New Year’s Eve parties are fun for children and adults alike. Of course, children won’t celebrate the same way as adults as midnight nears, but everyone can enjoy playing any of these card games on New Year’s Eve.

Depending upon how many children are at the party, you may be able to allow the children to play together without adult supervision. Of course, it would probably be a good idea to have an adult or at least a teenager available to keep the children in line. Plan to have a couple of children’s card games that they can play while the teens and adults play with their own peers.

Children love to play card games such as Crazy Eights, Go Fish, and War. These are card games that most children may have already played or at least watched someone else play. You may need to ask a teen if they can help monitor the children, help them with understanding the rules, and keep any arguments down.

Teens, if there aren’t very many of them at the party, may want to play card games with the adults. If there are several teenagers they can play their own card games. Uno and Rook are two card games they could play. If you’ve lost your copies of the rules for either of these card games, you can go to the manufacturer’s website and print off a new set.

Of course, you may have some teens that are interested in playing poker. If this is the case, you may want to set some ground rules just in case someone suggests playing for money rather than chips.

Adults may enjoy playing one of the many varieties of poker, as well. If you’re not aware of the different kinds, you can find descriptions online. Some types of poker are best played with just a few players while others can have as many as seven players. If you have more adults than that, you may want to have more than one table for people to play at.

Other card games adults may like to play on New Year’s Eve include Canasta and Pinochle, or they may even enjoy playing Uno or Rook. Remember that if you’re going to play some card games, you may need specialized cards. You can find some specialized card games at discount stores. If you can’t find what you need, look online and order them in plenty of time for them to arrive for your party.

These are a few of the card games to play on New Year’s Eve. The ages of your guests don’t matter because there are card games for all ages. If these games don’t appeal to you, you can either buy a book about card games or check online to see if there are some that would be a better fit.

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Crisco
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup molasses
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon warm water
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Desired decorations

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients together until dough is well mixed. Roll out onto waxed paper, or a floured surface. Dough should be about a 1/4-inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Place on greased and floured baking sheets. Bake for 8 minutes, or until browned. Cool. Decorate with desired frosting, candy pieces and other embellishments.

The Christmas holidays are a wonderful time of the year, especially since the kids are home from school. Make the most of this time by making memories that will last. Creating Christmas decorations with your kids is a fun time for all. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

1. Tree Skirt: Find some felt material and design a tree skirt. Add beads, bows, sparkles and any kind of trim available to make this a one-of-a-kind skirt. Perhaps the kids would like to add pictures of Santa along the rim of the skirt. Another tree skirt idea would be to make a quilted pattern, using different plaids and solid colors. Decorate it with a fancy trim. It could not only be used for the tree, but as the base centerpiece for a vase of poinsettias.

2. Centerpiece: Another idea is to have your children gather together Christmas balls in various sizes and colors. Find a large clear vase or bowl and arrange them inside. You may want to add some holly as well. This colorful display would make a lovely centerpiece for your table.

3. Christmas Card Holder: Here is a creative idea for storing your Holiday cards. Start with an empty Kleenex (or tissue) box, and cut out the top rectangular part of it. Wrap it in Christmas paper, and use it as a Christmas card holder. Decorate it with holly and ivy. Then, attach a ribbon to both ends and you have a beautiful homemade Christmas card basket.

4. Paper Chain: An old standby is to take several different colors of construction paper and cut them in strips. Then attach two ends of the strips together (with a stapler, glue or tape) to form a circle. Continue by looping another cut strip inside that one. When it’s long enough, wrap the chain around your Christmas tree.

5. Candy Chain: While stringing popcorn or beads around a tree is a tried and true tradition, how about using Lifesavers candy? Your kids can choose the color order or even try to make patterns. Use different color twine or ribbons to give it a Candyland touch. Add candy canes as well. Since both candies come in their own wrapping, just use a needle through the Lifesavers wrapping. After the tree is taken down, they can be fun snacks to eat.

