Are you looking for a way to keep your children busy during holiday break? One great way to have them contribute to the holiday festivities is to have them help make holiday treats. In many families cookies are an important part of the holiday tradition. Even if your children aren’t able to bake yet, they can help decorate. Here are a few quick and easy holiday treats your kids will love.

#1 Rice Crispy Treats

Rice Crispy treats are no-bake snacks that can be ready in a matter of minutes. You can find the recipe on the side of any rice cereal box. You need a box of rice crispy cereal, a bag of marshmallows and butter. Once the treats are made, you can use cookie cutters to shape them into holiday decorations.

One easy shape for younger children is to cut the treats into circles and decorate them to resemble tree ornaments. You can use basic colored gel frosting found at the supermarket, or make your own butter cream frosting and color it with food coloring to match your desired decorating style. Let your little ones express their creativity by decorating the treats.

#2 Sugar cookies

Round sugar cookies can be made and decorated like holiday ornaments. Or you can roll them out and use various holiday cookie cutter shapes to get more creative. This is particularly fun for older children who may enjoy more complicated decorating tasks. Additionally, older children can bake the cookies.

#3 Peanut butter balls

Another no-bake cookie that’s fun to make are peanut butter balls. They’re also called buckeyes. Basically, you blend peanut butter, butter, and powdered sugar into a gooey mess. You then roll the peanut butter mix into melted chocolate, let cool and enjoy. Here’s a quick and easy recipe.

* 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
* 4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and confectioners’ sugar. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on a waxed, paper-lined cookie sheet. Chill for thirty minutes in your freezer. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in your microwave. Stir frequently until smooth. Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top. Place back on wax paper and store in refrigerator.

If you have family recipes, invite your children to help bake. Getting your children involved in the holiday preparations accomplishes many beneficial things. It helps them feel valuable. They learn new skills. Additionally, it helps them stay busy during time off of school. They’ll be able to grow up and share their joy of holiday baking with their own family.

The holidays always come quicker than we anticipated. Family members roll into town and the festivities begin. If you are the one cooking the meal on Christmas Day, you probably felt the stress level rise as everyone walked in your door. Here are some tips to help you plan and enjoy Christmas.

Cooking probably falls to you on any normal day, but the holidays are anything but normal. You’ll need help and that requires that some things are in place before you can do that. Keep reading to find help for your harried soul.

1. Get Organized – This is a toughie for most people because they don’t know where to begin. The preparation for a holiday meal actually begins weeks before. Right after Thanksgiving, begin making your list of holiday dishes you will prepare for Christmas Day dinner. Go through your cabinets to see what you need. Recipes that call for lesser used items are tops on the list, so you can begin finding those things.

2. Start Shopping – Most family meals require the same types of foods each year. Keeping your kitchen stocked with commonly used staples means not having to run to the store at the last minute. Buy these items for a start: all-purpose flour, sugar, milk, eggs, pasta noodles, baking soda, baking powder, salt. You can even buy meats and freeze them several weeks ahead of time. Around Thanksgiving, sweet potatoes, white potatoes and onions generally go on sale. These can be bought for a low price and they will keep until Christmas.

3. Cook some dishes ahead of time. If you get your Christmas shopping out of the way early, that leaves you with a lot of time leading up to Christmas Day. Use that time to prepare desserts and side dishes. Cakes can be made, cooled and frozen. Do as much of the prep work for cooking as you can in the two or three days before the meal. If you are making a casserole, cook the rice and refrigerate it until you are ready to put it all together.

4. Buy fresh vegetables a week ahead of time. The store will be pandemonium as you get closer to Christmas. Clean, chop them up and freeze them. Do the same with any fruits that you need to use for meals. A day or so before, let them thaw in the fridge.

5. Assign stations on Christmas Eve night. Let everyone know what they will be doing to help prepare the meal. That person is then responsible for cooking the turkey, slicing the cake, setting the table or cooking the vegetables.

There is no need to stress out over the Christmas Day meal. Get yourself going with these five tips so the work is easy to manage.

