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Archive for the 'Christmas Decorations' Category

Santa Outfits For More Christmas Fun

Published on December 5, 2007 in Christmas Celebrations, Christmas Decorations and Santa Claus. 0 Comments

Santa outfits are one of the first things to come to mind when I think of Christmas. When I was little one of the highlights of Christmas was meeting Santa in his red Santa suit at the local department store. We would queue up to sit on his knee and be photographed as we blurted out our most secret wishes of what we would like to find under the tree on Christmas morning. Often as not I would promise him a piece of Christmas cake and glass of whisky when he called, which always seemed to bring a sparkle to his eyes - you see, every Christmas my Mom had me help her set up that little treat on Christmas Eve, and it was always gone in the morning. I guess my Dad enjoyed it.

Santa OutfitThose days a Santa outfit was uncommon, so it was easy for a kid to believe that guy in the store was the real thing. Nowadays you see Santa costumes all over the town at Christmas. That's no bad thing. It really adds to the festivities.

A few years ago Granddad  showed up at our house on Christmas morning all dressed up as Santa in a Santa Claus costume, and ready to hand out the gifts from under the tree - much to the delight of the kids. Now it has become a much loved family tradition at our house. And yes, I bribe him with a piece of Christmas cake and a glass of whisky to bring an extra sparkle to his eyes!

Santa Outfits are easy to get and are not expensive to buy for good quality. It's so easy to dress up and look the part, and it adds so much to the family fun of Christmas to have a Santa Claus in the house at Christmas. They come in a variety of styles and sizes, including plus sized Santa costumes for big men. You can even get a version of a Santa Claus suit cut down for wearing in warmer climates! There is also a variation of  blue Santa suits, though my preference is still the traditional rich red Santa outfit with white trimmings and black belt and boots. A bell is a nice touch to add to a Santa costume as well, and there are other Christmas costumes for Santa's wife and his other little helpers available at this leading online Christmas costume store.

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Bucilla Christmas Stocking

Published on November 20, 2007 in Christmas Crafts, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Gifts and Christmas Presents. 0 Comments

Sometimes the best gift you can give to your child is one that you create by hand. You can create a beautiful Bucilla Christmas stocking that is sure to be a wonderful keepsake for your child. This hand crafted holiday decoration can be made from any number of patterns and designs offered by the Bucilla Company.

The Bucilla Christmas stocking is not your grandmother's craft project. This item comes in an array of styles and many of these designs are really modern. The patterns seem to merge traditional holiday themes with a peppering of modern amenities that are sure to please children as well as adults.

I find the patterns to be wonderful to work with. I love arts and crafts but I do shy away from any kind of project that requires sewing. During the holiday season I always try to find a project that I can complete by hand. The Bucilla Christmas stocking is the perfect craft for me. The sewing is simple and the project is a great way for me to find my way around stitches.

I decided to order a felt applique kit from the company this year and I am thrilled with the product. The Bucilla Christmas stocking comes with instructions that are so easy to follow that I think that any novice sewer would be comfortable working with the craft. The step-by-step process is more than easy to complete and I almost didn't want the project to end so quickly.

Inside the Bucilla Christmas felt applique kit you will find everything you need to complete your holiday craft. The felts are pre-stamped with adorable designs and you have plenty of embellishments like sequins and beads. The Bucilla Christmas stocking even comes with beautiful gold plated needles to make the sewing a little more elegant.

What I love about the kit aside from the adorable patterns and ease of use is the modern amenities that go with the Bucilla Christmas stocking felt applique kit. You can choose a pattern with a holiday tree that really lights up. There are a number of stockings that play music, too.

Many of the patterns are really old-fashioned. The Woodland Santa Bucilla Christmas stocking seems as if it were created over a century ago. The design is magnificently aged but the item is brand new. This is my favorite design of them all.

The great thing about this particular piece is that it is musical as well as attractive. It is a prime example of how the Bucilla Christmas stocking merges the old with the new.

Bucilla 85431 Felt Aplique Stocking- Sugar Plum Fairy Bucilla 85431 Felt Aplique Stocking- Sugar Plum Fairy
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $15.28

BUCILLA-Felt Applique Stocking. Bucilla always has the highest quality; most brightly colored and creative designs for their fabulous Christmas Applique Kits. This Kit contains stamped felt; cotton floss; sequins and/or beads; needles and trilingual instructions. Finished measurements are approximately 18in. Design: Sugar Plum Fairy. Designer: Marie Stanziani. Made in USA.
Bucilla 86059 Felt Aplique Stocking- Snowflake Snowman Bucilla 86059 Felt Aplique Stocking- Snowflake Snowman
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $15.84