Christmas decorations are a great way of expressing the holiday spirit in your home. The kids will love creating them, and be proud to have their art displayed. And, instead of looking like a department store, your home will become a reflection of the family that lives in it.

Ingredients:

1 5-pound duck, cleaned and rinsed
1 large orange, peeled and quartered
Salt and pepper

Orange sauce:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Freshly squeezed orange juice from 3 oranges
1 whole bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon thyme
3/4 cup Grand Marnier
Grated orange rind
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Clean duck and remove all excess fat. Rub duck, inside and out, with salt and pepper. Insert orange quarters into duck cavity and place in roasting pan. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove duck. Pierce the breast with a knife or fork; drain excess grease. Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees and return duck to oven for 70 minutes, or until duck is quite tender. Meanwhile, blend sugar and vinegar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sugar starts to caramelize. Add bay leaf, thyme, orange juice, rind and liquor. Cook for five minutes or until well blended; remove and discard bay leaf. Remove duck from oven. Discard oranges; drain any remaining excess grease. Pour sauce over duck. Serve with vegetables, rolls and other holiday favorites.

Picture this scene. Everyone scrambles to get ready. Pajamas are donned and teeth are brushed. Before prayers are said, there’s to be a gathering in the living room. Each person finds a comfortable place to sit. The lights on the Christmas tree sparkle like diamonds. The smell of peppermint and holly wafts throughout the room. Do you smell the cinnamon muffins in the oven? It’s Christmas Eve and everybody is waiting to hear the Christmas story.

A Christian Christmas is not complete without sharing the Christmas story. The story of the baby Jesus’ miraculous conception and lowly birth reaffirms our faith during the holiday season. Recounting the story on Christmas Eve prepares us for Christmas Day. We go to sleep thinking of Jesus and wake up with thanksgiving on our lips.

One individual doesn’t have to be responsible for telling the story. The entire family can get involved. Each member can come up with their own unique way of sharing the story. I like poetry. My contribution could be telling the story in a rhyme. My nephew loves to write rap lyrics. That’s an idea for kids, especially boys. They can set the story to music. Whatever the idea, encourage each other to express what they feel in their hearts.

Sharing the Christmas story doesn’t have to take place before bedtime either. You could rent a video of the Christmas story and invite friends and other family members over early in the day on Christmas Eve and view it together. Add in some hot cocoa and a slice of cake and you’ve created a relaxing afternoon.

Whichever setting you choose for the story telling, ask those who are present to describe how the story makes them feel. For instance, I am grateful that God loved me so much that He allowed Jesus to be born. Looking at what Mary and Joseph went through, I am reminded that it is not always easy following God, but it always pays off.

Jesus was born to save the world. When we share his story at Christmastime, we give special attention to the One whose birth got little attention at the time.

Are you a sports fan? Why not make a baseball theme tree? Using a white tree, take some white ball ornaments and turn them into baseballs using red paint or red marker.

Add baseball gloves. Place your child’s hand on a piece of cardboard and trace the hand with a pencil. Cut out the cardboard hand prints and insert the cardboard cutouts into small brown gloves. Hang the gloves on the tree using brown wool.

Want to add baseball bats? Use your favorite cookie recipe. Shape the dough into the form of baseball bats. Since the cookies will become brown after baking, there is no need for food color. Tie the bats at the neck with ribbon or wool and hang the bats on the tree. Personalize the bats with the names of your favorite players by writing their names on the bats using melted chocolate and a pastry gun.

Make a tree skirt out of fabric using the colors of your favorite team. For example, let’s say you choose the New York Yankees. Take white fabric and add a black border. Take black fabric and cut out the letters New York Yankees. Sew the letters onto the white fabric. Add sparkles of red to enhance the red ornaments on the tree. Of course, if you prefer, you can use a team logo blanket or sheet you may already have on hand.

Place your favorite team’s logo atop the tree. Again using the New York Yankees logo, follow these steps. Take a piece of cardboard and decorate by painting the colors of the team’s uniform, i.e., black and white pin stripes. Place two holes in the cardboard. Place black wool around the top branch and tie it. Insert each end of the wool from the back of the cardboard through the two holes in the front of the cardboard, and make small knots to hold the cardboard in place.

