Category: Holidays

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Making Christmas Preparation Fun for the Kids

two little kids prep for Christmas decorations

I really like this article by Kerr Griffen posted on the internet.

Making Christmas Prep More Fun

One way to be sure that your Christmas season is both festive and fun for the entire family is to have the perfect craft ideas for kids in mind when they are let out of school for the winter. Homemade Christmas ornaments are a brilliant way for your kids to make gifts that they’ll genuinely enjoy giving to friends and family, and all while making use of their creative imagination. Many years from now, these kids Christmas ornaments will bring forth happy remembrances of their years as a child, joining days gone by to the present, possibly even bringing generations of your family together. You can’t ask for a great deal more from a gift than that.

Depending on what their use is, personalized Christmas ornaments may take numerous forms. Consider having your kids’ Christmas ornaments utilized as Christmas tree toppers should you have something somewhat elaborate in mind. Because a one of a kind Christmas ornament will stand out, you may want to have the kids decorate their very own Christmas balls each year. Glass ornaments can be used to mark special occasions such as wedding anniversaries, accomplishments, baby’s first Christmas, and more.

There are a host of options available out there with regards to the kids Christmas ornaments for which you opt to make and/or personalize. A homemade Christmas wreath or an elaborate centerpiece needs lots of imagination and energy, however, these will offer you a personalized touch that goes beyond simple Christmas tree ornaments. Having said that, there are numerous Christmas tree ornaments offered which could be quite easily customized. As an example, there are ornaments such as these that include Santa in his sleigh driving his line of reindeer. This is made up of eight or nine individual ornaments, each of which has a blank space adequate enough for your child’s name and the date.
AdChoices

Other options for quickly individualized Christmas ornaments make use of photographs. These enable you to have fun and play photographer as you take fun holiday pictures of your young ones and family members, and then you can let them choose which photographs they’d like to see immortalized on plaques, ball ornaments, or perhaps the inside of a snow globe.

If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous and would like to make your kids Christmas ornaments from scratch, salt dough is a classic and creative possibility. After finding the best recipe and instructions from the library, a friend, or an Internet search, you can actually leave the remaining portion of the process completely up to the kids. The ornament style, paint, decorative touches, and everything else are only restricted to the child’s own creativity. Older children might like to try their hand at ceramics, crochet, or embroidery in an attempt to keep them engaged with the crafting project. Should you have a less artistically-inclined child, craft stores and specialty shops regularly make available a wide array of ornament kits that are easily personalized and only call for a little bit of assembly.

Regardless of which course you go, personalized and homemade Christmas ornaments offer activities that simultaneously occupy the mind of your child and create cherished memories of the holidays that will last for many generations and Christmas seasons ahead.

Be sure to read one of our blog posts on How to Make Dough Ornaments at Home, under Make Your Own Ornaments and Other gifts!

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A Personalized Angel Christmas Ornament Gift

Angel Blonde Hair Personalized christmas ornaments

In writing this post I decided to do a little research on Angels, and where and when they first began to be a part of our modern day religious thought. Wow!

Custom Christmas Ornament Gift

There are a lot of opinions on this subject and most are quite interesting. There are even discussions of whether or not angels have or should have wings! Most of the articles I saw thought that the concept of Angels came from Judaism and then to Christianity. That our image of an Angel was heavily influenced by Renaissance painter’s interpretation, and that their function was as messengers from God. I don’t pretend to be an expert in this field and wouldn’t want to offend anyone with a different opinion.
Angels have become very popular symbols in our culture and we think of them as creatures, mostly female in appearance, who do wonderful works on this earth. We use the phrase, You’re An Angel! often to thank someone who does something nice for us. And there are so many many ways one can be an angel to another. We a personalized Christmas ornament is a nice way to thank someone for being that angel. For going the extra mile, cooking the needed dinner, driving to the doctor, picking up at school, rushing to fix the car or whatever way one generous human being can help another in need.
Angel Christmas ornaments are always popular and make lovely additions to your own ornament collection or wonderful gifts during the Holiday season. Our unique clay dough angel ornaments can be customized and personalized for family or friends. Some wonderful examples of how we have customized and personalized them include Daddy’s Little Angel for a daughter of any age. Thank you for being an Angel for someone who has gone that extra mile for you this last year. You’re my Special Angel for a girlfriend or wife. Grandma’s Angel for a granddaughter. Our Angel for a daughter. We also create Angel ornaments for In Memory of gifts. This is a way we encourage children and family members to remember someone in the family that has passed away, and as a way to have great discussions of Christmas past when Grandma made the pies, or Grandpa built the fire for Santa, and other special Christmas memories. We even have Angel ornaments for Baby’s First Christmas ornaments, so be sure to search through our website, www.calliopedesigns.com to find just the perfect angel ornament for your gifts this year.

