New Year’s Eve, a time of looking back at all you’ve accomplished and looking forward to all you hope to achieve. Here’s a way you can write down all those big goals for the new year and have a fun reminder of them. Check out our Goals Jar:
The lid reads: “A goal is just a wish until written down.”
The paper stars included with this brightly painted jar are perfect for writing out all the wishes you have for 2008.
Great gift for someone who’s starting on new adventures this year or for yourself as you focus your efforts on making changes in your life to last beyond January!
Regularly priced at $21.99 - today December 31st your price is only $15.39. Make buying this jar the first goal you achieve this year!
Technorati Tags: Monday Madness, New Year’s resolutions, goals, make changes, goals jar, dreams, wishes
My family celebrated Christmas together yesterday and I was able to wrap up a few things to stuff in our stockings. If you got all the way to the toe of your stocking without finding all the goodies on your wishlist, you can always stuff it yourself.
Here are a few of the items that were a big hit with my family that you might like for yourself:
Live With Intention Address Book
There are lots and lots of other great things that might be just what your stocking is missing. Check out all our best-selling stuff. Keep your eyes peeled for the new cool stuff we have cooking for 2008!
Technorati Tags: stocking stuffers, family gifts, best selling stuff, Lemonade Stand
I don’t know about you but at Christmastime I notice how many people we encounter who are in the customer service arena - some of them by title: complaint department, guest services, etc. and some by the nature of their job: sales clerk, financial planner, postal worker, etc.
Because we love great service, we wanted to reward those folks who serve us everyday, so we decided to share a little of our Wishmas cheer with our neighbors and friends. You may recall that on the first day of Wishmas we decorated cookies made from our super popular ABC Cookie Cutters. We made up some little batches of goodies for some of the people who give us great service.
You can tell the difference between someone who is doing a job and someone who loves what they do. The folks who love what they do, treat each interaction as an opportunity for outstanding customer service. You see excitement on their face, hear interest in their voice, and a general sense of positive energy from them.
Merry Christmas and may you have a 2008 full of great service!
Technorati Tags: great service, gingerbread cookies, 12 Days of Wishmas
Growing up my family had hand sewn stockings that my mom made - all matching red gingham. They were usually stuffed with candy and little toys like Hot Wheels cars and Care Bears.
Since we no longer do big gift exchanges between all of us, but didn’t want to deprive Mom of her joy of “picking up a few things” we conceded that we could still have stockings each year.
There aren’t as many gifts and there are a few more people, and this morning ritual in my pjs is still one of my favorite things about being together at Christmas.
Whether is was the chilly air or long lines at the Post Office, visitors for our 11th day of Wishmas were few. Those that came had the opportunity to decorate a Christmas stocking.
I’m not a super artistic person but I enjoy the occasional simple craft project like this one.
A little gold ribbon, some glitter and glue and a plain red stocking can become a personalized catchall for tidings of Christmas joy.
I found a fun story of possibly how the first stockings came to be in use by L Frank Baum:
Now it was on this same Christmas Eve that little Margot and her brother Dick and her cousins Ned and Sara, who were visiting at Margot’s house, came in from making a snow man, with their clothes damp, their mittens dripping and their
shoes and stockings wet through and through. They were not
scolded, for Margot’s mother knew the snow was melting, but
they were sent early to bed that their clothes might be hung
over chairs to dry. The shoes were placed on the red tiles of
the hearth, where the heat from the hot embers would strike
them, and the stockings were carefully hung in a row by the
chimney, directly over the fireplace. That was the reason
Santa Claus noticed them when he came down the chimney that
night and all the household were fast asleep. He was in a
tremendous hurry and seeing the stockings all belonged to
children he quickly stuffed his toys into them and dashed up
the chimney again, appearing on the roof so suddenly that the
reindeer were astonished at his agility.“I wish they would all hang up their stockings,” he thought,
as he drove to the next chimney. “It would save me a lot of
time and I could then visit more children before daybreak.”When Margot and Dick and Ned and Sara jumped out of bed next
morning and ran downstairs to get their stockings from the
fireplace they were filled with delight to find the toys from
Santa Claus inside them. In fact, I think they found more
presents in their stockings than any other children of that
city had received, for Santa Claus was in a hurry and did not
stop to count the toys.Of course they told all their little friends about it, and of
course every one of them decided to hang his own stockings by
the fireplace the next Christmas Eve. Even Bessie Blithesome,
who made a visit to that city with her father, the great Lord
of Lerd, heard the story from the children and hung her own
pretty stockings by the chimney when she returned home at
Christmas time.
