I’m pleased to present the forth edition of The Holiday Spirit Blog Carnival. We had several great submissions for this edition and I’m pleased with the submissions that we’ve had this time around. There is some humor in this edition as well as a story about giving that will tug at your heart, so please read on. I look forward to seeing what other posts will be submitted as we go along with the rest of The Holiday Spirit Blog Carnival.
Shopping and Gift Ideas
From Tina at ThinkSimpleNow:
Tina has made some drastic changes to her gift-giving strategy but has still managed to come up with 38 creative gift ideas. “this year’s list leans towards gift ideas that are practical, clever, frugal, or eco-friendly “
From Living Almost Large:
Some ideas for trying to keep your gift-giving budget under control.
From GrrlScientist at Living the Scientific Life:
“by Patrick Buckley and Lily Binns, this is an entertaining and informative romp through twenty "kitchen science" projects [book review]. I think it is a great book to use when planning "theme parties" for your friends and family.”
From
The only gift is a portion of thyself. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
From Music Road:
Some ideas about musical related gifts that you can give to many of the people on your list.
From The 10 Hour VA:
“So, is there someone out there in the business world that you truly appreciate, but don't want to send a costly gift that they might never use? Why not give them something that will be out there on the Internet for all time...the gift that keeps on giving...word of mouth! And don't let them find out about your good deed accidentally - send them a holiday themed email and let them know. Here are some ideas:”
8 Holiday No Cost Gifts for Colleagues / Service Providers in 2008
From Lazy Man And Money:
Talks about this infamous yearly shopping event and asks why does it exist?
Black Friday: Why Does It Exist?
From Savings Toolbox:
“Recently the idea of a gift registry has expanded to monetary gift registries for weddings, gift registries for baby showers, and now there are even monetary gift registries for college savings.”
Save Up For College with Freshman Fund’s 529 College Savings Plan/Gift Registry
From Cindy Morus at Mend Your Money:
As we get farther into the holiday season it is more important to have some strategies for your gift-giving, so that it doesn’t get out of control.
10 Best Debt-Busting Holiday Strategies for 2008
From Fitz Villafuerte at Ready To Be Rich:
“Shopping for gifts this Christmas? Then read first these tips so you can save and get the best value for your money.”
10 Money Smart Tips For Buying Gifts This Christmas
From Credit Karma:
“In a tough economy, any saving is a nice bonus so we compiled a list credit cards with 0% APR for 6 or 12 months on new purchases to help consumers stretch their
0% Interest Rate Credit Cards for the Holidays
From Kevin at Credit Shout:
“Having your identity stolen would be a devastating thing during the holidays, as well as any other day of the year. Imagine the anguish that credit card fraud would cause for you and your family; and especially around the time of year that normally would be a joyful time. Taking certain precautions and additional security measures can protect your credit cards during the holidays and throughout the entire year.”
Common Sense Ways to Protect Your Credit Cards During the Holidays
From Lauren Rose at No Debt Anymore.org:
“With the holiday season in full swing, Credit card and ATM theft is increasing at an alarming rate. Here are 3 common ways thieves may try to gain access to your personal information using a skimmer device, and 10 tips to protect yourself.”
Credit Card Skimmers - Keep Your Eye on Your ATM card
From One Family’s Blog:
“A comparison of the best value laptops and netbooks that should allow frugal shoppers to decide which one to get for general family use.”
Stories
From Surfer Sam And Friends:
“A Cute Christmas Story You'll feel warm all over. It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me. Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving. It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.”
From Astrid Lee, Reiki Master Teacher at World Healing:
“Not everyone is happy about Christmas. In fact, it's one of the most stressful times of the year. This article offers solace and some genuinely good advice on how to stay worry-free. Happy Holidays”
Trust, Stress-Combating Thought & Saintly Help
Humor
From Lisa at Condo Blues:
“There are a lot of good green gifts out there. None of them are on this list.”
From GrrlScientist at Living the Scientific Life:
“Holidays mean celebrating with friends and family, but what about our pet birds? How can we keep them safe?”
Ten Tips to Keep Your Pet Birds Safe This Holiday Season
From Vera Lang at Fine Pet Care:
“The holiday season can be stressful for pets, with all the additional 'comings and goings' and changes in the daily routine. This article helps you to consider the needs of your pets at this time.”
Including Pets In Your Holiday Plans
Not Related to the
From Louis Burns at the NLP Marketing Blog:
This article is about not only visualizing your own goals but the experience you want other people to have as well.
Crafting Mental Movies for Others
From Rich Leverage:
“The level of consumer confidence in the
Consumer Confidence in United States has Increased
From KCLau’s Money Tips:
“Now let’s talk about money and how to manage cash flow.”
How to manage monthly cash flow
Is there a holiday movie that you just have to watch every year, one that your holiday won’t seem complete without? Here are some movies that you might want to watch ove the holidays to put you in The Holiday Spirit. (read more)
Thank you to all the participants. I received a flood of submissions and I wasn’t able to review all of them yet, so look for some of these to be in the next edition (planned for December 22nd). Remember that the
Photo credit: "Christmas Raccoon" courtesy of gravityx9
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