Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Webkinz Holiday Recipes

Do you plan on doing something special for your Webkinz this holiday season? I did. I got my kids to sit around the computer with me one morning and told them that their Webkinz were going to have a big Christmas Eve Party.

Next I got a Christmas tree and gathered all of their Webkinz together into one room with plans of making them some holiday food. But to my surprise there really aren't any Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa Webkinz Recipes. I was surprised because on Halloween, I treated my Webkinz to Halloweenog. I think for Christmas, I'm going to have to improvise.

Christmas Eve

Maybe I could start with something like Hot Cocoa. That's a festive holiday drink. But since I was set on making Webkinz Recipes maybe there was a Cocoa like recipe that I could try. I took a quick look at a list of recipes that I've been meaning to try and saw Hot Marshmallow. It's made with Marshmallows, Milk and a Chocolate Bar in the blender. Sounds like fancy hot cocoa to me. We went to the W. Shop and bought 5 Marshmallows, 5 Milks and 5 Chocolate Bars so we could make Hot Marshmallow for each Webkinz.

After my daughter clicked the blend button we saw that Hot Marshmallow looked more like a big meatloaf than a festive holiday drink. But everyone was happy when we fed it to the Webkinz and they said it was Mmmmm to to max!

Dead set on serving hot chocolaty drink, I tried again. Ah-ha, I found a recipe for Trippple Hot Chocolate. With three P's it's got to be good. So we loaded the blender with Chocolate Milk, Hot Cocoa and a Chocolate Bar. Yes, Trippple Hot Chocolate was perfect.

Now that the Webkinz had a hot drink, it was time for a hot meal. Zazzeloop Soup is pretty festive looking with it's little Christmas trees on top so we ran out to the W. Shop again to buy some Pizza, Lollipops and Tomato Soup. Zazzeloop Soup is a stove/grill/cauldron recipe but we decided to use the stove.

Voila, Zazzeloop Soup! Now we were on a roll. Most of the Webkinz' Hunger Meters were way up in the 90s. I think I even saw a few of them loosen their belts. Well, not really but I told the kids that anyway.

After watching a little Chef Gazpacho on the flat screen we decided the party was over. We had a real holiday get together with the kids' Grandma in a few hours so it was time to start getting ready. We walked each of the Webkinz back to their rooms and put them to bed. Our little holiday party made the Webkinz Happy, Healthy and maxed out their Hunger Meters. And I think that if my kids had Happy Meters, they would have been maxed out too.

Webkinz Holiday Recipes

Photo Christmas Cards - 7 Unique Ideas For This Year's Holiday Card

Your friends, relatives and neighbors are eagerly looking forward to your annual Christmas photo cards. But how do you make this year's holiday card really fresh and original? Here are seven ideas to help you make your new photo Christmas cards stand out.

1. Go black and white photo for a dramatic look. Many digital cameras have a setting that will enable you to take your photo in black and white. Or you can change a color snapshot to grayscale in your photo editing software. If you don't know how to do it yourself, most photo card companies can do it for you at no extra charge.

Christmas Card

2. The more, the merrier. This year, include more than just the kids in your photo Christmas cards. Get in the picture with them! One year my uncle remarked that while he enjoyed receiving a photo of the kids every year, he would like to see a picture of us, too. So, gather the entire family, even the pets. And if you have an opportunity during the year to attend a large family get together with grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins, you might consider using a large group family photo.

3. Pack the Santa hat on vacation. Whether you're going to the beach, sightseeing in the city or pumpkin picking in the fall, bring along a holiday prop or two, such as a Christmas stocking or ornament. When you're taking photos of your family excursion, include a few with everyone holding or wearing the Christmas props for refreshingly different holiday photo.

4. Think personality. While you might enjoy a posed photo of your children all cleaned up, in nice clothes, with not even a hair out of place, it doesn't show off their real personalities. For more interesting photo Christmas cards, try taking some candid photos of your kids doing things they enjoy. Or pose them with props that reflect their interests or accomplishments.

5. Scrapbook a page. If you're creative, you can put together several cropped photos and your greeting on holiday background paper, then photograph or scan it to be used as your photo Christmas card. Since most photo card companies use 4 x 6 inch photos to produce your cards, trim a standard 12 x 12 inch scrapbooking page to 12 inches wide by 8 inches high as your background for your layout.

