Winter Decorating

Winter Decorations

Just because the Christmas season is over does not mean that the lights and all ornaments need to be boxed up for the next 10-11 months. Make the season last longer, throughout the winter or even the year just by using snowflake, homemade or bought, ornaments, tinsel, and white or blue lights.

Grove Park Inn Gingerbread Houses 2014

Directions:

Wrap the lights around white tinsel (or whatever color of tinsel is available) and hang in windows, above the fire place, entertainment center, or doorways. Place ornament hooks onto snowflake or snowman ornaments and hang along the lit tinsel.

Another way to add some winter flare to the home is by creating a winter wreath using blue tinsel, foam wreath, and white snowflake wire tinsel.

Directions:

Wrap the foam wreath with the  blue tinsel. Use a glue gun to secure the first and last piece to the foam wreath. Wrap the snowflake wire around the blue tinsel. Hang using blue ribbon or wreath hook.


Add some more winter flare to the home by placing snowflake or snowman pillows on the chairs and sofa, a winter tablecloths on the dining table, and using winter fragrance candles as center pieces on the table. Merry Christmas all year long!!! 

Coca Cola Bears Gingerbread

Inventing Scrooge

"Inventing Scrooge"


During the holidays this blogger starts reading Christmas stories in October! Some favorites include, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," "A Christmas Story," "Humor For the Holidays," and "Mrs. Miracle." Throughout the 7 years where reading 3-5 holiday books during the season, this woman has never read the classic most famous novel by Dickens, "A Christmas Carol." Now, I have seen numerous movies of the story, but never ever read the book, but that is about to change thanks to one book that took me on a journey into the characters of the beloved classic and its author.

Inventing Scrooge by Carlo DeVito, is a fantastic read. The book dives into the history of the man behind the story and how his daily/nightly walks and travels, along with financial fears, helped him pen A Christmas Carol. From Marley and Fred to the three Spirits of Christmas and Scrooge, every character has a personal story from Dickens's past and, in some cases, notable men of England's past. The story was written with such detail, that even the fireplace in Scrooge's bed chamber is based on one from Dickens's favorite childhood home.

Charles Dickens was a well-known, well desired, writer by the time his Christmas tale was written, but what led him to write the tale was the loss of money on a recently developed book that was not very popular with the public. Due to his childhood, Dickens was terrified of not having money and of spending money and time wisely. He grew up in a home where the parents became frivolous in spending, eventually landing his father in debtors prison and the children in child labor. After reading the "behind the scenes" of his life in this book, readers will realize how much of himself is in every novel from A Christmas Carol to Oliver Twist that he has written. Even so, it is not just Dickens life that is featured, it is that of the characters, and one way in which Dickens drew inspiration was by walking.

Dickens took daily/nightly walks to help him physically and mentally. During these walks he went through all sorts of areas, no matter where he may be, but one of his favorite cities to walk was London. Even so, it was during a walk through a grave yard where he came up with the name Ebenezer Scrooge, on another journey he saw a door knob that he decided to describe as the one on Scrooge's door, and it is possible that even Marley's name was thought of during his nightly journey's, but characters such as Fred and Fanny came from his own family.

The character Fred is based on his own brother, a brother who he loved and helped and tried so hard to keep in line in order to keep him from ending up like their father. It is said that the first meeting of Fred and Scrooge in the book was based on the feelings Dickens had for his brother when his brother, who was a joy to Dickens and his wife and children, and him got into an argument and left. This and so much more is why DeVito's book has officially inspired me to read A Christmas Carol.

This is a wonderful novel, some critics say as good as Dickens own story, and will make one see the characters of the story with a whole new light. Highly recommended read. Merry Christmas all year round!!!

Holiday Sales

After Holiday Sales

Grove Park Inn Gingerbread Houses

One holiday season may have come to an end, but the countdown to the next is still going and there are some great sales to be had. If anyone is looking to buy ornaments or any Christmas items as a gift for next Christmas, now is the time to buy. No matter where one is looking, be it online or in store, Christmas items are marked down as much as 80% (85% every now and then).

This is also a wonderful time to sock up on some winter clothes for next year. As fun as it is to shop for Christmas gifts, the sales that occur right before Christmas and after tend to be absolutely worth looking at. Kohl's is having a Baby, Maternity and Home Goods Sale. Some really good buys include Comforter Sets from $89.99 to $99.99, Christmas items (especially lights and inflatables), outdoor chairs and sets. There is a Wisteria Comforter Set (20 pieces) for $172, marks down from $430. For those shopping for baby gear, use promo code "HEYBABY20" until Jan. 13th, to get 20% off.


Old Navy is having a sale on Active Wear, 40% and a deal for online shoppers. Online shoppers only can get an extra 25% off regular priced items or 15% off already marked down items by using the promo code, "TREAT." As always, the store has kick butt prices, the clothes have really stepped it up to be good, affordable, and long lasting products, and it is hard to beat the jean prices for adults and children, $10 and $15. If shopping in store, be sure to go through the sales rack and all racks because there is always a really good sale that can be found, but sometimes it really does take looking. A few days ago, I found $2 kid pants, originally $17, but the key to finding them was really looking, taking time is definitely helpful.

Hallmark is a big deal during the holidays, this past season was no exception and the best prices on their ornaments come after the Christmas season. There are still plenty of ornaments online along with Interactive Storybooks and puzzles. While in store, there is usually an area, not in plan site, that has a Hodge lodge of holiday items ranging from Halloween to Christmas that can be as low as a few cents.

There are so many reasons to check out the sales and maybe make a new tradition to shop for Christmas gifts after Christmas rather than fighting the Black Friday or pre-Christmas crowd. Here's to keeping the Christmas Spirit all year long, and wishing everyone a Happy New Year!!!