It has become a common practice to send friends and family an electronic card for their birthday or a holiday, including Christmas. And it is easy to see that there are numerous good reasons for doing so. The price of Christmas greeting cards and stamps have risen to a level that makes sending Christmas cards an expensive hobby. These days everybody has access to a computer, so anyone can receive a card for Christmas. The Christmas e-cards have become very sophisticated, with great animation. Something that is not possible at that level with a Christmas post card. Another advantage of the email christmas card is the fact that you do not have to worry about the timely arrival of your card at its destination. Even friends and family that live far away can receive your card practically instantaneous.

Why is it, than, that there is still a large population, that will not send email Christmas cards, even if they have no problem sending email cards during the rest of the year? It seems that tradition plays an important role here. Christmas cards, by tradition, are displayed during the holiday season and make for a very festive picture. Furthermore, if the receiver looks at your card, chances are that it will bring back memories and it will make them think of you. And this is something we all appreciate at the end of the year. It makes for the special Christmas atmosphere.

What do you think? Do you prefer a Christmas post card, or is an Christmas e-card just as good for you. Share your opinions. Fill out the comment form and let others know what you think.

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With all the choices available for multimedia Christmas cards, why choose a paper Christmas card? In today’s worship of technology one might think that doing a digital Christmas card is the better way to go. However, there are a number of compelling reasons why a traditional paper Christmas card might still be the way to go.

Some of the reasons you might want to choose a paper Christmas card this year are: More on Why we still use paper Christmas cards

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In 1840 in London, England, a British narrative painter named John Callcott Horsley designed the very first commercial Christmas card.  Sir Henry Cole, first director of the Victoria and Albert Museum and a friend of Horsley, requested he do this.  The one thousand Christmas and New Year’s cards he designed never went on sale until 1843.  Controversy surrounded the card because it depicted a family toasting Christmas.  Although puritans denounced it immediately, many others loved the idea.  Other artists followed Horsley’s example, as the Christmas card became exceedingly popular.  In 1849, English artist William Egley designed an extremely popular Christmas card.  New years greeting cards, on the other hand, had been around since 1796 when merchants sent them to their customers.  These cards usually said best wishes for the New Year.  The fashionable Christmas cards gradually replaced the New Year’s cards. 

  More on Who invented the Christmas card?

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As much as we love the onset of the holiday season every year, most of us know that one of the pitfalls of Christmas is the extra weight we put on, from eating all that wonderful food. There are so many parties and gatherings, with so many gorgeous and sugar-filled treats, most of us tend to sigh and accept the fact that we'll gain a few extra pounds. This is the one time of year when we should be able to overindulge a little, and enjoy the delicious and traditional foods that we find at all of the Christmas season's events. Still, we can make the season a little less destructive to our belts and waistlines, if we spend a little time considering how we eat. For instance, most gatherings and parties at Christmastime are about family and friends, about love and fellowship. We should remind ourselves, as we arrive at these gatherings, that we're here to enjoy our families and friends, and not just to taste every single dessert on the table. When seeing a spread of holiday food on a buffet table for the first time, we instantly want to taste everything. But that's just not practical. Look at the food, carefully, and decide what you really want to have, then help yourself. Just don't take large portions of everything offered-you can't possible enjoy it all, equally. If you know you'll be attending a party with good food, don't starve yourself all day, so that you can eat more. Arriving hungry is a perfect way to guarantee that you'll eat too much. Remember, the food is the party's enhancement, not its purpose. Try to get plenty of sleep during the Christmas season. It's difficult, with all of the shopping and parties, but sleep can help your body resist cravings. A lack of sleep makes you want more sugar and starch. Your children are especially vulnerable to the temptation of over-indulging this holiday season. Most of the food we associate with Christmas is filled with sugar and fat, and is presented in a beautiful, appetizing manner. Chances are, your kids will eat too much of the wrong stuff this year. Try and make sure they get plenty of exercise to burn off some of those extra calories. When faced with all of the glorious food you'll see, this Christmas season, don't punish yourself-enjoy it. But remember that the food will vanish. The extra pounds may not, unless you understand, ahead of time, that January will be a time for a few extra visits to the gym.

