Christmas Day http://christmasday.blogbun.com Just another Blogbun.com Free Wordpress Blog Hosting! weblog Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:45:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Home-made Stained Glass Window Christmas Treats http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/12/home-made-stained-glass-window-christmas-treats/ http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/12/home-made-stained-glass-window-christmas-treats/#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:45:23 +0000 alex http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/12/home-made-stained-glass-window-christmas-treats/ Image : http://www.flickr.com These Christmas treats are brilliant festive fun. They look really cool hanging from the Christmas tree with the fairy lights shinning through them, and they taste great too! They are [...]]]>
Image : http://www.flickr.com

These Christmas treats are brilliant festive fun. They look really cool hanging from the Christmas tree with the fairy lights shinning through them, and they taste great too! They are great fun to make, and make the kitchen smell like a sweet factory – Yummy.

What you will need…

1 packet of frozen pastry. Allow to fully defrost, see the back of the packet for instructions.

1 Bag of clear coloured boiled sweets.

Cardboard

What to do…

First, whilst the pastry is defrosting you can be designing and making stencils. You could try a star, a Christmas stocking, a Christmas tree, a bell, a sprig of holly, anything festive and with a Christmas theme is great. The stencils need to be simple and they need to have hole inside them. If there is too much detail they might break whilst you are making them. Make sure as well that your stencil is an appropriate size to hang on your Christmas tree. Once you have cut out your Christmas stencil leave it on one side until later.

Set the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4

Line a backing sheet with greaseproof paper

Lightly dust the surface with flour to prevent the pastry sticking and roll out the pastry thinly with a rolling pin. Lie your stencil on the top of the pastry and carefully cut round it with a knife. The knife doesn’t have to be very sharp, pastry isn’t hard to cut.

On the top of each shape you need to make a small hole to thread some ribbon through later so that you can hang the treat on the Christmas tree. Use the handle of a teaspoon to just push into the pastry to make a small hole.

Place your cut out shapes on the paper lined baking tray, so that they don’t touch.

Roll your pastry trimmings up into a ball and re-roll the pastry. Cut out as many Christmas shapes as you can, and keep re-rolling the pastry trimmings until all the pastry has been used.

Bake the Christmas shapes in the oven for 8 – 10 minutes.

In the mean time…

Rinse the rolling pin because you’re in for a smashing time! Place a wrapped boiled sweet onto a chopping board and tap it with the rolling pin to smash it. Once broken, unwrap the sweet and collect the broken sweet pieces on saucers, keeping all the colours separated. All the sweets need to be broken up.

Keep an eye on the time.

Take the pastry shapes out of the oven. Add different coloured crumbs of sweets to each hole in the pastry shapes. Colours in the same hole will merge. Experiment and see what designs you can make. Do be careful because the baking tray and the pastry will be hot.

Put the treats back in the oven for 2 minutes to let the sweets melt.

Take the treats out of the oven and leave to cool. Peel the treats off the paper and serve or thread ribbon or string through and hang them from your Christmas tree.

]]> http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/12/home-made-stained-glass-window-christmas-treats/feed/ 0 Christmas Decorations Start at Your Front Door http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/11/christmas-decorations-start-at-your-front-door/ http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/11/christmas-decorations-start-at-your-front-door/#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:02:23 +0000 alex http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/11/christmas-decorations-start-at-your-front-door/
Image : http://www.flickr.com

Christmas decorations start at your front door. Just like a wonderful book it starts with a great cover as an introduction. Eye appeal is part of creating the whole picture. There are plenty of ways to do it sometimes you will see a door that looks just like a huge gift. Others use a wreath to garnish their home. So walking up the walkway lined with candy canes lead to the presenter of the home with a beautiful decorated door.

It is just your preference what you would like to do. Your typical door welcome can be removed and replaced with one that says Happy Holidays. You can skip your door bell if you have a knocker installed with jingle bells. The sky is the limit when it comes to decorating. Use your imagination and add your special touch. You can surround the door with garland that is pretty during the day and lit up at night. If your child has colored a pretty picture, add it as a focus point to share with others. Children love the recognition, we all know the refrigerator is an art magnet.

