Halloween Costume Ideas - Looking for Something Different This Year?

Buying Your Costume New

New halloween costume shopping is a fun experience, and the best place to look for your new costume is on the Web. There are many retailers to choose from, and you want to buy from a halloween costume store that has a good reputation and a large number of choices. The main advantage of purchasing a costume via the internet, is price and selection.

Local costume and novelty shops are a secondary way to pick up a halloween costume. They won't have quite the selection as an internet retailer, but should have a good basic stock of costumes, masks, and props. You may feel more comfortable buying a costume locally, since it is easier to return than buying from the web.

Buying Your Costume Used

A used halloween costume can be a great value, and if you are strapped for cash might be the way to go. If you develop a costume idea, and make a list of the items you need to complete your ensemble, you can probably find the pieces to create an entire costume with little effort. Good places to find used costumes are:

* Thrift Store
* Flea Market
* Garage Sales
* Friends or Relatives
* Coworkers
* Newspaper Ads
* Online Auction Sites

Make sure to inspect the quality of the costume, and if you are buying it from the internet or an online auction, get as many detailed photos as possible, and try and get a money back guarantee. Used costumes are a great idea since you may only be wearing the costume one time.

Renting a Costume

Costume rentals is another option you have when preparing for halloween. At the same place where you can buy a new costume locally, it is possible that they offer rentals.

Many times you have to put down a deposit, and the charge for renting the costume depends on how long you intend to have it, and how the time of season. During the halloween season, for example, you can expect to pay more for a costume than any other time of the year.

With the cheap prices of costumes on the internet, we recommend that you just buy one. You can always resell it later if you never use it again, or pass it on to friends and relatives. Renting a halloween costume is an option though, and we wanted to make you aware of it.

Making Your Own Costume

If your a hobbyist, or good at arts and crafts, you may enjoy the satisfaction of creating your very own halloween costume from scratch. All it takes is some imagination, and a little bit of work to produce an original costume.

You may already have a costume in mind, but if not, here are some tips when making your own costume:

* Develop an idea for the halloween costume first, and then look around your house to see if you may have everything you need to make it

* Make a list of materials that you need that have to be bought for the costume. This will save money by sticking to a budget and plan

* When making kids halloween costumes, make sure that they are safe for their age group, and make them visible at night

* Try and be original, the whole point of making your own costume is to stand out and be different

Baby's Christmas Cry - Let Me Live Another Day

Christmas the jolly festive season for good will gestures kindness and happiness is upon us once again.

December 25th the lord's birthday is a day for family gatherings where relatives even strangers unite to celebrate his invisible presence. If Christmas were every day where the atmosphere is filled with joyous and harmonious people? What a wonderful world this would be.

Children prepare for Santa's arrival with a thank you plate of biscuits and a glass of milk. The bigger kid's like mum/dad intend to over excite themselves too watching the kids unwrap their presents. Then we have the belly bursting feast of turkey with all the trimmings followed by apple pie and custard. But sadly to say all the joys that Christmas brings is not bestowed on every one.

Unfortunately some children celebrate Christmas from a hospital bed due to saddening events which may have taken place where instead of receiving a kiss and a cuddle on Christmas day they received a merciless beating. No joyous moments for babies on a mortuary slab.

Innocent of any crime the weakest links will suffer more pain under the hands of their abusers. This ongoing torture for toddlers/wife's partners etc is escalating out of control causing an epidemic of sadism which has to stop. To many merciless beatings have caused death to a victim all because the abuser needs his/her daily fix of fulfilment where they celebrate Christmas with blood on their hands and a smile.

Help is out there for those looking for the reason behind why they cause so much sorrow and pain on their defenceless loved ones. Talk to someone and by doing this you have taken the first step in your quest to make every Christmas from now on happy ones.

Then we have the inhabitants of famine stricken countries suffering from starvation seeking to survive on flour and milk alone. Our flour comes in the shape of a loaf, our milk churned into butter/cheese.

Before keeping up with tradition where you get to stuff your self with roast parsnips and turkey be sure to say grace and to take in the meaning of every word. "Bless us O Lord for what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful. Amen"

Far from our thoughts are the less fortunate so remember to say a prayer. And for the innocent victim of abuse who's cry for help go unheard. I ask you as a friend or neighbour to be extra vigilant of any situation that may give you reason for concern for a child's safety.

