Let kids tell you what they think of Christmas and they will speak of images full of snow, caroling, putting up Christmas tree ornaments, Christmas gifts and the irresistible magic and wonderment. For everyone else, Christmas is a whole 30 days (even more for some) of headaches and stress.

The True Meaning of Christmas

The fun and frenzy of holiday shopping doesn't end at the mall – you still have to get the packages to friends, family and business associates in time for the holidays, and in one piece.

Pack and Ship

Older adults are often the best storytellers in the family. Their memories, traditions and talents are just waiting to be shared. But as we approach the holiday season, many older citizens won’t be near their families because they live far apart.

Honor Seniors

It is the number one complaint from consumers and it only takes a moment for you to become a victim. While you search for holiday bargains, identity thieves are searching for targets - unsuspecting consumers.

Christmas Shopping Security

The holidays are the time of year to share your love and appreciation to the most important people in your life. For many, that includes those people who provide support and services throughout the year. From your favorite babysitter, housekeeper or the hair stylist who always gets your cut just the way you like it, a tip - enclosed in an envelope with a handwritten note - is sure to be appreciated.

Holiday Tipping

A baby's first Christmas will always be treasured by his parents and when it comes to gift-giving this is a perfect time to start your own tradition, like buying a special holiday ornament representing the events of the year - either personally or something from world events or special celebrations, like the Olympics or a World Series or Super Bowl-themed ornament.

Christmas Gifts for Babies

Do you remember when the Christmas season was less of a hassle and more of a joyous time spent with family and friends? Back in the day, families just seemed to have enough time to sit back and enjoy the holiday season.

Christmas Tree Trimming

The holiday season is a time to step back from daily routines, reflect and spend time with loved ones. This year, take time to truly feel the holiday spirit by gathering family and friends together to decorate the home for holiday festivities.

Home for the Holidays

Trimming the tree is an activity that captures the holiday spirit and reflects personal style. The decorating team at Canadian Tire suggests these new ways to dress up your holiday tree. Pick an entirely new theme or incorporate fresh touches to complement an existing look.

Christmas Tree Themes

As the holiday season draws near, many Canadians will begin planning a festive get-together for family and friends. The team at Canadian Tire have put together entertaining ideas to add some flare to celebrations this year.

Holiday Entertaining

Countries all across the world celebrate the winter solstice holiday season in their own unique ways. Some such as Christmas and Hanukah are religious celebrations, while others are non-religious celebrations of nature, people and the coming spring solstice. The reasoning behind the various holiday celebrations can sometimes differ greatly, but there are a surprising number of commonalities among the celebratory traditions. Over the thousands of years that man has celebrated the season, each group influenced others with their traditions.

German Christmas Traditions

Whether it is in a majestic cathedral, a school auditorium or a shopping mall, there’s nothing like a familiar Christmas melody to put a person in the holiday spirit. It’s amazing how the familiar strains of Silent Night or Joy to the World create feelings of joy, hope and peace.

Christmas Music

When it comes to decorating, we are all perfectionists about our Christmas tree. After all, it happens only once a year and the decorations are a treasure to behold. The finishing touch, for any Christmas tree, is the ornaments.

Christmas Ornament Tips

Before you select the perfect Christmas tree, consider a little planning to make room for your special guest. Choose the best area in your room for the tree, which would include a spot that is close to an electrical outlet.

Christmas Tree Selection

I know that with this little guide you can help save yourself from a lot of stress this Christmas so take a few minutes to read on.

Advice for Christmas Shopping

If not for the fact that Christmas is a time of laughter and merriment, the yuletide season can be awfully frustrating especially for people who have a budget to think of. With lots of expenses for the Christmas celebration already lined up at your door — decorations, dinner, gifts — sticking to the family budget can be difficult, at best!

Budget Christmas Tips

Choosing a gift for someone to display in their home can be frustrating. On the other hand, if you are shopping for a friend or family member, you can give a present that will be appreciated.

Christmas Home Decor Gifts

Finally, the season so many of us are looking forward to is just around the corner.Joy, peace, happiness, children, lights, decorations and Santa Claus, these are just a few of the things associated with Christmas. Although these are things most people think about Christmas, for others it might be a nightmare.

