Posts Tagged ‘holiday’

An influx of holiday greetings means — oops! — you forgot to schedule that perfectly posed family photo. And buy cards.

While you may have missed the Festivus deadline, it’s not too late: My Good Greetings offers a jolly good selection of New Year’s cards that you can customize for 2009 with a personal picture and message. Not to mention, the cards are printed on 100-percent recycled paper with a high post-waste fiber content, and are printed with soy-based inks in a facility that uses renewable energy. Not only will your card stand out from the pre-holiday frenzy, it will outrank the other 25 billion cards on the eco-friendly scale.

Signed, sealed, delivered.

Available at mygoodgreetings.com.

Whether you’ve got a newborn or a precocious preschooler, a beautiful holiday book always makes the perfect present. Check out these new titles that celebrate the best of the season, then snuggle up and read together.

Board Books
Little Snowman: Finger Puppet Book
This pocket-sized peek-a-boo book is fun for parents and babies to read and play.

Baby Elf’s Christmas by Jane Cowen-Fletcher
A little one learns the season’s special holiday traditions.

Maisy’s Christmas Day by Lucy Cousins
The popular mouse celebrate the day with her friends.

Classics
The Nutcracker by Stephanie Spinner and Peter Malone
This beautiful retelling includes a CD of Tchaikovsky’s music performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra (recommended ages 4 to 8).

The Snow Queen by Naomi Lewis and Christian Birmingham
The beloved winter’s tale by Hans Christian Andersen is translated in this keepsake edition (recommended ages 4 to 8).

Around the World
Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story by Hena Khan and Julie Pashkis
Kids can experience the traditions of Ramadan and Eid through the story of a 7-year-old girl (recommended ages 4 to 8).

Wish: Wishing Traditions Around the World by Roseanne Thong and Elisa Kleven
Charming customs across the globe, from Japan’s Star Festival to jumping waves in Brazil, show kids how people come together (recommended ages 5 to 9).

For Fun
A Present for Santa Claus by Dana Kubick and David Wood
This pop-up book follows a boy who searches for the perfect gift for Santa.

The Dinosaurs’ Night Before Christmas by Anne Muecke and Nathan Hale
A dino twist on the classic poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas celebrates the fossils at NYC’s American Museum of Natural History. An accompanying CD features Christmas music and a reading by Al Roker.

Ah, Thanksgiving. A time for turkey, counting your blessings and of course, taking the annual family photo. If a perfectly posed pic is the goal, think again. Classic Kids Photography founder Julie Floyd offers these tips on impromptu shots that will capture kids’ true personality:

1. Never say “smile” or ask the children to say “cheese.” Their mouth will smile, but their eyes will not. Get kids to smile by keeping them entertained.

2. The photographer needs to bring the camera down to eye level. Position yourself in a child-friendly spot — even lay on the floor if necessary.

3. Fill the frame with your subject. A nice close shot is far more interesting to the viewer than seeing a lot of background.

4. Leave props out of the photograph unless the object is something your child can’t live without.

5. Make the shoot fun. If your four kids have to sit still for the picture, make sure that you are very entertaining. Enlist help from another adult if necessary.

6. Let kids be kids. Don’t stress about boo-boos, braces, bruises and black eyes. Imperfections are charming and make kids look real. Don’t insist that hair is perfectly styled. Remember, natural truly is timeless.

The Thanksgiving menu is planned, the groceries bought and the kitchen cleaned. But you were so busy Googling recipes for low-fat pumpkin pie that you completely forgot about the table.

Check out the super-easy centerpiece suggestions on Celebrations.com, a new site that offers tons of party tips for any special occasion. Follow the instructions on how to incorporate seasonal decor like little pumpkins and tea lights, or even spare coffee cans and backyard leaves, into a look that works well with your Wedgwood. Maybe the kids will even be inspired to eat veggies when they see how you’ve turned an artichoke into a work of art.

And if your well-placed decorations get destroyed by a turkey-loathing toddler, don’t fret. The only cost was a little craftiness.

Visit celebrations.com.

You can’t do Cabo with a rambunctious 3-year-old. But you’d still like to infuse a little south-of-the-border flavor into his life this Cinco de Mayo.

Whip up a dish from the new Handstand Kids Mexican Cookbook. You and your little bambino can try your hand at tilapia tacos, fiesta corn and apple cinnamon taquitos. Just like its Italian predecessor, many of the book’s recipes are peppered with authentic vocab.

And next year, it’s the Yucatan.

Available at handstandkids.com.