Sunday, July 31, 2011

Decorating and Gift Giving

I did a little online "shopping" and found some things I thought would make sweet decorations for the home or even cute little Christmas gifts without breaking the bank! I have overspent for the holidays many times in the past. It's ridiculous! I sometimes wonder if the person that I bought for even remembers what they received from one Christmas to the next. It's nice to give for the holidays, but it doesn't have to be expensive and should not put you in the hole from one year to the next. It seems I no sooner get the charge card paid from last Christmas and guess what...Christmas is here again. Now I ask myself  do I really want to do this again?? The answer this year is NO! Times are changing for everyone financially. This year I'm cutting back on the amount of money I spend. My children are much older, and should realize that...well....they are not little children. Or, maybe it's just the mom in me that thinks I need to shower my adult children with gifts at this special time of year because they are both single and will not have anything to open Christmas Day unless it's from me....

But as for the other people in my life that I would like to get a little something for, these are some things I have found that can be given as a small gift or added into a cute gift basket that won't break the bank! My sister-in-law makes up sweet gift baskets that I really appreciate.

Here are a few of the items I found. Maybe it will give you some ideas for decorating or gift giving.










These little sweeties are Yarn Pals. Check out the cute little booties!



Maybe not for the women, but for those wrestling fans, this is a great gift. My hubby received this from his sister last year for Christmas and he loved it! Full of color photos and info.



I have a Fix-It and Forget-It cookbook, not this Christmas issue, but I love it. It's full of slow cooker recipes for all of those busy people who need a little help with supper. Lots of great recipes.




A nice bottle of sparkling wine to go with


this sweet Holiday Glass set/4. You could make it more elaborate and add some cheese, crackers, etc. It just depends on what your budget allows.




NFL Tumblers for the football fans.



Sweet reusable canisters with a Muffin Mix inside. Great for a basket.



Holiday characters/gift towel set.





The Major Award throw. I couldn't help myself when I saw this one. Really cute throw for those who are crazy about the movie A Christmas Story. ;-)



Every Day Thought Calendar with a different quote for each day of the year.



NFL Floor Mats for that football fan.



I love these little Sentiments Snowmen! So cute!



These Holiday Birds would look sweet on a table, mantel, shelf, or just about anywhere.




This is a lighted flicker candle that works off of batteries. I'm a big fan of battery operated candles because you can put them on shelves or anywhere that you couldn't put a real candle. I have quite a few of these kinds of candles in my home, but I also love the real scented candles. The nice thing about these are that if you forget to turn if off before you go to bed it just doesn't matter! The house won't burn down! There's also a cute Santa candle like this one.



Color changing wooden candles that would look great on a mantle or a window. Simple and inexpensive decorating.



Santa countdown to Christmas. There's also a Snowman countdown.



Lighted Sled.

These were some ideas that I picked for decorating or gift giving that won't cost an arm and a leg for the holidays. I need to remember that the reason for the season is not how many gifts you give or receive, or how much you spend on someone, or how elaborately decorated the home is, it's Jesus, He is the real reason we celebrate Christmas!



Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Sleigh Ride

The weather this past week has been exceptionally hot and humid as many of you know. I thought about this song, Sleigh Ride. I knew that it had it's beginnings during a heat wave in July. I love to watch the Boston Pops Christmas concerts and this is how I heard that it was written in the middle of a heat wave.  I did some checking and it was in July of 1946 that the original idea for the piece came about.  It was composed by Leroy Anderson and finished in  February of 1948. The orchestral version, my favorite, was recorded in 1949 by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra. I first saw this performed by John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra on television years ago. I absolutely loved it!! This song became a hit record on RCA Victor Red Seal which is a classical music label and is now part of Sony Masterworks. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers named Sleigh Ride the most popular piece of Christmas music in the USA in 2010.




So that's a little history of one of my all time favorite Christmas songs. Here's a video from You Tube, the artist is Arthur Fiedler. If you like, watch and enjoy. The light display is pretty amazing! Pause player in left side bar if you watch. THINK COOL!!




