Deck the halls with tons of ideas and projects that help make the season bright

Whether you incorporate handmade items as part of your decor, celebrations, or gift giving, adding a personal touch to Christmas makes the holiday season even more special. Christmas Ideas is packed with easy and inspirational ways to help beautify and personalize your holiday season. You’ll get ideas for festive decorating schemes, stunning themed trees, quick-to-make ornaments and cards, appealing gifts, and easy crafts. So before you adorn your home or begin penning your Christmas cards, turn to this gorgeous book for

• Projects that bring a handmade touch to holiday d¿cor, gifts, and celebrations
• Step-by-step instructions for craft projects
• Ideas for holiday entertaining including kitchen-tested recipes
• Gorgeous color photos that offer inspiration and guidance

Christmas Ideas is a treasure-trove of holiday merriment—a perfect source for creating unforgettable Christmas celebrations and traditions you’ll be proud to share with family and friends.

Craft and Recipe Excerpts from Best of Christmas Ideas

Beaded Trees

Shortbread Sticks

Flames of Green

• Offers readers inspirational Christmas decorating ideas to help beautify their homes in a creative and personal way.

• Is dedicated solely to the season of Christmas, giving the book a clear focus.

• Packed with a variety of ideas and projects including: festive decorating schemes, stunning themed trees, quick-to-make ornaments and cards, appealing gifts to make, and easy crafts.

• Step-by-step instructions for craft projects are included in the back of the book.

–This text refers to an alternate

Paperback
edition.

It’s a special holiday tradition. A set of 24 miniature books arranged in sequence, the nutcracker story book set & advent calendar retells the story of the beloved ballet through all the delightful suspense of an Advent calendar format. In addition, the jewel-like books are designed to be hung on the Christmas tree.Selection of the Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club. 177,000 copies in print. Paper over board; full-color illustrations throughout; 24 miniature story books; 4 pages each; set in a board tray; tray: 14″ x 12″.

Mary Packard is a freelance writer who also wrote The Nutcracker Story Book Set & Advent Calendar.

Full of practical ideas and information on how anyone can costume almost any type of religious play on a limited budget.

Staeheli

In 2007, “Do Nothing to Change Your Life” encouraged us to nurture our inner slob. Now “Do Nothing…Christmas is Coming” turns to what, for many, is the busiest time of year. For every day of Advent, Stephen Cottrell provides short, practical steps to help us slow down, take time out – and enjoy Christmas without piling on the pressure. This eye-catching book is perfect if you need to slow down over Advent – or as a gift for someone who needs an injection of calm.

Stephen Cottrell is the Bishop of Reading. As well as the bestselling Do Nothing to Change Your Life, he has also written or contributed to the following other titles for Church House Publishing: * Reflections for Daily Prayer * the Emmaus discipleship course * Travelling Well * Praying through Life.

Christmas Tree Advent Calendar


Stitch an easy Christmas project for the children using a combination of quilting and appliqué stitches. The children will love it! Each day, the child adds an ornament to the tree until the grand finale of placing the big star at the top of the tree on Christmas day. Inside, you’ll find: 25 full-size templates for the ornaments on the Christmas Tree Advent Calendar; clear, easy, step-by-step instructions for creating the ornaments, the big Christmas tree, and the quilted wall hanging; and, an abundance of illustrations and photographs to make the project even easier. You can make the project without a sewing machine!

Ruthy Sturgill started her company, Sunshine, etc., in 1978. Unfortunately, it remained “dormant” while she pursued her career as a program manager with the Federal Government and later as a Government contractor in the Washington DC area. Since her retirement, she has “rejuvenated” Sunshine, etc., and now spends much of her time sewing and writing. She is avidly working on not only creating; but, publishing the instructions and templates for the magnitude of sewing project ideas that she has carefully documented over the years.

-MY GRAND DAUGHTER LOVED THE STORIES AND I CAN-T STOP LISTENING TO THE CAROLS-

“I just love the concept and the execution. My grand daughter loved the stories and I can’t stop listening to the carols. You deserve every success.”

Cliff Lague, Spain

-WHY DIDN’T SOMEONE DO THIS BEFORE?-

-Storybook Advent Calendar makes me think -Why didn’t someone do this before?- It’s uplifting, educational, and celebratory for adults and children. I especially like the entry for December 7, which explains the similarities and differences of Christianity, Judaism and Islam in a simple, profound and beautiful way.-

Tina B. Tessina, PhD, psychotherapist and author of Money, Sex and Kids: Stop Fighting about the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage (Adams Media 2008).

-I AM AWESTRUCK-

“I am awestruck with the book’s warmth, its caring and loving sentiment, and totally enamored with the artwork!”

Jeri Friedman, Los Lunas, New Mexico

-THANK YOU FOR BRINGING ME BACK TO CHRISTMAS-

-The Storybook Advent Calendar reminds adults and teaches children the roots of the holiday. Stories flow with a wonderful mix of new and old. From classics like The Matchstick Girl to timeless treasures such as The Three Trees, this collection will promote important conversations between parents and children, including the addition of an original story teaching how the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths relate to each other and have more in common than not.

Thank you for bringing me back to Christmas. It is possible to back away from the commercial tidal wave and rest in the peace that is the true meaning of the gift we have been given.”

Aly Williams, Elementary School Teacher, Spokane, Washington, USA

–This text refers to the

Kindle Edition
edition.

