Free Printable Letters to Santa for Big and Little Kids

by // Leave a Comment

The tradition of writing letters to Santa is such a fun way to add to the magic of the holidays. Sometimes kids can get a little carried away with the wish list. These awesome printable letters to Santa are a perfect solution. These are pretty but they also limit your child’s list automatically with a pre-defined area to fill out. Start a fun and easy tradition this year to create memories that will last for years to come!

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

Start a fun and easy tradition this year with these free printable letters to Santa. Don't worry. There are options for big kids and non-writers!

 

[bctt tweet=”Start a fun #tradition with these free printable letters to Santa (options for big kids and non-writers) #printable” username=”diyadulation”]

 

Start a fun and easy tradition this year with these free printable letters to Santa. Don't worry. There are options for big kids and non-writers!

Santa Letter for Older Children

Don’t just have your child make a list of gifts he or she wants. Instead help your kids learn about writing letters and have them include a fun greeting or let Santa know how their holiday is going. Don’t forget to have them with Santa a “Merry Christmas” and/or a thank you! Grab your free printable here to get started.

 

Start a fun and easy tradition this year with these free printable letters to Santa. Don't worry. There are options for big kids and non-writers!

Santa Letter for Non-Writers

The window of time that kids believe in Santa seems to keep getting smaller. That is why I recommend starting traditions early. Don’t wait until your kids can write to start sending letters to Santa. Print out this Santa Letter for non-writers and have your little ones draw pictures of their wish lists. If you want to hold on to the memories be sure to write down what the picture is on the back of the letter.

 

Start a fun and easy tradition this year with these free printable letters to Santa. Don't worry. There are options for big kids and non-writers!

Preserve the Memories

Because this magical time of belief is so short, create a wonderful surprise for your kids when they are older. Hold on to all of these letters. Don’t worry about a complicated system or losing them in a box. Grab a small 3-ring binder for each of your children (1 inch or smaller) and a pack of plastic page protectors. Label each binder so you know which binder belongs to whom and add in 12 page protectors. If you can get your kiddos to believe longer kudos to you! Feel free to add a few extra page protectors to each binder in that case. Lastly, each year add the letters to a sheet protector and label the year. A binder full of these memories will be an awesome gift later in life for your kids.

This is such an easy tradition to start that can gift you and your children memories for years to come. The earlier you start this tradition the better. Our 2 year old will be starting this year even though a lot of his drawings consist of scribbles. They all mean something to him and he can articulate what it’s supposed to be a picture of. There a good chance you will want to make copies of all of your children’s letters to Santa to keep for yourself long after your kids are grown. Do your kids send letters to Santa? What other traditions does your family love taking part in each year? Let me know in the comments. I love reading about what makes your family unique!

See where I’m linking up!

Don’t Forget to Pin It!

High Style Holiday Entertaining on a Budget (+ Asiago-Parmesan Fig Crostini Appetizer)

by // Leave a Comment

The holidays are a prime entertaining time. You love getting together with friends and family to celebrate this magical season. Unfortunately television advertisements, the magazines you read, and store displays convince you that throwing the ultimate soiree means spending a fortune on fresh décor, fine china, and table linens. All of this is before you even get to the food. Stop chasing an idea of perfection that will land you broke long before Christmas arrives. Here are tips for high style holiday entertaining on a budget including an easy and budget-friendly Asiago-Parmesan Fig Crostini Appetizer!

Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923

Décor

Instead of rushing out to buy new swags and lights, use the décor you already own to decorate. If you don’t have much décor, concentrate the pieces you do have in one area (like the dining room). This will give the appearance of a full and festive party.

Another easy and inexpensive way to beef up your décor is to use Christmas wrapping paper. Wrap the pictures on your walls to look like presents. You can also wrap your food tables and even your doors to easily coordinate all of you entertaining décor elements.

Choose a Neutral Tablecloth

Create an upscale dining table with a gorgeous fabric tablecloth. The trick is to choose one that is a solid color such as green or white that can be used for multiple holidays throughout the year. Personalize the theme of your table with place settings and centerpieces. By choosing a tablecloth that can be used year-round it makes this a splurge worth investing in.