Tiny trees are great around the front door on your porch or deck. This will complete the welcome at the door. Taking a few simple and easy steps with Christmas Decorations can make your home glow with the Holiday Spirit. Use extra Christmas Decorations and your childrens Holiday pictures to create a unique entry to your home. These simple steps will greet your friends, relatives and visitors when entering your home and get them in the Holiday Spirit.

]]> http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/11/christmas-decorations-start-at-your-front-door/feed/ 0 Scrooge http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/11/scrooge/ http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/11/scrooge/#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:00:25 +0000 alex http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/11/scrooge/ Scrooge
Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the film classic, Scrooge, starring legendary British stage star Sir Seymour Hicks as the famous penny-pincher who cares for nothing except money until he is visited by spirits who teach him the true meaning of the season. Don’t be a humbug. Pop in this must-have DVD and let the Christmas spirit take hold.

This British production of Dickens’s Christmas Carol has been eclipsed by subsequent versions, but it stands on its own as a darkly atmospheric (if sometimes regrettably brisk) telling of the beloved tale. Even with the rough quality of existing prints, this Scrooge has a visual intensity that approaches the bold compositions of German expressionism. And in its central role it has a mostly forgotten star: Sir Seymour Hicks, one of the era’s celebrated English stage actors. With his gnarled face and flyaway hair, Hicks looks every inch the mean old misanthrope, and his cruelty has a realistic quality missing in some of the more stylized interpreters of the role. Hicks had played Scrooge many times on stage (and before in silent film), and he gets the tenor of every “Humbug!” just right. As a bandy-legged Bob Cratchit, Donald Calthorp is a perfect Victorian illustration come to grinning life. –Robert Horton

My five-star rating is strictly for movie content. As to this gray market dealer, look up other DVDs they sell by copying their name into Ammy’s search engine (which should be set to: MOVIES & TV). In this way you’ll be able to see what others think of AZZCDS product quality.

Each screen version of the Charles Dickens Christmas story has something to recommend it. Each follows Dickens’ text but also diverges from it or omits things. This movie is no exception, yet it remains by far my favorite of all.

Before committing Ebenezer Scrooge to film, Sir Seymour Hicks portrayed him on the British stage for over 30 years. A lifetime’s experience as the sad old miser shows. Hicks lives and breathes Scrooge; his surliness at story’s beginning is genuine and that miraculous transformation at the end is always a joy to behold. Watch Sir Seymour’s face closely as he reacts to comments from other characters. It’s as if he’s hearing their thoughts for the first time.

We learn from this 1935 classic that Ebenezer and longtime business partner Jacob Marley shared not only the same office, but a miserable home as well. In the famous doorknocker scene, we get our only glimpse of dead Marley’s ghostly face. Below it is a placard with his name crossed off and one of similar style and vintage that reads EBENEZER SCROOGE, ESQ.

The spirit of Marley appears to his old friend but not the audience; we can only hear him. This is logical, as is the indistinct glow that represents past Christmases. The future’s ghost is but a shadow on the wall or ground while Christmas Present has physical being, again quite appropriate, for the Christmas of this moment is the only tangible one, thus its herald has actual substance.

The London night depicted here is shadowy, fog-enshrouded and forbidding. Three robbers and a stolen goods buyer are ominous characters. Such details give this movie an edginess like no other.

Missing is much of Scrooge’s past: his unhappy boyhood, apprenticeship to Fezziwig and romance of Belle have been excised. Christmas Past picks up with Belle observing Ebenezer being heartless to desperate borrowers and she dumps him. Next we see Belle’s happy marriage and enormous family.

No explanation is given for Scrooge’s resentment of nephew Fred. His beloved sister, who died birthing Fred is also absent. The two starving children under Christmas Present’s voluminous gown aren’t there either.