6. Embellish it. Even if you have already ordered standard photo Christmas cards, you might still be able to jazz them up a bit. Check out the scrapbooking aisles in your local craft store for tiny embellishments, such as bows, ribbons, and other holiday dimensional items. These are practically flat, since they are meant for a scrapbook page, so they will still fit into your envelope after you glue them on your cards.

7. Shop around. There are so many photo Christmas card companies on the internet that are offering unique, original, personalized designs. Some designs can even contain multiple photos, so you don't have to worry about getting that one perfect snapshot. Or they will put your photo into the shape of an ornament, tree, or other holiday symbol. Many companies will let you write your own message, so you have more choices and options. They come in all price ranges, so it pays to do some browsing.

So, don't be afraid to try something a little different with your photo Christmas cards this year. With a little imagination, your holiday photo cards will be truly special.

Photo Christmas Cards - 7 Unique Ideas For This Year's Holiday Card

Use Free Christmas Clip Art In Your Holiday Craft Projects!

It's hard to believe, but Christmas is right around the corner, now is the time to start your Christmas and holiday craft projects. You can use free
Christmas clip art found on the internet to spice up your web site or holiday greeting cards. With a simple Google image search for Christmas clip art, you can find hundreds of free images for download which you can use in all of your holiday projects. Not only will you find lots of great free Christmas images to download, but you can also find Christmas craft projects for the entire family with a quick search.

Some of the cool holiday and Christmas images that you will find are Santa images, Christmas tree images, wreath and holly clip art images, and snowmen and other holiday characters. If you have access to a photo program like Photoshop or something similar, you can download the images directly to your computer and then edit them in your photo program.

Christmas Card

Scale them to different sizes, change colors and create your own Christmas creation. Many of the holiday clip art images you will find are outlined with no fill colors. This means you can download and print these images, which make perfect coloring projects for the kids.

It can be a lot of fun to create your own holiday greeting cards by using a text or image program, combined with free Christmas clip art that you download from the internet. You can select which images you want to use in your greeting cards and customize them to be completely original. If you have your own blog or website, you can also upload the clip art images to decorate your pages for the holiday season. So if you're starting your holiday craft projects, do a quick google search or you can visit this link for tons of free Christmas clip art images.

Use Free Christmas Clip Art In Your Holiday Craft Projects!

The Top 10 Funniest Holiday Photo Card Ideas Revealed

The holidays can represent a wide range of beliefs, traditions, and gift-giving opportunities. While the holidays are traditionally a time of religious and spiritual contemplation and rejoicing, everyone can use some humor in their life. This is especially true in today's tight economy where many families are discovering that they will be unable to travel to see family and friends this holiday season. This realization is making the use of Christmas cards and holiday photo cards, once again, a great way to reconnect with loved ones without breaking the family bank account.

Everyone needs a good laugh now and then. You can use your Christmas cards as a way to spread some holiday cheer by using humorous family photographs to design custom made holiday cards. Nearly everyone has a photograph or two that can bring on a smile even on the worst of days. If you do not have one that will work, there are plenty of opportunities to create a humorous holiday photo card with a digital camera and very little effort.

Christmas Card

1. Bathtub Bubbles - Bubble bath photos nearly always bring a smile, especially when the tub is also filled with pets and/or children dressed in Santa hats or reindeer antlers. The bubbles end up being props of their own and the delighted faces of your children will shine through on these holiday photo cards.

2. Crazy Crashes - We don't actually want to see anyone get hurt, but sometimes the camera is right where it needs to be to catch a moment that says it all. Feet in the air, skyrocketing eyebrows, and mouths in a perfect "O" can bring make us laugh out loud in spite of ourselves.

3. Doing It Old School - Grab the family and get decked out in something hysterically historical. Add a sepia-time filter and you have everything you need for some comical Christmas cards.

4. Dressing Up - Most children love the chance to dress up in Mommy and Daddy's clothes. Grab an armful of shoes, jackets, dresses, and hats and let the fun begin. Your kids will parade and prance for as long as your camera batteries will last, creating funny family photographs perfect for your holiday photo cards.

5. Driveway Deliberations - Take a broom to the driveway and break out a big box of brightly colored chalk and urge family members to add their holiday message to the driveway. Once all of your "artists" have completed their works, have a neighbor snap a shot of the family declaring their holiday driveway message.

