Delicious Food for Christmas and New Year
Enjoy these wonderful foods with your friends and family on these special holidays of the year. Let's share these good time and delicious food & drink together.
Dessert & beverage for Christmas and New Year
The Christmas holiday shopping season seems to start earlier every year. According to the National Retail Federation, some 40 percent of
Choosing corporate Christmas cards is like any other business decision that requires evaluation, approval and implementation. Each step takes time, and the more people who are involved, the greater the chance that there will be delays in the process. Ordering cards is often the responsibility of the office manager, but other key executives are typically involved in making sure the card has the right look, message and image for their company.
Waiting too long limits the time available to choose and send holiday cards. With more organizations reducing hours during the holidays and people taking time off, cards should be mailed in early December so that customers and clients are still at work to receive them.
Sending cards on time is important so the cards don't seem like an afterthought. Too often, companies intend to do the right thing - such as circulating cards for personal signatures and hand addressing - but they fail to allow enough time. Then they find their greetings being delivered to an empty desk in late December, limiting the effectiveness of the cards.
Used properly, high-quality holiday cards form a valuable component of a company's overall customer relationship strategy. There are several ways companies gain value from sending holiday cards:
*Cards reinforce company name recognition in a more personal way than advertising or other communications *Cards can be customized with special messages or hand-written personal notes *Cards show that a business appreciates the relationship with customers, suppliers and other important groups
Although e-cards may be suitable for some occasions, the quality, beauty and permanence of paper Christmas cards help companies make a positive impression during the holidays. The very act of signing and mailing cards indicates that you value your customers by putting time and thought into what you send them, while sending e-cards may often look like a last-minute substitute.
There are several potential delivery issues with e-cards that also make traditional paper cards a better choice. E-cards that are sent with attachments or as part of a mass mailing risk being blocked by corporate firewalls or spam filters. Even if they are received, there is a chance an e-card will be overlooked or not opened given the volume of e-mail most executives receive every day. In fact, printed cards may stand out more than ever as the volume of regular business mail declines.
As the holidays approach, I felt that looking into the history of greeting cards would be fun. I discovered a delightful mix of history, statistics, and fun trivia. Sit back and relax for a moment. Escape the stress of the season, and take a little time to learn some things about the Christmas Card.
- Sending greeting cards can be associated with the ancient Chinese. They absolutely loved to send celebratory good will messages to mark the coming of the new year. The early Egyptians used papyrus scrolls to express their greetings. As early as 1400, the Germans were printing their New Year's greetings.
- Christmas cards are an English innovation. They were originally penned by boys who were practicing their writing skills. The parents would receive these delightful handmade cards from their sons.
- Sir Henry Cole commissioned the first commercial Christmas cards in
- Commercial Christmas Cards, which first appeared in
- President Eisenhower issued the first official White House Christmas card in 1953. By the year 1961, the White House was sending out 2000 cards. By 2005, that number had risen to over 1.4 million.
- Current holiday cards can be purchased either in box form or individually. Use the boxed cards to satisfy your mailing list for Christmas, and use individual cards for people that are special to you. 9 out of 10 holiday cards are sold in boxes.
- In 2006, cards were exchanged by 2 billion Americans.
- Cards were sent by 85% of Americans in 2006.
- For every 3 holiday cards purchased and sent, one has a religious message.
- 30% of greeting card sales annually, can be attributed to the holiday season.
- Christmas cards are the most popular of all the seasonal cards. They comprise 60% of the total sales. Valentine's Day, at 25%, is a distant second.
- In the
- "Merry Christmas" is the greeting preferred by 53% of Americans 21% of people like "Happy Holidays" and only 12% like "Season's Greetings".
- When considering which boxed cards to purchase, 56% of us consider the variety of cards offered while 63% base our decision on price. If you use an online distributor you should be able to satisfy both conditions: variety and price. They can put more kinds of cards on display than the average store can, as they have space management issues.
I hope that this was an enjoyable trip into Christmas Card history. Perhaps it explains our obsession with this particular holiday ritual.
Creating A Homemade Christmas Card - Cards They Will Love by Ron King
Christmas Cards: Unique Ways
The Christmas card is part of the folklore. If you are one of the masses who send and receive them, you know how special it can be to receive a homemade Christmas card from a friend you haven't heard from. You put them up in treasured places in your home to think about those individuals throughout the holiday season.
But we are busy people and it gets difficult and time consuming to find the time to get everything on the cards we send out. Yet there are some things you can do to offer a personalized message to your treasured friends. Here are some views for you.
