Tag: christmas
7 Tips to Stick to Your Holiday Budget
The holiday season is here which means lots of events, shopping, dinners and parties! With all of that comes a lot of spending! Try to stick to a budget this holiday season with these 8 tips.
1 – Make a list and stick to it! Decide who you need to buy for and be strict with adding anyone else.
2 – Skip the impulse purchases! Stores put a lot of fun goodies right near the register for a reason. Skip checking out the impulse section this year and head right to the register instead.
3 – Buy online when you can. This helps because you can compare prices, find online promo codes and many stores offer free shipping this time of year.
4 – If you’re hosting a party or dinner, ask your guests to bring things! Don’t put the burden on yourself to purchase and supply the whole meal. Create a menu and give everyone something they are in charge of to supply.
5 – Use cash if you’re able. Try not to pull out the credit card to avoid any holiday debt.
6 – Rather than buy for everyone in the family, do a secret Santa instead. That way you can only buy for one special person instead of several.
7 – Avoid getting tempted by sales. If you are done shopping be done. Don’t buy something just because it’s now on sale.
We hope these tips are helpful and that everyone finds time to relax and enjoy the holiday season this year!
3 Delicious Holiday Cookie Recipes
Whether you like to decorate sugar cookies or prefer gingerbread men we have the perfect recipes to get you started! The snow is going to fall this weekend so head to the market, pick up some supplies and start baking!
1 – Gingerbread Men Recipe Courtesy of Sally’s Baking Addiction
These smell delicious while baking and are even more fun to decorate! Add some hair, bow ties or buttons…whatever your gingerbread heart desires!
2 – The Perfect Snickerdoodles Courtesy of Cookies & Cups
If you like your snickerdoodles soft and chewy then you’ve come to the right place! These cookies are easy to make and full of flavor.
3 – Soft Christmas Cut Out Sugar Cookies Courtesy of Live Well Bake Often
Fun to decorate and perfect for the holiday season! These sugar cookies have an icing recipe that is also easy to make and tasty to eat.
5 Fun Holiday Events in New Hampshire
Ready to start celebrating the holidays? Our friends in New Hampshire have lot’s of festive local events to make their holidays bright and merry this December. Whether you are a resident in the Keene, Dover or Nashua area there is something exciting to do with the whole family.
1 – A Merry Little Christmas Celebration at Bretton Woods.
There are holiday events all month long at Bretton Woods including a Christmas buffet, a holiday movie marathon, scavenger hunts and more.
2 – Inn to Inn Holiday Cookie Tour
Participants will not only tour inns decked in all their holiday finery offering signature holiday cookies and candies, but will receive recipes from each inn in a Holiday Recipe Cookbook to take home and a chance to win a $250 gift certificate for a getaway at the inn of their choice.
3 – Gift of Lights at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
A 2.5-mile drive-thru light show features the Tunnel of Lights (the 130-foot-long infield entrance and exit tunnels will be brightly lit, giving a truly memorable experience that kids of all ages will need to see to believe).
4 – Jingle Bell Chocolate Tour
Start this enchanted horse-drawn journey by checking in at Nestlenook’s Gazebo. There you’ll find the entire Gazebo filled with Christmas and Holiday decorations. Here you will pick up your first home-made chocolate treasure and a festive bag to use for any uneaten chocolates collected on your sleigh ride. You may sit in the sleigh found in the Gazebo and have family Christmas Holiday photos taken.
5 – Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth
Celebrate the season by taking a stroll in downtown Portsmouth where you’ll find holiday shows, music, ice skating and shopping.
5 Tips For Taking Care of Your Real Christmas Tree
There are still 3 weeks until Christmas. Make the most of your real tree (and make sure it lasts) with these great tips!
1 – Give it a fresh cut on the bottom. This will re-open the tree’s source of getting water.
2 – Keep it away from any heat sources. Being close to heat will force the tree to dry out prematurely.
3 – Make sure to check the tree’s water supply every day and water it each morning.
4 – There is no need to add anything else to the water. Plain water gives the tree everything it needs.
5 – Make sure your tree stand holds enough water. It should easily hold at least one gallon of water.
Princeton’s 5 Days of Giveaways – Day 5
It’s Day 5….the final day of Princeton’s 5 Days of Giveaways! Find our tips for last-minute shopping ideas and get the final question!
