by Lyn Lomasi; Co-owner of Brand Shamans & Write W.A.V.E. Media                                                                                                                               

What do you do when you have a list of people to buy holiday gifts for and a budget to stick to? Some websites are now helping you keep track of  gifts, as well as any budgets you may have. Here’s how to manage holiday budgets and gifts online using Gift Box Home.

Manage Holiday Gifts and Budgets Online

Gone are the days of going through pages and pages of paper to keep track of your budget. It's the computer age and time to get with the program. Speaking of programs, you won't even need one to manage your holiday gifts and budgets online. All you need is a computer and an Internet connection. One Website to check out is GiftBoxHome.com, which allows you to manage multiple holiday gifts and lists in one place. Simply sign up and start using it right away.

Why Should You Manage Budgets and Gifts Online?

When you choose to manage your holiday gifts and budgets online, you are doing the planet a favor. Every little bit helps. By using the Internet, you are saving paper and wasting fewer trees. Another reason to manage gifts and budgets online is the benefit of having everything neat, organized and all in one place.

Lists and sheets of paper can get lost in the hustle and bustle of holidays. With the information stored online, you know it's a log on and a password away, not wedged under some stack of papers on the desk. Speaking of passwords, at GiftBoxHome.com, your information is password protected and not shared with anyone. Only you can see it, which is a good thing considering that some people like to peek at holiday gift plans.

How to Manage Holiday Gifts and Budgets Online

To manage your holiday gifts and budgets online, simply log on and sign into the website you will be using. GiftBoxHome.com allows for tracking several items. You can manage budgets as well as track your own wish lists and the wish lists of others. This way you won't duplicate or forget a gift. Also included is a way to manage refund dates, upcoming holidays and more. GiftBoxHome.com instructions are easy to use and follow.

by Lyn Lomasi; Co-owner of Brand Shamans & Write W.A.V.E. Media

Keeping the Santa Claus belief alive in kids can be tricky, especially when they start to get older. Older family members and sometimes friends will try to convince them otherwise. If you'd like to keep the Santa belief alive in your kids, perhaps an experience I had with my kids will help.

Being very open-minded and cherishing many faiths and traditions, we celebrate the magic of Santa with our kids during Christmas. We feel it is something fun and allows kids another opportunity to dream. They know about various religions surrounding Christmas and we share traditions with them from many winter holidays, Santa being one of them.

Reading The Santa Letters

Reading over the letters that the eldest three kids had left out for Santa one year, along with his Christmas Eve snack, I wondered how long they'd continue to believe. "Is Santa real" is a common question among kids their age, and many times even younger.

One portion of the eldest child's letter inquired "Santa, are your reindeer really real? If so, prove it and leave me one of the reindeer's jingle bells." How Santa would pull that off with hardly any time, I was not quite sure.

Moving on further in that letter, reindeer footprints were requested. Only problem is that we lived in a city where snow does not stick, if it snows at all. Where Santa would allow his reindeer to leave a footprint was a mystery to me.

This girl is one smart kid. She even requested stories of how Santa met Mrs Clause and one other Santa fact, along with other hints and undertones of Santa proof. Could Santa pull this one off? It was a longshot, but this is after all, Santa. He's magic. He can do anything.

The next letter was not quite so demanding. However, again the existence of the reindeer was challenged, namely Rudolph. "Is Rudolph really real and is Rudolph's nose really red? Does it really glow?"

The 3rd of the older children simply left Santa a paper and pen with no questions. Santa has been known to write back to the kids, so I assume him leaving only the paper and pen was related.

What Did Santa Do with the Challenge?

The kids and I had left the camera on the table next to Santa's treats and letters as we had been taking Christmas Eve pictures. Little did we know, Santa would be able to utilize that. He took a picture of his reindeer in the grass. There was a slight glare, but you could still see the reindeer.

He apologized about the glare in the picture, explaining about Rudolph's shiny nose being too bright to take a better one. It rarely snows in Houston, but we could tell the reindeer had been in our yard because they did leave tracks in the mud. As for leaving a reindeer bell, Santa had to take a picture of that, too. It would have messed up sky traffic if any of the reindeer were missing their bells. How else would people know they were coming?