Christmas Gifts for Dolphin Lovers

Finally, the season so many of us are looking forward to is just around the corner.Joy, peace, happiness, children, lights, decorations and Santa Claus, these are just a few of the things associated with Christmas. Although these are things most people think about Christmas, for others it might be a nightmare.

Christmas Giving and Sharing

The Christmas tea table is often adorned by the prime edible ornament, the Christmas cake. The prettier it is, the better it is for decoration once lunch is out of the way. Cake decoration is only limited by your imagination. However, you can think of other things that are less common to adorn the table as an edible ornament. If you are skilful, you can create simple models with ginger bread, moving up a level from the old gingerbread man.

Edible Ornaments

As the holidays draw near, many people will be receiving invitations from family, friends and neighbours to get together for some holiday cheer. Proper etiquette is to bring a little something for the host or hostess.

Host and Hostess Gift Ideas

With daily lives run by cell phones, e-mails, and personal digital assistants, it is no wonder Americans feel such a strong desire to reconnect with family, friends, and tradition during the holiday season. And what better way to reconnect than by giving traditional gifts with a handcrafted, personal touch?

Traditional Holiday Gifts

The Twelve Days of Christmas is one of the most famous Christmas carols ever written. It has been sung for a great many years, and is known the world over. To most it is a delightful hymn, but it was originally created with a very serious intent. In England between the years of 1558 and 1829, it was illegal to practice Catholicism in public or private. It was essentially a crime to be Catholic in England during those years.

12 Days of Christmas

How can you shop for a woman who already owns everything she wants? It is not as difficult as you may think because there is always a unique approach at buying for the woman who seemingly has a closet full of clothes or a box full of jewelry. Besides, there is always room for one more outfit or piece of jewelry.

Christmas Gift Ideas for Her

There are a variety of opportunities for holiday shoppers, including stores, catalogs and the internet.

Christmas Shopping Tips

Christmas is coming! And, Christmas time is all about family and togetherness. We’ve put together some recommendations for movies to have on hand for the Christmas season that the whole family will enjoy. These are all movies to buy and watch year after year!

Christmas Movies

Homemade Christmas decorations are some of the most unique. They are also a lot of fun because you can enjoy them with your family. Below are 4 fun and easy to make homemade Christmas decorations:

Homemade Christmas Decorations

You do not have to be the design guru to create a Christmas tree worthy of a display window. Just follow these general guidelines to give your tree maximum impact this year.

A complete tree traditionally is composed of lights, garland, trim, and ornaments, arranged in that order. Add a tree skirt for a finishing touch. It is customary to add the topper last, although this is mostly for ceremonial purposes.

Christmas Tree Decorating Tips

Do you want to change the look of your Christmas tree, but are short on cash? Here are a few do-it-yourself ideas you can use to transform your old ornaments into something new. Better yet, update the look of your old ornaments and add a few new designer ornaments each year, as your budget allows.

A Christmas Tree Makeover

Gingerbread Birdhouse Ornaments

1 recipe Basic Gingerbread Cutout Cookies
Egg wash (1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon water)
Square cookie cutter
Heart cookie cutter
Tiny round cutter or pastry tip for the "door"
Sprinkles
Cinnamon sticks, cut thin and into 1/2-inch lengths
Ribbon or gold cord

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spritz 2 cookie trays with nonstick baking spray. Make Basic Gingerbread Cutout Cookie dough according to recipe directions.

Cut 4 squares from the dough and space them well apart on a cookie sheet. Brush the top half of the square with egg wash.

Cut 4 hearts from the dough. Brush the round parts with egg wash, turn the dough over and place hearts upside down on the top part of the base to form a peaked roof.

Read for the Rest Gingerbread Birdhouse Ornaments

Christmas Wreath Made of Dog Biscuits

1 (10-inch) diameter willow or grapevine wreath
Hunter green acrylic paint
Round brush
10 to 12 dog biscuits
Green florist's wire
3 yards 1/4-inch wide Christmas red paper ribbon
1 yards 1 1/2-inch wide Christmas print paper ribbon
Wire cutter
Glue gun/glue sticks

Spray wreath with warm water until saturated. Apply acrylic paint to all surfaces. Allow paint to dry completely.
With florist's wire attach biscuits to wreath. Tie 8-inch pieces of red ribbon around biscuits to conceal wire. Tie ribbon into bows.

Using print ribbon, make a double-loop bow, 5 inches wide overall with streamers. Finish streamer ends in an inverted "V" shape. Glue bow to top of wreath.


