Christmas Gift Wrap Ideas

Gift-giving during the Christmas season has been a long-established tradition in many nations. It is a widespread assumption that this practice dates back to the very birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, when the three foreign kings came to Bethlehem to offer their precious gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the new born King of Israel. This act somehow penetrated the fabric of history and people accepted it as customary to do the same among each other.

When we speak of Christmas gifts, it has become routine to use special gift wrapping and add special Christmas messages to make the gift more eye-catching. It is also a standard by which people measure how much thought was place in the Christmas gift’s formation.

Here are some inventive ideas you might find helpful when deciding the right Christmas gift wrapper for your gifts.

Christmas Present Wrapping At Home

• Prepare all the needed materials you will be using for this project ahead of time such as glue, scissors, nametags, special wrapping paper and other decorative materials.

• Utilize basic colors such as red or silver as an alternative to the usual Christmas-themed wrappers. Keep the wrapper in place by using colorful metallic ribbons. These wrappers can be employed later by making use of other gift wrapping techniques.

• Make use of elaborate, miniature Christmas greeting cards as tags for your gifts. Make sure to put in the recipient’s name when wrapping so as not to get your gifts mixed up. You could also make use of stick-on paper but you put yourself at risk of having these stick-ons removed as the adhesion wears off with time.

• For the children’s enjoyment, you could put together some small toys or candies, wrapping them on separate transparent cellophane bags and tying them with colorful ribbons for the Christmas gathering.

• Another means to make personal Christmas gift tags for your gifts would be to cut out some cardboard into shapes such as a heart, Christmas ball or even a silhouette of Santa, if you are handy with scissors. You could paint the cut out cardboard later with colorful design. When you are finished, paste it on the gift wrapper.

• If you are planning to give something breakable as a gift to your loved one on Christmas day, I would suggest you make use of decorated tissue paper as lining to protect or cushion your gifts from impact just in case an accidental fall may occur.

Christmas Card Messages Ideas: Greeting your Family a Merry Christmas

Christmas cards can make a special Christmas present for this holiday season. Who wouldn’t want to receive something that will make them feel appreciated and remembered? Christmas greetings cards can also be used as an introduction for something more special – like a much long awaited Christmas gift. They contain the words that one may not be able to express through action. Now, if you are to send a Christmas greetings and you don’t know what to write in it, you may consider these Christmas card messages ideas.

Christmas Messages Ideas

Popular Christmas Wishes

• I am wishing you a prosperous Christmas and Happy New Year.

• May all be showered with love and abundance this coming Christmas season. Happy Holidays!

• May the spirit of Christmas bless you with prosperity, wealth and success. Merry Christmas!

• I’m wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas. May you be blessed with joy and love this holiday season.

• Wishing you a Happy holiday! May this Christmas be the start of your successful life.

• May you be surrounded with comfort and joy this holiday season. Merry Christmas!

• May the beauty of Christmas remind you all the good things in your life. Start to cherish them – your friends, your family and your faith. Merry Christmas!

Religious Christmas Messages

There are some times we need to send religious Christmas wishes. Especially when you are sending christmas greetings for elderly or religious people I suggest you to select religious Christmas wishes. Please look below some religious wishes. You can insert a prayer to Jesus Christ or some religious gospels can be send as religious christmas wishes

• "Jesus has been around since before time. He is the everlasting reason for Christmas. 'I tell you the truth,' Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am!'" -John 8:58

• “Rejoice as our Savior is born, Seasons greetings!”

• “I am wishing you and your family a blessed Christmas. May the birth of our savior be the start of your joyful and beautiful life. Happy Holidays!

• "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." -Luke 2-11

• May the birth of Jesus Christmas bring you hope, joy and cheer in life. Merry Christmas.

• Keep the spirit of Christmas. Share the blessings and the gift of Christmas. Seasons greetings to you and to your family.

Popular Christmas Card Quotes, Messages and Sayings

You may also use Christmas quotations as your Christmas card message. these are best used as your introductory greetings.

