On today's show: The tackiest treasures of the holiday season.
Duration : 0:4:7
Archive for November, 2009
ISP: Stupid Christmas Gifts (CBS News)
Sunday, November 15th, 2009 at
10:24 pm
Comments (25)
Christmas Shopping for Out of Town Relatives
Friday, November 13th, 2009 at
10:19 am
Although living nearby to all of your relatives can be a wonderful experience, unfortunately this is not always the case and relatives are often separated by vast differences. Sometimes you are forced to relocate because of a job and sometimes you just move because you would like to live in and experience a new city, state or country. Likewise one or more of your relatives may opt to relocate for the same reasons. Regardless of how or why it happened many of us often find ourselves in a situation where our relatives may be spread out all over the globe. This is a sad fact of life which makes it more difficult to stay in touch and also greatly complicates the Christmas shopping process. This article will take a look at some of the dilemmas associated with Christmas shopping for out of town relatives and will provide some strategies for dealing with these dilemmas.
The financial cost and the hassle of shipping gifts is one of the most obvious problems in this scenario. Items which are large, heavy or fragile can be difficult to ship. For example you may find a beautiful crystal vase that you know your out of town cousin will love but you may be hesitant to purchase this item because you are afraid it will be lost or damaged during shipping. Even shipping small items can be a problem particularly if they are items which would be hard to replace such as collectors items or limited edition items. In these cases it may be wise to stick with gifts such as gift certificates for your out of town relatives. These can often be included in a Christmas card and mailed with only the use of one stamp. Although these gifts may seem unexciting it is much easier than dealing with the long lines which typically exist at any shipping location around the Christmas season.
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Another problem associated with Christmas shopping for out of town relatives is you may have a great deal of difficulty selecting gifts for these relatives. You may have been very close with the relative when they lived nearby but distance can make it difficult to stay in touch and can result in emotional distance between you and your far away relatives. You may be unaware of her current hobbies and interests which can make it difficult to select a personalized gift she will really appreciate. Opting for more generic items such as sweaters or scented bath soaps and candles is one way to deal with this problem. Another way to deal with this dilemma is to make a concerted effort to get in contact with your relative before you begin the Christmas season. Whether you give them a call or send an email or letter you will be opening up the lines of communication which can give you some insight into their current life and can help make it easier for you to select a great Christmas gift she will really appreciate.
Even purchasing items for the home can be difficult when it comes to out of town relatives. You may see a throw pillow or a vase you think your cousin will absolutely love and which would match her living room perfectly but you may be unaware that she has redecorated the living room by painting the walls a different color or purchasing new furniture to replace the furniture you remember so well. This may seem like a big detail but even if you have kept in contact with your cousin she may have forgotten to mention she had redecorated. This can make purchasing home related items for out of town relatives quite difficult. You can help to alleviate this problem by purchasing decorative items as gifts but including a gift receipt with the gift when you ship it to your relative. This makes it easier for them to return the item if it does not match their décor and purchase a more suitable item. They will appreciate the gesture of your gift as well as your thoughtfulness in allowing them to choose an item that really works well in their living space.
Crafty Christmas Gifts
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at
10:37 am
If knitting's good enough for Madonna, it's good enough for your loved ones this Christmas! Greenmystyle.com's guide to craft inspired presents. .
Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/itn_xmas
Duration : 0:1:52
Homemade Christmas gifts
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at
10:36 am
Rachel shows off some homemade gift ideas for Thrifty Thursday
Duration : 0:5:46
Where to find good couple poses for Christmas cards?
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at
3:35 am
I take picture of my husband and I each Christmas for our Christmas cards and I'm trying to think of some nice, maybe fun poses. Any ideas or know of any websites I can go to? Thanks!
Why don't you do something humerous and different.
Look at what Angus Mc Bean. He is a famous British Photographer who made his own Christmas Cards every year to amuse and to keep in touch with friends.
I am very fond of Angus McBean's work.
http://www.npg.org.uk/live/phresmcb.asp
Easy Christmas Cooking that's Certain to Gratify
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at
3:27 pm
Christmas is a hectic time of year. Several families find that they barely have time to breathe a lot of less cook dishes to bring for this or that function. For that reason there are plenty of great cheat dishes that can be purchased and ready for the occasions and very few people can be the wiser. Though Christmas might be regarding being with friends and family it is not about broadcasting a attainable lack of talent within the kitchen, time available, or a shortage of attention span that's needed so as to arrange a stellar dish for your Christmas needs.
