Although it is now more decades away than I care to admit too often, there were four things I loved most about my childhood Christmases in England:

1. the excitement of the Christmas gifts being put under the Christmas tree, and then the family opening of the gifts on Christmas morning;

2. the food; all the special sweets being put out Christmas Eve; Christmas Lunch with the turkey, lots of roast potatoes, brandy butter, and Christmas pudding being set alight at the table;

3. all the Christmas ornaments and decorations going up before Christmas, and most especially putting up and especially the Christmas tree ornaments being put on the tree; and,

4. the games we would play.

Food, though, did play a major part, and still does in English homes today. So, really, it is no surprise that food even became part of the Christmas ornament repertoire. Food, in one form or another, became part of the decoration of Christmas time.

From my memory, edible Christmas ornaments were usually in the form of chocolate with a silver or gold colored wrapping that sparkled on the tree. Chocolate coins were popular, sometimes more than one in a brightly colored string bag dangling temptingly from the Christmas tree.

I must admit, any edible ornament on the tree became a prime target, as I anxiously awaited the all clear from my parents to start devouring whatever I wanted.

Later, though, a greater variety of edible Christmas ornaments emerged, such as candy canes; then, as the popularity of edible ornaments increased at Christmas, people started to use their imagination to make their own, or the local baker would make more elaborate ornaments for sale.

Cookies, or at least cookie dough, make a good base for ornaments, as they are easy to cut into shape. You can use your imagination on adding the color, such as with Smarties or other colorful sweets. Adding a frosting effect is not too difficult either.

If you do make dough based ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree, remember you will need to make a hole in the cookie before it cools; that’s the way the cookie doesn’t crumble. Then when they do cool, you can thread a decorative ribbon to hang them on the Christmas tree.

The Christmas tea table is often adorned by the prime edible ornament, the Christmas cake. The prettier it is, the better it is for decoration once lunch is out of the way. Cake decoration is only limited by your imagination. However, you can think of other things that are less common to adorn the table as an edible ornament. If you are skilful, you can create simple models with ginger bread, moving up a level from the old gingerbread man.

You will find lots of ideas online and in the stores, but if you can come up with something original, that is even better. Just let your imagination go and see what you come up with. At least, if it does not look too good, you can just eat it before anyone comments!

This Christmas ornament article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner author of the Xmas-Ornament.com website.

Relax, get in the Christmas spirit, and read Roy’s new Christmas Story, for adults or children, about Santa Claus and a little girl living on the edge of a tropical rainforest.

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Hosting a children’s Christmas party for your child or class? Aah, the fun, the games and the noise, noise, noise! Hosting a Christmas party for a gaggle of kids can be a stressful affair. Children eagerly awaiting Santa’s visit and caught up in the excitement of the holiday season can be a handful but a well thought-out party plan will save the day and your sanity.

Help! Be sure to have help on hand. Other parents or teachers can help keep the kids contained and the party events moving along in orderly fashion. If this is a school party, solicit parent volunteers to bring the refreshments. No need for anything fancy, cookies or cupcakes and punch will please any kid. Keep the decorations simple too. Remember that what goes up must come down. Keeping it simple makes for easy clean-up. String a little tinsel here and there; some red & green balloons and you’ve got instant kid party atmosphere!

Plan the fun! Children love playing games, so give them what they want. Christmas party games are a great way to keep them entertained and the party under control. There are a number of games that your group will love from the wee little ones to the older kids. Keep the game selection easy by using previously designed games printable from any computer. Here’s a sampling that you might find appropriate for your party:

Pin the Star on the Christmas Tree The Christmas version of the all time favorite kids’ game! You print the tree and the star, tack tree to a wall and the kids try to pin the star on the tree blindfolded. Kids love playing this game over and over.

Christmas Lost and Found Children match a picture only game card to the matching picture on the “lost” items sheet. The perfect game for kids who can’t read & those who can! A Christmas game for kids of all ages!

Christmas Trivia for Kids Just for the kids! Players will have fun trying to answer questions about Santa’s reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, the Grinch and other children’s favorite holiday interests. A fun kids Christmas game sure to produce giggles!

Santa’s Nose & Toes Given these fun little word clues, see who can figure out the names of these common parts of Santa Clause! Great for the wee little ones. Kids love this Christmas game!

Reindeer Mix Up! Santa has his reindeer’s names all mixed up! Who can un-mix this jumble of letters to come up with all the reindeer names and then figure out who’s missing? A certain reindeer song will help the kids with this Christmas game!

