The Christmas Robin

The humble robin is a traditional Christmas symbol in the UK, the colourful bird often depicted on our festive greetings cards and Christmas gift wrapping. We also use little robin decorations to trim our Christmas trees and our Christmas cakes or chocolate logs. It's hardly surprising that we cherish this pretty, cheerful little bird as part of our Christmas festivities because he is so colourful and most other birds have migrated to warmer climates. And during our long bleak winters it lifts us to hear the chirpy song of the festive robin.

However, there is more to this chirpy fellow then just cute Christmas cards of him posing on snow covered post boxes and nesting in old copper watering cans.

Robins live through out Europe (Except the far North) and Western Siberia. We notice an increased number of robins in the UK during our winter months as robins in colder climates move to warmer wintering gathering grounds during the autumn.

Robins who live in close proximity to people can become rather tame, especially towards avid gardeners. Some cheeky robins have learned to take advantages of unearthed worms caused from gardeners digging and turning the soil.

It has also been discovered that robins can fish. Not for large fish though, the robin itself being only 14 cm and weighing between 14 and 21 grams. Robins can hover and dive for fish in shallow waters.

Male robins are very territorial and sing to proclaim their territory, what sound like a cheerful winter song to us is actually a warning of occupation to other robins in the area. Robins will fight to defend their territory.

Robins mate and nest in late March. The female robin builds a nest from dry dead leaves and moss in crevasses in trees, wall cavities or in under growth.

Because robins don't build traditional nests with twigs and sticks and instead simply line holes and crevasses is why we hear tales of robins nesting in old watering cans and wellington boots.

The female lays between 4 and 6 small white to slightly blue speckled eggs which she incubates for 2 weeks.

At two weeks old the robin chicks can fly. By this time the father robin feeds his offspring for a further 3 week until the chicks become independent at around five weeks old, meanwhile the female rears her second brood.

Chicks are not born with the trademark vibrant red breast feathers. They shed their chick feathers to make way for their splash of red on their breasts.

Not many robin chicks get to show off their new red feathers with pictures poses on top of snow covered post-boxes or pine-trees because more than a half of the chicks die during their first year.

However, robins can live up to the ripe old age of 5 years, which is something to sing about.

So spare a thought for this festive little bird this Christmas time because he works hard for his living. Maybe leave them some tasty Christmas treats on your bird table, some bacon rind and a stuffing ball. And maybe leave out a few old terracotta plant pots for a homeless female robin looking for somewhere to build their nests.

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Kids Make - Christmas Note Books, an Ideal Gift

Little notebooks are so handy to jot down messages, phone numbers, shopping lists and appointments. Little note pads can be kept in handbags, or next tot he telephone, on a desk, in school bags and all other sorts of places. Being this useful, a nice note book would make a great Christmas for Mum, Dad, your sister or Granny, Your Auntie, Uncle, the neighbours, your teacher or friend and anyone who may need to jot things down from time to time.

Buy a small, soft covered note pad, don't spend too much because it's going to be re-vamped.

To make the Rudolf note book, start off by using a grey piece card to cut out two identical antlers. Stick these out from the top of the note pad so that they hang off the top of the pad. Next cover the front cover of he pad in brown paper, covering the bottoms of the antlers. This creates Rudolf face. Stick on two white ovals for eyes. Use a felt tip pen to draw on some pupils. Cut out a large circle from some red paper. You guessed it! That's Rudolf’s nose. Stick it down towards the bottom of the pad. You can stick some red glitter to Rudolf's nose to make it shiny.

To make the Christmas tree note book, First cover the front of the note pad in green paper. Field a piece of green card (the same size as the notebook) in half vertically and cut out a Christmas tree shape. Stick sequins to the Christmas tree and sprinkle on some glitter if you wish. Stick to the Christmas tree to the note pad with a line of glue down the fold of the Christmas tree, so that it stands out slightly from the pad. To Finnish it off, cut out a star and stick it to the top of the Christmas tree.


Remember, not to use too much glue. You don't want to stick all the note pad pages together.

When you get started you will have lots more ideas of other delightful Christmas designs that you can apply to a note pad. Your friends and family will love one of these cute little stocking fillers, gone on why not make a couple.

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A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas

Every year, around Christmas time the RSPCA make appeals to everyone to think before buying a puppy or any other pet as a Christmas present. The RSPCA's message is "A dog is for life, not just for Christmas". This prompt is to make people think, and to consider the implications of owning a pet.

It is a wonderful experience to see your child's face light up when you present them with an adorable puppy. There's no getting away from that, however it doesn't last very long and it is only one side of the coin.

