DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   In Denmark, the Christmas celebrations begin with Advent. In each Sunday in Advent, each one of the four candles are lit on the Advent wreath, that is traditionally made here out of fine spruce twigs and cuttings. On each Sunday in Advent, guests are invited to join in the lighting of the candles on the Advent crown. Drinks are kept for all, though alcoholic beverages are strictly for adults who usually have a warming mixture of red wine, spices and raisins. Kids may drink the juice of some sweet fruit, such as strawberry. Also kept are small cakes of batter usually baked in special pans, and dusted with icing sugar . This is something that everybody loves to have.    In the weeks leading to the Christmas Eve, Danish families set up Christmas trees in their homes and decorate them in the most beautiful manner. The trees, commonly spruce, are usually decorated with a silver or gold star on the top (never an angel), national flags , cornets with fruit, ...

   This diy comes from www.heartlandpaper.typepad.com .  This tutorial is for not just 1 ornament but three.  Good luck and happy paper folding.   We've created 3 fun ornaments for you to make with your friends and family. We hope you enjoy making them for your holiday season. 6 Pointed Star Ornament This star is so easy to make, but has a huge wow factor! You will love how easy it is to make if you have a Scor-Pal Tool. Just mention KSL at the stores until December 15th to get 20% off a scor pal. Download 6 Pointed Star Ornament Instructions Ribbon Candy Ornament: Download Ribbon Candy Ornament Instructions   Vintage Ball Ornament: Download Vintage Ball Ornament Instructions

  This comes from www.marthastewart.com .  Almost anyone will enjoy making and setting these out for the holidays. Create a Winter Wonderland in a Jar The shimmering magic of snowfall is always transfixing, whether it's outside your window or inside this classic toy. Homemade globes let you create a wintry scene straight out of your own imagination. Almost any jar works for this project: Baby-food, pimiento, and olive jars are good choices. Look for plastic or ceramic figurines (metal ones are prone to rust) at flea markets and hobby or model-railroad shops. Synthetic evergreen tips are available at many floral-supply stores. You will also need oil-based enamel paint, sandpaper, epoxy, distilled water, glitter, and glycerin (available at drugstores).   Add Distilled Water and Glitter If the jar lids are not in seasonal colors already, paint them with oil-based enamel paint. Sand the inside of the lid until the surface is rough. With clea...

  This diy comes from www.pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com .  This was too precious to pass up.  Just think of what your little boy or girl would do if they found one of these on their door or in their stocking on Christmas morning.  Almost reminds me of the famous bell from the "Polar Express". Santa’s Magic Key Have y’all seen these?! I was at the cutest little shop about a month ago and they were selling “Santa’s Magic Key”. The price tag? $20!!!! { Yeah. Ummm…just incase you don’t know me well, I’m not a “pay full price” kind of person. Like, not at all. And if it’s something I think I can duplicate on my own, well then I’m all about it. } So I headed to Hobby Lobby & picked up some vintage style skeleton keys. I found a set of 6 on a ring and they.were. PRESH. AND, they were half off so I paid $6. {That’s like $1 a key!!!} I googled “ Santa’s Magic Key Poems ” and there were about a gajillion that popped up, but this is...

     In the Czech Republic , preparations for Christmas begins right from around mid-November. Houses are thoroughly cleaned, carpets washed and furniture dusted. Gift shops and departmental stores are seen to be decked for the occassion. The festive spirit is apparent with buyers turning up at the stores every evening to purchase gifts, new apparels and various items of decoration. Also bought are sweets like Linzer cookies and Vanilla roll or food items such as " Vanoka", traditional Christmas loaves. These are either bought or even baked at home.    The Advent period begins here four Sundays before Christmas Eve. During this time, a wreath is made of several evergreen branches fastened together, decorated with ribbons, pinecones and other trinkets and four candles placed around it, each representing one of the four weeks of the Advent period. Children are gifted beautiful Advent calendars to count the days to December 25. Every day they open ...

   In Finland, Christmas is celebrated from 24th to 26th of December. Preparations for the festival begin from approximately a month ago with many Finnish people buying the Christmas tree , decorative items and gifts and goodies for the season. Houses are cleaned and special treats like gingerbread cookies and prune tarts prepared for the oncoming festive season.  In Finland, Santa might also be known as Joulupukki!    The first Sunday in December (also called the First Advent) starts the Finnish Christmas season. Christmas lights begin to appear in the stores along with gifts, goods and goodies for the festival. Children count the days to the festival making their own Christmas calendar with some great pictures related to the Christmas theme or even some chocolate caramel.      In Finland the Christmas tree is set up on Christmas Eve. Fir trees are felled, tied onto sleds, and taken home to be decorated beautifully...

Besides all the popular winter holidays, there are lots of other reasons to celebrate throughout the month of December. Check them out.          December 1: Special Kids Day - If you have any special kids in your life, make this a day for them to remember. December 2: International Day for the Abolition of Slavery - You may have thought that slavery was abolished long ago, but it still goes on. December 3: International Day of Disabled Persons - Spend the day like a disabled person would. I bet you will appreciate everything you are able to do that other people might not be able to. December 4: National Cookie Day - What else would you do on National Cookie Day? December 5: Bathtub Party Day - A party in the bathtub? That just sounds wrong. December 6: St. Nicholas Day - It's like having a Christmas before Christmas. December 7: National Cotton Candy Day - Try to not get sick from eating too much sugar. ...