It happens….we look at the calendar and it’s only a few days until Christmas and we still haven’t shopped for everyone on our list. Read these tips and ideas below if you’re in a time crunch and need gifts fast…
1 – If you don’t have time (or energy) to head to the mall in the eleventh hour, try a DIY gift instead! You can craft an ornament or bake some holiday cookies for the last people on your lists.
2 – If you can’t get out to even buy a gift card, consider printing one right from your home computer! Many stores offer online purchases and they can e-mail you your digital gift card right away.
3 – Consider gifting an experience rather than an actual gift. Head to Groupon or Living Social and purchase an outing or lesson for your friends or family members.
4 – Check store websites to see if you can pickup items that you purchase online. Some stores (like Walmart) offer free pickup until 6pm on Christmas eve of items purchased online. You can skip the search and the crowds and head right to the pickup section of the store.
5 – If all else fails….regift! You may have something at home that you haven’t opened or used that might be great use to someone on your list.
QUESTION 5: Do you prefer to receive gift cards or actual gifts?
Head back over to our Facebook page here and leave your answer in the comments to be entered to win a $100 gift card!
Princeton’s 5 Days of Giveaways – Day 4
It’s Day 4 of Princeton’s 5 Days of Giveaways! Guide Santa’s Reindeer to your house this Christmas Eve with this DIY Magic Reindeer Food! Watch the video below to learn how and answer today’s question to be entered to win a $100 gift card.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhEQaQ09OzA?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
QUESTION 4: What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Head back over to our Facebook page here and put your answer in the comments to be entered to win a $100 gift card!
Princeton’s 5 Days of Giveaways – Day 3
Happy Wednesday, friends! It’s Day 3 of our 5 Days of Giveaways!
There are certain holiday songs that you love to hear every December. Whether you’re driving in the car, shopping at the mall or listening at home, you’re sure to hear some of the classics. Billboard released the ten most popular holiday songs in the chart’s history and they are listed below…
Billboard’s 10 Most Popular Holiday Songs
10 – “Last Christmas” by Wham
9 – “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams
8 – “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby
7 – “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
6 – “Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives
5 – “Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano
4 – “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms
3 – “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole
2 – “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee
1 – “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey
QUESTION 3: What is your favorite Christmas/Holiday song?
Head back over to our Facebook page here to leave your answer in the comments to be entered to win a $100 gift card!
5 Holiday Items to Buy Now
The holidays are behind us and the last thing on everyone’s mind is preparing for next year’s festivities. Before packing away your holiday boxes for storage, pick up some of these items that are sure to be on sale. When next year rolls around you’ll be so glad you did!
- Wrapping paper and gift bags – when it’s time to wrap your holiday gifts next year you’ll be thrilled when you open a storage container full of gift wrapping supplies that you scored for next to nothing!
- Holiday Cards – When the holidays are over, most stores sell their remaining holiday cards for over 70% off! Pick up a couple boxes for a few dollars next time you’re out and have them on hand for mailing in 2017!
- Artificial Christmas trees – If you’re thinking of putting up a fake tree next year or if yours needs an upgrade, buy it now! You won’t see these discounted until Black Friday next year and even then, they can typically be sold out at most stores.
- Ornaments and Decor – Usually around the holidays you’ll see ornament shops pop up at malls for the season. Once the holidays are over, they mark down all of their goods before they close up shop for the year. This is a great time to pick up some items you realized you were missing in your home this year or gifts for your friends.
- Lights – String lights are marked down over 50% after the holidays and it’s the perfect time to stock up! You can pick up a few boxes to store away for next year’s decor or replace any that may have broken after this season.
7 Interesting Holiday Traditions from Around the World
The holidays are a time of traditions! Around the world people celebrate in lots of unique ways. Here are some interesting traditions from different cultures around the world…
- In Germany, Christmas Eve is the main day where gifts are exchanged with families.
- In Australia, the holidays fall within the summer months so children can spend their holiday break at the beach or camping.
- The main/most important decoration in Mexico is the nacimiento.
- In Russia, some people fast on Christmas Eve, until the first star has appeared in the sky. Then many eat a porridge made from wheat or rice.
- For Italians, on Christmas Eve it’s common that no meat or dairy is eaten. Often a light seafood meal is served.
- In Switzerland, some people use real candles on the tree, which are traditionally lit on Christmas Eve and on New Year’s Eve for good luck.
- In India, some people use mango leaves to decorate their homes.
Question 2
What is your favorite holiday tradition?
*Make sure to head back to our Facebook page and post your answer to today’s question in the comments to be entered to win!