Do you remember the Christmas holiday food you had when you were a child? What did your grandparents make that you absolutely adored? What family food traditions have you missed as an adult? Well it’s time to have a retro Christmas recipe revival. Bring back those old favorites this year and relive the Christmas of your youth. Here are three ideas for some old holiday favorites.

#1 Egg Nog

Did you know that egg nog may have originated in the middle ages? It’s been a holiday food tradition for quite some time. And while the convenience of buying it in a carton is nice, there’s nothing quite like homemade egg nog. It’s actually quite easy to make.

You’ll need:

* 4 egg yolks
* 1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
* 1 pint whole milk
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 3 ounces bourbon
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 4 egg whites

Beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Add the milk, cream, bourbon and nutmeg and stir to combine.

Place the egg whites in a separate bowl and beat to soft peaks. With the mixer still running, gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form like a meringue. Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. Chill and serve.

#2 Gingerbread

Gingerbread is another old-fashioned holiday favorite. Depending on your preferences you can make gingerbread cookies, snaps, gingerbread bread or even a gingerbread house. There are a number of recipes available. They range from quite basic to a quite elaborate. Find one that matches your taste and childhood memories. Did it have cream cheese? Bananas? Was your gingerbread dipped in chocolate? Experiment and enjoy gingerbread this holiday season.

#3 Fruit cake

Yes, that lovely cake that gets such a bad rap can actually be quite good. This is especially true when you make it from scratch. Fruitcake is a mixture of fruits and nuts. There’s usually only a small amount of batter, just enough to hold it all together.

However, traditional fruit cake isn’t for children. It’s usually soaked with alcoholic liquors, then stored in a tightly closed tin. If that sounds like a bit of old-fashioned fun, ask your grandmother for a recipe or take a look online. Like gingerbread there are hundreds of recipes available.

Other old-fashioned Christmas recipes might include:

* Hot cross buns
* Christmas pudding
* Mince pie

And of course ham, turkey, stuffing and the traditional holiday menu. Have fun this holiday and bring back some of the retro recipes you loved as a child. Who knows – you might just bring back an old family tradition.

Decorating for the holidays is often one of events people most look forward to. There’s just something special about the twinkling lights, the smell of pine in the air and the festivity. If you’re tired of fancy decorations or want to take your holiday decorating in a new direction, why not go au natural? Give your home a pure and simple holiday feel this Christmas.

Pine Cones

Pine cones are a natural element of the holidays. People often place pine trees in their home and decorate them for the holidays, so it’s only natural that pine cones are also part of the season. You can go on a family hunt for pine cones in the woods and make it a true homemade decoration. You can also purchase pine cones at most craft stores during the holidays.

Decorating with pine cones is simple and can be quite diverse. You can make wreaths and table centerpieces with a hot glue gun, a bit of wire and pine cones. You can be really organic and set them in a bowl or basket to display. Or you can get a bit festive with them and use glitter or spray paint to add flair. Imagine a crystal bowl of gilded pine cones. It’s an inexpensive and simple craft with a lot of drama.

Branches

In addition to pine cones, pine branches can make wonderfully simple decorations. Again, you can collect pine branches on a hike with your family in the woods. You can also find them at your local tree nursery. They often trim the branches after a customer has cut down their tree. The trimming is part of the tree packaging to make it easy to haul the tree home. The extra branches usually end up being mulched, so you should be able to take a few home without a problem.

You can also purchase real or fake pine tree branches at your local craft store. Also like pine cones you can use them to create a simple centerpiece or wreath. Or you can get creative with them. Add a few pine cones, shiny ornaments or a small bird for extra flair. Additionally, consider hanging the boughs on the wall for a focal point during the holidays.

Candles

Candles are great for setting a mood. They can be festive, solemn or simply beautiful. Candles collected in groups of like colors are best. White, symbolizing peace, and the twinkling effect of small candles can be quite lovely. Red candles, green, silver or gold candles can be festive. Group them in varying sizes for aesthetic appeal. Place them on tables and in windows for the most ambiance. Take care to keep a fire extinguisher nearby and always put out your candles before leaving your home or going to sleep.