Puppies are hard work. They chew, they soil, they can interrupt sleep, they dig and they demand a lot of attention, it's rather like taking on another child.

Although puppy's grow quickly, their education is a slow process, even if you have an intelligent breed. During your puppy's education and socialisation you need to remain calm and patient at all times, and above all you must be consistent, even if you are at the end of your tether. One small slip up confuses your pup and can set his education back.

Puppies tend to take up a lot of time, Just like a child. Your puppy would need walking (come rain, blizzard or shine) training, feeding, brushing, cleaning up after, as well as playing with. Children soon loose interest with all these chores and they inevitably fall to the parents. Do you have time for all these little jobs every day? If not your bored depressed little puppy will probably eat your sofa.

Of course puppy farms are applying hard sell tactics in the run up to Christmas. They prey on people who are unsure if they should buy a puppy or not. The puppy farms force people into making rash decisions that are not thought through properly. The salesmen may say "Well, someone else is interested in this pup", of course there isn't anyone else, they just want to force the sale by making the buyers think that they may loose the chance of buying the cute little puppy they have shown interest in. The puppy farmers are not concerned if you are ready and able to take on a puppy, they are only thinking of the wonderful Christmas they can have once they have their hands on your cash.

Christmas day will no doubt be a wonderful day with your new puppy and your happy children. Any puppy mishaps will be regarded as little accidents and mischievous behaviour and all pups’ naughtiness will be heart warming and laughed off.

Six to eight months down the line, puppy is still having little accidents. Puppy is now a big puppy, and proving to be a bit of a handful. The kids have lost interest and everything is covered in dog hairs

This is when the RSPCA see a boom in puppies that have been placed into their care. The RSPCA can not possibly re-home every adorable puppy that comes to them. Anyway, who wants your unruly puppy at the RSPCA when they can go to the puppy farm and buy a younger, smaller and cuter puppy there?

The fact is that some cute adorable pups that find themselves at the RSPCA have to be destroyed, due to no fault of their own, other than nobody want them.

Happy Christmas Pup!

There is an easier way to give your child a pet this Christmas, and that is to adopt one. Adopting an animal is like sponsoring a pet. You donate an amount of money to contribute towards the animal’s wellbeing and you receive certificate, photos and regular newsletters all about your new pet. You may even receive a soft toy of your chosen animal.

There are a wide variety of animals to adopt. What takes your fancy, a giant panda, a tiger, an orang-utan, a dolphin or a reindeer maybe? Very festive.

The beauty of adopting a pet is that you have all the fun and pride of being the adopted owner of a pet, without any of the stress of training or educating it. You don't have to pick up its poo and it doesn't make the house smell. Not to mention, the distinct lack of pet hairs. Oh, one other thing, it doesn't eat the sofa when you choose to take a night off from being a pet owner.

Adopt a pet for your child this Christmas. Make a difference to an animal’s life and watch your child's face light up.

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Top 10 Christmas Wrapping Tips

There's something very heart warming and festive about seeing a pile of beautifully wrapped Christmas presents beneath a Christmas tree. It makes each present look as special and expensive as the next because someone has obviously taken the time and care to make it look stunning. Wonderful if it's underneath your Christmas tree, if it's under someone else's it really makes you feel secretly envious. And do you find that beautifully wrapped Christmas presents tend to be the gifts you want to open first on Christmas morning? The enchantment and excite from the first moment you receive the gift because beautifully wrapped Christmas presents make people feel special.

All well and good but you have so many Christmas presents to wrap and in the beginning you enjoy Christmas wrapping but before long you hate every aspect of it. It bores you to tears and you try to get it over and done with as soon as possible, cutting corners if need be, and wrapping up items together in one untidy mess, sticking a bow on the top to try to improve it's appearance. We've all been there and we have all had to try to look grateful and excited when presented with such an eyesore gift.

Remember, it's the thought that counts- so try to put some thought into it!
We have 10 Christmas gift-wrapping tips to help you to produce stunningly wrapped Christmas presents we ease and give you relatively no stress.

1) Get a box to keep all your Christmas present wrapping gear in. Scissors, labels, selotape, pens, ribbons and all your other bits and bobs need to be kept all together. This saves time and energy, as you won't have to go looking for all the tools that you need for the job.

2) Always use a selotape dispenser that can be used with just one hand.
Wrapping Christmas presents can be fiddly and a selotape dispenser males Life easier. Also selotape loses it's stickiness when it has been previously been stuck on the back of your hand, and the table or on your arm.

