Christmas Printer

What a wonderful way to celebrate advent by making your very own advent calendar.  I say advent but in fact if you want to begin munching on the chocolate in door one at the right time it might be worthwhile making it your November project.

There are so many ideas to be had when deciding what to make your advent calendar look like.  Think about space first of all.  Advent calendars can double up as fantastic Christmas decorations too.  If you are adventurous you could make a giant snowman or a Santa clause.  This might be tricky to work out but with the use of balloons and papier-mâché, the advent world is your Christmas oyster.

For the less adventurous of us, I suggest making a series of little boxes.  There are so many ways you can dress them up!  Firstly how about creating a nativity (or buying one) and placing 24 presents around the stable.  Each can be different; one can be dressed as the star, another three as gold frankincense and myrrh, a few hay bales, a couple of troughs, and some extra gifts for good measure.  If you are particularly interested you could even insert the models as the characters arrive in the Christmas story.  If you want a 25^th gift, place it in the manger ready to be opened on Christmas day.

Alternatively your boxes could all be presents and placed under a mini artificial Christmas tree.  Each could contain a little decoration to pop on the tree.   These could be homemade or bought (make sure you slip in some chocolate too though).

If you fancy something a little different, create a snowy street; Make your boxes into little houses by giving them triangular lids.  Then paint them, possibly like little Tudor homes.  Open each box by taking the lid off and replacing it after the chocolate is safe in your tummy.  Use artificial snow and even mini battery powered fairy lights to make it realistic – you can be as creative as you wish.

Alternatively pop your parcels on a sleigh and add a model Rudolph for good measure – the possibilities are endless.

Christmas card lists are fluid beings, they don’t ever remain exactly the same for year to year and
over the course of a decade they might completely reinvent themselves. As people pass through our
lives the address book gets scruffy looking and every year the task of creating the greeting card list
becomes less novel and more stressful.

Try keeping a central database of contacts. Yes this sounds as if you’re running a business, but this
will certainly enable you to keep your contacts up to date as well as neat tidy and organized. In
addition you won’t be squinting to see the new address of Aunty Nora that has been written in a
rush and in the margin of your address book in between the crossed out addresses and doodles. I
know this seems like a chore this year – but think about next year when all you need to do is crack
out the laptop.

If you are savvy and a little computer minded you could set up a mail shot using your computer
software to print your envelopes. Although it might seem a little lazy if you have a huge amount
of addresses to write out how about contemplating writing the inside by hand and printing the
envelopes or envelope stickers. This will go hand in hand with your newly created database!

If this is not for you, dig out your quill and begin the task of writing the cards and envelopes by hand.
Make sure you start in good time and well before the posting deadlines. Also, make sure you take
breaks so your handwriting doesn’t suffer, not only do you want your cards to be legible – you need
the postman to be able to read your scrawl.

Another handy tip is to make lists. Separate friends and colleagues from neighbors and the
hairdresser. This will make your list more manageable and therefore less daunting. Similarly you
could hand-write some and not others depending what group of people you are addressing your
cards to.

Think about your posting options, some of your cards could go second class and some could be hand
delivered – think about your options to save money and judge when you need to pay a trip to the
post office.

President Eisenhower sent out the very first official Christmas card from the White House in 1953
whilst the first Christmas card (as we know it) was created by a British business man who was simply
too busy to send individual wishes and commissioned John Horsely to create a card for him.

Louis Prang, a German immigrant started the tradition across the pond (I bet he didn’t expect eighty
percent of Americans to latch on to the craze) and made it a success.

In fact this trend spread across the world and became a tradition in the celebration of Christmas.
Before this people would send personal greetings by way of letters to each other to deliver their
best wishes and love at Christmas time.

Christmas cards are now available in boxes or individually, as media messages on the internet and
created personally in the way of a photo card. They can be musical, hilarious, serious or religious
but they all offer the same Christmas message. On average it is thought each of us send fifty or so
cards out to loved ones and friends every year.

It is believed that ‘Merry Christmas’ is the preferred statement for the festive card and that only a
third of cards sent contain a religious message.

This is all very well for the modern tradition but it is thought that the Chinese used cards to
celebrate the New Year long long before an Englishman cottoned on to the idea. Similarly Germany
was the home of the tradition of sending New Year wishes as long ago as the 1400s. In fact it seems
to be a tradition that goes back as far to the Egyptians.

Well whatever the history, Christmas cards are here to stay and will be for many generations to
come whether they are sent through the post or by email. The underlying purpose of the card; to
send greetings at Christmas remains strong whatever the image on the cover, or the medium by
which it is sent to the recipient.

The beauty of Christmas being such a massive commercial entity is that you can pick and choose
from hundreds of different greeting card designs.

Card shops have whole sections dedicated to brothers, sisters, girlfriends, teachers, mums, dads,
mum and dad’s, mum and step dads… even the pet dog. Within these clearly marked sections of
the display some will be humorous, others religious, some gushy and some pretty plain. Whichever
theme or size you want, it is pretty much guaranteed that you will find a perfect card for your loved
one. You also have a choice as to the message your card sends… whether it is sentiment or just joy
you wish to radiate to your recipient.

Musical cards can be costly, but they can be worth it for the smile they put on your recipient’s face!
They sing Christmas songs, tell jokes, some even have recorded messages from famous icons! What
better way to wish someone a merry Christmas than getting Elvis to say it for you? That is definitely
worth the extra cash this Christmas.

If you are unsure about buying your cards individually, maybe because you find it impersonal or
costly, think about making a card yourself. You might fancy making your own holiday cards. Do this
by taking your point and click out and about with you and recording that special photo or gathering
the family to create a more traditional posed picture. Add a little Christmas cheer by making your
subjects wear tinsel or Santa hats in the picture then use computer software to turn it black and
white or sepia if you fancy making it old looking.

Similarly you could crack out the glitter and make a magical masterpiece, use peel-offs, ribbon
and cuts outs of Christmas figures to create bespoke cards. Any good craft store and even some
supermarkets or hardware stores will offer a selection of plain cards and crafting supplies. To add
some sentiment, if you don’t have a secret passion for poetry, scour the internet for Christmas
quotes and insert them into your masterpiece.

Sunday school as many remember, is a little class lead by some committed churchgoers with a view
to teaching fledglings of the church all about the stories behind the sermons. At Christmas they are
largely dominated by the Christmas story (naturally). At school children learn about the Christian
celebration and act it out. Those lucky enough to play Mary and Joseph sit surrounded by children
in tea towels singing traditional Christmas tunes. And at home, many parents like to educate their
children on the meaning behind Christmas.

If you are one of those people who run a Sunday school or you are simply a parent with the wish to
teach your children, think about using art and crafts as a tool. Children can only concentrate for very
small periods of time at once. They soon become bored; stop listening and start imagining playing
with their cars or dreaming of Santa.

Keep your little ones interested by getting them to pick an aspect of the Christmas story and making
it the theme for a card. They can then not only learn about what the story is all about but they will
take an interest in it for their project. The crafts will also make them more likely to remember the
things you teach them.

Crafting is fun and any child loves glitter. Making learning fun is so very important whether you are
a teacher in a school or a parent. Teach your little ones to love to learn and let them loose on glitter,
ribbon, crayons, cut outs of Mary, Jesus and the baby and even bits of straw to stick by the stable.
The opportunities are endless.

The great thing about getting children to make cards is that you can either display them on your
mantle as a piece of work done by you and your children or you can send them to someone for
Christmas wishes. Teachers often send cards home for children’s guardians or parents on special
occasions. It might be nice to dedicate a homemade card to that little old lady at church or to Great
Aunt Dora, they really will appreciate it and the child will feel proud having learned about the religious
faith too.

It is important that we teach our children the ways of Christmas and how they too can spread good
wishes and joy in the Holidays. You might think that your son or daughter is too young to offer
Christmas wishes and automatically add their name to your Christmas cards.

Once children start to write in particular, you should include them in the process of sending cards to
family members and close friends. If you haven’t got the time to get them to send their own cards
(which I should imagine few parents would) get them to write their own name on your cards.

Children love showing off their talent of being able to write their name so give them a little
encouragement by letting them sign some of the cards you write.

They might even enjoy making some cards of their own. In the run up to Christmas many people
spend time creating their own projects. Get children to make Christmas cards for their aunties
and teachers. You can get child friendly craft sets from the high street or on the internet.

Family will love receiving creations made by the children however much they resemble a picture or
not. Let them loose on the glitter and they will create a masterpiece that the recipient is sure to
display in the best spot in the lounge.

The opportunity to create a Christmas card will also offer you a fun activity to do with your child.
This doubles up as some important bonding time where you can share giggles in the process.

As they get older, they might decide to carry on the tradition themselves at school. Writing cards
for friends and teachers during December. Eventually it will become as much as their Christmas
tradition as it is for our generation. However there is the fear that the tradition might well die with
the takeover of the computer culture so encouraging your children to send cards from an early age
may convince them to carry on later in life.

Have you decided how you are going to capture that all important holiday photo shot? Do you want
it to be casual, formal, indoor, outdoor or fun.

If you have the subjects of your holiday photo all decided upon (friends or family or the household
pets) then now is the time to be thinking about what kind of picture you fancy on the front of your
card.

If you fancy a formal photo and want to take it yourself, set aside an afternoon to gather up your
models. Also have an idea about what you want them to look like so they can wear the correct
clothes to match. You might want to put the children in their best clothes for the occasion or you
might want a more casual feel to your photo.

Have a backdrop ready for your photo session. It might be your Christmas tree, a plain wall, a bench,
shrubbery, snow (if you’re lucky) or a fireplace.

Pose your subjects in an attractive position. If you are going for a formal look maybe use chairs or
have the children sat beside adults so you get an interesting position. Make sure there is good light
in the area and that there are no strange objects in the shot before you snap.

