Barnes & Noble has 8 Huge Holiday Sales!

Barnes & Noble is having not one, not two, but 8 “Huge Holiday Sales”! Now is a great time to shop for gifts for the readers in your family. There’s sales on books, toys, Christmas cards, and gift items. Sale number 1: Buy 2 Toys & Games, Get the 3rd Free Choose from a total of 2,513 toys and games. When you purchase 3 or more eligible toys and games you will get the one that is the least expensive for free. This offer is valid through December 17, 2012. The website might have more choices than your local Barnes … Continue reading

Holiday Jollies

  The best part of the holiday season is getting together with family and friends to share a few laughs.  Or, in some case, huge belly busters that have you rolling on the floor gasping for air. One of the simplest ways to share a seasonal smile is to tell a Christmas joke.  Kids and adults alike appreciate a good holiday riddle.  What’s more, clean, seasonal funnies can be added to Christmas cards, family newsletters or used as an ice breaker at a company party or family get-together.  If you are entertaining kids this month, consider printing out the following … Continue reading

Over 40 Holiday-Themed Scrapbook Title Ideas

  “Holiday Hoopla” is the title of a scrapbook layout I made last year.  It features photos of three generations of my family cooking together.  I was going to use “Organized Chaos,” but decided to go with the seasonal title instead. Coming up with page titles is a passion for some scrapbookers, while others see it as a pain.  I like to ponder page titles while I am figuring out the placement of my photos, memorabilia and embellishments.  Often, a title will pop into my head as I survey all of the materials I am featuring on the layout.  However, … Continue reading

Spice Up Your Holiday Party

  You don’t have to serve alcohol at a holiday party in order for your guests to have a good time.  There are plenty of ways you can keep your friends and family members entertained without busting your budget on a bunch of booze. Rather than stocking your bar before your guests arrive, have several games and activities on hand to keep everyone busy.  Just be sure to have a variety of fun things to do so all of your guests can participate. Also, game directions should be clear and not overly complicated.  Avoid forcing your guests to play long … Continue reading

Get Your Holiday Game On

  Tis the season to party. The holidays are a time for festive family fun.  However, the key successful entertaining is to have a host of activities on hand for guests of all ages. The following Christmas-themed games and projects are sure to keep your guests in the holiday spirit long after they leave your home: Christmas Sing-Off:  Instead of bundling up to go caroling outdoors, host a karaoke contest inside using holiday-themed tunes.  Or, you could have your guests split into groups and sing favorite songs a cappella. Trivia:  Go online to retrieve a bunch of holiday-themed trivia questions, … Continue reading

Holiday-Themed Sanity Savers

Whether you are hosting a Christmas party, a Hanukkah get-together or you simply need ways to keep your kids busy while they are home from school during the holiday break, the following ideas will go a long way to preserving your sanity: Games:  Get into the holiday spirit by modifying traditional kids’ games, such as “Duck, Duck, Goose.”  A holiday version could be “Reindeer, Reindeer Rudolph” or “Elf, Elf, Buddy” (Will Ferrell’s name in the movie “Elf”). Another option is to turn “Simon Says” into “Santa Says.”  These types of interactive games are great ways for kids to burn off … Continue reading

Ways to Keep Kids Busy During Their Holiday Break

  Tis the season for parents to rack their brains coming up with ways to keep their children busy during the extended holiday break from school. Whether you will be home alone with two kids or you’re hosting a house full of hooligans in the days leading up to Santa’s arrival, consider the following holiday-themed boredom busters to keep your sanity intact: Activity Pages:  Print out free Christmas coloring pages from the Internet.  Not only do the jolly images provide for hours of holiday fun, but also, they’ll save you precious cash during a time when most moms and dads … Continue reading

Balancing the Holidays: Simplify, Blend and Schedule

I don’t know about you, but December tends to be the busiest month of the year.  There is so much to do, so many preparations to make, gifts to buy and a house to clean. Yet this is also the time of year for being with family.  So how can you balance it all?  I think it comes down to three things:  simplifying, blending and scheduling. Let me explain.  First, simplify.  What are some things you can skip doing?  Are there areas of the home that really don’t need to be cleaned? Could you cut down on the amount of … Continue reading

Free Holiday Gifts (and some under $5)

How many people can you knock off of your Christmas giving list without spending any more than $5 a piece? One, two, none? You might be surprised. With a little investment of a few hours, you might be able to get a gift for everyone on your list for free or for less than $5. Here are some ideas. Homemade Knitting Knitting a sweater or a scarf is an age-old way to give someone a nice personal gift, but yarn, especially that made out of wool can get expensive. Instead, buy a nice sweater or sweaters second hand and then … Continue reading

Fun Ways to Work Up Your Appetite

Thanksgiving is less than a week away. For some home cooks, Turkey Day meal preps are already underway. Given how much blood, sweat and tears are shed in order to create a sumptuous holiday spread for the entire clan, it would be nice to see it completely consumed. If you are worried that your hard work in the kitchen will go unappreciated and that you’ll be stuck with enough Turkey Day leftovers to feed an army, consider getting the clan to partake in the following activities that are sure to work up their Thanksgiving appetite: Pumpkin Sweep: Give each person … Continue reading