Storybook Advent Calendar is fully illustrated and features classic stories and inspirational poems by legendary authors plus seven original stories created specifically for this book designed to be read each night between December 1 and December 25 at bedtime in celebration of Advent. More than a children’s book, Storybook Advent Calendar is an introduction to classic literature, music and history, as well as an inspirational celebration of the New Testament and the real reason we celebrate Christmas. We wrote Storybook Advent Calendar for everyday Christians who want their children growing up in a world where ‘blessed are the peacemakers’ means something. Also see Storybook Advent Carols Collection Songbooks, two albums of Christmas music, Storybook Advent Carols Collections Volume One, American Christmas Classics and Volume Two, British Christmas Classics with 40 songs available in digital downloads or CD and a collection of holiday ringtones. Items can be purchased separately or in sets. Merry Christmas! Reviews “WHY DIDN’T SOMEONE DO THIS BEFORE?” “Storybook Advent Calendar makes me think “Why didn’t someone do this before?” It’s uplifting, educational, and celebratory for adults and children. I especially like the entry for December 7, which explains the similarities and differences of Christianity, Judaism and Islam in a simple, profound and beautiful way.” Tina B. Tessina, PhD, psychotherapist and author of ‘Money, Sex and Kids: Stop Fighting about the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage (Adams Media 2008) “I just love the concept and the execution. My grand daughter loved the stories and I can’t stop listening to the carols. You deserve every success.” Cliff Lague, Spain “I am awestruck with the book’s warmth, its caring and loving sentiment, and totally enamored with the artwork!” Jeri Friedman Los Lunas, NM

*Cardmaking is a hot topic, with over 82,000 copies of Quick & Clever Instant Cards sold to date

*Includes a gallery of super-quick projects for the overwhelmed and busy Christmas shopper

Sixty incredible card designs and twenty stunning tag projects make up this collection of easy-to-create Christmas greetings. Simple, step-by-step instructions and detailed photographs enable even beginners to create professional and impressive results in no time. A variety of techniques–including using peel offs, felt sequins, glitter, and ribbons, and implementing sponging, quilting, and rubber stamping–gives readers great projects for the holidays and a wealth of ideas to draw upon all year round.

Elizabeth Moad is the author of The Papercrafter’s Bible and Cards for Men and Boys, and has been an avid papercraft artist and student for a number of years. She lives in Ipswich in the United Kingdom.

… ample historical and theological background… easy-to-follow directions to engage intergenerational cooperation for celebrating Advent in the household — Doug Adams, Professor of Christianity and the Arts, Pacific School of Religion and Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California

A workbook for making an Advent calendar out of just about any material available – even junk mail! Follows the calendar, has concise commentary and ample line-drawing illustrations. — The Living Church, December 5, 1999

Teach Us To Number Our Days is a complete, “user friendly”, highly recommended guide to Advent for all celebrants. — The Midwest Book Review, James Cox, Editor-in-chief

This practical handbook for homes and church communities helps to enrich the Christian celebration of Advent through the creation and use of an Advent calendar. Written for people of all skill levels, Baumgarten provides instructions for a calendar made of paper or junk mail, a no-sew felt version, and a fabric version for more advanced sewers.

Teach Us To Number Our Days, however, is more than a simple crafts book. Baumgarten provides readers with a brief history of the development of Advent in the Christian calendar, as well as detailed explanations of the various Christian symbols that can be used during the season. Paying attention to both the Old and New Testament symbols, as well as the Sundays of Advent and the Great ‘O’ Antiphons from December 17-23, this book is a complete guide to Advent for individuals, families, and churches.

Barbara Dee Baumgarten seeks to understand the relationship between visual art and theology. She has a Ph. D. in Theology and the Arts from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. She is also a quilter, and teaches quilting to others. Barbara lives with her family in Santa Paula, California.

Selections from the world s greatest spiritual writers provide inspiration for the most widely-celebrated holiday of the year. Writers include: Johann Christoph Arnold, C.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, Philip Yancey, Madeleine L Engle, Henri Nouwen, Kathleen Norris, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Annie Dillard, Dorothy Day, and many others. Pages: 352 Pages, PaperbackPublisher: Orbis BooksISBN: 1-57075-541-8

Kids can start getting ready for the holiday on December 1, when they’ll begin filling in the landscape of a lovely Victorian-era village with quaint shops, cottages, and other buildings. Each day they’ll add another numbered sticker illustration until the final touch on December 25—a Christmas tree in the town square.

Christmas tree pins are one of the most popular niches in the costume-jewelry figurals category. Holiday brooches are widely collected and sought, the most desirable being valued over $200. While most attention has been given to signed jewelry, unmarked pieces maintain an aura of mystery that maddens aficionados determined to solve a pin’s provenance. Who made certain beautiful or unusual pieces? Was it Eisenberg, Carnegie, Weiss, Robert, Sandor, Boucher, Reinad, Mazer, Calvaire? Often, even experts will never know. Some unmarked creations are among the most intriguing of all – and among the most affordable. The most unusual specimens here include: karat-gold Christmas tree parure; white-flocked tin tree with aluminum bells; tree with French Provincial frame and blue-glass center panel. Text describes trees and offers price guide. Introduction aids collectors in understanding why a pin might have gone unmarked, including various scenarios involved in design and manufacture.

The big Christmas countdown begins on December 1 and continues to the 25th as children apply a numbered sticker each day to an appropriate space on the background scene. 25 sticker images depict Mr. and Mrs. Claus and a jolly army of elves making toys, painting, and packing an awesome assortment of playthings.

It’s a special holiday tradition. A set of 24 miniature books arranged in sequence, the nutcracker story book set & advent calendar retells the story of the beloved ballet through all the delightful suspense of an Advent calendar format. In addition, the jewel-like books are designed to be hung on the Christmas tree.Selection of the Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club. 177,000 copies in print. Paper over board; full-color illustrations throughout; 24 miniature story books; 4 pages each; set in a board tray; tray: 14″ x 12″.

Mary Packard is a freelance writer who also wrote The Nutcracker Story Book Set & Advent Calendar.