What does that actually mean?

Dressing up, of course. And adult Halloween celebration means serious costuming.

After days of discussing it with my wife we have decided on the best of all costumes: I’ll be Santa and she’ll be Mrs. Claus.

We are, after all, the ultimate Christmas freaks. We hang out lights (thousands of them) starting in September. Our tree is the first to go up and the last to come down. We actually go Christmas caroling. We hang stockings, track Santa Claus and put Christmas marshmallows in our Christmas cocoa.

I was tickled recently to see an obvious connection between Halloween and Christmas. Seems that in the old days wassailing was all the holiday rage. In that old world tradition folks would go house to house drinking and singing and seeking treats — all in the name of celebrating Christmas. So of course I can dress up as Santa for Halloween. They go together like peas and carrots.

Besides, everybody loves Santa. I’ve already tried on my costume, you see. A little stroll around the neighborhood brought fans out from all over. Of course, I was approached by every living thing under four feet in height. But I was also equally popular amongst the adults, too. Women hugged me and even men asked to sit on my lap.

I’m going to be the hit of the adult Halloween party. I just know it. Everybody loves the Big Guy and wants a piece of him. Santa, you see, is a serious fantasy for more that just those with sugar plums dancing in their head or for those playing the part for a Halloween party.

Evidently, there are people out there now who want to apply for work at the north pole and wear the red suit. For real.

The mail coming to the north pole now in advance of the season often includes such merry job seekers, Elf Hugo tells me. More than any other question that is asked there is one that is most commonly posed: just what does it take to become an elf and might I have a shot at becoming Santa himself?

Every CEO has people who want to take their job. Even Santa, I suppose.

Hugo says Santa spends a lot of time on this kind of mail. He knows he cannot answer it all. But he does help folks as much as he can. Next week, I’ll share a little more about Santa’s mailing practices as he attempts to reach believers one-on-one.

1. the excitement of the Christmas gifts being put under the Christmas tree, and then the family opening of the gifts on Christmas morning;

2. the food; all the special sweets being put out Christmas Eve; Christmas Lunch with the turkey, lots of roast potatoes, brandy butter, and Christmas pudding being set alight at the table;

3. all the Christmas ornaments and decorations going up before Christmas, and most especially putting up and decorating the Christmas tree; and,

4. the games we would play.

Food, though, did play a major part, and still does in English homes today. So, really, it is no surprise that food even became part of the Christmas ornament repertoire. Food, in one form or another, became part of the decoration of Christmas time.

From my memory, edible Christmas ornaments were usually in the form of chocolate with a silver or gold coloured wrapping that sparkled on the tree. Chocolate coins were popular, sometimes more than one in a brightly coloured string bag dangling temptingly from the Christmas tree.

I must admit, any edible ornament on the tree became a prime target, as I anxiously awaited the all clear from my parents to start devouring whatever I wanted.

Later, though, a greater variety of edible Christmas ornaments emerged, such as candy canes; then, as the popularity of edible ornaments increased at Christmas, people started to use their imagination to make their own, or the local baker would make more elaborate ornaments for sale.

Cookies, or at least cookie dough, make a good base for ornaments, as they are easy to cut into shape. You can use your imagination on adding the colour, such as with Smarties or other colourful sweets. Adding a frosting effect is not too difficult either.

If you do make dough based ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree, remember you will need to make a hole in the cookie before it cools; that’s the way the cookie doesn’t crumble. Then when they do cool, you can thread a decorative ribbon to hang them on the Christmas tree.

The Christmas tea table is often adorned by the prime edible ornament, the Christmas cake. The prettier it is, the better it is for decoration once lunch is out of the way. Cake decoration is only limited by your imagination. However, you can think of other things that are less common to adorn the table as an edible ornament. If you are skilful, you can create simple models with ginger bread, moving up a level from the old gingerbread man.

You will find lots of ideas online and in the stores, but if you can come up with something original, that is even better. Just let your imagination go and see what you come up with. At least, if it does not look too good, you can just eat it before anyone comments!

Roy Thomsitt is the owner and author of http://www.xmas-ornament.com

Why not start your Christmas shopping early? If you have always been on the bandwagon for last minute shopping and hope that you can finish your Christmas shopping earlier this year, this article will provide further information and guidelines on the strategies for assisting you to finish your shopping early this year and beat the crowd during the last days of the upcoming big season.