By doing this you may be giving that child the best Christmas gift ever and that is to live for another day.

The Secret History of Santa Claus

Santa Claus is one old dude. We all know that. Just look at how white his beard and hair are, right? But did you know that the legend of Santa Claus, and St. Nick, go back nearly to the time of Christ, nearly 2,000 years ago? No? Well then, sit back, pour yourself a hot chocolate, grab yourself a plate of cookies, and get ready for the story of Santa Claus.

It is said that around the year 280 A.D., there was a man born by the name of Nicolas. He was born in the Near East in a town called Patara. To find it today, look on a map or a globe for the country of Turkey, near Greece. It was there that the man who would become Santa Claus was born.

Nicolas had a big heart, so big that he became a monk and devoted himself to his god and his religion. But Nicolas also was a big fan of his family and his neighbors, and he also devoted himself to them. Word spread in his homeland and far and wide about how kind and generous Nicolas was. Nicolas was born into wealth, and stories soon spread about how Nicolas gave away all of his family's money to the poor, the sick, and anyone else he came across who needed it.

He became so famous that Nicolas was known as the protector of all children (and sailors too). Once, he even saved three young girls, sisters, from being sold into slavery by their father. Their father, you see, needed money, and was going to make a fortune by selling his daughters. Instead, Nicolas came to their rescue by offering the father money for the girls, and then setting them free.

No wonder that Nicolas became Saint Nicolas after his death. For hundreds of years, Europeans celebrated him on the date of his death, December 6. Some even say that Saint Nick was the most popular saint in all of Europe during the end of the Middle Ages. December 6 was always considered a lucky day for this very same reason.

How did Saint Nick go from being the protector of children to Jolly Old Saint Nick, the guy we know as Santa Claus, who not only protects children, but brings them great gifts too? Well, that's one heck of a long story, and it involves a manger, and baby Jesus. We probably all already know that story by heart.

But what you may not know is that the end of December was already a big deal in Europe before Christmas was started. It was during this time of year that many Europeans celebrated that winter was almost over. They would have great feasts, celebrated the harvest of their wine and their beer, and the coming of spring and the sun. So then it made perfect sense that when people also started celebrating the birth of Baby Jesus, that the two traditions would meld.

The notion of feasting and celebrating a holiday of lights, the happiness and giving of Saint Nick, and the hope and love brought by Baby Jesus, all of it merged to form the perfect holiday: Christmas. And who makes sure that it happens every year? None other than Santa Claus.

New Year Trivia Quiz

1. Under which calendar is New Year's Day Jan. 1?
A. Julian Calendar
B. Gregorian Calendar
C. Jewish Calendar
D. Chinese Calendar
E. All of the above

B. Gregorian Calendar
QQ: New Year's Day is the first day of the year, Jan. 1, in the Gregorian calendar. Traditionally the day has been observed as a religious feast, but in modern times the arrival of the New Year has also become an occasion for spirited celebration and the making of personal resolutions.

2. What calendar determines the date of the Chinese New Year?
A. Lunar
B. Solar
C. Chinese
D. Zen

A. Lunar
QQ: The Chinese New Year, traditionally based on the lunar calendar, is celebrated in many American cities with the roar of blazing firecrackers, dancing dragons made from papier mâché and cloth, and traditional music.

3. Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the new year for what religion?
A. Muslim
B. Christian
C. Buddhist
D. Jewish

D. Jewish
QQ: Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew, "beginning of the year"), Jewish New Year, celebrated on the first and second days of the Jewish month of Tishri (falling in September or October) by Orthodox and Conservative Jews and on the first day alone by Reform Jews. It begins the observance of the Ten Penitential Days, a period ending with Yom Kippur that is the most solemn of the Jewish calendar. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the High Holy Days.

4. Kwanzaa is a seven-day holiday that begins Dec. 26 and extends through Jan. 1. What does the word mean in Swahili?
A. First fruits
B. First people
C. First days
D. First dance

A. First fruits
QQ: Kwanzaa, or matunda ya kwanza, is Swahili for "first fruits". This is an African American holiday observed by African communities throughout the world that celebrates family, community, and culture. Kwanzaa has its roots in the ancient African first-fruit harvest celebrations from which it takes its name. However, its modern history begins in 1966 when it was developed by African American scholar and activist Maulana Karenga.

