All things party from great to small! Themes, ideas, crafts, and more for the smallest to the tall.

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Ringing in the New Year

Although I've never been to Times Square to see the ball drop I've heard that it is a wild party. We've spent our share of New Year's in different bars, restaurants and jazz joints to ring in the New Year. A memorable evening was seeing one of the band members that was rocking the house at the Slippery Noodle exchanging wedding vows with his bride.

Now that I've got kids, most of our New Year's Eves are spent with our best buds and their kids. It's a massive slumber party for everyone with lots of food, kids and laughter! The highlight of the kids' year since they get to stay up until midnight to see the ball drop and let off some poppers.

We typically play board games and card games. Our favorite is Balderdash. My husband and his best friend are the best bluffers that I know. During one particular round, my husband came up with a great definition that I swore had to be true! It was so outlandish no one could make it up. Needless to say, we laughed so hard I thought some of the guys might have a heart attack!

Start your New Year off with a bang by hosting a poker theme party. With Texas Hold Em and Celebrity Poker still the rage, jump on the bandwagon and throw a Casino theme party for New Year's Eve.

A happy New Year!
Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.
By Edgar Guest

Wishing all a New Year sparkling with joy, love and success!

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Christmas Surprise

Nostalgia is a wonderful thing! I remember those moments of anticipation when I first awakened on Christmas morning. The delight of running downstairs to see the tree all lit up, the presents glowing underneath and the cookies eaten by Santa!

Being on the receiving end of an early Christmas morning is hard! One year my son woke us up at 4 am! Needless to say, I had to find a way to keep the kids in bed a little longer (my Christmas wish is to sleep in to 7 am)! I finally stumbled onto this idea: wrap a book up as a present for each child! Works like a charm.

My son will normally wake first and run downstairs to see if Santa visited us, then he will run and tell his sisters. Then, they all pile onto my son's bed for story time! The oldest will help the youngest to read her story. These few extra minutes of anticipation are wonderful for them and a blessing for my husband and I!

Another tradition from my childhood is to have a cup of hot chocolate before opening the gifts and to eat sweet rolls or monkey bread afterward! I have continued this tradition with my children, baking home-made cinnamon rolls. The absolute best scratch hot chocolate is from Hershey. I just take it one step further by adding a handful of chocolate chips to the pot at the end. My favorite brand of chocolate is Guittard. Simply the best chocolate ever.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Letter from Santa

My family has spent a few summer holidays at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana. I knew from reading their promotional materials that the kids could get a letter from Santa Claus. All I have to do is include a self-adressed stamped envelope when I mail their letter to Santa. The elves of Santa's Elves, Inc will respond with a letter from Santa!

Send your letter to:

Santa Claus
c/o Postmaster General
PO BOX 1
Santa Claus, IN 47579


You can also send an envelope of your stamped Christmas Cards c/o of the Postmaster General to have your Christmas cards bear the Santa Claus, IN stamp.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Christmas Elf Name

I thought this ideas was so cute! The kids will love finding out their secret Elf name!



Christmas Elf Name

My Christmas Elf Name is
Get your Christmas Elf Name at JokesUnlimited.com

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Sweet Treat Craft

I discovered this craft a few years ago and made them for my son's Valentine's Day craft. I think it will work just as well as a Christmas or Hanukkah craft.

Candy Necklace
  • Plastic Wrap
  • Wrapped Candy
  • Curling Ribbon

You will need 3 feet of plastic wrap that's been cut down the middle to make 2 lengths 3 feet long.

Place 8-10 pieces of wrapped candy 2-3 inches apart on the plastic wrap. Roll up the candy and then tie using 6" pieces of curling ribbon. Tie additional pieces of curling ribbon to the ends of the necklace and use them to tie the necklace together so that the necklace will go over the child's head easily.

The kids can then untie the curling ribbon and unwrap their candy! A sweet treat to eat indeed!

Stained Glass Church Craft

When I was little my parents had a set of ornaments made from paper that included a church and houses. I loved hanging those ornaments on the tree. The church ornament with it's grand steeple was my favorite!

A few years ago I came upon this craft that will make a Church ornament complete with stained glass and a steeple! If you scroll to the bottom of the page, instructions and links to patterns will appear.

I do have one suggestion for the stained glass part of the craft. Place crayon bits (we have a ton of these since my littlest loves to break up her crayons!) between wax paper. Place a hot iron over the wax paper to melt the crayon bits together. The melted crayons cut out into the window shapes will give the windows a pretty glow, plus the wax cools quickly and you don't have to wait for the paint to dry!

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Hanukkah eCards

I recently was sent a really nice eCard from AngelRays. They have eCards for the holidays and just to say hello! Try sending one of these eCards to celebrate Hanukkah or one of these.