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Something Special for Baby’s First Christmas

A Baby's First Christmas Rocking Horse personalized ornaments

Though a Baby’s First Christmas Ornament isn’t the most expensive gift or the largest gift, it will certainly be one of the most treasured.

The Value of A Baby’s First Christmas Ornament

There is nothing as thoughtful as a hand crafted personalized baby Christmas ornament to commemorate your first Christmas with a new family member! Every year the personalized Baby’s First Christmas ornament will be taken out of storage and displayed on the family’s Christmas tree. As the child grows older he or she will look forward to finding their special clay dough Christmas ornament. The perfect spot on the tree will be found and that unique Christmas ornament will be hung with pride and joy as the holiday season continues. After Christmas, the special personalized baby ornament will be carefully wrapped and put away with the other family ornaments – ready for the next Christmas celebration. Not only does Baby’s First Christmas ornament mean a lot to the new parents it will also be a cherished part of holiday traditions and celebrations in the years to come. The most popular ornaments for First Christmas are the ones that can include Baby’s birth date, time of birth, weight, length, and the name of course. When you receive a birth announcement just save it until Christmas. Then you will have all the information at hand when you go to order a custom personalized ornament from calliopedesigns.com. We have teddy bears in pink and blue, rocking horses with teddy bears in pink, blue, and red, and darling stocking designs. The stockings have balloons, so there is plenty of room to put all of the information you’d like. Another really darling gift is our hand print kit with ornament. We purchase a commercially made handprint kit – so we are sure it is nontoxic and works perfectly. Then we collect the birth statistics from you and personalize that on to the ornament which acts as a hanging device for the hand print. This product can be used as a tree ornament. But it also does not have any Christmas colors or Christmas decorations on the design, so it can really be used all year long in the baby’s room, or as a gift for Grandma and Grandpa. Having the baby’s hand print for the first Christmas is amazing – just think how much fun the child will have as he or she compares his or her own hand to the infant hand print each Christmas. Be sure and look on our site for items 12610 and 12611 to see the hand print kits for boys and girls – and check out the video attached to the product image – it shows a new mother actually making this product and tells you the steps one by one. It’s really easy!

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Christmas Gifts for Newborns

Baby Bear in Stocking First Christmas Personalized Ornaments

Rocking Horse 1st Christmas

Parents will love it!Our very biggest and most popular section on the website www.calliopedesigns.com is our Baby’s First Christmas section.  We have bears, snowmen, penguins, and more that can be personalized with everything about the new baby!  Get the birth announcement out and together we can create an ornament that has all of this baby’s birth statistics, right on one ornament – weight, length, date and time of birth, and full name!  What a great gift that will be used for years to come!

When the birth of a new baby is close to Christmas, and the person giving the gift doesn’t know if the baby will be a boy or a girl, that’s the time to pick the ornament that is made in Christmas colors – red and green.  It serves well for a boy or a girl.  Otherwise, we have all other styles in both pink and blue.  Again, all can be personalized to your order.

We also offer darling baby photo frames which are made so they can stand on a shelf or desktop as well as hang as an ornament on the Christmas tree.  Once it’s personalized by our talented crew, all you have to do is add the photo!

This article came from productforbaby.net and has some more fun ideas for gift giving.

Gift an Ornament to You a Family with a Newborn

Interesting Gift Ideas For A Newborn:

Purchasing gifts for newborn babies can be fun but overwhelming at the same time. One of the most important things to consider when buying newborn gifts is that a baby is more of a passive recipient; it is the parents you are really trying to make an impression on.

If you do not want to go for the usual gifts off of a baby registry, consider customized newborn gift baskets. Be a little creative and thoughtful when purchasing a newborn gift basket so that your gift stands out. These baskets can include items that are attractive and useful. The best baskets contain a group of items that go together under a common theme, so they have an added element of fun that takes the gift from being ordinary to extraordinary. When you give that special baby gift that the parent can relate to, they’ll appreciate the level of thought you put into the gift, as well as the level of understanding you have for the recipient’s personality or lifestyle.

