A wreath is a symbol of goodwill during the holiday season. Seeing one on the door lets guests know that they will feel warm and welcome in the home. There are plenty of wreaths that the kids can help make too. Here are some ideas of homemade wreaths to make with your kids.

An Advent wreath is used to welcome the day that has been set aside as the birth date of Jesus Christ. Each Sunday, a candle in the wreath is lit to symbolize one of four virtues: hope, love, peace, and joy. The wreath symbolizes the spiritual aspect of Christmas.
For the greenery, artificial swags or real pine can be used. Arrange the greenery in a circle. Decorate the wreath with berries or pine cones. Parents need to be on hand to use the hot glue gun to attach the pine cones and other decorations to the wreath. Candles are placed in holders with one in the center of the other four. There are three purple (or blue) candles and one pink one. The center candle is white and is lit on Christmas Day.

Wreaths can be made with buttons too. Everyone has a few buttons lying around. Help your kids collect the buttons. They can use buttons that are different sizes, colors, and shapes. Decorate the button wreath with wire bows in festive colors. Since this type of wreath is smaller than the ones you hang on the front door or over the mantle, try using them for bedroom or closet doors instead.

A wreath of bows would be easy for kids to make. Purchase a wire wreath frame to attach your bows. Tie a few bows to show the kids how it is done. Now let them have a hand at it and remember it’s ok if their bows are less than perfect. The fact that they tried will make the wreath beautiful. A bow wreath can be hung on the wall at the center of a colorful swag.
Experiment with your own unique ideas for homemade wreaths as well. Purchase undecorated wreath forms and let the kids decide what types of things to add to it. They may decide on a string of lights or ornaments. Ornaments aren’t restricted to round shiny balls anymore. They come in hot pink, electric blue, and lime green. I’ve seen pigs, cows, clowns, and other figures that aren’t typical for Christmas ornaments, but add a more personal touch to whatever it is they adorn.

Jingle bells! A wreath made of sleigh bells will make a delightful ringing sound each time you open the front door. Bells can be glued to a traditional wreath form or tied to a wire form so they won’t slip. Because bells are small, several will be needed to fill out an entire wreath without leaving gaps. You can also use various size bells to make it unique. For instance, by a few bigger bells and twice as many small bells then create a pattern around the wreath of one big bell, two small bells and continue until the wreath is complete.
Who knew wreaths could be so much fun to make?

Spending time with the kids is an added blessing and helps to make even the most normal holiday activities more interesting and fun.

Submitted by:

Linda Allen
GirlfriendsCafe.com
http://www.girlfriendscafe.com

The most exciting night of the holiday season is Christmas Eve night. Kids will turn in early on this night. But, before they do, share some Christmas Eve traditions with them that will make the night even better.

Some families use Christmas Eve as a time to open one present each. Since the majority of gift exchanging is done on Christmas day, everyone can open a small gift the night before. An idea for parents is to purchase a small gift for kids just to be opened on Christmas Eve.
What about the meaning of Christmas? The Christian meaning of Christmas came into being more than 2,000 years ago in a stable in Bethlehem in the Middle East. The Christ child was born to the Virgin Mary and her carpenter husband. The story of the birth of Christ can be found in the Bible in the book of St. Luke, Chapter two. Gather everyone in the living room and share the story.

You can read the bible verses to the group. For the little kids, continue by telling the story in your own words so that they can understand it. Christian bookstores carry picture books about the Nativity so the children can see as well as hear.

One tradition that is a good one to observe on Christmas Eve is for each family member to tell what they appreciate about the holiday season and other family members. Questions like this get the children thinking about something other than themselves and the gifts they may receive. The younger ones may still yell out that they are thankful for toys and candy, but as the family continues with the Christmas Eve tradition each year, their thinking will expand to the outside world.

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By sending homemade gifts you help the miles separating you seem closer and the heart warming thoughts put into the gifts will show no matter how far apart you are.

Families love to spend the holidays together. Sometimes, circumstances are such that family members aren’t able to be present in the same place during Christmas. There are many reasons that some family members can’t be together during the holidays. If they are in the military, they could be stationed overseas. Family members who are ill may find it hard or not possible to travel long distances.

When situations arise that keep families separated don’t let it stop you from making those who can’t be with you feel they are still a part of the celebration! Homemade gifts sent to them through the mail will help you to accomplish this. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Do you own a video camera? Create a holiday video for far away family members. Each person can talk about how much they miss them and send their own personal message of love. Kids can drop hints about what they want for Christmas too. If you haven’t seen the person in awhile, talk about what has changed in your life to get them up to speed.

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Before the arrival of computers, TV, and fashion magazines, daughters looked to their mothers for advice about beauty. Even though this advice may not be as necessary as it was years ago, a mother can still be depended upon for a few beauty tips in this day and age.
Your mother is certainly aware of what she considers the good, the bad and the downright, I'd like to forget about this, parts of her appearance. No doubt she has worked to improve the parts that she doesn't like while taking good care of her assets. While doing so she has probably passed on some of the tips that have worked for her in the beauty department.

As a girl you probably sat and watched as your mom applied her make-up, combed her hair, or got ready for an evening out. Many of her tips were probably casually tossed out while you chatted together during these times. Things like, go easy on the eyeliner to avoid the raccoon look, or blend in the blush so you don't get the round clown dots on your cheeks.

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Ever dream of creating your own line of beauty products? Or maybe you just haven't found the right line of products for you. Well it may be easier than you think to create your own because most of the ingredients that you'll need can be found right in your own kitchen. Some are even ready to use with no preparation. Intrigued? Read on to find out more about making your own beauty products.

Let's start with the easy stuff. Four readily available ingredients are baking soda, honey, lemons and coffee. You can use baking soda as a hair rinse to rid the hair of build-up from other styling products. It also leaves the hair super clean. Honey has two great uses, to condition dry or damaged hair and a facial mask. It works especially well for skin that is apt to breakout.
Lemons can be used to lighten or add highlights to already light-colored hair (just rinse in before going out in the sun). They also work wonders in softening rough, dry skin. While lemons work to make light hair more beautiful, coffee is the ingredient of choice for those with darker hair. Pour one cup of cooled, strong espresso onto dry hair, working it in as completely as possible. Leave on for about twenty minutes, then rinse and dry for shiny, glowing hair.

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