Holidays

Simple Christmas Goodie Bags and Ornaments – WIN! #Crayola

December 15, 2013 by Jennifer 48 Comments

Oh the weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful, And since we’ve no place to go, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!……

It was a cold and blustery day, so we enjoyed some great Christmas crafting. This is always a special time with the girls and I. Obviously with work being so busy right now, I want to spend every moment I can with my girls. Time is not slowing down anytime soon.

Crayola ask to partner with the girls and I to come up with some fun Christmas crafts.

The Christmas goodie bags will be passed out to my family members on Christmas morning. I plan to put in treats that they will enjoy. M and I took the Crayola Slick Sticks and made Christmas trees on the brown bags and then took the Crayola Glitter Glue to make yellow stars. So easy but yet so cute!

The slick sticks from Crayola are awesome at doing crafts such as these. It glides on so smooth as your are drawing.

Next we wanted to decorate our tree with some more ornaments. Half of our ornaments are packed up in storage so the tree was looking a bit bare. This is not the case anymore. I found Christmas scrapbook paper at the WalMart for only $5 for 50 sheets. SCORE. Then I grabbed Scotch self-laminating sheets for $5.88 and laminated the scrapbook paper. You do not need a machine to use these laminating sheets.

Once the sheets were laminated, I cut-out circles and made candy canes. The girls made their own designs on the ornaments with the glitter glue.

Once the ornaments were dried, I punched a hole in the top of each ornament and put a piece of ribbon through the hole. The ornaments turned out so cute and are hanging with care on our Christmas tree.

The ornaments will hang with care for many years to come. How would you like to do Holiday crafts with your children?

WIN!

Crayola Holiday Crafting Essentials Gift Pack including:

§ Crayola Washable Markers

§ Crayola Colored Pencils

§ Crayola Glitter Glue

§ Crayola Model Magic

§ Crayola Slick Sticks

– A few crafty ideas from Crayola to serve as Pinspiration for your original creations

– $25 gift card to purchase additional Crayola items for your project

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Disclosure: I was provided a Crayola gift pack. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

Did you know Santa can send your child a video?

December 10, 2013 by Jennifer Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I received complementary Portable North Pole products in exchange for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Christmas is just around the corner. Obviously, my main thing during Christmas season is ensuring the girls know the real reason of the Season – Jesus!

We also still “believe” though and enjoy Santa showing up Christmas Eve when everyone is all snuggled and sleeping in their beds. Santa can send your child a video all the way from the North Pole. You can get a FREE personalized video message from Santa Claus filled with magic and exciting discoveries for your loved ones.

My girls love receiving a video from Santa each year. They wait eagerly to see what Santa has to tell them each Christmas season. He always makes sure to include their awesome accomplishments of the year such as no fighting with each other!

You can also have Santa call your family one evening while you all are just hanging out around your house. Do you have one evening the kids are acting strangely? No worries, have Santa give them a call and remind them he is on his way. They better be good! Portable North Pole’s Santa’s Phone Call is $3.99 for one call or $6.99 for three calls. Santa has a very important message for your loved one! He will pick up the phone and call directly to deliver his personalized message. Santa’s call will last approximately two minutes and you can choose between 14 message options.

Would you like a longer video from Santa? Portable North Pole has a premium selection. Premium videos includes almost 6 minutes of personalized video message from Santa Claus, features 3 additional photos and more personal details, a clip of Santa’s riding on his sleigh and even a personalized Christmas carol!

So many great options for you to spread some Christmas magic with your family this wonderful season. What are you waiting for? There is plenty of Christmas cheer to be heard!

Visit the Portable North Pole today and enjoy all the creative communications with Santa.

PNP donates 5% of all online sales to a Children’s Hospital close to the buyer’s location. PNP currently collaborates with over 40 regional Children’s Hospitals in the U.S.

You are Invited: Christmas at the Billy Graham Library

December 8, 2013 by Jennifer Leave a Comment

From now until December 23, 2013, you and your family can enjoy a wonderful Christmas tradition.

Beginning at 5:00 pm each day, you will see the beautiful Billy Graham Library all decorated for Christmas. Your family can enjoy the live nativity scene that offers a glimpse into the first Christmas. The children adore the live animals and it is an opportunity to share how life was at the inn. You can arrive early between noon and 2:00pm to pet the animals.

Enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides ($7 for adults, $3 for children 12 and under) through beautiful light displays. (Begins at 5 p.m.) Listen to heartwarming sounds of joyful carolers and festive Christmas music and a delightful story time with the kids.