One best alternative to organize early Christmas shopping is to start shopping immediately on the first few days right after the Christmas day for next years Christmas. While Christmas sales continue throughout the stores and shops nationwide, shopping during these times of the year not only allows you to save a great deal on your shopping but you can gain greater quantity of goods and items out of your shopping trip. Beside the material gains, spiritually, you can enjoy the shopping in a holiday mood in a more stress-free and comfortable frame of mind.

Early Christmas shopping can be done early by means of transferring parts of your shopping online. With a multitude of online e-stores selling a variety of goods and gifts for various occasions, the retailers readily wrap the gifts and deliver them to your intended recipients at just a click of your finger. Certainly, this value-adding service and other available services are available for you at extra charge but at the hindsight, it can transpire into cost-saving on products, convenience, variety of choice and stress-free for you especially when the Christmas is just around the corner. Having said that, it is equally important to remember to plan and commit to do your online shopping earlier in order to ensure that the gifts or products arrive on time.

Think about the following alternative of planning for an early Christmas shopping: Whenever you are shopping for a gift for a family member, friends or relatives for his or her upcoming birthday, you can only search for an extra gift for that person in the same trip. The idea behind this alternative is to make you to get your Christmas shopping done early by giving away one gift for the intended recipient on his or her birthday while reserving another gift for the Christmas season. Although this plan is fairly straightforward and simple, this plan has been proven effective and well-received by most early shoppers who do not find themselves rushing for the last minute shopping; yet, finding the best gift for each person on their name lists. Nevertheless, you should also remember to plan early for the late December birthdays shopping to be done in November or even earlier in order to beat the crowd at the shopping centers and malls. You will be surprised to find that before the Christmas fall, you have an accumulation of Christmas gifts for your loved ones.

About the Author: As a manager for GiftBasketsAffair.com, Thomas Bronson is well known for upholding his commitment for enhancing customers’ experiences by providing a great variety of all-seasons premium gift baskets with sincerity, passion and care.

There is always one constant at these Christmas dinners. Someone always seemed to have a new recipe to try each year. A few recipes were great and a handful were dreadfully horrible (stuffing balls come to mind), but most were worth a try. I am picking this year’s new recipe. We will be trying out a new cranberry orange relish recipe this year at our Christmas dinner. I found it at FoodClassics.com, although not in the Christmas recipes category. Rather, it was in the Thanksgiving recipes area of the site. I am a huge cranberry fan, and this cranberry relish recipe looks like it will be a hit among the cranberry lovers at the table.

It sure sounds sappy, but Christmas dinners are one of family events I always look forward to every year. I hope my daughters feel the same way in about 25 years. I also wonder what great new recipe they will spring on my wife and I, and maybe even some grandchildren.

Create A Decorating Closet

Everyone should have one closet where they store all their seasonal decorations. If you don’t have a closet, then use a
part of your garage or basement. You will want to gradually build up your decorating closet to include all the holidays,
not just Christmas and Thanksgiving. This can be done by shopping after a holiday passes for all the leftover and
discounted decorations. If you store them, they are like brand new when you take them out the following year. You save and you’ve just added a new feature to your decorating style.

Your Favorite Standbys

Obviously, there are some generic favorites: Christmas trees, wreaths, statues, and lights. However, the standby can also be something very individual like a large nutcracker or a Valentine’s Day poster. Dried wreaths are great for storing in
their boxes and bringing out for different occasions. They are even good for casual parties when there is no holiday to
celebrate. Lights should always be reviewed before storing, to make sure they are all in working order and not tangled into a giant mess that you’ll have to unwind the following year. Have some additional lamps as well as string lights to bring more festive accents into your home. Candles are a wonderful source of light but they can be dangerous and should be watched closely during the holiday season.

Safety

Think safety when you are decorating. The fact is if you are decorating you are most likely going to be entertaining too.
So, expect visitors, sometimes with their children to show up to admire your decorations. You will want to make sure your
outlets are safety plugged for small children. If you have pets, never leave them unattended near extra wiring or lit
candles. They can easily chomp down on electrical wires and hurt, if not kill themselves. Also, any natural materials that
you are using in wreaths or as accent plants, like poinsettias,are very dangerous when ingested. Keep them away from pets and small children.