Or, if that sounds too complex, just hang your team’s hat on top of the tree.

Finally, add red lights to complete this amazing baseball tree. You will have created a unique tree to display in your home.

Here are some ideas to throw the perfect Christmas party at home for your kids.

Prepare and Decorate for the Party
If you are using your basement or family room, add a small decorated tree. Even a tabletop tree or a construction paper tree on the wall will work.

Hang red and green streamers across the ceiling or from one end of a wall to another; and hang a “Merry Christmas” sign on the wall.

Set a table in the corner and place all Christmas paper products and tableware on it. (Christmas tablecloth, napkins, dishes, cups, and plastic flatware)

Before the guests arrive, get out your Christmas CDs and play them until the party is over.

Once the guests have arrived, you are ready for the party to begin.

Activities for your Party

• Play musical chairs, using jingle bells or any Christmas song for the music.
• Play charades. Kids are very animated, and would love this game. Choose Christmas-related words like: gift, Santa, elf, tree, Snowman, etc.
• Play pin the nose on Rudolph
• Play “Santa Says” – a fun Christmas version of “Simon Says” for kids.
• If any child can dance or sing, invite him/or her to give a performance.
• Have a sing-a-long to the Christmas music.
• Play “finish the Christmas story.” Have an adult begin a story about Santa or an Elf, and then ask each child to add a line or two. Once the story is concluded, the story can be printed out by another adult who has been writing down each line. Give each child a copy of the story, and have the kids sign the story as a keepsake.
• For the big finale, have an adult dress up as Santa Claus and hand out Christmas stockings to each child. Ensure the child’s name is on each stocking. Fill the stockings with goodies, such as: candy; small dolls; toys, or whatever is fitting, but inexpensive.
• Take pictures as Santa hands out the presents. Have several copies made for the kids so they will have a lasting memory of the party.

Whatever Christmas party ideas for kids you select, you can be sure that anything you do will not only be appreciated, but will give all the kids an opportunity to have a great time with their friends.

Each November and sometimes before, kids of all ages begin forming their Christmas wish lists. By the time December first rolls around, the list has grown huge. Grown ups aren’t much better. Our lists aren’t as long, but our gift wishes are more expensive! A second mortgage may be in order just to afford everything our kids want. And so begins the spending, shouting, running, pushing, shoving, and snatching that accompany frenzied holiday shopping. How did this happen? Our kids didn’t just wake up one morning with their hands held out and greed in their hearts. “I want! I want!” is a learned behavior. We have lost sight that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Where It All Begins
As a child, we are not born with knowledge of our actions. All behavior must be learned. Our first teachers are our parents and guardians. Kids imitate what they see. It is up to us as Christian parents to teach our children to follow the ways of God. That includes teaching them about giving and receiving. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but if we don’t concern ourselves with giving, how can we expect our children to act any different?

An Unselfish Gift
The story of the birth of Jesus is a shining example of selfless giving. God allowed His only Son to be born, knowing that he would live and die for a world that had turned its back on Him time and time again. God offered His gift of love with no strings attached. We still have the free will to accept or reject His gift.

Actions Speak Where Words Fail
Get kids involved in their communities. Help them see that there are families who don’t have a home or enough food to eat. Several times a year and especially during the Christmas holiday season, help them to go through their closets and gather together clothing and coats that no longer fit. Kids should come along with you when dropping off the clothes at Goodwill or another agency of your choice. Toys in good condition that aren’t played with anymore can be donated too.

Soup kitchens provide hot meals for the hungry all year round. Take your kids and let them help prepare and serve. Even at five years of age they can help you serve. Tell them that Jesus did the same thing for multitudes of people.

Supermarkets and department stores hang paper Christmas trees with the names of children who need gifts for Christmas. Your children will want to choose a tree and help another child like themselves to have a happy Christmas morning. Through your actions, your children will learn that giving unselfishly to another person feels good and benefits everyone. Their Christmas lists may just get a little bit shorter and their hearts will definitely get a whole lot bigger.