With so many holes in the story, why do I prefer THIS Scrooge movie to all others? Atmosphere, the cast’s depth of feeling, a capturing of mid-19th Century England and most of all, Esq. Hicks, who inhabits Ebenezer like no other before or since make this story so very satisfying. Seeing the newborn Scrooge toddle off to the butcher shop, his humble appearance at nephew’s home and finally, his reverant attendance at Christmas Day services all ring true. This film has more recognition of Christianity than the others, and after all, who’s birthday are we celebrating every 25th of December?

ScroogeWhere to buy cheap prices? -Scrooge $4.56

Buy Cheap Scrooge at Amazon.com

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 11, 2010 12:00:24

]]> http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/11/scrooge/feed/ 0 First Christmas Ornament For That First Christmas Baby http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/11/first-christmas-ornament-for-that-first-christmas-baby/ http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/11/first-christmas-ornament-for-that-first-christmas-baby/#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:47:50 +0000 alex http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/11/first-christmas-ornament-for-that-first-christmas-baby/
Image : http://www.flickr.com

One way to make your Christmas tree stand out is to celebrate your new addition to the family with their very own baby’s first Christmas ornament.

When there is a baby in the house, the holidays take a heightened meaning. And none are more important than baby’s first Christmas, which is a time that will be forever cherished and remembered by parents and grandparents alike.

As a parent or a grandparent, another great tradition that can be started at baby’s first Christmas is the giving of their first Christmas ornament. Every year you give the child a Christmas ornament and by the time they leave home, they have a nice collection to put on their own Christmas tree.

My sister began this tradition many years ago with her 2 kids. She had no particular theme in mind she just wanted them to have a fun and memorable collection of their own and something they could look forward to each Christmas holiday. Many of the ornaments have her kids name on them, some have the year, some of them have the kids favorite sport or characters, and some have special meanings.

When my sister’s daughter moved into her own place, she bought some basic ornaments and decorations for her tree. But it was with pride and fond memories and maybe a few tears that she was able to hang all the ornaments that her mother had bought for her throughout the years. When my niece has kids of her own, she will carry on the tradition by giving them their very first Christmas ornament.

You can find special ornaments almost anywhere. Your local gift card stores should have a small selection. You can pick them up when you are vacationing somewhere, or you can also browse my favorite online shop listed below.

Granted, this gift is as much for the parent as the baby, but a personalized ornament is a must for baby’s first Christmas ornament. Be sure to get baby’s name as well as the year engraved on the ornament and hang it on your Christmas tree with pride every Christmas thereafter.

So why not start your own tradition and get your baby their very first Christmas ornament so they to can grow up and always have special memories year after year.

]]> http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/11/first-christmas-ornament-for-that-first-christmas-baby/feed/ 0 Holiday Magic http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/10/holiday-magic/ http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/10/holiday-magic/#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:00:21 +0000 alex http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/10/holiday-magic/ Holiday Magic
The Little Christmas Burro: A little brown burro struggles to find his place among the workhorses and camels only to discover he has acquired a most important position when a stranger named Joseph buys him at the market. Also features: Ginger Nutt’s Christmas Circus • Silent Night, The Story Of The Christmas Carol • Jingle Bells, A Hymnalogue • The Little Gray Neck

This is a nice collection of cartoon animation and some “sing-alongs”.

Buyers may want to note that everything on this disc, and a great deal more, except the “Jingle Bells” sing-along, may be found in a wonderful collection titled, “The Christmas Collection”, (currently priced .99), containing 13 hours and 35 minutes of excellent holiday entertainment.

Go to that product and check out my review and that of “Mysterious Mr Wong”

Holiday MagicWhere to buy cheap prices? -Holiday Magic $1.98

Buy Cheap Holiday Magic at Amazon.com

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 10, 2010 15:00:17

]]> http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/10/holiday-magic/feed/ 0 Santa’s Cookies – JibJab.com http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/10/santas-cookies-jibjab-com/ http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/10/santas-cookies-jibjab-com/#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:15:46 +0000 alex http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/10/santas-cookies-jibjab-com/ Ever wanted to meet Santa? These cookies wish they hadn’t. Send as an ecard this Christmas at jibjab.com! sendables.jibjab.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLrFfQ8U1aw&hl=en