When decorating for the holidays, you can prepare ahead of time. Having a closet or space where you stock your treasures
can be a source of great stress relief the following year. If you aren’t out shopping with everyone else, then you have more
time to enjoy the holidays. Use some pieces as standard decorating “bones” while newer pieces can help to accent the
older pieces. Move the location of your decorations year-to-year to make them different and exciting. Above all,
think safety. Don’t bring in plants that are toxic into a household of small children even if they fit your décor. Try to
understand how to use electric lights in a way that is safe and practical.

About The Author: Hunter Pyle wrote this article for the
purpose of sharing some tips on decorating for the holidays. If
you are looking for more ideas I’d suggest checking out
http://www.shopgetorganized.com/ or http://www.kitchenandmuchmore.com

Poinsettias originally came from Mexico and Central America. According to legend, one day near Christmas a child who was too poor to buy a present for the Christ child picked a weed from the side of the road. When he reached the church, the plant blossomed in red and green flowers.

The bright petals of poinsettias are actually leaves or bracts, and the flowers themselves are very small and yellow. The Mexican poinsettia is bright red, but poinsettias also come in cream, yellow, pink and peach.

Poinsettias are named after Dr. Joel R. Poinsett, a US ambassador to Mexico who introduced the plant to the United States. Recent research has shown that poinsettias are not poisonous, as they were long believed to be. Poinsettias can grow to a height of 16′ and thrive in climates where the temperature remains between 50 and 70F.

Kathleen Karlsen is a writer, artist, life coach and design consultant. Karlsen’s art is featured online at www.livingartsoriginals.com, www.livingartsoriginals.com/smallframedmini.htm and www.livingartsoriginals.com/posters.htm.

1. NFL Tickets!!! No, wait! You can go to eBay and get “discounted” tickets for a mid-January meeting between the Giants and some other team for a lot less than what you’ll pay through a neighborhood scalper. How many fans do you think will put up with ten degree Meadowlands cold on a January day to see the Giants. Oh, yeah, I forgot: plenty. Tickets are likely to go for one or two thousand a piece!

2. Hockey Time. More down to earth in price are NHL hockey tickets. Heck, the toothless boys sat out the season last year and everyone is chomping at the bit to see them play. With no strike on the horizon, your guy is likely to be able to see a complete game. All that bloodletting and head bashing for a song! For grins, get him Stanley Cup tickets. Nothing beats watching a hockey game in June when it is 93 degrees outside!

3. To The Islands! No, not Staten Island and certainly not Long Island. A January or February trip to a warmer climate will be both reasonably priced and fun. Just don’t pick a place that was trashed by one of the 23 tropical systems that attacked the Caribbean, the Americas and the Gulf Coast this year. No telling what amenities are in place! One rule: have the grandparents come to your house to watch the kid. Junior getting the flu is no reason for you not to go! [Blush!]

4. Get Tools. Yes, if your man enjoys tinkering around the house, get him an electric saw, a power drill, or anything else that he can use to fix that darn, lose railing in the family room! [wink, wink] If you aren’t sure what to get him, a gift certificate will do. Sounds tacky? Well, it certainly beats a “thanks, dear” when he opens up his gift and finds a water pump inside!

5. Stuff For His Truck. What a guy really wants is something for his truck. Nah, let him get his own gun rack and ammo; I’m talking about a cold air intake or a performance chip. Something that brings power to the ole pick up! What am I saying? Get him something that he can really use that will bring a smile to his face. Performance exhaust systems, Altezza lights, roof rails, side window vents, fog lights, truck liners, step rails, brake dust shields, hitches, alloy wheels, a set of new tires, head light covers, hood protectors, and an engine pulley are some of the items that are sure to be hot this Christmas. He’ll be happy and he will think you know something about his truck – hey, you are the one who wants him to talk with you, right?

Still not sure? Then ask. Chances are I already mentioned something that he wants. If you are low on cash a set of new truck mats will suffice, but please let him pick the color. Somehow Summer Rose floor mats just don’t match his Silverado’s interior!

