Christmas Checklist

Are you tired of running around, feeling like you don’t know if you’re coming or going during the Holidays? Christmas is so full of activities and it can get overwhelming trying to get everything done on time. Plan ahead to save yourself the hassle this year, here’s a Christmas checklist to help keep you on track:

Set a budget. Know exactly how much money you can spend and stick to your budget. Don’t spend one penny more. Once you have a budget in place, you will know exactly how to plan for your spending. If money is tight this can reduce a lot of stress.

Decorate your home. If your family likes to decorate both indoor and out, plan a day and have everyone in the family pitch in to decorate.

Find a bargain. Don’t wait until the last minute to do your gift shopping. Get started early. Watch your newspaper and television for special sales.

Plan the meal. Be prepared for your family dinner by planning every dish. If you are going to request that every family member bring something to the dinner, make those phone calls early in December.

Mail packages. If you have family out of town that you won’t be able to visit, be sure to mail their packages in late November to early December. It’s best to mail them as early as possible, to ensure they will receive them before Christmas. The post office can also be a nightmare close to Christmas so be warned and go early!

Do your baking early. Cook and bake whatever food items you can early in the month. Some pies, candies and casseroles can be prepared ahead and frozen. Then all you have to do is defrost and warm it up for dinner.

The most important thing you can do to be prepared is to create your own To Do and checklists. Some list ideas you might need are:

* Christmas gifts (don’t forget friends, bosses and teachers!)
* Menus
* Holiday errands
* Christmas card list
* Guest list for Christmas dinner

Make your list and check things off as you go along, this will give you a great sense of accomplishment and will help keep you on track, it’s much too easy to forget things during the holidays.

The 7-Foot Upside-Down Pre-Lit Christmas Tree This pre-lit fir is inverted to ensure a smaller footprint for less-spacious areas, and allowing more room for the accumulation of presents underneath.

Holiday Fire Safety Check

Each year, we hear of home fires occurring during the holiday season. Sometimes lives are lost. Sometimes an entire home is lost to flames. And visions of little ones whose presents are gone can generate a longing to help.

Holiday fires are not inevitable. Use this advice to keep them from happening.

• Have a working smoke detector (test it) just outside the kitchen, near bedrooms, and on every level of your home.
• Place a chemical fire extinguisher near the kitchen range and make sure everyone knows how to operate it.
• Degrease the top of the stove, the oven, broiler, and range hood. Grease can ignite and cause a fire.
• When preparing a big dinner, make sure only one high-wattage appliance is plugged into an outlet or a circuit. If you have the microwave, coffee pot, electric fry pan, and toaster running at the same time, you could be in danger.
• If it’s very cold and you decide to use an electric heater, be sure it is not positioned near anything flammable including curtains and decorations. Unplug it when you go to bed.
• Don’t overload circuits with lighted decorations. Plug decorations into a power strip that will shut off if overloaded and has a surge protector.
• When opening gifts, handle wrappings with care. Never allow combustible wrappings to pile up near a heat source. Make sure no one is smoking near such flammables.
• Be smart with candles. Put them out when you will not be nearby. Don’t place a candle inside a bookshelf.
• Never burn gift wrappings or a natural Christmas tree in your fireplace. It could cause a flash fire or a chimney fire.

Walnut Shell Cradle Ornament

Here’s a cute Christmas ornament you’ll want to start on before the season.

This walnut shell cradle ornament is great for church school projects, gifts, or for home decorating.

What you’ll need:
Half of a walnut shell
1 medium-sized pompom
a 1-foot length of 1/4-inch green ribbon
a 6-inch piece of 1/8-inch silver ribbon
a small wooden bead
dimensional paint for the face
craft glue.

1. Coat the inside of the shell with craft glue. Lay the center of the foot-long ribbon lengthwise inside the shell.
2. Press the pompom into the shell (this is the baby’s blanket and body) over the ribbon. Start it at the bottom of the shell.
3. Wrap the silver ribbon around the bead (baby’s head) and tie the ends into a bow. Glue it into the shell at the top of the pompom and over the green ribbon.
4. Squeeze small dots of dimensional paint for the eyes, nose, and mouth onto the head.
5. Let the glue dry completely. Then tie the ends of the green ribbon into a bow or a knot. Now you have made the cradle ornament. Hang it on the tree.

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