Ready-made baby gift baskets are quite popular on internet stores, as they are prepackaged, beautifully wrapped and ready to be delivered. You no longer have to spend time at a retail store searching for, assembling and wrapping the gift yourself. In fact, many online retail sites of new baby gift baskets will include a free gift message for you as well, so you can literally spend minutes sending a newborn gift compared with the hours it can take at a retail store.

When it comes to newborn gifts or gifts in general, its all about the presentation. Although you can pick items like blankets, diapers, onesies or dolls off of a registry, they don’t have the complete look that a baby gift set offers. Many great baby gifts come with a special hang-tag or packaging that is unique to that set, which makes them even more unique and special. There are high quality newborn gift sets in the market which contain highly rated and popular items, like Trumpette baby socks, which are adorable shoe-like socks, 3 Sprouts hooded towel, Babymel bags, baby items from Munchkin and Angel Dear, skincare products from Noodle & Boo and Glowology,   hooded towels from 3 Sprouts, as well as Aden & Anais swaddle blankets. When a parent receives new baby gift baskets that contain any of these items, they will immediately recognize and appreciate the quality of the baby gift.

There are a wide variety of themes when it comes to baby gift sets, making it even easier to personalize the baby gift to the recipient. If you want to get a gender-specific gift, there are baby girl gift baskets for the princess, baby boy gift baskets for the rock star-to-be, as well as unisex gift baskets. There are also many great newborn gifts that are designed for the moms-to-be. If you are looking for gifts for new moms, it’s easy to pamper a mom with skincare products. There are unique gift sets offering items like stretch mark oil, stretch mark cream as well as special lotions to indulge both mom and baby. Oftentimes when it comes to baby gifts, dads can feel a bit left out. In today’s modern world, it is easy to recognize dads with a gift that is made just for him, with a gift bundle containing a masculine diaper bag and other dad-friendly baby accessories. Additionally, with the growing number multiple births, you can now find baby gifts for twins and baby gifts for triplets. Imagine the delight as a parent expecting multiples to get a gift set designed specifically for the duo or the trio.

With such a wide variety of new baby gift sets and newborn gift baskets that are available online, it’s easy to send a personalized baby gift that includes a free gift message and free gift-wrapping. These newborn gift sets are presented in a modern way that items off of a registry just cannot compete with. Best of all, you can send the most unique baby gift in just a matter of minutes, and the recipient will believe you spent countless hours searching for that perfect gift.

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10 Holiday Traditions for Single Parent and Families

Snowball Family of Five personalized christmas Ornaments

Make a Small Gathering Special With These Holiday Traditions

By , About.com Guide

Do you dread spending the holiday with “just” your immediate family? Unfortunately, we’re conditioned to think that truly meaningful holidays have to involve large family gatherings. However, small gatherings can be a lot more intimate and can allow you to initiate some holiday traditions that just wouldn’t be possible with a large group. If it’s just you and your kids this year, try these holiday traditions for small families:

1. Let Everyone Be a Chef

Let each member of the family make part of the meal. Spend a little time the week before planning what you’re going to have, and who will be responsible for each part. If you have a small kitchen, or if your kids are young, help them prepare their part of the meal the night before. Find some simple, kid-friendly, holiday recipes.

2. Say Thanks

Spend some time going around the table sharing what you are most thankful for. If you think your kids might not put much effort into sharing their thanks verbally, put a twist on this favorite holiday tradition by asking them to demonstrate or illustrate what they are most thankful for this year. (In fact, this might turn out to be your favorite holiday tradition, if your kids happen to catch you off guard by voicing just how thankful they are for you.)

3. Share Your Favorite Faith-Based Holiday Traditions

Read stories and passages related to the holiday you are celebrating. Alternatively, let your children put on their own play, demonstrating the real meaning of the holiday. They can work on this together while you prepare the meal.

4. Celebrate the Holiday With Crafts

Let your children decorate the dinner table, their rooms, or the outside of your home with holiday decorations. In addition, if you are celebrating Thanksgiving, spend some time together after dinner making homemade Christmas ornaments and decorations. Especially if you enjoy crafts, but don’t usually have time to make them in December, this is an ideal family activity for Thanksgiving night. Try the following suggestions:

5. Take a Family Walk

Make a family walk one of your regular holiday traditions. After enjoying the holiday meal together, let everyone pitch in on the clean-up, and then take a leisurely walk before dessert.