3) Prepare your labels well in advance. Making labels from last years old
Christmas cards is environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Cut the card into any shape or size. Use a hole-punch to create a neat hole to thread ribbon on to attach to your gift.

4) Whenever possible, use boxes. Uniform box shapes are easier to wrap than unusual shapes. Traditional box shape presents are also more pleasing to the eye.

5) If you are wrapping an unusual shaped present, don't try to wrap it with paper because it will be frustrating and will end up looking like one of those ill wrapped disasters that we mentioned earlier. Either buy one of those beautiful metallic gift boxes as they come in assorted shapes and sizes and can be as much appreciated as the gift inside. Alternatively, you can use a gift bag. This is especially great for bottled gifts. Place your gift into the gift bag but before taping the bag closed, cover the top of the gift in streamers. Streamers make your gift fun.

6) Only use enough paper to wrap your Christmas gift. This sounds obvious, however when you get to the end of the roll and the paper is 2 inches too long and too wide don't cut corners by not trimming off the surplus paper. When you come to folding the ends, if your triangle flaps are so long that they cover the sides and fold onto the base of the present they will give an unloved finish to your present. It's crisp edges and flat sides will be lost and rounded under a wad of paper, and you will have created an eyesore.

7) Using ribbons can really trim up presents to make them look special.
Ribbons come in selections of colours and widths. When wrapping ribbon around the present use a colour that contrasts and compliments the paper colour and design. Don't use up leftovers for the sake of it if it doesn't compliment the package.

The general rule when wrapping the ribbon around the gift is - narrow ribbon can be tied into a knot on the underside of a present, before returning the ribbon round to come back to the top. Wider ribbon on the other hand needs to have a neat 45-degree fold put into it to turn the direction of the ribbon that can be held in place with a small piece of selotape. The fold to turn the ribbon reduces the bulk of a knot would make and it enables you to maintain the top side of ribbon showing, which is especially useful when using metallic ribbon.

8) Ribbon bows, cheaply obtainable form any shop, and as I'm sure you will agree, not very impressive or stylish. Less out dated bows are now available and of course you can curl the ends of the ribbon you wrapped across the blade of a pair of scissors. However, for a more designer look, using twisted stick cut to length from the dried flowers section or sprigs of golly or pieces of ivy. Slip them under the ribbon in the top of the present.

For extra glamour, why not try spray painting with festive metallic paint a couple of days before you need to use them. Copper paint looks particularly festive. You could also sprinkle on a little glitter whilst the paint is still wet to give it a frosty look.

Another alternative to bows is to use pinecones, which again can be painted. Either keep the cones attached to a piece of branch and slip it under the ribbon as before, or else tie a bit of thread around the cone and selotape it to your gift.

If you must use bows, use bows intended for Christmas trees. They have more style than the old tired retro gift bow.

9) Don’t buy cheap poor quality paper. It’s false economy because you have to use more of it. It is so thin you can see the gifts through it, or it rips, not to mention the poor quality designs. It’s much better to buy good quality gift-wrap with a stylish print. You may think that it doesn’t matter because it only ends up in the bin, but remember it sits under someone’s Christmas tree for two weeks first. You don’t want the embarrassment of blighting someone’s Christmas tree with your eyesore!

10) The most important tip of all, Don’t leave the Christmas wrapping until the last minute and don’t try to do it all on the same day. Falling into these traps will be stressful and will leave you with the Christmas wrapping blues. Pace yourself. If you wrap three gifts each day starting on the 1st December, by the 20th of December you will have wrapped 60 Christmas presents, and you will have only taken 45 minutes or so a day. You could even fit it in whilst doing other jobs – running a bath or cooking a meal.

I hope these ten Christmas wrapping tips help you to achieve beautifully wrapped Christmas presents for your friends and family whilst keeping your stress levels low.

Happy Wrapping!

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Children's Christmas Ice Breaking Party Games

Ice breaking party games are a brilliant way for a group of people to get to know each other, get over shyness, and generally 'break the ice' and therefore make way for festive fun. Icebreaker games are designed so that there are no winners or losers. The main aim of the game is to have fun as a group, so that there are no isolate persons. It also encourages the group to communicate and overcome shyness.

Here are three ice breaker games you could try at your children's Christmas party...

Christmas Tree
The group sits in a ring with the host or play leader in the centre.

The host labels the children with one of the following (making sure there is a minimum of 2 of each)
Star, Bauble, Tinsel, Angel, Snowflake

The host now calls out one object. For example - Snowflake. All the snowflakes must now jump up and exchange positions with other snowflakes, the game continues in this way with the host calling out different objects and the children exchanging places with objects of the same kind.