Wikipedia

Friday, July 22, 2011

Christmas in July at QVC


Source: qvc.com via Dorothy on Pinterest


Woohoo...it's Christmas in July starting at midnight tonight clear through Sunday night on QVC . Not sure what the TSV (Today's Special Value) will be.  Shop early ladies. This is a  Harry Slatkin set of 5 Holiday candles with the boxes you can purchase for $29.64 with free S&H!! This could be a small gift for 5 people on your list.


Source: qvc.com via Dorothy on Pinterest

Berry and Bark Set w/Ornament Design


Source: qvc.com via Dorothy on Pinterest

Evergreen Scent w/Pine Tree Design


Source: qvc.com via Dorothy on Pinterest

Spice Scent w/Holly Leaf Design


Source: qvc.com via Dorothy on Pinterest

Winter Scent w/Snowflake Design


Source: qvc.com via Dorothy on Pinterest

Vanilla Bean Scent w/Gingerbread Man Design

QVC (link for candles)
  I enjoy watching this Christmas show every year. They have so much to offer. It's nice shopping from the comfort of your own home. Beautiful candles aren't they? Slatkin candles smell so wonderful. You can also buy them from your local Bath and Body Works, but I don't think you'll find a deal like this. So.......ANE ANE TOK, here's another post from my blog you can steal. You already have just about my whole blog on yours. Read about it HERE, but if you go to check out the blog with everyone's stolen posts, you have to get past the trashy pictures (thumbnail images)  at the top of the blog, scroll down and it's full of stolen blog posts.

Have a wonderful weekend and if you shop, try not to spend to much.....  ;-)

UPDATE: I ordered these and they came today. As soon as I opened up the box, I could smell the spicy scents! They all smelled wonderful! Love these!
Enhanced by Zemanta

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Ane Ane Took.....

Gee....I just found at least half or 3/4's of my blog entries on someone else's blog site!! With thumbnails of  trashy pictures at the top of the website to boot!!  Word for word, same exact date that I posted, pictures of my tree in my house, my blog! Copy and pasted exactly as I posted them. Here's the link to this person's blog in case any of you might wonder if your blog entries are being stolen and used as someone else's. Whatever date and month & year you made your post, that's where you'll find it...if they have used yours. I've already went to some of the other blogs that the posts were from...the ones that gave me a clue as to the name of their blog...and left comments for them just so that they are aware this is happening.

http://aneanetok.blogspot.com/   should be Ane Ane Took.....
If you check it out for your posts, when you click the link, sometimes it goes over to advertising and you need to just click the back button until you're there. Remember, there are trashy pictures at the top of the page, but this person is a thief of blog posts!! I reported it to blogger just for the trashy pictures, but that's all I can do.

I was going to leave a comment, but of course comments are disabled! I couldn't believe how many of my posts are there. I've been checking all morning and I'm not even finished yet. Time to quit for now. The list of posts are on the right side. They go back to 2010 and some older than that. I'm sure he/she has stolen all of the other posts that are on their site.  I do have my favorite blogs listed, so they may be visiting you and copying your posts too!  It's not just Christmas posts, it's a variety of everything!

Here's their blog archive:
2011, 1,899 posts...busy, busy, busy....
2010, 2,000 posts
2009, 1,044 posts
2008, 356 posts...slacking there a little bit...
2007, 229 posts
2006, 218 posts
2005, 131 posts  AND

NO FOLLOWERS

I realize there isn't anything that can be done. This person clearly has no morals!  Everyone does all the hard work and research and this person just comes along and copies and pastes entire posts into their blog! I bet this post won't be copied to their blog!!!

Thought you might be interested in learning this.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Friday, July 15, 2011

Macy's Christmas Window Displays

These are  Macy's window displays from Christmases past. I was going to put them in my last post about Macy's at Christmas, but it would have been a really long post. I would love going to the big city to see these beautiful window displays at Christmas, and it would be perfect if it was snowing! What a dreamer!



