Happy New Year’s Eve!

Fun suggestion- My brothers and I would get pots and pans and bang them with wooden spoons at midnight outside the house. This was lots of fun but make sure you have neighbors who won't mind.

New Year's Expectation for your Child

If you don't expect much from your child, that's what you get. That said don't set expectations so high they’ll burst. Do expect good manners, kindness, honesty, and responsibility for actions.

Movie Review: Rudolph’s Shiny New Year

Movie title: Rudolph’s Shiny New Year. Animation with Music. It’s only six more days until New Year’s and Happy, the New Year baby, has run away. Happy ran away because the other kids were making fun of his big ears. Rudolph the reindeer can relate because he was made fun of his red nose when he was little. Rudolph goes to find Happy before a vulture kidnaps him. The vulture wants to stop time so he won’t turn to ice. If there isn’t a New Year then time will be stopped. The baby goes to a fairy time land, where he stays with the three bears. The little bear and baby become friends, until the bears laugh at his ears. This upsets Happy and he runs away. Rudolph finds Happy and saves the New Year. He tells Happy his big ears might make people laugh, but this makes them happy, which is a good thing. Show watchable for adults because it’s a short film.

Book Review: The Runaway Latkes

The Runaway Latkes by Leslie Kimmelman. Pictures by Paul Yalowitz. Rebecca is making latkes when they jump out of the pan. The naughty latkes roll out of her house and whirl through the town with people chasing them. The latkes jump in the Applesauce River. Low and behold a miracle happens. The Applesauce River turns into real applesauce. Rebecca takes the latkes out the river and shares them with everyone. Cute story with a catchy phrase throughout.

Merry Christmas!

After eating your holiday dinner take a walk. I was told this helps digestion.

Holiday Centerpiece and Dog Tip

1) Child’s Christmas Arts and Craft Dinner Centerpiece.
What you need: Styrofoam three inches tall in any shape you desire, circle, square, oval or rectangle. You the parent can cut the Styrofoam with a shape knife to the shape desired. Red, green, gold, or silver paint. Paint brush. Pretty leaves. The day you plan to use centerpiece cut flowers, twigs with leaves or berries and/or ivy vines. Place stems in water.

What to do: Paint Styrofoam. Let dry. Then just before dinner, or a half an hour before, stick fresh flowers, and twigs in Styrofoam in a pretty fashion. If you see Styrofoam base peeking through you can cover it with leaves or ivy vines. Put centerpiece on dinner table.

2) Tip for dog owners- do not give turkey bones or chicken bones to your dog. They can get caught in their throat and they can choke on them. I don't recommend lamb bones either. A nice old man kept giving them to my dog and she would get sick. I had to politely tell him what was happening. Ask your butcher or veterinarian what bones they recommend for dogs.

Make Ball Ornaments and Spread Goodwill

1) Child’s Christmas Ball Ornaments.
What you need: Styrofoam balls. Ribbon. Glitter. Glue. Interesting buttons, or rhinestones.

What you do: Glue interesting buttons, or rhinestones on ball. Let dry. Glue ball again and then shake glitter on it. Let dry. Cut four or five inches of ribbon. Fold ribbon in half. Glue ribbon to top of ball so it can hang from Christmas tree. If this ribbon breaks you can pin it in, but make sure there are no children under four in house.

2) Spread Goodwill. Have your family volunteer at a soup kitchen, a local food pantry (Some churches and temples do it for the holidays. You can sort food.), or each contribute whatever they can afford to a needy cause (Save the Dolphins, Red Cross, Cancer Society) or put money in a Salvation Army red pot. Or make the above ornaments and give to hospices to put on Christmas trees or hang in windows.

Gifts that cost nothing and Homemade Gift Tags

1) Idea for a child who is low on money this holiday season or just is too young to have much or any money to buy gifts. These gifts from the heart should be appreciated by all. For each member of the family have a pile of four index cards. On each card write what the child will do for that family member. They can draw a corresponding picture next to it. Example: For Mom. The index cards can say, "Good for one dog washing." "Two for one shoe polishing." "One cleaning of my room without complaining." "Hand in for a helping hand for laundry folding. Offer expires (put a date)." For Dad- "Complimentary Saturday lawn mowing." For a brother- "Coupon for one hour of playing one of my video games." "Redeem for moving my dirty clothes away from your playing area." From one sister to another, "Admit one sister to go through my clothes and pick a shirt (dress) to wear for one day." And so on. Tie each pile of index cards with ribbon to look pretty.

