Holiday Ideas

Romantic Valentine’s Day Gifts

Some may argue that Valentine’s Day is the most romantic day of the year. So what better way to celebrate this truly magical day than by giving someone you love a gift that is incredibly romantic? This may sound like a simple concept but many people involved in a romantic relationship often have a great deal of trouble selecting a romantic gift for their partner on Valentine’s Day. If you want to surprise your loved one with a really romantic gift this Valentine’s Day but simply just do not know how to do this we will provide some useful information in this article.

One thing to remember when searching for a romantic gift is that a truly romantic gift does not have to be complicated. A simple candlelight dinner can be one of the most romantic gifts you can give someone on Valentine’s Day. You can either plan on making dinner yourself or ordering dinner in from a favorite restaurant. This is because what you are eating is not nearly as important as the mood you set. Whether you have pizza or filet mignon your dinner can be romantic if you set the table with elegant place settings, light a few candles and play some soft music in the background. All of these small touches will help to the evening truly romantic and you and your partner are bound to have a great Valentine’s Day.

An over the top gift such as a hot air balloon ride can be a very romantic Valentine’s Day gift. This type of gift is not only very original but it is also very romantic. You and your partner will not likely be alone in the hot air balloon because you will need a staff member present to help guide the balloon and help ensure a smooth flight but once you are up in the air you and your partner will be in awe of the breathtaking sights. A hot air balloon ride is something most people will never do in their lifetime but setting up a ride for you and your partner on Valentine’s Day will be a very memorable and romantic gift.

Another great idea for a romantic gift on Valentine’s Day is a gift certificate for massage lessons. You and your partner can make an appointment to take a lesson or two on how to give massages. You will likely learn a few great techniques. Most people think of giving a gift certificate for a massage for Valentine’s Day but don’t consider giving a gift certificate for massage lessons. However, the lessons can be a far more romantic gift because you can attend the lessons together and practice on each other when you get home.

One final romantic gift idea for a great Valentine’s Day gift is a picnic in the park. This is such a simple idea but it can also be very romantic. You can plan on packing a full meal to enjoy on your picnic or you can plan on brining along some wine and cheese instead. However, you should try to select a really beautiful location which is also likely to be fairly desolate at the time of your picnic. This will allow you and your date to focus on each other and not have to worry about being distracted. Restaurants can be extremely crowded on Valentine’s Day and really having a romantic moment with your partner in this situation can be difficulty. However, a quite picnic provides a great opportunity for you and your partner to really connect and enjoy each others company.

Holiday Ideas

Plan B for Valentines Day

Each year men and women spend a great deal of time and energy planning Valentine’s Day surprises for their loved ones. However, unfortunately, each year a lot of these plans are often ruined each year due to circumstances beyond their control. They may find that all of their advance planning seems to go to waste but in most cases Valentine’s Day may still turn out to be a great day just because they are getting to spend the day together. However, this article will provide some information on how you can not only plan a great Valentine’s Day surprise for your loved one but also plan a backup plan in case anything goes wrong.

One example of a Valentine’s Day surprise which can be ruined by circumstances beyond your control is a simple picnic in the park. It is a very simple and romantic idea but it is also one which is dependent on the weather. Rain, snow, or incredibly cold weather can put a damper on your Valentine’s Day plan to have a romantic picnic in the park. The simple solution to dealing with inclement weather is to move your picnic indoors if the weather becomes foul. This can be very easy to do and requires very little advance planning. The easiest way to do this is to use your own house or apartment as the backup location. The only advance planning involved is straightening up your place beforehand to create a relaxing environment. Also if you have a roommate you might want to make sure he is out for the evening so you and your date can be alone. You can even make the indoor picnic more relaxing by purchasing CDs with nature sounds or soft music.

Planning to take your date to a nice restaurant on Valentine’s Day can backfire. Even if you make reservations well in advance there can still be complications. For example the restaurant may lose your reservations, be too busy to honor your reservation or the restaurant may be too crowded to have a relaxing experience. In these cases you might want to consider not having dinner in the restaurant because it will be too complicated and not at all relaxing. If you are concerned one of these situations will occur you can have a plan B by being prepared to go home and cook your date a fabulous meal if the restaurant is too hectic on Valentine’s Day. You can prepare by buying a few simple and versatile ingredients that you can use to create a great meal at a moments notice. This way you will be prepared if anything goes wrong plus the ingredients won’t got to waste because you can always use them later in the week.

