Happy Thanksgiving! (Order Now!)

We've been counting down to the holidays for so many months... It's hard to believe they're finally really here! Thanksgiving is this week, which means that Christmas is only a month away. With so much last minute Thanksgiving preparation to do, it's hard to think of anything else - but now is actually the perfect time to finish your Christmas shopping!

There's still time for your unique, personalized Christmas ornaments to get here before Christmas, but there won't be for much longer! If you want your customized Christmas tree ornaments to arrive at your front door before Christmas, you'll need to place your order by December 17th.

If you're still struggling to find the perfect gift for someone on your list, take a quick sneak peek at some of our best-selling ornaments.

Personalized Family Ornaments

Our custom family ornaments are by far our best-selling items. These delightful ornaments are made from both bread dough and resin. Our artists take the utmost care to design and decorate each one to perfection. We design ornaments for families of two to ten people - and we can even add pet dishes to the ornaments to represent your beloved furry family members! 

Customized Anniversary/Wedding Ornaments

Weddings and milestone anniversaries only come around once in a lifetime. The beautiful memories that accompany these wonderful events are worth saving and cherishing for years to come. Nothing helps you commemorate these grand events like a completely customized ornament! We offer several different styles of wedding and anniversary ornaments, so you can be sure to find the one that perfectly fits you and your spouse!

New Baby Ornaments

Just like weddings and anniversaries, the birth of a new baby is an incredibly special and momentous event. Even though we can't remember them for ourselves, our first Christmases hold a special kind of magic that we treasure for years to come. A customized baby's first Christmas ornament will be a beautiful keepsake for both the parents and the child alike.

Don't forget to get your orders in before December 17th! Keep watching our social media channels... We have several great deals coming up in honor of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Don't miss out on the great discounts that lie in store!

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Phone: (573) 893-3272
www.ornamentsforkeeps.com

Christmas Party Games!

Everything is in order. You've invited all the right friends and family members, you've worked tirelessly in the kitchen preparing your famous Christmas dinner and Christmas cookies, and you've wrapped all your presents within an inch of their lives. All that's left now is to sit back and enjoy spending time with your friends and family members... right?

Yes - but that might not be easy as it sounds! What if you've invited several friends who don't know each other very well? Or family members that aren't very communicative? What will you do to break the awkward silences that could occur?

Never fear! The team at Ornaments for Keeps is here to help you plan for just this type of disaster. We've compiled a list of our favorite Christmas party games to help you seamlessly smooth over any awkward moments before your guests even have a chance to realize it!

Christmas Carol Charades
Put a holiday spin on this classic party game! Play this game just like you play the classic charades game (players take turns silently acting out a secret word or phrase until someone guesses it), but with a holiday twist: you can only act out Christmas carols.

Build a Snowman
Did you know you can build snowmen indoors? Divide players into teams of 2-3 people. Give each team a roll of toilet paper, a carrot, and any other tools you think could be helpful. The teams will each turn one of their members into a snowman by wrapping them in toilet paper and decorating them as they see fit. Winners can be judged based on speed or decorative prowess.

Decorate The Christmas Tree
Can you guess where this is going? Play this game just like you play "Build a Snowman," but have the team members decorate one player as a Christmas tree instead!

Two Truths & A Lie
This is a classic ice breaker game, but you can add a Christmas spin to it! In the original version, players take turns telling two truths and one lie about themselves, and the other players have to guess which statement is the lie. Give this game some Christmas flair by having players tell two truths and one lie about the worst Christmas presents they ever received.

Candy Canes
Have you ever heard of the game "Spoons"? Play "Candy Canes" exactly the same way, but with candy canes instead of spoons. Here's a quick summary of the rules:

• Goal: Get 4 of a kind and grab a candy cane!
• Put one less candy cane than the number of people playing in the center of the table. For example: if you have 7 players, only use 6 candy canes.
• Deal 4 cards to all the players.
• Dealer places remaining deck of cards to his right.
• Dealer draws a card from the deck and decides whether or not he wants to add it to his hand. If he does, he will choose a different card from his hand and discard it by passing it to the player on his left. If he does not, he will immediately pass it to the player on his left. Players can only have 4 cards in their hand at a time.
  
• The player to the left of the dealer picks up the card the dealer just passed her and goes through the same decision and discard process.
• When cards get passed all the way around to the player to the right of the dealer, they collect in a standing discard pile (the dealer continues drawing from the main deck). 
• Once a player gets four of a kind in his hand, he grabs a candy cane. At this point, all the other players can also grab candy canes (you do not have to have four of a kind to grab a candy cane after another player has done so). 
• The player who does not get a candy cane is either out or given a letter in the word of your choice (such as C-A-N-D-Y or C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S). Once players get enough letters to spell out the whole word, they are out.
• The last remaining player wins!