Christmas Wreath Made of Dog Biscuits

Christmas coffee mug
1 packet hot cocoa mix
Individually wrapped muffin
Cellophane-wrapped candy cane

Place all of the items in the mug for a quick gift breakfast. Place in a clear decorative plastic bag and tie with a ribbon.

Great collection of Christmas Recipes and Holiday Crafts. Follow these simple steps to get into the holiday spirit and create magnificent dishes and gifts for friends and relatives.

Take a Christmas Lights Drive: Pile everyone in the van after dark and tour your city or a nicely decorated neighborhood. Some cities will have a town center that will be lit up. Ask your children which decorations are their favorites and why. Talk about how the twinkling lights resemble the stars. Remind them that on the night Jesus was born a new star shone in the sky, announcing his birth to the whole world. Even people in different countries knew the Christ-child was born, and some wise men traveled to find him.

Christmas Activities

Christmas is about family. Here is a collection of five crafts that you can make as a family to teach the true meaning and symbols of Christmas. Children will learn to identify Christmas using their five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Pick and choose the activities you think your family will best enjoy, and spread them throughout the season. Start new traditions. Most importantly, use the activities to talk as a family.

Christmas Crafts

Before the grand Tannenbaum, there was the Weinachts pyramide, or lightstock. This holiday tradition can be traced to Dresden, the largest city in the Erzibirge region of Germany, where in 1168 AD silver and tin were discovered. Hundreds of miners flocked to the Ore Mountains to make their fortunes. But foreign competition and warfare resulted in many miners losing their jobs. To compensate, many took up woodcarving, incorporating mining symbols and religious elements into their designs. Thus a reputation for intricate woodwork was established in the region.

Christmas Pyramids: A 300 year old Tradition

I first heard this idea at a teacher’s convention, and have been making Q-tip snowflakes with my elementary classes for years. The activity was so enjoyable that we do it at home too, and hang the intricate snowflakes from the ceiling using fishing line. The result is incredible—transforming hallways, windows, and entries into a winter wonderland.

How to Make Q-tip Snowflakes

With all the holiday hustle driving us from one party to the next, and one store to another, it’s hard not to take for granted the symbols and traditions passed down hundreds of years that collectively have become Christmas. Winter days are the shortest of the whole year, and it’s almost impossible to find a quiet moment for reflection. But families who gather together and consider the symbolism behind all the spangles are sure to bring more spirit into their season. After all, these baubles and boughs weren’t meant to be mere frippery to waste money on. Christmas ornamentation and holiday decor have significance that can strike awe and wonder as deeply in our hearts as the angel who appeared to the shepherds did on that most holy night.

The Symbolism of Holiday Decor

Every year families are confronted with the dilemma of whether to buy a live Christmas tree, or to invest in an artificial one. For some, the annual quest for “Thee Perfect Tree” is tradition, an important ritual to usher in the season, and to disregard this ceremony would be tantamount to boycotting Santa Claus. Others appreciate the convenience of a well-formed (albeit man-made) tree waiting in storage for them year to year. While it ultimately comes down to personal taste, there are some definite pros and cons one might want to consider before weighing in on the matter.

Fake or Fir, The Quest for the Perfect Tree

As legend has it, in Germany parents decorate their Tannenbaums on Christmas Eve. The last ornament hung is die Weinachtsgurke—a delicate glass ornament in the shape of a pickle. This is a significant ornament, for the next morning the children will rush in to open their gifts from St. Nicholas. But the festivities can not begin until one of the children locates the elusive gherkin. The one who finds it gets to open the first gift, and may even receive an extra treat for his or her effort. So the story is told here in America. Glass Christmas Pickles are a popular ornament, and usually come with the curious legend tucked or printed on the box.

A Pickle of a Tradition

Great little directory to help you prepare for the holidays. Includes a bunch of holiday recipes and Christmas crafts. It is never too early to start preparing for Christmas!

There are so many different types of Christmas ornaments, you may not know where to begin.  Christmas ornaments also make great gifts. Decorating evergreen trees with ornaments is a Christmas tradition observed in many parts of the world.   

Types of Ornaments

Today, Christmas ornaments are nostalgic reminders of these first holiday decorations. The next time you decorate the Christmas tree, take a closer look at the ornaments.

Nostalgic Ornaments