5 Ways to Give Back as a Family This Holiday Season

Christmas is a time for giving. There are people out there, less fortunate than we are that could use a little extra help and kindness around this time of year. It's also nice to be able to teach your kids the importance of giving back around the holidays. Ornaments for Keeps is here to give you 5 ways to give back around the holiday season with your family and an example of how we have enjoyed giving back as a family ourselves.

5 Ways to Give Back as a Family This Holiday Season 

1. Bake goodies for our heroes.

As a family, bake some cookies or casseroles for those law enforcement officers or firefighters that have to work around the holidays and deliver them to the police department or fire station. How special would that be? Your local heroes would probably very much appreciate it.

2. Pack stockings for the homeless.

Purchase some cheap stockings and fill them up with different items with your kids. Stocking stuffer ideas for the homeless may include:

• granola bars
• water bottles
• toothpaste
• warm gloves
• socks

3. Donate toys.

Go through your kid's old toys that they don't play with anymore or have just outgrown and donate them to the less fortunate. That could MAKE a child's Christmas to receive an awesome toy!

4. Adopt a family.

There are many organizations that help you sponsor a family in your area over the holiday season. They may need some extra food around the holidays and this could be a great way to donate to the less fortunate as a family.

5. Donate to a food bank.

Your kids may enjoy picking out food items at the grocery store to donate. Allow them to help pick out items to donate to a local food bank.


"It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving." - Mother Teresa

We Have Enjoyed Giving Back as a Family

"We do a couple of fundraisers a year for different organizations. We are currently doing one for Bishop Guertin High School in New Hampshire. It's the fourth year we have done this. They order 200 ornaments and I design a new one for each year. They bake for 5 hours and then the detail is painted on. They are then dipped in epoxy twice to get that shine. It is a four-day process. We can't take any more fundraisers this year but if anyone is interested next year, check with us early. " -  owner of Ornaments for Keeps

Ornaments for Keeps is Here for Your Tree Decoration Needs!

Personalized Christmas ornaments can brighten up your tree and allow you to reflect on the memories your ornaments may represent. We encourage you to start your own family traditions at Christmas. It can bring a smile to your family's faces and make your Christmas all the more special. We invite you to begin your very own collection of personalized Christmas ornaments. Check out our website at OrnamentsforKeeps.com.

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

Will Your Elf Be On The Shelf?

Once upon a time, a long time ago, Santa Claus sat in his workshop at the North Pole thinking. He knew he needed to get presents to all the good little boys and girls across the world, but how would he really know if they had been good or bad all year? One day, he had a wonderful idea. He gathered his elves around him and delivered an important message. He was going to send each of them to a home with young children, where they would live from Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve. Each night, the elves were to travel back to the North Pole and tell Santa everything the children had done had been good. Each morning, the elves would arrive back at the house before the children awoke so they could hid in a different place. The children would excitedly seek them out so they could whisper their Christmas wishes to the elves.
       So goes the story of a delightful children's book, written by a woman named, Carol Aebersold and her daughter, Chanda Bell. Since it's publication in 2005, The Elf on the Shelf has won multiple awards and inspired many families around the world to begin their own Elf on the Shelf Christmas traditions.
     Elf on the Shelf has become a wonderful source of inspiration for all of us at Ornaments for Keeps. We fell in love with the story the first time we heard it, and we have loved getting to participate in this adorable family tradition through the creation of our personalized elf ornaments.
     This year, we invite you and your family to join in the fun! Our customized elf Christmas ornaments make the perfect elves for your children to search the house for every morning. Though we live in an increasingly digital world, we don't want the next generation to grow up without the same sense of imagination and wonder that filled our hearts when we were young. It's through fanciful traditions like these that we help keep our children's imaginations alive.
     We hope you'll start a new family tradition this year by inviting the elves into your home, and we would be honored to get to be part of it!

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

Six EASY Ideas to Help Start Your Family Tradition!!

Creating family traditions can be simple and effortless - don't get stressed trying to create an elaborate plan.  Remember the point  is to bring the family together for some quality time. 

Here are some simple ideas to create your own family traditions that will be easy to continue year after year.

1. Drive through area light displays together.  Tune in some Christmas carols on the radio and you are ready to be fascinated by the twinkling displays.
2. Make Dough Ornaments with the Family - Check out my EASY Dough  Ornament Recipe!  
3. Movie night!  Watch your favorite holiday flick together...whether it's Miracle on 34th Street or A Christmas Story it will be something to share with each generation.
4. Hand print an item with every family member. Choose a cloth laundry or grocery bag or table cloth and have each person put there hand print on it. One can be made for each member of the family and added to as it expands.
5. Family Pot Luck.  You can choose an overall theme that everyone can bring an appropriate dish or have everyone bring a course.  Have everyone email you the recipes in advance and you can put together a booklet for each guest attending.
   
6. Have an annual ornament exchange.  Each person can draw a name and get an ornament for that family member.  You can incorporate themes or other ideas to spice it up from year to year.

These are just some ideas for you to share with your loved ones.  Traditions that can be created so easily and can last a lifetime!  

Happy crafting and I hope these ideas help!  Since my first craft show in 1981, customers here at home and from around the United States continue to add to their collections and to buy these personalized gifts for family and friends.

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CONTACT US

Phone: (573) 893-3272
info@ornamentsforkeeps.com

Have You Started Thinking About Your 2013 Christmas Card?

I love to send and receive photo Christmas cards! I proudly display them so we can enjoy them throughout the Holiday Season.

Many families make the creation of their Christmas card a part of their family traditions. It has become very popular for families to design and create their own Christmas card by adding personal touches of family photos and holiday snapshots. The greeting in the card can be personalized but brief or may include a "Christmas letter" updating everyone on the years’ events.

I have started planning our photo Christmas card for 2013. Creating a personal card was one of the holiday traditions I began in 1980 after our first daughter was born in 1979 on Christmas Day. Looking back on the cards from each year brings back smiles and great memories.

My mother sent her first photo Christmas in 1954.

 

These have been a few of my favorite photo Christmas cards.

 

 

 

 

 

Pinterest offers a wealth of ideas and inspiration on photo Christmas card ideas. Look at "Ornaments for Keeps" on Pinterest and check out our "Christmas Card" board for a few great ideas!

We would love to see your favorite photo Christmas cards throughout the years! Please share them with us...

 

 

 



 

Linda is the author of this post. To read more about the doughlady, click here!