• "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." Luke 2-11

• Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart... filled it, too, with a melody that would last forever. - Bess Streeter Aldrich

• Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. - Norman Vincent Peale

• Whatever else be lost among the years, Let us keep Christmas still a shining thing: Whatever doubts assail us, or what fears, Let us hold close one day, remembering its poignant meaning for the hearts of men. Let us get back our childlike faith again. - Grace Noll Crowell

• At Christmas play and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year. - Thomas Tusser

Kheer Indian Dish (Diwali Recipe)

Food takes a center stage during the Diwali celebration especially deserts and sweets. Food is used for entertainment, gifts for friends and family and also as religious offerings. It can also be given together with Diwali greetings or Diwali wishes. 

Amongst the numerous variety of Diwali delicacy, Kheer stands out as a distinctive luscious meal that is prepared by many during the festival.  It’s an Indian traditional dessert prepared in varied ways in different parts of India. 

This is how it is prepared;

Kheer Recipe

Ingredients

• ¼ cup of already washed and drained long grain rice
• 5 cups of milk
• 3 crushed cardamom seeds
• 5 gms of blanched and slivered almonds
• A dash of saffron threads soaked in warm milk
• 5 gms of skinned and chopped pistachio nuts
• 15 gms of sugar

Preparation

1. Boil the rice, cardamom and milk in a pan, till it simmers gently and becomes soft

2. Put the saffron, almonds, raisins and pistachio and let it cook for another 4 minutes

3. Stir in the sugar until dissolved completely

4. Remove from hit and let it cool for a while

5. Serve when warm or chilled

Other Diwali Delicacies

They include chickpea curry vegetable pulav and vegetable pulav. For more diwali recipes, click here.

Lapsi – (Diwali Recipe)

Diwali is one festival that is marked with fun and laughter.   The splendor and cheerfulness encountered during the five days of Diwali festival are unmatched by any other festival in the Hindu calendar.  Lights, crackers, diwali greetings and sweets are just but a few of the goodies that characterize this festival.

Diwali Sweet Delicacies

The types of sweets feasted on during Diwali are of a wide variety depending on taste and culture of different regions, such as in South India mysore pak and pongal are common while in the Northern parts of India Ladoos and Lapsi are common. Let us look at one of the special diwali recipes, Lapsi.

Lapsi Recipe

A sweet and easy to make dish that is, prepared during Diwali.  

Ingredients

• broken wheat,
• hot water,
• almond,
• sugar,
• raisins,
• cardamom
• powder and
• ghee

Preparation

1. Soak the raisins in water

2. Heat the ghee at a high temperature in a heavy pan, add wheat   then cook till pink-brown, then add hot water and cover partly at reduce heat

3. When the wheat is cooked and almost dry put on ghee, sugar and water then stir.

4. Cook for 10 minutes under low temperature, till the ghee  oozes  from the sides of the pan

Diwali celebration will surely be complete and sweeter with this Lapsi Recipe. Cheers!

Lakshmi Puja (Laxmi Pooja)

Lakshmi Puja, also referred to as "Laxmi Pooja" is the third and main day of the Diwali Festival.  It is celebrated in honor of Goddess Lakshmi the goddess of wealth, beauty, light and good fortune. To get the best out of this day, one should be clean and truly devote to the goddess for she despises lazy, dirty and people who are not genuine.

How to set up Lakshmi Pooja Shrine?

• Clean the worship area thoroughly then set up a high platform covered with new clothe

• Place a gold, silver or copper pitcher that is filled with grains at the base and ¾  water, then place a flower, betel nut, coin and rice in the it.

• Decorate the pitcher with mango leaves and cover it with a plate of rice grain

• Place the Idol of the goddess on top of it along with some coins.

• To be blessed with wisdom and wealth, place the idol of Lord Ganesha in front of the pitcher to the right hand side.

