Easter Gift Baskets

Traditionally people have always preferred gifting Easter baskets. In the olden days, especially in Germany, England and other parts of Europe grandmas would bake special goodies to fill up gift baskets. Cookies, cakes, muffins, wafers and what not! For those with a real sweet tooth chocolates are an absolute must. It has also been a tradition to paint eggs in hues of spring and heap them on baskets trimmed with flowers and ribbons.

Contemporary gifting traditions have undergone a marked change. Though people still do a lot of baking at home, most don’t have the time to make homemade stuff for so many friends, relatives and acquaintances. The best part is one doesn’t have to visit brick and mortar stores. Online shopping has changed all that.

You can actually log on to an online mart selling Easter gift baskets. We bring you some interesting ideas to add extra spice to your traditional East

er present. Gift a basket but with a twist. You can go for theme Easter baskets. Check out the following ideas:

Teatime Gift Hamper

Create a gift hamper with flavored tea bags, green tea, hard candy, tea cakes and cookies.

Cookie Baskets

You can heap in a host of home baked cookies into the basket along with good old chocolate candies.

For the Wine lover

A bottle of wine with dark chocolates and muffins make for a wonderful gift hamper.

Handcrafted Valentine Gifts

Make this Valentine ’s Day special. No spending money on expensive presents instead put your heart to making a handmade present for that very special someone. To begin with get your hands on left over gift wrappers, discarded candle stands, glasses and bottles. A tube of glue, scissors, glitter, crayons, sketch pens and other art paraphernalia are of course an absolute must. You can even make use of left over newspapers. Stray satin ribbons are always welcome!

Heart wreath Frame

Tough and difficult as it may sound this craft is quite easy. Trace little hearts on pink paper. If you can get two or more shades of pink, even better! Cut out hearts is different sizes. Take a thick cardboard and trace a heart shape on it. Cut out a thick heart shaped frame. Pick up some unused gift wrapper and cover the frame. Once the glue dries arrange the pink colored hearts all around the heart shape frame. Take a nice picture of you and your boyfriend and keep it such that the entire thing looks like a photo frame. Take a chart paper and stick it over the picture on the back to keep the frame steady. Use a satin ribbon to make a hoop over the frame so your boyfriend can hand it on the wall. This definitely can be one of your choices for making handmade gifts for valentines day!

Jack and Sally Christmas Cake Toppers

Hope you all had a great Christmas this year! But of course the party is still on; and the festivities will go on till January 1 and in some countries through the January first week. The spirited American population is not to be left behind. Whether it’s California, the Caribbean, Florida, Alaska, Georgia, Illinois, or any of the other states – winter carnivals is a common sight!

To think that cake baking is over with yuletide celebrations! Not at all people continue to buy or bake plum and ginger cakes through the winter season. And those with a quirky taste have a real fetish for Nightmare before Christmas cakes. In fact Jack and Sally cake toppers are a great favorite with the younger crowd.

Tim Burtons’ motion picture is an all-time favorite. In fact people go all out to order these unusual toppers to add that extra zing to New year party celebrations. When placed atop a pure white iced cake the toppers have an even better visual appeal. Jack Skellington inspired cupcake toppers are a great hit with teens. In case the toppers are edible instead of plastic they only add to all the fun!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Script

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is considered a classic Christmas tale. This is the reason it is widely enacted in the USA. The play is packed with fun and needs a large cast.

New director

The director of an annual church pageant has broken her leg. A new director has taken up the task of directing the play. She is unaware of the task she is taking on unless the Herdsman appears on the stage.

The mischievous Herdmans

This delightful comedy is primarily about mischievous Herd mans who are the worst kids you could image. They lie, steal, make fun of teachers, and callon Gods for no reason. These kids also smoke cigars, even the girls. They are just the opposite of kids that one would desire for. Image how difficult it would be for someone to direct these unruly kids. Their mischief s also add a fun element to the performance.

The play needs around 15-20 people, the more the better. Since it involves so many people, the performance can stretch for more than 1 hour. It can be performed in schools and churches. Youths enjoy this play a lot. This is the reason The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Script is quite in demand during the festive season.