On his next trip Santa Claus found so many stockings hung up in anticipation of his visit that he could fill them in a jiffy and be away again in half the time required to hunt the children up and place the toys by their bedsides.
The custom grew year after year, and has always been a great help to Santa Claus. And, with so many children to visit, he surely needs all the help we are able to give him.
Technorati Tags: 12 days of wishmas, Christmas stocking, L Frank Baum
Creating chocolate concoctions was the order of the day for our 9th day of Wishmas. Folks who browsed our goodies were able to sip on gourmet hot chocolate made to order just for them.
You can have your own gourmet hot chocolate station at your holiday gathering or even after dinner with your family. Simply gather up some fun ingredients to make this sweet treat!
The main ingredient is of course the cocoa. Tiny packets work great for this but you can also try this recipe for making homemade cocoa mix:
- 2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup Hershey’s cocoa
- 1/2 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
- 1 dash salt
The super fun part is all the goodies you add to the top. You need to have whipped cream and marshmallows. Grated chocolate, Marischino cherries, and sprinkles add a nice touch. Cookies and candy canes make great dippers for your drink too.
Hard to believe this day makes us three-quarters of the way through our Wishmas event. Much like yesterday’s snow was just right for Santa’s visit, this hot chocolate was the perfect activity for a frigid day in Wisconsin!
Technorati Tags: 12 Days of Wishmas, gourmet hot chocolate, homemade cocoa mix
Picture yourself at your holiday gathering: do you dread those moments between feasting and opening presents? You know those dead times filled with superficial questions and chitchat can be a thing of the past with this week’s Monday Madness item: Table Topics.
This family edition of the popular questions to get real interaction going is a hit for groups of many sizes made up of folks of all ages! Questions like: “where did your grandparents meet?” or “Is it easier to be the child or the parent?” Can stimulate discussion and open doors for stories and memories.
Each acrylic cube comes loaded with 138 question cards normally retailing for $24.99 today only your Monday Madness price is $17.49! Order one and get it just in time for the holidays!
Technorati Tags: Monday Madness, Table Topics, holiday gathering, quality family time
“On the seventh day of Wishmas my true love sent to me chocolate kisses!”
On a clear and cold day we met some new friends who checked some holiday gifts off their list, including the perfect office exchange gift.
Our activity involved mistletoe - shoppers were able to choose their sprig from the branch and tie a velvet ribbon around it for hanging. They found that if they stood under the mistletoe they received a kiss!
We never did catch Mommy kissing Santa though - maybe today since he’ll be here from 1-4 pm!
Technorati Tags: 12 Days of Wishmas, mistletoe, kisses, office exchange
Did you ever make holiday “gingerbread” houses out of graham crackers? Did you know that they make graham crackers that are really gingerbread?
In the aftermath of our big snow - perhaps we played Bing Crosby singing “White Christmas” too many times - Day 5 of our 12 Days of Wishmas saw some creative construction of gingerbread houses.
Besides the gingerbread crackers, a fully loaded frosting gun, and a variety of sweet decorations make up the necessary building supplies.
A great quote overheard, “We need more frosting in our everyday lives.”
Which was followed by a discussion of the many uses of frosting, the effectiveness of the icing gun and the efficiency of a holster for said device.
From a bright young architect to a couple crafting their dream home, Day 5’s results were very sweet!
There are only 7 days left - check out what else we have in store to help you fight holiday adultitis!
Technorati Tags: 12 Days of Wishmas, gingerbread house, gingerbread graham crackers
