Hosting a Holiday Open House for Your Business - Sample Your Wares

Hosting a Holiday Open House for Your Business - Sample Your Wares Hosting a Holiday Open House at your shop can net you one of your biggest sales days of the year. Consider having one each quarter. Come up with ideas that make sense for your shop. Obviously we have a Holiday Open House as soon as we've decorated the shop for Christmas. We have one in the spring near Easter, one for Mother's Day because 99.9% of our customers are women, and a fourth one late in the summer to celebrate the date we opened. We call that one our Anniversary Open House.

Our customers love, love, love our open houses. We treat them like guests and make them feel special. During your Holiday Open Houses you have the opportunity for your customers to sample your wares, particularly if you have foods that you sell. We carry scone mixes, cheeseballs mixes, teas, chocolate, coffee, and cider drink mixes, etc. We sell cookbooks. During our holiday open houses we would make a selection of foods and drinks based on our products, on our cookbooks. A number of things that we would have to nibble on throughout the shop were cheesy, easy things. Pretzels dipped in chocolate, M&M's, small trays of cookies etc. were things we would use to augment everything, but it was essential to allow customers to sample our wares. When sampling your wares, make it very obvious what they are tasting. Set up a display of those items in that sampling area. When we had customers come in who we know have never purchased one of these items, we try to get them to just have a taste of it. Many times all they had to do is taste it and they change their mind about what they think about it. Get them to realize that this will make their life so much easier at their next party. Make sure that your staff has tasted everything that you are serving as well. They need to be able to talk knowledgeably about it and give recommendations for how that can be served and how it would make your customer's life easier at a specific event. "For holiday entertaining it is really nice to be able to just open this up, add two ingredients and you have the most unique and delicious appetizer or dessert. I don't have a party without serving these." These are the kinds of things your staff needs to be able to say. Above all, your customers need to feel as though they have been invited to something special, and when they come in they need to be greeted that way as well. Make sure you have enough staff on hand to help people find items, talk to them about what you're serving, and above all make sure you can check them out quickly. Most people are quite willing to wait when they know they're getting something special. By treating your customers as honored guests at a Holiday Open House, you guarantee that they will return every single time you host one. Hosting a Holiday Open House for Your Business - Sample Your Wares Related articles: Spring Valley Vitamins , ทำseo

Creative Holiday Gift Ideas for the Person Who Has Everything!

Creative Holiday Gift Ideas for the Person Who Has Everything! Tired of giving the same old-same old? Embarrassed to give out those impersonal department store gift certificates because you're stumped and don't know what to buy for the person who has everything? Well, here are some wonderful ideas for unique gifts; some unusual, some personal; something for everyone on your list!

