Shopping tips and how to relax at Christmas - TEAM Resources

The holiday season is now upon us. It is a joyous time, but for many Canadians the season can also be stressful. So how are you feeling?

Are you trying to create that perfectly decorated and spot-free house and also prepare an elaborate meal for your family and friends? Why not have potluck? Have you bought and wrapped the perfect gift for your loved ones? Are these expectations realistic? I don’t think so.

So what is the recipe for a happy holiday season?

Lisa Martin, a personal coach from Vancouver, recently wrote an article on holiday stress in my favourite new website Mochasofa.ca.

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Martin suggests we have to first determine the ideal holiday season by asking: What do you want your holiday season to look like? Where do you want to be – at home, with friends and relatives or away from it all? Who do you want to celebrate with? What do you want to celebrate? What is really important to you? What will bring you joy?

The above questions will help define the list of things that you really want to accomplish this holiday season. Perhaps you want to spend some time with friends for a good long conversation, or maybe some quiet time alone with your child playing with new toys.

The impossibles list

Often on a Christmas list is the need to acknowledge the important people in our life with a gift. But some of those people are almost impossible to buy for and you are running out of time. Here are some tips to help with the shopping:

Relaxation coupons – Put together your own set of coupons for massages, manicures, pedicures or simply a hair appointment at a favourite salon.
Nail care basket – Fill a small basket with all the essentials for great nails, such as brushes, files, cuticle creams and a new colour of polish. Perhaps even throw in the matching eye or lip colour.

Bath and skin care – There is nothing more relaxing than a warm bath. The Body Shop has a cranberry line of bath products, skin cream, candles and scented oil that I would recommend.
Give some scents – Give that special person one of your favourite colognes or perfumes if they like wearing fragrances. My top pick is the Happy scents from Clinique.
Hair care basket – Give a collection of hair care products with a brush, comb and hair accessories included.
Aromatherapy kit – Package a set of essential oils along with a book on aromatherapy. Add aromatherapy lotions or candles.
Lounge wear – Check out some cozy new PJs for him or her. La Senza has some beautiful cotton sleepwear that would make a lovely gift.
Winter wear – What about some new mittens or a scarf?

Gift certificates – Give a gift certificate to a favourite store. This works well when your loved ones need something that you cannot pick for them.
Tickets – Give tickets for an event that the individual may enjoy like the ballet, theatre or a sports event.
Homemade treats – Arrange some of your Christmas baking, candy or beverages for friends and family in a basket, Christmas tin or decorative bag.
Artwork – Paintings, pottery or folk art done by yourself or purchased with care make a welcome gift.
Photographs – Photos are a collection of your life memories and those people that you share it with. Reprints of some favourites done up in a beautiful frame or printed in a calendar can become a treasure to the receiver.
Subscriptions and memberships – Consider magazine and newspaper subscriptions, or the membership fee to an organization to which the recipient would like to belong.

Books – If the people on your gift list love to read, try a suitable book that either you have read and would recommend or a selection off the best sellers list available at bookstores.
Time – Give the gift of time to someone who would appreciate some help.
Coupons – These can include babysitting, shoveling snow, walking a pet, a shopping trip or simply a drive to see the Christmas lights.

Have fun shopping and remember the true meaning of Christmas has nothing to do with spending money. Some of the greatest gifts are things money cannot buy and inexpensive does not mean unappreciated.

Winning ideas

Here are our Dec. 3 recipe and craft draw winner’s ideas.

Winning vegetable dip

2 cups mayonnaise 500 mL

1 pound creamed 450 g

cottage cheese

1/2 cup grated onion 125 mL

1 teaspoon salt 5 mL

1/4 teaspoon tabasco 1 mL

sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic 1 mL

powder

11/2 teaspoons 7 mL

worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon celery salt 2 mL

1 teaspoon dry 5 mL

mustard

1 teaspoon white 5 mL or black pepper

Whip in a blender or a mixer. Keeps several weeks in refrigerator. Serve with raw vegetables.

– May Elliott,

Morris, Man.

Winning craft

From Margery Crozon, Naicam, Sask., is a craft idea that was used at school with a Grade 2 class. It can be made as a Christmas ornament or, if you make three decorations, you can glue them on a strip of felt for an attractive wall or mantel decoration.

Materials

Used Christmas cards or Christmas wrapping paper.
Tin foil tart cups

For wall hanging:

Red or green felt strip, 21/2 by 18 inches
Pine cones, bits of ribbon or other decorations

Choose a picture from a Christmas card or wrapping paper that will fit the size of the tart cup. Trace around the picture using the tart cup as a guide. Cut out picture. Draw lines inside tart cup like you were cutting a pie. Cut on these lines. Then cut each “pie piece” into several more pieces, being careful not to cut through rim of tart cup.

Staple picture around edges of tart cup. Turn foil fringes to outside. Attach string to hang.

To make wall hanging, make three of the tart cup decorations and glue them to the felt strip. Glue pine cones or other decorations near top of strip. Attach a ribbon to hang.

The pictures inside the tart cup wreaths can be the same, if cut from wrapping paper, or all three can be different if cut from used Christmas cards.

A Christmas wish

To close our last column of this year I would like to share a Christmas card that my son picked for you that features Daffy and Daisy Duck, the Disney characters.

Their message is simple and has true meaning for all ages: