Five Free Christmas Countdown Banners

Each year I am asked about the countdown banner (shown above) I use here at 365 Days of Christmas.  I love the countdowns; they're festive, fun, and oh so christmas-y.  Here are my Top Five Favorite Christmas Countdown Banners and, best of all, they are free.

These countdowns are not listed in any particular order.

1. 57 different Christmas banner themes can be found at Ult-Tex.net.
2. Noella Designs offers a variety of Christmas banner themes.
3. You will be satisfied with the choices of Christmas banners at Satisfaction.comSatisfaction.com.
4. The variety of countdowns found here are for Halloween and Christmas.
5. Magical Christmas images at FoundMyself.com act as a countdown.

Countdown to Christmas

Based on the last post I wrote -- about Advent -- this article continues the idea of a countdown to Christmas.

There are many ways to commemorate the Christmas spirit throughout the month of December.  These ideas are based on doing a countdown from the first of December through Christmas Eve (unless otherwise noted).  The activities are for the whole family to enjoy together.

Christmas Books - Put 25 books (wrapped in Christmas paper, if you wish) in a basket.  Read a book each night before bed. There are many books about Christmas, the birth of Jesus, and the holiday season.

Advent Calendar - Open the door (drawer, box, etc.) and find a small surprise.  There are many many many versions of this type of calendar in the stores and online.

Jesse Tree - The Jesse Tree represents the family of Jesse, father of King David.  Out of this family line, God would take flesh and live among the people of Earth. The genealogy of Jesus, Matthew 1:1-17, names a person from each generation before Jesus' birth.  Make or add an ornament each day that represents the ancestors of Jesus.

Daily Scripture Readings (4 weeks)

1. Luke 21:5-19
2. Matthew 21:1-11
3. Matthew 21:12-22
4. Matthew 21:23-32
5. Matthew 21:33-46
6. Matthew 22:1-14
7. Matthew 22:15-22
8. Luke 1:57-68
9. Matthew 22:23-33
10. Matthew 22:34-46
11. Matthew 23:1-12
12. Matthew 23:13-26
13. Matthew 23:27-39
14. Matthew 24:1-14
15. John 5:30-47
16. Matthew 24:15-31
17. Matthew 24:32-44
18. Matthew 24:45-51
19. Matthew 25:1-13
20. Matthew 25:14-30
21. Matthew 25:31-46
22. John 3:16-21
23. Luke 1:1-25
24. Luke 1:26-38
25. Luke 1:39-56
26. Luke 1:57-66
27. Luke 1:67-80
28. Matthew 1:18-25

Community Cares

1. Bake cookies, brownies, and other sweets, then deliver them to a local fire company &/or police station.
2. Go Christmas caroling at a local senior citizen center.
3. Do a Christmas craft with a local Head Start class.
4. Shovel the sidewalk/driveway for an elderly neighbor.
5. Help a local Boy Scout or Girl Scout group buy presents for a low-income family .
6. Provide babysitting for a single parent so they can go shopping without the kids.
7. Donate a Christmas tree to a local library.
8. Donate money to your favorite charity.
9. Help out at your local soup kitchen.
10. Provide mittens, hats, & scarves to less fortunate classmates.
11. Host a food drive for a local food bank.
12. Volunteer your time at a local pet shelter.
13. Host a Christmas book reading for kids at a local library.
14. Help low-income families by making a gift to the Dollar Energy Fund via your local gas or electric company.
15. Anonymously pay for the coffee/tea/pop/water for the next person in line.
16. Invite a homeless person over for a home-cooked meal.
17. Make ornaments with kids from your church to decorate the Christmas tree in the sanctuary.
18. Spend time - getting to know a person and talking about past Christmases - with a person from a senior citizens center.
19. Pamper a cancer patient with a stocking of beauty and health care products.
20. Create Christmas art with the kids to hang in the local veterans center.
21. Provide hot chocolate &/or mulled cider for local emergency room doctors, nurses, and staff.
22. Be an elf (or Santa) and deliver small gifts to a local children's hospital.
23. Donate a Bible to a youngster via the Angel Tree program.
24. Visit and pray with those incarcerated at a local jail.
25. Invite all the friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc.,  - who have no place to go - over for Christmas dinner.

 

 Of course, you can combine more than one idea to create your own unique countdown.

Online Christmas Wish List

There’s a site that makes creating your own Christmas wish list super easy. It offers you the option to quickly and easily add links to anything you find online on any site.