5. In the Middle Ages most European countries used the Julian calendar, so they observed New Year's Day when?
A. Feb. 14th
B. March 25th
C. April 1st
D. May 21st

B. March 25th
QQ: In the Middle Ages most European countries used the Julian calendar and observed New Year's Day on March 25, called Annunciation Day and celebrated as the occasion on which it was revealed to Mary that she would give birth to the Son of God.

6. The name January is derived from the Roman god Janus. What is he the god of?
A. Wine and grapes
B. Babies and childbirth
C. Clocks and calendars
D. Gates and doors

D. Gates and doors
QQ: The name of the month is derived from Janus, the Roman god of gates and doors, and hence of openings and beginnings. January was the 11th month of the year in the ancient Roman calendar; in the 2nd century BC, however, it came to be regarded as the first month. On January 1 the Romans offered sacrifices to Janus so that he would bless the new year.

7. When to the practioners of Tibetan Buddhism celebrate New Year's?
A. Never
B. January
C. February
D. March

C. February
QQ: Much of the ritual of Tibetan Buddhism is based on the esoteric mysticism of Tantra, devotions that involve both yoga and mantra, or a mystical formula, and ancient shamanistic practices. On special holidays the temples, shrines, and altars of the lamas are decorated with symbolic figures; milk, butter, tea, flour, and similar offerings are brought by the worshipers, animal sacrifices being strictly forbidden. Tibetan Buddhist religious festivals are numerous. The most notable are New Year's, celebrated in February and marking the commencement of spring

8. The Roman New Year festival was called the Calends, and people decorated their homes and gave each other gifts. In early times, the ancient Romans gave each other New Year's gifts of branches from sacred trees. Later they gave small items, such as nuts or coins, imprinted with pictures of what God?
A. Julius Caesar
B. Jesus Christ
C. Janus
D. Zeus

C. Janus
QQ: In later years, they gave gold-covered nuts or coins imprinted with pictures of Janus, the god of gates, doors, and beginnings. January was named after Janus, who had two faces--one looking forward and the other looking backward. The Romans also brought gifts to the emperor. The emperors eventually began to demand such gifts.

9. What New Year's gift did ancient Persians give?
A. Money
B. Eggs
C. Cakes
D. Rugs

B. Eggs
QQ: The ancient Persians gave New Year's gifts of eggs, which symbolized productiveness.

10. In ancient Egypt what event dictated the timing of New Year's celebrations?
A. Pharaoh's birthday
B. Flooding of Nile
C. Solar eclipse
D. Exact alignment of stars with Great Pyramid

B. Flooding of Nile
QQ: In ancient Egypt, New Year was celebrated at the time the River Nile flooded, which was near the end of September. The flooding of the Nile was very important because without it, the people would not have been able to grow crops in the dry desert. At New Year, statues of the god, Amon and his wife and son were taken up the Nile by boat. Singing, dancing, and feasting was done for a month, and then the statues were taken back to the temple.

Gifts for Guys

When buying gifts for guys, you want to go with something masculine and unusual. Gadgets are always good gifts for guys, but there's so much more you can give.

Gifts for Guys

And a one…and a two…

1. Dave Chappelle Show – Season 2 – The Chappelle Show has reached legendary status with men and women alike. The funniest stuff on television, Chappelle's show is a unique combination of skits that put Saturday Night Live to shame. From the blind KKK leader who didn't realize he was Afro-American to the sex scandals between the masters and padwans on Star Wars [hint, there's a reason Darth Vader went to the Dark Side!] Expect to pay $50 or so and grab season 1 while you're at it.

2. Guide Gear Snow Shoes – If you love with the white stuff, these ultra modern snow shoes make great gifts. These snow shoes are ultra light, with heal stomp pads to keep you from slipping and a tailored shape that makes for easy, quick movements. Expect to pay between $65 and $90 depending upon the size.

3. Gladiator School - Watching the movie, Gladiator, each of us had a moment where we pictured ourselves on the floor of the coliseum. Well, now you can give someone the ultimate travel gift. Yep, Gladiator lessons in Rome, Italy. Located on the ancient Appian rode where Spartacus met his end, the Gladiator School offers a variety of lessons in the theory and actual combat techniques of the Gladiators. You will actually cross swords with others. Courses range from on day to four months.

