Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas

This Christmas, delight your loved ones with handmade gifts which show how much you care for them on this festive occasion.

Ideas for Handmade Christmas Gifts

Festive candles with a monogram: Get a candle and candleholder from the store and wrap the latter with colored cardstock. Decorate the cardstock with letters and die-cut accents or stickers.

Card wreaths: Use upholstery webbing to cover a straw wreath. Secure the webbing to the wreath with sewing pins. Tie a bow at the top and create a loop at the back of the wreath so that it can be hung anywhere you want. Adorn the wreath with antique Christmas cards fixed with the help of binder clips. Use vintage collectibles to further decorate the wreaths.

Photo gifts: Fold a piece of cardstock into half and fix a photo of your dear ones along one of its edges. Choose a photo that can help your loved ones recollect a lovely memory he/she shares with you. Write down a special message for your dear ones on the other edge of the cardstock. This will make a perfect handmade Christmas gift for your loved ones.

Coffee sleeves: Cut a 3-4 inch piece from a colorful sock or small sweater after you have washed it. Emboss it with buttons and pieces of snowflakes cut out from felt. Wrap a cup around with this piece of sock or sweater and apply glue to fix the ends. Your dear ones will be delighted to receive such a creative gift from you.

Bath towels: Decorate bright colored linen napkins by sewing red laces on their edges. Place these towels on a tray and tie them together with a festive satin ribbon.

Homemade gift baskets: Paint a basket with the color of your choice, and adorn it with multicolored ribbons, raffia, and butcher’s paper. Fill the basket with an assortment of gifts like candles, soaps, an angel figurine, Christmas bells, small Christmas trees made of felt, and a snowman figure. Adorn the basket with a festive bow, and it will make a perfect handmade gift for Christmas.

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5 Budget-friendly Christmas Decorating Ideas

If you are on a tight budget during this Christmas season, try spending less on shopping and decorations. This will help you save more and keep you away from debt. Here are some budget-friendly decorating ideas for Christmas.

Budget-friendly Ideas for Christmas Decoration

1. Use candles and natural elements: Place some colored candles in hurricane glasses kept on a table. Cover the space around the candleholders with berries, pinecones, and evergreen branches. To add a special touch to your decorations, place some artificial snow on a silver plate close to the glasses. Alternatively, you can place votives in crystal holders to create a striking effect.

2. Create a place for gift stuffing: Drill a hole about 1 inch down the top of a coffee can. Paint the can with the color of your choice. Decorate the can with glitters, paper snowflakes, small cutouts of Christmas tree, and other beads. Thread a ribbon through the hole of the can so that you can hang it on your mantel.

3. Use a canvas for holiday décor: Take a blank canvas and paint it with light blue color. Use a stencil to create snowflakes and stars which will set the mood for your celebrations.

4. Red cranberries can make a difference: Red cranberries can help you give a special effect to your decorations during Christmas. Just fill a tubular vase or a wine glass bottle with red cranberries and fresh greens. Add some twigs, flowers, and water for a dramatic effect.

An interesting idea for decorating your home with cranberries is to place them in candle trays. The multi-colored candles with the red color of cranberries are sure to add a festive touch and make your home look elegant and classy.

5. Decorate wooden baskets with accessories: Paint a wooden basket in green and cover its inner part with a colored piece of cloth, preferably red. It can make a great Christmas basket if you stuff it with things that are a symbol of this festival. A Christmas tree, figurines of angels, colorful Christmas bells, a photo of Santa Claus, a box of candies, chocolates, and goodies are the things that can make this item a perfect gift for Christmas.

Also check : Christmas Messages & Christmas & New year Greetings

Tips to Make Birthday Special for Your Loved Ones

Your dear ones are special and so are their birthdays. So, try and make their birthdays merrier by doing simple things that can instill a feeling of being loved and treasured. Just look through some ideas that can help you make your loved one’s birthday fun and exciting.

How to Make Your Dear Ones’ Birthdays Special

Collect wishes from others: If it’s your family member’s birthday, you may send a craft-paper banner to other members residing around the country. Just ask them to write down their warmest wishes with their signatures and mail it to the other members. The last member signing on the banner needs to mail it to you so that you can present it to the birthday person and give him/her a pleasant surprise.

Record interviews: A unique way to make your friends and family members feel special on their birthdays is to record the interviews of the people they care for. Let their dear ones speak their heart out to the birthday person and mention the qualities that make him/her so special. This is sure to touch your loved ones’ hearts and add cheer to their celebrations.

Shower your love and care: Birthday is just another day when you should make your dear ones understand how important they are to you. If it’s your lover or husband’s birthday, bake him a special cake or cook his favorite recipe. You may also write a love letter or a poem describing your feelings for him. Of course he knows what your thoughts are, but reminding him about your feelings will make him realize that he is indeed important.

A surprise birthday party: Throwing a surprise birthday party for your dear ones will indeed delight them. Just make sure you make proper planning so that they find everything perfectly arranged for the party. Invite your loved ones’ friends and family and let them enjoy their birthdays in a very special way.

Birthdays give you an opportunity to remind your dear ones that they are loved and treasured. So, try doing those things that will bring them joy on their important day. Start by conveying your warmest greetings to your dear ones with birthday cards that are sure to make them smile and cheer.

Thanksgiving Gift Ideas for You !!

