I think if we were to sit down and have a long hard think – it’s bizarre how the year comes to an almighty climax every year with Christmas – and this, the biggest event of the year, for all its joy and season of goodwill still brings its fair share of revelers close to breaking point!

So in a bid to help those of you who are always the ones rushing and worrying, I thought it might be nice to do a little Christmas 2022 countdown – a little planning can go an awfully long way these days and even more so when it comes to relieving stress, saving money and spending more time enjoying the festive season. You don’t have to wait until the last minute to start planning. Here are some tiny steps you can take to make it all a little easier…

JUNE – Save, Save, Save

There’s always a big chunk of the household budget allocated to Christmas and even though we’re in a very tricky economic climate at the moment, Christmas will always be dear to our hearts. And we won’t want to compromise on what it’s all about if we don’t have to! So it might be a good idea to start putting away some pennies to make pounds which always come in handy at Christmas.

JULY – Season of Giving

So you may not know everyone you’re going to be buying a Christmas pressie for this Christmas, but there are always the usual suspects! Make a list and there’s no time like the summer sales to keep an eye out for any bargains to help fill those stockings! Not all gifts are seasonal and there are sure to be some great surprises for your friends and family.

AUGUST – What’s Cooking!

Or rather – who’s cooking? In this day and age everyone is so busy – what with family, friends, work, kids, holidays, I could go on… I know it seems early, but it might not be a bad idea to drop some hints and see who’s going to be around, if anyone has any plans, with those closest to you. It will help you plan effectively and also help with those sometimes unavoidable disappointments!

SEPTEMBER – Table for?

Now it’s not just me who starts thinking about Christmas early. You can be sure as soon as the kids are back in school, the Christmas homing device kicks in! So if you’re planning to let someone else take care of Christmas (and you should know this by now if you’ve been sticking to the plan!) then you’ll find local pubs will be trying to get your reservation in early for a very busy festive season. Be sure to keep an eye out for the special packages and don’t forget to book early to avoid disappointment!

OCTOBER

Tickets Please!

If you have anywhere to travel over Christmas then now is the time to get in and book any tickets you need.

October Ordering Online!

If you’re the kind of person who can’t stand crawling the high street with the rest of the general public then maybe online shopping is for you! Ordering in October means you’ve got more access to stock and guaranteed delivery in time I’d say. And it does not just present these days, you can even get all your grocery shopping delivered directly to your door!

NOVEMBER

Let them eat cake!

Now if you really want to show off your homemaker skills this season then how about trying your hand at making your very own Christmas cake? Doing this mid-November means you have enough time to feed and nurture the cake with some fabulous brandy and cover it in marzipan ready to be iced closer to the big day! You’ll be sure to impress your dinner guests when you bring out this little beauty!

Mr. De-frosty!

Ok, so the line is a little cheesy but the message is a good one! Defrost your freezer! Get rid of anything you don’t need and make some much-needed pace for the Christmas cake you’ve just started on and other meats and treats you’re going to be going through this Christmas. Have a look through the cupboards while you’re at it too!

DECEMBER

Week 1

Christmas Cards

Christmas cards are a sure fire way of getting you in the mood for Christmas, – whether it’s choosing which you’re going to send this year, the first one you write, or the first to drop through your letterbox! Why not do something a little special this year and choose a card which stands out from the crown and takes pride and place on friends and families’ fireplaces! How about choosing to send some personalised Christmas cards this season?

All wrapped up!

Make a start on those fantastic presents you’ve been accumulating in the loft over the course of the year! It’s one less thing to worry about as the evenings get busier with all those party invites coming your way! And remember – the quicker they’re wrapped, the quicker you can get them into hiding places without anyone noticing!

Week 2

O’ Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

So I don’t know about you but I can never wait! By now, I’ve sent my Christmas cards and received plenty – and everyone else seems to have theirs in the window so why not us? So either pop down to your local garden centre or dust off the grand old tree from the loft and get decorating! The louder, the brighter, the better!

Food!

By now you should know who’s coming for dinner which means you can start making your food and drinks list and putting all that empty cupboard and freezer space to use!

Smile!

It’s also a good time to check you have enough batteries, camera film, and memory cards to capture all those magic and unmissable moments!

Week 3

It’s Chriiiiiiiisssssstmas!

Always on time!

Whether you have to be somewhere or everyone is coming to you – be a domestic goddess and make a time plan so you know exactly what needs to be done and by when! This will minimise the risk of those last-minute panics and means less thinking and more fun with everyone else!

Santa says relax!

