Create A Christmas To Remember

Christmas Tree Shape 1

The lights all are hung out on the windows and door of the house, illuminating the lawn decorations with a Christmas glow. It rushes us back to a child like innocents with warm feelings of family and the excitement of giving and receiving gifts.

Christmas comes with rich traditions for most households. Some of them started by generations past that we have carried on for our children or grandchildren and others have had their start under our guidance. However these wonderful traditions came to be, they hold a place in our hearts that marks the passing of each year.

This holiday season is fast approaching, evidenced by the growing number of holiday commercials during your favorite television programs and the specialty isle in the grocery stores.

What does your family do to celebrate the season? Do you try to add something new each year or rotate events or special trips? Holiday enthusiast love to share their ideas, here is a favorite at our house.

Make gingerbread houses: This can be a simple project that you complete in an hour or it can be an elaborate village full of houses, churches, stores and more.

You can find premade kits at many stores and they generally are under $10.00 per kit. They include preformed gingerbread pieces for the house, frosting mix and candy for decorating your house. It can be expensive if you have more then five family members wanting to participate but it is fast and easy.

The other option is to make your own houses with either graham crackers or gingerbread pieces that you bake in advance. There are some wonderful molds that you can buy to make your house pieces and of course you reuse them each year, so it is a one time expense. Graham crackers are inexpensive and easy to cut or separate.

For the second option, you will need to make your own frosting for the construction process and buy an assortment of loose candies to decorate.

You can find recipes for frosting with a web search but they seem to all have the same basic ingredients, egg whites, powdered sugar and cream of tarter. Some recipes call for lemon juice or vanilla but that is just for flavor. Some of the frosting will get eaten as the builder´s lick their fingers but that will happen with or without the added flavoring!

You will want to experiment with the amount of frosting needed if this is your first attempt. Make smaller batches since it does tend to dry out a little the longer it sits, you can always make another small batch if you run low during the construction.

Be creative with your assortment of candies, this is the fun part of your project and candies of all shapes and sizes will make for more interesting houses. Softer candies can be cut with scissors or a knife (by mom or dad) for more variety.

There are no rules to the construction or decoration of your masterpieces. Make them early in the season so you can all enjoy them for longer! Have fun and take pictures, it´s great to look back at them in the years to come.

Advanced Technique: crush single color hard candies in a food processor or by hand, sprinkle them into the gingerbread house windows before baking them. This creates a lovely stained glass look for your windows.

Travel for Christmas: Truly, the celebrating of the holiday season is different depending on where you live and the corresponding climate differences.

If you call Washington State your home, you might head for the snowy hills to cut down a fresh Christmas tree or enjoy an annual ski trip to a nearby resort. Snow boarding, ice skating, cross country skiing, warm fireplaces and hot chocolate might be a part of the holiday season.

Snowy Christmas villages and Victorian Christmas celebrations are but a days drive from your home and are probably annual events for your family. Cold noses and toes remind you that the holiday season has arrived.

On the other hand, if you live in Florida your experiences are quite different. The week of Thanksgiving or Christmas might be 80 degrees and sunny, with a nice warm breeze. No mittens or hats, coats or boots. Instead, shorts and sandals are the norm and sunscreen is an everyday necessity.

Local beach resorts take advantage of the cooler temperatures and offer sand sculpting contests and fireworks, while communities are full of outdoor markets and activities.

How would your holiday experience be different if you didn´t stay home for Thanksgiving or Christmas? What would it be like to travel to the other side of the country to celebrate the season?

Resorts are a wonderful way to experience something new this holiday season. Most resorts have holiday packages and specials to encourage holiday travel, offering the perfect opportunity to try something new.

If you are an owner of a timeshare or fractional property, you are probably aware of your many options for exchange. This is when owners can trade away the time or points that they own and visit another resort property. Many people buy into a timeshare situation because they can participate in an exchange program and travel the world.

What do you do if you are not an owner at one of these properties? Don´t worry, you can still travel to most of these same resorts but you may have to pay a little more for your accommodations.

There are a number of good online resources available to help you choose a resort destination. Do your homework so you won´t be disappointed when you get there.

One resource that offers world wide travel choices and plenty of information is the Resorts and Lodges website. They offer a property bio on each resort or lodge as well as all of the important information, like price, amenities, availability and how to contact them. It is worth your time to check them out.

Weather you are seasoned traveler or you are just looking for a new experience, consider visiting a resort this holiday season and let the Christmas Adventure begin!

If you are a part of a family that embraces holiday traditions, take the time to share them with someone else. You may have traditions that others may not have thought of... invite your neighbors or friends to participate this year. It will enhance your experiences and will bring joy to others, sounds like a Christmas to remember!

Clara Rose invites you to learn more about the marketing and writing services she offers at http://www.clararose.com