You’re invited to a Christmas dinner or cocktail party. Awesome! All the possible questions come suddenly into your mind: “what should I wear?”, “what should I bring?”, and so on. Here are some easy and helpful ideas in case you have those intriguing questions in mind.
Be very careful how late you intend to be! If it’s a cocktail party be 10-15 minutes late; for dinner you can be 10 to 20 minutes late. Never be more than 25 minutes late!
Bring something! If you’ve been told from the beginning what to bring, half of the job is already done. If you have no idea what to bring, buy some wine for dinner, fancy chocolate or a bottle of fruit liqueur for dessert.
Pay attention to the people you’re sitting next to! Remember their names if you’ve just met them, be open and communicative to them. Nothing is more annoying than an unwilling person sitting next to you, right? Remember that!
Don’t use your cell phone during the dinner. Be prepared to close it when the dinner starts, otherwise, in case of ringing, you’ll capture all the attention and the annoyed faces.
If you see an agitated host, offer your help. You might be refused, but you have the advantage of asking.
Don’t stay too long or leave too early. If you forget to leave, your host might begin to yawn or do the dishes, which, by the way, it’s not a good sign. By opposition, if you leave too early you might generate a mass exodus, which is not good either. So, you don’t want to be the first or the last to exit the party.
Thank your host the next morning. It’s such a lovely gesture and doesn’t need so much effort from you. Be sure you call and thank for the nice dinner party. An e-mail with thoughtful words always works. And if you want to be more authentic, send a thanks note or a lovely bouquet of flowers.
Let’s face it, the nature gives us the most amazingly things, why turn back on such a special and inexpensive treat? Forget about the plastic decorations, it’s time to go green and celebrate this Christmas in a more original and nature friendly way.
A living Christmas tree will bring warmth into your home and soul. Don’t think twice, buy a pottered tree! You can decorate it every year, it’s a long term investment and you can always plant it in your backyard. You will have the happiest Christmas tree ever.
Use natural table decorations, like pine tree cones. Arrange them in a nice wattle basket, in a table wreath, around Christmas natural candles or in a transparent glass bowl. You can spread several hip roses for a playful color delight. It would be a great arrangement for your Christmas dinner.
Decorate your home for this special holiday with seasonal plants, like poinsettias or any other you like. They will be such a joy for the eye and heart. Be careful where you expose the plants and how much water you use to moisture the sole.
Use several little spruce or pine branches to decorate the Christmas Day table. You can arrange them in the middle of every plate on the festive napkin. It will give a great sense of occasion and a magnificent fresh winter aroma.
Choose natural tree decorations, like painted cones, recyclable cotton or paper ribbons, stars, nuts in shells and mini red apples.
Use candles made with natural fragrances to give your home the special season’s flavor. Use spruce, gingerbread, cinnamon, cranberry or apple fragrances.
Welcome the caroling singers with homemade goodies, like gingerbread and cinnamon cookies, caramelized apples and hot beverages.
Have a Natural Green Christmas!
It is not long until the holidays fever will overcome all of us. As much as we promised ourselves last year that the next one we’ll be more organized regarding Christmas presents, well, we all know that New Year’s Resolutions cannot be always kept. But this Christmas, you can make sure that you offer the gifts that will make people happy. Here are some ideas you might find interesting.
1. Pay attention to everyone wishes. If you have no idea whatsoever what the ones you love want for Christmas, here are some ideas that always work. For him- a nice watch; for her- a beautiful jewelry; for the little boy- a train or airplane toy; for the little girl- a little puppy (you can always adopt one from a local animal shelter); for mother- a gardening book; for father- a leather wallet; for grandma- a nice tablecloth; for grandpa- warm sleepers; for aunt- a martini set and for uncle- a wireless weather station.
2. You don’t want to declare yourself bankrupt after this Christmas but still want to offer gifts to friends and colleagues. You can find amazing convenient things and satisfy everyone, including you. Think of scented candles, cosmetic samples, nice Christmas soap bars, CD-s with caroling songs, picture frames for women and wine opener, corkscrew set, car compass, documentary DVD-s, a flask set or a mini digital camera for men.