Find the best way to use Christmas lights in your decorating. Tips for xmas lights and xmas light displays. Christmas lights are a great part of Christmas. By taking the time to get the right xmas lights, you can improve your chances of providing your family, friends and anyone else that sees your home with a beautiful gift. When you display them carefully, they can be a gift you give to those around you. The good news is that there are many xmas lights and xmas decorations available including simple and elaborate options. Perhaps the best thing that you can do is to vary the type throughout your yard to give you a unique and spectacular display. It is often considered fun to have different types of xmas lights rather than simple white ones. You can select from multi colored lights, to blinking lights and even xmas chili pepper lights. Or, consider the popular snowmen lights. By varying the type of lighting throughout your home, you get to create a look that is pretty amazing. Use Them Right Be sure to take advantage of mixing up the looks such as using xmas lights and xmas decorating together. You may want to spend some time making these things blend well together. For example, why not take that giant inflatable snowman and carefully place lights throughout i. To do so, put the snowman inside a cardboard sled. Your family can help you to build it. Then, decorate the sled with beautiful white xmas lights to represent snow. You can then add multi colored led xmas lights to the front of the actually sled. This could be a path for the sliding fun! This is a fabulous way to blend different types of xmas lights and still get the amazing look that you want in the finished product. Do The House Too While you may be tempted to use only one type of xmas lights on your home, think outside the box here. You can create a unique and lovely display when you use the right type of lights together. For example, consider stringing the front of the house with miniature snowmen and pumpkin lights! These may be those that you used from your Halloween display this year. Get creative with the use of these decorating lights. The key to decorating for the Christmas holiday is to use xmas lights carefully and not haphazardly. Know where you are placing them and be sure to carefully plan on how they will blink. Being clever with your xmas lights makes the entire thing work!

The Christmas season is a festive and joyful time of the year when people come together and families gather to celebrate and enjoy the company of each other.  We gather together to have fun, and to share in the festive spirit.  Singing is an extremely popular way of expressing the joy we feel.  So when we gather with friends and relatives, we all deserve a good laugh by singing along to some funny Christmas songs. 

More on Have a good laugh from funny Christmas songs

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Christmas is that magical time of year when we slow down and spend quality time with our loved ones.  It is a time to share with our family, friends, co-workers, even people that we have never met, and probably never will.  A Christmas gift is our way of telling someone we love them, others that we appreciate him or her, or letting the less fortunate know that we do care. 

A wonderful Christmas gift to ourselves is doing something special for a person or family less fortunate than we are.  Here are just a few of many ideas for a special Christmas gift: More on Original Gifts for the Whole Family

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Kids love Christmas crafts. Santa craft ideas for kids are an easy and fun way to spend time with your kids during the holidays. Choose from one of our Christmas craft-decorating, free ideas. SANTA PICTURE: If you're looking for holiday craft ideas for preschoolers,, this is a great place to start. So, let's begin with Santa pictures. There are a variety of Santa coloring books available during the holidays. Choose a picture from the book. Cut out the picture of Santa, and place the picture in the center of a sheet of white construction paper. Use a glue stick to secure the picture. Color the picture with colored pencils. Once coloring is done, use wisps of cotton to serve as Santa's beard and use a small ball of cotton at the tip of his red hat. You can use small, black buttons to serve as Santa's eyes, and a red button for his nose. Fill the rest of the area of the white construction paper by drawing presents or candy canes. When the picture is finished, your children can sign their names right under Santa's image. Take a piece of heavy cardboard and secure the picture to it. Put the picture in a frame to protect it. Place this frame in a memorable area of your house for all to look and admire. SANTA CHRISTMAS CARDS: Santa Christmas cards is another art activity your children will be able to do. With a piece of white construction paper, measure the paper to a size of 5×7 inches. Cut the paper to that particular measurement. You can either fold it vertically or horizontally. Tell your kids to personalize their version of Santa on the front page. Let them use crayons or colored markers to help stimulate their imagination. After the picture is finished, your kids can write Christmas messages on the inside of the card. Homemade Christmas cards are wonderful to display in your home or send to relatives and friends. You can even add this to your Christmas craft-a-day calendar; it's a great craft to do with your kids or students. MAKE A SANTA PLATE ORNAMENT FOR THE CHRISTMAS TREE: Things that will be used are crayons and markers, cotton balls, a large paper plate, and color sparkles. Trace or draw Santa, without his red hat, on the plate using the drawing materials. Use the cotton balls to serve as his beard. You can even stick the cotton balls together into a V-shape so that Santa's beard hangs off the plate. The cotton balls can serve as Santa's hair, also. Use a blue marker to color in Santa's eyes, and a black marker to draw Santa's glasses. Use red food color on a cotton ball to make Santa's nose. You can color the rim of the plate with red or green and add color sparkles to it. Finally, place the Santa plate on the tree by inserting an ornament hook at the top of the plate. Well that's it! There are many different ways to share with your kids on how to make Santa Christmas ornaments, pictures, and cards.