6. Exquisitely Embarrassing - Everyone has photographs that make the subject cringe and groan out loud as family and friends laugh riotously and tease affectionately. These humorous Christmas photo cards are sure to be a favorite, as everyone else recalls embarrassing moments of their own.

7. Food Foibles - Whether the photograph is of a toddler wearing their birthday cake or a bowlful of spaghetti, kids involuntarily feeding the family dog, or the new wife's smoke-filled kitchen, these photographs are sure to provide the comic relief everyone needs this holiday season.

8. Hysterical Holidays - Thanksgiving turkeys that ended up on the floor, silly Halloween costumes, family vacation adventures, birthday party disasters, and cake-mashing wedding photographs can all be used to generate humor as well as let others know what your family has been up to during the year.

9. Intriguing Insights - Candid photographs often show far more than was intended. Children stuck in buckets, dogs sneaking up on unsuspecting diners, and the kids' attempt at bathing the family dog can all provide plenty of good choices for your holiday photo cards.

10. Pampered Pets - Pets make great subjects for humorous Christmas cards. Most dogs and even some cats will tolerate being dressed, decorated, and posed in countless humorous photo card options. Santa hats, antlers, and human clothing can all be used to create something silly that everyone will enjoy.

We should always be looking for ways of thinking outside the box. There may be a humorous photo waiting to happen, and through more creative or non-conventional situations, you may easily capture that next holiday Christmas memory. This is also a simple, easy way to have a whole lot of fun!

The Top 10 Funniest Holiday Photo Card Ideas Revealed

10 Fun Photo Christmas Card Ideas For Your Family Holiday Greeting

What are you going to do to make this year's photo Christmas cards really stand out?  You don't have to fall back on the same old ideas this holiday.  Here are ten suggestions to help you make this season's family greeting the best one yet.

1. Try a different spin on a traditional theme.  This fall take a picture of the kids with a pumpkin snowman.  Just stack three pumpkins, graduating in size with the biggest on the bottom and their stems removed.  Paint a face on the top pumpkin, carve a small hole to hold the carrot nose, then put a Santa hat or wool cap on top and add a scarf.  If you live near the beach, you can make a sand snowman instead.

Christmas Card

2. Transform an ordinary photo Christmas card into a religious one by adding your favorite Bible verse. Look for a company that will let you create your own personalized message, instead of just sticking with the text shown on the sample.

3. Nothing is cuter than a holiday greeting that contains a photo of an adorable animal in a seasonal setting.  The easiest way to achieve this look yourself is to take a picture of your sleeping dog or cat on top a sheet of wrapping paper or under the tree.  Add the caption, "peace on earth" and wait for the "aaaahs".

4. Create a four seasons look with a multi photo Christmas card that has space for four photos.  Then choose pictures of your kids from the past year during the winter, spring, summer and fall. Personalize it with the words, "thinking of you at Christmas...and all year, too!"

5. Is your little one a budding artist?  He or she can help you to create a really unique holiday greeting.  Ask him to draw a picture of the family with crayons. Then, it's your turn to cut out the faces of each family member from snapshots and glue them to the top of the crayon bodies. Take a close up photo of the masterpiece for this year's card.

6. Are you famous for your holiday baking? If you're always being asked for the recipe for one of your seasonal goodies, you can turn that into a fun photo Christmas card.  Write out the directions on a pretty recipe card, then clip a family photo onto the card, perhaps of the kids baking cookies. Be careful not to cover any of the instructions with that picture. You might want to add the words, "wishing you a sweet Christmas".

7. For impact, try black and white with a touch of color.  Your favorite photo with the kids in Santa hats can be changed into an artistic black and white picture with just the Santa hats in red.  Most online photo Christmas card companies will do this for you at no extra charge.

8. Make a statement.  What makes your family tick?  Are you a bunch of beach bums, taking advantage of sun and surf every possible moment in the summer?  Then include photos in your holiday greeting of the kids playing in the waves and building sand castles.  Are you all sports enthusiasts? Then feature action shots of your children playing for their team.  Are you involved in animal rescue, active in politics, big on barbecues, busy selling homemade jewelry at craft shows, passionate about your faith? Find a way to work it into your pictures.  This year, instead of a posed portrait, give people a glimpse into your family dynamics.