3. If you decide to give your boss a Christmas present, you have to invest a little more money. A bottle of old scotches or bourbon will bring smile on his face and if your boss is a woman, an expensive new perfume will be perfect. You can always involve your colleagues to gather money to buy the perfect gift for your boss.
4. Christmas is also the time of year when people help other people in need. So, don’t turn your back on this special and holly moment of the year. Make a donation, even a few bucks. Offer food or clothes that you don’t need any more to collectable centers. What is insignificant to you, might be a ray of light to others.
5. You don’t need much help in finding something yummy or funny as Christmas gift for your pet. Your dog might be in need of a new collar or toy, your cat might enjoy purring on a new pillow, your parrot might like a honey seed bar and your ferret might like a nice tiny crocheted coat.
Hopefully everybody will be happy!
Have a Merry, Merry Christmas!
Wolves at Our Door is a great, fascinating true story about the couple Jim and Jamie Dutcher who lived six years in the Idaho Sawtooth Mountains’ wilderness with a pack of wolves. It is a candid memoir in which the Dutchers share their incredible experiences and their discoveries about the wolves. Being together with them since they were pups, the couple succeeded to gain the wolves’ trust and to observe their remarkable behavior and the complex nature of the wild creature. Wolves at Our Door is much more than a simple documentary, it’s a story about two interesting people, brought together by their love for wildlife, it’s a story about the astonishing creatures, the wolves, intelligent social animals. The Dutchers succeeded in overcome the misconception that wolves are just some savage predators. They are so much more. The story about the amazing pack of wolves and their human friends who witness the wolves in their intimate detail of everyday life is emotionally narrated. It’s a reminder for all of us, human creatures, of how badly we need the wolves and how big are the mistakes made by humans, not thinking even for a single second of the endangered wild creatures.
Wolves at Our Door will conquer your soul from the beginning. It’s the great season’s book. So, find a comfortable, warm place near the chimney, take your hot cocoa cup and enjoy the magnificent, rich story about the wolves’ nature. Enjoy it as much as I did (and I was moved to tears)!
Everyone is preparing now for the incoming holiday of the season. It’s that time of the year when family and close friends are gathering to celebrate Thanksgiving. The stores are already full with all sorts of decorations, dish ware, candles and seasonal flowers. Maybe this year you want to be more simplistic and authentic. If you want to try some of the following ideas, be prepared to surprise your invitees with creativity and originality.
Nowadays we all go green, right? Are you ready for organic decorations as well? Good! Pick some of those festive iconic pumpkins in small and medium sizes. Use different colors of them for diversity and the joy of playing with colors. Arrange them on the table; they’ll make a great seasonal image.
Another great idea is to spread some autumn leaves on the table or arrange them in a nice fall bouquet. Autumn leaves are the great season’s inspiration, beside pumpkins. So, get inspirational with them.
Use some branches and twigs to decorate the table. You can pick all kinds of them; just choose the ones you like. Among them put some high transparent glass vases with candles inside. You’ll create a splendid rustic scene with beautiful lights and shadows.
All kinds of nuts in shelves can be found in stores this period of year. Buy combined nuts and arrange them in a wattle basket. You can mingle among them red fresh apples. It’s a great combination and an original decoration for your Thanksgiving dinner.
Now that you got inspired, it’s time to get to work and gather all the elements you’ve found interesting. I wish you an inspiring Thanksgiving!
Headaches may appear very frequent. Generally disappear after few hours, the common reason being stress or fatigue. If there are no serious reasons, headaches can be treated with simple methods, like getting some fresh air or washing the face with cold water.
Ethereal oils could be very efficient in case of headache. Several drops of mint oil applied and massaged on the forehead can make miracles.
Another good method is to wash your arms with cold water and dry them in a towel with energetic moves.
Cataplasm with onions can be helpful. Cut an onion in slices and apply them on the nape zone. Cover the back of the head with a scarf or towel and try to relax.
Hardhay plant could be a very good remedy as well. A tea may be brewed from dried plant. Don’t forget to relax and get rid of the low spirits.
If you have a severe headache that doesn’t go away and persists more than one day, it’s best to consult a specialist.