Finally, consider purchasing tickets to a sporting event or concert for your date on Valentine’s Day. This is a great gift if it something you both enjoy but you can wind up needing a plan B if the event or concerts are cancelled for some reason. If you are planning to go to a sporting event and it is cancelled you can have a plan B by inviting your date home to watch highlight tapes of previous games. You can assemble this video beforehand and if the game is not cancelled you can always give it to your date after the game. In the case of a cancelled concert you can create a CD of your favorite songs by the band you were going to see.

Holiday Ideas

Cooking Dinner on Valentine’s Day

Many couples celebrate Valentine’s Day by going out to eat at a special restaurant. In fact so many couples do this on Valentine’s Day that getting a table at a highly sought after restaurant will likely involve making reservations well in advance and restaurants which do not take reservations may require long waits to be seated on Valentine’s Day. However, couples who are looking for a change of pace on Valentine’s Day can try cooking their own dinner on Valentine’s Day. This article will provide some basic tips for cooking dinner on Valentine’s Day and will also provide some ideas for making the activity of cooking more unique.

The most important tip we can offer for those who are planning to cook dinner on Valentine’s Day is to keep the meal simple. This does not mean you have to serve something boring. Rather it means you should plan on cooking a meal which is not overly complicated or difficult to make. This is important because if you plan a meal which is too difficult you may spend too much time in the kitchen working on the meal and not enough time enjoying the results of your efforts with your loved one.

Another great tip for cooking dinner on Valentine’s Day is to make sure the meal you select is one your partner will enjoy. When selecting the meal, consider your partners personal preferences as well as allergies or any dietary restrictions. This will help to ensure you are cooking a meal which both you and your partner can enjoy. For example a steak dinner may seem romantic but if your partner is a vegetarian she may not appreciate this type of meal.

If you are planning to cook dinner on Valentine’s Day, you should also purchase all the ingredients ahead of time. This will help to ensure you are not scrambling at the last minute to find a few hard to find ingredients. It will also help to alleviate a great deal of stress which could occur if you find yourself unable to find some of the key ingredients and having to make substitutions. However, if you plan ahead and buy all of your ingredients a day or two in advance, you do not have to worry about rushing around on Valentine’s Day to get everything ready and can spend more time preparing for the meal by prepping vegetables or making dishes ahead of time.

You might also want to consider asking your partner to help you cook the meal on Valentine’s Day. This is a fun way to make the act of cooking dinner a way for the two of you to spend some additional quality time together. If you are planning an elaborate meal, you and your partner can work together to make sure everything turns out great. Even if you are planning a simple meal, you will still enjoy the time you get to spend together and will likely enjoy the meal even more because you cooked it together.

One way to make cooking dinner together more like a date is to plan on taking a cooking class together on Valentine’s Day. You and your partner can sign up to take a class together where you will learn a new style of cooking. You will both learn something and you will get to spend some time together making the meal. Furthermore, you will likely be able to bring the meal you made home to share. This means you will not only have a great meal but you will have had a great time making the meal together. This is a great idea for couples who are on a first date because it can be a real ice breaker. During the class you will be involved with working together and following the instructions. Afterwards you will have a great deal to talk about because you will automatically have something in common. You can share your thoughts on the class or even stories about the mistakes you made while in class.

Holiday Ideas

A New Year, A New You

Each New Year millions of Americans make resolutions to change things about their lives.  They may want to lose weight, use their time more wisely, conquer clutter in their homes, or take time to learn a new skill.  With a new year, a new you is possible if you set goals and work toward achieving them.

Some people haven’t been very good at setting goals or at attaining them.  These ideas for setting goals may be what you need to make a new and improved you become a reality.

What is it about yourself that you would like to change in the coming year?  Decide what your final goal will be, but don’t fixate on that final goal.  Instead, think about small steps that you can take that will lead you, ultimately, to that final goal.

Don’t beat yourself up if you’ve made New Year’s resolutions in the past but haven’t succeeded.  The beauty of a new year is that it’s a chance for new beginnings.  Start out thinking positive about what you want to change; don’t think back to the failures.  Try one more time to affect the change you want to see in yourself.

Even if there are several things you want to work on or change in your life, it’s a good idea to focus on only one aspect at a time.  Too many resolutions will cause you not only to fail, but to fail at all of them.  You’ve felt bad enough about failing with one resolution in the past, so don’t set yourself up for a fall in relation to all of them.

Make your own resolution because it’s something you want to do, not because someone is pressing you to change.  If you truly want to change something about yourself, you may ask your friends and family to encourage and cheer you on, but don’t make a resolution based on what they want.  The decision to change has to come from within.

Write down your goal, what it is you want to accomplish, and set a time frame to master it in.  Give yourself time if you have a good deal of weight to lose.  You didn’t gain the weight overnight; you can’t expect to lose it as quickly.  Set small, measurable, and attainable goals.