6. Watch a Holiday Classic

After dinner, spend some time watching a holiday classic together.

7. Play Games Together

Another favorite among after-dinner holiday traditions is playing games together. From playing a traditional game of charades to playing your kids’ favorite board games or video games, having fun together is a great way to spend the holiday.

8. Get Out of the House

Plan to do something fun together after dinner. For example, go bowling, see a movie, or drive around town and check out the holiday decorations. Just for fun, you could even have your kids vote for the best ones.

9. Make a List

Every season, it seems that there are so many things that we want to do, but never get to. Why not turn to make a list into one of your regular holiday traditions? For example, after dinner on Thanksgiving, make a list of what you want to do before Christmas. Then, on Christmas, make a list for what to do over winter break or during the new year.

10. Reach Out to Others

Find a way to weave serving others into your holiday traditions. Go sing Christmas carols at a local nursing home, make cards for troops, or drop dessert off to a local women’s shelter. This will not only teach your children valuable lessons about what’s really important, but it will lift your spirits, as well.

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Christmas with a new baby, twins, triplets or multiples!

Triplets and Parents personalized christmas Ornament

How quickly we forget – the amount of time, energy, and love that goes into caring for a baby or toddler.  And just think what it must be like to have twins or triplets!  Or even more!

Celebrating Christmas with a New Addition to the Family

All gifts are appreciated of course.  And it’s super easy to go online or to the local baby store and find the most adorable clothing, toys, or baby supplies!  One gift that’s rarely mentioned is a gift of your time.  Here are some of my ideas as a gift for new parents!

– Ingredients for a slow cooker meal!  How about a canned ham, a package of split peas, a packet of the spices you use in split pea soup, and a recipe!  Everything’s right there to make a meal that might last a couple of nights!

– A visit to the family to greet the baby and pick up the car for a  trip to the local car wash!  Remember how certain things just never get done when the new baby arrives.  There’s nothing like a brand clean car to elevate your spirits when it’s time to go out!

– Several batches of frozen cookie dough.  Make it up at home.  Roll the dough into logs, and pre-freeze it for use later.  Don’t forget the recipe and baking instructions!

– An offer to come over and set up and decorate the Christmas tree!  Do they need one?  Well, a trip to the local Christmas tree lot or Christmas tree farm might not be on their agenda this year.  But they still want to have a festive holiday!  If the family already has an artificial one, offer to set it up and decorate it while they watch and help when they can.

–  Help with Christmas shopping!  Ask if there are any things you can find to fill stockings, pick up something at Toys R Us or Target, or something from the local bookstore.

–  Offer to bring festive gift wrap and help with wrapping and toy assembly!

–  Make a trip to UPS to mail those gifts to far away places.

–  Spend an afternoon addressing Christmas cards for the new parents.

Can you think of more?  Please contribute ways you think you could lend a hand with true Christmas spirit of giving!

–

 

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Ideas for gifts for Single Parents at Christmas

Single mom decorating christmas tree with child

We understand that Christmas time for a single parent can be challenging – both financially and emotionally.  But the desire is always to have a holiday that’s filled with love and meaning, and to take care that the children get excited, have fun, and create family tradition together.  We’ve made groups of ornaments for single parents and shown how to personalize them for Christmas with Mommy and Christmas with Daddy.

Here’s an article I found on the internet written by Christina Gregoire back in 2011.  Food for thought!

First of all, I want to say that single moms are not all the same. Some mothers don’t have much money, and they worry about what they’ll give their children for Christmas. These moms don’t care about opening presents for themselves. And, most women without financial problems just want to be included in people’s holiday plans because they’ve lost their support group of married friends.

Gifts for Single or Divorced Mothers With No Money

Most single moms don’t care very much about what presents they get; their gift is seeing their children’s eyes light up. However, holidays are generally awful for divorced moms. Few families can live up to the phony Madison Avenue hype. And, divorced families, even reconstituted-remarried step-families, have almost zero chance of ever feeling like a Norman Rockwell painting.

