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.