9. Send a holiday greeting that takes a trip down memory lane.  For this idea, you will need to select Christmas cards that feature multiple photos.  Choose your current favorite family picture and then add one or more photos of the kids when they were younger for a then and now effect. You might want to ask the card company to change the older photos to black and white or make the current picture larger than the rest. Don't forget to add captions underneath indicating the year the photographs were taken.

10. If you're still looking for a fresh idea for this year's Christmas greeting, then it's time to browse. Start searching through the huge variety of designs in photo holiday cards online until you find one in particular that inspires you.  Maybe it's a candy cane motif and you'll think of posing the kids with comically oversized candy canes.  Or you'll fall in love with one that has a pale blue background with snowflakes, which might lead you to dress the family in shades of blue.  Many times, it's easier to pick out the card first, which will set the tone for the pictures you want to include.

This year you can have an amazing photo Christmas card that gets rave reviews from friends and relatives.  All it takes is a little inspiration and thought to make this season's greeting a one of a kind expression of your family.

10 Fun Photo Christmas Card Ideas For Your Family Holiday Greeting

Choosing Holiday and Christmas Cards For Corporate Clients

Business holiday cards can be an important part of your corporate communications. Just as you send a holiday note to your friends and family, you should send a cheerful year end note to your clients, thanking them for helping make your year a success. Make sure you and your business are ready for the holiday season with the right cards for your clients and colleagues.

Why send holiday cards?
As the year draws to a close, most are celebrating the holidays and anticipating the New Year. This is a great time to reflect on the year and send a well-deserved 'thank you' to your clients. A holiday card can be a nice way to tie up the year with your clients and tell them how much you're looking forward to the New Year.

Christmas Card

Holiday cards to match your corporate stationery
When choosing your corporate cards, make sure they can either be customized with your company logo or they are available in colors that match your company colors. You should also choose a holiday card that is printed on quality paper. Skimping on a detail like this is not a great message to send. Picking a heavy card stock will also make the colors on your card stand out for an all-over elegant look.

Personalization
Anyone can send out a slew of cards with a rubber stamp, but this might not be the message you want to send. Take the time to write your greeting and sign you name. If time allows, you should think about writing a personalized line or two. Another nice touch is a hand written address. An address label can often look like 'junk mail' and should be avoided for your holiday cards. You might want to solicit some help for this if your list is large.

Timing
The mail can be congested around the holidays so make certain you've got enough time to tackle this task. After Thanksgiving you should update your mailing list and make certain you're addresses are correct and up-to-date. We all get busy and can underestimate how much time this might take. If you find yourself in the middle of December and your cards are not out, you should skip the holiday card. Start shopping for a New Year's card and get working on putting those cards in the mail.

The holiday itself
Most importantly you need to be sensitive of your client's traditions. We don't all celebrate the same holidays, so steer clear of Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas or specific holiday wishes. 'Happy Holidays' and 'Season's Greetings" are perfectly acceptable sentiments for your corporate holiday cards. You can save your religious and specific holiday wishes for friends and family.

Don't miss this important opportunity to connect with your clients with holiday cards. A 'Happy Holidays' wish and a thoughtful thank you can ensure your client loyalty for years to come. Just remember to take the time to put your personal touch on the cards and you'll be ending the year and starting the new one on a cheerful note.

Choosing Holiday and Christmas Cards For Corporate Clients

Family Traditions - Why, and Some Holiday Ideas

Maybe you remember a special tradition your mother did before Christmas, or how you always had a special family tradition that is a part of your growing up memories. Some families starting out may have stopped some traditions that did not care for, and are looking for new traditions that they can use to build their own special family memories.

Whatever your situation, traditions can and should be a fun thing for your family, creating memories that last, and instilling good values. One researcher is quoted on the Ohio State University website that, "Families that have the strongest ties have the most traditions or rituals in their life". So, pick traditions that you like, and that your children will just think are the coolest things ever.

Christmas Day

Tradition can be defined as:

1. The transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.

2. A long-established custom or belief that has been passed on in this way.

Customs can be defined as your family's rituals or practices for daily or weekly routines, such as a pizza night, what you do on certain days, or your daily routine.