So, as much as I dislike the idea of gift cards, money and gift cards are perfect for financially-strapped single moms. But, here’s the kicker: You should give the gift card before Christmas, not on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

If you are a grandma, a guy dating a single mom, or a coworker of a financially struggling mom, ask your friend what she needs to make her holiday less of a burden. Most of the following gifts will be appreciated more if you give them a few weeks before Christmas, and you should tell the mom that she can use the card right away if she wants:

  •  If the mom has little kids, consider a gift card for Walmart, Target, Toys R Us, or Amazon.com. Give her this card before Christmas, so she can buy presents for her kids.
  • Gift Card for Clothes: If the mom has teen or tween girls, give her an early gift card for Macy’s, Nordstrom, Claire’s (for younger girls), Zappos, or Amazon.
  • Try to find out what her boys like. Some boys like outdoor equipment from places like REI or Cabela’s. Other guys are into tech toys, so something like a gift card for Best Buy or Amazon might be good.
  • Gift Wrap: If you want to be thoughtful, give gift-wrap along with a pre-Christmas gift card. Wrapping paper is expensive when someone is scrimping, but it adds to the charm of the holiday.
  • Christmas Tree: Before buying your friend a tree, ask her if she already has one and if that would be a good gift. I like real trees, but consider a fake tree. Then, if you are a real friend, you could help her decorate the tree by making salt-dough ornaments and stringing cranberries (or popcorn) with her and her kids.
  • Gift Card for Food: Even people with a decent income are noticing increases in food prices. So, imagine what it must be like trying to feed kids on a meager income. Sure, her kids might be getting school lunches and the family might qualify for food stamps, but when you don’t have a ton of money for groceries, it’s really nice to have a full refrigerator.

Single Moms With Money for Presents

You have two ways you can go with this. You can give a gift that’s for the single mom’s whole family or you can give a gift that’s just for your friend.

Sometimes it’s easier to come up with something that a whole family will love.

  • Gift Passes for Movie Theaters: Find out what movie chains are near your friend’s home. Big chains include Cinemark and AMC, but you might have a local favorite.
  • Netflix Gift Card: Get this for the longest time you can afford because Netflix is addictive. Make sure that the family has a TV and a DVD player or something like a Roku Netflix Box to facilitate downloading.
  • Tickets to the Nutcracker Ballet: Feel this one out, but my girls loved the Nutcracker every year when they were young.
  • Old-Fashioned Board Games:
  • Gift Baskets: Gift-of-the-month companies have yummy presents in all price ranges.

Another cool idea is to give the family an annual pass to a zoo or museum.

Christmas is a difficult time for single moms and I’m not talking about money. If you are going caroling, driving around to see Christmas lights, or baking cookies, invite your friend. Any social activity (especially if kids are involved) will help your pal feel less excluded around the holidays. Ask your friend if she wants to come along. She may say, “No,” because she’s too tired, but you should ask, just to let her know that you are thinking of her.

If you want a gift that can be wrapped, here are some ideas:

  • Gift Card for a Spa
  • Baby-Sitting: Print out your own certificate for several nights of sitting. Only do this if you know you’ll be able to follow through.
  • Cute Cashmere Hat or Scarf: Give this with a gift receipt in case she prefers a different color or style.
  • Homemade Sugar Cookies

Another idea, if you have enough time, is to take your friend’s children shopping and have them pick out inexpensive items to fill a gift basket for their mom. Help the kids wrap this and help them make cards. If that’s too expensive, make fudge or cookies with them. Mom will be overwhelmed with the time and thoughtfulness of your gift.

Some of these Christmas presents can be a bit expensive, so you might want to get the whole office or the entire family to chip in for a group gift.

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Videos about Christmas Past

Six Grandchildren Around Tree Personalized Christmas Ornament

Videos featuring Christmas Past

Every film and video about Christmas past …and more. 250 archival films have been assembled at XmasFLIX. Hours…no days, of scenes from every Christmas film that has ever been made.  A Herculean effort has been made to accumulate this treasure trove of old commercials and movies, This is, without doubt, a very important contribution to The History of Christmas. Fun or scholarship – take your pick. Throw random to your choice from the selection and you won’t go away without wanting to see just one more video. XmasFLIX over at YouTube. Have fun. I will be highlighting specific videos in future blogs. You betcha!