Group two, three or more items (mix and match) and place in an interesting basket or unusual container to present your gifts, covering the container with colorful cellophane and topping it all off with a fancy ribbon and bow. Purely Personal - Scented candles, handmade soaps, bubble bath and a big fluffy bath towel. - Fancy hair ties, hair clips, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner for the teenage girl - A movie night basket with a video of DVD of a movie you know they don't have, a box of microwave popcorn, candy and a movie guide book - An interesting book or magazine (and a gift subscription), a tiny booklight, a cute mug and packets of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows, or a small bag of flavored gourmet coffee - A cozy robe - one pocket containing envelopes of hot chocolate and the other, a small bag of mini-marshmallows. - A spa day with a pair of comfy slippers and a big fluffy towel or robe - A set of fancy beeswax candles and a brass candle snuffer - A towel wrap, terry-cloth slippers, shower soap, shaving lotion and a fancy hair comb (or a special moustache comb for the moustached man!) - A hot/cold pack (see how to make - www.whimsies-online.com/hotcoldpack.htm) with a box of soothing herbal teas and a whimsical mug - Buy a variety of medium to large seashells and fill some of the shells with melted red wax and a few drops of cinnamon candle scent; and the rest of the shells with melted green wax and a few drops of pine candle scent; adding a short wick before the wax sets and you have an assortment of bath candles all ready for the holidays. Holiday Bath Salts 2-1/3 cups of epsom salts 1/2 cup of sea salt 5 drops of peppermint scent 3 drops of red food coloring Pour half of the first three ingredients into a bowl. Pour the other half of the ingredients into another bowl, adding the red food coloring only to the second bowl. Using a tall, clear bottle, layer contents of each bowl until all ingredients are used up (think red and white stripes). Close the bottle and tie with a festive ribbon and a couple of small candy canes. - The Gift of Time: coupons for one night of baby-sitting, car washing, gardening, cleaning out the garage, walking the dog, re- arranging a closet, etc. Hobbies and Sports Gifts - Tickets to their favorite game and a sweatshirt or t-shirt imprinted with their favorite team logo - Art supplies that they use often - sketch pads, paint in often- used colors, charcoal pencils, etc. - Scrapbooking supplies, storage boxes to keep supplies in, rubber stamp set, embossing powder and heat gun - Computer supplies: CDRW's, blank CD cases, a furry Pet Virus novelty or a Virus Survival Kit just for fun (www.petvirus.com) - For the aspiring writer (or student): folders, pencil case, binders and lined paper, fancy colorful pens, notebooks, personalized notes, a good thesaurus and dictionary, an agenda or diary, colorful post-it notes and a personalized CD coaster to hold their favorite mug of coffee (see how to make one - http://www.whimsies-online.com/cdcoasters.htm) - For the young artist of craftsperson: a craft box with handle; colorful paper squares, set of scissors with different fancy blades, glue, felt in an assortment of colors, wiggly eyes, lengths of colorful wool, colored pipe cleaners - For the person who love to bake: a set of cookie cutters in letter and number shapes, a pair of colorful oven mitts, a cute timer, a set of fancy cake tins, mixing bowls, cookbook on baking - For the BBQ chef: BBQ apron, mitts, a set of large salt and pepper shakers, a BBQ brush, a BBQ recipe book - A large interesting piece of pottery, kitchen utensils, a cookbook, a set of cute salt and pepper shakers, apron and potholder set - A fancy flower pot with gardening tools, plant ties, garden gloves, a plant care guide and a kneeling pad. Fancy Food Gifts - Chocolate-dipped Spoons: buy heavy clear plastic spoons and dip them in melted chocolate, either all dark or all milk chocolate or let cool and re-dip in melted white chocolate but only halfway up the spoon bowl. Sprinkle with abit of cinnamon before the white chocolate dries for a variation. Let dry on wax paper. Wrap individually in colorful cellophane and tie with a curly ribbon. Add a couple of chocolate-coated spoons in a fancy mug along with packets of gourmet coffee. You can also add abit of extract or liqueur or even cherry juice to flavor the chocolate before dipping. For another variation on the chocolate-covered spoons, sprinkle the spoons with finely-crushed candy canes and let dry. Drizzle melted white chocolate onto your dark chocolate-dipped spoons or drizzle dark chocolate onto your white chocolate-dipped spoons for a different look. - Here's a different twist to your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Make up a batch, let cool and then dip them halfway into melted chocolate. For a variation, add a sprinkle of coconut or candy sprinkles before the chocolate coating dries. - Here's a way to use up those little plastic coffee creamer containers you've been saving. Check out this yummy recipe: Coffee Creamer Cherry Chocolates - http://www.whimsies-online.com/cherries.htm - Breakfast Treat Basket: pour a box of pancake mix into a clean glass jar. Add the lid, cover the top of the jar with a square of pretty scrap fabric and tie on a colorful ribbon or raffia. Type the recipe from the pancake box and print it out onto cardstock to hole-punch and add to ribbon before tying the finishing bow. Add small zip-lock bags of the following: chocolate chips, dried fruit including raisins, walnuts, almonds, pecans, coconut. One or more of these added to the pancake mix makes a unique treat! Include a bottle of pancake syrup and the gift is complete. - Muffin Magic: add your favorite muffin recipe to a 1 or 2-quart mason jar or clear, fancy container. Decorate the jar with a square scrap of fabric and tie with a ribbon or raffia. Add your recipe to a printed card (make sure you adjust your recipe if you've cut the ingredients by half to fit the jar!). Include a muffin tin, a wooden spoon tied with a pretty bow, a bag of fancy paper muffin cups and a colorful oven mitt or two. - Pasta Perfect: an assortment of clear glass jars filled with fancy pastas, a wooden spoon tied with a festive ribbon, a shaker of mixed Italian spices and another of grated parmesan or romano cheese - Your Fortune: mix up a batch of Chinese fortune cookies (see recipe at www.whimsies-online.com/weddinggallery.htm) that you add your own printed fortunes or silly sayings to (think Confucious Say!). Place them in a colorful tin from the dollar store. - Caffeine-fix: a set of small tins filled with an assortment of special hot cocoa mixes and/or flavored coffee using the following recipes. Create tags for each to describe each mix and the directions. (All cocoa recipes: add 1/3 cup of mix to 6 oz. hot water. All coffee recipes: add 1 heaping teaspoon, or more, to 6 oz. of hot water) Basic Hot Cocoa Mix 1-1/4 cup dry milk 3/4 cup powdered coffee creamer 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 cup sugar -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mexican Cocoa Add 1 tablespoon of cinnamon to above mixture and a cinnamon stick to the tin when you tie on the recipe card. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cocoa-Malt 1/2 cup malted milk mix 1 cup instant cocoa mix 1/3 cup powdered coffee creamer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Very Berry Cocoa Mix one package of unsweetened Koolaide in a berry flavor to 3 cups of instant cocoa mix -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coffee 'n Spice 1 cup instant coffee 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon allspice or apple pie spice mix 1 cup sugar -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mocha Magic 1 cup instant coffee 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 cup sugar 1 cup powdered coffee creamer 1/4 cup dry milk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Toffee Coffee Mix equal amounts of brown sugar, instant coffee and powdered coffee creamer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Personalized Gifts - An arrangement of family photos in a large frame - use nice gift wrap or other fancy paper as a background, or a collage of handmade papers from your art store. - Any item personalized with the person's name: a t-shirt with an interesting graphic along with their name; a personalized coffee mug; a picture of their favorite hobby or occupation in cartoon form with their name; a silly caricature made from their photo; a personalized BBQ apron. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You'll find a unique assortment of personalized cartoon pictures for any hobby, occupation or occasion and fun computer novelties including the Pet Computer Virus at: http://www.whimsies-online.com. Be sure to pick up your free gift just for stopping by! Creative Holiday Gift Ideas for the Person Who Has Everything! Related articles: Spring Valley Vitamins , ทำseo

