The menu of Turkey's Chicken and Thanksgiving in the United States

The menu of Turkey's Chicken and Thanksgiving in the United States

Christmas Food

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States (US) which is always celebrated on Thursday the fourth week in November each year.

In history, this celebration was once performed as a sign of past gratitude for the harvest and today the celebration is still celebrated as gratitude for what they have gained or achieved this year. Thanksgiving Day is also synonymous with turkeys as a mandatory main menu in every celebration.

This year's Thanksgiving which falls on November 23rd. Feeling lucky to get a chance to visit my friends' family home and really enjoy the atmosphere of Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Previously could not celebrate because it was preoccupied with the number of college duties before this feast day.

The Hage family who lives in a small town called Hickman in State Nebraska invites to celebrate Thanksgiving. They have three children who gather at Thanksgiving.

One of their children lives in Kansas City, Missouri and always comes home to Hickman for Thanksgiving. This reminds me of Lebaran homecoming tradition in Indonesia.

Arriving at the Hage house, I was warmly welcomed. I met my friends' parents, Mr. David and Mrs. Jill. Of course, the duty to prepare the whole dish is Mrs. Jill.

However, Mr. David also had a special role on Thanksgiving that is combing turkey chicken to be served or better known as "carving a turkey". Used turkey chicken size weighs about 20-25 lbs or about 9-12 kg.

Besides turkey, the dishes served for Thanksgiving are green beans, sweet potatoes, bread, stuffing (mixed dry bread and cooked meat in broth), cranberries sauce, mashed potatoes, and the most favorite are pumpkin pie.

All of these dishes look interesting and delicious. This dish may not be like the first Thanksgiving feast, but the dishes have become a symbol of the nationwide Thanksgiving celebration for years.

As a thank you, helping to organize and prepare dishes is just a small part I can give. After all the dishes are ready, it's time to dine with the rest of the family at the dinner table around 12:00. This lunch event is certainly interspersed with a light conversation about the activities of each family member. They do this for a joint meal to be warmer.

Thanksgiving was not over, in the evenings some of Hage's closest friends also took time to visit. Enjoying Thanksgiving Day with friends is also very fun. We talked and shared about how their family's Thanksgiving activities.

They also took time playing light games as a distraction. For dinner, the Hage family prepared light dishes such as sandwiches and ice cream as they had a big meal in the afternoon.

Thanksgiving is a special day for every family in the United States. Not only because the dishes were very special, but also after Thanksgiving they were eager to welcome Christmas. This is evidenced by the installation of Christmas lights and Christmas trees to be ready to be decorated. Also, discounts on most stores (Black Friday) support most people to shop for Christmas gifts after Thanksgiving.

Tips for Storing Christmas Decorations during the Off-Season

Tips for Storing Christmas Decorations during the Off-Season

Christmas Decoration

Storing your Christmas tree lights and decorations in a safe place will ensure that you can use your lights again next year. Fragile light bulbs need to be protected from the weight of Christmas lawn decorations. Christmas tree lights need to stay untangled in a plastic container with clips to keep their circular shape. Don’t keep your Christmas lawn decorations in the attic. The extreme temperature changes in the attic can destroy your Christmas lawn decorations. Keep your Christmas tree lights and other decorations in a closet inside your home.

Christmas Lights
You can buy special containers that hold lights, ornaments and other decorations. Use bubble wrap or tissue paper to protect front door decorations. Store your Christmas wreaths in large hat boxes and place in the back of your closet. You can also attach each wreath to a wire clothes hanger using twist ties and cover with plastic. Wooden decorations can be stored in a plastic container wrapped with bubble wrap. The best time to buy containers for your decorations is right after Christmas. This is the time that everything associated with Christmas will be on sale at discount prices. Decorations that are flat should be stored in shoe boxes wrapped in tissue paper.

Candles and Ornaments
Wrap Christmas candles in cellophane or wax paper and store inside a spare closet in your home. They should not be stored in the attic or garage since they will melt when exposed to warm temperatures. Unusually shaped Christmas ornaments should be wrapped in tissue paper, bubble wrap or other paper and secured in a box or plastic container. When you buy new Christmas decorations, always keep the original box. This will make storing much easier than trying to find a box to fit. Label your Christmas boxes and containers and keep them in one place. Holiday dishes should be stacked with one sheet of bubble wrap in between each dish.

