home and family Babies-Toddler Crafts-Hobbies Elder-Care Holidays Home-AppliancesHome-Audio-Video Home-Improvement...

Some comedians joke about regifting these but Christmas fruitcake giving is a time honored tradition. When properly prepared and aged fruitcake is really a tantalizing treat. Sometimes brandy or rum soaked cakes are aged for years.

This is a very old tradition going back to an English tradition that predates Christmas. There was even a version of it baked by the ancient Romans. Although the ingredients were very different they were still forms of fruit, nuts and grain. There are many di...

The history of America's legal holiday of Thanksgiving is not complete without mention of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Tradition has this and other parades scheduled in the morning while the holiday meal is being prepared. Whether by design or accident, the parade distracts family members from the kitchen where the mammoth project is underway.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was devised by a large department store in New York City in 1924 as a way to kick off the Christmas sho...

What could be more timeless than Thanksgiving Pilgrims as a decorating motif for this uniquely American holiday? Other countries have a similar fall banquet custom but this one is filled with the history of our country's founding.

Thanksgiving pilgrims are attractive on cakes, candles, table cloths, plates and napkins. Together with the cornucopia they form the most common symbols of the fall harvest. Theirs is a slim form that celebrates what has become the homage to gluttony. Statuesq...

After the cookies are baked and frozen; after the party goods are ordered off the internet; when the guest list has been made out and invitations are addressed and sent then the question arises: what Christmas party games are there to play?

That's when the party planning gets tough! It might help to ask the guests ahead of time what sorts of games they like to play. The answer may be as simple as looking at the game shelf. A small gathering might be happy playing old games before the ne...

Homemade gifts and decorations are the best kind and those made in the moment as part of a Christmas day crafts project are the most enjoyable of all. There's something cozy and comforting to staying in the warm on any cold winter day with hot chocolate and cookies. Add the crafting projects to the day and things are about as good as it gets.

Almost anything of a hobby or arts and crafts nature qualifies for this cold winter day activity. But those special for the holiday are probably a...

Almost any child's party needs goody bags coordinated to the rest of the theme party decorations. Goody bags have their place at adult parties as well. It may well be possible that no party is complete without some version of this time treasured favor.

Easter bags for pastel wrapped candies or Egg party favors and toys are a given. It is hard to imagine a birthday party for a six-year-old that doesn't include a goody bag with at least a few party cookies or pencils. These can be colorfu...

Simpler parties require a simpler party checklist. A child's birthday party needs the use of a simple party checklist to plan the various tasks. Forgetting to place an order for the birthday cake is a disaster! The list is shorter but just as important. Holiday parties may be simple but they occur during a complex time of year. A party checklist can help minimize the frazzling affect of the season.

A party checklist is needed for the tasks of any sized get together. A very complex party...

Parties generate a lot of take home items and goodie bags are reasonable party expenditures because of this. The variety available allows for just the right goodie bags to match with just the right occasion.

Every color imaginable has its place at themed birthday parties or holiday get-togethers. Easter parties are the perfect place for the pink, yellow, green or blue pastel goodie bags. Christmas decorations have changed over the years to include a wider palette of colors so that goodi...