One of the great joys of Christmas for me is playing party games.  I turn into a big kid when it’s time to get out the board games and the puzzles.  I can be persuaded to play most of the traditional games without any difficulty at all.  Planning your party games is important and you do have to take all your guests into account.  Wide age ranges can sometimes be a problem, but with a supply of suitable puzzles, quizzes and other games you won’t go far wrong.

One of the things I have found over the years is that it is best to have games that are not to strenuous, especially if everyone has been eating and drinking lots.  Little tummies can easily become upset if they run around too much after lunch.  The board game we like best is Pictionary, it can get quite exciting as we try to interpret the rather strange drawings that people make so you can guess the words.  My particular favorites for after lunch are games that you can print out and play as often as you want, quizzes, picture matches, word searches and even Christmas Bingo.  We always have lots of little prizes for that – it keeps everyone amused for hours.

Games like Pass the Parcel, Hide and Go Seek and Memory games are always good too, once all the food has gone down.  We have an odd game that we play called Stuff the Stocking.  Every player has a sock which they hang up somewhere at the right height.  They then have to fill the stocking with fruit and candy, sounds easy doesn’t it?  Not when you have to fill the stocking using a teaspoon in your mouth – no hands allowed!

Here are a few pro’s and con’s for you to consider when thinking about buying your tree:-

Real Christmas Trees

Real, freshly cut Christmas trees generally look more appealing and smell like a pine forest. For some families this smell is the essence of Christmas

For many families, it is part of Christmas to go and choose, or even cut, their Christmas tree.  It marks the beginning of the holidays for them.

A proper Christmas tree can pose a fire hazard if the branches become dry from being in a centrally heated home, and then hot from the Christmas lights.

Real Christmas trees have to be maintained and nurtured.  They need to be regularly watered, and sprayed gently to keep them fresh.  Pine needles also have to be swept up from underneath the tree – you can often find them months afterwards!

Artificial Christmas Trees

Artificial trees get rid of the trouble of having to find time to go to choose a Christmas tree from the vendor when you are already busy.

They don’t need to be watered and the needles won’t fall off and make a mess in your house.

The money you save by buying an artificial Christmas tree that can be used again and again can go towards reducing the cost of Christmas.

Artificial Christmas trees can be put up earlier and stay up longer than real Christmas trees, without looking tired and ‘past it’.

Man made trees are generally less of a fire hazard because they are usually made from fire retardant materials.

In the end the decision is yours and you will pick out the type of tree that best suits you and your family. If the smell of Christmas is pine scented, then a real tree is for you.  If you want a tree which needs very little care then maybe an artificial one would be better.

Whatever your choice, your tree will be a beautiful centerpiece for the holidays and you will have a happy time with your family.

I think there are two important things you have to keep in mind when you are looking to buy something that is individual – firstly – think about the individual you are buying for, and then where to buy from.

You need to focus on the individual to and think about what they would think is special, which is not necessarily the same thing as you. You might have to think of some creative methods to find out what they would really like without them realizing you are planning your Christmas list. If you were to ask some people what they would like a special gift, they probably wouldn’t know what to say.  You have to watch them very carefully to try and  discover what would make a gift really special for them, and it takes time and dedication to the art of gift buying to do that

If you want to find a gift that is different, you shouldn’t look in the usual places, after all that’s where everyone else will go.  Avoid local shops and stores, they won’t have anything special unless you are very lucky.  Mainly they look to sell large numbers of mass produced ‘ordinary’ gifts.  You might find something unusual at a local Craft Fair or if there are some unique ‘artisan’ shops around you but your best chance of finding the best gift is online.

Many crafts people and artisans only sell their work and produce online, the costs of having a store are just too high.  It’s a great deal less stressful to shop this way and with careful use of the search engines you can find really unusual and unique gifts, you don’t have to battle the crowds and they are delivered to your door.

Choosing guests is not a problem, all you have to do is simply list all your family members and friends addresses.  Then you need to decide on a theme for your party, it’s always easier if you do that as it gives a structure to your plan.   The best way to get your theme across to your guests is to start with the invitations; you want to make them as unique as possible.  You can find a huge range of invitations online which can be colored and themed to fit in with your plans.

Once you have chosen the Invitations you like, placed your order you don’t have to worry about them anymore until they are delivered to your door, all you need to do then in pop them in the envelope and your guests will receive a delightful surprise.  Personalized invitations mean so much more, and they give a hint of the care and attention that you will be lavishing on your Christmas Celebration, almost guaranteeing the success of your party before it starts.

You can also use candles on your Christmas Tree, a few, strategically placed candles give a lovely gentle light and as the pine resin warms in your tree, you will get the lovely aroma of the outdoors.  Safety is far less of an issue with candles than you might imagine.  There are many specially designed Christmas Tree candles that are safe to use on your tree and you should always use those for peace of mind.  They provide a lovely atmosphere.  It is however, unwise to use them on artificial trees, even flame retardant ones.

If you have an artificial tree, then you can get Christmas Candle lights, or you can use these if you are not comfortable with real candles or don’t like the bother of lighting them all.   The most sophisticated Christmas Candle Lights bring all the atmosphere of real candles without the worry. They are much like other string lights, except that they look like candles, many also flicker just like real candles and look very effective, from a distance it can be hard to tell the difference.

For me a Christmas scene without candles lacks warmth and sparkle, I wouldn’t be without them in one form or another.