Christmas Dishes
Stack your holiday dishes according to size, and secure with crumbled newspaper. Label the box and store in the top of a closet. Side table decorations should be stored in several layers of tissue paper. Place them on their sides inside a box. Use crumbled newspaper to fill in spaces. The Christmas dining table set should be secured with bubble wrap. Fold cloth napkins and stack next to table decorations. Keep the holiday silverware and table setting together in one or two boxes. Label the box accordingly, and store in a secure place. When removing your garland from doorways, fireplace mantels and other places, drape it around your arm to prevent it from being tangled.

Place in a box or plastic container. Pack other decorations in the same container such as ribbons and lights that go with your garland. Don’t lay items on top of the garland or the pine needles will get crushed. Organization and planning will make Christmas decorating an easy task. If you store your decorations appropriately, then you won’t have to worry about ruining your holiday decorations. Decorating the home for Christmas can be your family’s Christmas tradition.

How to Set Up Your Own Christmas Village

How to Set Up Your Own Christmas Village

Christmas Traditions

Holiday decorations can be a very important part of a person or family’s Christmas season. One fun and traditional decoration is a snowy Christmas village. These setups are beautiful, and can be a wonderful way for a family to work together on a yearly Christmas decorating project. Pieces can be added each year which will add to the fun, or if your village is complete then yearly stories can be told telling about how the set was acquired. Christmas villages are traditional, stunning and can be set up in a variety of ways.

Buildings are the focal point of any Christmas village. During the season leading up to Christmas, village buildings and pieces can be purchased at various stores. Most stores start selling Christmas items in October. It is a nice idea to purchase many different styles, types and sizes of buildings. Different buildings create variety in a village and make it eye catching. Interest is kept while a person explores the many different facets of the village.

Snow is fundamental for a Christmas village. It is a key component for holiday decorations. Use quilt batting, sheets of white cotton, white wool, or polyester to create your snow. Batting is very attractive as snow since it can be pulled apart and fluffed up. This makes it look quite realistic when nestled around your village pieces.

Next, find a large area or table that is secure (a safe place is very important so there will be no worries about the Christmas village being knocked over) and cover it with a beautiful cloth or festive table cloth. Make sure the area you choose is in an area that gets seen. It is a lot of fun and work to set up a village. Therefore, the village should be seen and admired. Make sure and set up close to an electrical outlet as well. A lot of buildings and accessories will light up and need to be plugged in. Add your snow and then set up the buildings and accessories. Roads can be added by using black felt or construction paper that has been cut into strips. Play around with your roads and snow. It is fun to pile the snow in different ways to make it look more realistic. Once set up is complete add cars and snow plows to complete the scene. These can be found at dollar or toy stores.

More ideas for decorating for Christmas.

Holiday decorations are a fun way to brighten a home or business during the holidays and a Christmas village is extra special. Start set up early so the time can be taken to do the job correctly. Share set up and stories with family and friends who help with putting the village together. Assembling a Christmas village is a wonderful way to share the holiday spirit with friends and family and over time will be a Christmas tradition that everyone looks forward to.

Options for Discount Christmas Decorations

Options for Discount Christmas Decorations

Christmas Decoration

Purchasing discount Christmas decorations from multiple sources is a great way to save money. Due to high prices and a struggling economy, people all over the country are trying to find ways to cut cost without compromising the quality of their lives. Hence, Christmas is one of the seasons that people like to enjoy without cutting out some of the essentials that make the season special. Which means, finding the best discounts does not have to be difficult if the person knows where and when to look for these discounts. As a general rule, the savvy shoppers normally know when and where to look for affordable Christmas decoration prices. Here are a few tips that some of the savviest shoppers use to save money.

Buying Discount Christmas Decorations Out of Season

Buying discount Christmas decorations out of season is a great way to save additional money. While some people have spent all of the extra money during the holiday season, others reserve a hefty amount for the after season sales. The after season sales give consumers a chance to buy some of the most costly items on sale and at deep discounts. For instance, when a shopper goes to the same retail stores after Christmas, they will find certain items gradually increasing in cost by specific percentages. Boxes of Christmas lights and ornaments are some of the items that an individual can buy at a fraction of their original costs. In some situations, the buyer may purchase these lights at 70% off the original price. One of the rationales for selling these items at a deeply discounted price is moving the Christmas inventory off of the shelves to make room for the next holiday or special day (i.e. Valentine’s Day).