After all, you may begin making ready and freezing giant casserole favorites as early as August for the Christmas season. In this instance you could freeze all your family favorites and have great dishes not only for family functions that need a pitch in dish however additionally for those nights when you are so much too busy to be bothered with something as demanding on your limited attention span as really preparing a home cooked meal. This can be attainable the best method for each Christmas cooking known to man. If you prepare casseroles and similar dishes that work well with a vacation theme all year long be sure to double your efforts next time and freeze half for busier months such as November and December.
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Make Your Own Organic Ice Cream Using Home Grown and Local Produce Ben Vear | |
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Of course there is one technique which will be a little easier in the long term though a smart deal a lot of costly. This is the supreme cheater method. There are lots of companies that supply you the opportunity to put along or 'assemble' meals then bring them home to freeze and bake. This is not quite home made though it tastes as sensible and might convince those at the parties and events you attend that you are of course an glorious cook even if you have got difficulties finding your manner to boiling water. Some cities have many of these meal assembly stores while others have none or solely one. You need to constantly visit the menu if you are a finicky eater because they usually rotate a number of the additional well-liked dishes therefore that they are not out there all the time. Since the food is frozen you'll typically arrange your sessions for those times once they are offering the dishes you're interested in creating.
A variation on the theme above is buying prepared meals in the freezer section of your local supermarket. There are some surprisingly smart meals available especially if you're considering macaroni and cheese or lasagna for your offering. These are meals that you just bring home and warmth in your oven. They are often sold in foil pans, which are great for potlucks and pitch ins but not so abundant for trying good. If that may not the utmost concern these are definitely a doable match for your wants and your plans. They also happen to be fairly budget friendly which is one thing most people can agree is a nice thing.
You do not have to possess super powers or even a nice deal of cooking talent in order to create a Christmas dinner that is delicious and easy to make when time is short. Careful planning well ahead of time is typically the key to a successful Christmas season. Most folks begin our looking early there is no harm in additionally starting our cooking a little early too
All About Rudolph and Santa's Other Reindeers
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at
10:08 am
Maybe it's the undeniable alliterative appeal of Rudolph the Red-Nosed reindeer
that makes him the most known or popular of all Santa's nine flying reindeers.
It certainly doesn't seem as easy to come up with a similar catchy description
for the others - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and
Blitzen - as named in the song.
The story of Rudolph whose glowing red nose made him a standout, first appeared
in 1939 when Montgomery Ward department stores distributed about 2.4 million
booklets with the poem in the form of a story about "Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer." It was written by Robert L. May, who worked in the store's
advertisement or marketing department, to be used to attract more people into
the store. When the booklet was reissued in 1939, sales soared to more than 3.5
million copies. But it wasn't until a decade later, in 1949, that the story
really gained immense popularity when Gene Autry sang a musical version of the
fable. As a Christmas song, it is second only in popularity to 'White
Christmas.'
Rudolph, the ninth reindeer whose lighted nose guides Santa's sleigh through the night, is now known worldwide as the song has been translated into more than 20 different languages and an animated television movie has also been based on the story. Rudolph and his noticeable nose have also become the subject of jokes and sparked more interest in reindeers which has led to much research into Santa and the flying reindeers who pull his sleigh through the sky.
Along with the catchy rhythm of the lyrics, Rudolph's story is also appealing because of the moral lessons it contains. As the story goes, Rudolph was ostracized by the other reindeers, which laughed and teased him about his shiny red nose. But on a foggy night, when Santa must have been concerned that he may
not be able to deliver his Christmas gifts around the world, Santa spotted him and kindly asked if he would step to the front as the leader to 'guide my sleigh tonight.' His shiny red nose would after all be very useful in lighting the way, Santa thought. From then on 'all of the other reindeers loved him," and rightly predicted that he 'would go down in history.'
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Among the moral lessons the story can impart is that an attribute that is
perceived as negative or as a liability can be used for a positive purpose, or,
become an asset. It also makes the point that an individual should not let the
negative behavior of others define him or her and limit expectations of what can
be achieved. And it also illustrates how quickly opinions and attitudes about a
person can change.
The question still lingers however of where Rudolph came from. He is commonly
regarded as the son of Donner (or Donder), one of the original eight reindeers.