]]> http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/10/santas-cookies-jibjab-com/feed/ 0 Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You (Johnny Depp) http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/09/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-johnny-depp/ http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/09/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-johnny-depp/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:30:32 +0000 alex http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/09/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-johnny-depp/ Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You with Johnny Depp!!! (Music Video) ………….. I seriously cannot believe the statistics this video has recieved. But it’s clear that most of the population loves Johnny and would surely choose this as the best xmas oh-I-don’t-have-the-person-I-want-but-wouldn’t-it-be-great-if-they-wrapped-themselves-up-and-waited-for-us-underneath-our-tree.. kind of song. Happy Christmas Everyone! :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsHDdawSjLU&hl=en

]]> http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/09/mariah-carey-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-johnny-depp/feed/ 0 Office Christmas Party – The Holiday Drag! http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/08/office-christmas-party-the-holiday-drag/ http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/08/office-christmas-party-the-holiday-drag/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:30:36 +0000 alex http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/08/office-christmas-party-the-holiday-drag/
Image : http://www.flickr.com

The Office Christmas party is often one big holiday bore. An event most employees feel obligated to attend but few enjoy. It’s time to break the crappy celebration cycle! With a little creativity and imagination your office Christmas party can be an event that the company staff looks forward to each year.

Let’s start with some newer planning ideas. If your company is a small to mid-sized operation a shared party is a great option. Like minded or complimentary companies share the venue and expense. A shared Christmas party will inject that “new and different” element to your affair. Guest will meet new people, and make professional connections; the companies will share in the expenses making it a “win-win event for everyone. Shared parties can be organized by party planning agencies who have experience in knowing which types of companies mix well. If your company party is being planned in-house, another option for organizing a shared party is to team up with vendors or clients that your company members enact with regularly.

Themes can go a long way to set the mood for party fun. The right theme spells fun but the wrong theme can be a party killer! Your party theme should fit the profile of your company and staff. Are most of your staff in their 20’s and 30’s? A party atmosphere with emphasis on music, dancing and drinking fits the bill. If the majority of your company is in their 30’s and 40’s or older a celebration focused on a wonderful dining experience followed by light music and dancing is a good option. Maybe your staff is very family oriented? An event that includes children with family-type games and activities would be a nice option. Consider two smaller type celebrations – a breakfast with Santa for the families and an evening of music and dancing for everyone.

Christmas parties don’t have to stick to holiday-type themes. Getting a little creative with different themes can make for a great night. There are a number of great party themes that will set a fun and festive party mood without the old worn out red and green décor. Some super theme ideas are:

Rio Carnival

Las Vegas Casino

Futuristic Fantasy

20s Speakeasy

Murder Mystery

60’s, 70’s or 80’s

Scavenger Hunt

Indoor Sports Party

Talent Show

There are hundreds of great party ideas with activities and events that follow the theme perfectly to get the party started and keep it going until last call. Professional party planners can help you choose a great party theme for your crowd and coordinate activities, refreshments and events for the celebration.

Another option to ensure office Christmas party success is to let your staff choose their own party. Giving your staff members party options to vote on is a great way to boost attendance and guarantee a great time. Put out a survey with party options and let your staff vote for the type of party preferred by the majority.

Whatever theme and venue is selected there are a number of activities that can add to the party fun. A roaming photographer can put guest photos with funny sayings in a presentation that is run throughout the party. Activities, games and contest always add to party fun. Management could volunteer childhood photos for the party guest to guess who is who. Door prizes with a great prize is a good way to keep an air of excitement as guest wait to see who wins the big prize.

If your office Christmas party is a more intimate affair there are a number of fun group games to keep the party interesting. Games are an important part of any party or celebration. Try some of these holiday games:

Christmas Gift Swap Have each guest bring a wrapped Christmas gift to exchange. Players will then each draw a number out of a hat. Whoever goes first gets to choose and open one of the gifts. Player number 2 will then have the option of “stealing” that gift or selecting and opening another gift. As the play goes on, players who have the higher numbers will be able to select from any of the opened gifts or a new gift. This games is great fun!