4. Michael Palin's Himalayas DVD – If you've never seen a Michael Palin travel movie, you are truly missing out. He began doing them in the 1990s for the BBC, but stopped for a long time. Now the former Monty Python member has come out with Himalayas, a DVD collection in which he travels from one end of the Himalayas to the other. In his usual hilarious style, he opines on the view from the highest bathroom in the world, the chance of getting shot in the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan and so on. A must have for anyone interested in the world. The DVD collection will set you back $40 online and leave you laughing in tears.

5. Nomad Writing Journals – If you're buying for a person that loves the outdoors or to travel, Nomad Writing Journals make great gifts. These journals are tailored to activities such as travel, fly fishing, bird watching, backpacking, camping, rock climbing and so on. They come with or without a case and provide writing space as well as cues for writing down important information. A great keepsake to preserve their travel and outdoor experiences. The journals cost as low as $9 without waterproof case and $25 with case.

See, there are plenty of gifts for guys out there. This list should give you a good place to start. Give him lessons at the Gladiator School in Italy, and he'll weep for joy like a small child.

Easter Traditions On A Budget

Every year moms scramble to find just the right easter basket. Will it be the sports easter basket for $20 or the Spiderman one for who know how much? When did easter gifts become so expensive?

The average family has 2.4 children and easter gifts can break a budget in a hurry. Here are some wonderful easter memory creating ideas that won't break the bank.

1. Bunny Paw prints
Grab an old shoe box lid and cut out big bunny paw print to make a stencil . On "Easter Eve" use the stencil to make paw prints through your house by sprinkling baking soda in the stencil. Turn it over to make left and right feet. (the baking soda vacuums up off the carpet)

2. Easter Eggstravaganza
For most kids, easter is not easter without decorating eggs. This year instead of letting the kids have all the fun, start a tradition that involves the whole family. Throw an annual Easter egg decorating contest. Choose enough categories so everyone gets a chance to win. Some categories might be: funniest egg, most original egg, scariest egg, or celebrity egg. The wackier the categories, the more fun you will have decorating and judging. Ask everyone to submit an egg and display them on the kitchen table. Ask Grandma and Grandpa to be the judges. Before you know it, you will have trouble finding judges because everyone will want to decorate an egg!

3. Follow the Ribbon
This is a simple tradition that doesn't take much preparation. All you will need to do is buy some narrow inexpensive ribbon from a local craft store. Choose a different color for each member of the family (15 to 25 yards per person depending on how crazy you want this to be). Once the kids are in bed, tie a ribbon to each of their hidden baskets and wind them in and out of the furniture and the other ribbons until you can't see where they began. Bring the ends to one central location (perhaps the kitchen table) as a place where your family can begin the entangled maze to find their baskets. Before you know it, everyone will be tangled in ribbons and laughs.

4. The Big People Egg Hunt
On Easter Sunday, gather the adults together and have them each hide one or more eggs somewhere on themselves. It might be in Grandma's apron pocket, Uncle Bob's boots, behind Dad's glasses, or under Grandpa's hat. This hunt isn't just for the little ones, it involves everyone and is a wonderful way to connect the generations. Your family will be sure to get a laugh as the kids poke around looking for hidden eggs. No one and no place is considered out of bounds. You'll definitely want your video camera ready for this Easter Egg Hunt.

5. Personalize Letter from the Easter Bunny!
What child does not get excited about getting mail? How about a personalized letter to your child from the Easter Bunny. This letter will be mailed directly to you child and talk about how mom and dad have told the easter bunny that he/she has been good. What an exciting memory for your child!

Easter baskets and gifts do not have to ruin your budget in order for them to be meaningful. These are just a few ways in which you can start some family easter traditions with your family.
Here's to a wonderful traditions filled Easter!

Unique Christmas Tree Themes

If you are a style maven who is a bit bored with the traditional then you might be interested in unique christmas tree themes. Here are some unique suggestions for christmas tree themes that are sure to be real conversation starters.

The Christmas Cocktail Party Tree

This christmas tree theme looks great on both big and small trees. First, if your tree is not a prelit tree try stringing it with a string of novelty lights instead of the usual egg shaped lights. You can buy plastic novelty lights in the shape of Chinese Lanterns (for a 50's feel), chili peppers (for that modern martini bar feel) and Pink Flamingos (for that Tikki cocktail party atmosphere.)