On the other hand you might want to take your camera everywhere with you in the run up to
advent. That way as soon as you see a photo opportunity you can capture it. Your photo may be
more relaxed too.

You might want to make your photo a little fun and humorous. Think about getting your family to
wear Christmas hats or dress up. This could make a holiday photo light hearted and fun in that it will
capture the Christmas spirit.

If the idea of the digital camera and the auto timer terrifies you, hire yourself a family member as a
photographer or better still have a professional photo session.

Professionals will save you the stress and their photography will be worthy of a mount so your card
may well double up as a gift. Think about investing in this this year even if you don’t next it’ll make a
fantastic memory for all the family.

Now then boys, you want to impress the lady in your life. A card is a traditional way of doing just
this during the holiday season. However it can be a little dull and boring so have a think about it in
good time this year.

As much as you might think it’s just a card. It really isn’t. Many boyfriends and husbands keep the
card sending limited to Christmas and birthdays so when it comes to these occasions take care to
impress and make the effort that your loved one deserves.

If you are a newly formed couple then you might fancy keeping the card plain and simple. This is
absolutely fine but ensure that you write lovely words inside if you don’t want the card to say it for
you. No one is asking you to write those three little words but make sure you write a well formed
message that isn’t rushed and choose an attractive card which at least stands out from some of the
rest on the mantel.

If you fancy something more lovely, head to a card shop. You will find cards with love poems and
romantic Christmas wishes galore. They will come in many sizes and prices. Don’t choose the
cheapest (she will notice) and don’t go over the top. Choose a card that matches your humor or
relationship, no one wants tears at Christmas.

Girls love a man who makes an effort. If you are so inclined have a go at making a card this
Christmas. You can use your computer to put together a bespoke card of your own. You can even
choose the images, the messages and put some thought into it. How special would she feel if she
knew you sat down one evening to do this? Who cares if it looks home made too- that is after all the
point.

If you are arty, paint her a card or draw her one. It need not be complicated but it will be special.
Girls love feeling that their loved ones have made an effort to show them how much they are loved
at Christmas and so choose a card that we love.

There are so many different holiday cards to choose from.

Some don robins supposedly after the old postmen who dressed in red nicknamed Robins for the
same reason. They can often be seen delivering mail, or sitting on snowed under fences or trees.

Others show mistletoe, supposedly nothing to do with Christians and all to do with pagan
celebrations. Supposedly the perfect place for a Christmas kiss possibly coming from the idea that
greenery promotes fertility.

The very first Christmas card showed people aiding the poor whilst a traditional family enjoyed a
feast. This card attracted criticism though as the children were seen to be drinking the wine. Cards
these days are more politically correct and some do not show any signs of the Christian faith in
respect for those who celebrate the holidays and not Christmas.

Cards can be funny too – with comedy sketches involving reindeer, penguins, Santa clauses and
more. Whatever your humor you can find a card to suit.

Many cards still do show the nativity though and many can be found which offer God’s blesses
although they make up only a small percentage of cards sent. People tend to send cards that are
more generic so as not to offend. Also religion is something that has become quite personal for
people and many will not send out cards like this unless they know the recipient is sure to appreciate
it.

Non-religious cards can still show angels though. Some will also don fairies – especially of the sort
that spend twelve days at the peak of the Christmas tree. These have become icons of Christmas
and take center stage as the subject for cards and decorations all around.

Card shops offer musical cards and pop up cards not to mention three dimensional cards and those
in boxes. The choices are endless and make for a variety of cards to display on the mantel this
Christmas. Many people even make their own with craft supplies from stores in the high street.

Whatever your theme though, the wishes remain the same, Merry Christmas.

It is important as a business to recognize those people who help you out at Christmas. There are
your customers, your suppliers, your delivery people and your staff. Without your staff, your
customers would be nonexistent, your suppliers would have no one to supply and your delivery
people would be working somewhere else.

Although it might be easy to take them for granted, don’t forget those people who trek to work
in the rain and snow at all hours possible in all states of health to ensure the ticking along of your
business venture. Who cares if you pay them for it? It’s Christmas, so say thank-you and make them
feel worthwhile.

If you can manage, back up the sincerity of the card by delivering them yourself. Anyone can
pop cards in the internal and write ‘best wishes Jan’. A hand delivery will prove to your staff that
contrary to belief you do know their names and you are thank-full for their commitment and hard
work.

If you have only a few staff, write more in their cards than Merry Christmas; go a step
further and thank them for their hard work and commitment with a short personal message.

It might be that showing your staff that you care will mean your reputation as a great employer will
precede you. Of course sending a Christmas card alone will not do this but it will help especially if
you are good to your staff and throw a big office party. Think about the need for good loyal staff.
You will not get a reliable workforce if you don’t respect them – because there is always another
employer who will.

Send your employees good quality cards – not ones that are minuscule and floppy. This will not help
your cause for being a thoughtful employer. No one wants you to forfeit their Christmas bonus –
but choose cards that are run of the mill not too cheap and not too dear. That way you will avoid
looking like a cheap skate without breaking the bank.