Christmas Scavenger Hunt Create a list of clues for Christmas-themed objects hidden around the party area. Guests first must solve the clue and then search for the item. The first person to find all of the items on the list wins. This is a great game for teams or departments for light-hearted competition.

Christmas Carol Game Sit the players in a circle and begin by having the first person sing the first line of a popular Christmas song or carol. The next player must sing the second line of the song. Play continues until a player doesn’t know the next line to the song. That person is then “out” and players can start over with a new song. Have song lyric sheets available for players to refer to if there is a question over the correct words to the songs.

Whether your office Christmas party is a large lavish affair or a small intimate celebration; a little creativity, planning and imagination will make it an event that everyone looks forward to attending.

]]> http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/08/office-christmas-party-the-holiday-drag/feed/ 0 Jon Bon Jovi – Please come home for Christmas http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/08/jon-bon-jovi-please-come-home-for-christmas/ http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/08/jon-bon-jovi-please-come-home-for-christmas/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:45:17 +0000 alex http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/08/jon-bon-jovi-please-come-home-for-christmas/ Jon Bon Jovi Christmas Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slTYj2h6OfY&hl=en

]]> http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/08/jon-bon-jovi-please-come-home-for-christmas/feed/ 0 Christmas Cookie Recipe Exchange – Fun Holiday Event http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/08/christmas-cookie-recipe-exchange-fun-holiday-event/ http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/08/christmas-cookie-recipe-exchange-fun-holiday-event/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:01:37 +0000 alex http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/08/christmas-cookie-recipe-exchange-fun-holiday-event/
Image : http://www.flickr.com

Who doesn’t like homemade Christmas cookies?

When I was a little girl my favorite holiday treat was no-bake cookies. I remember the sweet aroma throughout the house and the delightful gems lined up across the kitchen counter on waxed paper.

Mom made them perfect. She always made them around Christmas time. She made other kinds of cookies, but the no-bake ones stick in my mind.

Are you pressed for time or energy this holiday season and you just don’t have the time to make a big variety of homemade cookies? I have a really fun solution for you!

Host a Christmas cookie recipe exchange party. This is an excellent way to gather a nice assortment of Christmas cookies. The key to this event is “how many show up”…the more guests you invite, the more recipes and cookies you will end up with.

This event can even involve a holiday meal before hand as well to make it more festive. This is really up to you. But, the number one rule is…each guest that attends has to bring so many dozens of only one type of homemade cookie along with their recipe. (the exact amount of cookies are decided upon by the hostess).

Important Tips For Your Cookie Exchange Event

1. It’s best to print the recipes on index cards. Each guest will need to bring multiple copies of their recipe. Make sure your guests include their names on top of each recipe copy. It would be a good idea for you to have extra index cards on hand just in case there is not enough to go around to each guest that attends.

2. Have your guests call you to let you know what recipe they will be preparing and bringing to the event. (just to make sure none of them are bringing the same recipe) Of course, you want them all to be unique to provide a good variety.

3. Have some festive throw away containers or trays available for each of your guests to gather their cookies in.

4. If you decide on a meal…to make it easy on yourself, finger foods work really well for this type of event. Make it a buffet style. A good idea for a beverage would be some hot cider.

5. Have fun with this event and set a festive table display!

A cookie exchange party is a really fun way to visit with family and friends and end up with some special holiday treats and recipes all at the same time…not to mention, it’s saves YOU time and energy when it comes to baking.

Below is my Mother’s recipe for no-bake cookies:

No Bake Cookies

Ingredients

2 c. sugar

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. cocoa (unsweetened)

1 stick margarine

1/2 c. smooth peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 c. quick oats

Directions

Combine sugar, milk, cocoa in small saucepan. Bring to boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat, add remaining ingredients. Mix well.

Drop by tsp. onto waxed paper. (May need to refrigerate)

]]> http://christmasday.blogbun.com/2010/03/08/christmas-cookie-recipe-exchange-fun-holiday-event/feed/ 0