Search Results for: blog effective use of christmas cards

Paying for (next) Christmas

Yes, this could be the blog of great depression. After all, it’s only just past Boxing Day and I’m talking about what? Paying for Christmas? Christmas 2011? Well, yes. And you can close your eyes and plug your ears now if you wish. I won’t tell. However, as Tristi mentioned in her recent blog, paying for Christmas with cash just feels good. It does not feel good to wake up on December 26th with a load of squeaking toys and a big, big balance on the credit card. How can you avoid that morning after the day before budget? Reduce … Continue reading →

What is Christmas?

For many people Christmas is all about spending time with family. For others it is about presents and shopping and the hype that goes along with Santa and presents. For those estranged from family or with no loved one nearby Christmas is the loneliest time. It is no surprise that the suicide rate goes up at Christmas. Christmas is the time when we celebrate the fact of God’s love sending His Own Son into the world as a human baby. As Michael Card puts it ‘Christmas is the celebration of the keeping of a promise… the promise that he would … Continue reading →

Christmas Lights?

Last week at church the minister talked of why Christmas and Christmas lights always go together. I’d heard other reasons as to how they were connected but they often seemed rather tenuous. But I liked the way he linked them. It made the most sense to me. Right from the beginning Christmas has always been linked with light. He used as his reference the prophecy of Isaiah 60:1-3 and the light coming into the darkness. John 1:1-5 and John 1:9-18 also pick up on this theme, identifying Jesus as the fulfillment of that Isaiah prophecy and the light come into … Continue reading →

A Christmas Movie To Share with Your Loved One

‘Every Christmas should contain at least one soppy Christmas movie,’ my husband said as we perused the shelves of the video shop. We opted for ‘The Christmas Cottage.’ The alternative title is ‘Home for Christmas.’ When you’re not feeling well as Mick hasn’t been, the last thing you need is something heavy. Sometimes a piece of light entertainment is exactly what’s called for. Mick isn’t a fan of stories based on true life events but for some reason the blurb about this one appealed to both of us. It is about the artist Thomas Kincade The only actors we knew … Continue reading →

Effective Use of Christmas Cards

Well, I finally got around to sending our Christmas cards out yesterday. It was interesting on the weekend to read in the Sydney Morning Herald that Australia is the fourth largest greeting card market in the world. We come behind the US, UK and Netherlands. Of course all of those are not Christmas cards. But the article said on average Australians send out 21 Christmas cards a year. We must be sending out someone else’s share as well as we sent out more than that.Not surprisingly between 85-95 percent of the cards are bought by women. We usually buy them … Continue reading →

Christmas Day Lessons

I hate taking homeschool attendance, as required by Georgia Homeschooling Regulations. As far as I am concerned, since we HOME school, it is somewhat hard to not attend. Technically, if you wanted you could just check off every single day including holidays and weekends on the attendance sheet. However, it can be difficult to explain or justify homeschooling activities on Christmas day. Here is a list of learning activities that you could record on Christmas Day: 1. Reading: Reading instructions, that is! 2. Order of Operations: If there is an item to be assembled, they will quickly learn the importance … Continue reading →

Making the Most of Leftovers

Tis the season to go through your scrapbooking stash. The holidays are a great time to assess the type and amount of scrapbook materials you have in stock.  The items that you want can be added to your Christmas wish list, while the leftovers can be used to craft end-of-the-year memory books. Taking inventory of your scrapbooking paper, embellishments and albums may sound like a pain, but in the long run it can prove to be a very cost-effective exercise.  In addition, finding ways to repurpose existing materials is a wonderful way to flex your creative muscle. Here are some … Continue reading →

Printing Photos from a SD Card

PictBridge technology may be a popular way to share phenomenal photos with family and friends, but it is hardly the only way. Another very effective and easy way to print frame worthy shots is through a card reader. These days you will be hard pressed to find a digital camera that doesn’t have the memory space to store at least a few thousand high-resolution pictures. However, if you want to move your cherished shots from your camera directly onto your computer without using cables, you’ll need a card reader. This is where a Secure Digital (SD) card comes into play. … Continue reading →

When a Child Makes a Racist Taunt To Another Child

No matter how much we read about adoption, there is a tremendous tendency to believe that your own kids are not getting questions or comments about race or adoption. The last few blogs have talked about helping to avoid stereotypes in children by having diverse books, dolls, and posters in their environment, and by specific actions and discussions to help kids develop empathy and learn about the contributions people of various races have made and are making to our society. Now I will mention some suggestions for a time when a child actually says or hears a racist comment or … Continue reading →

Decorating Together

Finally it’s starting to look a little like Christmas. The nativity scene, which is always first up and the last item packed away, went up a few days ago. It’s in the lounge room near the fornt hall where people will see it as soon as they come in. It’s a ceramic set we’ve had for many years and still one of the nicest I’ve ever seen. Yet, it had not been a major expense, unlike some Mick and I saw recently. One that we both liked was made out of what looked like carved glass. It was magnificent. But … Continue reading →