Then try decorating the tree with tiny cocktail parasols and multicolored cocktail picks. If your tree is really big you could also decorate it with plastic champagne glasses into which you have glued sequins or glitter. Miniature chocolates filled with liquor also make nice tree decorations.

The Gingerbread Tree

This most gorgeous of christmas tree themes never goes out of style. It looks best on a green or red tree. Decorate it with gingerbread man cookies, red glass balls, tons of candy canes, red velvet bows and homemade paper snowflake ornaments.

This tree looks great accented it with white or gold beaded garland or a bushy red or white tinsel garland. or icicle-look garland. Top it with a Christmas themed stuffed white or brown teddy bear.

The Chocolate and Gold Tree

This is probably the trendiest of the christmas tree themes described here. It looks great on a red artificial tree. The color scheme in this case is reds, browns and golds. Tiny twinkling gold and red lights look best. Think of the eighties when you decorate this one.

Decorate this tree with walnuts, pinecones and chocolates wrapped in foil. Gold coins are a nice touch. Then tie large transclucent gold and red ribbons, using the kind of ribbon that has bendable wire inside onto the ends of the trees. The ultimate effect of this tree should be very opulent and lush.

The New Baby Tree

If you are celebrating the birth of a child or a child's first birthday this is a great tree to honor how happy you are about the new arrival in your home. The decorations suggested look great on any kind of tree but you could consider buying a small blue or pink artificial tree. This is a good idea so any toddlers or infants around can't get ahold of any shed needles. Also if you buy prelit artificial trees then you don't have to worry about them yanking lights and pulling the whole thing down. If you have lots of toddlers around then you might want to opt for a small ceramic christmas tree until they are old enough not to grab at decorations and xmas tree limbs.

Pink, mint green, lavender and blue frosted glass christmas balls look particularly nice on pink or blue artificial trees. You can also decorate these trees with baby toys, baby bottles filled with candy, teddy bears, baby booties and socks, pacifiers and wooden alphabet blocks. Little stuffed animals look great on this type of tree and a larger teddy bear or soft plush toy makes a great tree topper. If the baby is a girl you might want to consider topping the tree with a doll dressed as an angel.

The Peppermint Twist Tree

This most minimalist of christmas tree themes looks fantastic on a bright white, prelit artificial tree. The color scheme of this is red and white but you can add a touch of green in the lights that you string around it. Purists however think that keeping the whole thing red and white in every way looks best.

When it comes to the decorations stick with red and white round glass balls. Red and white frosted glass balls look much better than the conical ones. Also festoon the branches with as many red and white peppermint candy canes as you can find. Remember too that you can also stripe red or white christmas balls with white or red glitter by simply adding some glue in a striped shape to the ball and rolling it in the glitter.

You can also accent this look with red and white ball shaped peppermint candies. A large lollipop with red and white striping and surrounded by a sunburst bouquet of candy canes makes a great tree topper.

The Sea Side Tree

This most unusual of christmas tree themes looks best on artificial trees in aqua or light blue colors. However it would also suit any tree that has a coral color such as light orange or pink.

This tree is decorated with treasures from the sea including seashells, sea horses, and ornaments made from aquarium decorations (treasure chests, coins and corals.) Strings of pearls can be used as a garland and novelty lights shaped like seashells or even fish can be strung to enhance the aquatic theme.

The Snow and Ice Tree

This is one of the most unusual of christmas tree themes as it is white and icy blue instead of the more familiar red and green. First decorate it with a garland of novelty lights shaped like icicles or snowflakes. Your decorations should be made of see through plastic or crystal so it looks like the tree is dripping with frozen, glittering shapes. Instead of cotton batten, drape the tree with faux spider webs or cotton shreddings to simulate boughs heavy with snow. You can even mound this cotton at the ends of the bough so it looks like it has been clumped there.

Your final step is to spray the whole thing down generously with flocking. Flocking is simulated snow that comes in an aerosol can. You can spray this stuff on just about any kind of tree including artificial prelit christmas trees and ceramic trees to make them look frostier.