If 'Christmas Tree' is called out, all of the children must jump up and exchange places with other objects.

This game is fast and furious and energetic and usually very well received by older and younger children alike. It breaks the ice by mixing the children up and sitting them next to new people.

Christmas Theme Chinese Whispers
An old game that can be given a Christmas twist, simply divide the children into two teams and arrange them to sit in two lines.

Have ready some (previously made) cards with festive sentences written on them, but make sure that the sentences are out of the ordinary.

For Example - Rudolf likes Christmas pudding on Mondays, but Prancer likes plum pudding on Mondays and Christmas pudding on Wednesdays.

To begin the game, give the two children at the front of the lines the festive sentence to read.

The children then have to whisper the sentence to one another until it has passed up the line. Remember: Each child my only whisper the sentence once, they may not repeat it.

Finally, when the message gets to the last child in the line, this child has to say the message out aloud for everyone to hear.

There aren't any winners or losers, its just lots of fun listening to garbled messages. If you have only a few children don't divide them into teams.

Christmas Pictionary
Preparing the game - Have 20 cards with a Christmas item written on each. For example: Christmas Fairy, Roast Turkey, Holly and Ivy, Santa's Sleigh, Christmas Trimmings, Christmas present label...

How to play
Divide the children in to two teams. Each team takes it in turns to play rounds. To play a round, one child in the team must be chosen to be the drawer for that round (The drawer changes for each round played) The drawer takes a card from the top of the pile and reads it without speaking.

The drawer then has tree minutes to draw what was written on the card. However, the drawer must write letters or words and they must not speak.

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Tips to convince your child that Santa exists

The belief of Father Christmas the giver of presents adds excitement for many children to the festive season. St Nick, the jolly, plump man dressed in a scarlet cloak and hat trimmed with white fur, who delivers presents in the dead on night on Christmas Eve. His reindeer fly him from roof to roof so he can drop down the chimney pots to stuff stockings with gifts ready for Christmas morning. No wonder parents want to hold their children's faith in Santa Claus as long as possible. Here are some tips to plant hard evidence of the existence of Santa.

Mince pies and Sherry
Before your child goes to bed on Christmas Eve, let them prepare a snack For Santa. Leave a mince pie and a small glass of sherry out for him in the living room.
Before you go to bed, drink the sherry and eat mince pie. Make sure you leave allot of crumbs on the plate.

Reindeer bells
Buy some bells and ever reveal hem to your child. An hour or so after bedtime nip outside, out of view of your child's bedroom window and ring your bells to mimic the sound of bells on Santa's reindeer collars.

Correspondence from Santa
Of course you can't do this in your own handwriting because you will get caught out. At www.SantasPostbag.co.uk you can send a free personalised email to your child, adding details such as the child's age, best friend and even the family pet adds credibility to the letter and the existence

Wish list letters to Santa
SantasPostbag.co.uk also enables you child to write a letter to Santa, listing toys they are hoping to find under their Christmas tree and your child receives a reply from Santa which rein-forces he existence of Santa.

Use these little tips to prolong your child's magical belief in Father Christmas.

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The Story of Santa's Helpers

By: J. Randy Stocklin

We all know about Santa’s helpers today. They are the merry elves who work building the Jolly One’s toys for boys and girls around the globe. But did you know that these Christmas elves got their start in Scandinavia? If you didn’t know that, you’re in for one heck of a story.

This tale starts long ago in German folklore. These elves were pranksters that caused diseases and gave people nightmares. As the notion of elves spread across Europe, countries like Finland, Norway and Sweden believed every house in the neighborhood had tiny little elves, or gnomes, guarding them from evil spirits. These gnomes were generally very trustworthy and kind creatures, but beware if you ever mistreated one of them! These elves could act absolutely spiteful and teach you a lesson. Some stories indicate children in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark often gave the elves a bowel of porridge on Christmas Eve to stop their pranks.

When Christmas again became popular in Scandinavia in the middle of the 19th century, these gnomes got out of the house-protection business and found their way into Santa’s good graces. After all, Norway, Sweden, and Finland are a stones throw away from Santa’s home in the North Pole. In fact, the folks in Finland say that Santa and his elves even live in Lapland in the off season. People of Scandinavia began talking less about house gnomes and more about Santa’s elves. It is here that Elves transitioned into Santa’s helpers.