Wholesale Outlets

Christmas bells, balls, lights, angels and other ornaments can range in prices from high to low. Finding quality ornaments that will last year after year can be costly to a budget if the person pays full price. This one of the main reasons why some people may prefer buying the most expensive items for Christmas at a wholesale outlet instead of a retail store. In wholesale outlets, each individual can find a wide variety of different things to choose from. The ornaments that they find can be placed on the Christmas tree or they may be used to decorate other areas in the home. To keep these rooms looking festive with the best Christmas decorations on the market, the homeowner can look through large selections at wholesale outlets. These ornaments can also make great gifts for adults as well as for a child.

Online Discounts

In addition to buying Christmas gifts out of season and at whole outlets, many people have learned how to save money by purchasing their Christmas decorations online. Fortunately, there are many websites available that these individuals can choose from. Online shopping is also a great alternative since consumers can easily compare different pricing with others in the industry. This means the buyer can look at the most affordable prices before and after Christmas.

How to Decorate Your Home in Holiday Season

How to Decorate Your Home in Holiday Season

Christmas Decoration

Each year, as the festive season approaches, everybody starts thinking of how it will be. Planning early gives you the opportunity to organize all the holiday home decor items in the right way. You get enough time to arrange the items you used the previous season and decide which ones you will keep, toss out to recycle or simply donate.

The best way to go about holiday home decor is to start by considering whether it is appropriate to decorate throughout the interior of your home. In most cases, there is little room in the house. The Christmas trees take much of the space. Window decorations require less space and they can be visible even from the outside. Adding little decorations throughout the entire house will add a touch of whimsy and enhance the holiday spirit.

If you normally decorate only a single room in your house, extend the holiday home decor to the other rooms. Add small items one after the other. Add towels and potholders in the kitchen area. These are cheap and easily available in general stores even within your neighborhood. Have a change in the color of the washcloths, rugs and towels in the bathroom. This will add a spark during the holiday season. Adding ceramic seasonal pieces will help add holiday decor to these areas of your house.

To revamp the old decorations and give the house a fresh look, group all the similar things on a tabletop. For instance, you can place all the Santas together. Use mugs saltshakers, plates and other ornamental items. Doing this over time is a good way as it will showcase all the selections you have accumulated since you were a child. Your kids too will be doing the same.

In your holiday home decor, if bright greens and reds do not match perfectly in a room, try forest greens and burgundies. If you want the holiday decor to span the whole year till the next holiday, use blue and white. Icicles in glass, snowflakes, plastics or resins can be used throughout the entire home to yield a wonderland theme resembling winter. With color alone, there are so many options on how you can decorate your home. You can see ideas from your partner, kids and friends. Alternatively, you can check online for home decor ideas and visualize which is the best for your home.

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The entrances you use often must not be forgotten. Put a garland over the door and string it with lights and other ornaments. You can change the color of the lights over time and make this an all-year-round decoration. Display pinecones in a basket inside the house. You can spray them with gold or silver paint for a shimmery touch. For a touch of color, add miniature lights fitted in a string to that basket. Place extra baskets in bedrooms on the nightstands for extra decoration.

You can develop holiday home decor over the years through blending of old items with new ones. Make sure you add new ones each year. Spray paint the old ones to add flare to their appearance. Holiday decor will always be fun if you start early and try to maintain it throughout the year even after the holidays are over.

Make Memories with Handmade Christmas Ornaments

Make Memories with Handmade Christmas Ornaments

Christmas Decoration

One of the most versatile and exciting DIY craft projects for Christmas is Handmade Christmas ornaments. With these, you’re only limited by your imagination. From simple paper ornaments made by hand to elaborate woven bead ornaments made by skilled craftsmen, you can express your unique creativity in unlimited designs. Best of all, making your own Christmas decorations will lead to strengthened family bonds through traditions that can be handed down from generation to generation.

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In addition to making memories and keepsakes for your own family, handmade Christmas ornaments make excellent gifts and can even be sold at craft shows, markets, and online.

Paper Ornaments

Paper Christmas ornaments are fun, easy, and inexpensive to make. You can cut out designs from scrapbook, construction or recycled paper and even add embellishments if you prefer. The kids can have fun creating their own unique designs using glitter, markers, foam, and sequins to express what Christmas means to them.

Ceramic Ornaments

If you have a knack for painting, try buying premade ceramic ornaments that need only a coat of paint to be complete. This can be a great craft idea for kids, too, but adults will have a lot of fun coordinating colors and painting their own ornaments.

Natural Ornaments

Christmas ornaments made of natural materials date back to some of the earliest forms of handmade Christmas decorations. Pinecones strung with pretty ribbon, miniature wreaths made of holly, and pine needle sachets are just a few of the creations you can make with materials straight from nature.