Remember that New Year’s resolutions are goals that we set for ourselves that will hopefully give us the courage to step out and change ourselves in some way.  If you have a day that you blow your resolution, it’s not the end of the world.  Pick up the next day right back where you were when you fell, then do your best to reach your individual goals and you’ll be that much closer to the final goal you set.

Holiday Ideas

Party Games for an All Grown-Up Party

New Year’s Eve parties can be so much fun if you have something to keep you occupied until the ball drops ushering in the New Year.  Why not plan party games for an all grown-up party?

Charades

Almost everyone played “Charades” when they were children.  This fun game has you act out titles to books, movies, or songs, events, or people.  You can make this game pertinent to the year that is closing out.

Count off 1, 2 until everyone is on a team.  Have both teams write down things that the other team has to act out onto a piece of paper.  The first player takes a piece of paper from the other team’s bowl and has to act that item out.  You can’t talk, only act out, each clue.  Set a timer and watch the fun begin.

If the clue isn’t guessed, no point is awarded.  If the clue is guessed, the team gets a point.  The other team now gets to try.  Keep alternating between teams until all of the clues have been played.  The team that has the most guessed correctly wins.

Clue

It’s amazing how many people have played the game “Clue” when they were younger.  You may have seen the movie, as well.  Why not play a live party version of the game?  It’s time for a New Year’s Eve Mystery Party.  If you plan on using this idea for your party, you may want to begin looking around as early as possible to find a Mystery Kit (either a toy store will have them or you should be able to find them online).  The price for these games can be quite high, anywhere from $25 to $100 each, but they are reusable and so much fun.

Plan to invite twice the number of people as are in the cast.  Inside the kit you’ll get instructions for the host and the guests, character descriptions and motives, game clues, guest invitations, name tags, pre-game clues, suggested party recipes, and scripts.  Well ahead of the party ask everyone, cast and guests, to dress in the theme of the mystery.

As the host, you begin the production and ask the guests to pay attention to try to rout out the person guilty of murder.  The cast acts out the script (hopefully with exacting detail to timing) and the guests may ask any question during the production except for one, “Did you kill X?”  The game can take a good amount of time, so you may want to start early so you’re ready to ring in the New Year at midnight.

The Cherry Game

The Cherry Game is much simpler and decidedly messier than the other ideas.  You, as the host, ask your guests who likes cherries.  Anyone who raises their hand is allowed to play the game.  Explain to them that they have to remove and eat the maraschino cherry that has been placed into each bowl that is in front of your contestants.  You may hear a few people say, “Oh, that’s easy.”  At this point you fill each bowl with whipped cream.  Make sure you have a camera ready for this one because the pictures will be priceless!

It’s not hard to think of party games for an all grown-up New Year’s Eve party.  There are a myriad of card and board games available, or that you may have already.  You may want to try something different and any of these games would fit that bill!

Holiday Ideas

Box Up the Seasons Including the Clothes

Seasons come and go.  Now it’s winter and before too long it’ll be spring.  You may be considering what to do with the items that you use during the winter months.  Why not box up the seasons, including the clothes that are no longer needed?

If you’re like a lot of people, you’ll have a special place where you store Christmas, Chanukah, or Kwanza decorations.  When the seasons change, you’ll probably be packing those decorations up and putting them back in storage.  What about the other things in your home that aren’t used all year long?

You may want to purchase some plastic totes, boxes, or other storage units in which to store off-season items if you don’t already have them.  There are so many things you can put away that could help you get more organized.

Holiday decorations are an obvious choice of things to put away until the following year.  If you’re currently using boxes, you may want to look into getting some plastic storage boxes for storing ornaments in.  These types of boxes will keep your ornaments, especially glass or fragile ones, safer than a regular cardboard box.  Since you won’t be storing them until after holidays, why not wait until the after-holiday sales before purchasing one.  You may be able to save as much as fifty percent or more off the regular cost if you’re willing to wait.

Out of season clothing is something else you could store away until needed.  Of course, before you store clothing away, you want to make sure it’s clean and in good repair.  It would be terrible to take clothing out of storage only to find it dirty and having split seams.

Wash all clothes that you intend to put up, but also check to make sure someone in your home is going to be able to use them next year.  If you have children that will be able to use the clothes, be sure to sort the clothes into sizes and clearly mark the outside of the box or tote with the size.  If no one is going to be able to use the clothes that have been outgrown, consider giving them to charity or to someone you know that could use them.