2) Homemade Gift Tags. Cut plain colored wrapping paper in shapes of stars, trees, wreaths, presents or use a stencil and trace shapes on paper and cut. Write name of person on shape and tape to present. One way not to see the tape is to put it on back of shape so it sticks to shape and present.

I will be gone Wed and Thurs so I double up on tips Fri. and Sat.

Budget Bath Salt Gift and Christmas Book Review

1) On a budget but need to give many holiday gifts? Here's an idea, give bath salts in small clear or colored mason jars. Use 1/4 cup of Epson salt, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/8 cup of almond oil. Mix together. Make sure the person you are giving it to doesn't have extra sensitive skin. Do tell people the simple ingredients in it. For a nice extra touch: Tie a red ribbon around a popsicle stick and place it on top. (Popsicle stick is to scoop up bath salt.)

2) Guess Who’s Coming to Santa’s for Dinner? By Tomie dePaola. Santa’s family is coming to dinner. Watch out they’re as crazy as other families with complaining, bickering and unhappy Cousin Ulla. But they also have fun making dinner and putting on their Christmas Pageant. Santa’s friend Lars brings his pet polar bear to dinner. Hmm I wonder how that will turn out. The pictures are in cartoon form so older kids might find that appealing. Nice idea about meeting Santa’s family. I always did wonder what they were like.

How to make a Desert Christmas Tree and a Floating Iceberg

1)Make a Desert Christmas tree. If you live close to a beach, or plan to take a trip to one, look for driftwood. Find a nice piece with your child. Dry it. When dry, nail the bottom of branch to a base. This is how to do it: Turn base upside down. Hammer a thick nail down middle of base INTO bottom of branch. Branch will now look like mini tree. Cover mini-tree with ornaments.

2)Here's a cute holiday display if you own a pool. Make a floating iceberg for your pool. Use a boogie board as the iceberg. Buy nylon pillow stuffing for snow on top of the board. Place plastic or stuff penguins on the iceberg. Kids love this display. You can place a light weight Santa or a stuff polar bear on the iceberg as well.

Two Holiday Arts and Craft Projects

Due to an unforeseen problem I couldn't write since early this week so I will double up on tips and such on other days. Today is Holiday Arts and Craft Project Day.

1) Pinecone ornaments-
What you need: Small thin pinecones, glue gun or strong tacky glue, hangers for ornaments, silver or gold can of spray paint.
What to do: Outside on a newspaper spray pinecones gold or silver. Wait until dry and paint part that couldn't get to. When dry, glue ornament hangers on top of pinecone. Hang on tree like a pinecone would hang. This looks nice with a red ribbon wrapped around branches of Christmas tree.

2)Graham Cracker Snow House- (Back by popular demand)

Needed items:
1) A box of Graham crackers.
2) White canned frosting or make your own. The frosting will be used in this project as glue and as snow.
3) Gum drops. This makes a colorful fence.
4) Red licorice. For door and window frames.
5) Hard candy. Makes a stone wall.
6) Tiny marshmallows. For Snowman. Roof tiles.
7) M&M's or Skittles. To decorate sides and for roof tiles. Or walkway pavers to house.
8) Starburst Candy. This can be used to make a chimney stack. Or use on sides as fence. Can be roof tiles. Or create a walkway to house with them.
9) Snack size candy bar. For a chimney.
10) Pretzels. Line up for a fence.
11) Cotton candy. For pink smoke coming out of chimney.
12) Coconut shreds. For snow on the ground.
13) Frosted Mini Wheats. As roof tiles.
14) Cake sprinkles.
15) Other candy you think you can use for something on the house. Have your child use their imagination.
16) Stiff paper plate.
17) Cake topping decorating bag/pump. Squeeze frosting on roof edges to make icicles.