Best Holiday Chocolate Recipe

Best Holiday Chocolate Recipe I've browsed the net looking for a chocolate recipe that would be the best, all-time, holiday chocolate recipe and after several hours of choosing from the many chocolate recipes, I finally settled for the one I feel most deserving to be hailed as, "The Best Holiday Chocolate Recipe" and it's the Chocolate cookies recipe. You can have chocolate cookies for Easter parties, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas eve dinner, and even on New Year's Day! They are certainly an all-time favorite, from toddlers to teens to grown-ups.

Here is a simple but wonderful Chocolate Cookies recipe. Ingredients: 2 cups of chocolate chips (choose semi-sweet chips) 2 tablespoons of butter 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder 1/4 teaspoon of salt 2 large eggs 5 tablespoons of brown sugar 1 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 cup of nuts, preferably walnuts, chopped The first step in making this wonderful chocolate recipe is to preheat your chocolate cookie-making oven to 350F. Put in a cup of chocolate chips and the 2 tablespoons of butter in a microwave-proof container, preferably a transparent bowl, and heat it up until it melts. Mix the mixture well until it smoothens. After that, put the 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a mixing bowl and mix them together. Be careful when mixing as not to whisk the mixture too hard or you will waste some. Using a kitchen mixer or just by hand, beat the 2 large eggs and when done, add in the 5 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix well. Add the melted chocolate chips mixture you've previous heated up in the oven bit by bit into the mixture of eggs, brown sugar and vanilla. Next add in the dry ingredients and don't forget to add as well the 1/2 cup of chopped nuts and the other cup of chocolate chips. After mixing all the ingredients, you will have a dough. Take a scoop of the dough and place it onto a baking sheet at about 2 to 3 inches apart. If you want to make the dough firmer, refrigerated it for about an hour or more. Bake it for 10 to 15 minutes while rotating the cookie sheet every once in a while until your wonderful chocolate cookies are a little shiny and cool them completely on the baking sheets. To make your chocolate cookies suit more into the holiday season, decorate it with sugar or butter cream icings. Enjoy your best holiday chocolate recipe! Best Holiday Chocolate Recipe

Shedding Pounds This Holiday Season With the New Candy Cane Diet

Shedding Pounds This Holiday Season With the New Candy Cane Diet The holidays are a time of joy, spending time with family, friends, and avoiding fruitcake at all costs. Throughout December, we're bombarded by platters of brownies, pies, cookies, cheese plates, gin fizzes and those tins of stale flavored popcorn. When I'm offered sweets or appetizers at work, cocktail parties and my parent's house, it's easy to put on a few pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years.

In order to combat the added calories, I developed a very simple "Candy Cane Diet" that works which I first jokingly blogged about on MySpace back in 2005. Sounds weird, right? But believe it or not, people actually used MySpace at one time. And for the handful of friends that may have read it six years ago, I've been on this seasonal diet (Nov-Jan) since then and revised the plan with even more research to back up my findings. The Facts: 1. Peppermint works as a natural appetite suppressant. I noticed years ago that eating a peppermint candy cane after a meal kept me full and not reaching for more goodies. 2. This diet is less expensive than weight loss supplements, drinks, or paid programs. 3. Whether you have a sweet tooth or not, this diet works and canes can be substituted with Peppermint tea. Here is how the Diet works: Diet Plan* 1. Eat a well balanced breakfast around 400 calories. It's okay to drink coffee too. 2. After a reasonably portioned lunch, skip the cupcakes or cookies and grab a candy cane. 3. Snack around 3pm-Like oranges, nuts, pretzel crisps, string cheese, Greek yogurt with honey & berries. 4. After dinner, as soon as you feel full instead of indulging in desserts, grab a candy cane. 5. Doing steps 1-4 most days will allow you to eat more at a holiday dinners or events during Dec. *Actual weight loss results may vary and may increase tooth decay, (but trust me it works). The candy cane must be the standard size & peppermint flavor (watermelon, blueberry or fruity candy canes won't work. (Box of 12= 40 calories each. Try to stick to 2-3 canes a day) *These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This diet is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. And exercise (even if it's just walking) and drinking H20 helps, as with any diet. Added Benefits: 1. A candy cane is a festive edible accessory during the holidays. Cuter than a lollipop, and much healthier than cigarettes. Plus, they easily fit in your purse, pocket or clutch. 2. No hostess will feel the need to force goodies or egg nog down your throat if they see you with candy. 3. Minty fresh breath in case you meet Mr. or Mrs. right under the mistletoe. 4. You can lose weight & still eat your favorite holiday foods in reasonable portions a couple times a week. In closing, I also just read last week I just read yesterday in Better Homes & Garden magazine, (Dec. 2011, pg. 181) that "Next time you need a nudge to exercise, try a peppermint stick. Studies suggest the fresh scent can rev mental energy and boost athletic performance." Shedding Pounds This Holiday Season With the New Candy Cane Diet

Have an Office Cookie Exchange for Holiday Fun!

Have an Office Cookie Exchange for Holiday Fun! If you and your family love having (or giving) a variety of home-baked cookies for the holidays, but you just don't have the time or energy this year, here's the solution: a holiday cookie exchange!

You can bake just one large batch of your favorite holiday cookies, take them to the cookie exchange, and come home with several different kinds of freshly baked cookies! You'll be the family hero, with minimum effort! Cookie exchanges can be done with friends and neighbors at home parties, or with co-workers at the office. Since the focus of this article is saving time and energy, we'll discuss the office version. Hey, you won't have to spend time cleaning up the house before and after the exchange! Here's how to have a cookie exchange at work: 1. Pick a date. Plan ahead so you can give people plenty of advance notice... at least two weeks. 2. Reserve a conference room or other area for the exchange. Book it for an hour. You're probably safest to plan it for the lunch hour, when your fellow employees will be free to have some non-work-related fun. 3. Invite people to participate. Be careful how you do this at work. Some companies frown on sending personal emails or using the copier for unofficial fliers. Do what's acceptable where you work. You'll want a minimum of six people to make the exchange worthwhile, but less than ten so the amount of baking everyone will have to do is manageable. Explain in your invitation that everyone will need to bake a dozen cookies per participant. So if eight people sign up for the exchange, everyone will need to bring at least eight dozen cookies (extras for sample tasting are encouraged!). Emphasize that family favorites or traditional cookie recipes are preferred, so there will be less chance of two or more people bringing the same type of cookies. Also ask them to bring copies of their cookie recipe for sharing. This is not only a great way for everyone to obtain new cookie recipes, it's a safety mechanism for people with food allergies. They can review the recipe before trying the cookies. 4. Ask everyone you invite to RSVP at least a week prior to the exchange and specify the type of cookie they'll bring. 5. Share the RSVP information with all participants, so everyone will know how many cookies to bake and bring (and how many copies of their cookie recipe). Ask everyone to bring their cookies already counted out, one dozen cookies per participant, packaged in sealable plastic bags (or other containers they don't mind giving away). If eight participants, they'll bring eight bags containing one dozen cookies each. 6. At the exchange (in a decorated room if you're ambitious), it'll be nice to provide coffee or water, and encourage people to sample the cookies. That way you can all rave about each others' culinary skills and have fun swapping stories about baking adventures, cookie recipe development, or the biggest nuts in the company. Relax for a while, have a good time, and take home some new and delicious goodies for the family! For some great cookie recipes for cookie exchanges, visit www.Cookie-Crazy.com. Have an Office Cookie Exchange for Holiday Fun!