Traditions do not have to be expensive, or extravagant. I am reminded of hearing Tom Hanks say what he did for Christmas: "We come downstairs in our pajamas, and open presents". This is not an exact quote, but conveys that he does what many others do, on the same day.

Seasonal family traditions include summer vacations and holidays, anniversaries, birthdays. Following are some ideas that can help create awesome family memories:

Easter:

1. find a sunrise service being held at a church, and attend. (This can be a memorable experience even for non-earlybirds!)

2. Make quiche.

Memorial day-

1. Find a place to escape to and kiss a lot, for you married people.

2. Family BBQ.

3. Go for a hike.

Fourth of July

1. Go to a certain campground, or to a big Fourth of July celebration.

2. Watch Independence Day, or the Patriot.

3. Have your favorite berry pie or dessert.

Labor day - spend it at the beach! But of course not everyone can do this, so come up with your own getaway place; for practicality keep it under a 2 hour drive.

Summer time family get togethers - how about a yearly get together for extended family -- potlucks, or bbq's at a park or family member's home.

Thanksgiving

1. Have everyone say what they are thankful for, at the dinner table.

2. Watch Squanto, or read a Thanksgiving story.

3. Go shopping the next day!

Christmas

1. A Christmas family tradition idea that I grew up with is Christmas calendar that held special activities for each day of the month; it had a place for a scroll of paper that was to be opened each day. This was handmade by my mom, and it was great fun seeing what special activity the evening held for us. You could modify it for the 12 days of Christmas.

2. Have a berry cobbler for breakfast. Check out my website below for a great place to store your favorite family recipes.

3. Watch the Christmas Carol.

4. Read the Christmas Story.

5. Go to pick out your own Christmas tree, and/or put it up on Dec. 1st.

6. Go to a Christmas musical.

7. Make your own special treats to give away as presents.

Hopefully I have given you some fresh ideas that will give you some great family memories.

Family Traditions - Why, and Some Holiday Ideas

Chicago Holiday Events and Attractions You Don't Want to Miss!

This year, take a break from the hustle and bustle of preparing for the holidays and truly enjoy this season with some of Chicago's many holiday festivities. From light festivals and holiday markets to Santa Clause and "Reindog" parades, Chicago offers an abundance of holiday events easily accessible from most Chicago hotels. Here is this season's guide to some of Chicago's best holiday attractions your family will love!

Magnificent Mile Lights Festival

Christmas Eve

On Saturday, November 20, 2010, celebrate the holidays with family-friendly fun and activities including stage performances, ice-carving contests, and the lighting of one million lights along the magnificent Michigan Avenue. This year is rumored to be bigger, better, and brighter than ever, so make your Chicago hotels reservations soon for the true holiday experience.

Christkindlmarket Chicago

Experience a traditional German American holiday market opening right after Thanksgiving at Daley Plaza through Christmas Eve. This holiday tradition has brought the holiday spirit to Chicago for over 15 years, and offers special German Christmas treats, music, and entertainment throughout the season. Take a stroll through the snowy Christkindlmarket and you are sure to leave filled the spirit of a true German American Christmas.

Chicago Botanic Garden December Events

If you are looking for a holiday festivity your whole family will enjoy, including your dog, the check out the Wonderland Express at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The festivities include the Wonderland Express train exhibit, Hanukkah Dinner, Breakfast or Supper with Santa, and Hot Chocolate with Mrs. Claus. You can also enter your pooch into the annual Reindog Parade-just make sure your Chicago hotels reservations are pet-friendly before bringing along Buddy the Basset Hound dressed like a reindeer.

Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light

November 18 through January 9 of the New Year, the halls of the Museum of Science and Industry will be decked for this holiday season. The museum will showcase more than 50 Christmas trees each decorated by Chicago's ethnic communities to represent their global cultures. The Holiday Stage will also feature various dance and choral groups for your entertainment. Perfect for all ages, your whole family will love strolling through the trees before heading back to your Chicago hotel rooms, especially as falling "snow" whirls all around.

Chicago is famous for its spectacular winter wonderland season and is the perfect place for a family getaway with your loved ones. With many Chicago hotels nestled closely to some of the best holiday festivities to choose from, your family will have a Christmas to remember and will look forward to their next holiday experience in Chicago.

Chicago Holiday Events and Attractions You Don't Want to Miss!