11:25am 09/25/2009
The holiday season is a great time to cozy up to family and friends and share your great ideas. We’ve got some great ideas to help you stay sane and savvy throughout the whole season, including valuable saving tips and tasty baking recipes. And with Ziploc® brand products on your side, your baking and cooking will stay fresher for longer, giving you one less worry this winter.
Helpful Holiday Savings
Create your holiday menus and shopping list in advance so you can take advantage of great deals as they arise. Stash your findings in Ziploc® brand Double Zipper Freezer Bags and pop them in the freezer until you need them. It’s a great way to save on shopping and stock up at the same time!
Save on expensive wrapping paper by encouraging your children to make their own. Collect stamps, stickers and crayons, and let your kids express themselves on brown paper bags or craft paper. Friends and family will appreciate the personal touch. Another way to add personal flavour during the season is to look outside and forage. Natural elements such as branches, berries, holly and pine cones can be found in nearby woods, or possibly your own backyard. Spray-paint fallen branches and twigs, and interweave them with twinkling lights. Gather up pine cones from local parks and dip them in gold paint. Nuts gathered from trees, as well as baby pumpkins and gourds, can be stylishly wound into wreaths. Hang something earthy, such as pine cones or tiny gourds, to break up artificial decorations, and use colour to balance out the look.
Costume jewelry looks great on packages. Hunt through your castaways or inexpensive boutiques for items. Pin pierced earrings to a velvet ribbon, wrap a choker around a package as a decorative extra gift or place beaded garlands atop wrapped boxes. Add your own flair to your gifts!
Your local dollar store will be stocked with novelty items you can use to decorate a wrapped package. Artificial flowers, ornaments, decorations, stickers, clusters of small ornaments and looped ribbons give your wrapping an artistic style that your friends and family will cherish. Plus, use what you have at home and recycle old holiday ornaments as wrap decorations.
Go green! Tuck aromatic eucalyptus sprigs or lavender twigs into a flat ribbon (great for spa gifts). Or, use iron-on patches in amusing shapes, such as dragonflies or bumblebees (just pin them on a ribbon), or use tassels that match the colour of the paper.
Give Yourself a Break
The holidays are supposed to be a time of relaxed gatherings with family and friends, but when you’re the one in charge, there are times when they can feel like one big long “to do” list. Ensure you take some time to treat yourself. Stepping back and enjoying your holiday time and accomplishments can give you more joy than a perfectly decorated home.
Instead of just wishing the holidays would go by quickly, give yourself a time-out. Head to your room, put your favourite songs on repeat and ignite some atmosphere with a Glade® Scented Oil Candle. Try Gingerbread Spice® or Bayberry Spice® for some holiday flair. Even pack yourself a little snack or picnic and take the time to unwind. After getting the house ready and the family organized, it’s the least you can do for yourself!
Find yourself too busy prepping parties to make a family dinner? Don’t fear the takeout menus! Order in, then ditch the takeout containers and serve on your favourite dishes. Your family won’t be the wiser, and you’ll have a hot and delicious meal with very minimal effort. Pack leftovers in Ziploc® brand Twist ‘n Loc® Containers for quick lunches the next few days!
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