3 Homemade Candy Recipes That You Can Make For Holiday Gifts

3 Homemade Candy Recipes That You Can Make For Holiday Gifts When it comes to making homemade food to give as holiday gifts, I think we all will agree that candy is at the top of the list. All three of these recipes are easy to prepare and will take less than 15 minutes to make (not including set up time).

You can make the candies and then package them in cellophane food-safe bags, metal cookie/candy tins or decorative holiday plastic containers. You can safely make these recipes up to 1 week before you plan on giving them as a gift. Holiday Marble Bark 6 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate 6 squares premium white baking chocolate 1 cup crushed peppermint candies Using 2 different microwave-safe containers, melt the semi-sweet and white chocolates in separate bowls. You should use the high power setting, stirring the chocolates at 30 second intervals until they are melted. I find that using a silicone nonstick spatula works best for this task. Stir 1/2 cup of the peppermint candies into each container. Alternately spoon melted chocolates onto waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Swirl chocolates together with the spatula to give it a marbled effect. Refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours or until firm. Break into bite-sized pieces. Double Peanut Clusters 2 cups peanut butter morsels 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening 2 cups salted peanuts Melt the peanut butter morsels and shortening in the top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling water. Carefully stir in the peanuts until they are well covered by the mixture. Line a baking sheet with waxed or parchment paper. Drop mixture by the teaspoons onto the baking sheet. Cool until firm. Pecan Pralines 1 lb. bag brown sugar 2 tablespoons butter 1 cup whipping cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup whole pecan halves Using a medium-sized saucepan, combine the brown sugar with the whipping cream. Simmer this mixture over low for 10 minutes, stirring often with a nonstick silicone spatula. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, vanilla extract and pecan halves. Beat this mixture by hand for 3 minutes. Line a baking sheet with waxed or parchment paper and drop the mixture onto the sheet by rounded tablespoons. Cool until firm. 3 Homemade Candy Recipes That You Can Make For Holiday Gifts

Holiday Dessert Recipe Ideas - Jello Chocolate Kahlua Cake

Are you all ready for the holidays? Do you have all your Christmas shopping done for everyone on your gift giving list this year? Do you already have your holiday meal planning done? We may not be able to help you find all your holiday gift surprises, but we can help you find some really wonderful and tasty holiday dessert recipe ideas today. For instance, if you love the taste and flavors of chocolate, coffee, cocoa and Kahlua, you might be interested in making the decadent and tempting jello chocolate Kahlua cake as your holiday treat this year.

Liven up the Holiday Atmosphere with Jello Recipes

You can liven up any holiday atmosphere when you choose to include jello recipes to your party planning and meal planning projects. Some of them are so easy that even your children may want to help you make the desserts at your house and some of them they can easily make themselves to surprise you. Try this delicious recipe for your next holiday party or social gathering; everyone will be asking you for the recipe so they can make their own wonderful and chocolaty jello cake. The holidays are for celebrating and spending time with family and friends. Use this recipe to bring a smile to the face of everyone you know and love.

Recipe for Jello Chocolate Kahlua Cake

What You Need

1 chocolate cake mix 1 package Jello chocolate fudge instant pudding ½ cup vegetable oil 4 eggs ¾ cup Kahlua ½ cup cold strong coffee 6 Tablespoons butter or margarine 1 pound box powdered sugar 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 3 Tablespoons Kahlua 3 Tablespoons hot strong coffee

How to Make It

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a cake pan by greasing and flouring and then set aside until needed.