Family Christmas Cards - Portrait
This is a great way to provide a personal touch for your special ones. Your recipients will relish this photo of you and your family for years to come.
You don't have to dress up and head to the trained photographer, either. You can simply send a candid shot that will show more of you than any professionally positioned one. Not only do photos provide a peek at what you have been up to, but they provide a lasting vision that you are sharing.
You can easily make copies of many of your cherished photos and distribute them to anyone on your list.
Create A Collage
If you have some time, a collage can be a wonderful way to use old cards that you have stashed away. Cut up the cards and reassemble them to create new ones. You can make beautiful patterns and, to finish these cards off, add photographs or even a charm inside.
You can find a fat enough envelope so that you can make them virtually any size or shape that you would like. These cards will stand out when you give them away. Let your imagination go and find a memorable way to use these old cards to bring more meaning to them.
Inside Counts In Addition
You should make sure that the inside of your card is just as personalized. You should tailor your dedication to the individual.
Write what you feel, not necessarily the usual Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Allow your sense of humor and persona to come through.
Have your family work with you to make an even better card. It may take a little longer, but it is well worth it. Maybe you can even get a ritual going when you send them out and next year you receive the same type of card back from your family and friends.
Instead of skipping through the department store this year looking at the large selection of canned Christmas cards that all seem to be the same, create something new and completely exclusive.
You can create and personalize a card without much exertion or you can go all out. This is a great way to personalize an old tradition.
About the Author
For more holliday shopping advice, visit Homemade Christmas Card. Also check out Family Christmas Card.
For Ron's website, visit .Holiday Gifts.
Santa Claus preparing Christmas gifts for children
Dinner table at Christmas
a boy mailing Christmas wish list
a little boy sitting around his Christmas gifts
Christmas ornament on snow-covered tree
Christmas is so many things;it's snow falling,
the warmth of the holiday lights.
It's blue silent nights,
with a zillion stars so bright.
It's a celebration of living,
and a time of giving,
a time of sharing,
and a time of caring.
It's a time to sing,
for the many reasons to be thankful
for the joy life brings.
But most of all,
Christmas is home.
It's a time to be with
family and friends,
and a time to send
some hope and goodwill
to all of those you love,
in the way of Jesus above.
Merry Christmas.
May your home be alive with love
this holiday season.
"Christmas is Home," written by Bobette Bryan, 2000
As Santa is packing up his bagsand readying his sleigh,
I'll be sending you some good wishes
for a merry Christmas day.
I hope you and yours receive
many blessings and more.
May hope, warmth, and happiness
find the way to your door.
In my prayers I'll ask for
many blessings for you
in hopes that your Christmas
dreams will come true.
Merry Christmas!
"Wonderful Holiday," written by Bobette Bryan, 2000
An angel appearedon a cold, stark night
to share with the world
God's wonderous light.
The angel had an important
message for man--
for away in a humble manger
a miracle was taking place,
the beginning of God's
greatest and most glorious plan.
The angel blew a horn,
and in the sky all could see a great star
whose brillance drew shepherds from afar.
As the shepherds came forth,
the angel said,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to the people on earth.
A blessing has been sent from heaven
for to man God's son is given.
With the savior's birth
man shall perish never,
and goodwill and joy shall rule forever."
Merry Christmas!
May your holiday season be filled with
the joy and spirit of the greatest
miracle of all.
Let's dream a special dream this winter
of gentle falling snow and frosted trees aglow
that fills our hearts and souls with the
spirit of giving.
Let's hope that peace and goodwill
are alive and well in the world
and that children everywhere
are warm, safe and snug,
not only with visions of sugar plums
in their heads,
but also with love in their hearts.
Let's pray that our friends and family
have a wonderful and spiritual holiday season
that will live long in their memory.
And as we anticipate the new year,
let's believe that anything is possible
as long as we have faith in ourselves,
God, and in those we love.
Merry Christmas.
You'll be in my thoughts and prayers
this holiday season.
Oh, to be a Christmas angelto soar with delicate wings
that sparkle like snow;
to spread goodwill and peace
to every soul on earth below.
As the stars spill silver,
I'd take a yuletide flight
to warm each heart and soul
on a cold winter's night.
I'd bring peace and comfort to
all of those who cry
and let heaven's light
lift their spirit high.
I'd spread the spirit of Christmas
through every path I trod,
so all hearts would celebrate
the love of God.
"Christmas Angel," written and designed by Bobette Bryan, 2001
When you hear the bells ringingon Christmas day,
remember that Christ's love
is never far away.