Holiday Word Finds Great for the older children. How many Christmas words can be found in a jumble of letters? Choose from traditional Christmas words or holiday terms that are nonreligious (great for the school Christmas party).

Holiday Crosswords Christmas crosswords are fun for young and old! Family members can solve this together. Great for classroom parties or any holiday get together!

For quieter sit-down activities creating crafts or food items is a great choice. Pre-baked cookies in Christmas shapes are great fun to decorate with a variety of colored icings and sprinkles. How about a gingerbread house party that all the kids participate in decorating? Making Christmas ornaments or cards is also a lot of fun. With glitter, fun shapes, colored makers and Christmas style stickers, the kids are sure to enjoy themselves.

In true Peanuts fashion, why not host a decorate-the-tree party? Inexpensive lights, tinsel and homemade ornaments make a memorial event to mark the season for the kids. Perhaps they can decorate their own classroom tree or a tree to be donated to a local nursing home or hospital.

Is it early in the Christmas season? Perhaps a letter-to-Santa party would fit the bill. Children become very prolific when writing to his holiday holiness which is great fun to read. Copying the letters would be a wonderful parting gift for the parents too. Perhaps a collection of the funniest ones for a future book? Have a big red Santa bag or mail bag and envelops marked with the North Pole address. When complete, the letters are collect for special delivery.When complete, the letters are collect for special delivery.

Don’t forget a visit from Santa. Maybe a jolly volunteer will don the famous red suit to bring the little ones a little Christmas magic. A visit from his jolliness is sure to be an event not soon forgotten.

There you have it, a fun and stress-free Christmas party for your children or class. No matter what party theme or Christmas party games you choose, be sure to enjoy yourself too. Children have a way of making the magic of the holiday season come alive. Make sure you take the time to catch it!

Terri Hunziker founded GamesAndLetters.com. Games and Letters provides hundreds of print-and-play games — Christmas party games, bridal shower games, baby shower games, and more! For immediate access to hundreds of fun games and ideas for your next party, visit, gamesandletters.com.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

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Christmas party games and Christmas party ideas are key to every grand Christmas celebration. Christmas party games provide fun activities for young and old alike to enjoy the holidays and the special time with family. Original Christmas party ideas guarantee lasting impressions on family and guests. But, this year, as Christmas party ideas are considered and Christmas party games are constructed, Christians might want to keep in mind who we celebrate and the reality of many of our Christmas traditions. Too often we accept tradition as truth and we find ourselves caught up in activities that have more to do with frantic goals and less to do with a Holy God. Click the link below to take a Christmas Quiz.

When putting Christmas party ideas into action and pulling together the Christmas party games, families could use the opportunity to teach of Christ, his birth, life and death on the cross. Planning a celebration with Christmas party ideas while working with children and other family members might be an opportune time to visit the truth about why we celebrate. There can be activities and Christmas party ideas that will bring glory to Christ, and there are creative ideas listed throughout the Internet and through church resources. But, a simple investigation of where many of the current Christmas traditions come from will reveal that many of the Christmas party games we play and Christmas party ideas we use have their origins in ancient pagan practices.

An eye-opening example is the tradition of decorating a tree. The Christmas tree, the very center of many Christmas party ideas, was actually a symbol of the resurrection of a pagan god. The Pagan sun worshippers would place a Yule log on their home fire to symbolize that their pagan god, Nimrod had died. This event took place when the days were shorter due to the winter sunlight. But, the very next day, the pagans would cut down an evergreen tree and erect it in their homes to symbolize the resurrection of Nimrod through his son, Tammuz. The green tree was a sign of life and it was decorated in red berries with small balls that represented the sun, all as a worshipful ceremony to a god that does not exist. “For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers that it move not.” (Jeremiah 10:3-4) To explore more about the Lord’s desire for your life, please take the Christmas Quiz.

There are many other Christmas traditions and Christmas party games and activities that come from origins that are older than Christ. If Christmas party ideas and Christmas party games are to be the center of celebrating Christ, then we must evaluate what we can do to keep Christ as the center of celebration. Understanding where the symbolism for much of our Christmas party ideas comes from will help us maintain the uniqueness of our Savior reigning King, Christ. To discover more about the truth behind the story of Christ and our Christmas celebrations, visit the links below. “For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men…” (Mark 7:8)

For more information about Christmas party ideas and our Christmas Quiz, visit: http://www.christianet.com/bible/ http://www.christianet.com/

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