Using a large bowl and an electric mixer add the cake mix, chocolate pudding, oil, eggs, ¾ cup Kahlua and ½ cup cold coffee and then beat until thoroughly mixed and then beat for about 2 or 3 more minutes.

Pour this cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake in oven for approximately 45 to 60 minutes depending on the size and type of cake pan you are using or until done. Check by using toothpick method to ensure the cake is done. After cake is done, allow for 20 to 30 minutes of cooling time. You will not frost this cake until it is completely cooled.

To prepare the Kahlua frosting you will cream the butter or margarine and then add the powdered sugar and cocoa and cream well. Keep beating this mixture as you slowly add the Kahlua and then the hot coffee. Beat until it is a smooth yet thick consistency for spreading over the cake.

Eight Ideas for Holiday Candy Cane Decorations

When the candy canes come out, it's a sure sign that the holidays are near. Unlike nowadays, there used to be just one type of Christmas candy. These candies, colored red and white striped and peppermint flavored, are always a wonderful holiday treat.

More so than being delicious, candy canes were also hung on the Christmas tree and eaten when the job of opening presents was done. Now this Christmas treat has become decorations for many other places, and are much more than just tasty snacks. Listed below are eight of the best ways we have seen to decorate with candy canes.

Chocolate Christmas

1) Design a wreath made of candy. If you're looking for a change from the usual green boughs and red ribbons, make a peppermint candy wreath for your front door of your home or office. Small peppermint canes are the best choice for this as they can be bunched and hooked together to form a circle. Our favorite peppermint treats are always a nice addition to a traditional wreath made with almost any material.

2) Use them as a centerpiece! The vivid colors of candy canes make them fine decorations for any table or desk. A nice jar with a few treats sticking out would make a fine holiday centerpiece. You'll have a few disappear, so have some spares around.

3) Add decorations to the candy canes - they are the basis for many Christmas craft projects; turn them into reindeer with a pipe cleaner, some felt, some glue, and googly eyes and they'll fit in just about anywhere!

4) Create a holiday tree garland. Candy canes can go onto your tree in many ways, not just hanging from the branches. Several candy sticks and some ribbon will make a wonderful garland for your Christmas tree.

5) Candy canes are a great for "Santa's sleigh" made of gingerbread. They have the right shape to make great runners for St. Nick's sleigh

6) They can also make good aisle markers. Candy canes are available in different flavors and in various sizes. Purchase two in the largest size available, and they can become posts for an entranceway, a path, or a hallway.

7) Candy canes can be great parts of a gingerbread village. They have many uses when they are included in a gingerbread village. They are also ideal for making lamp posts, fences, trees, or even road borders.

8) Make a "Welcome Bowl". At the office, remember to have the welcoming bowl of small Christmas treats. Everyone loves the peppermint taste, and the sweets bowl helps remind people of the giving spirit of the season.

There are so many different ways to use candy canes throughout the season. This list barely covers the possibilities! Sweet delicacies like these are also a major part of any decorating plans for the holidays.

Eight Ideas for Holiday Candy Cane Decorations

The candy man Christopher Pratt is President of Candywarehouse.com, a premier online bulk candy store, has stocked up on several varieties of yummy christmas candy canes, starlight mints, and other christmas candy for the season.

Changing Holiday Traditions

Kay called yesterday. Stressed about the impending holiday season, she complained, "I'm planning that darn Christmas Eve dinner." She is experiencing this once welcomed tradition as a dreaded event. "Can you change traditions?" She asked.

The tradition began when her mother married. Since her husband's family gathered on Christmas Day, she created the Christmas Eve dinner as a special way to celebrate with her family. Over the years, as children married and moved away, the value of the event grew into the highlight of the year! When her mother died, Kay happily took over the tradition and enjoyed preparing the celebration for many years.

Christmas Cookies

Today, Kay's children and grandchildren gather at this traditional event. The difference is that they all live nearby and see one another weekly. The original meaning of the Christmas Eve dinner changed. It no longer represents drawing people together one day a year with anticipation and excitement. Now it is one more chore, a sign that the tradition needs updating.

A newly recovering alcoholic client called me in a panic a few years back. She was concerned about relapsing over mounting holiday stress. The biggest upset was that she would not be able to finish making handmade ornaments, which had become a tradition. She started late due to time in treatment.