Legend of the Candy Cane

The legend of the candy cane goes that a candymaker wanted to create a candy that would celebrate his faith. He incorporated many symbols into his candy:

  • White represents Jesus' purity
  • Red represents the blood Jesus shed
  • The candy is shaped like a J to represent the name of Jesus
  • When the candy cane is turned upside down it resembles the staff of the Good Shepherd

This legend is illustrated in a beautiful animated card by Angel Rays

Elf Yourself

I love this cute little animation that you can personalize with a loved one's photo! Who wouldn't enjoy getting a link to your loved one dancing up a storm? Check out Elf Yourself and create a great holiday animation.

For the elf in all of us, try playing this game! It's addictive. It took me 3 tries before I could get my Elf certificate!

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Holiday Photo Card Ideas

I love to send photos of the kids inside our Christmas cards. It lets our friends and family see how much the kids have grown since the previous year. I love getting creative and taking their picture using a theme or new idea.

One year I bought elf costumes for the kids and had them sit inside a sleigh. The picture was so adorable and I love to have it hanging on the wall during the holidays. One of my MIL's favorite photos was the one taken last year. I had the kids pretend they were sleeping (this was very difficult to explain to our 2 year old!) I then included a caption on the front of the card that stated "The children were nestled all snug in their beds" and the inside of the card read "while visions of sugarplums danced in their heads".

A classic photo theme is to have everyone wear blue jeans or khakis and a white shirt. Have a great photo of the kids, but their shirts don't match? Print the photo out in black and white!

Another photo idea is to drape a white sheet from the kitchen cabinets and take a photo of the kids mixing up some holiday goodies!

If you took the photos but didn't get the cards out in time, no worries! Just send the photo in a card wishing everyone love, joy and peace in the New Year!

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Ultimate Cookie Gift Packaging

It is better to give than to receive, especially during the holidays. Even the smallest of gifts can have a huge impact with the right packagaing.

Making holiday cookies this year? Try this simple, but effective tip: Wrap 4-5 cookies in plastic wrap. Stack the wrapped cookies in a wine tote. The round shape of the tote gives a hint to the goodies inside, while also protecting the cookies. Merry munching!

Christmas and Winter Party Games

Surprise Present Game

Place a small toy or piece of candy in a small box and wrap. Place wrapped gift in another box and wrap. Continue wrapping gift in several more boxes. Have the kids sit in a circle. Play some music, when the music stops the child holding the gift will unwrap the box. Continue playing until the last box is unwrapped and the child wins the prize.

Stuff the Stocking Game

Divide children into teams. Hang stockings on one end of the room and have children line up on the other end. Give each team a bowl filled with marshmallows or candy and a spoon. The kids will run a relay to fill their stocking with the items from their bowl. First team to fill their stocking wins!

Pass the Ornament Game

Pre-cut shapes (gingerbread, bells, star, heart)
Straws for each child

The object of the game is to "pass" the ornament down the line by exhaling and inhaling thru the star. The team that passes the ornament down the fastest wins.

Wrapping Race

2 Wrapped boxes of similar size
Wrapping Paper cut to fit the box size
Scissors
Tape

Divide children into teams. First team member will run to the wrapping station and unwrap the gift, rewrap the gift, then run back and tag the next team member. First team to have all members wrap their gift wins.

Who Is Santa?

This is great for the little ones. One child is selected to be the elf and leaves the room. The remaining children will sit in a circle and one is selected to be Santa. When the elf comes back to the room, Santa will wink at the other children. Whoever is winked at shouts "Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas". Once the elf discovers who Santa is a new game can be played.


I packed Santa's Bag

All the children sit in a circle, the first child says I packed Santa's bag with ... a doll. The next child states I packed Santa's bag with a doll and a bike. The next person says what each child said before and their own item.

Hot Chocolate

Wrapped candy bar
Mittens

Have the children sit in a circle. First player will have the candy bar and mittens. Play the music as the children pass the candy bar and mittens around. When the music stops, the child will put on the mittens and have 5-10 seconds to try and open the candy bar wrapper. If the child does not succeed, the game continues.

The Big Thaw

Give each child an ice cube. The first player to melt their ice cube wins. The only rule is that they can't use their mouths!

Happy Feet Penguin Race

Divide players into teams. Each team will run a relay race with a ball between their knees. The players must run (waddle) back and forth without dropping their ball.

Pin the Carrot on the Snowman

Make a Snowman Picture and cut out a carrot shape. Have the children try and pin the carrot on the snowman's face.

Theme Bags

Prepare some "theme bags" by deciding on a fun theme for each bag and filling it with theme inspired items. A snowman bag could be filled with fake snow, scarf, buttons, and carrot. An elf bag could be filled with toy hammer, apron, wrapped presents, and hat. Rudolph bag could be filled with red nose, reindeer antlers, and bells. First team to figure out their bags theme wins.

Name that Carol

Christmas CD

Play about 20-30 seconds worth of the Christmas Carol, first player to call out the name of the carol wins a point. Player with the most points wins.

Igloo Race

Sugar Cubes

Give each player a pile of sugar cubes. Set a time limit of 3-4 minutes. During this time, players must build an igloo. First player to create his igloo wins.