Some experts say that there are now 13 main elves that help Santa to make his toys, some say 6, and some take the middle road and say 9 elves help Santa at one time.
While some of these elves help with the day to day duties in the toy shop, some other elves have very special jobs that Santa relies on. For instance, one elf is a well-known inventor who is credited with building Santa’s machines that construct many of the toys. Another elf is very handy with wood and tools, and built Santa’s sleigh. He continues to take care of it and does any necessary repairs to make sure Santa has no problems on Christmas Eve.

Another elf is Mrs. Claus’ personal helper, and also the head chef of the North Pole. She comes up with some of the cookie recipes and treats that we Christmas lovers enjoy every year. There are also the elves that are in charge of keeping the secret of where exactly Santa and his helpers live! These elves act like the mayor of the town, making sure the town stays clean and its streets are swept clear of the snow.

Last but not least, there is an elf that is personally in charge of the naughty and nice list. He is, perhaps, the most important elf of all. It is because of this elf and his list that Santa decides who has been naughty and who has been nice. So, this Christmas Eve, you may decide to leave a bowl of porridge sitting out beside Santa’s cookies and milk.

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Hosting Stress Free Children's Christmas Parties

Hosting a children's Christmas party can be stressful. The children are usually very excited at the prospect of new toys from Father Christmas. Of course excited children doesn't always mean giggly, energetic children; it also can mean sulky children as they experience a spectrum of emotions as part and parcel of the festive excitement. The Christmas party host or hostess has to be prepared for a number of situations.

Assuming you have the party food and venue covered, all you have to do now is to sort out a line up of interesting entertainment and party games.

Only choose games and activities that are suitable for your party's age group. If your games are too babyish, older kids will not participate. Similarly, younger children will find older kids games too complicated and will not want to play. Choosing games that match your party will mean that the children that you are entertaining will have a more enjoyable party.

If the children at the party are not familiar with one another, make the first few games non prize winning ice breaker games so that the children can play together as a group, and everyone can get over their shyness and make friends.

It's better to have too many prizes than too few. Party games tend not to last as long as you think they will, and you don't want to run out of prizes. You also need to bear in mind that sometimes children enjoy a party game so much that they want to play it again. If your game schedule is too regimented an unscheduled game will make you a prize short. You need to be a flexible play leader.

Dealing with children who don't wish to join in is always difficult. You want every child to enjoy the Christmas party but f course you can't give your complete attention to one child who is reluctant to join in. If after several urges of encouragement during the ice breaker games, and during the first prize winning game; if the child still wishes to not participate give that child a colouring book or a puzzle book and some pencils. This way the solitary child has a prize and fun, and you haven't neglected the rest of the group.

Seeing a display of prizes to choose from may sound fair and fun, but in reality it can cause arguments and sulky children when more that one child sets its sights on the same prize. Simply overcome this by gift wrapping each prize and having a lucky dip type system. This adds extra fun and excitement and the children will be content that this system is fair.

Forward planning at children's Christmas parties is essential if you wish to host an enjoyable party for all, and I hope these tips will go some way to helping your party run smoothly.

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The History of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer

Everyone knows Rudolf. He is Santa's leading reindeer on account of his red nose that lights Santa's way through the winter night sky every Christmas Eve.

However, there is no mention of Rudolf in Clement Clarke Moore's classic poem ''Twas the Night Before Christmas (‘also known as 'A Visit From St Nicholas’) written in 1822. More clearly names all of Santa's reindeer –

"Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now Prancer and Vixen!
On Comet! On Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!"

But Moore doesn't make any reference to Rudolf.
Rudolf is a later addition tot he festive season. The famous Christmas song 'Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer' was written by Robert L. May originally created as an advertising strategy for the Montgomery Ward Department Store in 1939.

The song depicts the heart-warming tale of the disfigured reindeer. Rudolf has the obvious deformity of a bright red nose. Because of his nose he is ridiculed and cast out from reindeer society.

"All of the other reindeer,
Used to laugh and call him names,
And they wouldn't let poor Rudolf,
Join in any reindeer games."

However, Rudolf’s luck changes when Santa sees Rudolf's affliction as an asset and asks Rudolf - "Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”

This simple but touching story line won the hearts of millions, so much so that Rudolf was added to the festive season as a special companion of Santa.

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Reindeer Adoption

Perfect for kids (and big kids) who want to know where Reindeer live when Santa isn't using them!

Help to look after Rudolph and friends when Santa isn’t using them by adopting one from this Wildlife Park. You'll be supporting the cost of upkeep and you can also visit the animals whenever you choose (two free entrance passes included). The perfect gift for children or adults who are fans of these loveable creatures.

Click Here for more info

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Is Santa Real?