"What's really important about them?" I asked. After thinking a minute she said, "They show each person how much I really care about them." Tears welled up as she realized that relapsing would send the opposite message. Then, the light went on! "I sent the ornaments to avoid seeing them." With this awareness, she changed the tradition. She enclosed a poem in gift boxes inviting each person to select a special time to be together with her in the next year for a meal, shopping, etc. Over the years, this has become a welcomed tradition.

This is true in the workplace too. I remember the annual cookie exchange. Each person would bring their best cookie to exchange and everyone went home with a fabulous assortment of traditional homemade favorites. One year we realized that most of us exchanged the local bakery's cookies. The meaning of the tradition had changed. It was time for a new tradition, one that enhanced our working relationship without making unnecessary demands upon it.

As this holiday season approaches filled with past traditions and rituals, take time to reevaluate the meaning of your traditions. Are they still providing the original meaning? Is a tradition creating more stress than value? Is there another way to convey meaning that would be simpler or more effective? If it's significant, maintain it. If it has lost its purpose or meaning, create a new one.

Talking about meaningless traditions reminds me of a story about a young newlywed making the traditional family roast for the first time. As she is about to cut the ends off the roast she asks, "Mother, why are the ends cut off the roast?" Her mother replied, "That's how my mother taught me to do it."

Becoming more curious, she called her grandmother with the same query. "Why is it important to cut the ends off the roast?" Her grandmother said, "That's what my mother did."

More intent than ever, she approached her great grandmother at the nursing home, "Grandma, why do you cut the ends off the roast before cooking?" The elderly woman answered slowly, "Well dear, the pan I had was just a little too small for the roast, so I cut off the ends to make it fit."

Traditions are born of historical choices. We feel bound to keep up the fondly remembered act, even though its meaning has long gone.

When there's too much too do with too little time; it is vital to scrutinize every activity in terms of the value it adds to your life. Time-honored traditions are no exception.

Traditions, rituals and ceremonies add beauty and meaning to our lives. They provide depth to our experiences. However, a tradition without meaning can be counterproductive. It can inspire resentment, anger and frustration at its unreasonable demand for compliance.

One way to fulfill your quest for meaning, joy and peace this holiday season is to evaluate and create meaningful and simple traditions that are easy to maintain and truly serve their purpose.

May you have a happy, meaningful holiday season!

© Aila Accad

Changing Holiday Traditions

Aila Accad, RN, MSN is an award-winning speaker, bestselling author and certified life coach, who specializes in quick ways to release stress and empower your life. A health innovator and futurist, member of the National Speakers Association, she is a popular keynote speaker and radio and television guest. Her bestselling book "34 Instant Stress-Busters, Quick tips to de-stress fast with no extra time or money" is available at http://www.stressbustersbook.com Sign up for De-Stress Tips & News at http://www.ailaspeaks.com and receive a gift, "Ten Instant Stress Busters" e-book.

Planning Your Holiday Shopping Early

Christmas shopping should be well planned if you want to avoid having to scurry around on Christmas Eve trying to find last minute gifts for friends and family. This usually ends up with you having to settle for something that you would not normally buy as a gift.

But at least there are certain things that you can rely on if you do have to settle for last minute shopping on Christmas Eve. You can always find a nice selection of chocolates that you can give to certain people as gifts.

Christmas Cookies

Another gift that is usually easy to find is a selection of assorted cookies which is sure to please somebody with a sweet tooth. You can always find plenty of different colognes or perfume sets that usually make good gift ideas too.

A very popular Christmas gift is always any type of clothing apparel such as blouses, shirts or even sweaters.

As long as you choose something that is not too bold or something in a basic color you cannot normally go wrong with this. This could alter if the person that you are buying likes bold colors or very flamboyant clothing.

You can always find a large selection of wallets, ties or other accessories that can make great gifts for the men. Women on the other hand are usually happy with some form of jewelry items or even a cosmetic kit or something along those lines.

It is better to give teenagers cash gifts or even vouchers so that they can go out after and buy something that they really need rather than something that they may never use. Kiddies are usually happy with any type of toys or books so they are easily bought for.

Shopping can be a specialized hobby especially at Christmas time but if you plan well ahead you should always get what you want. It is also a good way to keep within your budget too if you have one.

Planning Your Holiday Shopping Early

Jackie Reyno has also written articles on can crushers. Her other articles topics also include truck batteries resources and comparisons.