This holiday season means many things: family, friends, food, presents and parties. Most families have traditions as to who has what holiday. Well, why not spruce up those party traditions for this Christmas?

For Christmas Eve, every year my family comes over and we have a party. A few days ahead of time, we bake gingerbread and sugar cookies so everyone at the party can decorate one. After everyone decorates the cookies, we have the younger children judge who has the best cookie. You can also do this with gingerbread houses. You can split into teams and give everyone 30 minutes to decorate their house and have a panel of judges (younger kids, grandparents, etc.) to judge the houses.

This may sound a little crazy, but have you ever thought about having a “Just Dance” dance competition? Everyone in your family will have blast, I know mine does. All you need is one of the games “Just Dance,” “Just Dance 2,” or “Just Dance 3,” a Wii, and as many remotes as you have. Up to four people can play at once so you can set up brackets for who will verse who. You could even create a prize for the winner such as a box of homemade cookies or a $10 gift card to Farm House Coffee.

Also, since the reindeer will be visiting your house on Christmas Eve with Santa Claus, why not give them a treat for all the hard work they do? To make reindeer food, you need ¼ cup oatmeal, ¼ sugar, and as much red or green sugar crystals as you feel necessary. You can set up stations with one part of the recipe at each station. Then, the kids can go around and the adults can help them make their own little bag of reindeer food. In doing this, the kids have something to look forward to when they go home.

Themed parties are also a great way to shake up tradition. At one of your parties, make everyone wear an ugly Christmas sweater. You can drape a white sheet against a wall and take pictures of everyone when they walk in throughout the party on one camera. From there, you can download those photos on your computer and print them out. You can also make a slideshow of all of the photos and put some music to and gift it to someone or play it during Christmas dinner. 

With Christmas a little over a week away, everyone’s “To do” lists are ten miles long. Running through your mind are thousands of things, but you probably have not thought about what to put in your loved one’s stocking this Christmas.

                When out and about, you can stock up on little things to add to your stockings such as a magazine that would interest someone at the grocery store, a nail polish that would go great with your daughter’s new UGG boots, or a baseball card that would add to the collection to a guy of any age.

                Although this may be a little out there, you can “theme” the stockings that you fill. For a teenage girl, you could purchase some new magazines, Katy Perry’s or Kardashian’s new nail polishes, and face masks. You could also roll up shirts or pants and stuff them in the stockings as well. You could even go as far as to put a flat iron, curling iron, or waver in the stocking.

                Teenage boys might be a little more difficult but you could stuff their stockings with things you know they need. That might include new under shirts and clothes or possible even a new cell phone. All guys love work out gear so filling the stocking with all work out related gear. If you drop by TJ Maxx, you could pick up these new water bottles, called “Bobbles,” that filter the water as you drink it. They are only $9.99 which is a steal for how often they would get used.

                Also, if you stop by Gifted and pick up any Vera Bradley bags or accessories, roll those up and stick those in any stocking too. Jewelry from Gifted, Pandora charms or bracelets from Delightfully Different, and gift cards to TJ Maxx, farmhouse, or Starbucks are also some ideas for stuffing that stocking.

                For younger children, you can stuff their stocking with just about anything and they will be happy.

For girls, you could choose to theme theirs and fill it with rolled up clothes, candy, a new Barbie, and possibly, if you are feeling confident, lip glosses or nail polish. There is a new nail polish called “Piggy Polish” that is “as natural as mud”. It is formaldehyde free so young babies can stick their hands and feet in their mouth without having to worry about it.

Younger boys will love anything dealing with Star Wars or video games. You could get some action figures paired with a new game for the Wii. A few extra controllers might be a good idea as well, that way your whole family or your child’s friends can join in on the fun too.

While you are out picking up those stocking stuffers, don’t forget about your furry friends either. Wet Pets and Friends has nyla-bones that most dogs love. They also have treats for every animal and accessories and toys as well.