Salvation Army, Good Will, or a homeless shelter would be glad to take gently-used clothes off your hands.  And, if you itemize everything that’s being given away, you can also get a tax write-off for your taxes.  That’s a win-win situation – your house is minus some clutter and you have a tax deduction for the end of the year.

When you’re trying to clean up after the holidays, you may want to box up the seasons – including the clothes that your family has outgrown.  If they can’t be worn next year, be sure to pass anything that is usable to someone else.  Not only will you clean away some clutter, you’ll feel good about helping others in need.

Holiday Ideas

Frugal Holiday Menu Planning

With Christmas just around the corner there are so many things that need to be done to make your holiday run smoothly. The biggest part of the holiday season is your Christmas dinner. Planning, shopping and then cooking for this meal can be one of the most tedious and nerve wrecking parts of the year.

By menu planning and thinking about your meal in advance, you can cut down a lot of the stress that you experience when making a big meal for a large group of people. I am going to show you how to plan out your meal and give you a reasonable time line on when to have things completed. That way, when Christmas day comes you won’t be scrambling around at the last minute trying to prepare your meal.

• THE ACTUAL PLANNING
  First thing first, sit down with a pencil and a piece of paper and write down your menu for the day. Depending on your family traditions, this might include breakfast, lunch and dinner, or just dinner. Once you have your entire menu written down, write down every single ingredient that you will need to complete each of your dishes. Once you have your ingredients written down, go through your kitchen pantry and cross out everything that you already have. Once you have done this, you now have your official holiday grocery shopping list. You should complete this step the first week in December. Remember: Set aside the items in your pantry that you have designated for your holiday meal. You don’t want to use these items only to realize at the last minute that you will need them to prepare your holiday meal. If you do have to use an item from your list, make sure you re-add it to your list so you can purchase it during your next shopping trip. Also, make sure you keep your menu plan and grocery list on file just in case you need to refer to them later on.
• GROCERY SHOPPING
  Once you have your grocery list, you can now start shopping for your ingredients. Any meats that you need can be purchased early and put in the freezer. All dry and nonperishable foods, such as canned goods and baking items, can be purchased and put away in the pantry. If your menu requires fresh vegetables, these need to be purchased a week in advance.Also look for sales at your local grocery store and combine these sales with coupons. Every Wednesday grocery stores put out their weekly circulars. Take a look at these and plan your trip accordingly. Around Thanksgiving is a good time to purchase a lot of the things that you need to prepare your holiday meal because stores will have these items on sale or will run a special. Manufacturers also release high value coupons around this time as well.
• COOKING AHEAD OF TIME
  Once you have gotten all of your ingredients together you can start planning out your cooking schedule. Some items can be made ahead of time and then frozen. I have made batches of gravy weeks in advance and then placed them in the freezer. Once defrosted and reheated I couldn’t taste the difference. Corn bread for your stuffing or dressing can be made and then frozen ahead of time as well. Pies and cakes can also be made a few days in advance. If you are making your pie dough from scratch, it can also be frozen weeks in advance. Anything that you can do ahead of time to lessen the amount of cooking you have to do on Christmas should be done.

I hope that I have given you a few good tips on how you can plan your holiday meal while avoiding the holiday stress. Menu planning and shopping ahead of time can not only reduce your stress levels but can also save you money. By catching the sales that run around Thanksgiving, you can cut your Christmas meal budget substantially. And by cooking part of your meal ahead of time, you will find your stress level go way down.

Holiday Ideas

Frugal Family Traditions

If your family is anything like mine, Christmas will be a little bit tighter this year. With the rise of prices going up on almost everything our Christmas budget had to take a cutback. That doesn’t mean that our holiday won’t be joyful, it just means that I had to think of creative ways for our family to enjoy it this year. Many times the real reason for the season gets lost in the stress of gift buying and giving that we forget to enjoy our family. I am going to give you a few suggestions of things you and your family can do together to enjoy this holiday on a budget.

• FAMILY NIGHT
  If family night isn’t something that your family already does every week, then you might want to start in December. This is a fun way to spend some quality time with your family and you can theme it out as well. On a movie night, watch Christmas movies while enjoying a cup of hot apple cider or hot chocolate. If it is a game night play holiday music softly in the background. The most important thing is that you are spending time together.

• BAKE WHAT YOUR MAMA GAVE YOU
  Giving homemade treats out this year can be a perfect gift to those on your holiday list. If you and your family have quite a few people that you want to give gifts to this year, why not give them something made from the heart? Everyone loves cookies and for the price of one gift you can buy enough baking supplies and decorations for ten gifts. Check your local Dollar Tree for decorative holiday tins and cellophane bags. Also look for ribbons to tie the bags up with. Make this a family affair by baking together and make sure you make an extra batch to enjoy afterward with a cold glass of milk.

