Christmas Light Extravaganza

Christmas light displays can be so much fun for the whole family to enjoy. What a wonderful time for the family to appreciate Christmas together and make memories for years to come.There are several around the southwestern Ohio area that are great for adults and kids alike.While I have focused on several of these events, you can use the Christmas light finder website to find local displays in your area.  http://www.christmaslightfinder.com/

I really enjoy Woodland Lights. The lighted path, rides, reindeer,carriage rides and visits with Santa add to the Christmas spirit, plus it is reasonably priced.
www.woodlandlights.org

Clifton Mills is another beautiful light display and while a little more expensive, it truly is unique with a dancing light show synchronized to music. They also have a miniature village and Santa museum.
http://www.cliftonmill.com/

The Cincinnati Zoo Festival of Lights is always a wonderful and festive display. It is quite beautiful; however, it can also be very crowded, particularly on the weekends. If you can arrive earlier in the afternoon and enjoy the animals while already being in the zoo before it gets dark, your chances of encountering less crowd and stress will be greatly reduced!
www.cincinnatizoo.org

The Christmas Ranch near Cincinnati was featured on Good Morning America and HGTV. Visit the website for more details on all they have to offer.
http://www.thechristmasranch.com/

In Sharonville (near Cincinnati), you can enjoy a drive-thru display at The Holiday In Lights at Sharon Woods. There is also a Santaland where you can venture out of your car and enjoy some Christmas festivities.
http://www.holidayinlights.com/santaland.html

25 Classic Family Christmas Shows/Movies

Spending the weeks leading up to Christmas with some of our favorite classic yuletide shows and movies is a fun tradition. Many of these shows/movies can be found quite inexpensively online for purchase or watch on YouTube/Netflix/Amazon Prime. Grab some Christmas snacks and a few blankets and cozy up on the sofa with the family for some holiday cheer.
I have included one show/movie for each day leading up to Christmas.

1) Charlie Brown Christmas
2) Elf
3) Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas
4) Frosty the Snowman
5) Muppet Christmas Carol
6) The Polar Express
7) Miracle on 34th Street
8) It's A Wonderful Life
9) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
10) A Christmas Story
11) Mickey's Christmas Carol
12) Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer
13) Home Alone
14) The Santa Clause
15) The Little Drummer Boy (animated)
16) White Christmas
17) Twas the Night Before Christmas (animated 1974 show)
18) The Dog That Saved Christmas
19) Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (animated)
20) A Very Brady Christmas
21) Prancer
22) Arthur Christmas
23) Jingle All The Way
24) The Snowman (animated)
25) The Nativity Story

5 Unique Gift Ideas

Christmas gift shopping can be a daunting task: trying to find unique gifts and not buying the same thing every year. "Gee thanks for the fruitcake. I think we still have the one you gave us last year."You get the idea!

It is difficult with children because they want something tangible, but getting them to understand that some gifts can keep giving all year long will really open up the gifting opportunities.

I've listed some non-present gifts that can offer the spirit of giving all year long. Many of these ideas are also great for birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

1) Museum, zoo, amusement park membership passes. My dad buys our kids a pass for birthdays, Christmas and Easter. We really get a great deal of use out of our zoo pass. I remind the kids every time we visit that this was a gift from Grandpa. When grandparents or family ask for ideas for Christmas or birthdays, suggest a year-long pass to your favorite museum. It can be a present that is ideal for the whole family. While those broken toys are communing in the closet, you can be out enjoying your local zoo or amusement park.

2) College fund contributions. This is a wonderful long-term legacy that grandparents can leave for their grandchildren. There are many different types of funds to chose from and different amounts that can be contributed annually. My children have had contributions made by grandparents since they were young. It may not be fully appreciated by the kids at this point in their lives, but those funds are growing quite nicely and they will embrace it wholeheartedly when they aren't paying back school loans someday.

3)Wildlife Adoption Program. My kids love animals and it is so exciting to them to think that they have an animal that they have sponsored. I have used the World Wildlife Fund, but there are many organizations that do this type of gifting. If you have someone interested in astronomy, there are name a star registries that would make a unique gift as well.

4) Subscriptions. Most people like getting mail. Why not gift someone with their favorite magazine subscription? It is the gift that you will be reminded of whenever the mail comes!

5) Event tickets. Most large or small theaters have multiple-event packages. We were once given a children's theater package of 4 shows for a gift and it was a truly wonderful experience for the kids. Perhaps tickets for an upcoming circus, ice show or concert would be appreciated.

FREE Santa Greetings

Delight and surprise your child this Christmas season with either a letter or video message from Santa Claus. I have always used the free versions of each service although they have additional services for a fee if you want to add to your letter or video. I appreciate the fact that even with the free option, there are many ways to customize the message for your child and it is easy to use, taking only a few minutes to put together. We have done this for a few years and the kids are always so happy to get a personal greeting from Santa.

