"The only way to have a friend is to be one."Ralph Waldo Emerson
|
| |
Christmas Meltdowns
Well, it's December 1st and I just had my first one. I've started playing Christmas Carols and was fine until I head the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and NY Philharmonic do "Once in Royal David's City." My 21 year old son died several years ago. When he was ...
Christmas Party Ideas
Christmas is a wonderful time to get together with friends and family. A Christmas partyhas an automatic theme, "Christmas." To have a unique and different kind of Christmas party try using a party theme" A theme helps to ...
The Four Work Stresses of Christmas
It is December 14th, but the plants in my garden wouldhardly let you believe it. Geraniums are still inflower, roses are still blooming and my magnolia treehas yet to lose a single leaf. London may be basking inpeculiarly unseasonal weather, but Christmas ...
|
|
|
| |
Don't throw your Christmas cards away! There are so many creative ways to use your Christmas cards, many of which you can do with your kids. We have brought together some ideas below.
Christmas jigsaw game: Make a Christmas jigsaw game. Gather 10-20 cards and cut each one into 3 or 4 pieces, using straight lines. Shuffle them up and lay them out on a flat service such as a dining table or the floor - then put them back together again! Store the cards in a shoebox for next time. This is fun on a quiet family evening at the beginning of the season as it helps to get everybody into the Christmas spirit!
Christmas tree ornaments: Make cinnamon stick ornaments for the Christmas tree. Wrap a small bundle of cinnamon sticks together with a pretty ribbon tied in a bow (leave a loop for hanging). Using a small dab of glue, attach a pretty shape cut from a Christmas card with pinking shears to the centre of the ribbon bow to finish the ornament off. These look pretty and smell delicious too!
Scented sachets: Make scented sachets to give as gifts or fragrance your own home. Simply glue the bottom and side edges of the card together and then slip a small amount of potpourri (or a cotton ball on which you have dropped a little Christmas essential oil) into the space. Use a hole punch to make two holes on the top edge, through which you can thread a pretty ribbon before tying a bow. If you leave a loop in the ribbon, the sachets can be hung on door handles, coat hooks or radiators (the heat will help to release the scent, but it won't last as long) to create a welcoming, Christmas atmosphere.
Christmas mobile or "string": Cut shapes out of the cards in matching pairs. Hearts work nicely, as do simple Christmas tree shapes and even plain squares and circles. Stick the cards back to back and laminate them, then punch a hole in them and use to make a colorful and child-friendly mobile or "string" to decorate next year. You could add to this every year. As a variation, you could back each shape with a plain-colored piece of card or construction paper and write on it the date and name of the person who sent the card.
Christmas card game: Cut playing-card shapes out of the cards, stick a piece of plain card over any writing if necessary, and use to make a Christmas game or quiz for your
children to play next year. Laminate to protect.
Gift tags: A traditional activity, but one which never fails to amuse the kids, is making gift tags for next year's presents. Use pinking sheers, a hole punch, and leftover ribbon
Gift bags: Make gift bags for next year by saving smart paper bags. Cut a nice shape out of each card and stick it to the front of the bag (covering any shop labels if necessary). Sometimes one Christmas card will yield many different bag decorations! Add a little ribbon bow just above the card and wrap your present in tissue paper before putting it into the bag. This looks lovely with brown paper bags and tartan ribbons.
Miniature Christmas cards: Some Christmas card designs can be cut and folded into miniature Christmas cards for the kids to give next year, or for decorating the dolls house.
Christmas screensaver: Scan your favorite cards into the computer - and some of your favorite messages from inside the cards as well - and make them into a Christmas wallpaper or screensaver with a photo program. Children love this and it is a great memento if you do it each year.
Lacing card: Cut out the pictures on the larger cards, punch holes around the edges with a hole punch, add a shoelace or brightly colored yarn (with sticky tape wrapped around the ends) and you have a cheerful and cheap lacing card for little ones. If they are particularly popular you could laminate them to make them last longer.
Christmas confetti: Make some Christmas confetti to use next year (scatter it on the Christmas table, or put a pinch inside your Christmas cards and gifts!) Use either a plain hole punch or a special Christmas one (both together look great) and choose the most colorful areas from each card to cut. Gold and silver looks very effective, especially mixed in with red and green. Small scraps of leftover wrapping paper can be used too. You can keep the children busy with this for hours!
About the Author
Lindsay Small is the owner of Activity Village, packed full of fun and educational activities for kids. Do you have children aged 2-10? Visit http://ww.ActivityVillage.co.uk to find free kids crafts, printables, educational resources, worksheets, coloring pages and puzzles, jigsaws, Sudoku for kids and much more!
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Blanchflower says big rate cuts needed - International Herald Tribune
LONDON : Two million Britons may be out of work by Christmas and big cuts in interest rates are needed now to stop the economy heading into a deep and prolonged slump, Bank of England policymaker David Blanchflower told Reuters. In an interview on ...
Minister: British economy at 60-year low - Xinhua News Agency
LONDON, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Britain is facing an economic downturn in 60 years and the effects could be long lasting, the Guardian newspaper on Saturday cited Alistair Darling, chancellor of Exchequer as saying. The economic times faced by Britain ...
Christmas comes early for Lincoln store - Lincolnshire Echo
A Lincoln store has already decked its halls ready for an early Christmas rush. There may still be 117 days to go until December 25, but Debenhams has already stocked its shelves with the season's festivities. On August 14 the Lincoln store saw Santa ...
UK economy 'at 60-year low,' minister warns - CNN
Darling's comments are the Government's grimmest assessment yet of the situation, and come after a Bank of England policymaker warned that unemployment could hit two million by Christmas, the UK's Press Association reported.
Downturn deeper than expected, says UK's Darling - Washington Post
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's economic downturn is likely to be deeper and last longer than expected and could be the worst for 60 years, finance minister Alistair Darling said on Saturday. In a candid interview with the Guardian newspaper, the ...
|