Go to Wishmodo and sign in. 

You have the option to post your wish list on Facebook after you’ve created it.

Making a wish list is super easy. You just install a Wishmodo button into your browser and surf online as you usually do. Once you find something you like just click the Wishmodo Button and it’ll be quickly added to your wish list.

Obviously, a huge time saver.  Let me know if you try it out.


Update:
Various people have stated that Internet Explorer does not open the website.  I liked the idea and am saddened to hear of this glitch.  If you do achieve access, please tell us your experience with an online wish list.

Christmas Countdown Giveaway

Happy December!  Only 24 days until Christmas.

In between the hustle and bustle of the holidays, let's have some fun.  If you like surprises and prizes, HostelBookers has a thing or two in their Santa sack this year, just for you.

In the spirit of a traditional advent calendar, HostelBookers is getting fun, merry, and festive by giving away fantastic prizes every day between 1st through 24th of December.

We can't promise everyone a white Christmas, but we can offer prizes including iPad2, free accommodations, Kindle, InterRail tickets, Round-The-Word Expert Flights and much more.

Come play - and win - with us...

1.  Go to HostelBookers Facebook page.
2. Like Hostelbookers.
3. Click on the 'Christmas Giveaway' tab and answer a question.

• A new question will be posted daily at midnight 00:01 GMT up to and including December 24th.
• Winners will be notified by email and announced on the blog once they claim their prize.
• Answers will be posted on the Facebook wall and on the blog.

HostelBookers is the leading budget accommodation website in the travel industry not to apply a service charge and is, on average, 8.7% cheaper than its nearest competitor. It features over 20,000 hostels, cheap hotels and budget properties on its website in over 3,500 destinations across the world. Follow us on Twitter @hostelbookers.

Black Friday Info

Black Friday Info is a one-stop destination for everything shoppers need for Black Friday 2011. From early access to Black Friday ads to bargain-hunting tips to the best deals from top retailers. 

WOW Tours - The Christmas Village

Let's kick of the Christmas season with a bang.  Today I am hosting a giveaway.

Today I'm the hostess for the WOW (Women On Writing) Tours.  A group of women bloggers each host a day this week to introduce you to author Melissa Goodwin.

I'm so excited to share with you . . .

Please let me introduce to you:  Melissa Ann Goodwin.

Her Bio: 

Melissa is a native New Englander, now living in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband, artist J. Richard Secor.  She has written extensively for Fun for Kidz, Boys’ Quest, and Hopscotch for Girls.  She was a regular feature article contributor to the Caregiver's Home Companion for more than five years.  Her work has appeared in Guideposts’ Angels on Earth, Caregivers’ Home Companion, Caring Today, The Lutheran Digest, The Peak Magazine, The Andover Townsman, and the Martha’s Vineyard Gazette.  The Christmas Village is her first novel.

I was lucky enough to receive a signed copy of The Christmas Village yesterday.  I was up part of the night reading this great book.

About The Christmas Village:

"When Jamie Reynolds comes to his grandparents' Vermont home for Christmas, he just wants things to go back to the way they were before his dad disappeared.  Time and again he is drawn to Grandma's miniature Christmas village, where he imagines that life is perfect.  Late one night, the village comes to life before his eyes, and his fantasy of escaping into it becomes very read indeed.  Jamie discovers that the village is called Canterbury, where the year is 1932.  He becomes fast friends with Kelly and Christopher Pennysworth, and is taken in by Ida, who runs the local boarding house.  But he also makes a dangerous enemy of the mysterious and menacing Jim Gordon, whose return to town is nothing but trouble.  As Jamie desperately races against time to find his way back home, he is suddenly faces with a terrifying choice:  to go ahead with his plan to leave, or to stay and help his friends, at the risk of never going home again."

The book is an easy read and full of fun adventures.  It is a wonderful story about Jamie and his imagination.  

The book keeps you fully entertained as the mystery of Canterbury and Jim unfolds.  Melissa's writing style is fresh and vivid.

My rating (1, lowest; 5, highest): 5

Join the fun and come along on the adventure of The Christmas Village.

For more information on Melissa and her fabulous book, check out these resources:

Melissa's blog, Writer Yogini.

The book has it's own blog, The Christmas Village Book.

The book's Facebook page.

The author's Twitter page.

                               

If you can't wait to read The Christmas Village, click here to purchase the book now.

Now onto the giveaway . . .