This treatment is stunning on a white artificial tree but it also looks great on red, purple, blue or other artificial trees as all of the white provides a nice contrast to the tree's original color.

Getting over the Christmas Giving Blues? Take the Christmas Budget Challenge.

Getting over the Christmas Giving Blues? Take the Christmas Budget Challenge.

Written by Bernie Wiemers Copyright 2005 http://www.my-wealth-plan.com

With Christmas just around the corner, our focus is slowly starting to shift from our work commitments to Christmas and with it comes the annual Christmas spending spree. Unfortunately many families don't set a Christmas budget and they rely on their credit cards to get them through the festive season.

Shortly after Christmas these same families will also develop symptoms of the "Christmas Giving Blues" which can include an upset stomach, lack of sleep and anxiety.

You know that feeling. You spend up big, charge it on the card, and then spend the next couple of months worrying about how you are going to pay off your Christmas debts while vowing never to let this happen to you again.

Unfortunately, this is a reality for a lot of families every Christmas and they just don't seem to be able to break out of the cycle.

This year, give yourself and your family a Christmas gift and take the "Christmas Budget Challenge" and enjoy your Christmas without the suffering the Christmas Blues.

There are two parts to the Christmas Budget Challenge:

1. Put in place a strategy that will help you survive Christmas with as little pain as possible.

2. Put in place a strategy that will give you a plan to enjoy your next Christmas. This plan will also run itself without you even thinking about it.

Let's start by putting in place a plan that will hopefully make this Christmas a little easier on your hip pocket:

1. Have a look at your finances and set an upper limit that you can afford for your Christmas spending. Allocate a certain amount to Gifts and a certain amount to other Christmas expenses. This is the start of your Christmas budget.

2. Leave the credit card at home and pay for Christmas with money wherever possible.

3. Keep track of all your Christmas spending. A good way of doing this is by carrying a small notebook and pencil and writing your purchases in it.

Gift Buying

4. Call your relatives and agree that Gifts will only be purchased for the children

5. Take your Christmas Gift budget that was allocated in step 1 and divide it by the number of gifts you need to buy. This number will be the maximum you can spend on each gift.

Christmas Food Shopping

6. Take your Christmas Dinner budget and make a shopping list.

7. When you are doing your shopping use a calculator to make sure you stay within your Christmas budget.

8. Save money by looking for the cheaper priced goods on the top and bottom shelves. Try not to buy items that are on shelves at eye level, these are usually the higher priced items.

9. Try not to buy items that are located in the displays at the end of the shopping aisles, these items are usually more expensive than the items located in the aisles.

10. Compare prices of similar items and buy the cheaper item.

11. Remember that Christmas is only one day a year. You don't have to spend a weeks worth of grocery money on one day.

12. Ask each relative to provide a food dish, drinks or dessert.

As soon as Christmas is over and the pain is fresh in your mind. You need to take action and put in place the second part of the "Christmas Budget Challenge". This next step will ensure that you have enough money for next Christmas

1. Add up all your Christmas expenses including gifts, food and any other costs.

2. Take the total of your Christmas expenses and divide it by the total amount of pays until next Christmas.

3. Open high interest bank account with the following attributes:
- No minimum starting balance
- Interest is accrued daily and billed monthly
- Interest rate on this bank account must be higher than the inflation rate.
- No bank charges

ING Direct and Citibank have an online banking account that may be suitable for your Christmas Budget account.

4. Organize an automatic bank transfer from your bank account to your Christmas Budget account. This transfer will be on each payday for the amount you worked out in step 2. It is important that this is automated because most people will not stick to this plan if it is a manual process.

5. When next Christmas comes around withdraw your money and repeat the process again.

You can get a free excel "Christmas Budget Challenge" spreadsheet from http://www.my-wealth-plan.com/christmasbudget.zip. Use this spreadsheet as a template for your Christmas Budget,

This plan is very simple and surprisingly effective and you will be able to enjoy your next Christmas without the suffering the Christmas Giving Blues.

How To Stay Healthy This Holiday Season

"Ho ho ho ho, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!" As this holiday season approaches, many of us are preparing for big celebrations and parties. Food, snacks, wine, beverages… there is no better time of the year to fill yourself to your heart's desire!

However, if you are a health-conscious type of person, then this article will reveal some tips for staying healthy this holiday season (while everyone else around you gains 5 pounds!).

