New Year's Eve - Family Friendly Party Ideas

Hosting a party for New Year's Eve can be lots of fun, and it's easy to include your children.  Here are some fun party ideas that your whole family will enjoy (and that your children can help with!) -

• Make Accordion Circle Clocks.
• These New Year's Eve Poppers will be a hit with your children and guests.
• Let your kids collect all the clocks from around your house.  Group them on your mantle or on a shelf.
• Make Party Favors for your guests.
• Buy glow sticks for the children (and adults!) to wear.  Your guests will have fun creating their own glowing jewelry from them.
• Make Personalized Cups for all your guests.
• These Edible Party Horns are tasty and festive.
• Make fun Party Hats for everyone to wear.

Are you hosting a party for New Year's Eve?

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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique

New Year's Eve - Fun Crafts for Your Children

The craziness of Christmas is over, and now it's time for New Year's!  Even if your children are too young to stay up until midnight, your family can still have fun trying some of these crafts and activities -

• Have Party Hat Wraps for lunch or supper.  
• Make these New Year's Eve Marshmallows for dessert. (Also great for a party.)
• These countdown bags are really cute!
• Make Disco Balls and hang them around your living room.
• Create a time capsule.  You can make a small one out of a jar (like this one) or make a big one and bury it in your backyard (or stick it in your garage) for a few years.

How do you celebrate New Year's Eve with your family?

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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique

CHRISTmas Workshop - After Christmas Organization

After Christmas is over it's time for the hard part of the holidays - taking down all your decorations and finding something to do with your children's projects.  Here are a few tips to help make it a little easier -

• If you aren't able to keep all of your children's projects, take a picture of each one and save it to your computer.  You can even create an album with all the pictures.  This will take up much less space and you'll still get to remember all the projects they made.
• Pack fragile ornaments in clean egg cartons to store them safely.  These can be placed in a larger box for easier storage.
• Enlist your family's help to take down decorations.  Younger children can take ornaments off of the tree and older children can wrap lights and garland around cardboard for tangle free storage.
• Take advantage of after Christmas sales to stock up on storage boxes.  The red and green ones will be marked down, and they're perfect for keeping all your Christmas decorations together.  (They're also great for off season children's clothes, so you may want to grab a couple extras.)

When do you take down your Christmas tree?

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Merry Christmas!

 
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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique

CHRISTmas Workshop - Great Christmas Books for Your Children

As you head out on last minute Christmas errands, why not stop by the library and pick up some Christmas books for your children?  They'll love having a new book to read, and there are some adorable choices.  Here are a few suggestions - 

• The Beginner's Bible: The Very First Christmas (This would be great to read Christmas morning, too.)
• Punchinello and the Most Marvelous Gift
• The Berenstain Bears and the Joy of Giving
• The Legend of the Christmas Tree
• The Candymaker's Gift: Legend of the Candy Cane

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CHRISTmas Workshop - Fun Family Games

Cold weather and no school = bored children with lots of extra energy.  Try some of these fun games to keep them occupied.  They would also be great for a Christmas party or for all of your family to play on Christmas Day.

• Jack Frost's Not Lost
• Roll a Christmas Tree
• Secret Snowman
• Pin the Nose on Frosty - Cut a snowman out of white paper and tape it to your wall.  Let your children decorate it with crayon/markets.  Cut a carrot out of construction paper for players to pin.
• Dress Like a Snowman - Use toilet paper to dress each other like snowmen.  Add hats, scarves, etc.  Whoever makes the best toilet paper snowman wins.
• Print your own Christmas Action Cards.
• Family Tree

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CHRISTmas Workshop - Last Minute Gifts

Christmas is only 5 days away!  If you haven't finishing shopping yet, don't panic - we have several last minute gift ideas that don't require a lot of money or time.  Check out these ideas -

• DIY Storybook Placemats
• Gift Card Snow Globe
• Movie Basket (great for children, adults, teenagers, or a family!)
• Fabric Bookmarks (Pair this with a book or two for a cute gift.)
• Art supplies.  Children go through a lot of art supplies, and they always love to have more.  Fill a basket with coloring books, construction paper, different types of kid friendly scissors, crayons, markers, watercolors, etc.

Have you finishing shopping for all your Christmas gifts?

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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique

CHRISTmas Workshop - The Christmas Story

The Christmas story is the most important part of Christmas - after all, it's the reason we celebrate!  Spend some time with your family focusing on the reason for Christmas by trying some of these ideas -

• Read the Christmas story.  Click here to read about the angel that appeared to Mary and here to read about the birth of Jesus.  Talk about the importance of Jesus' birth and why He came.
• Make a homemade nativity scene with your children.
• Make a gingerbread nativity.
• Create Hershey's Kiss Angels.
• Make gingerbread or sugar cookies.  Use angel and animal cookie cutters and decorate with icing and sprinkles.  (You could even create a sugar cookie nativity scene!)