Beaded Ornaments

If you have a bead loom and seed beads, you can create a beautiful cover for a simple ball ornament. There are also many premade forms to string beads on, such as a snowflake, angel or other designs that require just a few beads to make beautiful.

Recycled Ornaments

Perhaps the most creative, and certainly the least expensive, way to make Christmas ornaments is to recycle materials you already have. Used ribbons from last year’s gifts can be tied into ornate designs and hooked with an ornament hook. Old newspapers can be cut and stapled together for paper chains, while wrapping paper has almost unlimited uses as ornaments and decorations for the tree.

Store Them Properly

Handmade ornaments are precious and should be stored carefully to help them last for many years. A clothing box makes a great handmade ornament storage container. Use a second box cut into slats that overlap each other to create individual slots for each ornament to rest safely. Layer tissue paper over the ornaments to make sure they aren’t jostled, bent or broken when placed into storage. Carefully stored ornaments will last for years, giving your family joy that can last through generations.

Save Them in Photos

Because handmade Christmas ornaments can be such an important part of your family traditions, make sure to photograph each and every one. The photos can last long after the ornament is gone, and small children will enjoy looking back on the traditions that were created each year.

Making your own Handmade Christmas ornaments lends a special touch to your Christmas décor. When each piece has a story to tell, you can strengthen the family bond by telling stories and sharing traditions through handmade Christmas items that are sure to make memories.

Outdoor Christmas Decor to Spruce Up Your Home

Outdoor Christmas Decor to Spruce Up Your Home

Christmas Decoration

Christmas is a festive time when we deck the halls and celebrate with our friends and family. It is also the season to decorate our homes. Whether you are on a budget, looking for green alternatives or just prefer making your own one of a kind outdoor Christmas decor, there are many ideas for the Christmas crafter.

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Christmas Topiaries

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A Berry Topiary is a natural and festive way to create your own outdoor Christmas decor. Glue bunches of dried red canella berries to a cone-shaped Styrofoam tree with white glue. Start from the bottom and work up in sections. When dry, set the topiary on a sturdy garden tray. This topiary looks stunning and traditional when displayed on the front porch.

To create colorful outdoor Christmas decor, a Christmas ball topiary is a simple yet playful craft. Start by pushing a 1-inch wooden dowel halfway into a 4-inch floral foam ball. Glue miniature Christmas balls to the foam ball, making sure to fully cover the Styrofoam. Paint your planter in a color that complements your design. Allow the pot to dry. Add a second wedge of florist foam to the bottom of the container. Cut the florist foam slightly larger than the perimeter of your container and stuff it into the bottom of the container and insert the wooden dowel with the ball attached. Cover the foam block in the pot with greenery.

Decorative Christmas Pillows

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For instant homemade outdoor Christmas decor, Christmas pillows create a festive look on a front porch, sun-room or deck. Christmas pillows can be made in several holiday colors such as traditional green, bright red, and snow white.

How to Sew Your Own Christmas Pillows

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To sew a simple outdoor Christmas pillows for your porch or deck, you will need one standard poly-fill pillow form and less than 1 yard of exterior-grade fabric in a festive holiday pattern.  Measure the fabric’s dimensions, allowing a ½-inch seam on every side. Mark and cut two pieces for the pillow. Place them on top of each other with the design side facing inward on both sides. Sew three sides of the fabric with a needle and weather resistant thread or with a sewing machine. Turn the fabric inside out and stuff the poly-fill pillow form inside the fabric. Create a pillow shape and fluff the poly-fill. Fold the top of the fabric inside and sew the opening closed with a needle and thread. You can embellish your Christmas pillow with tassels for extra flair.

Festive Christmas Grapevine Wreath

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A festive Christmas grapevine wreath is a fast and easy outdoor Christmas decor idea that adds instant holiday style. Select a round grapevine wreath to suit your door. These are available in craft stores. To give the wreath a glossy finish, coat it with one coat of polyurethane spray before decorating. Glue on pine cones, ornaments, festive ribbon, nutcrackers or any other Christmas decoration you prefer. A strand of battery operated Christmas lights can be woven into the grapevine. Add a festive bow and place on a hanger.

Christmas Tops – Wonderful Gifts for Christmas Season

Christmas Tops – Wonderful Gifts for Christmas Season

Christmas Decoration

So, what are your plans for this year’s coming Christmas? Well, Christmas is always the biggest highlight of every year and people will always look out for ways to make celebrating it better than the previous years. There really are a lot of things to love about the Yuletide season. Students get to have two weeks of vacation from class while people who work are finally able to receive their much awaited 13th month salaries and bonuses. These Wonderful Gifts for Christmas Season give them more money to make the celebration extra special and, of course for a big shopping galore with the family. When it comes to shopping items for your personal wants and gifts for your close friends and loved ones, you should never forget to include Christmas tops on the list.