Snowflakes

If you’re skilled with paper cutting and folding, the fun childhood activity of making paper snowflakes can take on a new look. Cut out elaborate snowflakes in beautiful paper and display on a table or hang in a doorway.

Holiday decorating doesn’t have to be bright, colorful and noisy. It can be simple, pure and quiet too. If you’re looking for new ideas to decorate your home this holiday, look to nature and the items you already have in your home.

Imagine walking into a home that smells like homemade bread, cookies or cinnamon rolls. The scent envelopes you and makes you feel like a child again. Baking is good for the soul. Not only because the aromas and flavors can take you back to childhood, but also because it can help you find focus and joy. This holiday season, consider taking time to bake and experience the great pleasures that holiday baking can bring to you.

Baking as Meditation
Being able to single-mindedly focus on a task is meditative. Baking allows you to be in the moment and to focus only on what you’re doing. One of the most meditative types of baking you can do is to bake bread. The kneading by hand is one of the most meditative aspect of the bread-baking process. You can bake bread and give them away as Christmas gifts or simply enjoy it with friends and family. Imagine a gorgeous loaf of homemade bread coming out of your oven.

Baking as a Family Tradition
Children love to bake. They love to eat too! Baking cookies and holiday treats is a tradition in many families. You can set aside an entire day or weekend to bake with your family. Make a list and create a plan. Who is going to bake what? Who gets to decorate the cookies? What kind of cookies and treats will you make? Get everyone involved in the baking decisions and process. Even the youngest children can contribute. They certainly have a favorite cookie and their decorating skills are unmatched!

Baking as a Way to Unwind
There’s something simple and joyful about baking. It cannot be hurried. You must follow directions. Everything is laid out for you, yet there’s a creative element to it as well. Baking for loved ones, for pleasure, and for family doesn’t have to feel like a chore. It can be a real pleasure. During the holidays in particular, baking is a fantastic way to unwind. You can spend an afternoon or an entire weekend filling your home with the delicious aromas of fresh-baked goods.

Remember when you’re baking that it doesn’t have to be complicated. Some of the best recipes are also the easiest. Bake a loaf of white bread. Make sugar cookies. Enjoy the holidays and all the simple pleasures that come with it. Bake to find focus, bake for pleasure, bake to de-stress and bake to connect with your loved ones. Happy Holidays!

The holidays are a time to spend with family and friends. Unfortunately it can be anything but relaxing, especially if you are hosting dinners or parties. Here are a few tips to help you reduce the stress of what are supposed to be happy moments.

The holiday season is usually happiest for the participants and not the host or hostess. But, you can change that this year. When you feel the tenseness creeping up your body:

1. Practice breathing exercises. You’d be amazed how much this works. The brain needs oxygen; in fact it needs 20% more oxygen than the rest of your body. Deep breathing increases the flow of oxygen to the brain, allowing you to think more clearly. That seating arrangement problem for Thanksgiving dinner will seem to solve itself.

2. Designate a place to be your sanctuary. This is a good idea to get prepared before the holidays begin. It can be outside or inside so long as you can retreat there quickly when you need a moment to yourself. Fill the area with a candle, music player, a book and somewhere comfortable to sit. If you begin your holiday mornings here, the day may not seem so daunting after all.

3. Enjoy the great outdoors. Get out of the kitchen and away from holiday plans with a brisk winter walk. The cool, crisp air and exercise will give you time to clear your head. Take along a family member or two and catch up on old times. The holidays are for you to share in and have fun, too.

4. Make lots of lists. Lists seem to be highly underrated these days. A list gets things off your mind and in another location. On a piece of paper, you can delegate to others so that all the work doesn’t fall on you. Before everything gets rolling, create a list of chores, grocery store items, seating charts and anything else you can think of. Post them on the fridge or a cork board in the kitchen where you can check off tasks as they get done.

5. Watch a funny movie. Laughter truly is the best medicine. It increases the level of endorphins in the brain to create a feeling of calm in your life. De-stress the entire family by asking them to join you and your bowl of popcorn.

We often overtax ourselves during the holidays in an attempt to make things special for our loved ones. In the midst of the hustle and bustle, don’t forget about yourself and your enjoyment. Use these ideas to lessen the stress on yourself and get into the spirit of the season with your family members.

