Its Never Too Early To Shop For Christmas
August 11, 2008
Every year we go through the same process of making our list of people we need to buy for and agonize over those one or two people that are almost impossible to buy for. You spend all that time at the mall or online trying to find an appropriate gift that says care and attention went into this gift.
Well this year you may be able to do something a little different, especially for the ones who are hard to buy for.
Every home you go to you will see art prints, posters or photographs adorning the walls. If you go through a gallery of motivational posters you will find prints of all kinds that have inspirational sayings such as "Goals-Dolphin, which says, There is no end to the amount of things you can accomplish". This is great for home or office. Office gifts are often the more tricky gifts and a motivational poster is the kind of gift that is beautiful and inspirational.
For the person you are buying for, are they interested in hockey, football, baseball, golf, the military, extreme sports, rock climbing, animals, flowers, ethnic art, etc.? So many areas have been covered that you should be able to find what you are looking for.
Easy Costumes Kids Can Make
August 10, 2008
The kindergarten class I was teaching was scheduled to perform a dramatic recitation. We needed several flower and bumblebee costumes. Since I have found that kids love making their own costumes, I wanted the class to be able to participate as much as possible in the process. Therefore, I came up with an easy costume idea and had the grade 7 class come in and assist, one student per kindergarten child. In about 1 hour all of the costumes were complete and the kindergarten class looked adorable. It was a great experience for everyone.
How did we make the costumes? Easy!
The bumblebees were made with …
- Yellow Garbage Bags (one per child)
- Black Electrical Tape
- Hair Bands
- Pipe Cleaners
- Small Foam Balls (available at craft and dollar stores)
The yellow garbage bags were laid flat on a desk and while the kindergarten children held them down, the grade 7 children put four stripes of electrical tape across, front and back. Each stripe had 3 widths of the tape. Finally, arm and neck holes were cut out of the garbage bags. Note: If you make a mistake, clear packing tape or scotch tape works wonders.
Christmas Shopping for a New Love
August 9, 2008
Christmas is a magical time of year, especially for those of us paired off and in love. If you are in a new relationship, however, Christmas can be a bit unnerving. What do you get for your new love? How much should you spend? How personal should your gift be? These are questions that plague those in the honeymoon stage of their relationship and beyond. There really is no blanket system that will work for every relationship or every person, but here are some basic tips that may make your holiday shopping a little bit easier on you, your piece of mind, and perhaps your wallet.
(1) If you have just started a new relationship, buy a small but meaningful Christmas gift for your significant other. Pick out something that you know that your significant other would appreciate but would not necessarily purchase for themselves. Something like a CD that they have talked about but have not bought for themselves, a movie that you went to see together, or something that they would consider a luxury like a pedicure kit. The more personal, the better, and price should not really be a consideration with this kind of gift. If you find a book that your significant other has been talking about non stop for a month on the half off shelf, consider yourself lucky and maybe throw in a pretty bookmark.
The History of Teddy Bears
August 7, 2008
Teddy bears have been around since 1902. The teddy bear came to being when President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shot a black bear held captive by his hunting party. Also worth noting is that President Roosevelt’s refusal to shoot this captive bear became a very popular political cartoon by Cliff Barryman.
A Brooklyn shopkeeper was inspired by the cartoon. The shopkeeper then asked President Rosevelt his permission to name a toy bear “Teddy”. Thus became the creation of the teddy bear.
It is also worth noting that the teddy bear was born in Germany between 1902 and 1903.
The first teddy bears did not have cuddly faces or smiles, in fact, the first teddy bears had expressions which could best be described as stoic. Teddy bears were also quite stiff, the bendable arms and legs and soft, plush bodies came much later.
Now teddy bears are still the number one item to give babies as their first toy, the prize to win your girl on your first date, and most importantly, the toy of choice for law enforcement to give to children in sad, unsafe situations to help them calm down and feel safe.
Holiday Times Are For Helping Those Less Fortunate, Think Holiday Cards
August 7, 2008
Every year I watch as advertisers begin to promote their products for the Holiday Period. For retail this is their busiest time and sales usually make or break a company’s year. I’m not here to play scrooge, I would however like people to think a little about what the holidays are really about.
Perhaps it’s me getting a year older and wiser, but as I look around at the world it really makes me understand that our time on this earth isn’t a long one and that we should make the most of our time. The catastrophee of watching Katrina wipe out whole cities and families makes me realize that material things that we have are great, but not all that important. Think about all the people that saved to buy that great house in New Orleans, that today if alive are without anything. These people as hard as it is should realize, that as hard as it is, life goes on.
Great Games for Your Halloween Party
August 5, 2008
If you’re having a Halloween party you need to play some games! Whether it’s to fill the time before the food is ready or to keep the kids occupied before their parents collect them, here are some ghoulish games to play.