Free Letters:
http://www.freelettersfromsantaclaus.com/free_printable_letters_from_santa.asp

http://www.easyfreesantaletter.com/

Free Videos:
http://www.portablenorthpole.com/home

http://www.freepersonalizedvideogreetingfromsantaclaus.com/

10 Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Kids

Boy, this time of year crept up fast! Here we are already talking about "everything" Christmas. I have compiled a short list of 10 stocking stuffer ideas for kids.

1) Favorite candies- I am sure everyone is full of candy coming off Halloween and Thanksgiving as well as Christmas parties, but who doesn't appreciate a few of their favorites.

2) Personalized paper pads and crayons/markers- There are several places that print personalized paper pads very cheaply.

3) One-Time Use Digital Camera- Kids love taking pictures so why not give them a cheap camera to take some Christmas morning shots. And, you won't have to worry if it gets dropped.

4) Deck of Kids' Games Cards- Add a game of Go Fish, Uno, or Old Maid

5) Flavored Chapsticks- There are so many novelty chapsticks these days that taste like popular food brands.

6) Dollar Store Gift Card- My kids love going to the dollar store and having a small gift card makes them so happy, they feel like they can get so much.

7) Pieces of a Nativity Scene- A nice tradition is giving a piece of the nativity scene each year as a stocking stuffer until it is completed and the child has a whole nativity set of their own.

8)Trading Cards- They make trading cards for so many popular kid brands and sports teams. Pick up a pack or two and add them to the stockings.

9) $5 Gift Card towards a new Kindle or Ipod app or ITunes card


10) Mini Snow Globe- Start a cute tradition as well as a collection by adding a miniature snow globe to the child's stocking each year.

I hope a few of these ideas will help you on your way to gathering stocking gifts!

FREE Thanksgiving Recipe Ebook

Some of the best meals and favorite dishes are centered around Thanksgiving dinner. I have compiled my favorite holiday recipes to include in this Thanksgiving mini-cookbook and you can download a free copy of this ebook at Smashwords and Barnes and Noble:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/215704

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/turkey-time-erin-thomas/1112818855?ean=2940044796263

Make A Thankful Plate

I saw this idea last year on Pinterest in a baby shower theme and thought it could be worked into a fantastic way to celebrate Thanksgiving. 

 

Buy some $1 ceramic plates at a dollar store. They can really be any color as long as the color you chose for the marker will coordinate. At a craft store, find a Porcelaine 150 pen or other marker that is for writing on ceramics. Have the kids name off things they are thankful for, adding them to the plate as you go along. Once you are done, bake the plate according to the marker directions for the ink to completely set and dry.
Voila, you will have a wonderful reminder and keepsake of a year’s worth of blessings! Once a few years have gone by, there should be a nice little family stockpile of thankful plates to use for Thanksgiving dinner.

FREE Thanksgiving Activity Ebook

Thanksgiving is such a terrific time of counting blessings, but it is also a fairly overlooked holiday in the shadows of Halloween fun and Christmas hoopla. I created this ebook to offer some fun activities leading up to Thanksgiving to celebrate this important holiday. It is refreshing to see the kids get excited about a holiday that does not involve obscene amounts of candy or presents and Christmas music overload.

The ebook is FREE and can be found on Smashwords in various formats or on Barnes and Noble or Apple iTunes store.

Smashwords
Barnes and Noble
Apple

Check out my ebook store with other titles:http://theeveryday-mom.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

5 Fun Fall Family Traditions

The fall season is upon us! Cool, crisp air, football, pumpkins, apples and pretty fall leaves are some of the wonderful things in store during the autumn season. There are so many opportunities for making some wonderful family memories with fall-themed activities. I've picked 5 that my family enjoys and does each year.

1) Visit a pumpkin patch. We have two pumpkin patches that we visit every year. It is fun to look back on pictures of the kids and how they have changed from year to year. The patches that we frequent also have other activities for families- wagon rides, animals, apple picking, corn mazes.
It is one of the things the kids look the most forward to in fall.

2) Take a fall nature walk. The brilliant fall leaves make the perfect backdrop for a hike in the woods, letting the kids collect leaves along the way. Use this as an opportunity for some enriching family time, unplugged from electronics. Time marches on so fast that one day you'll look back and wish for these days to rewind.

3) Make some favorite fall recipes. We fix a snack of pumpkin pound cake and frozen apple cider slush. Since we only make these goodies during autumn, it is a fun seasonal treat. The kids like to help mix ingredients and blend the apple cider.

4) Check out area festivals. Fall seems to be prime time for all kinds of festivals. Pumpkin, apple, corn, fall fests! You name it, I'm sure there is a festival for it and chances are it will be in the fall!
Most newspapers will have lists of area festivals either in print or online.

5) Decorate for fall. Whether or not your family participates in Halloween, you can still enjoy decorating with an autumn theme. Pumpkins, corn stalks, mums are all fall decorating staples. In order to let the kids participate, I will give them a few dollars to pick up some decorations at the dollar store. They also like to hang any fall crafts they've made.

Family traditions can really foster a sense of security and familiarity for kids. They look forward to certain things at specific times of the year. It is always fun to look back at pictures from the same pumpkin patch or festival from year to year and see how everyone changes.