BUCILLA-Felt Applique Stocking. Bucilla always has the highest quality; most brightly colored and creative designs for their fabulous Christmas Applique Kits. This Kit contains stamped felt; cotton floss; sequins and/or beads; needles and trilingual instructions. Finished measurements are approximately 18in. Design: Snowflake Snowman. Designer: Marie Stanziani. Made in USA.
Bucilla 86063 Felt Aplique Stocking- Pop-up Santa Bucilla 86063 Felt Aplique Stocking- Pop-up Santa
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $16.15

BUCILLA-Felt Applique Stocking. Bucilla always has the highest quality; most brightly colored and creative designs for their fabulous Christmas Applique Kits. This Kit contains stamped felt; cotton floss; sequins and/or beads; needles and trilingual instructions. Finished measurements are approximately 18in. Design: Pop-Up Santa. Designer: Maria Stanziani. Made in USA.
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Bird Christmas Ornament

Published on November 20, 2007 in Christmas Decorations, Christmas Gifts, Christmas Presents and Christmas Tree. 0 Comments

Any real bird lover will appreciate a bird Christmas ornament to add to his decorative Christmas tree ornament collection. There are many types of birds represented in ornaments to choose from these days, and bird ornaments come in a variety of styles. You can even create your own original design for a bird Christmas ornament.

The bluebird is a much loved bird that can be seen in many American yards and parks almost every day. Many of us like to feed the bluebirds that live in our back yards and we love to simply sit back and watch these colorful creatures as they hop and fly around. A perfect bird Christmas ornament collection just has to have at least one bluebird ornament.

The cardinal is a traditional icon of winter. The arrival of this magnificent red bird is a welcome aspect of the arrival of winter. Many people traditionally associate the cardinal with the Christmas holiday season. Bird Christmas ornaments that feature the cardinal are popular and very easy to find. You may have trouble deciding which one of the many you see to choose for your collection. Here is a novel Christmas decoration idea: Birds - Red Cardinal - Light Switch Covers - single toggle switch

The chickadee is another story. Although not as colorful as the others, this plain little bird is simply adorable to look at. You may have greater difficulty finding a bird Christmas ornament of the chickadee. However, you will be glad that you took the time and effort to seek out your chickadee bird ornament because they are so very charming and simple. They make a touching addition to your bird ornament collection.

One of the most loved avian creatures is the parrot. This colorful bird can be found wisecracking its way into people's hearts and homes. I know many people who would love to add a parrot bird Christmas ornament to their Christmas tree decoration collections. The bright colors on this amazing bird will add depth and interest to any Christmas decoration set.

Penguins are so closely tied to cold and snow that you really can't have a bird Christmas ornament collection without at least one penguin in the set. I know many individuals whose bird ornament collections solely consist of this wonderful polar bird. Christmas decorating items that feature the penguin can be found at most Christmas shops, and the choices of designs and styles are seemingly endless. NFL Blown Glass Penguin Christmas Tree Ornament

When I was a teacher many of my students offered small presents during the holiday season. One of my favorites is a bird Christmas ornament made just for a teacher. This ornament features a wise owl as the central theme. I still think of my students fondly when I hang my owl bird Christmas ornament on the tree.

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Christmas Tree Farms

Published on November 15, 2007 in Christmas Decorations and Christmas Tree. 0 Comments

We live in an area with many Christmas tree farms. Many city people do not realize the work that has to go into growing Christmas trees. The trees need to be planted, trimmed and harvested. Christmas tree farms often plant a variety of trees because of the different rates of growth for each species of tree. We live close to several of the tree farms so we go out and cut down our own Christmas tree each year.

When I was growing up on a farm my parents had Norway pines on one end of the property. We cut down one of these trees each Christmas and dad would try to shape it before bringing it into the house. The long needles made it quite difficult to hang ornaments. Since I have been married we have tried several varieties of Christmas trees. Our favorite is the balsam Christmas tree. We also like the looks of a blue spruce, but it's needles are so prickly that you have to wear gloves while putting on the lights. The balsam Christmas tree has a wonderful fresh fragrance and is soft to the touch. It has short needles and the branches are sturdy, so it is easy to hang many Christmas tree ornaments on it. The balsam Christmas tree also holds its foliage very well so there is not much problem from shedding compared to many of the other short needle tree varieties. A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree

Last year when we went to cut down our tree we were told by the farmer that a new field had been opened up for cutting. This field featured the balsam Christmas tree that we were after, but also had several Frasier firs. The Frasier fir is supposed to be the most aromatic of all evergreens and does not shed its needles, and often commands a price premium. We tried one a few years ago and liked the looks of the tree and the fragrance. Frasier Fir Reed Diffuser, by Thymes However, we found the branches are very soft. These soft branches cannot hold all the heavier Christmas ornaments that we have collected through the years. This meant that many of the ornaments that had the most meaning to us had to be placed on the stronger inner branches. Because of this we decided that we would not spend the extra money for a Frasier fir again.

