Christmas For All: November 2007

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Hottest Christmas gifts- Part 2

Here are some more hottest Christmas gifts.

Digital Frames

If the beautiful pictures are just stored in your hard disk, then it's the time to have a digital frame on this Christmas. Just have a 7 inches or 13 inches digital photo frame and display your precious pictures taken on Thanksgiving dinner or last birthday party. While Digitalframez are giving Christmas special discount till 1st December, 2007 and are offering different sizes from 7 inch to 15 inch LCD display, DigitalPhotoframe are also giving offers of free 512mb SD Memory Card.

Halo 3

Most of the video game lovers would jump with joy if they get hold of the latest Halo 3 . I think it is needless to say Halo 3 is the third of the first person shooter video game series that started with Halo: combat evolved and the third part concludes the story that began in first part. Halo 3 has similar concepts as Halo 2 but there are new modes and concepts that makes it exciting. There is an offer of buying 360 for which one can get a Halo 3 for FREE! Offer is from Nov 21- Dec 21. Also you can buy from Bestbuy where there is offer of free shipping. Of course there is Amazon where you can get used models from $ 50.

Bioshock

Another popular game is the Bioshock. Amazon is giving an offer of save 33% . If you want it , you better hurry add it to your cart till the stock lasts. One can get lots of facts about this game online IGN

Plasma Screen

People are inclining more and more towards plasma screen . However,one should know about some facts while buying Plasma screen. In Circuitcity one can get Plasma HDTV on which there are some offers while in Compusa there are number of brands of Plasma tv available.

GPS

Those who have been planning to invest on GPS on this Christmas , here is a good news. Circuitcity is offering a save of 100$ on purchase of GPS and upto 15% save on it's accessories.
But if you are new to this technology then you can get some good tips on PCmag. One can also check out CnetShopper or Amazon.

Present any one of the gift to a gizmo freak kid and he or she will love it. Are you still thinking if these gifts would really please your mom or your wife who is not-so-fond of video games and gizmos? Well, I will discuss some gift ideas for mom and expecting mothers. But that is for another post. Stay tuned friendsand please share your ideas with me about the Christmas gifts.

Here is a trailer of the Halo 3 which was released on September, 2007

Friday, November 23, 2007

Hottest Christmas Gifts- Part 1

Thanksgiving is over. I hope everyone had a great time with family and friends. I had lots of fun and I hope that I will have more on Christmas. Has anybody started the preparations for Christmas like buying gifts and planning for decorations. Well, I have started looking for the gifts online. Here is a list of top ten electronic gifts that one can give to the near ones.

PSP portable

Do you know snyone who loves gaming as well as listening to music? Here is a perfect gift for those gizmo freak- Sony Playstation Portable core. You can play games, listen to music, upload videos and audios as well as can access to Internet. It is, in other words, a Handheld Entertainment revolution
In CompUSA, there are limited quantities of PSP , in Amazon there are number of used and new models of it starting from the range $150.

WII

Another gadget for computer game lovers is WII. For those who are not so aware of video games let me tell you that Wii is the fifth home video game console released by Nintendo.
Amazon is offering new and used models starting from $ 537. Also there are discounts in the new models of Wii play with Wii remote. You can also check out Best Buy and Circuit City

Macbook

Macbook, the Macintosh notebook computers is becoming more and more necessary in our fast life. With Intel Core 2 Duo Processors, 1 Gb memory, camera for video chatting, 13 inch wide screen display Macbook is one of the hottest gift of 2007. While in Amazon the stock is very limited, the price range in Best Buy starts from around $ 1500. Till tomorrow ie. 11/24 there is a sale of Macbook in CompUSA

iPODS

Amazon is giving a special discount on the iPods on this weekend from Black Friday to Monday. The 3rd generation Apple 1 GB iPod or the Apple 80 GB iPod classic- you can choose from variety of models. Also there are other used and new models at reasonable prices.So HURRY! At Circuitcity , there are free gift for any new iPod purchase. Enjoy the music on this Christmas!