Leave a comment (about the book, about the blog, about Christmas) this week and I'll announce the winner on Sunday, November 27th.  Only four days left to enter the giveaway to receive a copy of The Christmas Village.

Ugly Sweater Store

The Ugly Sweater Store is the original online store to purchase "ugly" sweaters for Christmas, Halloween, and everything in between. Of course, what is considered "ugly" is really in the eye of the beholder, so they offer a variety of sweaters on their site.

The idea of the Ugly Sweater Store materialized in 2008 while spending too much time on the congested highways of Chicago. Ugly sweater parties are a growing trend and everyone wants to have that perfect ugly sweater, but who has time to scour stores for the right sweater? Ugly Sweater Store will do the shopping for you.

All of their sweaters are unique and hand-picked with an expert eye for "ugly." We know that the more beads, bells, and bling, the more likely you are to be the talk of the party.

Heinous stripes, reindeer, candy canes, bells, beads, applique galore (and so much more) go from the trash heap to Holiday Fashion Chic.

The Wreath Factory

Check out all the beautiful and striking wreaths, from traditional to modern, at The Wreath Factory at Otter Creek.

Christmas Banner

How excting it was to receive my very own Christmas banner, personalized exactly the way I wanted!

You can personalize your sign by color, by type of material (vinyl banner, corrugated plastic, static cling, poster paper, PVC, matte vinyl banner), by size (12"x18" to 24"x48" to custom sizing), by template, and by adding your individual wording and graphics.

To order your own Christmas sign, go to Signazon.

Nicole, the SEO Manager of Signazon, was very patient and treated me like I was their number one customer.  My order took less than a week to arrive. 

The great thing about the vinyl banner is that it is a low cost decoration that is completely weatherproof and can be reused for many years.

The website is quite easy to navigate.

Some of my favorite banners/signs are:
Christmas Banner
Holiday Party
Holiday Wishes
Christmas Peace

The banner I chose:

Christmas Ornaments

Christmas Ornaments is a new website but the owners have been in the Christmas ornament business since 1983, providing discerning holiday shoppers with unique and distinctive holiday gifts, collectibles, and Christmas ornaments. Their holiday decorations and ornaments come from more than five dozen companies.

Some of my favorite ornaments:
Holy Family
Scrapbooking
Paw Print Dog Bone
Close Brother and Sister
Army
Angel Bell
Tasty Tudor
12 Days of Christmas Set
Ornament Stand
Holiday Around the Tree

The ornament I picked:

I picked the Noah's Ark ornament since I am an avid Noah's Ark Collector.  It's part of the Old World Christmas Collection.  I can't wait to hang my new ornament up on my tree.

Personalized Free . . . and a Giveaway!

You can find over 1,300 personalized Christmas ornaments at PersonalizedFree.com. There is a HUGE sale going on NOW so don't miss out. All orders ship in 2-3 days and they ship worldwide.


About Personalized Free

Wendy Simonsen runs her own business of personalizing Christmas ornaments at home with her family.

Personalized Free is proud to boast their 11th year in business online. Their family-run, home-based business is owned and operated by an entrepreneur stay-at-home mother and father team. Real people personalize each adorable ornament by hand with precision and love.


My Review


I love this ornament (though, this is not the ornament I originally picked). . . the personalization that includes my favorite hobby and my name makes this ornament the perfect gift for me.

At Personalized Free, the ornaments are cute, whimsical, fun, and, of course, personalized.

The site is super easy to navigate. You can search by occupation, hobbies, pets, sports, state, transportation, and many other themed categories. You can search by person -- grandparent, child, aunt, friend, etc.

The customer service provided by Wendy is top-notch. She is very patient and kind.

Personalized Christmas ornaments make great gifts for everyone on your gift list.

I have ordered from Personalized Free for several years because of the unique, heirloom-quality, personalized Christmas ornaments.


Giveaway

Wendy wants to help you jump-start either your Christmas decorating or Christmas shopping by giving you a chance to win one ornament of your choice, personalized however you wish, shipped to you for free!

To be entered into this giveaway, go to Personalized Free, check out the enormous selection, come back here, and tell me what ornament you want in the comments section. This will be the actual ornament you receive if you win, so take your time and pick out your favorite ornament.

This giveaway is open to all entrants, in the U.S. only, ages 18 and over, until 9 PM EST on Saturday, November 13th. A winner will be chosen by random number generator, notified by email, and posted online shortly thereafter. Have fun and good luck!

