Welcome to the December 30, 2007 edition of Carnival of Holidays at home.

Jenny-up the hill presents Cake Mix Cookies posted at Up the Hill Gang, saying, “This is an easy peasy cookie recipe that I love to make during the hoildays….especially when I’ve ran out of time and have to fix something quick! lol!” 

:: Suzanne :: presents Our Thanksgiving posted at :: adventures in daily living ::.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Ms. Legal Person Answers Your Holiday Questions posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

Ian Welsh presents Five Thanksgiving Tips to Help Out Your Local Food Bank posted at The Agonist.

Warren Wong presents How To Wake Up Without An Alarm Clock posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, “Tips on how to wake up without an alarm clock and feel refreshed.”

Stefanie presents Extreme Gingerbread House Making! posted at Random Encounters of We, saying, “Christmas is a great time for traditions!”

Peter Crump presents Holiday Gifts For A Pain Free Holiday posted at Find That Gift For Him.

kelly presents 11 tips for a holly jolly christmas party… posted at {the ringpop bride}.

Christine presents Hot Apples with Cinnamon and Honey posted at Me, My Kid and Life: An American Single Mom Living in France, saying, “Delicious, all natural, healthy holiday dessert!”

Todd Goldfarb presents 22 Ways To Give THANKS During The Holidays! posted at We The Change, saying, “22 wonderful ways to give thanks during this holiday season!”

Santa’s Elf presents Christmas memories & stories | Love Santa posted at Love Santa.

GrrlScientist presents The Gift of Giving posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, “Surprisingly, gift-giving often provides more benefits for the giver than the recipient.”

Rebecca presents Gingerbread House Patterns and Inspiration posted at The Experimental Kitchen.

Christine presents Marche de Noel | Christmas Market posted at Me, My Kid and Life: An American Single Mom Living in France, saying, “Happy holidays from Strasbourg!”

Alvaro Fernandez presents Robert Emmons on the Positive Psychology of Gratitude posted at SharpBrains, saying, “An important element of celebrations: Gratitude.”

Leticia Velasquez presents THE JESSE TREE posted at cause of our joy.

Roger Carr presents Christmas Acts of Kindness posted at Everyday Giving Blog.

Sonya presents Peppermint Crunchies posted at Mo Mhíle Grá.

chris chynoweth presents New Christmas Animated I’m a Mac and I’m a PC posted at DropKick MonKey.

Cathy presents CHRISTMAS! WHERE THE HEART IS! posted at Joy Thru Generosity, saying, “Many years ago I found myself far from home as Christmas approached. I was in a country that spoke a different language and I hardly knew anyone I was with. There was no escaping the fact it was December 24th and the next day was sure to come.”

GP presents The Best Things in Life Cant be Found at the Mall posted at Innside Montana-Your Home at the Range, saying, “Tthere is so much to do in this now-extended holiday season that it all seems to fly by before we even have time to just sit quietly and enjoy a cozy winter’s evening waiting patiently for Christmas to arrive. Seven ideas we have come to value as we embrace the notion that, “The Best Things in”

Beth Dargis presents Enjoying the Season posted at My Simpler Life – Simple Living.

Jeremy Neal presents Five Things Dads like to do on Christmas Day posted at Discovering Dad, saying, “There are many things that Dads are expected to do, but here are 5 things that Dads really want to do for Christmas each year.”

Joshua C. Karlin presents How Should We Give? posted at Marketing & Fundraising Ideas.

chris chynoweth presents DropKick MonKey » Blog Archive » Macy’s: Evening TV Commercial Starring Jessica Simpson posted at DropKick MonKey.

chaosgone presents Christmas Time All Over the World posted at Chaosgone, saying, “Christmas videos from around the world.”

GrrlScientist presents White Christmas posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, “One of my readers sent me this very cute rendition of the classic christmas song, White Christmas, so of course, I had to share it with all of you! It includes the soundtrack along with a goofy cartoon.”

Lori Prokop Keyboard Culture Co-Founder presents Helping Clients Take Care of themselves During the Holidays posted at Patricia Sherman – Healing is possible, saying, “In this article by Dr. Patricia Sherman, Healing is Possible Expert at Keyboard Culture Healing is Possible, you will learn how to have realistic expectations during holidays and family gatherings all year long. The best gift we can give to those around us is to take proper care of ourselves and help those with whom we work to do the same. Keeping ourselves in good working order requires the use of a few self-care and balance tools which Dr. Patricia Sherman gives in her article at http://www.keyboard-culture-healing-is-possible.com/2007/12/helping_clients_take_care_of_t.html her Keyboard Culture Healing is Possible blog.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of holidays at home using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: carnival of holidays at home, blog carnival.