Facts about America’s Independence Day

American Independence Day is a national holiday that commemorates freedom from the British Crown and is widely celebrated all over the United States. The significance of this important day demands that we take a close look in to the history of the nation and pick out a few interesting facts that are worth reading about. Read further to know more.

Common History

Similar to India and quite a few other countries, America’s fight for freedom was against the British Crown. America gained its freedom pretty early on in 1776 unlike India in 1947.

Founding Fathers

The American Independence Day was made public by the Declaration of Independence which was presided over by the founding fathers of this great nation. Thomas Jefferson presided over a committee of five including John Adams and Benjamin Franklin to draft out this great document.

Date Issues

There has been much debate amongst historians about the date on which Independence Day is celebrated. Fourth of July is widely accepted however the 2^nd of the month was the day on which the Congress initially approved the declaration of Independence in a closed session. The date on the document is however the Fourth of July which came to be the accepted date.

How Can You Plan For The Memorial Day 2014 Tour?

Memorial Day is about remembering the men and women who fought against slavery, though most modern day events remember the soldiers who fought on behalf of the Union against the Confederates. This day also marks the starting of the summer vacation season in the USA. Since it is observed on the last Monday of May, many people go on a small tour during the extended weekend.

Places you can visit on your Memorial Day tour

Seattle

Though this place is avoided for vacations in winter season, it makes for a great summer holiday spot. Get the mesmerizing view of the Mount Rainier and spend a good time with your family in city parks.

San Diego

The city is a known for hosting happening events and conventions during summer months. Lego land, SeaWorld and the zoo are also some of the popular draws in San Diego.

Honolulu

Honolulu is always bustling with visitors. It makes for a great Memorial Day tour destination because it is mostly dry in summer. So you can enjoy a lot of water sports in the sunny weather of the Hawaiian capital.

Boston

Boston is one of the best places to visit for observing Memorial Day. Massachusetts Military Heroes Garden of Flags, Museum of Fine Arts, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, and Harbourers some the top attractions in the city.

Have a happy time with your family on Memorial Day 2014 but don’t forget to pay your homage to the people who have laid down their lives for us.

 

Top 4 Mexican Christmas Facts

Mexican Christmas is a riot of festivities and joy. Yule is a unique and interesting experience filled with age old customs and traditions that can be traced back to the Spanish colonization of Mexico. Whether it’s the tradition of decorating homes and business spaceswith poinsettias; or huge processions called the La Posadas. Let’s take a look at a few interesting facts about the history of Christmas in Mexico and the festive traditions followed in the region.

Long Celebrations

Typically the Christmas celebration in Mexico starts from December 12^th right up until January 6^th. This is a long drawn out celebration with many traditional events from the first day to the last.

St Juan Diego

Saint Juan Diego is the first Mexican saint who is largely responsible for the conversion of Mexicans to Christianity. The early Spanish conquerors tried to convert the indigenous people of the region to Christianity with little success. St Juan Diego who was an early convert had a vision of Mary the mother of Christ that changed the fate of Christianity in the region for the better. Hence the history of Christmas in Mexico can be traced back to St Juan Diego.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is an event celebrated during the Christmas season precisely on December 12^th. This custom has its roots in the sighting of the Virgin Mary by St Juan Diego.

Spanish Influence

Unlike the American Christmas that is definitely influenced by English settlers in the region, the Mexican Christmas has its own unique traditions clearly influenced by the first Spanish Christian settlers.

Top 3 Free Christmas Skits For Children

Organizing skits and plays for children is a great way of introducing Christmas stories to them. Here are some skits that can be performed during the festival, or almost any time of the year.

A good thing about Christmas

This skit is good for children as the lines are short and simple. Children can remember them effortlessly. There is no need to buy expensive props or costumes. It can be performed with some simple stuff. The lines can also be expanded if you wish to add some of your creativity to it. Similarly characters can also be increased.

A Christmas to believe in!