That Santa Claus is one smart and resourceful person...

*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network

Kids love making crafts. What better time to teach them a new one than Christmas? 'Tis the season for spending quality time together. Christmas crafts can offer that time. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, caregiver, or teacher, this can be a fun Christmas project to do with kids.

When my siblings and I were kids, we loved doing Christmas crafts with my mom and this idea stems from that. We made our own Christmas ornaments every year as a tradition. Each year we did something different. One year we had tons of leftover Christmas wrapping paper, ribbons, and a box full of old toy blocks no one used anymore. Here's what we came up with.

Materials Needed

Only a few things are needed to make your own mock Christmas tree ornaments from recycled materials. Scotch tape, leftover Christmas wrapping paper (even the wrinkled stuff and scraps are fine), leftover Christmas ribbons, scissors, and some old toy blocks will be your crafting materials.

Instructions

This is a very simple craft that many kids can do. Some may need parental help, while others may not. Anyone who knows how to wrap a present in gift wrap can do this Christmas craft. First, give all the kids a stack of blocks. Be sure they all have the same amount or someone will be crying or bragging halfway through.

Next, pass out enough leftover gift wrap to wrap each block. We always have plenty, as we save our gift wrap every year after unwrapping presents. The leftovers still work for various things, such as crafts. Each child should also have enough tape and ribbons to complete the wrapping, as well as a pair of safety scissors.

Instruct the children to cut out appropriate wrapping sizes of paper for each block. Help the kids who need adult assistance. Next, tell the children to wrap each block just like wrapping a present. For those who don't know how, you can either instruct them or help them, depending on age and ability.

Once all the blocks have been wrapped, you and the kids can tie the ribbons around them, so that they tie in a plus pattern on top. Tie another ribbon underneath that ribbon, right in the center of the top. Make a loop out of it, tying a bow at the top of the loop. That loop will be used to hang the ornaments from the tree.

These Christmas tree ornament crafts can be given as gifts or kept for home or school use. This is also a great craft to do with the kids right on Christmas day because of all the wrappings that will be available for use.

*I originally published a version of this via Yahoo Contributor Network

by Lyn Lomasi; Co-owner of Brand Shamans & Write W.A.V.E. Media

For many, Christmas is a time for baking and sharing traditions with family and friends. Even those who don't usually bake love to try their hand at Christmas baking. With these simple recipes I use for my family, just about anyone can try their hand at baking. I've also tossed in the traditions that we do with them for an extra treat.

Cookie Decorating Party

Once your cookies are made, you'll need to get them decorated. What better way than to have a cookie decorating party? Invite friends and family to bring or make their cookies for decorating. While everyone decorates cookies, Christmas music should be playing. Be sure to have a variety of Christmas music, so everyone can enjoy it. Singing along should be encouraged. Sipping on hot cocoa with candy canes on the side for dipping and stirring is a must.

Homemade Hot Cocoa

Heat 6 cups milk (we use vegan plant milk protein instead) to simmering in a saucepan. Pour in 2 cups of powdered cocoa slowly, stirring it as you add it. Also add ½ cup of sugar. Stir all ingredients until blended well. Remove from heat and serve. This serves about 6 people.

Christmas Sugar Cookies

What's Christmas without the cookies? Here's a fun sugar cookie recipe that can be rolled out for use with Christmas cookie cutters.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter (we use vegan butter)
• 2 eggs (we use vegan egg replacer)
• 1/3 cup milk (we use vegan plant milk protein)
• 2 tsp Natural Vanilla Extract (no imitations)
• ½ tsp Natural Almond Extract (no imitations)

Instructions

Some people mix the dry ingredients first, but not me. I just throw all the ingredients in together and mix it up. So, put all of the above ingredients together into a large mixing bowl. Stir them together and then once you have a shape that starts to lump together, take it out and set a pre-floured surface. Knead it a few times.