Bonus Entries (you may have one additional entry for each task you accomplish):

• Subscribe to the Personalized Free blog, Life in the Ornament House.
• Become a Personalized Free Facebook fan.
• Follow Personalized Free on Twitter AND tweet about the giveaway.
• Sign up for the Personalized Free newsletter (gray box on our website).

Some of the NEW original ornaments available:

Some of my favorite ornaments:

Hotel Chocolat

The Christmas chocolate gift collection at Hotel Chocolat is brimming with exquisite gift ideas for everyone on your list this Christmas season, from stocking stuffers to jaw-dropping chocolate hampers for those extra-special people in your life.

What I Received

1. Ultimate Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar
2. Fruit & Nut Dark Chocolate Mini Wreath
3. Tiddly Caramel Chocolate Santas
4. Dasher the Chocolate Reindeer

My Review

When the package arrived, the festive atmosphere was  instantly set with the smell of chocolate in the air and the wonderfully decorated packages; no wrapping paper needed. I felt very spoiled and royal to receive such luxurious chocolates. The chocolates themselves are adorable, classy, ravishing . . . and oh so delightfully delicious. Yum!

Included with the package of chocolates was a thank you card . . . how sweet!

There are many chocolates available:

• Christmas Advent Calendars
• Chocolate Christmas Gifts
• Christmas Stocking Fillers
• Holiday Gifts for the Winter Season

There are many chocolate selections, many exclusive choices to pick from -- who would of thought there were so many different sizes, shapes, and products of chocolate.  There are chocolates available for vegetarians, vegans, and diabetics.  This is the only site where I have seen such a huge selection.

You can search by type of chocolate or by person or by occasion.

The only drawback is the time it took to cross the ocean -- Hotel Chocolat is located in England -- to reach me, but the chocolates were received in plenty of time.  However, I'd suggest ordering early. 

There are two stores now open in Boston, MA, USA.  If you are within driving distance, I highly suggest you go to the store.



Hotel Chocolate, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA

The additional complements of the site are the sharing of chocolate recipes; the many chocolate celebrations available, such as birthday gifts, dinner party gifts, thank you gifts, and more; and the exclusive availability of chocolate products.

Tiny Prints

Showcase your family at its best with hundreds of customizable holiday and Christmas designs.

Tiny Prints has brand new, beautiful, classy, elegant Christmas cards this year. You can personalize 100s of cards with your photographs and your words. You can choose from contemporary, vintage, classic, and whimsy designs. There are many options, such as color changes, layouts, and formats for each card.

I am so impressed with the variety of cards available for the holidays and Christmas.  I looked at 1,476 cards in the Christmas section because I am fastidious and wanted to give a thorough and complete review.

Some of my favorite cards:
Reindeer Imposter
Crafted Nativity
Caring World
Happy Everything
Chic Collage
Boroque Snowflake
Patchwork Wreath
Merry Circle
Winter Zephyr
Sweet Center
Historic Charm
Posted Wreath
Round Wreath
Beautiful Believe
Precious Tree, and
Graceful Whirls,
and many more (but I won't continue to bore you with my favs).

Can you guess what card is the one I ordered?

After narrowing down the list, which was very difficult to do with so many fabulous choices, my daughter, Cassandra, 9, joined me.  We went through my favorites and picked the one we liked the best.  We chose the card (1.) that most fittingly expressed our thoughts (we were able to chose our own words) and (2.) that was most suitable for the photos we thought were most appealing and enhanced our lives from the past year.

Take the time to browse through the wide variety of Christmas cards featuring traditional holiday symbols such as garland, Christmas trees, gingerbread, snowflakes, wreaths, reindeer, and holly. Whatever your family Christmas tradition may be, they have a card to complement it and your photograph. When you add a picture of your family, the cards are sure to be cherished by those who receive them. Tiny Prints will even mail your cards for you.

Tiny Prints Christmas cards stand apart due to the one-of-a-kind designs!

Your Wish Is Their Command

• If you aren't 100% satisfied, they'll reprint your order for free.
• Their customers rank them in the 95th percentile (for U.S. companies).
• Easily personalize and instantly preview your cards.
• Luxurious, eco-friendly paper, custom-made in Italy.
• Premium printing methods and top quality products.

Need Help? No Problem
• Enjoy online shopping with a personal touch.
• Etiquette experts are ready to answer questions seven days a week.
• Professional designers assigned to almost every order.
• Contact us at 877-300-9256, info@tinyprints.com, or chat.