               

    With Christmas right around the corner, gifts are being bought, trees are being put up and Christmas cards are being sent out. Every year families all over the township stress about sending out their personalized Christmas or New Years cards.

                Make it easy on yourself this year and drop by TJ Maxx. They have unique Christmas cards that you will not be able to find anywhere else. Also, Trax Farms always has neat cards to choose from as well.

                If you have some extra time on your hands, why not make your own Christmas cards? Choose a photo of your family, kids, or pets and go to a website called Shutterfly.com. Shutterfly is a website where you can choose the layout of your cards and what they say. You can add your photo to it and add a message such as, “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings.” The cards you create will get sent directly to your house. Shutterfly is having 30% off their Christmas cards which is a great way to save some cash for the holiday season.

                If you are the type of person that enjoys arts and crafts, you can hand make your Christmas cards. You can take a piece of sturdy blue paper and fold it in half “Hamburger” style.

From there, you can cut a piece of dark blue paper and center it on the outside of the card. Then, add a picture of your family on top of the dark blue paper, leaving just enough room for the edges of the dark blue paper to show. Next, you can get a Snowman stamp and white ink and stamp the snowman on the edge of the photo and blue papers meet. 

    After it dries, you can add a hat, nose, and mouth to it. You can either draw snowflakes or you can buy snowflake stickers to stick around the photo and snowman. On the inside, you can type up your message on the computer, use a neat font, and make the color of the words the same blue to match the dark blue on the front. Before you glue the message down, on a tile, glue another piece of dark blue paper. Then, add the message, tilting it slightly to contrast with the tilted dark blue paper. 

    You can then add whatever you would like to the top of the card on the inside. Whether it be another picture, a message, or more stamps, people are sure to love the craftiness of the card.

When asked what you are doing this weekend, you may reply grocery shopping or running some errands. While you are out, why don’t you stop by Wet Pets and Friends and join in on the fun of their 20th Anniversary store-wide super sale?

Wet Pets and Friends started off as a hobby in the 70’s between Ed Taimuty and his oldest sons Ed Jr. and Brian with saltwater tanks. By the 80’s the boys were saltwater experts and their passion for animals branched out to other critters, such as small animals and exotic birds. Not only was their love of animals a hobby, it became an income.

The Taimuty family had 120 tanks in their basement and supplied retailers all over Pittsburgh with thousands of fish per week. At this time, their mother, Patricia, and their youngest brother, Dean, started to share their intense interest in animals as well.

Now, Wet Pets has become much more than a hobby. Brian and Ed Jr. opened up their first store in 1992 in Waterdamn Commons with the help of their parents. The store moved in 2005 and is now located on Washington Road with the entire Taimuty family working there full time. Wet Pets is 10,000 square feet and is home to many different animals and animal supplies.  

Their 20th anniversary sale is to recognize all of this and to thank its customers for sticking with them for the past 20 years. The sale will occur on Saturday December 3rd and 4th only, so make sure to stop by!

The sale will include 20% off all livestock, food, ornaments, supplements, bedding, gravel, driftwood, filter cartridges, toys, bulbs, penguin and whisper filters, books and more.

Just by walking in the door, you can enter to win free door prizes. Also, by spending $100 in the store, you receive one entry ticket for a chance to win an Aqueon 55 gallon aquarium, hood, light and stand, a Marineland 48" LED lightstrip, and a Tetra 9wt pond UV sterilizer.

Not only will major sales be going on, but also on December 3rd  come in to meet some special guests. Those guests include Dorthy Hurley from "Two little Fishies," Leng Sy, owner and originator of "Ecosystems Refugiums," Missy Stewart from "Penn Plax," and Jeff and Joleen Turner from "Boyd Enterprises."

Don’t miss this chance to start your holiday shopping for everyone in the family (including Buddy). Wet Pets and Friends is the place to be this Saturday.