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Celebrating Christmas with a Newly Adopted Child

Adopted Daughter Personlized christmas Ornaments
Home for the Holidays
Celebrating Christmas with your Newly Adopted ChildWe loved some of the ideas in this article and wanted to share them with you!
Author:  Heather V Long

Christmas is a time of celebration and rejoicing with your family and loved ones. What can be more special than a first Christmas with a newly adopted child? How do you welcome them into your home, your heart and your family? What about the rituals, traditions and culture of an internationally adopted child? How do you take your blended family and bring them together for the holidays?

First Christmas

“What happens on the first Christmas depends on the age of the child and his past experiences,” says Gloria Hochman, director of communications and marketing at the National Adoption Center. “Older children, who have been in foster homes, will remember the way Christmas was celebrated there, which may or may not have been a wonderful experience. For very young children, the celebration will probably be no different from what it would be for birth children. Whatever is comfortable or traditional in the family would probably be fine.”

Hochman points out that it is important to transmit the joy of the holiday but not to overwhelm the child, particularly if his or her personality is subdued. ”Include the child in the celebration in a way that is appropriate to his age,” she says.

“It is important for older children to integrate their cultural identity,” says Victor Groza, professor of social work at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. “Integrating an adopted child’s traditions and cultures can be a great bonding experience for the family.”

Cindy Champnella, an adoptive mom from Farmington Hills, Mich. and the author of The Waiting Child, says that Christmas should be a magical time for all children, no matter what age they are. ”The younger children, of course, have no basis of comparison,” she says. “But the older ones often see it as another extraordinary aspect of their new lives.”

Tom and Sabrina Glidden of Eaton, Ind. are preparing to celebrate their first Christmas with their sons who were adopted from Ukraine. They plan to incorporate some traditions from their children’s home country. In Ukraine, there are two sets of holidays, Catholic and Orthodox. “This will be our first Christmas with the boys home,” says Sabrina. “We will set up the Christmas tree after our Thanksgiving meal. We’ll set up a handmade replica of a fireplace, on which we will place our empty stockings. On Christmas Eve, we will set out two cookies and a glass of milk for Santa.”

What to Do

Champnella encourages families to celebrate their traditions with their children, but to also learn about the holiday traditions of their homeland. “Local groups, like Families With Children From China, often have parties and celebrations for the Chinese New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival and other traditional Chinese holidays,” she says. “They are wonderful occasions to add new traditions to a family.”

Hochman finds it energizing for all family members when a child’s heritage is considered in celebrating the holidays. “We know families where there are birth children and adopted children from a variety of cultures,” she says. “They celebrate Ramadan, Kwanzaa, Chanukah and Christmas. Children learn to appreciate their own cultures and those of their siblings.”

Families come together at Christmas and other holidays. Emphasizing cultural identity and sharing those traditions together provides strength for children, not only in adopted children but also in birth children. In families where there is a mixture of religion and culture, Groza suggests looking for the commonalities amongst the traditions and emphasizing those.

No matter how much you do or don’t incorporate, there is no deficit, but only strength. It is the responsibility of parents to know their children and to fulfill their needs.

“It is one thing to think it all through intellectually, but the reality can be different and difficult,” says Groza. “Holidays bring out these differences, but they also allow parents to adapt their parenting to the needs of the child. After the first holiday, the rest are easy because the pattern has already been set.”

The Gliddens will be joining a group of carolers this year. The tradition of caroling has continued in Ukraine since the ninth century, and she wants the boys to be a part of it.

Traditions

“I think it is very important to help a child understand about their native culture,” says Champnella. “You want them to be proud of their heritage, as this will affect their self-esteem in the years to come. However, you do need to take cues from the child about how much to discuss this and be prepared to back off during the times when they are experiencing adjustment issues.”

Traditions, whether they are being integrated from the child’s culture or from a parent’s upbringing, will eventually meld together to become a family tradition.

“I believe most families are comfortable raising a child in their traditions but want to incorporate knowledge of their own cultures because they want their children to be proud of who they are,” says Hochman. “It is important for children’s self-esteem that they enjoy their family’s traditions and way of life, but are also cognizant and take pride in their own heritage.”

Part of parenting involves building positive strengths and self-confidence in our children. Learning with them and developing new rituals, as well as incorporating the old, helps to do just that. Adopted children need the influences and reminders of the past to help them define who they are and will be.