• HOLIDAY NEWSLETTERS
  Instead of sending out Christmas cards this year, how about doing something creative? Make a family themed holiday newsletter to send out this year in place of cards. It can be anywhere from 1-4 pages. To get the kids involved assign “jobs” to each of them. There can be an editor, photographer, writer, interviewer, reporter, art director, layout editor, etc. Once you give out the jobs hand out the assignments and hold a meeting later on that week. At the meeting ask for everyone to give a brief summary of what they came up with and to turn in their assignment. Now you can assemble the newsletter on your computer using your Word Processor program. Format it to two or three columns. Add a “note from mom” at the beginning to wish everyone a happy holiday and tell them briefly what your family has been up to. Once you are done, print out your copies front to back and send them off. It is a fun and creative way to have some quality family fun. Extra Tip:If you have a recent family photo, send it with the newsletter. Gather your family together one day, dress them in Christmas colors, and have your own photo shoot. Unposed photos are the best photos, so catch your family at its finest.

• CRAFTY CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS
  One thing that I like to do each year is to make ornaments with my children. Every year I look through magazines and on websites to come up with ideas for easy ornaments that we can make to add to our tree. I only pick out two or three and we take one or two days to make them. My idea behind this is that once my sons get older and they start their own family, I will have a very nice present to give them.

• ‘TIS THE SEASON TO GIVE
  Don’t forget about the less fortunate during the holidays. Give your children the gift of appreciation this year. Pick a charity and volunteer 1-2 days. Teach your children to appreciate what they do have because there are others who have less. Make this a family affair and get everyone involved.

I hope that I have given you some ideas on how you family can enjoy Christmas this year without spending so much money.

Holiday Ideas

Making Use of the Dollar Tree This Holiday Season

When most people think of the Dollar Tree, they don’t think of Christmas shopping. Sure you can’t buy high quality toys there but you can get some little things to use for the holidays that usually cost $2 – $5 at some of the bigger chain stores.

• Gift Bags & Tissue Paper:
  I use gift bags a lot during the holidays. I hate gift wrapping, so I always choose to put my presents in a nice gift bag with tissue paper. At Wal-Mart a gift bag can cost up to $4 or $5 and tissue paper just as much. I have seen some really nice gift bags at the Dollar Tree and I always stock up on them when they do come in.

• Greeting Cards:
  I am a card giver. I give them all of the time for birthdays, anniversaries or just because. At my local Dollar Tree all of their cards are priced 2 for $1. Even better, they offer a wide variety that are blank inside. I especially love these types of cards because I can customize them with my words on the inside.

• Decorations:
  The Dollar Tree also offers a variety of holiday decorations. From Christmas tree ornaments to wreaths to candles and candle holders, you can easily add festive touches around your house for the holiday season.

• Stocking Stuffers:
  Are you just about done stuffing your children’s stocking and you notice that you still have room for a little more? Well, by stopping at your local Dollar Tree you can pick up a few more items each costing only $1. They always have coloring books, crayons, stickers, holiday pencils, card games, puzzles, diaries, stamps and a mirade of other things.

• Children’s Class Party Favors:
  If you have children in elementary school it is quite likely that their class will have a Christmas party in which you will be asked to donate a small favor for all of the children. The Dollar Tree is a great place to find holiday themed pencils, erasers and activity books to send to school with your child for his/her party.

• Hostess/Guest Gift Baskets:
  If you plan on having guests stay over the holidays, or if you yourself are traveling for the holidays, then you might make a few gift baskets. Whether they are for the hostess or a guest, you can find a nice array of baskets and decorative ribbon at your local Dollar Tree. Just purchase a few, along with a couple of rolls of ribbon, and you have the makings for a really pretty gift basket. Extra Tip: Buy a few extra gift basket supplies and put them away just in case you need to give a last minute gift to an unexpected guest.

• Scrapbooking Supplies:
  Almost everyone now-a-days does some kind of scrapbooking. Whether they are an avid scrapbooker or just an occasional one. The Dollar Tree has a variety of scrapbooking supplies. From papers to stickers to embellishments to card stock you can purchase a lot of your holiday scrapping supplies here.

So there you have it. The Dollar Tree may not be the fanciestr store out there, but it does carry a few of the supplies you need this season to help you save some money. This time of the year can be the most expensive time of the year, so any amount of money saved by a family on a budget is a good amount.

Holiday Ideas

Cathy’s Creations- Cathy’s Site

Christmas is right around the corner! Order your Personalized Ornament SOON!