Take advantage of after-Christmas sales to save big for next year.
On Dec. 26, many retailers slashed the price of their Christmas goods, as well as many of the products they overstocked but didn't sell during the Christmas shopping rush. Their loss is your gain: You can save 50 to 75 percent, and in some cases even more, on gift wrap and decor for next Christmas, and consumer goods you can use now and all year long. Retailers slash prices on other goods this time of year, to encourage shoppers who received gift cards to get out and buy. So if you're not totally shopped out, here's a how-to guide on getting great post-Christmas deals: What to Buy Gift wrap - Wrapping paper, gift bags, tissue paper, gift tags, boxes, tape, ribbon, bows. Since it never goes bad, you can buy for next year and beyond. Also …
Say goodbye to 2012 and hello to 2013!
Here at Patch, we're counting down the last few days and hours of 2012! As this year draws to a close, whether you're hosting or heading to a special New Year's celebration, Patch has some fun and easy ideas to send out 2012 and ring in 2013 in memorable fashion! 2012 recap for kids - Use this free printable to mark the occasion with little ones. Record their stats, thoughts and favorites, and paste a photo or two. This could become an annual tradition with a whole book full of these year-end keepsake sheets. A dozen grapes - According to Spanish tradition, you should eat one grape for each time the clock chimes at midnight, for 12 months of good luck in the New Year. Melding that tradition with the traditional American champagne toast, …
Slow down and enjoy the holidays with a new family tradition on Christmas Morning.
Every family has a tradition or two for Christmas morning. In my family, we always listen to Ed Gerhard's guitar Christmas music and we open stockings last. My brother gets a balloon ornament and I get a carousel horse ornament for the tree. And my grandfather always makes me a soft-boiled egg over toast. The Christmas holiday is over in a flash, and children grow so quickly. It's important to take a few moments to slow the day down and savor it with a new holiday tradition. Revive an old family tradition that has fallen by the wayside, or try one of these: Family jammies - Matching PJs for all and for all a good night! Wrap holiday-print pajamas, and let kids (and kids at heart) open them on Christmas Eve. The pajamas help good kids go to…
The Montgomery County Patch staff rounded up our favorite holiday movies - what's yours?
Looking for some fun holiday movies to watch with the family? The Montgomery County Patch Editors rounded up our favorites to share with you. What's your favorite holiday movie? Tell us in the comments!
Even if you haven't started your holiday shopping, there's still time to do it right.
When I first met my husband, he would spend Christmas Eve, along with throngs of other panicked shoppers, dashing through the mall and paying sticker price for whatever gifts were left on the racks. With some careful training, he now crosses off his list (me), much earlier in December, without a hint of the frazzled emergency of Christmases past. He has also learned how to spot a good deal - and avoid a bad one - and how to stick close to a budget. Now if only he would wrap his gifts instead of giving them in shopping bags... If you're like my husband in his earlier years, the thought of Christmas being just over a week away probably makes the breath catch in your throat and gives you a stomach ache. But you still have time to find great …
In this Article:
Fill your family's stockings with thoughtful little gifts without spending your whole holiday budget.
My parents are stocking-stuffer experts. Every item in our stockings is perfectly personalized and tailored for its recipient. Some are sweet, some are thoughtful, some are silly, some are useful. They work together to pick up things here and there throughout the year. We always save our stockings to open last, and it’s one of my favorite parts of Christmas. I love to be handed a big, fat stocking, brimming with possibilities! (Our stockings usually come with an annex, a pile on the mantel or an extra bag full of all the goodies that didn’t fit in the stockings. My parents don’t stop filling the stocking just because the stocking is full.) Reaching in and pulling out small things, one by one, and appreciating the level of thought my …
Forgot to take the kids to see Santa? They can still get a phone call from the Big Man himself.
With Christmas Day merely 12 days away, if you haven't had a spare moment to visit the Big Man himself at the local malls and or other events, don't fight the traffic and last minute shoppers, there are other ways for you kids to talk to Santa (though photos ops not included). Vonage customers can call their dedicated Santa Hotline, which will connect your kids right to his the North Pole workshop and they can leave a message with what they want for Christmas. Your child's wish list, and message to Santa, will be forwarded to the e-mail that is connected to the Vonage account. DialMyCalls is also offering free Santa phone calls. Parents can set up the phone calls on the company's website and include the child's name and a personalized …
Procrastinators rejoice: You can still find great deals buying gifts online, with free guaranteed Christmas Eve delivery.
Didn't get everything on your list on Black Friday or Cyber Monday? Not to worry, deals are still to be had. Free Shipping Day is coming, Dec. 17. On Free Shipping Day you'll find plenty pre-Christmas deals online, with free shipping with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve. Many stores who always offer free shipping will lower or eliminate the minimum purchase amounts required for free shipping. FreeShippingDay.com has a list of 1,173 merchants participating in Free Shipping Day this year, from Kohl's and Home Depot to Best Buy, Tiny Prints and Red Envelope. "Free Shipping Day makes procrastination possible," the website proclaims. You can try to plan ahead and put off making purchases from participating retailers until Free Shipping Day…
A perfect brunch casserole.
With the holidays upon us, quick meals for weeknight dinners, weekend lunches, and even brunch with house guests is a must. This recipe is perfect for breakfast at dinner on a busy night, and very tasty for a brunch with friends and family. Not only was this easy, but it was also delicious and a lot of fun to eat. It's also a super customizable recipe - add some tomatoes, green onions, switch up the bacon for sausage, add what you like to make it your own. Ingredients Directions
People are rallying worldwide to make sure those affected by Sandy have a little something this Christmas.
Americans are more generous than any other nation in the world, and this is the biggest season of giving. We fill the bell ringers' Salvation Army red kettles, we give Toys for Tots, and we contribute to myriad causes at the supermarket checkout. This year, the need for generosity and kindness is even greater, with thousands of families displaced by Hurricane Sandy. Many have lost their homes, their belongings, their entire ways of life. But you can help. By adopting a child or a family through the Secret Sandy campaign, you can bring the holiday season to people who have already experienced too much disappointment lately. Co-founders Joy Huang, originally from Queens, N.Y., and Kimberley Berdy, of Hoboken, N.J. came up with the idea a few…
David Franklin
7:03 am on Saturday, December 22, 2012
I can't limit it to just one, especially since two of mine have been ignored..... "It's a Wonderful Life," was mentioned and I agree. "A Christmas Carol/Scrooge," (1953) with Alistair Sim is the greatest version. "A Miracle on 34th Street," (1947) with Edmund Gwenn is also the greatest version, above all the half-a*sed re-makes. more ›