In Ukraine, there is a Christmas spider web legend that tells of one family in a village who was too poor to have a decorated Christmas tree in their house. The mother hung a few meager nuts and fruits on the small tree outside their door in hopes of bringing some cheer to her children’s Christmas Day celebration. On Christmas Eve, the spiders heard her prayers and hung their webs all over the tree. As the sun came up, its rays glittered and sparkled on the dew that was sprinkled on the webs and turned them to silver and gold.

“We will tell them this story and attempt to make ornaments that look something like it,” says Glidden. “ We strongly believe that all members of a family are contributors. Therefore, we gladly adopt what our children’s heritage brings. Even if it is new to them now, one day they will know that we have accepted their heritage as well as they have adopted ours. As the boys often say: ‘We all got married.'”

A family is not built on the biological or cultural similarities they share, but the traditions and memories they create to treasure in the years to come.

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Why kids love personalized gifts – Ornaments included!

Our Three Grandkids Personalized Ornament

Do you pay particular attention to text that includes your name? You do !!! Well so do children and so do gift buyers who love personalized baby and children’s gifts! – for good reasons!

At Christmas time children will love to receive a personalized Christmas ornament, especially one made at www.calliopedesigns.com!  Obviously, we have ornaments for newborns to graduates, and every age in between!  You can be sure that each year when the ornament box comes out of storage to begin decorating the Christmas tree, your child will search for his or her very one personalized First Christmas ornament to be hung on the tree in a prominent place!  The search will resume for the Second Christmas ornament and any others that have been gifted over the years!  Sounds pretty fun to me!

Kids adore to see something with their name on it, then they can definitely say ‘ITS MINE!’ or “its Me”. These items become special keepsake gifts. In addition, if the personalized gift is of practical use to the child, then it will be used often by the child.  A personalized book, record, bib, blanket, or stuffed animal will be loved year around.

Not only do personalized toys/gifts help promote their growing self-identity, but it also helps children distinguish/individualize themselves from other members of the family, particularly if there is more than one child sharing a bedroom. This is particularly true with twins/triplets.

Not only do personalized gifts give them a separate identity they also give children a unique play activity if that personalized item is a toy. If your name is Tom, it gives you little joy to push a train named Jane around your room.

The gift giver can also benefit. Personalized toys/gifts do become treasured by the child and therefore take pride of place – often pride of public place. So uncles, aunties, godparent and grandparents buying personalized items get public brownie points which is a lot better than your expensive 1920′s genuine Teddy Roosevelt bear being shoved in the big bottom toy storage drawer for eternity.

So what are the sociological benefits of the various personalized gift categories

  • Enhancing Reading Skills: If my name is in the paper, I know I would want to know for certain what is being said about me . Same with a child regarding a book. So personalized books when the text is at the correct reading level are natural accelerators of reading skills.
  • Enhance Listening Skills Children love to hear their own names, also pattern learning is a great foundation for all education the child will subsequently get exposed. Encourage them early to learn songs – which after all are just aural patterns – thereby starting them on the way to rapid knowledge acquisition
  • Encourage worthwhile habits: Personalized cups/dishes & cutlery. We all want a reasonably certain set of activities from day to day. Personalized tableware reduces once off surprising tantrums “because today I hate all yellow things”. Granted you now need to have those exact pieces on hand for every meal but the guesswork of occasional tantrums are gone.
  • Increase gift-giver Feel Good Factor: Personalized teddy bears/baby clothes/books are great for Godparents, Grandparents and other relatives. You know that within 6 months these will be used twice daily for 6 years or more. However such regular use may result in a disintegrated piece at the end of that period. These cuddly companions usually stand 45 cm tall. What makes them personalized are the writing on each of the foot. These can be a date or a name.

You can help a child embrace their identity and celebrate their name by giving them personalized gifts. Personalized children’s gifts can be small or large, extravagant or very inexpensive. But regardless of the size or the cost, children feel extra special because that gift is uniquely theirs and was created entirely for them. Kids just love that! But then again, don’t we all?

originally posted by admin in babies toddler, Home, and Family

 

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An adoption gift for an older child

Baby's First Steps: Ethnic Boy Personalized christmas Ornament

This article was written by R.J. Bowman, and it has some great ideas for adoption gifts for older children.  We understand that the first holiday season after an adoption can be an emotional time.  Newly adopted older children may have memories of other holidays with their birth family, or foster families, and wonder what it will be like in their newly adopted family.  Including your adopted child in your existing family traditions is an important way of making him or she feel accepted and loved – this year add their name to the annual personalized ornament you purchase for the family!  It will be forever treasured.

