I'd really like to make Christmas count this year. So I'm doing my Christmas shopping a little differently. ONLINE - For all of the years that I've had an online business, I've never done my Christmas shopping online. I picked my father in laws name for Christmas, he is an avid golfer so I went online to find something great for golfing instead of the usual (and useless) golf stuff. I found this set of "Birdie Balls" that are great to practice with at home. I'm sure he's going to really enjoy it. I thought it was such a great idea that I got one for my son who also likes golf and gets bored around the house (when he's home!) and also a set for my nephews. Something useful - entertaining and something to get them out of the house - and it took me about 20 minutes while I was having my morning tea. CANADA: http://www.albatrossgolfsupply.com US - Birdie Ball Website with lots of stuff and gold tips: http://www.birdieball.com MAKE IT YOURSELF - Do something a little different and make some natural skincare items for your family. My work at home business is selling ingredients - it's easy and fun. A lot of women do it, and sell their items to make some Christmas cash, or bump up their earnings through out the year. Makes a great gift for the "crafty" person you know.http://www.handmadesoap.ca WHAM PRODUCTS - The first thought that came to my mind was that in supporting other WHAM's we will help give every body a nice Christmas, and we will, but maybe the best thing is the feeling of accomplishment we will be giving the mom's who work so hard on their business so that they can be home, and boosting their rate of success. Here is one website that lists WHAM sites http://www.wahmtalkradio.com/christmas-gifts/ Within a day or two I hope to have some handmade natural skin care sites listed on my blog at http://time-management-at-home.blogspot.com Meantime pop in anyway! CRAFT SALES - You can get some amazing bargains and some really unique stuff. It's fun and a nice chance to see some friends in your local community. Even better than that, you are making a real difference to the ladies and gentlemen who are selling at the craft sales. I know from experience that these people work extremely hard, for some of them, this is their "big thing" for the year and every sale means a lot to them. (I went to one yesterday, got some amazing things at amazing prices, had a great time with my daughter (we made it a date and went out for breakfast first) and felt really good for supporting the local people who work so hard to get it ready) SCHOOL BAZAAR - Why not support your community schools and get something different? Donations are always welcome as well. I usually donate soap and there is no better feeling than hearing from a mom who got some of my soap for Christmas from her child - and they go like hotcakes. Think tinsel when decorating, the kids love them! Also, consider volunteering to help out, it is a hoot to watch the kids do their Christmas shopping. GIFT A STRANGER - For years I wanted to do something for people who don't have much but had no idea what to do. Now there are some great online opportunities to do just that. There is a program called Embrace-a-Family that looks amazing, I will be donating to it and I hope that you can do the same. We also as a family - my inlaws, myself and each of my kids contributed to this one as well - giving to those in need is one of the best feelings that you can give to your kids. http://www.ccfcanada.ca/managed/Default.aspx I've been contributing to this charity monthly for about 10 years and have really enjoyed it. Right now we have a little girl who is my daughter's age and even looks a bit like her, so it is really fun. TIRES - Sounds odd but I have never forgotten a TV special about winter tires and a mother who's daughter was killed because her car slid backwards off a hill and over a cliff, the consensus was that if she had proper tires it wouldn't have happened. Do you have kids who drive their own cars? At home or moved out. Driving your grandkids around? Splurge and take their car in for a new set. I know I won't drive without decent tires anymore. A few close calls with proper tires is bad enough! ECO SHOPPING There are countless environmentally friendly choices that you can make this year, the good news is that most of them seem to be healthy choices as well. But remember when you are shopping to bring a bag or a tote instead of getting overdone with plastic bags this year. My personal pet peeve is plastic bags. I ask for paper at the grocery store, we are lucky to have the choice. I use the bags to wrap boxes that I ship so they do double duty. If I didn't, I would either be bringing my own reusable, or I would be getting some of those nifty plastic boxes that many grocery stores sell. Or you can buy some totes especially for that. I love the idea because you can keep them in your van or trunk, they can be useful for a variety of things and to keep your vehicle clean and organized. And you can use the lids to keep your groceries cold and dust free. A great idea all around! The Green Guide blog has an article on it below. http://www.thegreenguide.com/blog/tow You can get a very reasonable subscription at this page https://ssl.thegreenguide.com/gg_LPs/index-117.html?c1=GreenGuide&source=GG2Go And here is their Christmas Gift for kids recommendation page (I don't think this is a permanent link if you don't have a subscription, so check it out now, or subscribe!) http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc.mhtml?i=117&s=toys Check out their home page, one of my favourite publications. http://www.thegreenguide.com KEEP THEM MOVING Anything to keep your kids active is great. We where lucky to get a second hand snowboard in kid's size for my 9 year old daughter. My 16 year old son is an avid snowboarder and amazingly enough, they like to go out on our hill together. So now she will have her own "real snowboard" and she won't care one bit that it is used. I am happy that she will be out in the fresh air having fun with her brother, getting some great exercise and getting another skill under her belt. I haven't personally seen them, but I think that they have video games out now that you use your whole body to do the moves, I think that would be great fun. TIME Take your kids out for a fun activity, maybe something you don't normally do - bowling, cross country skiing, skating are a few fun things that are relatively inexpensive. Have a Blast and make some Christmas memories and traditions. MOST OF ALL Take the time to remember the people you love this Christmas, and who love you. Sometimes a phone call is priceless (not to be a bummer, but the person you are calling won't always be here to answer the phone, do it while you can and make a memory) HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A MOST EXCELLENT NEW YEAR!
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