This would be a favorite of mine! Some people hate this movie, but I love it and will never tire of it! I think if they didn't show it continually on Christmas Eve into Christmas Day, maybe people wouldn't hate it so much. You could appreciate seeing it more when it would only be televised once...at Christmas time.



The famous major award! The leg lamp! Personally...that would never be in my front window!!






Flick gets his tongue stuck to the cold flag pole!




Ralphie asking for his Red Ryder BB Gun as he's being pushed down the slide.



Oh no! The next door neighbor's smelly horde of dogs eating up the Christmas turkey! Oh those Bumpuses!



The Polar Express.






Miracle on 34th St.  "2003"



Miracle...."2004"



Miracle..."2004"



Miracle..."2004"



Santa






Organ Player in Tree of Harmony window, "2006."




And finally...



Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus, a computer generated animated movie Macy's produced.

The video below is from You Tube. It's Macy's Christmas Window, 2010. You will need to pause the music player.  Enjoy!!




Happy Christmas in July!

Also visit: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/28/a-guide-to-the-holiday-window-displays/








Thursday, July 14, 2011

Macy's At Christmas

For me, the Thanksgiving Day Parade at Macy's in New York, is the big countdown to Christmas. I have it on in my house every year on Thanksgiving morning. 9:00 until 12:00! At the end, I, being the kid that I am, still wave to Santa Claus as he makes his way into the cheering crowds! I just can't help myself! I wondered how long these annual parades at Macy's have been happening and I found out they had their first one in 1924. Now that's a long time! I thought I would share with you some interesting information and pictures I found as I was browsing the internet for all things Christmas.

Macy's in Herald Square in 1907.

Macy's was founded by Rowland Hussey Macy who moved to New York City in 1858 and opened a store named R.H Macy's Dry Goods. Macy's logo has always included a star in some form or another which comes from a tattoo that Mr. Macy had as a teenager when he worked on a Nantucket whaling ship.

Founder, Rowland Hussey Macy


As the business grew, Macy's expanded and used publicity devices such as a store Santa Claus, themed exhibits, and of course their beautiful illuminated window displays to draw in customers. It also offered a money back guarantee.

In 1902, the flagship store moved to Herald Square at 34th st. and Broadway. The store expanded  through new construction occupying  almost an entire block.


Macy's today in New York City.







Macy's Christmas Parade in 1926.


Macy's in Chicago.


Macy's Ad.


Macy's celebrity "Yes Virginia" commercial. "2008" You will need to pause the music player if you listen to this.







A swirl of children's letters to Santa Claus.




Believe Meter.


I also found some pictures from LIFE Magazine, Issue, December 1948. This is a step back in time and I really enjoyed looking at these pages.


































In case you can't read the small print, this man's job every day for 26 yrs., was to slide down Macy's package chutes to make sure no packages were stuck in the chute! He wears out a suit of coveralls every 6 wks. and slides about 2 miles every week! How's that for a job!

If you missed my post on "Yes, Virginia," the video clip, you can find it Here. In 2009, Macy's and Macy's ad agency JWT produced Yes, Virginia, a CGI animated Christmas special, after pitching and selling the idea to CBS. 1) "Yes, Virginia" reached more than 3.7 million television viewers! 2) Other impacts were that  the associated public relations effort resulted in a substantial lift in overall exposure during Macy’s most critical season with 1.84 billion impressions generated, 3) On the night of the show on December 11, 2009, “Yes, Virginia” was Google’s No. 1 and No.4 hottest search terms, 4) “Yes, Virginia” made TV Guide’s coveted Hot List. USA Today said, "Like Santa himself, Virginia should be a welcome Christmas visitor for years to come." Parents Television Council named it the Best TV Show of the Week, and 5) Holiday sales for the five-week period ending January 2, 2010 achieved Macy’s sales goals: $4.4 billion US in sales, 1% growth in same-store sales, and 29% growth of Macys.com.


Since 2009, CBS has been the U.S. TV network broadcaster of Yes, Virginia.

So, that's what I found on my search for Macy's! I do shop at our local Macy's each year for Christmas and all year too. Hope you have a Merry Christmas in July!