Think about the time
that he was here on earth
when a single star appeared
to herald his birth.
He came to give us comfort,
and wisdom for each day.
He came to share his heart
and heavenly ways.
He said that God loves us
and hears our every prayer,
and he swore than until
the end of time,
he'd always be there.
We need only seek him
with a heartfelt prayer
to feel the warmth of
of his loving care.
So rejoice this Christmas,
and remember his birth,
the first Christmas gift
sent to every soul on earth.
"First Christmas Gift," written and designed by Bobette Bryan, 2001
I'm reaching out
across the miles
to fill your stocking
with many reasons to smile.
There's not a single reason
for you to be sad,
when Christmas is here
to make your heart glad.
You can easily ward off
the winter's chill
if you smile and share
the spirit of warmth and goodwill.
All you have to do is smile
and remember your many
blessings this holiday,
and all traces of sadness
will fade away.
Smile and let the
spirit of Christmas thrive.
Just focus on the gifts within
and let hope keep your dreams alive.
Smile, it's not so hard to do,
because your future is bright,
and you have so much
going for you.
Smile and no ghosts
of Christmas past
will haunt you...
because the light
of Christmas present
will shine through!
Merry Christmas!
Director: Henry Selick
Cast: voices of: Chris Sarandon (Jack Skellington), Catherine O'Hara (Sally), Danny Elfman (Jack's singing voice), William Hickey (Dr. Finklestein)
(Touchstone Pictures, 2000)
Loveable Freak
When The Nightmare Before Christmas was first released in 1993, I recall a reviewer saying, "This is the kind of story Dr. Seuss would have written if he had grown up on heavy metal and horror films." I must say that I agree. I'm not exactly sure what music Tim Burton (who authored the story on which this stop-and-go animated musical feature is based) grew up on, but I know that he is a huge fan of horror film actor Vincent Price. I think it's pretty safe to assume that the many Price films Burton watched as a child helped shape his macabre sensibilities and laid the groundwork for Nightmare. The movie tells the story of a loveable freak named Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king and the brains behind the holiday we know as Halloween.
Burton knows a thing or two about loveable freaks — his movies are full of them. From Batman to Edward Scissorhands, his films are populated with folks trying to live in a world that can neither understand nor accept their quirks. Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, is the poor little rich boy who lives in seclusion following the brutal murder of his parents. Night after night, he dons a rubber suit and enacts his own brand of non-lethal vigilantism against the evils of society. Edward Scissorhands, the oddball creation of an eccentric scientist (played by none other than Vincent Price), stumbles into an initially welcoming suburbia, but is eventually cast out when the neighbors begin to view his obvious difference from them as harmful. The rest of Burton's characters follow suit — James (of Giant Peach fame), enters a fantasy world of talking bugs and one enormous piece of fruit in order to escape the verbal abuse he suffers at home. And of course, Pee Wee Herman is the nerdy man/boy who travels cross-country to recover his stolen bike (in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure) — and discovers that the outside world is much stranger than he is.
Jack Skellington fits nicely into Burton's stable of misunderstood protagonists, though his situation differs from that of Batman and Edward Scissorhands. Jack resides in Halloween Town, where it is the sole purpose of every citizen — witch, vampire, zombie, or werewolf — to deliver Halloween every year. Jack is in charge of the festivities, but has grown tired of all the same old scares, which he makes clear in a musical lament: "I would give it all up if I only could." But Jack knows it is his duty to create terror and mayhem every October, again and again, and again. He doesn't have a choice in the matter.
Jack's restlessness initiates a chain of events that leads to his discovery of Christmas Town, as well as his eventual kidnapping of Santa Claus and attempt to take his place. The results are predictably disastrous, as the horrors of Halloween are mixed unevenly with the joys of Christmas: Jack, as Santa, delivers shrunken heads, large snakes, goblins, and other frightful things to the children of the world, and is eventually shot down (in his coffin-sleigh) by the military. The real Santa is left to fix Christmas, as Jack realizes that all he really wants and needs to be is the best pumpkin king in the world.
Jack's ultimate epiphany is in keeping with the themes that usually apply to Burton's benevolent losers. We feel sorry for Jack, sympathize with his plight, and gain a better understanding of his personality, but we inevitably realize that there's nothing that can be done to change who he is or how the world looks at him, just as Jack realizes this. It might sound like a defeatist philosophy to suggest that Jack is something of a victim, powerless to affect his destiny, but Burton's fables are typically bittersweet like this. Like Edward and Ed Wood (played by Johnny Depp in Burton's Ed Wood), Jack Skellington comes to terms with who he is and learns to accept his freakish fate.
