherish for many years.

You might even also want to give them a special teddy to snuggle with on Christmas Eve. There are many adorable Christmas themed plush toys for babies and your little one is sure to love it.

Family Christmas Portrait

When all the family gets together at Christmas time, this is the perfect occasion to take a family portrait with a photographer like Jeff Turnbull Suffolk. A professional portrait session will give you beautiful pictures you can cherish forever, or you could simply gather together around the tree or on the living room sofa. If you take a Christmas photo every year, you will be able to see everyone in the family growing up over the years.

Once you have taken your family Christmas portrait, you can send out a copy to all of your relatives as well as frame the photo and display it on the wall.

Your Baby’s First Christmas only comes along once, so take the time to make it a special occasion that you will look back on with fond memories. Your baby won’t remember it, but they will cherish the keepsakes and the stories. These are just a few ways that you can make your first Christmas as a family together special, so have fun and Merry Christmas!

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About the Author

George Torres is a blogger and craft artist. He is looking forward to celebrating his first Christmas this year with his wife and her precious little new born.

Filed Under: Events, Family Fun, Handy Tips, House Matters Tagged With: ,

EVERYTHING ABOUT SANTA: Where It’s Christmas All Year Round

November 27, 2012 by

Only a couple of days left before December starts and most homes are now bedecked with holiday trims.   If you still haven’t started adding that festive flair to your home or are still on the lookout for decorations to complete your picture perfect Christmas home decor,  do check out Everything About Santa.   Aside from the hordes of Santa Claus figurines and ornaments that are on display all year round, EAS also offers Christmas trees and ornaments, Christmas Villages, Nativity Scenes, Angels and various novelty items.

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Whatever you’re looking for, EAS would most probably have in its wide selection of holiday decors.  Whether you are looking for a dainty centerpiece or a durable outdoor nativity scene, there are numerous items you can choose from to find the holiday decors that would perfectly suit your taste.

One of my favorites in their collection are the Christmas villages.  Each one includes music and festive lights.  There’s no need to worry also about spiking the electric bill because these Christmas villages use LED or fiber optic lights.

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A serene village with a central church featuring a choir singing outside and 2 kids skating. A strip of the fiber optic water and a turning tree add flair to this attraction. (Php 2,499.75)

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Kids will definitely love this Christmas Carnival with a moving carousel! (Php2,999.75)

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The train moves! Here’s another one that will surely delight kids – and kids-at-heart. 😀 (Php3699.75)

Of course, Christmas is really all about the child Jesus, a house would not be complete without a nativity scene.  Whether you want a small nativity scene for your foyer or a big one for your front garden, EAS has one that will surely suit your taste.  Here are some of my favorites in their current selection:

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If you love Precious Moments, you’ll absolutely love this adorable Holy Family scene.

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EAS wouldn’t be everything about Santa without their assortment of Santa figurines. From Santa plates to Santa candelabras to Santa climbing the chimney, they have the most collection of Santas in the Metro.  And they have Santa all over the house all throughout the year!

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Everything About Santa accepts online orders and ships merchandise through reliable courier service.  Like their FBpage at https://www.facebook.com/everythingaboutsanta to see their current selections.  Better yet, visit their showroom at #11 St. Anne Street, Provident Village, Marikina City to personally see their wondrous assortment of Christmas decors.



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