Christmas shopping at Ruth’s Attic with unique and meaningful gifts including exclusive Library ornaments. Holiday goodies, including Mother Graham’s pound cake, cinnamon rolls, pumpkin rolls hot apple cider and more on sale in the Dairy Bar.

Did you know that the Christmas at the Library was named one of the Top 100 Events in the U.S. by the American Bus Association (ABA) and a Top 20 event by the Southeast Tourism Society? It really is a complete Christmas joy and a must-visit during the Christmas season.

Parking is $10 per car after 3:00 pm. That is a small price to pay for a wonderful family Christmas-filled evening. For more information and directions, visit their website.

Christmas Traditions Includes Hickory Farms – You?

November 30, 2013 by Jennifer 15 Comments

November and December and my favorite months. I absolutely love the holiday season and wish that these months could be spread out for a longer time period. The hustle and bustle of the season just warms my heart.

Some of my favorite Christmas traditions are the Christmas movies paired with hot chocolate with the girls. Cuddling up with the girls and watching movies such as Polar Express are priceless times. I hope the girls will remember this tradition when they grow up and are adults. Our red cups from Starbucks as a family is another sweet tradition. We treat Starbucks as a very special date. We do not go often but when we do, there is something magical and especially at Christmas time.

Packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child is another special tradition. The girls absolutely love doing this since they know it will go to a special child that would otherwise receive nothing at all. It is also an opportunity to help spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

All of these are traditions that I have created with my girls since becoming a mom. One tradition that I am passing down to my girls is delicious treats from Hickory Farms.

For more than 60 years Hickory Farms gifts have been a classic holiday tradition that brings family and friends together. I remember as a young child my Grandma would have Hickory Farms on her Christmas table, then my mom would have the same on her table and now I am passing the tradition on down to my girls as well. When the above party platter was delivered, my girls’ eyes both lit up and we were very happy to partake in the tradition early.

As with my recollection, many Americans have a distinct memory of Hickory Farms at their holiday gatherings; Hickory Farms is very proud to be a part of those nostalgic moments and continues to focus on and celebrate its long heritage of tradition and authentic holiday memories.

Hickory Farms not only embraces passing down traditions through generations of families, but also creating new traditions and sharing them with loved ones.

You are able to purchase Hickory Farms both online and in stores. You are able to grab your favorite Hickory Farm treats this year in 700+ Holiday Market stores and kiosks across North America, as well as in select retailers.

WIN!

One lucky reader is going to win the above party platter so you can create memories with your family.

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Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Hickory Farms via MomTrends. I received a free sample of the product for the purpose of this review and to facilitate a giveaway. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Hickory Farms.

It’s a SeaWorld Christmas!

November 24, 2013 by Jennifer Leave a Comment

This is a favorite family tradition of ours each year. We are annual passholders and I hope we are able to get to Florida for Christmas. From the animal shows to the ice skating, it is a fabulous Christmas experience.

Waves of holiday spirit splash over you during SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration! With everything from Santa to Shamu®, SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration is where holiday memories are made forever. The celebration goes until December 31st!

Sights and sounds that you can enjoy are as follows:

Clyde and Seamore’s Countdown to Christmas

Elmo’s Christmas Wish

O Wondrous Night

We have not been able to see this show and are so excited about this addition to the SeaWorld Christmas.

O Wondrous Night tells the greatest story never told, with more than 30 carols, based up on The Christmas Story and told through the eyes of a variety of live animals. Everyone will be entertained by this touching, light-hearted and glorious celebration featuring a host of angels, animals and th true glory of Christmas.

Click here to see a sneak peek of the show.

The Polar Express Experience

This is one of L’s favorite places to go as she knows she gets to go in and see the penguins and polar bears. You start the experience with a 3D thrill ride on the Polar Express. This movie has become a favorite to our family through the years. You are able to grab a cup of hot chocolate and see Santa Claus too!

Polar Express Experience - SeaWorld Christmas

Sea of Trees

Take a stroll across the bridge and enjoy a watery wonderland of Christmas trees. Christmas lights literally dance to holiday classics. Hug your family tight and just enjoy the wonderful Christmas Spirit.
Also, you can enjoy the snow that falls right before you get on the bridge too.

Shamu(r) Christmas Miracle

Winter Wonderland on Ice

Christmas comes to life on a stage of ice, jewels and light as skaters dazzle and elight in this showstopping, ice skating extravaganza. The other stars of the show are the towering fountains of water dancing on the lake and fireworks that light up the night sky after the last ice show of the evening. It truly is one of the best ways to end the night at the spectacular SeaWorld Christmas.

For more information, visit the SeaWorld Christmas page and plan out your fun family day.

Holidays

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