Below are 5 tips for keeping yourself healthy this holiday season:

1. Eat Snacks Moderately – Let's face it, snacks are abundant during the holidays seasons (as if they aren't already throughout the year). If you take a seat within an arm's reach of the snack table, you're going to have a tough time keeping yourself from unconsciously grabbing handfuls of party mix, candies, and the like and picking at them all day. By sitting on the other side of the room, getting to the snacks involves a conscious effort into getting up and walking over to get at the snacks.

2. Exercise, Exercise, Exercise! – There is no better thing to do during this festive season than to exercise! If the weather permits it, go out and take a quick walk around the house or block. If your celebration is taking place in a colder climate, you'll be more inspired to quicken your pace and burn a few extra calories in the process. If the weather is bad, do 10-20 squats, stretches, or other brief exercise each time you go to the restroom. You only want to do just enough to elevate your heart rate, but not break out into a sweat. Chances are, no one will know what you're doing, and you won't have to feel self-conscious about trying to maintain your figure.

3. Eat More Healthy Foods - Take an extra scoop of vegetables and fruit when filling your plate, and by the time you finish, you won't have room for the other foods which are higher in calories and more likely to cause you to gain weight. Also, avoid those fatty and fried foods (they taste good, but you know they aren't healthy!)

4. Drink A Lot Of Water Throughout The Day – Water helps your body stay fit. Drink a fair amount of water or other unsweetened beverage before each meal, as well as during and between them. The liquid in your stomach will help trick your mind into not feeling as hungry, which reduces the tendency to gorge yourself on potentially fattening foods.

5. Eat In Smaller Portions – Instead of eating platefuls of food, try eating smaller portions throughout the day. No doubt, everything at the table looks good, and it's all you can do to keep from filling your plate 2-3 times so that you can sample everything. An easy way to combat this urge is to simply take a smaller portion than you normally would of those dishes you're most interested in, especially belt-bursting desserts. Split a piece of pie or cake with your spouse, child, or another family member who may be watching his or her waistline.

Keeping healthy during this holiday season is simply making sure you follow healthy habits just like anytime of the year. However, don't fret it if you end up gaining a few pounds during the holidays. After all, the holiday season is only one of the few times of the year where you can truly enjoy yourself!

Trust Full Moon For The Most Romantic Valentine Gift Ever!

When shopping for a romantic Valentine gift this year, don't forget the comfort, ease, and gift choice variety offered online. Here at Full Moon Gift Baskets, we've an exciting and tantalizing selection of Valentine Day gift ideas from which to choose.

WOW that special man or woman in your life with a unique romantic gift that's a little out of the ordinary. Take our Naughty-n-Nice Gift Basket, for instance. An assortment of romantic treats and Valentine sweets that'll have the tiger in him, or the kitten in her, purring and begging for more!

First, let this extra special Valentine Day gift whet their chocolate-loving appetite with such gourmet treats as luscious chocolates by Lindt, rich, chocolaty squares by Ghirardelli, and ever popular cordial cherries…rich, syrupy…and oh, so nice!

But that's not all! Valentine's Day wouldn't be a lover's holiday without showing that special someone how special they really are.

Awake your lover's adventurous spirit with more-intimate delights and romance enhancers. What about playing a round of Lover's Lotto, a card game for two found tucked in a corner of the gift basket? Or create a more serious mood with the Swedish massage oil; a scented tea-light candle, also provided.

A frisky exotic "feather tickler" further enhances the thrill of the moment. And we won't even mention the pleasures of the love-enhancing warming lotion and oil, included in this romantic Valentine gift.

Top the evening off with other "romantic essentials" found in this unique gift basket. A sweetly scented sponge bath for two – complete with heart soaps, passion flower bubble bath, a net body sponge, and bed-n-bath dust.

Other romantic gifts provided by Full Moon include the Treats for My Sweet gift basket; equally symbolic of love, only more demure. For those more daring, try the exotic Night of Passion gold tray. This sassy gift comes complete with a collection of "let's play" teasers: body frosting, a paint brush, Passion Mood Chocolates, a Chocolate Shower Bar, a relaxing massage tool, and more.

What could be a more intimate or romantic Valentine gift? Each perfect for Valentine's, or for any day of the year!