Great Gift Ideas for an Older Child

The following thoughts were written by R.J. Bowman, and it has some great ideas for adoption gifts for older children.

When a baby is adopted, he will never remember any family other than the people who chose to welcome him into their home. An older adopted child, however, has a past and a memory of another family. After losing one family, he may be nervous about his place in a new family and wonder if he will be left behind yet again. Giving an adopted child a special gift can speak volumes about your commitment to keeping him or her forever.

1.    Engraved Gifts

  • Mark the beginning of your adopted child’s new life with a gift of jewelry that will make her feel like she is truly part of this family.  Necklaces, rings, bracelets, and watches can all be engraved with the date of the adoption and your child’s new name, and the gift will be a visual representation of the change that has occurred. Remember, though, that your child is old enough to have opinions about the jewelry she likes or does not like; make sure to choose something she will be happy wearing.

If your adopted child is not into jewelry, there are many other items that can be engraved, including Christmas tree ornaments, money clips, photo albums, and even iPods and other MP3 players.

2.   Family Tree Scrapbook

  • Welcome the adopted child into the family with a family tree scrapbook. An older child who comes into the family may feel that he’s expected to know instantly all of the aunts, uncles, and cousins in the extended family. Put together a page about each member of the family to help the newest member learn about each person. Include basic information such as the relative’s name, birthday, spouse, children and parents–and how he or she is related to your child. Include fun information as well, such as the family member’s favorite food or pet’s name. If possible, have each family member add a brief message to your adopted child. This will help him know that he is truly wanted, not just by his new parents, but by the entire family.
  • 3.  A Memorable Day
  • Memories make great gifts. An older adopted child probably has a lot of bad memories in her past, so help her start off her new life with good memories. Plan a special day to celebrate the adoption and show your child that she is wanted, loved and accepted into her new family. The memorable day can be anything your child likes to do. Spend the day at the beach or the zoo, or at a water park or amusement park. Make the day even more special by renting a limo to take the entire family to the chosen location. End the evening with dinner out at a restaurant serving your child’s favorite food.

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Sports for Fun!

male lifeguard personalized chirstmas ornament

Ornaments that depict a certain sport are always a hit with the parents and grandparents of children involved in the sport!

Gift a Sports Fan an Ornament this Holiday Season!

If a child plays soccer, this is the perfect year to purchase a soccer ornament with his or her name and the year carefully inscribed..  Who knows, next year it might be football!  It’s a great way to chronicle the child’s activities during the past year, and to remember them as well!  We’ll never forget the year our son’s Little League team, The Astros, won the League’s championship! And yes, we have a personalized ornament to hang on the tree each year.

Sports ornaments are also wonderful to thank you gifts to the coach of your child’s team!  They have put in hours of devoted Saturday mornings, running with the kids, teaching them how to play and be good sports, and dealing with the over-enthusiastic parents!  We suggest a gift personalized with the coach’s name, the year, and the team’s name on the front or back depending on the availability of space. Because we offer a discount for large purchases of the same ornament, our products are often used as gifts for all members on a team, so that everyone has one at the year-end party!

Personalized sports-themed ornaments are a delight to grown-ups as well!  Tennis, Golf, Soccer, and Lacrosse are all played by older athletes. As are baseball, softball, basketball and football. Ice hockey is especially popular in our town, Santa Rosa, California, where Charles Schultz, creator of Peanuts, lived and skated!  We even have our own Snoopy’s Ice Arena which hosts many an ice skater, child and adult alike, and several Ice Hockey teams for all ages!  Mr. Schultz’ family keeps the ice skating ring running and it’s a special place in our community for learning to ice skate and for having birthday parties, and now it is also the home of a museum of Charles Schultz memories, artwork, original cartoons, and wonderful products!  (Be sure and come to visit sometime!)

We love creating special personalized for students sporting teams. For several years we were asked to create Oski the Bear, the official mascot of University of California, Berkeley.  We were very proud of those ornaments as Cal is my alma mater!   And there’s always the sports ornaments that have the name of an NFL or AFL football team and the year, or similar for baseball and basketball teams.  We ask our customers to be creative and help us make the ornament that will be the perfect gift for a sports enthusiast.