Make this Holiday Season Memorable

Someone recently asked me “What was your favorite childhood celebration memory? What made it memorable?” That’s easy, my 6th birthday. I don’t recall the gifts, but oh the experience. When I was small my Dad would paint watercolor cartoon caricature murals on the family VW Van for our birthdays. Imagine, your face, four feet by five feet, “Happy Birthday” in GIANT letters. It was better than being a Princess in the Rose Bowl Parade! We would beg to be driven all over town, and pray it wouldn’t rain. My Daddy (still called “Colonel Dibble”) worked hard, had six children and traveled quite a bit. He was a tough disciplinarian with many children and little time. However, he always made time to make us feel like we were the most important person in the world. 38 years later, my Daddy is still my hero. The Van has been retired, Barbie and Easy Bake Oven discarded, alas even the Brady Bunch have all grown up. The memories are here to stay. It didn’t cost much and it was priceless. Do YOU have a special celebration memory that wasn’t about money? I hope you do.

A Holiday Riddle: “What is the one gift you can give, all that you possess, and yet at the end of the day you’ll have more than when you began?”

Answer: Love

That’s what I want this Holiday Season. It won’t cost much and it’s easy to wrap. It’s a gift we can all share (please feel free to “re-gift”). The Holiday Season should be about opening our hearts not our wallets. Here are some memory -making ideas sure to be crowd pleasers:

ADVENT CALENDAR
Instead of candy, roll up coupons written on a small piece of paper, one for each child each day. Examples: 6 six kisses, Mommy reads a story of your choice, one whole week without cleaning your room, pancakes for dinner, a story from when Daddy was little, game night, 30 extra minutes at bedtime (These are also great gifts)

HOLIDAY CARDS
Handmade cards are best. If your children are grown, copy a piece of “Art” you saved from when they were small. Or go green; save time money and stamps, email those you can, 2-3 lines giving a family update and pictures of you, your children or pets. It’s easy, free, and immediate.

FAMILY TRADITIONS
It’s not too late to start some. Invite someone who would otherwise be alone, prepare old family recipes, make a new ornament each year. Go caroling! This is especially fun if you CAN’T carry a tune in a bucket! Take food, toys or blankets to someone who needs them.

ENTERTAINMENT
Play or create family games. Charades, Pictionary, Balderdash, or make it up! Two truths and a lie, try to guess who it is, and which is a lie. Have a Family Scavenger Hunt (Find a person who has been in the armed forces, find someone who hates to cook, find someone who used to eat paste in preschool).

GIFTS
Experience vs. Expense is the key. Once again this year our family is exchanging names, here’s the twist, the theme this year is: “Thinking of you makes me smile. One of my favorite memories about you is…” Each person will create something (card, scrapbook page, poem, limerick or song CD) that focuses on a happy memory shared by just the two of them.

For the folks who have everything, you might make a donation in their name to a charity that means something to them. One suggestion is the Covenant House. This group helps to provide homeless children food, shelter, clothing and a warm bed: www.covenanthouse.org

Great Coupon Website!
www.couponcabins.com. Handmade gifts are best, but sometimes we need to shop. Shop smart. Search by store, category, on line discounts or printable coupons. JUST TODAY I printed a Bath and Body Works coupon for $10 off any purchase of $30 or more!

Holiday Pampering! Homemade Anti Wrinkle Facial Masks
Winter weather, dry heat, poor eating habits, stress, the economy, one more year, balancing, well life. These are a few reasons our skin begins to lose the appearance of vigor and youth. Skin care is one way you can pamper yourself, and these are also great gifts – very economical and always appreciated. And guess what? Their ingredients are probably in your kitchen right now. Really.

Carrot Cream
100 grams of carrot
1 tsp. almond oil
Extract juice from the carrots. Add oil, mix well. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Apply on cheeks, around eyes and the chin. Relax for 30 minutes, rinse with warm water.

Honey Anti-Wrinkle Mask
1 ½ TBS Honey
½ tsp. carrot juice
Pinch of Baking Soda
Mix carrot juice and honey. Apply to face with a cotton ball dipped in baking soda and water, low and easy, 20 minutes. Then wash with warm water.

Glycerin and Honey Mask
1 TBS of glycerin
1 TBS of honey
Mix glycerin and honey. Recommended before bedtime. Massage on face in a gentle circular motion and neck in an upward motion. Wash your face with warm water in the morning (this is probably not a good idea for those who sleep with partners or pets!)

Peach and Lemon Face Pack
2 peaches
1 tsp. lemon juice
Mash peaches, add lemon juice. Apply on your face and neck for 15-20 min. Wash off and follow it up with a moisturizer.

Dry Skin Egg White and Olive Oil Anti-Wrinkle Mask
1 egg white
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 TBS. olive oil
Beat egg white until smooth; add lemon juice and olive oil. Apply to face and neck a few hours before bedtime; leave it on for 20 minutes. Wash off and follow with your moisturizer.

Body or Foot Scrubs
Coconut Oil (or Olive Oil)
Sea Salt (or sugar)
Mix equal parts of oil and salt or sugar in a mason or condiment jar. Add a dash of natural oils for aroma; rosemary and peppermint are my favorite combination.

Damaged Hair
1/8 cup Olive or Coconut Oil
1 wet hand towel
Warm oil in the microwave. Oil does NOT need to be hot, just liquefied. Massage oil into your dry unwashed hair, just the hair, not the roots or scalp (might be too oily). Wet a hand towel, fold it, microwave for one minute. Wrap your hair in the towel, grab a good book and lock the door! After 30 minutes you may wash, condition and style your hair as usual.

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS
Have you ever noticed that most resolutions are themed “What I plan to give up.” This is an unhappy concept. What if instead we just “plan to give?” The Chanukah Season is one of Hope, Christmas Joy and gratitude for the sacrifice made to forgive man, Kwanzaa celebrates gratitude for our many blessings. (I apologize for having over simplified such profound philosophies, but in the interest of space and time) What if we make our New Year’s Resolutions reflect these values? This year let us plan to be hopeful, joyful, forgiving and grateful. This is my wish.

Regardless of your religious affiliation, I wish for you and yours hope, joy, love, family and friends. All the very best this holiday season and in the New Year.

Yours truly,
Stacy Leighton