If your dough seems to be sticky, add more flour by kneading it in until the dough is firm and not sticky. Next, roll the dough out to ¼ inch thickness. Now you may start using your cookie cutters and cutting out the shapes. Once you make the shapes, place them onto pre-floured non stick baking sheets. These cookies should cook at 350 F for about 8-12 minutes. Different ovens vary in time. Once the cookies have cooled, you may decorate them with candies, icing, sprinkles, or whatever you choose

Family Baking Time

Our family enjoys baking every day of the year, but Christmas is our favorite of all. We enjoy baking breads, pretzels, and cookies. Above, you saw how we enjoyed having a party with the cookies. However, with the bread and pretzels, we prefer to just do this with close family members. Much like the cookie party, we still sip hot cocoa. However, we also talk, laugh, and play and possibly watch a good Christmas movie. Here's how to make your very own Christmas Pretzels and Christmas bread.

Christmas Pretzels

Homemade pretzels are a cinch to make. Did you ever think about making them Christmas style? Well, now you can. It's quite simple actually. First, you'll need to make this pretzel dough.

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 pkg dry active yeast
• 1 beaten egg (we use vegan egg replacer)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• coarse sea salt
• red and green food coloring (we use vegan food coloring)

Instructions

Get a large mixing bowl. Pour in the warm water first. Next slowly stir in the yeast until it dissolves. Next, add the flour and a couple drops of either red or green food coloring, whichever you want. If you'd like both, you can make two batches. Knead the dough until it's smooth. Cover with a towel or cheesecloth and let it rise (usually 30 minutes to an hour).

While you're waiting for that, add the brown sugar and a drop of the same food color you used for your dough to the beaten egg. Once the dough has risen, you are ready to make the pretzel shapes. Flour the bottom of a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350 F. Take out some of the dough, forming a ball that is about 4 inches in diameter. Now, roll the ball on the table until you get something long, resembling a fat worm. Shape that into the pretzel shape. Repeat this until you have used all your dough.

Now, with the unbaked pretzel shapes on the baking sheet, lightly brush them with the egg/sugar mixture. Bake them for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on your oven. When they are done you might wish to add salt. That's it. Enjoy your Christmas-colored pretzels.

Sugar N' Spice Christmas Dinner Bread

We love baking bread together and the fresh taste and smell of homemade bread brings back many warm memories. Present this tasty bread topped with cinnamon sticks and crushed red hot candies.

Ingredients

• 3 cups Flour
• 1 pkg active dry yeast
• 1 tsp Sea Salt (optional)
• ¼ cup Milk (we use vegan plant milk protein)
• ¼ cup warm water
• ½ cup Butter (we use vegan butter)
• 1 tbsp Cinnamon
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Maple Syrup
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks
• ¼ cup crushed hard cinnamon  candy (we make sure  dye used is vegan)

Instructions


Get a large mixing bowl. First, put in the warm water. Slowly stir in the yeast until blended. Next, put in all of the ingredients except for the Maple Syrup, Cinnamon sticks and Red Hot candies. Once stirred well, knead the dough until you have a solid ball that is neither too sticky nor too dry. You want something like the consistency of play dough. Now, cover the dough in the bowl with a towel or cheesecloth. Give it about an hour to rise.

Once it has done that, place it into a floured bread pan and bake it at 350 F for about 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven. Once the bread is done, butter the top and let it cool to warm. Cover the top with a thin layer of maple syrup. Then, sprinkle the crushed Red Hot cinnamon candies over the top. For garnishing, place the cinnamon sticks atop the bread neatly in a criss-cross design.

Don't Leave Santa Out

Ever wonder if Santa's tired of eating the same type of goodies at every house? To give Santa some variety, simply arrange one or two each of the treats from above onto Santa's Christmas platter. Be sure that you arrange them nicely. For extra measure to be sure Santa's treats stay fresh, wrap the platter in cellophane and top it with a pretty bow and some cinnamon sticks. Be sure that the kids do much of preparing Santa's treat. This is generally their favorite part.