Decorations/ Safety Tips



Wrapping Paper:

Be creative with your wrapping. Remember that most children hardly glance twice at wrapping before they rip it open, to get the good stuff- the gifts!

And grandma, well she is probably going to save the paper for next year! Best to give her present wrapping a bit more time.

* Involve your kids in the festive season; use your children’s artwork as wrapping paper. Thus showing off your children’s brilliant artistic skills, and keeping them occupied for an afternoon.

* Save the comic section in newspapers and weekly magazines, you will be able to wrap up loved ones gifts in their favourite comic strips.

* Forget gift tags; make your own by cutting a small piece of matching paper and folding it in half.

How to wrap a present to perfection

A simple guide to wrapping pressents, with creative tips.

wrapping paper
scissors
sticky tape
the gift
patience


Cut the wraping paper, don’t worry to much about straight edges.

If you fold the wrapping paper over at the edges, creating a staight edge, hold in place, with your tape cut to an approprate length with the sticky side facing up- fold over and connect the two sticky edges- resulting in a sticky loop of tape that is placed under the folded edge. Thus avoiding unsightly tape on the paper.

Creative Tips
Gather bits and pieces:
You can use small fragments of paper. You can use odd, non-wrapping materials, such as twigs and bottle caps, photographs, stickers, fabric and even sweets. To decorate you’re presents.

Focus on the front of the package.
The back of the package is backstage; it's ok to let it be messy.

Contrast: Is something to keep in mind whilst decorating your present, think of the person’s character contrasts.

Use contrast of colour.
Contrast of light and dark.
Contrast of texture or material.
Contrast of line (angled paper on rectangular boxes).





Decorations tips:

*Save your children’s holiday crafts and artwork each year, after a few years you’ll have a house full of free and beautiful decorations! The joy your children will feel seeing their artwork proudly displayed year after year is priceless.

*Paint/ Decorate- pinecones and acorns that can be easily collected from your walks, for beautiful traditional decorations.

Tie bows around doorknobs.

Cut snowflakes from white paper and hang them in all of your windows.

Make a snowman.

Wrap your plant pots in red or green foil wrap

Cut snowflakes from white paper and hang them in all of your windows

Create personalized gingerbread men as place cards for your dining table. Use coloured icing to decorate each gingerbread man with a guest's hair colour and usual clothing. Using icing to print each person's name across the chest of the gingerbread man.

Put a Christmas screen saver on your computer.

Remove your mugs from their cup hooks and hang Christmas ornaments in their place. You can do the same thing with spoon racks or key racks




Trees and Decorations – points and tips

Look for a full tree, perhaps one that is more refined, like a fir or spruce, rather than a pine.

First add the lights, starting at the bottom of the tree and working up towards the top. Then add your ornaments, starting with the largest ornaments first.

Periodically stop and view the tree from a bit of a distance. Check it for symmetry and balance. Rearrange the ornaments where necessary to fill in bald spots.
Don't overly pack the tree with ornaments

For a different look, buy a couple rolls of white, wired ribbon with gold or silver threads. Run them down the tree, rather than around it. It will make the tree appear to be taller and more elegant as a result.

Customize your Christmas tree to fit the decor of your room. Get your inspiration from items already in your home and build on that.

Use readily available and inexpensive objects to decorate your Christmas tree. Visit your local arts and crafts store and just walk up and down the aisles looking for inspiration.

Wrap empty boxes to use as decor.

Colourful handmade stocking stuffers hung from the mantle are a delight to children and adults. If making them for a specific child, try to incorporate hobbies or sports that the child likes.

Herbs hung upside down in the kitchen bring some of the festivity aroma into a room that often gets neglected.

Get some pull-apart cotton from your local craft store to simulate fluffy snow. It's an easy, affordable way to add a little personality to the tree. The cotton also helps to hide cords and helps fill gaps in between the branches.



Christmas cards:

*Send postcards or letters, instead of Christmas cards.

*If you send postcards, whether purchased or homemade, remember they require less postage than a regular card!

*A modern option to your original Christmas Routine, E-cards its a postcard, sent by means of the Internet.

Postage Information

UK last posting dates:

Thursday 14th December 2006- Standard Parcel and mail order return parcels
Saturday 16th December 2006- Second Class
Wednesday 20th December 2006- First Class
Friday 22nd December 2006- Special Delivery

International airmail:
Saturday 9th December 2006- South & central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Far East, New Zealand and Australia.
Tuesday 12th December 2006- Japan, USA, Canada and Eastern Europe
Thursday 14th December 2006- Western Europe.



Food Safety:

Christmas is a time to enjoy delicious food, but it can also be a danger time for possible food poisoning.

Defrosting the turkey can be the first Christmas problem. A whole turkey is very big so it can be defrosted either in the fridge or on the bench top. The important thing is to make sure that it’s fully defrosted before it’s cooked and that it doesn’t sit for any longer than necessary in the temperature danger zone (between 5°C and 60°C) where bacteria can multiply rapidly. Better still, ask your butcher or poultry supplier to defrost it for you in their cool room then bring it home and refrigerate it immediately.

“Storing the turkey in the fridge correctly also needs thought as it is big and will be competing for space with the drinks, desserts and all the other Christmas goodies. If it is going into the fridge before it’s cooked, it needs to be placed near the bottom of the fridge so that its juices can’t drip on to the ready to eat food such as salads, or placed into a leak proof container.

 Make sure the fridge is kept at or below 5 ºC and has enough space left for the cool air to circulate around the food. You can move the drinks and other items, for which refrigeration is not essential for safety, into an esky to make more fridge space if needed.”



Decorative safety:

Candles:
Great care should be taken when using candles, so follow this simple fire safety advice-

Place candles on a heat resistant surface - Be especially careful with nightlights and tea lights, which get hot enough to melt plastic. TVs are not fire-resistant objects.

Position them away from curtains - Don’t put candles too near curtains, other fabrics or furniture. Keep them out of draughts.

Keep children and pets away - Candles should be out of reach of children and pets.

Keep candles apart - Leave at least four inches (10cm) between two burning candles.

Don’t move them when they’re burning - Extinguish candles before moving them. Also, don’t let anything fall into the hot wax like matchsticks.

Don’t leave them burning - Extinguish candles before you leave a room. Never go to sleep with a candle still burning and never leave a burning candle or oil burner in a child’s bedroom.


Light Safety:
Examine light strands each year and discard worn ones.
Avoid overloading wall outlets and extension cords.
Use only outside lights on the outside of your home.
Never use indoor extension cords outside.
Keep outdoor electrical connectors above ground and out of snow and puddles.

Tree Lights
Use only UL Approved lights.
No more than three strands of lights should be linked together.
Use only miniature lights because they have cool bulbs.
Turn off tree lights before leaving home or going to sleep.



Christmas Tree:

A real tree should be fresh; no needles fall when tapped on ground.
Tree stand should hold at least one gallon of water.
Water level in tree stand should be checked every day to fill.
Keep tree away from floor heaters and fireplaces.
Never discard tree by burning it in the fireplace.



Road and personal safety:

At this time of year, understandably, our thoughts tend to wander towards the Christmas and New Year break but remember accidents don’t take a holiday!

Statistics show there are increased seasonal risks therefore it is all the more important for you to remain focused on personal safety.

Think also of those who may be affected by your actions - fellow workers, family and friends. This is equally important in the periods leading up to, during and following the festive break.