DIY Red and White Striped Christmas Box

Christmas is nearly here and we love celebrating every moment!

What better way to celebrate than having a Christmas box! Now when I first heard of these, they were and are referred to as Christmas Eve boxes and presented on Christmas Eve for the family to enjoy, but then some of the items can only be enjoyed for one to two nights before Christmas is technically over, so I’ve decided to just call it a Christmas box and we can present it a week before Christmas to really enjoy its contents!

SUPPLIES
  • Wood crate
  • White acrylic paint
  • Red acrylic paint
  • Foam paint brushes
  • Painter’s tape
  • Matte varnish
  • Embellishments (optional)
  • Hot glue (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Paint every other beam of the crate (outside and inside) with white paint and then allow it to dry.
  2. Repeat step 1 until the desired brightness of the paint is reached.
  3. Once the paint is dry, use painters tape to tape up and protect the edges of the white beams or anywhere else where the red paint may drip or bleed.
  4. Paint the remaining beams and the sides of the crate (outside and inside) with red paint and then allow it to dry.
  5. Repeat step 4 until the desired brightness of the paint is reached.
  6. Carefully peel off the painter’s tape and coat the whole crate with varnish, this may take two coats to reach the desired coverage.
  7. If you have any embellishments like an ornament or two, carefully glue them on with a hot glue gun and allow it to dry.
  8. Fill it up and enjoy!

If you’re looking for ideas to fill your new Christmas box with here are a few to spark your imagination!

  • Candy
  • Cookie mix
  • Festive hat(s)
  • Festive pajamas
  • Festive plushies
  • Festive socks or slippers
  • Gingerbread kit
  • Holiday-themed books
  • Holiday-themed movies
  • Hot Apple Cider mix
  • Hot Cocoa mix
  • Mug(s)
  • Ornament(s)
  • Savory snacks
  • Sweet snacks
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Family Friendly Christmas Movies and Specials – PG Rated

Family Friendly Christmas Movies and Specials - PG Rated

Welcome to the cozy and magical month of December my friends!

My family and I have created a list of family friendly Christmas movies and specials for you and yours! Christmas may be celebrated a little differently this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t kindle a little Christmas spirit!

This year we’ve decided to focus on movies and specials that are rated PG for parental guidance suggested; some material may not be suitable for children. If you are looking for movies and specials that are rated G for general audience and good for all ages, please visit last year’s list – Family Friendly Christmas Movies and Specials Rated G.

Please let us know if we missed or left out any of your family friendly (PG-rated) Christmas favorites you feel should be included! We’d love to hear from you!

Organized alphabetically by title:

Family Friendly Christmas Children’s Books – Ages 5 and Under

Family Friendly Christmas Children's Books - Ages 0 to 5

Welcome to the cozy and magical month of December my friends!

To inspire you and your little ones into the Holiday mood, I’ve curated a list of Christmas-themed books for ages five and under! These selections are simple and festive, while remaining short and sweet for the younger audience.

There are a handful of books on this list with a reading age that start under the age of five and peak at the age of 7 or 8.

If you have a favorite Children’s book for children ages 5 and under that you do not see here, please let me know! I would love to add it to this list!

Family Friendly Holiday Magic Playlist

Holiday Magic Playlist

Welcome to the cozy and magical month of December my friends!

My family and I have created a playlist of family friendly Christmas music for you and yours! Christmas may be celebrated a little differently this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t kindle a little Christmas spirit!

This year we’ve decided to focus more on music from all our favorite Christmas children’s movies and specials, with a few other songs sprinkled in that fit the mood.

Please let us know if we missed or left out any of your family friendly Christmas favorites you feel should be included! We’d love to hear from you!

THE POLAR EXPRESS

  • Spirit of the Season
  • When Christmas Comes to Town
  • The Polar Express
  • Hot Chocolate
  • Suite from the Polar Express

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER

  • A Holly Jolly Christmas
  • Jingle Jingle Jingle
  • We are Santa’s Elves
  • Silver and Gold
  • The Most Wonderful Day of the Year
  • Christmas Medley: The Night Before Christmas
  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
  • I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
  • There’s Always Tomorrow

FROSTY THE SNOWMAN | Frosty the Snowman

THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY | The Little Drummer Boy

OLAF’S FROZEN ADVENTURE

  • Ring in the Season
  • That Time of Year
  • When We’re Together

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: THE ENCHANTED CHRISTMAS

  • Belle’s Magical Gift
  • As Long As There’s Christmas
  • A Cut Above The Rest
  • Deck the Halls
  • Do You Hear What I Hear?
  • O Christmas Tree
  • O Come, O Come Emmanuel / Joy To The World
  • Silent Night
  • The First Noel
  • The Twelve Days of Christmas
  • We Wish You a Merry Christmas
  • What Child Is This?

A MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL

  • Overture
  • Good King Wenceslas
  • It Feels Like Christmas
  • Thankful Heart
  • Bless Us All
  • Christmas Scat
  • Christmas Morning

THE NUTCRACKER BALLET

  • Overture
  • March
  • Waltz of the Snowflakes
  • Sugarplum Fairy
  • Hot Chocolate
  • Coffee
  • Tea
  • Candy Cane
  • Marzipan
  • Mother Ginger and Her Polichinelles
  • Waltz of the Flowers
  • Sugarplum Fairy and Cavalier Coda
  • Finale

BABES IN TOYLAND

  • Babes in Toyland Overture
  • Toy Land
  • March of the Toys

EMMET OTTER’S JUGBAND CHRISTMAS | Our World / Brothers

KERMIT THE FROG | Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

JOHN DENVER AND THE MUPPETS: CHRISTMAS TOGETHER

  • Deck the Halls
  • Christmas is Coming
  • Twelve Days of Christmas
  • We Wish you a Merry Christmas

MISS PIGGY | Santa Baby

A CHIPMUNK CHRISTMAS | Christmas Don’t Be Late

DISNEY’S FAMILY CHRISTMAS

  • Jingle Bells
  • Sleigh Ride
  • Here Comes Santa Claus
  • The Science of the Season

DISNEY’S MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS

  • Jingle Bell Rock
  • White Christmas
  • Over the River and Through the Woods

DISNEY HOLIDAY MAGIC

  • Jingle Bell Rock
  • Here Comes Santa Claus
  • From All of Us to All of You
  • Deck the Halls
  • The Twelve Days of Christmas

WINNIE THE POOH & TIGGER | Jingle Bells

HANNA BARBERA’S CHRISTMAS SING-A-LONG

  • Brand New Kind of Christmas Song
  • Hope
  • Comin’ Up Christmas Time

LOU MONTE | Dominick the Donkey

GAYLA PEEVEY | I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS

  • Christmas is Coming
  • Skating
  • Linus and Lucy
  • Christmas Time is Here
  • Hark, The Herald Angels Sing
  • The Christmas Song
  • O Tannenbaum

ELF: BUDDY’S MUSICAL CHRISTMAS | Sparklejollytwinklejingley

ELF

  • Papa Elf
  • Buddy’s Journey
  • Christmas Medley 

How to dye Easter eggs with food coloring!

Dyeing Easter Eggs with Food Coloring

I had every intention of making naturally dyed eggs this year. Every. Intention. Then I realized I did not leave myself enough time to prepare and create the dyes. Going natural is a labor of love that I would still love to do…next year.

This year, I dyed a small amount of eggs using food coloring, vinegar and water. It was a lot quicker, a lot simpler, and I was pretty happy with the results!

Dyeing Easter Eggs with Food Coloring
SUPPLIES
  • 4 16 ounce mason jars
  • 8 teaspoons of vinegar (2 for each color/jar)
  • 4 cups of water (1 for each color/jar)
  • Food coloring of your choice
  • 8 hard boiled eggs
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Prepare each mason jar by adding two teaspoons of vinegar to each one.
  2. Boil the four cups of water and carefully pour one cup into each mason jar.
  3. Add drops of food coloring to create the desired shade (don’t be afraid to add a lot, I used 40 drops of blue in one jar) and stir until the color, vinegar and water are well incorporated.
  4. Gently add two eggs to each color, allow the the water to cool slightly, then seal the lids and put them in the refrigerator overnight.
  5. Remove the mason jars from the refrigerator and carefully remove the eggs from the dye, then drain the rest.
  6. Rinse the eggs, gently rubbing with your fingers to remove the darker colored film covering the eggs.
  7. Gently pat the eggs dry with paper towels.

I used the mason jars I had available, which were 16 ounces with regular mouths. I dyed two eggs within each jar; I probably could have crammed 3 eggs into each jar, but I didn’t think that would have given them an even coating of the dye. Please feel free to multiply the recipe and enjoy!

A Sweet and Simple Toddler Easter Basket

Dear Easter Bunny,

Thank you and your helpers for all that you do! Since I was a little girl, your operation has grown into something that could rival Christmas morning! It’s enthusiastic and impressive to say the least, but I don’t think our little girl needs all the bells and whistles this year.

My daughter is a 19th month old toddler this Easter and I would like to request up to six items for her Easter Basket that are simple, sweet and more useful than not!

Thank you for taking a look!

Family Friendly Christmas Movies and Specials – G Rated

Family Friendly Christmas Movies and Specials - G Rated
Welcome to the cozy and magical month of December my friends!

My family and I have created a list of family friendly Christmas movies and specials for you and yours! Christmas may be celebrated a little differently this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t kindle a little Christmas spirit!

This year we’ve decided to focus on movies and specials that are rated G for general audiences, or good for all ages. Some of the older content has never been rated, but they were created under the Motion Picture Production Code, which was a set of moral guidelines used by motion picture studios from 1934 to 1968, and are thus pretty tame.

Please let us know if we missed or left out any of your family friendly (G-rated) Christmas favorites you feel should be included! We’d love to hear from you!

Organized alphabetically by title:

Happy Independence Day!

IndependenceDay

It’s Independence Day here in the United States of America, and while I’ve never really been a person who is interested in politics, this year has really made me think about what being an American is and what independence means to me.

No worries, I am not going to shovel my deep thoughts on you, let’s keep it light! What I will say that I am thankful I have been given the right to live my life the way I want to live it due to others before me standing for what they believe in. I am also thankful for those who are doing what they can now to ensure that we still have that freedom. I hope you have the freedom celebrate this holiday in your own way.

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