Designs To Love From Artists You Adore
• Shop thousands of exclusive designs by style, color, or event.
• New items added each week.
• Find cards from famous design studios and independent artists alike.
• More than 11,000 product reviews to help you shop.

My Review

It was a straight-forward process.  The quality is first-rate!  You have the choice to click on "live chat" throughout the process of picking your card and adding your personal touches.  I did not do this since I had no trouble placing the order.  The Tiny Prints site is easy to navigate and well organized.   There are many holidays and occasions to choose from -- birth announcements, birthday cards, invitations, thank you cards, wedding stationary, and much more  -- but Christmas, of course, is my favorite.  There are a lots of extras -- etiquette tips, mail service, party ideas, sample verses, etc. -- that make the site #1 in my book.  Even on the tightest of budgets, these cards are affordable and a great package deal!  I LOVE all the personal touches we were able to add to make the card more precious and more personalized.

Cassandra's Review (in her own words):

• The process was quick and easy.
• There were LOTS of cards to choose from.
• The service satisfied my picky mom. :)
• It was fun to see all the different cards.
• It was exciting to put all the personal touches on the card.
• I had a great time with my mom.

Read more raves and reviews.




Click the box above or in the side column to look at all those wonderful cards and place your order.  Let them know in the comments box that Storm sent you.

Christmas Blogs They Love

I was lucky enough to be listed at Dobbies.com as part of their favorite Christmas blogs.

Christmas Card Making Week

The Christmas Card Making Week of Webisodes is this week. All this week we’re celebrating . . . and getting a jump-start on our Christmas cards.

Annual MMC Ornament Exchange

It is time to start thinking Christmas 2009! What better way than to sign up for our annual ornament exchange at My Merry Christmas.

It's quite simple and fun . . . you ship off an ornament to someone and they ship one to you. Personalize the ornament as a Christmas greeting from your family and share what is sent to you with all who enter your home this holiday season.

It's a Wonderful Christmas

This site lists the annual holiday television schedule and is constantly being updated. Go to It's a Wonderful CHRISTmas to see a listing of Christmas shows, movies, cartoons, concerts, parades, etc., all shows suitable for the entire family.

Track Santa

NORAD web site is ready to go live. The North American Aerospace Defense Command is again ready to track Santa.

On December 1, the NORAD Tracks Santa (NTS) Web site, www.noradsanta.org, will go live and feature fun holiday games and activities that will change daily.

On December 24, Christmas Eve, NORAD will begin tracking Santa Claus' journey via live video feeds that begin at the following times:
-- 3 a.m. Pacific Standard Time
-- 4 a.m. Mountain Standard Time
-- 5 a.m. Central Standard Time
-- 6 a.m. Eastern Standard Time
-- 11 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time

The Web site, designed by Booz Allen Hamilton, allows fans of all ages to get up-to-the-minute reports and streaming videos from key stops on Santa's trip around the world. Google software will output live images from NORAD's high-speed digital "Santa Cams," and Google Maps and Google Earth will follow Santa as he travels around the world. All of this information is available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Chinese. In addition, for the first time, Canada Post will partner with NORAD to ensure children around the world can send an email to Santa through the NTS Web site. The NTS program is carried out with the assistance of many corporate partners.

The NORAD Tracks Santa (NTS) program began on December 24, 1955, after an errant phone call was made to the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The call was from a local youngster who dialed a misprinted telephone number in a local newspaper advertisement. The commander who answered the phone that night gave the youngster the information requested -- the whereabouts of Santa Claus. This began the tradition of tracking Santa Claus, a tradition that was carried on by NORAD when it was formed in 1958. This Christmas marks the 50th anniversary of NORAD tracking Santa Claus as he goes around the world delivering presents.

The NTS program has grown immensely since first presented on the Internet in 1998. In 2007, the Web site received 10.6 plus million unique visitors from 212 countries and territories. In addition, the NTS Operations Center, occupied by 1,012 volunteers on Christmas Eve, answered nearly 95,000 phone calls and received 140,000 emails from families around the world.

25 Days of Cookies

Go to The Star where every day in December a new, delicious cookie recipe is shared.

Around the Christmas Net #4

Holiday Round Up

If you are in the holiday crafting mood, then check out the Holiday Round Up. Whether you are looking to make your own Christmas ornaments, holiday cards, or just need some photography tips to take that perfect Christmas photo, you will want to visit the About.com Holiday Round Up.