One Day After Christmas
Author Unknown
It's one day after Christmas
I'm crabby and I'm broke.
I'm so full of ham and fruitcake
I think I'm gonna croak.
It's nice to see the relatives
I wonder when they'll leave.
They've been camping in my bathroom
since early Christmas Eve.
They're eating everything in sight
and sleeping in my bed.
I been sacked out in the basement
with my beagle, Fred.
The relatives have all gone out
and left their screaming brats.
The toilet bowl is all plugged up
and I can't find the cat.
It's Christmastime at my house,
the relatives are here.
They eat me out of house and home.
and drink up all my beer.
I love the decorations,
and the sleigh bells in the snow
But I wish those pesky relatives
would take their kids and go.
Those cookie crunchers fed the dog
a twenty pound rib roast.
His feet are sticking in the air
like skinny old fence posts.
Now they're in a free-for-all,
the girls against the boys.
They're fighting over boxes
'cause they're bored with all their toys
My mother-in-law is snoring
in my favorite TV chair.
Those kids are stringing lights on her
and tinseling her hair
I oughta wake her up
before the fireworks begin.
But I wanna see those blue sparks fly
when they plug her in.
'Twas The Night Before Jesus Came
Author Unknown
'Twas the night before Jesus came
And all through the house
Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.
Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care,
In hopes that Jesus would not come there.
The children were dressing to crawl into bed,
not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap,
Was watching The Late Show while I took a nap.
When out of the East there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray,
I knew in a moment that this must be The Day.
The light of His face made me cover my head;
It was Jesus! Returning just like he said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.
In the Book of Life which He held in His hand
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name,
When He said "It's not here" my head hung in shame.
The people whose names had been written with love
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He rose without a sound
While all the rest were left standing around.
I fell to my knees, but it was too late;
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and cried as they rose out of sight;
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.
In the words of this poem the meaning is clear;
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There's only one life and when comes the last call,
We'll find that the Bible was true after all!
T'was The Night Before Christmas
Not a Sign of Baby Jesus
T'was the night before Christmas
and all through the town
Not a sign of Baby Jesus
was anywhere to be found.
The people were all busy
with Christmas time chores
Like decorating, and baking,
and shopping in stores.
No one sang "Away in a manger,
no crib for a bed".
Instead, they sang of Santa
dressed-up in bright red.
Mama watched Martha Stewart,
Papa drank beer from a tap.
As hour upon hour
the presents they'd wrap
When what from the TV
did they suddenly hear?
'Cept an ad.. which told
of a big sale at Sears.
So away to the mall
they all flew like a flash
Buying things on credit
and others with cash!
And, as they made their way home
From their trip to the mall,
Did they think about Jesus?
Oh, no... not at all.
Their lives were so busy
with their Christmas time things
No time to remember
Christ Jesus, the King.
There were presents to wrap
and cookies to bake.
How could they stop and remember
who died for their sake?
To pray to the Savior
they had no time to stop.
Because they needed more time
to "Shop til they dropped!"
On Wal-mart! On K-mart!
On Target! On Penney's!
On Hallmark! On Zales!
A quick lunch at Denny's
From the big stores downtown
to the stores at the mall
They would dash away, dash away,
and visit them all!
And up on the roof,
there arose such a clatter
As grandpa hung icicle lights
up on his brand new step ladder.
He hung lights that would flash.
He hung lights that would twirl.
Yet, he never once prayed to Jesus...
Light of the World.
Christ's eyes... how they twinkle!
Christ's Spirit... how merry!
Christ's love... how enormous!
All our burdens... He'll carry!
So instead of being busy,
overworked, and uptight
Let's put Christ back in
Christmas and enjoy
some good nights!
Merry Christmas, my friends!
Author Unknown
Submitted by Pete
You have to hold him up to see
The angel on the Christmas tree.
And even though he's still too small
To know the meaning of it all
You watch his eyes reflect the glow
Of colored lights that come and go
And feel him quiver with delight
At every new and wondrous sight.
There's Santa with his jolly face
Beaming from the fireplace.
And from the stocking hanging there
Peeks a cuddly teddy bear.
Bright ornaments and candy canes --
Musical toy and wooden trains --
There's just no end to the delights
Spread out for him this night of nights!
He points and grins from ear to ear
And then he yawns - his bedtime's near!
Dad gives him a kiss and you tuck him away
To rest up for the fun of his first Christmas Day!
