Christmas has been and gone, and it’s definitely too early to start thinking about the festive season again, but here are some ideas to file away for next year, writes Nan Bosler.
Let me share some of the ideas I use myself which will be suitable for your own use or perfect to give to a parent or friend for their use.
While my own mother was in an aged care facility I knew that she wanted to be able to give little gifts or cards to those she lived with, but how was she going to be able to get these special items?
Here’s how we managed the challenge:
I know gift tags aren’t very expensive to buy, but I prefer to make my own. Many software packages have a template to create business cards and I use one of those, but delete the business logo and address boxes and substitute a photo I have taken or a clip art image and add greetings, leaving a space for names. I use light card which can be purchased from any office supplies or stationery shop; it comes in various colours. I print ten to a page.
I would take a selection of images to use on these gift tags and let my mum select the ones she wanted on her gift tags. She also selected the colour or colours of the ribbon she wanted attached to the tags.
Big stationers usually carry a range of lovely paper with borders or patterns already printed on them and they would be ideal to use for your Christmas message. Once again I would take samples and together we would write out what she wanted written as her message. To make the most of this fancy stationer, type your message onto scrap paper and lay the scrap paper onto the special stationery to make sure that it is positioned correctly. When it fits well, load the decorative paper into your printer and print one as a sample. If it looks perfect, set your printer to print the number you require and hit print.
I would deliver the gift cards and the Christmas message that she had designed, plus the number of small gift bags and a few other little gifts that she had requested ready for mum to pack her Christmas gifts and write her own Christmas tags ready for giving. Independence is wonderful and giving is a joy.
If you plan to do some of your christmas shopping online this year, a good starting point is the Australian government’s cybersecurity website, where you will find information on simple steps you can take to protect your personal and financial information. Shop smart online this festive season. For tips on staying safe and secure online visit staysmartonline.gov.au
Have you thought about how people in other countries celebrate Christmas? This site details a collection of historical christmas events and activities for many different countries. They may not only represent the current Christmas celebrations, but some will also reflect the earliest history for various countries.
To explore christmas in 30 countries visit www.the-north-pole.com/around/index.htm
It would be really nice to share what you discover with your grandchildren or maybe the youngsters next door.
You probably have lots of cook books and dog-eared favourite recipes filling that spare drawer in the kitchen, but this year, why not use your computer to find some new ideas for Christmas food? There are plenty of great Australian websites you can use to search for Christmas recipes. I especially liked Christmas barbecue recipes (on taste.com.au) with the message “Forget slaving over a hot stove – prepare your entire Christmas feast on the barbecue! Find finger food, mains, sides and even desserts”.
There were so many categories to select from on this one website that I wasn’t sure what to look at next. I tried Christmas kid’s gifts and saw that it was all about keeping youngsters occupied over the summer holidays with fabulous, easy-to make- Christmas gifts. They could try gingerbread men, shortbread biscuits, even Christmas puddings to keep little fingers busy.
The last set of recipes to catch my eye was Christmas leftovers with a reassuring message that the recipes would help transform leftover turkey, surplus ham and anything else still sitting in the fridge after the Christmas rush into a whole range of delicious holiday dishes. Just one suggestion: please print the recipes that you want to use before Christmas. Surely you won’t want to be working at your computer over the festive holidays! Explore the website for yourself and enjoy making and sharing the food.
About
Nan Bosler, OAM
Nan Bosler lives near the War Vets village and has spent many hours talking with war veterans and learning their history. She was honoured in 1984 to receive an ANZAC of the Year Award, presented by Air Marshal Sir James Rowland KBE KFC AFC KStJ, former Governor of NSW who led the Australia Remembers March in 1995.
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