You will build the house on the paper plate. Start with walls of the house as if you were building a house of cards. The Graham crackers will be the walls. You might need to hold the crackers steady as your child glues them together with frosting. Frost three edges of each cracker. Place bottom of frosted cracker upright on plate. Let dry a bit. Then build an A frame roof (at an angle place two sides of Graham crackers together). Frost wall tops and ends of roof together to keep frame up. Hold and let dry. Now at this point make a decision. Will you be frosting the whole house or just the roof? If you want to do the whole house I suggest you do it all at the beginning.

If you are going to do the whole house start with the sides. Gently frost crackers using a rubber spatula. When done, do roof. When done, outline a doorway using the string licorice. Do the same for windows. Place M&M's and/or Skittles all over wall siding or make a design on wall. Decorate the roof using M&M's, Skittles, tiny marshmallows or Frosted Mini Wheats. Sprinkle cake sprinkles on roof for festive look. Your child can stack up five Starbursts for a chimney. Or they can use the snack size candy bar for this. Place stretched cotton candy on top of chimney for smoke.

Once house is decorated to your child's satisfaction they can do the yard. On the plate spread frosting around house. Sprinkle coconut around house for snow. Stack up three marshmallows to make a snowman. Use a dab of frosting in-between marshmallows to keep snowman up. Using finger put a teeny dab of frosting on the side of the top marshmallow. Using sprinkles make a face. Place in two eyes, nose and mouth on marshmallow. You can make a walkway to front door using Starbursts, M&M's or Skittles. Place gum drops or pretzels around house as a fence. For a stone wall stack hard candy, using frosting as cement to keep them in place. The last thing you should do is the icicles. With your bag of frosting place tip on edge of Graham cracker roof. Squeeze enough frosting to make a hanging icicle.

How to Make Homemade Bell Ornaments

Little bell ornaments.
What you need: Egg carton. Paint. Pipe cleaners (buy at arts and craft store.) Little beads or little bells. Glue gun or strong tacky glue.

What to do: Cut off top of egg carton.
Flip over so carton looks like rows of bells.
Cut out each egg space to make a bell. Have your child paint these cardboard bells. Once bells are dry, punch a hole through top of each. The hole should be big enough for a pipe cleaner to go through. Once pipe cleaner is through the hole curve the top so it looks like a hook. Your child will use this hook to place bell on tree. Under the bell glue a bead, or a little silver bell, to end of pipe cleaner. This insures pipe cleaner does not slip through top. You can also tie red or green ribbons around bell hook for a festive look.

Share a Holiday Memory

This week take time to share one happy holiday memory from your childhood with your child (sadly if you can't remember one use a memory from your adulthood). You can share a memory which involves a relative or a friend. Share funny memories, like the dog running away with the wrapping paper or stealing the turkey. Hopefully, your child will remember this memory and share it with their children.

Box inside Box Present

Variation of the box inside a box present giving. (If you don't know what this is it goes like this, you buy a small present. You put this gift inside a small box. Then you put this box in a larger box. That box goes in a larger box. This box goes in a larger box. And so on. For a nice touch gold boxes inside gold boxes looks pretty.) What your child can do: He/She can make a present. Let's say they make a bracelet for Mom. They can put this in a clip box (So Mom thinks she's getting a box of clips). Then the clip box can go inside a drill box (So Mom thinks she's getting a drill). Then the drill box can go inside a dog toy bag (I've seen kids and Mom laugh at this). The dog toy bag can inside a work boot box or a Chia Pet box. Now wrap this present with holiday paper. Make sure your spouse has a good sense of humor before you do this variation on a box inside a box. And oddly sometimes Mom really might have wanted the drill from the drill box or the Chia pet

Santa's Secret Peppermint Cookie Recipe

Santa's Secret Peppermint Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
In first bowl- Sift in 1 1/2 cups of flour. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of ginger.

In second bowl- Cream together 2/3 cup of butter with 1/2 cup of firmly packed brown sugar.