Just like "Spoons", "Candy Canes" is much more fun when played very quickly. Ramp things up by requiring players to pass cards and grab candy canes at lightning speed!

Your guests will love these hilarious Christmas party games! How else do you plan to keep your guests entertained at your Christmas gatherings? We'd love to hear your ideas!

Don't forget that Christmas is less than five weeks away! If you're looking for a great last-minute gift idea, there's still time to order personalized Christmas ornaments! Give the gift that will keep on giving for years to come. Place your order today!

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Phone: (573) 893-3272
www.ornamentsforkeeps.com

Start Your Ornament Tradition!

What does the word "tradition" mean to you?

Traditions can appear in the form physical objects, or they can manifest as verbal or behavioral rituals. They are passed down from generation to generation, both intentionally and unintentionally. Traditions play an integral role in our lives all year long, but they are especially prominent during the holiday season. With Thanksgiving only a few weeks away and Christmas not far behind, all of us at Ornaments for Keeps thought it would be appropriate to spend some time reflecting on some of the holiday traditions we've come to love - and give some ideas for fun new traditions!

You're Participating in Traditions 

(And You Might Not Even Know it!)

Our entire culture has become so accustomed to certain traditions that we find ourselves participating in them without even realizing it! Hanging stockings by the fireplace and giving each other gifts, for example, are Christmas traditions that are observed by almost everyone in the United States. These traditions have become so ingrained in our minds that we do them without hardly even thinking about it. 

What's Your Holiday Tradition?

Beyond these over-arching traditions observed by our culture as a whole, each family has its own unique holiday traditions. These traditions can be as elaborate as your imagination allows, or they can be as simple as watching "It's a Wonderful Life" on Christmas Day. Some families share a certain holiday meal every year, others read "The Night Before Christmas" every Christmas Eve, still others get personalized family Christmas ornaments every year... The opportunities for traditions are endless!

Every Tradition Has To Start Somewhere!

Some of these traditions date back longer than any of us can remember, but every tradition had to have started at some specific point in time. It's never too late to start your very own family Christmas tradition. If you're looking for a fun new tradition idea this year, consider ordering one of our Customized 2014 Family Christmas Ornaments! We design and decorate all of our personalized ornaments with the utmost care and precision in order to deliver you a wonderful start to an adorable holiday tradition. 

If you have questions or another idea for a great holiday tradition, please let us know! Connect with us on Facebook (Ornaments for Keeps) or on Twitter (@ornaments4keeps). We'd love to hear from you!

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Phone: (573) 893-3272
www.ornamentsforkeeps.com

What Type of Christmas Spirit Are You?

Christmas is a time for celebrating, for looking back on another great year, and for spending quality time with our beloved family and friends. As our lives get busier and busier, the time Christmas helps us set aside for our families becomes more and more valuable.

In addition to the time dedicated to family and friends, Christmas promises us something else - something whimsical, something magical, something we know and love as "Christmas Spirit." 

Christmas Spirit manifests itself in all of us, in the ways we prepare for and celebrate each Christmas season, and comes in three main forms. Which of these resonates with you the most?

ECSTATIC

These people are the easiest to spot. They're the ones who practically squeal every time someone even whispers the word "Christmas." We all know these people... In fact, all of us at Ornaments for Keeps are probably more ecstatic about Christmas than a lot of people we know! (Of course, you kind of have to be to work at the best personalized ornament shop in the Midwest.) 

You might be "ecstatic" if...

• Your countdown to Christmas begins in July - if not earlier.
• You begin shopping for Christmas decorations before it's even Halloween.
• Your least favorite day of the year is December 26th, because that's the farthest away from Christmas next year.
• You buy your family a brand-new customized Christmas ornament every year.

INDIFFERENT

People with "indifferent" Christmas Spirit are sometimes the hardest to spot; their casual indifference allows them to blend in to almost any setting. Personally, we can't understand how someone could be indifferent to Christmas, but we know these people exist!

You might be "indifferent" if...

• You begin Christmas shopping in the beginning of December.
• You'll go to a Christmas party if you're invited, but you never plan one yourself.
• You put up just enough Christmas decorations to keep the neighborhood kids happy.

BEGRUDGING

Yes, even Scrooge has a form of Christmas Spirit! We like to call this form "begrudging" because, like it or not, these people still participate in Christmas to some extent. They can't walk into any store without hearing Christmas music played over the radio or drive down the street without seeing at least a few twinkle lights. Whether they like it or not, Christmas is unavoidable!

You might be "begrudging" if...

• You want to lock yourself in your room the first time you hear Christmas music.
• The Grinch is your hero.
• You save your Christmas shopping 'til just a few days before Christmas - if you even go at all.

What do you think? Which form of Christmas Spirit are you? (Hint: If you're reading this... You're definitely NOT "begrudging"!)

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Phone: (573) 893-3272
www.ornamentsforkeeps.com