Thanksgiving is all about appreciating and expressing your gratitude to those wonderful people who’ve been there for you and made you feel special in every way. This festive occasion calls for celebrations, feasts, and exchange of warm wishes and gifts with friends, family, business associates, and colleagues. If you are looking for Thanksgiving gifts for your dear ones and associates, here are some ideas to help you out.

Thanksgiving Gift Ideas for You to Check Out

Candles and candle holders: One of the exciting gifts you can offer to your loved ones and associates is a set of colorful scented candles that comes with a candle holder. This is just the perfect item to decorate your dinner table on this festive occasion. Multi-colored candles shaped like gourds, pumpkins, and figurines of turkeys and pilgrims can actually bring a smile to your dear one’s face on this special day.

Sugar cookies tin: A tin of sugar cookies is one of those Thanksgiving gift ideas which your loved ones and associates will surely appreciate. You may choose cookies that come in various shapes which resemble a cornucopia, a pumpkin, or a turkey. Look for cookies which have a variety of flavors and are decorated with multiple colors.

Fresh fruits and vegetable baskets: Surprise your dear ones with a fruits and vegetable gift basket. This gift will indeed be useful, as the recipient can share a sumptuous meal with these items over a Thanksgiving dinner. This will help foster togetherness among family members and friends.

Table centerpieces: Table centerpieces can make the perfect gift item for Thanksgiving because they can be used as decorations for the dinner table laid out on this day. A festive wreath that surrounds a colored candle can make a great centerpiece for your dinner table. Look for a wreath crafted out of dried and preserved autumn leaves, gourds, and pumpkins. Such a gift is sure to last longer, and it will help create a special memory for the recipient.

Alternatively, you may gift your well-wishers a table centerpiece like the figure of a turkey artfully created with ceramic stoneware that comes with a glaze.

Stuffed toys: If you’re looking for Thanksgiving gifts for kids, you may choose stuffed toys like teddy bear, cute plush toys, and figures of monkeys and birds. Kids would love to receive such exciting gifts on this festive occasion.

Thanksgiving is all about sharing and caring for your family, friends, and associates. Celebrate this occasion with your dear ones, and express your gratitude for their love, warmth, and support, with gifts and ecards that are sure to fill their hearts with cheer.

Eid-ul-Adha and its Celebrations

Eid-ul-Adha or Eid al-Adha (known as Bakr-Id in India) is one of the festive celebrations observed by the followers of Islam on the 10th to 13th days of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijja. In 2011, Eid-ul-Adha begins at sunset of November 6 and the celebrations will end at sunset of November 7.

How is Eid-ul-Adha Celebrated?

Here’s an idea about how this festive occasion is observed.

Sharing the meat of sacrifice: One of the special highlights of this festival is the feast of sacrifice. The followers of Islam sacrifice a goat or sheep in the name of Allah and share the food with their family members and friends, neighbors, and the underprivileged. It is believed that those who celebrate Eid-ul-Adha should make sure every follower of Islam can enjoy the meat based meal during this festive occasion.

Religious prayers: The followers of Islam celebrate Bakr-Id by wearing new clothes and visiting the local mosques to conduct the prayers early in the morning. There are open-air prayer meetings held during this time. An important part of the prayers on Eid al-Adha is the reading of Takbir. The word “Takbir” in Arabic means “Allahu Akbar”. This phrase means that god is the greatest. The prayers are followed by a family gathering attended by relatives and friends.

Greetings: Eid-ul-Adha is the time for celebrations. So, people send their warm wishes and blessings to their dear ones on this occasion by sending Eid-ul-Adha ecards.

Gifts for family and friends: One of the special highlights of this festival is gifting presents to family and friends. Whether it is a bouquet of flowers, a box of sweets, or a pack of dry fruits, there are a variety of gifts to choose from. Aside from these presents, apparels and gift vouchers can also make an exciting gift for Bakr-Id.

By observing Eid-ul-Adha, the followers of Islam commemorate their prophet, Ibrahim’s obedience to Allah. Ibrahim had decided to sacrifice his son when Allah wanted him to do so. Eid al-Adha is popularly considered as the Greater Eid, the second famous festival of the Islamic community.

Thanksgiving Day Celebration

Thanksgiving is an occasion for everyone to come together and give thanks for the many blessings enjoyed by these nations and their citizens. It is also a day for celebrating with grand meals, parties, get-togethers or reunions. It's the most celebrated (and most heavily traveled!) time of the year. Thanksgiving is a time to share, to give, and to be grateful for all that we have. On this day a Thanksgiving special meal is prepared. The most important and common recipe in Thanksgiving dinners is a turkey, accompanied by various home cooked foods, vegetables and pies.

Thanksgiving is celebrated on fourth Thursday of November. Families and friends gather together . Some families may even have their own yearly Thanksgiving traditions.Thanksgiving is not associated to any specific religion, and anyone can celebrate it the way one one wants. One common tradition is to enjoy a meal with friends or family and to give thanks for what you have. It is a big holiday for the nation.

Few of the common recipes in Thanksgiving dinners are Almond Biscotti, Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie , Stuffed Acorn Squash , Grilled Turkey , Fruited Sweet Potatoes .
It was it was the first treaty between Native Americans and the pilgrims. They got together and made a feast to celebrate their new friendship and peace.

It is a a time of thankfulness toward God and one should not forget its real importance in midst of eating and partying.
Celebrate this day by sending Thanksgiving Day cards