What Christmas Means

As the weather spins from warm to cold,
Memories come from days of old
All the greetings of Christmas cheer
Bring smiles from remembrance of yesteryear.
Humming tunes of Santa, Frosty, and Rudolph too
Shopping for gifts for loved ones true
Planning of decorating yard and tree alike
Lights, and candles and stars so bright.
Sharing meals with friends and family
It’s such a wonderful time, you see.
All the same, never forgetting
The “reason for the season” bringing
Joy and wonder to our eyes
and Jesus into our lives.

© Karen ~Georgia Angel 12/16/07

May you and yours be blessed this
holiday season and all the year through.

Some thoughts from the internet world on
What Christmas Means

from Jann’s PA Dutch Kitchen

by Carrie’s Poetry

by ArtGally.com

What my Christmas Tree Means to Me by Cathy’s Christmas Cottage

from Be the Cause blog

from Real Christmas blog

If Christmas is Only for Children

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1320313719

Send this eCard !

bgcolor=”ffffff” align=”middle” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash”>

I love this Christmas tree widget.  Leave me a gift, then sign the comments with a link to your tree, and I’ll stop by and leave a gift for you too.

Image hosting by Photobucket.com

A Blog Carnival collects links to blogs on a specific topic or theme.  Editions are published on a regular basis and consists of links to contributors included with the Editor’s remarks.  The purpose of the “Holidays at Home Blog Carnival” is to publish a monthly carnival to highlight/feature blog authors sharing their holiday thoughts.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

 * article must be about holidays, at home, tips, recipes, thoughts
 * blog must be at least 30 days old (I must be able to see a date and time of posting)
 * blog must have at least a weekly post and must be current

SUBMISSION

 * post an original article on your blog (you may recycle an older post, but it has to be an original article written by you)
 * add logo/link shown below to this page somewhere in your article
 * submit your article here or you may email me at karen at ageorgiaangel dot com with “blog carnival submission” in the subject line

SUBMISSION DEADLINE

December 15, 2007 at noon EST

REVIEW & PUBLICATON 

The carnival will be published December 23, 2007 by 11:59 PM EST.  The edition will include a list of the submitted articles selected by me after I have reviewed each article for content and originality.  I’m sure I don’t really have to say this, but I prefer family friendly, clean articles.  I will also select a bonus featured article.  The author will receive an award to display on their blog/site.  For the first carnival issue, I will be accepting submissions in a general category.  I will publish a posting on my blog each month with instructions and the submission deadline.

At this time, I am only accepting submissions of original articles by the original author.  At some point in the future, I may accept nominated articles from blogger readers and non-blogger readers.

LOGO

Copy and paste the image below and link back to the permalink.

Image hosting by Photobucket.com

I wish I wasn’t such a tired out old mom and had the stamina for standing in the kitchen.  I would love to create some of these holiday treats from Michaels.com projects.  I bought a gingerbread house kit and cookie kit at the store.  If I’m able to make them, I’ll post pictures of them.  There are lots of wonderful crafts ideas in the seasonal projects section too.  I found myself saying “oooh, I want to make that” and “I can do that”.  Yeah.  Reality sets in…  no money, no time.  {sigh}.

There are also some yummy treat recipes at Kraft.com.   Has anyone ever hosted a cookie exchange?  I’ve never heard of it, but it looks like fun.  I was visiting with some of my long time friends at my mother’s church holiday dinner last Saturday night.  I moved back to my hometown a year ago, and I haven’t really had much time to get together with some of my closest and dearest friends.  That was our parting good-byes to each other.  We really need to get together.  I think this is an excellent idea for us.  I’m going to have to keep this one in mind.

Of course, who doesn’t have a Betty Crocker cook book?  Looks like their holiday theme this year is peppermint.  The peppermint swirls look absolutely delicious.  {I am making myself so hungry.}  There is a section on cookie exchanges there too.

More holiday cooking ideas:

Crisco.com with tips for a cookie exchange

I love these candy cane blossoms at Hersheys.com.  There is also a nice projects section.

Festive Chocolates at Landolakes.com

RiceKrispies.com Holiday House Recipe and other holiday ideas.

Christmas Village Houses at TasteofHome.com

Holiday Cookies at  CountryLiving.com

Parenting.com Festive Food

Christmas Cookie Extravaganza at LifetimeTV.com

Pillsbury.com Cookie Recipes

Cookie Exchange Recipes at DominoSugar.com

  I hope you remember to send something to our troops.  They deserve a little Christmas cheer too.

What The Holidays Mean to You

For you, the holidays are about emotional connections and bonds. You are happiest being around those you love.You celebrate the holidays in a minimalist style. You are likely to only give one great present and decorate your house with a few special items.During the holidays, you feel magical. You love all of the decorations and how happy people are. You like to sit back and take it all in.You think the holidays should be nostalgic and sweet. The holidays bring out your inner child. Your best holiday memories are warm and intimate. You remember special moments more than gifts or parties.

What Do the Holidays Mean to You?

You Are an Angel

A truly giving soul, you understand the spirit of Christmas.

What Christmas Ornament Are You?