Baking can prove to be a rather relaxing activity, especially amidst the stress and chaos of the holiday. Not only does baking have a therapeutic effect, but it can also be a great activity to keep the little ones busy or a great opportunity to bond with friends and relatives. Recently, some individuals have taken to having cookie swap parties where each guest brings his/her own special recipes so that a variety of treats can be produced.

After the treats are done baking, each guest decorates and wraps his/her desserts in festive wrapping, such as cello bags or treat boxes. The different packages can all be laid out and guests can walk around swapping cookies and treats.

This occasion serves as a time to catch up with old friends and family and everyone walks away with a nice assortment of holiday desserts.Yum!

The new year is only days away and it’s time to sit back and reminisce upon the blessings we have come across in 2009. In these trying times, it is key to really put life into perspective and appreciate the good things that keep us going everyday (i.e. friends, family, health, life, etc.).

Adult friendships require a bit more effort because they become more difficult to maintain as we all gain careers, start families and embark on important journeys. I always see the beginning of a new year as a way to make a fresh start. This year, make the end of the year bright by hosting a last Girl’s Night in 2009. Grab a few of the favorite appetizers and get a couple bottles of wine to get the night going. You could ask that your guests bring memorable pictures that were taken throughout the year in order to create a memory book for everyone to enjoy.

Time flies and those memories can slip away rather quickly. 2009 was eventful, and 2010 will get even better. In with the new, and out with the old.

Cheers!

I can’t believe another year is only weeks away! It seems like only yesterday that we were happily celebrating the arrival of 2009.This year has definitely become the year in which everyone has planned to stay in more often. It is a safe assumption that most of these nights in are a result of the state of the economy and the need to save. I suppose when all is well, most people want to go all out and do fun things to ring in the year. Today, it seems a bit foolish to not take some practical measures and plan a party or a small get together at home.My friend and I were discussing how much more comfortable it would be to just plan a party instead of going out where almost every place is guaranteed to be over-crowded with inebriated individuals.

Tips for Ringing in the New Year:

-Grab a plastic bowl with 12 grapes and make a resolution or wish for each month of the year

-Say a toast, and mean it. Congratulate friends on successes and make family feel appreciated

-Set a reasonable goal for the year, whether it be to start that novel you’ve been meaning to write or registering for that class you mean to take last semester. (This year went by so fast, make sure another year doesn’t slip through your fingers).

The Christmas season is about giving and helping one another, and more specifically the less fortunate. Although Thanksgiving was almost a month ago, it’s important that we be grateful for all of our blessings, every day.

This year, grab a few close friends or acquaintances from your local church and organize a toy or food drive for the needy. I remember my father’s union organized an amazing toy drive every year and the daughters of the board members always dressed up like elves to make the event more memorable for the children. A small gift could make one child’s entire holiday season and a can of food you may never even eat could make or break another family’s Christmas dinner.

Make the event memorable, although I’m sure the looks on the children’s faces will be more than enough of a memory. Pin each of your helps with a special “Helper” Button and bask in the joy of giving.

The holidays are hectic…especially if you have a big family. For my family, most of Christmas week consists of “get togethers” planned to pick Secret Santas or to distribute Christmas dinner responsibilities, but they almost always turn into longer affairs than intended. Why all of these things can’t get done on one night is beyond me.

To make a long story short, some of my closest friends have started to plan early Christmas cocktail parties or dinner parties to make sure we get a chance to see each other and catch up for the holiday parties. My friend invited us girls over to her place this weekend for appetizers and drinks. It was great to have a chance to relax and chit chat for a night before the holidays get too close.She made things really simple–she let the martini glasses chill and had a little bar area set up with everything we would need and then she left small appetizers like cheese and crackers laid out on the coffee table. There was a small cupcake bar on the counter and everyone munched at their own pace. The best part, of course, was just talking.

Dress up your cocktail party with cute Christmas accessories like our Holiday Cocktail collections.

I have quite a few friends and family members who happen to have birthdays on either Christmas eve or the day after Christmas. People with birthdays during any other season (ahem, mine is in the summer) don’t understand what birthday wrapping paper on their birthday really means to them. It must be terrible to get a “birthday gift” wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper–probably not as terrible as getting the ole that’s-your-Christmas-AND-birthday-gift line. Wouldn’t the rest of us be slightly upset if our friends got us birthday gifts and decided to count them as Christmas gifts too? I mean, really, it’s like eliminating one whole special day for this “blessed” group of individuals.

I was just creating a Christmas gift budget and I got to thinking that it was starting to get pricey because some friends and family needed double gifts and I almost fell into that evil trap. This year, don’t let the frugal bug bite you when it comes to Christmas birthdays! You can throw a perfectly fabulous early birthday party and an amazing Christmas party. Put it this way, it gives your friends and family the perfect excuse to spend quality time with each other.

I can already smell Christmas.

Homemade gifts make for more personal and thoughtful gifts. For my sister’s birthday a few weeks ago, some friends and I made chocolate lollipops shaped like daisies, that went perfect with her theme. We wrapped them in cello bags and handed them out as favors at the end of the party. The guests loved them and the entire process was not only inexpensive, but it was simple!My family and I like to give friends and other family members special treats during the holiday season, like the gourmet popcorn tins or homemade cookies. As we were making the lollipops, it dawned on me that little Santa hats or mini elf lollipops would make great gifts this year!

You will need:

-molds of your choice

-melting chocolate

-lollipop sticks-

Christmas themed cello bags

-treat boxes

Now, melt the chocolate (easy instructions on bag), pour into the molds, add the sticks and place in the refrigerator to cool. The entire process takes between 15 and 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Shopping has become 10 times easier with the invention of the Internet and online retail. It is quite ridiculous how many things we can get done nowadays just by clicking on a computer mouse. Everything from prescription medicine to groceries, computers, and fast food has been made available online. We all know how grueling it can be to stand in those long lines at the checkout stands because everyone seems to decide to shop on the same day we do.

This holiday season, sit back with a cup of coffee and check off your Christmas list in a snap. A few of our bestsellers make the perfect gifts for friends and family. Monogrammed Guest Hand Towels are now exclusively available in the 15 most popular letters of the alphabet so take advantage and show your family how thoughtful you can be. Pair our Better than Linen&reg’ hand towels with a nice basket and/or holder, wrap it in some cellophane and decorate the package with a bow for the perfect housewarming gift or home accessory.

Don’t underestimate the value of a gift that says “this was made just for you.”

November is Aviation History Month, a time frame set aside to pay tribute to and celebrate our progress in aviation technology. The Wright Brothers definitely opened a wide range of opportunity on different levels. Aviation has contributed to the strength of our military, our economy and our travel efficiency.

Take a minute this month to take your children to an aviation museum, or to share the wealth of information available at your local library. Add ambiance with Pilot themed partyware!

Veterans Day is next week! Although a 3-day weekend to sleep in sounds amazing, it is important to understand the reason our country has marked this day as a national holiday. President Wilson proclaimed November 11 a holiday with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

That said, I definitely suggest you look up your community’s plans for celebration. These usually take place in the form of parades, ceremonies and/or military tribute exhibits. After the celebrations, invite friends and family over for a potluck style barbeque. Don’t forget to dress up your meal with Patriotic Party Supplies!