The weekend after Thanksgiving we begin to get into the holiday swing of things. I like to hang wreaths and lights and go to one of the local tree farms and select our Christmas tree. Cutting your own tree is the real deal - you knwo where your tree comes from, and you are supporting a local farmer.
We are so close to Plymouth that it's worth a visit over the next few weeks so the kids can see and experience the history that they learn in school. Check out Pilgrim Memorial State Park , home to the Mayflower II and the Plymouth Rock, then head down the road to Plimoth Plantation to experience pilgrim life as it was back in the 17th century. Plymouth is easy to get to from the North Shore, take 93 South to Route 3 South, you can't miss it!
Giving the gift of membership to one of your favorite organizations is a perfect way to tell somebody that you want them to share your interests and spend some time together. It's extending a hand of friendship and inviting the recipient to join you in a common experience - not just at the time of giving the gift, but throughout the year and beyond.
It's great fun creating holiday activities and traditions and one that I especially enjoy is finding all the super geeky, hi-tech tools and social media solutions to connect with Santa.
We read every night at our house and nothing suits this season's cold nights more perfectly than holiday tales and vibrant illustrations on the pages of fun holiday books. Don't worry - we made sure the books we listed are fun for adults too!
Get into the holiday spirit and sing and dance to the ultimate holiday playlist for kids. These CD's and MP3 downloads eschew holiday music cliché without losing the spirit of the season.
The Vosges new toffee bunny is the sweetest bunny I've seen. The solid chocolate interior is a custom blend of milk with a punctuation of dark chocolate. The chocolate blend encapsulates crumbles of sweet caramel toffee. This little sweetie has a touch of pink Himalayan salt.
B has become interested in creating and displaying the artwork he's created this past year. For Valentines Day, Auntie Nancy gave him the [amazon B002YK7750] and Princeton brush set and he uses it everyday. Naturally, he likes to display his masterpiece of the day and I like to promote the pride he has in his work, so I display it right away. My problem was that I was challenged to find a display method that worked.
Last year I sent out Minted's New Minibook Holiday Cards and they were a big hit. The 6 page card has a very cool grommet binding, gorgeous matte card stock and a bunch of clean, festive designs to choose from. It was a nice gift to send to extended family and friends.
I've just recently learned that kids need to build strength in their hands to be able to write and draw. At gym class with 'B', the instructor said that the jungle gym, trapeze ropes, and bar equipment were fabulous tools to increase kids hand strength.