HDTV

If you can order at Amazon within next 1 - 4 hrs for HDTV , then your order will be eligible for Free shipping . On the other hand, at Circuitcity is offering upto 20% discount on HDTV sale. But oh! The sale ends today! So if you want a HDTV on holidays 2007, then rush for it. But even if you can't take the advantage of it, then don't worry. There might be more offers in the future or you can browse through Bestbuy where you can have a look at HDTV and it's accessories from almost every brand.

Here are some of the hottest gift of this season. To learn about more gifts and the best deals stay tuned.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Counting Down to Christmas

There's nothing like getting an early start on your Christmas by decorating your whole place. I'm starting off my 'blog decor' with this cool Christmas count down widget. And of course the count down really starts right after Thanksgiving! I'm so exicted. I love the whole decorations, dressing up, and yes, even my grandma's badly designed sweaters for gifts. Hey, it's the thought that counts right?

So here's my Christmas countdown check it out!

Mistletoe - some more facts & funny Christmas video

As I have promised I am here with some more information on mistletoe.
The plant itself is an interesting plant to the botanist for study. It is an partially parasitic as it grows on branches and trunks of other trees , but it can also make it's own food through photosynthesis. There are two types of mistletoe- while one type is the native of North America and are mainly used for Christmas decorations, the other type is European in origin with looks like green shrub with yellow, white flowers and berries that are said to be poisonous.

The Greeks and the Europeans considered mistletoe, specially those which grew on oak trees as sacred and magical. Most of us perhaps heard about the myths that the Druids in Britain believed. They considered mistletoe to be the miracle plant giving fertility and life to man and animals. After the winter solstice, on the sixth after the new moon, the Druid priest would cut the mistletoe from the oak tree with a golden sickle and would place it on a white cloth. A ceremony followed where two bulls were sacrificed and prayers were said for the well being of the mistletoe receivers.

Then there was the legend among the Viking people about Balder, the god of the summer son. Once Balder had a dream that he would die. His mother , Frigga was panic stricken and asked sky, air, water, animals and plants not to kill her son. But Balder's enemy Loki found that Mistletoe is not a plant as such as it has no root inside the ground. So he made a poisoned dart with the plant and made Balder's blind brother to shoot at Balder. When all the elements failed to bring back life to Balder, Frigga's tears changed the red mistletoe berries to white, restoring life to her son. Frigga then changed the bad reputation of the mistletoe and kissed everyone who worked underneath the mistletoe as a mark of her gratitude.

I have found a funny Christmas video about mistletoe. Here it is -

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Legends about Mistletoe

Thanksgiving is just on day after tomorrow. I think everyone has finished preparations for it. I have completed my invitations and decorations. Actually there is not much to decorate on Thanksgiving day. Just the usual Autumn flowers in a vase and using the Thanksgiving special card holders and mats. There is hardly any myth associated with any flower, tree or shrub on Thanksgiving. Whereas in Christmas, I don't know how many myths and legends are there about different plants. The most famous plant associated with Christmas is perhaps the mistletoe. Hanging of a artificial mistletoe bunch at the door or at the room is a common scene in Christmas.

The most popular custom around this plant is to exchange kiss by a man and a woman that signifies their marriage in the near future and life long happiness. This event can b e traced back to the old Greek Greek festival of Saturnalia and later with primitive marriage rites. In Scandinavia, mistletoe was believed to be the plant of peace under which the enemies made peace and the quarreling couples kissed and made up. In the eighteenth century the English started the custom of creating a mistletoe ball under which a young lady cannot refuse to be kissed. Such kiss would mean deep love and everlasting friendship.