You might say that I have lost my mind if I said that I have a stress free Christmas. Well, my sanity is still intact and we have had several Christmases that were stress-free in the past. I would like to tell you about the things I've learned to help reduce the stress during the Yuletide season. AFTER WAKING IN THE MORNING, READ GOD?S WORD EVERY I start by reading God's Word every day. Hearing from God & speaking to Him each day is a great boost for me and it strengthens and preps me to be the mom He wants me to be. During breakfast, we start our family devotions and begin our children's day on the right track as well. Each of my children understand that they are to read their Bible after waking. There are times that some of the kids need a little more reminding. DON?T DO EVERY ACTIVITY THAT POPS UP This seems quite evident, but it took me a decade to apply this. Actually, my marvelous husband helped me learn how to minimize the activity in our lives during the Christmas season. In the past, I wanted our kids to experience everything available during this season. What was actually happening was I began to harbor stress that would usually explode around Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. (I?m sure none of you have ever experienced this. WHICH ACTIVITIES DO I CHOOSE What works for our family is to choose 1 or 2 Christmas activities to attend outside our home. Anything else we do is done in our home. One of the best ways this reduces stress is that I am not ?persuading? my husband to attend one more Christmas activity each week. He still spends all day working to provide for our family. Consequently, he is much happier going to a few activities and enjoying our family & friends at home. Having other people in our home gives us a lot of satisfaction, so we capitalize on this. With cooking and cleaning done by the children, our work is lessened and I am not feeling stressed when our visitors arrive. ENJOY YOUR HOME I always more activities for our family than we ever have time for. In our Thanksgiving weekend I decided which activities can be postponed until next Christmas season. REMEMBER: YOU CAN?T DO EVERY THING, EVERY YEAR. I try to select activities that inspire my children to do something for others, instead of only thinking of themselves during the holiday season. One of the things we used to do is charity work by raising money for a missionary family. The kids would take orders for pumpkin bread loaves and chocolate chip cookies. After making and delivering them to their customers, they would pay me back for the ingredients and supplies used. The remaining money was their profit, which was used to buy useful gifts for a missionary family. This season we will have other kids over to bake cookies so their moms can do some Christmas shopping, uninterrupted. A Christmas card stamping party for younger kids would be a great idea for an activity. I?m still thinking it over how that will work. I have some other ideas that are included in Advent, Christmas & Epiphany Celebration Ideas. MAKE CHRISTMAS YOUR SCHOOL For those of you who homeschool, lessen some of the formal academics and enjoy these times. As we bake, shop and prepare for Christ?s birthday, we are also doing math and writing and reading with these activities. At our house, we still read aloud each morning and then work on a Christmas project. This may include handwork type crafts or other quiet projects. DO YOU FEEL STRESSED DURING THE HOLIDAYS? Take a moment right now and prioritize all the activities available to your family. Choose only 1 or 2 activities that the entire family can enjoy and pass on the rest. Being at home with your family is enjoyable. Invite another family over to roast marshmallows and mingle with them. At the center of this Christmas activity, keep your hearts tuned to Jesus Christ. Without His love for us, we would not be celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8

The Christmas season is filled with decorating opportunities, but none more special than the trimming of the Christmas tree. The style you use to decorate your tree is a reflection of your interests and taste. Here are some suggestions to get you started. 1. Thematic Christmas trees are becoming more popular. People use a single color to decorate. Others use a period of time in their lives. They then find or make ornaments to reflect the time period you have chosen. 2. Personalization of your Christmas tree can happen when you add unique personal ornaments of your choice. Specially chosen ornaments add to the Christmas tree and make it uniquely yours. 3. To save time and trouble save the boxes the ornaments came in for storage later. If you do not have the original box; get a glass packing box from some mover. Label the box before you store the ornaments for easy retrieval. Be sure to separate each ornament with some type of packing material to protect them during storage. 4. The sparkle of a Christmas tree comes from the strands of Christmas lights hung on the tree. Use caution when stringing the lights. Avoid placing a bulb too close to a branch as a fire can occur quickly. 5. Hanging Christmas tree lights means finding out which lights work and which ones don't. It's always easier to find the burned out bulbs before you start. Be sure you start from the top of the tree when stringing your lights. Work down and then around the tree. Plan your path so you end up near an electrical outlet to finish your work. 6. Store your lights on a piece of cardboard or an empty can. This keeps the wires straight, prevents them from breaking. Next year you won't have to deal with tangled lights. 7. Starting from the bottom of your tree, hang the larger ornaments. Then gradually add the smaller ones hanging them all around the tree. If you have young children or pets you may want to hang ornaments a little higher to prevent damage to the ornaments. 8. If you've ever seen an evergreen tree after a snow storm. Then you know how to hang tinsel on your Christmas tree. Hang the tinsel on the outer ends of the branches. Aim for a picture like you see when there is the first storm of the season. 9. You want your ornaments to shine and compliment your tree. So rather than just putting every ornament you own on the tree, pick and choose the ones your want. This way every ornament has its own special place.