Why Christmas Tops Make Great Gifts

Christmas is about a lot of essential things. It is a time when the presence of Jesus Christ can truly be felt flowing along the air. Random people by the streets smile at each other that resemble peace. Families prepare special Christmas dishes for a lovely gathering with individuals that are close to their hearts. As an act of sharing your blessings like what our Lord always keeps teaching us, we practice the art of gift giving. When you give gifts, it should always be from the bottom of your heart. Having that said, you need to mean what you do rather than faking genuineness. Rather than just picking items randomly, put some matters into contemplation. When you start shopping for gifts, make sure that the stuff you purchase are useful to their designated recipients. As far as usefulness goes, Christmas tops will always work best for they definitely make wonderful apparels for the season.

What tops you’d Love to Buy for Christmas

One of the reasons why tops are wonderful items to shop for is that there are varieties of them that you can choose from; allowing getting exactly what would fit best to the people you’d be giving them to. For example, if you promised to give gifts to all the children in the family, you can go get some good shirts for them that come in different colors and different prints that all symbolize the celebration of Christmas one way or the other. For your adult friends, you would want something that will give them extra protection from the cold winter season. For that purpose, tops that would work best for them would be sweaters and hoody jackets, all tailored with a touch of the lovely Yuletide season, providing them with the warmth they need. Aside from these, there are so much more types of Christmas tops available in your favorite stores.

While the celebration of Christmas can be a lot of fun and full of excitement, you can never deny the fact that Wonderful Gifts for Christmas Season is quite costly too. Well, it would always be nice to save a few bucks from making your purchase for gifts. As a tip, shop for Christmas tops online where the lowest rates possible are always offered for your advantage.

Festive Christmas Decorations on a Budget

Festive Christmas Decorations on a Budget

Christmas Decoration

Adorning the home with Christmas decorations on a budget can be one of the most enjoyable parts of the entire holiday season. However, if you must stick to a strict budget, you may be wondering how to afford any new decorations this year. Fortunately, there are plenty of creative ways to add beauty and interest to your home’s Christmas decor without breaking the bank in the process.

Most of us have unused or forgotten items that can easily be recycled and used as Christmas decorations. For example, sweaters or old shirts can be used for making pillows and wreaths and last year’s holiday greeting cards can be re-purposed in a number of ways that will add to your Christmas décor.

To make a simple throw pillow, cut the sweaters into square shapes and fill with some soft batting or filler before securing the edges with fabric glue. Add some buttons or other embellishments to the pillow for a finishing touch.

If you are handy with a needle and thread, you could craft your own Christmas stockings to hang by the chimney with care. Or, you could create a one of a kind skirt for underneath the tree with old fabrics.

Instead of throwing away the holiday cards you receive each season, save them for making next year’s Christmas decorations on a budget.

Cut up old cards and add them to ordinary coffee cans or plain glass jars with some decoupage glue. The fronts of old or unwanted cards can also be used with ribbon or string to make a simple yet pretty banner that will liven up your Christmas décor. Punch holes in the cards to thread through the ribbon or attach with clothespins painted in holiday colors.

Christmas decorations can also be made from old magazines and holiday wrapping paper. Cut out pictures of holiday scenes found in magazines, pairing them with cheap frames to hang on the wall or display on a table. Wrapping paper, either new or used, can be put over all of the pictures hanging on your walls to really add to your Christmas décor.

When it comes to table toppers, turn to nature for some inexpensive inspiration. Greenery and pine cones can be used to make simple toppers and centerpieces. Collect the pine cones yourself or buy them at your local craft store or garden center. Pine cones can be used as is or dipped in paint and sprinkled with sparkling glitter.

Real or faux greenery made of pine needles or holly are the ideal accompaniment for pine cones whether it is on the dining room table or atop the fireplace mantle adding the perfect touch to your Christmas décor.

Ideas for new and festive Christmas decorations can be found all throughout the house without ever having to spend a dime. Fill clear vases, bowls, and containers with pretty ornaments, placing them in every room.

There are several types of Christmas decorations on a budget to choose from, giving you multiple options to consider based on the style you have chosen for your home. Whether your personal decorating tastes are simplistic and understated or colorful and whimsical, you can add to the existing theme with a little imagination.