For more information about Santa and other christmas festvities visit Santas Postbag

Is Santa Claus Real?

This is a question that is on most children's lips at some point in their childhood. What will you tell your child what they ask if Santa Claus is real?

Of course Santa was a real person. He was St Nicholas, the patron saint of giving. St Nicholas was born in 300 AD. He was a holy man, being brought up in a monastery after being orphaned at an early age. He remained within the monastery and rose to the position of bishop.

He obtained his reputation for giving because there are many tales of him giving gifts to the poor and needy and in particular children.

Over the years the European community have embraced to concept of St Nick and customised it to make it their own. Because of this Santa's appearance sometimes changes, his cloak may be described as different colours but his 'Giving' nature remains the same.

It is sometimes considered that Christmas festivities which do not include the nativity misconstrued the meaning of Christmas. However, St Nicholas was a religious man and lived his life according to the holy scriptures of the time and it's because of this that Santa and the Nativity hold parallels.

The birth of Jesus Christ itself depicts God giving mankind his only son, and the prospect of the gift of eternal life. Additionally the three wise men also came bearing gifts for the baby Jesus.

Although St Nicholas lived many years ago, he still lives on. He lives because he is a major part of Christmas and we all keep Santa alive, and he lives in us every year that we give one another a gift at Christmas time. So when your child asks you if Santa Claus is real, say - Yes.

Visit http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk/ for a free special Christmas message to send to your child from Santa, so that they know that the patron saint of giving - Father Christmas himself still lives.

The Christmas Jigsaw Race

A cheap and fun children's party game. Ideal for children of all ages. Its a race against one anther to collect your Christmas jigsaw pieces and to complete your jigsaw.

Preparing the Game
A different Christmas card is needed for each player. Only the image on the fronts of the Christmas card is needed, the backs can be discarded.

The Christmas pictures need to be cut into four pieces. You may cut them into 4 equal parts, or into abstract shapes, or four traditional jigsaw shapes. Make sure that each card front is cut into four parts.

How to Play
Show each player their jigsaw in its made state, so that they know what their jigsaw should look like, and so they can familiarise themselves with the individual pieces within their jigsaw.

Send all the players out of the room whilst you hide all of the jigsaw pieces in various places within the room. Behind curtains, under tables, behind cushions etc.

Let the players back into the room. They must now find all of their own jigsaw pieces, discarding all of the others, and be the first to complete their jigsaw puzzle. The first player to complete their jigsaw correctly is the winner.

More Children's Christmas Party Games Here...

Credit Cards Bring Festive Cheer

By: Peter Kenny

Christmas is almost upon us once again and the worry of meeting the demands that it has on our finances comes to the fore. Many will get themselves into a level of debt that they cannot sustain and if it’s paid for with your current credit card or god forbid a store card, then the expenditure will be worse with the addition of the interest charges that come with your plastic.

Use your credit card wisely…

This does not mean we should be avoiding using our plastic over the festive season, far from it, as apart from having the cash to pay for your goods and leaving you without any debt, the credit card is the next best thing in getting your gifts, festive food and drink in, without the interest being a problem.

So how do you fancy getting all of this and interest free for nine or twelve months? Well if you need that bit of breathing space and the Christmas period sorted interest free, then taking advantage of one of the credit card that are offering a 0% introductory offer on purchases. These will help ease the burden and will give you up to 12 months to pay it off, or in other words just in time for Santa coming back next year!

Keep clear of store cards…

Doing it this way rather than using your current credit card will mean that you could save around £75 in interest payments if you spent in the region of £500, which is being claimed that as a nation we spend on average per person. Do not use a store card to make any purchases as the majority of these credit cards come with an APR as high as 29.9%.

Other methods that you could use to accommodate your Christmas shopping could be an overdraft, but always remember to speak to your bank first, as going in to the red without the permission of the bank, will only see you face charges that could see you having to pay a hefty interest of almost 30%.

Use a 0% credit card

So the best bet to deal with Christmas this year is to take advantage of a 0% on purchases credit card and budget for what you will have to pay back each month, so that when the 0% period is over, you will have a clear balance and no interest payments to meet, before you have to start dealing with next year and starting all over again.

So get applying now and have your Christmas sorted and worry free before the big day is upon you.