**Our friends at Bag Lady's Ramblings are giving away a $10 Starbucks eGift card - visit their blog to enter!

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CHRISTmas Workshop - Giving Back in Your Community

It's easy to get caught up in the craziness during the holidays - especially now that Christmas is only 9 days away!  A great way to focus on the meaning of Christmas is to give to others.  There are many different ways you can give throughout the world and in your local community.  Today we're focusing on ideas for your community.  Here are just a few -

• Toys for Tots collects new and unwrapped toys for needy children.  There are lots of drop off locations around the country.  Click here to search for one near you.
• Many communities collect toys for underprivileged children in their own area.  Check with your city to find out about local programs.
• Volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen.
• Make a donation to your local food bank.
• Go through all of your family's clothing and toys and donate items that are too small or unneeded (in good condition, of course).
• Volunteer at your local Humane Society, or donate food and toys for the animals.
• Donate toys to your local children's home.
• Make easy fleece blankets to give to homeless shelters.
• Collect coats, gloves, hats, and scarves and donate them to a homeless shelter.
• Visit your local children's hospital.  Bring games, toys, and coloring books for the children.  (Call the hospital first to find out about restrictions and requirements for visits.  Even if you're not allowed to see the children, you should be able to drop off toys.)
• Bake cookies and drop them off at your local fire station(s) and police station(s).

How do you give back in your community during Christmas and throughout the year?

**Most of these ideas can also be done throughout the year - don't forget to help your community all year long!

**Our friends at Bag Lady's Ramblings are giving away a $10 Starbucks eGift card.  Visit their blog to enter!

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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique

Product Spotlight - 12/14

As you know, we're always adding new items to Bear Hugs Baby Boutique!  Here is a preview of some of our newest items.  Visit our website to browse through the rest!

 Pink Plush Soft Doll Baby Starters Dots Minky Swirl

 Baby Starters Black White Dog Red High Tops Lovey

 White Puppy Dog Blue Minky Dot Security Blanket Blankets and Beyond

 Carters Panda Bear Snuggle Security Blanket

 Disney Patch Dalmation Plush Stuffed Dog

 Reindeer Security Blanket Lovey Baby Starters Snuggle Buddy

**Our friends at Bag Lady's Ramblings are giving away a $10 Starbucks eGift card - visit their blog to enter!

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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique

CHRISTmas Workshop - Gifts that Give Back

When you're choosing gifts this Christmas, why not consider a gift that does double duty?  There are some great places out there that offer gifts that will not only be loved by the recipient, but will also benefit those in need around the world.  Choosing gifts like these are a wonderful way to help your children look past the commercialization of Christmas and focus on giving.  Here are just a few suggestions - 

• Mercy House Kenya.  All of these items are handmade by residents in a Kenyan maternity home.  The proceeds go to run the home and to help the girls start businesses or get an education when they leave.  You can also shop for Mercy House jewelry through DaySpring.
• Hello Somebody.  This company's goal is to feed and educate children and to break the cycle of poverty.
• Compassion International.  This company allows you to give a gift in honor of someone.  A card is sent to the honoree with details of the gift, and the actual gift is sent to those in need.  You can give cows, playground equipment, drinking water, and much more.  This is a unique and awesome way to give a gift to someone who has everything.  World Vision also has a catalog like this.

There are many more places that offer items or programs like these.  Look around in your community for even more ideas!

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CHRISTmas Workshop - Teacher Gifts

Buying Christmas gifts for all of your children's teachers can add up quickly.  And while you want to give something special that truly shows your appreciation, it can be really hard to figure out something relatively inexpensive that they'll like.  These are some of the cutest ideas that we've come across, and you're sure to find something on this list that your child's teacher will love!

• Doily Tote Bag
• Coffee Sleeve
• Coffee Card (for gift card)
• Customized Soap
• Snowman Sanitizer
• Gift Card Bucket
• 150 Reasons Book (perfect for the whole class!)
• Personalized Reusable Cup 

And of course, no matter what gift you choose, a thank you note from your child is the perfect finishing touch!  Teachers love to know that their students truly do appreciate all their hard work.

What do you give your children's teachers for Christmas?

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CHRISTmas Workshop - Homemade Christmas Ornaments

Making homemade Christmas ornaments is a fun activity for your whole family.  Not only do they look great on your own tree, but they make wonderful gifts for neighbors, teachers, grandparents, etc.  Here are a few cute and simple ideas (make sure to check out our other ornament ideas - here and here) - 

Memories Christmas Ornament

Seed Bead Christmas Ornament

Mouse Christmas Ornament

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CHRISTmas Workshop - Nursing Home Gift Bags

Visiting a nursing home is a wonderful way to spread Christmas cheer and to focus on the true purpose of Christmas - giving.  You can go as a family or bring a group of people.  The residents love visitors, and children especially.  A great option is to have a Christmas party for the residents while you're there.  You can help them decorate trees, serve them cookies and punch (sugar free), sing Christmas carols, and even hand out little gifts.  Small gift bags are simple and inexpensive to put together, but will be greatly appreciated.  Here are a few suggestions of items to include - 

• Socks
• Tissues
• Hand sanitizer
• Lotion
• Hard candy (sugar free)
• Pictures/cards made by your children.

*Make sure to contact the nursing home prior to your visit to learn about any guidelines and requirements.

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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique

CHRISTmas Workshop - Cookie Recipes

Baking cookies is a wonderful family tradition.  These recipes are simple enough that your children can be involved in the fun.  After you've baked all your cookies, why not package some up and deliver them to all your neighbors?*  

• Sugar cookies.  It just isn't Christmas without decorated sugar cookies!
• M and M cookies.  Use the red and green M and Ms for a festive touch.
• Chocolate chip cookies.  You can't go wrong with the classics!
• Candy cane cookies - this link also explains the legend of the candy cane.

*A few more places to deliver cookies - fire stations, police stations, nursing homes, hospitals, soup kitchens, children's homes, etc.  You can also leave some for your mail carrier.  For a special touch, have your children draw pictures or make cards to go with the cookies.

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Bear Hugs Baby Boutique