[bctt tweet=”This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923″ username=”StellaCheese”]

Buy Disposable

When hosting a large holiday gathering the cleanup us a nightmare. Make it easier this year by purchasing disposable serving ware and utensils. These no longer have to mean a cheap-looking gathering with paper plates and napkins. You can buy plastic utensils and serving trays that look like silver as well as gorgeous plates in every color and style you can imagine. Take it a step further by getting plastic wine and champagne glasses that only look like crystal. Finally, no more worrying about kids breaking glasses or being forced to compromise your style.

Rock Your Food

The most memorable part of holiday entertaining is the food. If your guests don’t like it, or worse, have not gotten enough to eat they won’t be focused on the awesome memories being made. Don’t let your high style décor go to waste by underwhelming guests with food. Make sure that you have more than enough to eat and drink to keep guests happy all night.

[bctt tweet=”Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923″ username=”StellaCheese”]

Appetizers are a must whether you’re serving a full meal or not. Luckily, this doesn’t have to be hard. Before you reach for that bag of chips to unceremoniously dump in a bowl, make this decadent Asiago-Parmesan Fig Crostini appetizer. With the help of Stella Cheeses creating a high style appetizer is easy and budget-friendly.

Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923

Ingredients

 

Step 1

Cut 28 small circles out of your French loaf using a metal cookie or fondant cutter.

Tip:

If you don’t have one of these cutters, a regular medicine cup will work also. This is what I used and they turned out fantastic!

Step 2

Place 1/3 cup of butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute or until melted.

Step 3

Pre-heat your oven to 350º.

Step 4

Brush melted butter on butter on both sides of your bread circles and place on a non-stick baking sheet.

Step 5

Bake bread at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Step 6

Thinly slice 28 squares of Stella Asiago cheese roughly the size of your circles.

Step 7

Place toasted bread circles on spoon rests and stack a square of cheese on each circle.

Step 8

Place a dried fig on top of each stack and drizzle with honey.

Step 9

Grate a small amount of Stella Parmesan over each honey-drizzled fig.

Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923

Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923

Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923

Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923

These delicious Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect marriage of savory and sweet. The presentation is effortless and instantly bumps up the style of your appetizer table. This year you can wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! What are your favorite budget-friendly entertaining tips? Let me know in the comments! Next, check out the amazing contest Stella is having for your chance to win a $5000 trip to Napa Valley, CA wine country!

Asiago-Parmesan Fig Crostini Appetizer

Asiago-Parmesan Fig Crostini Appetizer
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • Sliced French Loaf
  • Stella Aged Asiago and Parmesan Cheeses
  • 1/3 Cup of Butter or Margarine
  • Dried Whole Figs
  • 1 tbs. Honey

Instructions

  1. Cut 28 small circles out of your French loaf using a metal cookie or fondant cutter.
  2. Place 1/3 cup of butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute or until melted.
  3. Pre-heat your oven to 350º.
  4. Brush melted butter on butter on both sides of your bread circles and place on a non-stick baking sheet.
  5. Bake bread at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
  6. Thinly slice 28 squares of Stella Asiago cheese roughly the size of your circles.
  7. Place toasted bread circles on spoon rests and stack a square of cheese on each circle.
  8. Place a dried fig on top of each stack and drizzle with honey.
  9. Grate a small amount of Stella Parmesan over each honey-drizzled fig.
© Marie
Category: Appetizers

Asiago-Parmesan fig crostini appetizers are a perfect mix of savory and sweet. This year wow your guests with high style holiday entertaining on a budget! #ad #StellaCheeses #QualitySince1923

See where I’m linking up!

Don’t Forget to Pin It!

10 Acts of Kindness to Beat Winter Blues

by // Leave a Comment

As the days start getting shorter the winter blues can start to set in. There are many ways to combat this including getting active and soaking up the sunlight when you can. There is another way to get over these seasonal moods that too often gets overlooked. One of the best ways to elevate your mood is to perform acts of kindness. When you give selflessly of your time and resources you can improve your mood ten-fold! To help you get started here are 10 acts of kindness to beat winter blues.