1) Pin the Wart on the Witch’s Nose: Draw or photocopy up a big picture of a witch; get lumps of green play-dough, blindfold each child and let them put a green wart on the witch’s face.
2) Apple bobbing is the traditional Halloween game. Float apples in a bowl of water, each player must try to get an apple with their teeth while their hands are held behind their backs. (This can get messy)
3) Traditionally on Halloween night, if you peel an apple and throw the skin over your shoulder and it will form the initial of the person you are to marry. You could peel the child’s apple once bobbed and see if it resembles a letter.
4) Another variation is to hang the apples on string and the players have to eat the apple again without touching it. Problem: Unless you grow your own apples they rarely have stalks still attached. You could try this game with ring doughnuts, bagels or ring biscuits.
Christmas Gifts For Dolphin Lovers
August 4, 2008
Choosing a dolphin lover gift may not be as easy as it is for a pet lover, but that is not to say it is not possible. In fact, you will find quite a range of dolphin related gifts around the internet, although in your local store it may be hit and miss as to whether you will find anything. In my case, I received the true, ultimate dolphin lover gift, some years ago, but more of that later.
The demand for dolphin gifts, though, is undoubtedly high. On a brief and unscientific survey, dolphin lover gifts are about half as popular as cat lover gifts. If you think about it, that is amazing. Most people will never see a dolphin in their lives, yet we are surrounded by cats.
What is it, then, that makes dolphins so appealing? I love birds and cats especially, but dolphins I adore. They are wonderful and appealing creatures with a mystique that helps their popularity. Dolphins are the stuff of sailors’ tales, and true stories, about dolphins and man. They have faces that are expressive in a human like way, and they seem to smile. Dolphins also seem to follow man out at sea, when men venture out in their boats or into the water.
Fathers Day Gift Guide
August 2, 2008
Fathers Day is the one day of the year when you can really show your dad how much he means to you.
Dads spend 364 days of the year looking after you so its only right that you spoil them rotten one day of the year
Fathers and Gifts
Whilst most fathers are notoriously difficult to buy gifts for a bit of thought can produce some great gift ideas. Don’t be afraid to club together with brothers and sisters to afford the perfect fathers day gift.
Give some thought to your fathers hobbies and interests. Pay attention to see if he gives you any subtle hints when he’s talking.
As most fathers don’t expect a great deal from their fathers day gift a good one will really please them.
Fathers Day gift ideas
There are numerous good ideas for Fathers Day gifts. It might be an oldie but a box of chocolates are a safe bet. Activity gifts are a possibility for the more active father with gifts such as driving days and hot air balloon rides available. I’m sure we’ve all had to listen to our dads waffle on about how great things were in their day. Retro gifts might therefore provide a great trip down memory lane for your father. If your dad is a football fanatic then a framed share in his favourite team could make a great fathers day gift.
Christmas Gift Guide
August 2, 2008
Christmas is a magical time of year, both for kids and adults. They say that the joy of Christmas is the giving, not the receiving of gifts and the look of happiness on someones face once they’ve opened their perfect Christmas gift is indeed a wonderful sight.
Give the Christmas gift some thought
In order to achieve those joyous looks however much thought is required. A hurried Christmas gift will almost certainly lead to disapointment.
To achieve the desired effect the gift must be something that they both want and don’t expect. If the Christmas gift has been asked for or requested then it shows a lack of thought and imagination on your part.
Getting the perfect Christmas gift
To get the perfect, suprise gift a subtle approach is required. Pay attention to what your friend or loved one says and does. Often they will provide clues regarding the gift that they would like, or at least give you some clues regarding the general area to look in.
Once you have a rough idea about what Christmas gift they would like, don’t be afraid to think laterally to find the perfect gift. Often you can find an ideal gift in the most unlikely of places and the fact that you’ve thought so hard about the gift will make it extra special.
Birthday Gift Guide
July 31, 2008
A birthday gift is the opportunity to show your loved one precisely how much they mean to you and how special you think they are.
A little thought into your friend or loved one’s personality will help you to understand what kind of gift they would really love for their birthday.
What does your friend or loved one like?
It sounds obvious to buy a birthday gift that your friend or loved one will like but many people buy gifts that they think that their friend/loved one will like. This often translates into what you think they should like, which might be very different from what they actually want.
If you don’t know then there are a number of things you can do to find clues.
- Listen to them for verbal clues as to gifts they may like
- Observe what they do, movies they watch, sports they play etc.
- Look at what they already have and think of complimentary gifts
What makes them so special to you?
Think of this birthday gift as your way of showing your friend/loved one how special they are to you and how much they mean to you. Thus your birthday gift should represent your love for the special person in your life. Buy them a naff gift and you’ll be in the dog house for a long time!