By Jennifer Tankersley

When my first child was born, I realized that I wanted to make each holiday memorable. I don’t mean grand and glorious (although that may naturally be part of the beautiful holiday season), but rich with family experiences and rituals. I set about researching each holiday and finding lots of ideas. I quickly ran into the problem of trying to find all of the gems I’d discovered last year again this year. Also, I would try some things and they worked wonderfully for our family (holiday experiences advent calendar), but some were miserable failures (blueberry cranberry sauce). With each child, the holidays seem to get more and more complicated. Layers of tradition that I did not want to be forgotten made holiday organization all the more necessary.

It was time to find a permanent and convenient home for the lists and planning pages that I had been collecting from holidays gone by. I purchased a 3-ring binder, some tabbed dividers with pockets, a zippered pouch, and a ream of printer paper. Then I gathered my 3-hole punch, pens, and materials to begin my holiday organizational manual. Now not only did I gain a place to store all magazine articles, craft ideas, recipes, and pictures of decorations, but I now have a handbook in which to plan my attack. Here are some of the pages most vital to any promising holiday handbook.

• Calendar Page -

  A blank December Calendar lets me plan how best to use the days leading up to Christmas to my best advantage. Armed with a calendar, I can project when I need to make my cards, when cards and gifts need to be mailed, which weekend would be best for our annual holiday party, what the last feasible shopping day should be, which date the annual pageant will be on, and so on.

• Holiday Card List –

  A numbered page with blank lines that I can fill in the names of those to whom we are sending our family’s cards. This is an invaluable page to me as I can refer to it next year when preparing to send out cards again. No more starting lists from scratch and no more hunting for last year’s list.

• Holiday Gift List –

  Get this list started just after the holidays. Use it to write down ideas for next year’s gifts as they come up. If your daughter tells you that she wants a certain kind of doll, don’t leave it to your memory. Then as you purchase gifts for your family, write it down. The best way not to over-gift someone is to keep a record.

• Gifts Received List –

  The sweaters knitted by Great-Aunt Mildred, the cash given by Grandpa Henry, or the fruitcake baked by a childhood friend all can be recorded on this handy list as a way of looking back and remembering how loved you and your family have been over the years. This list also makes it easy when preparing to write holiday Thank You cards.

• Holiday Guest List –

  If you plan an annual holiday party, then you’ll be needing some guests to fill your house with love and laughter. This is the page you will use to keep track of invitations you send and RSVPs you receive.

• Holiday Party Planner –

  Prepare for the big day by plotting it all out on paper first. Use this page to help you decide what type of party you will throw, what food and drinks to serve, and what the preparation and party timeline will be.

• Holiday Meal Planner –

  There are some who believe that it is not a holidays without a special meal. Use this page to plot out your family’s favorite traditional dishes. Include recipes, a timeline for meal preparation, and details (such as table decorations, music, and seating plan).

• Holiday Memories –

  This is one of my favorite pages. This is the place you will get to record the best and most memorable parts of the holiday. You should try to include old and new traditions, parties you attended, ornaments and decorations made or bought, holiday movies enjoyed, holiday music played, and memorable stories told.

Jennifer Tankersley is the creator of http://ListPlanIt.com where you can find almost 250 lists, checklists, and planning pages (including all of the pages described above) to put your world-and your holidays-in order.

Centuries ago many people, especially those of pagan origin, firmly believed by ringing bells they could ward off evil spirits. It was believed at that time that when winter came the evil spirits were very strong because it was so dark and cold, and would harm them and their families. People would have ceremonies and loudly ring bells to drive the bad spirits away while they waited for the warmer days of spring to arrive. They also rang bells to celebrate their bounty following a successful harvest or hunt. It was this tradition of celebration and giving thanks that bells also became known as a symbol for happier times.

Many villages had a large central bell in the middle of town. When an important occasion arrived, such as Christmas, villagers would ring the bell. It became commonplace for children to ring bells in celebration of Christmas. Most families had bells back then, and since they were known to be a celebratory sound, most parents didn’t mind their children making a ruckus with their constant bell ringing during the holiday.