Peter Kenny is a writer for creditcards-gb
For additional articles and an extensive resource for everything about credit cards, please visit us at http://www.creditcards-gb.co.uk

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Christmas Recipes: Edible Gifts. No.4 of 8 – Chocolate Truffles

by: Paul Curran


Christmas recipe makes: 2 dozen
Calories per truffle: 65
Preparation time: 30 – 60 minutes
Cooking time: 0 minutes
Suitable for freezing

Christmas recipe ingredients:

Truffle Mixture:
chocolate, bitter, plain or milk 225g (8 oz)
double cream, 75 ml (3 fl oz)
brandy, 75 ml (3 fl oz)
or rum,orange liqueur, coffee liqueur, coconut liqueur

Rolled Truffles:
cocoa powder
chopped nuts
coconut, dessicated or grated
chocolate vermicelli or grated choclate for rolling

Dipped Truffles:
chocolate, plain, milk or white (350 g (12 oz)
or mixture of all three

Suitable for freezing.

Christmas recipe instructions:

1. Truffle Mixture: Add the cream to grated chocolate and melt in a bowl over water at boiling point, stirring until smooth. Allow to cool and thicken.

2. Add your alcohol of choice and whisk until the mixture is strong enough to stay 'up' when a strand of mixture is pulled up by the whisk. Then put the mixture into a shallow tin (covered) and cool till firm.

3. Rolled Truffles: Place teaspoonful size amounts of truffle mixture onto a tray sprinkled with cocoa powder and roll into ball shapes. Alternatively you can substitute the cocoa with grated chocolate, chopped nuts, coconut, or chocolate vermicelli. Cool in a refrigerator for at least two hours.

4. Dipped Truffles: Roll the truffle mixture into 2.5 cm (1 inch) size balls and freeze overnight until rock hard. [If you wish you could push some edible decor into the balls before cooling, such as nuts, ginger or cherries.]

5. Prepare some melted chocolate over water at boiling point. If you can, check the temperature is in the range 46-49 degrees centigrade (115-120 F) or for white chocolate, 43 degrees centigrade.

6. Taking two or three truffles at a time, use cocktail sticks to dip them into the melted chocolate before placing them on non-stick paper. Transfer to a refrigerator for cooling for at least two hours to harden. Repeat for the remaining truffles.

7. Present the truffles in paper cases and store in boxes. Keep in a refrigerator for up to ten days.

More christmas makes at Santas Postbag

Piano Lesson: Learn To Play Jingle Bells Without Piano Sheet Music

By Peter Edvinsson

In this piano lesson we will learn to play piano Christmas music. We will use piano tab notation so you don't need to read piano sheet music.

Jingle Bells is one of the most popular secular Christmas songs in the world. The most played part of the song is the refrain which we will concentrate on in this piano lesson.

Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way!
O what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh


In this piano lesson you will learn to play Jingle Bells without the use of piano sheet music. After this learn to play piano tutorial you will be able to play the melody with both hands!

Instead of piano sheet music we will use piano tab notation which will tell you where to place your fingers as you play the melody.

The first thing we will do is to locate the note C.

You will find the note C on many places on the piano. It is the white key to the left of two black keys.

Now it's time to locate the middle C. It is the C right in the middle of the keyboard. On an ordinary upright piano it is near the keyhole.

In our piano lesson we will number the keys. The middle C in our piano tab notation is called 1.

What does 1 mean?

When you see the number 1 you are to press down the middle C once. The white key to the right of C is called 2, the next 3 and so on.

Let's play some piano tab notes:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Now you have played a C-major scale with the actual notes C D E F G A B.

Let's proceed in our piano lesson and play the first notes of Jingle Bells!

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

3 3 3 3 3 3

This is the first part of the refrain. Easy?

I guess that you hear that the third and sixt note has to be a bit longer to create the melody Jingle Bells.

So far we have only used the right hand for playing the melody. How can you use your left hand?

Let's make this piece a little bit more difficult and also more rewarding to play by using the left hand for bass notes.

The notes from C to the next C is called an octave. The keys are grouped this way on the whole keyboard.

You also have these notes to the left of the middle C. We can call these notes the left octave.

If you use the notes 1-7 in the left octave to play bass notes with your left hand we can notate the melody in the following way:

3/1 3 3 3/1 3 3

The note to the right of the slash is the bass note. 3/1 means that as you play the first number 3 with your right hand you simultaneously play number 1 in the left octave with your left hand.

I guess you have noticed that you only play bass notes together with some of the melody notes.

Let's continue this piano lesson with the next line:

Jingle all the way!

3/1 5 1 2 3/1

What fingers should you use as you play?

You can and maybe you already use your index fingers on both hands to play but it will be easier to find your notes if you cultivate the habit of using all your fingers.

On your right hand you can use your thumb to play number 1 and your index finger to play number 2 and so on.