In this second bowl- Blend in 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of molasses. Beat well.
Then add 1/2 cup of crushed peppermint candy (put candy canes in two zip lock bags and roll over and over with rolling pin) with dry ingredients. Mix all ingredients together well.

Using teaspoon put cookie dough onto slightly greased cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Makes around 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Frost cookies after they have cooled or frosting will melt down cookie. If desired, child can sprinkle holiday sprinkles onto frosting before it hardens.

PEPPERMINT FROSTING:
Combine 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of a top quality vanilla, 2 teaspoons of crushed peppermint candy, 2 tablespoons of soft butter and three drops of red food coloring. Blend in 1 to 3 tablespoons of whole milk until you have consistency you like.

Book Review: The Christmas Cobwebs

The Christmas Cobwebs, by Odds Bodkin. Pictures by Terry Widener. A fire breaks out at a cobbler’s shop. The family flees as their house burns. The cobbler saves his special glass Christmas ornaments. But he has to sell them to buy new cobbler tools and to provide for his family. The family moves to another location. The cobbler tells his wife not to take down the spiders’ cobwebs in the house since he knows how it feels to lose your home. In thanks the spiders spin cobweb ornaments for their Christmas tree. Unique story with pictures that match.

Decorate with Christmas Tree Branches

Use the extra pine branches under your Christmas tree. After you cut your tree to size use the left over branches. Drape them over a large mirror. Then add fake or real red berry branches. Weave a thick gold ribbon in and out of branches. Add hanging cherubs on branches if you desire. You can also do this on your banister as well.

Movie title: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and...

Movie title: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys. Animation with Music. A dentist elf needs to fix the King of the Misfit Toy’s tooth. Rudolph the Reindeer goes with him. On the way back they get shipwrecked. They end up at an island run by a hippo, Queen Camilla. She fixes old and broken toys. But she has no-one to give these toys to. Rudolph suggests the toys can go to Santa. As a reward for this Camilla says she will grant the elf and reindeer a wish each. Rudolph wants a normal nose and the elf wants a date with the tooth fairy. Back at the North Pole, Santa’s toy warehouse has been robbed. Camilla’s toys are taken too. A toy taker in a blimp has stolen them. Rudolph, his girlfriend, the elf with Abominable Snowman and gold miner in tow pretend they are toys so the toy taker will take them. Once in the blimp they go after the toy taker. He escapes, but later is captured. This is where the big surprise comes in, just who is the toy taker? Nice ending. As an adult I actually enjoyed this show. It’s nice that in the end Rudolph doesn’t want a normal nose. He’s okay with being different. The highlight of the movie for me was when the hippo sings her song. It’s catchy and cute.

Where to Find Cheap Stocking Stuffers

For inexpensive stocking stuffers check out your city's China Town. As little kids, my nieces would buy their holiday gifts there. They got them at cheap prices, which is all they could afford.

Simple Candle Gift

Save funny or cute metal mint tins. Make a candle container out of it. Melt wax, pour in tin and put in wick. Make sure wick is not lead based.

Holiday Punch

Need a little extra punch for your holiday party? Here's a tasty one: In a punch bowl pour half a gallon of 7Up. Add a fourth of a gallon of orange sherbet to it. Taste punch. Add more sherbet if you like. If you have a larger punch bowl you can mix more punch and 7Up together.

Cheap Wrapping Paper

Tired of paying too much for wrapping paper? Then get a roll of butcher's paper. First wrap present with butcher's paper. Then have your child color pictures on it. Or they can press fun holiday stamps on it from an ink pad. You most likely can find holiday ink pads at your local craft store. Or have your child cut out and glue pictures on it from old Christmas cards or holiday magazines. If the present is fragile have your child color or stamp paper before you wrap it.

Book Review: Carl’s Christmas

Carl’s Christmas, by Alexandra Day. This is a true picture book. With the exception of the first page, all the other pages show through pictures how Carl the Rottweiler babysits his owner’s baby on Christmas Eve. In reality I don’t think it’s okay for a dog to babysit a baby, but this book is pure fantasy. Carl takes really good care of his charge. Santa rewards him. I love the illustrations.