Now, people hang bells on their front doors so they’ll ring out cheerfully to announce visiting guests, and children the world over know that Santa’s reindeer wear bells so he can locate them in bad weather or darkness of night. Many popular Christmas carols such as Jingle Bells are a staple song during the holiday season. We also traditionally ring in the New Year with bells as well.

Today church bells ring throughout the world on Christmas Eve, not to drive off evil spirits, but to welcome in the spirit of Christmas with joyful noise.  In Scandinavia, bells signal the end of work and the beginning of celebration. People in England recognize the tolling of the devil’s knell as the sound that welcomes the birth of Christ, where in Italy and Spain, it signals the beginning of Midnight Mass.

Egg nog is a type of milk-based beverage popular in North America during the winter. Historically, it comes from posset, a hot curdled milk drink popular in the Middle Ages purported to have medicinal purposes. The name is a combination of egg and nog, where nog derives either from noggin, which is ale or a small wooden cup. It could also stem from grog, an alcoholic beverage made from rum. It’s even been said that George Washington was himself an egg nog enthusiast and developed his own recipe that included rye whiskey, rum and sherry. Legend has it that it was a very strong drink and either only the most courageous or those with little sense were willing to try it.

It’s highly likely that egg nog originated in Europe, although some believe it originated in the original American colonies who added rum. Therefore it’s not strictly just a holiday drink, but more of winter time drink. However, it is mostly served during both Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Modern eggnog typically consists of milk, eggs, and sugar mixed together and may be served with or without added spirits. Other ingredients include spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, or allspice, and frequently the substitution of cream for some portion of the milk, making a much richer drink. Whiskey, rum, brandy, or cognac can be added to eggnog.

Originally served warm, egg nog has been served cold and without alcohol since the mid 1960s, both of which are significant departures from its historical origins. It’s even available in a soy-based formula for those with dairy allergies or who are vegan.

Egg nog has long been the drink of choice to toast the holiday season. So hoist a cup and have a happy holiday season!

What is the one thing everyone enjoys at Christmas time? Arguably it could be sweets. There is nothing like a cookie, slice of cake or gum drop around the holidays. Here are some tips to make sure that those delectable morsels are just as tasty as their sugarplum visions.

Working with Chocolate

When you create a recipe that calls for chocolate, it is so easy to go wrong here. Instead of using the store-bought chocolate syrup, make your own. Buy the chocolate bricks and melt them yourself. Keep the heat under the saucepan low so that the chocolate doesn’t burn while it melts.

Dark chocolate is the new healthy chocolate for the 21st century. It is full of antioxidants and great taste. Use it for decorating cakes, cookies, breads and pies. Use some of that melted chocolate in a plastic bag to pipe out all sorts of cool designs onto wax paper. Once they cool, you can carefully place them on any dessert that you wish.

Butter

The rest of the year, this word gets sneer and jeers, but at Christmas, it is spot on. There is no substitute for using regular butter in your dessert recipes. Well, there is but it won’t give you the same taste or texture in your sweets. To compensate, eat a little less of each dessert, but by all means taste them all.

When working with margarine, part of it is water. It says that on the box. Water evaporates when baking and can partially dry out your recipes. Butter is also creamier when softened and whipped. It keeps your cakes, breads, cupcakes and cookies moist like they need to be. Unless the recipe calls for stiff butter, let it come to room temperature on the counter before using.

Fruit

Apple pies, peach cobblers and blueberry blintzes are all great during the holidays. Fruit can be expensive since most of your choices are out of season. If you can’t find fresh at a reasonable price, opt for frozen choices. It’s as close to fresh as you can get.

If you keep your fruit in the fridge to prolong freshness, make sure that you allow them to come to room temperature before using them in delicious dessert recipes. Fruit will juice better when warm. Scalding fruits with removable skins helps the skin to peel off easier so you don’t have to ruin the look of the fruit doing it the hard way.

Here are just a few tips for creating those desserts your family will love all holiday long. Christmas is the one time of year that they don’t want you to skimp on flavor or presentation.