Kids love Christmas crafts. Santa craft ideas for kids are an easy and fun way to spend time with your kids during the holidays. Here are a few ideas to choose from.

Santa Picture:
Let’s begin with Santa pictures. There are a variety of Santa coloring books available during the holidays. Choose a picture from the book. Cut out the picture of Santa, and place the picture in the center of a sheet of white construction paper. Use a glue stick to secure the picture.

Color the picture with crayons. Once the picture is finished, place cotton balls to cover Santa’s beard, and one at the end of his hat. You can even glue black buttons for Santa’s eyes, and a red button for his nose. Decorate the blank area of the white construction paper by drawing candy canes or trees. When the picture is completed, your kids can sign their names directly under the picture. Take a piece of cardboard and glue the picture to it. Place the picture in a frame, and place the frame in a special place in your home for all to see and admire.

Santa Christmas Cards:
Making Santa Christmas cards is another craft idea your kids will enjoy. Take a piece of white construction paper and measure the paper to a size of 5×7 inches. Cut the construction paper to that size. Fold the construction paper in half, either horizontally or vertically. Encourage your children to draw their own version of Santa on the front cover. Use crayons or colored markers. After the picture is finished, your kids can write Christmas messages on the inside of the card. Homemade Christmas cards are wonderful to display in your home or send to relatives and friends.

Make a Santa plate ornament for the Christmas tree:
You’ll need crayons and markers; cotton balls, a dinner-sized paper plate, and color sparkles. Draw Santa, without his red cap, on the plate using the crayons or markers. Add the cotton balls for his beard. You can even glue the cotton balls into a V shape so that Santa’s beard hangs off the plate. The cotton balls can also be used for Santa’s hair, too. Use a blue marker to color in Santa’s eyes, and a black marker to draw Santa’s glasses. Use red food color on a cotton ball to make Santa’s nose. You can color the rim of the plate with red or green and add color sparkles to it. Finally, place the Santa plate on the tree by inserting an ornament hook at the top of the plate.

As you can see, there are so many different ways to involve your kids in creating, making, and decorating Santa Christmas ornaments, pictures, and cards.

Is there such a thing as “the perfect gift”? At Christmastime, shoppers go in search of it. Everyone wants his or her gift to be just what that receiver has always wanted. The things that people really want to make their lives better, can’t be bought from a store. I’m talking about good health, peace of mind, financial security, and long life to name a few.

There is a gift that can provide the missing elements of our lives. Best of all, anyone who knows where to find it can tell you where to get it-free of charge. It sounds too good to be true, but this is one gift that delivers what it promises.

God presented this perfect gift to the world over 2,000 years ago. His son, Jesus, was born in a stable in Bethlehem to a humble carpenter and his betrothed, a virgin named Mary. There was no get-together to celebrate the blessed event, only a star casting down its light from the night sky.

During the Christmas holiday, those who are Christians celebrate Jesus’ birth as the beginning of something wonderful. Without his birth, there could not have been a victorious death at Calvary and eternal salvation for every believer. Jesus’ life upon this earth was short, but he left behind a lifetime of teaching.

God’s love became real through Jesus Christ. Those who longed to know that God cared about them had at last found comfort. I grew up in the church thanks to my grandmother, but it wasn’t until I became an adult that I accepted Jesus’ message and received God’s gift of salvation. Now, I have a friend who will never disappoint me and a Father who answers when I call.

Remember the things I mentioned earlier: good health, peace of mind, financial freedom, and long life? God provides for them all through his Son. I can sleep better at night knowing that He is taking care of me. I also trust my beautiful family to Him, too. Whenever I hear my children pray or see my husband delivering the sermon at church on Sunday, I am grateful for Jesus Christ in our lives.

Would you like to know where to find God’s greatest gift? He’s as close as your knees are to the floor. Tell him that you want him to become a part of your life. Ask him to forgive your sins and make your heart and mind whole again. The greatest gift of all is now yours.