Even before getting associated with Christmas, mistletoe has been considered as a sacred and magical tree by the Greeks and other Europeans. In the medieval age, people used to hang mistletoe on the ceiling with this believe that it would keep away the evil spirits. Even the Europeans used to put it before the doors having such belief. It is quiet clear the association of Mistletoe with Christmas has roots in the Pagan rites and rituals. The mistletoe has number of other legends and folklores, but that is to be discussed later.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Poinsettia- the Christmas flower

There are number of flowers and herbs associated with Christmas like Mistletoe, Wreath,
Poinsettia. Of them , my favorite flora for Christmas decor is the last one, Poinsettia.
While the most common ones are the red Poinsettia with three to six blooms, there are other shapes, sizes and colors.
Lots of myths and stories are associated with this flower. These are actually native of Southern Mexico, Central America and Africa. The Mayan Indians believed that poinsettias are powerful creatures from another world while for the Aztecs the poinsettia was a symbol of purity.
According to a Mexican legend a child picked up some weeds from the side of the road as she could not afford a gift for Christ on Christmas. As she entered the church with the weeds, it blossomed into red and green flowers.

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Tips for making candy canes

Speaking of candy canes, have you ever tried out making them at home? My mom used to make them every Christmas and so I would like to share the recipe with you.

On a cookie sheet, thick coat of powdered sugar is sprinkled.1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup light corn syrup and 1 cup water is combined in a saucepan.
Cook over medium-high heat until it reaches the soft-crack stage on the candy thermometer.
After removing from heat, 1/2 tsp. peppermint oil and 2 or 3 drops of food coloring is added. Stir well.
The liquid is poured over the cookie sheet in thin strips about 6 to 8 inches long. It should be cooled enough to handle.
Roll into a rope shape and gently twist to make a hook on top.
They are placed on a coated cookie sheet until hard.
Finally wrap the candy canes in holiday plastic wrap and curling ribbons for decoartion.

Your candy cane is made and if you want more recipes then you there are lots of online sites that offer free recipes .

Thursday, November 8, 2007

History of Christmas Candy Canes

My niece has already ordered me to give her lots of candy canes on this Christmas. Not that I don't give her chocolates and candies on other years, but on this Christmas she wants the red and white striped candy canes only and nothing else. She is so much like me. Even in my childhood I used to love munching the candy canes which were used as decoration purpose by my mother! There are lots of theories about the origin of the red and white striped crooked candy canes.
One of the legend says that originally the candy cane was a straight, hard, and all-white candy stick and a choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral in Germany, in 1670, first bent straight sugar sticks into canes and distributed among the children at church services. The candy somewhat represented a shepherd's stuff but it is not known whether the choirmaster had the 'Good Shepherd' in mind. Swedish town of Gränna first saw the Peppermint candy with red stripes in the mid-19th century and striped candy canes in the early 20th century. Legend says someone changed the existing form of candy which was already being used as a Christmas decoration (i.e. straight white sticks of sugar candy) and produced bent versions representing a shepherd's crook. This is strongest connection that can be made between the Christian symbolism and orgin of candy canes. It is also believed that the 'J' shape of the candy canes represents the name Jesus. The mass producing of them was started by a guy named Bob McCormack, around 1920, from Georgia and named Bob’s Candies.

This is the brief history of candy canes. I am looking for recipes to make candies at home . But that is to be left for the next post.

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Monday, November 5, 2007

Frosty the snowman

Isn't it ironical that the most popular Christmas jingles have no mention of the Christmas in them? Think about 'Jingle bells' or hear 'Frosty the Snowman'. The later is a song about a snowman Frosty who comes to life by a magical hat that the children put on him and after some playful adventures “hurry on his way.” The writers of this song was Walter “Jack” Rollins and Steve Nelson and it was recorded by Gene Autry and Cass County boys in 1950. Here you can find the lyrics if anyone wants to learn it.
Can anyone please provide me with the original animated video of the song?

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Thursday, November 1, 2007

Christmas Tree

We are planning to have a real Christmas tree this year. Though it's a little difficult to maintain a real Christmas tree, but with proper care and selection, it can be managed. But the advantage of artificial ones are that they stay fresh forever! Especially the Christmas trees with lights decorated on them saves a lot of time in the decoration during the holiday.

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