The next piano tab looks like this:

O what fun it is to ride

4/4 4 4 4 4/1 3 3

If you want to use fingerings on your left hand you place your little finger above key number 1 and your thumb on number 5 and the other fingers accordingly.

It's time for the last piano tab:

In a one-horse open sleigh

3 3 3/2 2 2 3 2/5 5

Actually it's not the last piano tab. Now you are supposed to play the refrain from the beginning and when you come to the last line play it in the following way:

In a one-horse open sleigh

3 3 5/5 5 4/5 2 1/1

I suggest that you learn this Christmas song by heart. Memorize it one line at a time and enjoy the Christmas spirit present when you play the song for your friends!

For more fun Christmas Acivities Visit Santa's Postbag

How to Make Gifts for Christmas

Trying to find the perfect present for our friends and family can mean a long time looking and a lot of stress. The whole family gets together to celebrate this time of year and an important aspect is the giving and receiving of presents. However, throughout November and December, shops in all towns and cities will be packed with festive shoppers. So we thought we would write this article to help you find alternative gifts this Christmas and help reduce the stress of the occasion.

One of the nicest things as Christmas is receiving a gift that someone has taken the trouble to make. It’s a personal and unique way to show you care and it can also stop the serious damage to your credit cards as you struggle to pay for those ‘must have’ gifts!

However, if you struggle to think of any creative ideas we have a list of fantastic Christmas gifts, which you can all make at home.

Christmas Cake and Other Treats!

You could try baking your own cake. It’s really easy as long as you plan in advance. You need to bake a cake about 6 weeks before the actual day giving you plenty of time to add that extra shot of brandy every now and then. All you need to do after the cake is made is to ice it. You can choose the design of the decoration to match the person you are giving the cake to. There are so many decorations that can be bought these days from modern designs to the more traditional. If you want to write your own message, don’t worry about fancy piping. There are now icing pens that are easy to use and give a great effect. Once you have made and decorated the cake, find some gift boxes to give the cake in. These will also need to be decoratedlabeledelled.

What about making some Christmas cookies or chocolate truffles. Recipes will be available over the Internet and you will see they are easy to make but the finished results are stunning. This kind of gift will always be appreciated especially over the festive season when everyone loves to indulge in his or her favorite foods.

Relaxation Gifts.

A lovely gift for someone to receive would be a product for the bath. The variety available to you in shops is good, but they are expensive for what you get. A nice idea is for you to make your own bath salts. The Internet has loads of recipes but if you can’t find one then you can used my tried and tested method. All you need are 3 bags of course sea salt, 3 bags of baking soda, and some essential oils. If you want to make the gift more personal to the recipient, find out their favorite essential oil and add to equal parts of the sea salt and baking soda. Popular examples include citrus, lavender, and vanilla. All you need to do then is label the jars and wrap them.

Gift Baskets.

Gift baskets are a popular choice for a Christmas present. However, the ones in the shops are often expensive and contain things that you would never have chosen yourself. So why not buy your own baskets for someone and fill them with that person’s favorite food, wines, and other treats. You could even add a homemade CD with their favorite songs or how about a book by their favorite author.

I hope these ideas help you plan your Christmas gifts without breaking the bank, just remember that the thought behind a gift is what makes it special!

About the Author
Steve writes articles at ChristmasGiftsXmas

For more Christmas ActivitiFestive Fesive Fun visit Santa's Postbag

Christmas Jokes

Christmas Jokes that are as corney as Christmas cracker jokes! Enjoy!

Why does Santa have 3 gardens?
So he can Hoe Hoe Hoe

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?

Frostbite!

What does a cat on the beach have in common with Christmas?

Sandy Claws

What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?

Claustrophobic

Why are Christmas trees like bad knitters?
They both drop their needles

What do you give a train driver for Christmas?
Platform shoes

What did Adam say on the day before Christmas?
It's Christmas, Eve

How do you make an idiot laugh on boxing day?
Tell him a joke on Christmas Eve

What do you call a letter sent up the chimney on Christmas Eve?
Black mail

Why does Father Christmas go down the chimney?
Because it soots him

How many chimney does Father Christmas go down?
Stacks

How to cats greet each other at Christmas?
"A furry merry Christmas & Happy mew year"

What did the guest sing at the Eskimo's Christmas party?
Freeze a jolly fellow

What beats his chest and swings from Christmas cake to Christmas cake?
Tarzipan

Whats happens if you eat the Christmas decorations?
You get tinsel-itus

If you have a Christmas joke that is funnier than ours, Email it to us

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