But the Snopes.com site rejects this however, saying that he dwelled in a
reindeer village elsewhere and it was there that he was seen by Santa who had
already started on his Christmas Eve journey to deliver gifts. And in a more
modern evolution of the story according to Wikipedia.com, an animation by the
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) introduced a son, named Robbie, of
Rudolph. That son has now become the tenth reindeer.
It's also interesting to note that the idea of Santa's sleigh being pulled by
reindeers was originated in the poem, 'Twas The Night Before Christmas.' That
poem tells the story of St. Nicholas, who is Santa, calling his eight tiny
reindeers by their names, as previously mentioned, just before he came down the
chimney of a house to start filling the stockings from a sack full of toys he
carried on his back.
All About Santa Claus
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at
12:52 pm
It's only fitting that since Santa Claus has the magnificent capability to
visit homes around the world in a single night that more than one place would
claim to be his home. It's common belief that Santa hails from the wintry North
Pole, but folks in Finland will also tell you that Santa calls that country his
home. To prove it, the Finns will even invite you to visit Santa in his workshop
before Christmas or during the year and talk with Santa Claus as he and his
elves busy themselves for their end-of-year Christmas expedition around the
globe.
The popularity in America today of the images and legend of Santa Claus can be traced to the poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas,' that was written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822. In that poem, Moore described St. Nicholas as a jolly fellow who flew from house to house in a sleigh pulled by reindeers and waited for children to go to bed on Christmas Eve before he came down the chimney to deliver Christmas presents for them.
Following the distribution of that poem, the popular magazine Harper's Weekly published cartoons by Thomas Nast between 1863 and 1886 that depicted Santa as a cheerful fellow with a large round belly and long white beard who wore a bright
red suit that was trimmed with white fur. In those cartoons, Santa also held a
sack, which was filled with toys for boys and girls, over his shoulder. The
cartoons also showed Santa reading letters from good boys and girls, working in
his workshop with his elves, checking his list to make sure he had all the
required toys and even showed his wife, Mrs. Claus.
The tradition of Santa Claus was brought to America however by Dutch colonists
who settled in New York City, which was called New Amsterdam at the time.
The real St. Nicholas is said to be a minor saint from the 4th Century with a
reputation for generosity and kindness that gave rise to legends of many
miracles that he performed for the poor and unhappy. One of the stories about
the legend of St. Nicholas is that he saved three poor girls who were sisters
from being sold into a life of slavery or prostitution by their father.
According to the legend, Santa Claus provided the girls with a dowry so that
they could get married.
The legend of St. Nicholas led to hundreds of people being devoted to him and
consequently thousands of European churches became dedicated to him. After the
Reformation period however, widespread practice and worship of St. Nicholas
disappeared in European countries that were Protestant, except in Holland where
the legend of St. Nicholas continued. St. Nicholas was known as Sint Nikolaas
but that was later corrupted to Sinter Klaas.
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Harley Davidson Limited Edition H D Type Sterling Pin | |
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£22.10 | 17m |
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Super Cool Shrek Puss in Boots Figure Yellow Cat Stuffed Plush Toy 14 inch NWT | |
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£14.49 | 20m |
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Byers Choice 2003 Xmas Illustrations Victorias Mother | |
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£41.23 | 20m |
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200x Yellow Skull Turquoise Gemstone Loose Beads Fit Bracelet Jewellery 111158 | |
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£20.48 | 25m |
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New Womans Multi Color Soft Comfortable Wool Hat Winter Cap Christmas Gift h03u | |
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£3.99 | 26m |
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iPhone Cover 3G 3GS Aluminium Submarine | |
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£7.49 | 27m |
Dutch colonists took this tradition of Sinter Klaas to New York City where it
was adopted using the Englist name of Santa Claus. Over time, the Dutch legend
of the kindly saint was combined with old Nordic folktales about a magician who
punished naughty children and rewarded good ones with presents to give rise to
the stories that now exist about Santa Claus.
The red and white-trimmed suit of Santa Claus is believed to be the colors that
the original St. Nicholas worebecause red and white were the colors of the robes
worn by traditional bishops. It is also believed that the Coca Cola Co. played a
role in what is regarded as the popular look of Santa Claus today through
paintings by artist Haddon Sundblom that were placed in some of the company's
advertisement between 1931 and 1964.
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