• Place books related to your occupation in front of lord Ganesha’s idol.

After setting up of the Puja shrine, the celebration should begin in the presence of entire family with lighting up of a lamp, popularly known as Diyas - the symbol of triumph of light over darkness.

Note from author: Feel the essence of the auspicious festival. Share the blessing by sending Happy Diwali greetings or creating your own Printable Diwali card.

Happy Diwali to all!

Diwali Greetings

Diwali Celebration is a five-day Indian Festival of Lights that is held in October or November every year. This is when they honor their religious traditions and bring to life their cultural practices through dances, feasts and community and family activities.

This Diwali, remember to utter Diwali Greetings and wishes to Indian families and friends by making gifts or personalized Diwali cards especially for them. Consider these greeting ideas.

THE LIGHT. 

The celebration of the Diwali primarily denotes the triumph of good over evil. The Essence of the “Festival of Lights” is mainly giving hope for the people that in time they will rise from darkness, and so they did. In the event that you intend to give best Diwali greetings, try to make use of images that portray “light” and brightness, such as a light bulb or sun and with it, write your greetings that describe what the image means for the celebration of Diwali.

GODDESS LAKSHMI.  

The Goddess Lakshmi is a big part of Diwali Festival. The Goddess of Wealth and beauty is welcomed in the homes of Indian Families and believed to have showered them with great blessings and prosperity all throughout the year. This Diwali, embrace the graces overwhelmed by the Goddess and share them with friends and loved ones by incorporating the image of Lakshmi in your Diwali Card as you wish them a good diwali celebration. Images of the Goddess Lakshmi can be searched in many websites over the internet holding a lotus flower and falling coins over the other hands.

THE RANGOLI. 

The Rangoli is a very significant symbol especially during the celebration of Diwali. These are made on the floors of the living rooms of Indian families basically to welcome the arrival of the Goddess Lakshmi and bring them good luck. The beautiful patterns of the rangoli can also be used as decorative design for your Diwali Card. There are various printable Diwali cards with Rangoli designs on the internet you can use for this or draw it on your own using coloring mediums.

Happy Diwali Wishes from Us

Happy Diwali messages from us to all the visitors of this blog. Please find some Diwali greetings

Happy Diwali greetings

May this New year brings you happiness

prosperity and Happiness.

Happy Diwali and New year

Another Diwali is coming with the

best wishes for another new year

Happy New year

Diwali Festival - Celebration and Activities

Diwali, also referred to as “Festival of light”, Deepawali or Devali, is one the most popular and biggest Hindu festivals. People across India and Nepal and Hindus from different part of the globe celebrate this auspicious festival with great joy and zeal.

There are different festive activities associated with Diwali festival. These include:

• Lighting Diyas – one of the most popular activities during Diwali. People illuminate their homes with clay lamps, popularly known as Diya. These are bowl-shaped lamp that is made of clay. Some also light candles for illumination.

• Decorating Homes – People also clean and decorate their homes with embellishments, flower garlands, rangolis, etc as part of the celebration.

• Bursting firecrackers – For many Hindus, Diwali festival is incomplete without firework displays or bursting firecrackers. It is one of the most prominent activities during this asupiscious festival

• Creating Crafts related to Diwali – during Diwali, people also create different craft as part of the tradition. They collect different items to use as embellishments and decoration for their homes. One of the most popular craft they usually create is Diya which can be used to illuminate their homes.

• Cooking Diwali recipes – just like other festivals, there are certain dishes being cooked as part of the celebration. Most of Diwali recipes are sweet and milky.

• Exchanging Diwali greetings – this festival brings the essence of togetherness among relatives, friends and family members. And one of the most effective and best ways of sending your warm wishes is through Diwali greetings. They come in various forms such as paper-cut card, printable Diwali card, or Diwali e-card.

How about you? How would you celebrate Diwali 2011? And since it’s just weeks away, let me greet you a Happy Diwali in advance. May you have successful and prosperous life.