Matt Keegan is a wacky auto enthusiast and contributing writer for PitStop Auto Parts, a seller of discount auto accessories including Nifty floor mats and Power Flow mud flaps for your motor vehicle.

The funds help to support:

* Many of the 37 million people in poverty
* Utility and homeless assistance
* The Army gives food and toys at Christmas
* Senior and child care
* Drug abuse treatment and many other social service needs.

From its humble beginnings as a fundraiser started by a Salvation Army captain in San Francisco in 1891, the Red Kettle Campaign has grown into one of the most recognizable and important campaigns in the United states.

Here are a few more quick facts the this annual fundraiser:

* More than 25,000 Salvation Army volunteers ring bells and solicit spare change donations to the iconic red kettles
* Last year, the funds helped the Salvation Army provide assistance to more than 31 million Americans in need.
* Holiday shoppers in 2005 contributed a record $111 million nationwide with nickels, dimes, quarters and dollars

The history of the Salvation Army began with a man named William Booth, an ordained Methodist minister, aided by his wife Catherine, and formed an evangelical group dedicated to preaching among the “un churched” people living in the midst of appalling poverty in London’s East End. Booth’s ministry recognized the interdependence of material, emotional and spiritual needs. In addition to preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, Booth became involved in the feeding and shelter of the hungry and homeless and in rehabilitation of alcoholics and ended up building one of the world’s largest charity organizations.

Booth and his followers, originally known as The Christian Mission, became The Salvation Army in 1878, when that organization evolved on a quasi-military pattern. Booth became “the General” and officers’ ranks were given to his ministers. The Salvation Army has functioned successfully within that unique structure for over a century. As of 2006, its outreach has been expanded to more than 100 countries and is able to help the less fortunate and those in need all over the world.

Alex Daniels consults for a model shop offering pedal cars for kids and very realistic model cars. Alex is a car lover.

With the kids back to school and Thanksgiving still I’ve noticed that some stores are starting to put Christmas decorations out. Could it be? So early? Then I thought about it; I’ve already picked up a few gifts for the kids, small things that I may not be able to find later. Die cast cars from the Disney movie of the same name, Pirates of the Caribbean action figures and some mutant ninja turtles accessories. All of these things are popular right now and available, but once the silly season hits, you never know.

Other than gift availability is there any other reason to do Christmas shopping early? You bet there is, how about spreading out the financial damage. If we were in a perfect world we would all have a Christmas slush fund ready to go at any time, but if you’re like me, you find yourself a little short later in the year and have to make some serious decisions about your gift buying. Purchasing some of the gifts earlier in the season leaves you a little more flexability in December…flexability to pick up that one last must have gift.

Although I do enjoy getting some of my shopping done early, I recognize that the toys that kids want on September 1st are not the same ones they want on December 1st. In kid land, popular toys come and go and what’s “cool” today may not be popular four months from now. Be careful when shopping early. If you’re buying toys you need to get the ones with staying power, classics like building blocks, models and Barbie. Stay away from buying video games months in advance, because for sure if you do they’ll have played the whole thing by Christmas at a friends house and will be bored of it. Either that, or a new latest greatest game will be out that they want more. A perfect case of that is Halo 3 which will be coming out late in September. Every teenager with an XBox 360 is going to want their copy of Halo 3, but buying it now and waiting to give it for Christmas will be a mistake. Even if the game is still popular at Christmas, the price may have dropped by then.

The same rules that apply for video games apply for DVD’s as well. Don’t go buying the latest release in September as a Christmas present. Chances are that if the person you are buying for really wanted that movie they’ll have seen it or purchased it in the time in between. Clothing is also difficult to buy early unless of course you have a special occasion coming up. Say your intended recipient is going on a tropical vacation in January. Then some summer clothes would make a perfect Christmas gift, and one that you could pick up at a bargain at the end of summer clearence sales.

I could go on and on with examples of good and bad early shopping habits, but it is enough to just acknowledge that shopping early can be a good thing if done correctly. Try it yourself and you might just find yourself with some extra time, and money, on your hands in December.

By Jon Murray. North Pole Christmas is a web site which caters to all the Christmas nuts out there. Why not try early Christmas shopping at North Pole Christmas. Get your christmas drink recipes at Jon’s web site, North Pole Christmas