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

As the days start getting shorter the winter blues can start to set in. There are many ways to combat this including getting active and soaking up the sunlight when you can. There is another way to get over these seasonal moods that too often gets overlooked. One of the best ways to elevate your mood is to perform acts of kindness. When you give selflessly of your time and resources you can improve your mood ten-fold! To help you get started here are 10 acts of kindness to beat winter blues.

1. Put money in an expiring parking meter.

This is such an easy act of kindness that anyone can do. When your doctor’s visit is running longer than expected, the last thing you want to do is be worrying about your meter. Make someone’s day by taking care of it for them.

2. Donate your gently used books to a local school.

Have you been in a school library lately? My children’s school is excellent and still, the library is so depressing to me. When I think of a library, I want to see walls and walls of books. This just isn’t the case anymore. What’s worse is that there are schools that don’t half even half of the books my children’s school has. Why not donate your gently used books to schools that need them?

3. Give holiday gifts to your neighbors.

The holidays are a fabulous time to do something nice for your neighbors. Make up some delicious treat bags and hang on their doors. If you’re looking for something more useful why not give everyone an ice scraper? The smallest gesture goes a long way.

4. Make a freezer meal for a friend.

You know how crazy dinner time can be in your home. Take some stress off a friend’s plate and take their family an easy freezer meal that they can pop in the oven. Need some ideas? Check out these freezer-friendly chicken nuggets or freezer chicken pot pie minis!

5. Donate craft supplies to a local library.

Have you ever taken your child to a free event at the library? All of those events are run on donations. Say thank you by donating some craft supplies to help out with these fun events.

[bctt tweet=”These 10 Acts of Kindness can improve your mood ten-fold and help you beat the winter blues! #kindness” username=”diyadulation”]

6. Send a thoughtful card or letter.

This one is so easy and all it costs you is a stamp. Everyone is delighted to receive surprise mail that’s not a bill. Make someone’s day with a heartfelt sentiment to show you care and you were thinking about them.

7. Rake a neighbor’s leaves or shovel their driveway.

Shoveling the driveway is one of my least favorite winter chores. A couple of years ago some sweet neighbors stopped by to shovel and salt my driveway for me and I still smile when I think about it. Do the same for someone in your neighborhood as a sweet act of kindness.

8. Offer to babysit so parents can have a date night.

Ah, the baby phase… they are adorable and utterly life changing (in a good way). Babies also can wreak havoc on a marriage. Let the parents you know get a much-needed break and offer to babysit the kiddos for a night.

9. Pay for the car behind you in the drive-thru.

Do you know what makes your Caramel Macchiato even sweeter? Not having to pay for it. This is such an easy and effortless way to brighten someone’s day. The caveat is that you don’t have any control of the cost. If you are on a limited budget, ask to put $10 towards their order instead. That is still a wonderful surprise.

10. Donate toys to the Salvation Army.

This is another one close to my heart. There was a year when my mom had absolutely no money for presents (even things we needed like socks and coats) when we were very little. Imagine having to tell your 4 year old that impossible scenario of that there is no Santa or that Santa forgot them. Neither is palatable. In a true Christmas miracle it turned out that our church had adopted our family that year and arrived not only with presents on Christmas Eve but food as well. When you give to the Salvation Army that is the kind of gift you are giving a family.

Giving selflessly of your time and resources can improve your mood ten-fold! To get you started, here are 10 acts of kindness to beat winter blues.

These are all easy ideas that are low-cost or no cost. The best thing about them is that most of these can absolutely be a family affair. It’s always important to teach your kids early the joy of giving to others. These 10 acts of kindness are also a wonderful exercise in gratefulness. When you and your family see how much you truly have to give you will begin to appreciate all that you have. Usher in the colder months with warmth in your heart this year. Check out this DIY autumn thankful wreath for more wonderful ways to exercise a heart of thankfulness with your family.

See where I’m linking up!