You need to have two people with good voice to narrate the story. Narrator 1 reads out the story while the other Narrator refuses to believe it. Characters perform their role with the narration. They also interact with the narrators sometimes. Improvisation can also be done to the skit to make it more engaging.

“The Ultimate Gift”

There are not many lines to learn for performing this skit. It is about three inventors who demonstrate their gifts which cause havoc. A cleaning lady also shares stage with the inventors. It is full of fun that will keep the audience engaged and entertained throughout the performance.

Christmas Stocking Patterns

Christmas stockings can be the greatest way to add a wonderful touch to the holiday celebration. If you enjoy sewing, making multicolored stockings with sophisticated patterns will certainly be a fun project for you. On the other hand, if your close ones love to get handcrafted gifts for X-Mas, nothing can be better for them than a pair of unique and personalized stockings.

Beautiful X-Mas stocking patterns

When it comes to exclusive Christmas stocking patterns, you can take help of a variety of online tutorials that are available these days. Learn different types of patterns including crochet, knit, counted cross-stitch, and many more by following the instructions carefully. Majority of these patterns involve certain types of sewing skills. Hence, make sure that you have the required expertise at first, and then start preparing your stockings. Find here a few patterns for fabric stockings:

•    Personalized stockings for kids: These personalized Christmas stockings for kids feature sweet and cute patterns including the entire name or the first letter of the name of the kid, X-Mas tree, Santa Clause, snowman, angels and so on. If you wish, you can give the stockings a more beautiful look by adding button, ribbon, or pom poms to it.

•    Burlap stockings: Those who are looking for a different type of material for making their Christmas stockings can consider this exclusive pattern and make their loved ones surprised. Generally, rough fabrics are used for these types of stockings which are paired with simple white trim as well as wooden buttons. Moreover, you can embroider verdant pine cones on these.

•    Quilted ruffled stockings: If you have a passion for sewing, then these quilted ruffled stocking patterns would be a fun for you. For the perfect quilt feel, you must use a solid fabric. Otherwise, it might not be so attractive. Also, make sure that you ruffle and create stripes on the stockings in a proper way.

So, just get ready with these wonderful patterns for your Christmas stockings this year, and see how much the special persons of your life love it.

Top 10 Christmas Jokes and Riddles

The holiday season has started and the festive spirit is seen all around. With Yuletide knocking on the door, people have started making preparations for parties and get-togethers. Apart from the arrangements like deciding on the menu, inviting guests, making decorations, you should also keep in mind about the entertainment. A Christmas joke can also be a good source of entertainment for your guests. You can crack these jokes in parties or even within your own family members. You can have family members gather around the Christmas tree and share jokes and riddles with them ushering in the festival with laughter. If you want to stock up some good jokes or riddles, you can have a look at these top 10 riddles and jokes.

Top 5 Yuletide jokes

There are numerous Christmas jokes which you can share with your near and dear ones. We are listing 5 jokes which you can have in stock and use them this year.

1.    “Sometimes I get the feelin that if Christmas, Father’s Day and birthdays did not exist, then aftershave too, would not exist. “

2.    “Christmas is the time when people put so many bulbs on the outside of their houses, you don’t know if they’re celebrating the birth of Jesus or General Electric.”

3.    “Christmas: When you exchange hellos with strangers and good buys with friends.”

4.    “How many presents can Santa fit in an empty sack?

Only one, after that it’s not empty anymore!”

5.    “What do snowmen eat for breakfast?

Snowflakes.”

Top 5 Yuletide Riddles

Apart from Christmas jokes, here are some riddles which you can also use during this occasion.

1.    “What does a cat on the beach have in common with Christmas?

Sandy Claws!”

2.    “What do elves learn in school?

The elf-abet.”

3.    “What Christmas Carol is a favorite of parents?

Silent Night”

4.    “What is the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the ordinary alphabet?

The Christmas alphabet has No L (Noel)”

5.    “What kind of bird can write?

A pen-guin.”

So this Yule, you can definitely use these Christmas jokes and riddles and increase the fun.