Christmas Cards Keep all those Christmas cards and reuse them! If the area on the other side of the picture or decoration hasn't been written on, cut them in half at the crease and write thank you's in the format of a post card.  Using post card postage will also save you a few pennies. (Kat) _____ Christmas Cards Help to keep those Christmas cards standing up. I usually stand my Christmas cards up on the fireplace mantle or on the edges of my counter. They always seem to slip down at an angle and fall over. To prevent this, I use a sheet of rubber (the kind you get for your dishes or cubboards) and place it under the cards. (Wendy) _____ Toys I try to buy toys that have a lot of play value in them ~ a few years ago, a friend shared this tip with me ~ To get more play value out of Lego, Duplo, and other toys that have people or animals ~ buy extra people and animals to go with existing sets, rather than buying more lego and duplo sets.  The children actually like playing with the extra people and animals the most. This has been a good tip for my family and one I like to share with others. This year, I am trying to buy extra Fisher Price "little people" for my two year old.... to go with the sets we already have. (Terry) _____ Organize To get my christmas items organized, and easy to find, I created some sturdy storage boxes out of tomato boxes. (The kind you can get free at the supermarket produce dept.) I painted the backside of wrapping paper scraps (everyone always makes fun of me for saving these!) with thinned out white glue, and positioned them all over the box in a collage effect. When dry, I used the same glue to topcoat the box, and after drying again, applied a coat of clear spray paint. They looked so nice, that I made one out of easter wrap, and another out of birthday wrap. (Anon) _____ Holiday Safety Check the wiring on christmas lights and other holiday decorations for shorts or other malfunctions. If there's doubt, throw them out. _____ Fireplace Safety Use flame resistant rugs and fire screens in front of fireplaces. Never use lighter fluid or other flammable fluids to start the fire. Extinguish the fire before retiring to bed. _____ The Season Remember the reason for the season is the birth of our savior Jesus Christ, keep the spirit in your home and share it with those around you. (anon) _____ Shop the Sales Shop the after Christmas sales for next year's wrapping paper, bows and ribbon. The ribbon and bows, can be used for birthday's or other occasions also! _____ Shop the School Sales Some of the best stocking stuffers can be had from the "Back to School" sales. Small notebooks, markers, crayons, etc. and usually for a good price. _____ Baskets Make your own Christmas baskets! Throughout the year collect baskets of all shapes and sizes. Collect a "theme" of things to put in the baskets according to the person's interests. They will love it! _____ Place Cards Use pop tarts or cookies as name markers on the table. Place the name on each with frosting. _____ Christmas Tree Safety Keep the tree away from fireplaces, radiators, heaters and stoves, and high traffic areas where it is likely to be knocked over. _____ Christmas tree safety-2 Make sure that your tree is safely anchored so it doesn't topple over. You can tie fishing line to the top of the tree and attach if to a cup hook in the ceiling or wall.  _____ Wrapping Paper Don't burn wrapping paper in the fireplace. It often contains metallic materials that can be toxic if burned. _____ Romance Bring a little extra romance into the holidays by leaving a single red rose in surprising places for your mate. You can even attach a small love to them. _____ For The Birds Decorate your bushes and trees for the birds. String popcorn and cranberries together for beautiful garlands. Make pine cone hangers by spreading lard on the cone and dipping in birdseed. _____ Candles Freeze your candles before inserting them into the candle holders, you'll eliminate wax drippings. _____ Ornament Storage Store your small ornaments in empty egg cartons. _____ Garlands Thread polystyrene peanuts together as garlands for the tree. _____ Gourmet Coffee Make your own gourmet coffee by adding a few drops of almond, mint, chocolate, cinnamon or other tasty flavoring to the coffee grounds. _____ Fireplace Put some dried herbs or seasonings such as cinnamon in your fireplace to scent your home. _____ Catalog Shopping Before ordering, check to see the exact description of your item (sometimes the picture shows things that are not included) also check the shipping time, prices, and return policies. _____ Shopping Know a store's refund and exchange policies before you buy. These rules should be posted near the cash register; if not, ask your salesperson to explain them to you. _____ Packaging Tie up packages with something useful such as shoestrings, lace ribbon or measuring tape. _____ Christmas Cards Save Christmas cards to make ornaments, gift tags or a Christmas card book for the kids. _____ Shopping Try to make a list before shopping, it will help you stay more focused once you get to the stores to shop. _____ Birds Roll pine cone in peanut butter, then in birdseed, to make a hanging feeder the birds will love. Tie a red ribbon around the top for hanging. (thelma) _____ - More Christmas Tips

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