Most of our local Christmas tree farms offer a shaker service as well as a bagging service for the trees that are cut. The tree is placed in a stand on a mechanical shaker that helps to get rid of any dead needles and other debris that may be in the freshly cut tree. The tree is then shoved base first through a barrel that has netting on the other end. The netting surrounds the tree and is cut the length of the tree and tied at both ends. This allows for easier transportation as well as ease in getting a large tree into the house. The Christmas tree growers are always looking for ways to make getting your Christmas tree easier and more enjoyable. We are looking forward to going out to one of the Christmas tree farms to cut down our balsam Christmas tree again this year.

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An African American Christmas

Published on November 15, 2007 in Christmas Crafts, Christmas Decorations and Christmas Tree. 0 Comments

An African American Christmas theme is becoming part of the American culture. Many of the Christmas traditions have come from mid-winter conditions in Europe, and don't fit comfortably with celebrating Christmas in warmer climates. All those dominant Christmas images of snow and snowmen, warm clothing, heavy Christmas dinners, decorated Christmas trees and opening Christmas gifts by the fire are very northern European in origin. They owe much to German Christmas traditions that later became popular in Victorian England.

There is no reason why a homely Christmas celebration from an African American perspective can't take a different point of view.

An African American Christmas celebration need not be radically different. It's mostly a question of modifying the style and taste to make it easier for African Americans to identify with the Christmas traditions and decorations.

Fiber Optic Angel in Gold - African American (12")

African American Christmas cards, for example can use designs that reflect a distant African background, or more recent African American history and culture.

Christmas tree decorations can also reflect this background. African American Christmas tree ornaments often include charms shaped like giraffes, gazelle, lions, elephants and stylized African masks.

Other African American Christmas ornaments can celebrate African American literature, music, sport, education, farming, and all of the other areas in which African Americans have made a contribution to American culture. It's an opportunity to create designs with a distinctly African American style. Philadelphia Eagles NFL Glass African American Football Player Christmas Tree Ornament 4"

Washington Redskins 4.5" African American Football Tackler Christmas Tree Ornament

New Orleans Saints NFL Glass African American Football Player Christmas Tree Ornament 4"

Fiber Optic Woodland Santa - African American (16")

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Christmas House Lights

Published on November 14, 2007 in Christmas Decorations and Christmas Lights. 0 Comments

The sights and sounds of the Christmas holiday season can be quite enchanting. Just look at how popular homes covered in a display of Christmas house lights have become. People drive for miles in the evening to see great displays. The effect is even greater if home owners merge Christmas holiday music with a beautiful illuminated display. These days most towns have a few Christmas enthusiasts who prepare well thought out decorated homes that boast a huge array of beautiful Christmas house lights as well as holiday music.

Getting lighting to display in patterns together with the Christmas music needs the right controllers and can be pretty involved, but if you are technically inclined and driven to make the most of your holiday decorating adventure then you can make a spectacular job of decorating your house with Christmas lights.

Christmas house lights come in an array of styles and types. When you go shopping you will find there is a wide selection available.

Well chosen decorative light bulbs are the most important aspect of your Christmas lights house decorating plan if you are going to become the talk of your neighborhood. There are many different types of bulbs to consider. Some people like to stick to the traditional look while others want something hip and new. This year, for example, low power consumption LED lights are popular, and now come in an interesting range of colors. LED Christmas Multi-Colored 35 Light String Set / Green Wire

Your Christmas house lights can include the large, traditional bulbs, you know, the ones that look like large eggs. Some people use a string or two of these bulbs as the core of the Christmas house lights, to outline the shape of the house. These holiday lighting bulbs are available in many different colors. You can stick with an all white decor, a cool blue effect or a warm red tone. Some people choose to mix all different colors in their themes.

The traditional large bulbs work well for larger homes but you may want something a little less domineering. There are plenty of delicate twinkling outdoor lighting products that are perfect for creating a lovely starlit effect for your Christmas house lights display. These lights also complement the larger bulbs very well in a more complicated lighting display. Of course, you have a big choice of colors in this kind of product as well. Some lights come installed in a netting that makes it easy to drape them over your house or garden shrubs.

Icicle Christmas lights make delightful presentations that offer both the twinkling sparkle as well as a ready-made design that is a cinch to add to your display, especially hanging from the eaves. They are really popular right now. Again, the color range is yours for the choosing. Set Of 200 Clear Color Christmas Icicle Lights With White Wire By GE #61586

Solar powered lights are an option to simplify your installation, operating cost and safety considerations. Strathwood Snowball 12-Pack Solar String of Lights with remote Control

Even just a simple Christmas house lights display using easily installed lighting such as netting or icicle lighting can have a big impact on how your home will look this Christmas Eve.

Have a happy and bright holiday season!

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