BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR

BHG DECEMBER STORAGE PROJECTS: ENTRY

ENTRY

Family Drop Spot. Use a tabletop serving set as a drop spot for keys, change, wallets, and personal devices. Give family members their own bowls or sections.
Stash Away Entry Rugs. Roll up extra rugs, mats, and towels and place in a wood-carrying basket near the door.
Hanging Outdoor Gear. Hang a multi-compartment canvas shoe or sweater shelf from a closet hang bar. Fill spaces with hats, gloves, pet gear, and purses.
Personalized Coat Rack. Hang a coat rack with enough hooks for each family member to have his or her own and label it with each family member's name.

ELF ON THE SHELF & CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

Variation on Elf on the Shelf

I found this after the Christmas season, but think it would be neat to do next year.  
The Elf on the Shelf variation with an advent count down card with activities to do each day.  Downloads available at this link.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Greetings

and

Best Wishes

for the

Holidays

and the

New Year

CHRISTMAS EVE WISHES

Remembering all the excitement my children had on this day. Now I am grateful to be able to enjoy it through my grandchildren's eyes.

SNOWMAN PANCAKES

Snow Day Brunch

Here is a fun way to serve breakfast to your kids on Christmas morning! Using pancakes, bacon and marshmallows you’ll create a Mr. Snowman themed meal! Yummy and festive!

CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN BUCKET

Christmas Countdown Bucket

I found this earlier, but didn't get it done before the end of November.  I definitely will do this for the grandkids next year!

Christmas Bucket Countdown {Christmas Countdown} Here is a clever way to make each day leading up to Christmas fun for your kids! Using a bucket and 24 wrapped gifts and/or activities you'll create a clever way to countdown the days until Christmas. The gifts can be a Christmas movie or even a box with a slip of paper with something fun to do! After all who doesn't love to open presents!  Check out her blog to get ideas for things to have in the countdown - they don't have to be new or expensive!

CHRISTMAS COOKIES

History of Christmas Cookies

The tradition of baking and serving Christmas cookies transcends cultures, from German springerle to Norwegian krumkake to Swedish papparkakor. Europeans have baked cookies at Christmas since the 1500s, but the tradition became widespread in the United States only after the introduction of inexpensive tin cookie cutters in the 1930s.

CHRISTMAS KISSING UNDER THE MISTLETOE

History of Kissing Ball

A Victorian invention that encouraged even the most modest of English ladies to kiss and be kissed in public, this lofty decoration is made up of mistletoe, holly, greens, and ribbons. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant believed by everyone from the Druids to the Greeks to possess healing and life-generating powers. According to the custom, anybody caught standing under the kissing ball has to give or receive a kiss or embrace. In France, smooching under the mistletoe is reserved for New Year's Day.

FROSTY THE SNOWMAN

History of Snowmen

Frosty the Snowman thumpety-thump-thumped into Christmas lore in 1950. He came to life from the pens of songwriters Jack Nelson and Steve Rollins. They sold the song to Gene Autry, who'd already topped the charts with "Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer." Autry's recording landed "Frosty" on Christmas playlists in perpetuity.

CHRISTMAS GINGERBREAD HOUSES

History of Gingerbread Houses

The Brothers Grimm tale Hansel and Gretel created a gingerbread house craze in Germany in the early 1800s. In the story, the children find a witch's house made of bread, with a cake roof and sugar windows. As the tale became popular, German bakers started selling elaborate gingerbread houses decorated with icing and candies.

CHRISTMAS AMARYLLIS

History of Amaryllis

Amaryllis means "sparkling" in Greek, and that's an apt description for its vivid, dazzling blooms. The flower was discovered by a German physician in the Andes Mountains of Chile in 1828. Since then, the tall stems of this easy-to-force bulb have been regarded as a symbol of pride, and its brilliant blossoms in red, white, pink, or salmon are a favorite for brightening up winter.

CHRISTMAS HOLLY

History of Christmas Holly

Several ancient pagan religions used holly in their winter celebrations. Romans decorated their homes with it, and the Druids wore it in their hair. The early Christian church adopted holly as a symbol of Jesus Christ, its pointed leaves representing the crown of thorns and the red berries symbolizing Christ's blood.

CHRISTMAS NUTCRACKER

History of the Nutcracker

Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker ballet, first performed in the United States in 1944, did much to link the nutcracker to Christmas traditions. German toy makers fabricated nutcrackers from a single piece of hardwood, often fashioning them as unflattering versions of military officers, kings, police, and other unpopular figures. These carved pieces were used as toys as well as, of course, utensils for opening nutshells.

CHRISTMAS GREETING CARDS

History of Christmas Greeting Cards

In 1843, Sir Henry Cole, founder of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, wanted to remind his friends to help the poor during the holidays but didn't think it was possible to hand-write so many letters. Instead, he commissioned a card showing the feeding and clothing of the poor along with the message "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You." The card also had a place for the name of the recipient and the giver. One thousand lithograph copies of the card sold to the public for one shilling each.

CHRISTMAS WREATHS

History of Christmas Wreaths

Wreaths were first created in ancient cultures to adorn the heads of the rich and royal. Somewhere along the way, the wreath evolved to an interior and exterior decoration. The tradition of hanging one on the front door dates back to ancient Europe, when wreaths served as house numbers. The flowers and greenery that made up each wreath identified the family who lived in the house.

CHRISTMAS POINSETTIA

History of Poinsettia

The poinsettia is prized in its native Mexico as a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem. Legend says an angel created the plant from a bouquet of weeds gathered by a poor girl so that the child would have a beautiful  gift to lay on the manger at church on Christmas Eve.

CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS

History of Christmas Stockings

Christmas stockings originate from the 16th-century Dutch Christmas Eve traditions of children. By the fireplace, they left their clogs full of straw and carrots for the donkeys they believed accompanied Sinterclass, an early version of Santa Claus. Sinterclass in turn would leave a treat in each clog. In the 1800s, Clement Clarke Moore's A Visit from St. Nicholas (also known as The Night Before Christmas) helped spread Americanized versions of the Santa Claus story, which include stockings hung with care.

CHRISTMAS TREE

History of Christmas Tree

Long before the spread of Christianity, pagans celebrated winter solstice by bringing evergreen trees into their homes as proof that life still existed in the dark of winter. Christian missionaries adapted the custom to represent the everlasting life of Jesus. Martin Luther is often given credit for first lighting a tree, adding  candles to show his children what forests of trees look like in starlight.

CHRISTMAS CANDY CANES

History of Candy Canes

In 1670, a German choirmaster gave his young singers white sugar sticks to keep them quiet during the long Nativity service. In honor of the occasion, he bent the sticks to resemble shepherd's crooks. It wasn't until the 20th century that candy makers added red stripes and peppermint flavoring. Christian legend claims the white symbolizes Christ's purity, the red stands for his blood, and the peppermint represents the gifts of spices brought by the wise men. The hardness is a reminder that Jesus is the rock and foundation of the church.