And finally, take a deep breath – assured in the knowledge that you’ve done everything you can to make this a great day for everyone, including yourself. Stay calm if you’re cooking dinner and be sure to get your family and friends to help out around the place! Above all though – enjoy yourself!

Merry Christmas everyone – I hope you have a good one!

The post Christmas 2022 Countdown appeared first on TheFlowersPoint.

Since Chennai is a city with plenty of employment opportunities, it is also home to a large number of people from all over the country. Their loved ones long to be with them during Christmas but if it is not possible, they do not become disheartened at all. There are online portals for their rescue. These portals help to send Christmas gifts to Chennai without any hassles.

A Range Of Attractive Christmas Gifts

Today, online portals offer a range of gifts not only for Christmas but also for every occasion like birthdays, anniversaries, Diwali, New Year, Valentine’s Day, and much more. However, dedicated portals to send Christmas gifts to Chennai offer the right mix of traditional and modern gift items to cater to the taste of everyone. While there are plum cakes with the finest of raisins, there are new varieties of cakes too liked by Chennaites such as the Black Forest, Vanilla, Pineapple, and Butter Scotch cakes that are a flavor of the Christmas season nowadays. Some of these are also available along with red wine, fresh fruits, chocolates, teddy bears, and designer candles to attract shoppers. The other gift items offered by the online portals to attract Chennaites for Christmas gifts are as follows:

Chocolates like Ferrero Rocher, Nestle Kit Kat, Cadbury

Traditional Indian sweets with chocolates and flowers in attractive packaging

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As a nation, we are today, more than ever inclined to head online for whatever we need and this Christmas is going to be no different. From clothes to books to tech gear; whatever we need is now incredibly easy to get, in-fact we can pretty much complete our entire Christmas list with the click of a button… music to the ears of those with e-commerce websites.

For businesses online, the coming few weeks could prove to be tremendously fruitful. There are thousands upon thousands of shoppers ready and more than willing to buy but the only question is… how easy is your website to actually buy from?

Whether a brand new website or a site that has been serving you well for a number of years, with shopping set to rapidly increase in the coming weeks there are a few things to keep in mind if the online branch of your business is going to witness that desired success…

Delivery

With Christmas just a few weeks away delivery dates are incredibly important. Have you provided all the shipping information that you need? Does your website make clear all the appropriate days and have you stated a cut-off time? Remember that if your customers are buying in the run-up to Christmas then odds are that they will be expecting everything at the right time but make all dates clear otherwise you could find yourself in a difficult situation.

Customer Service

The Christmas period is tremendously busy but it is important that your business and all staff members are on the ball and prepared for this. Can you and your team respond quickly to emails? Are you able to answer any and all queries on social media and does your website and FAQ page provide all the right information? Being able to provide quality customer service during the coming weeks could be the difference between success and failure.

Returns

As you may have noticed a vital pattern is merging here in regard to information but every piece of it is crucial. Returns information is just as important as delivery because 9 times out of 10 what your customer buys in the coming weeks will be as a gift and as with all gifts; wrong choices are a possibility. From the size, to style to overall choice; there will be a number of reasons why your customers may want to return an item which is why it is important that you provide the vital information beforehand. What is the returns procedure? Is there a restriction on returning certain items? Are there cut-off dates? The more information you provide, the less likely you will be faced with any difficult situations.

Offers and Products

From unique discounts to the products you are hoping to sell in the coming weeks have you got everything sorted? Have you identified your main products? have you created landing pages for each? Are your offers clear?

Marketing

Have you done and are you doing enough to attract customers to your business and not to your competitors? From email marketing to social ads and social interaction; are you doing enough to promote your business? Are you showing off your latest products and offers and are you providing enough to encourage people to get on your site? Competition is tough so ensure that you are giving your business a fighting chance.
With Christmas just a few weeks away there is an incredible opportunity right in front of you, you just need to ensure that your site ticks all the right boxes for that success to come your way!

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Part of the problem is we often feel that we must compete for our children’s affection. For example, divorced parents will often try to buy their children’s attention and love by purchasing bigger and better toys than their former spouse does, or even reducing discipline and eliminating rules to try to win their children’s affection over the other parent.

On a more subconscious scale, we do the same thing for Christmas regardless of our family situation. We feel the pressure to put as many presents under the tree as we can. We compete with our society, other family members, our neighbors, and other parents of other kids during the Christmas season. Setting aside the fact that we have missed the entire purpose of Christmas-that of a Saviour born to take away our sins and provide a way to Heaven-we have turned Christmas into a materialistic means of promoting greed and selfishness.

For some reason, we feel that we are bad parents if we do not provide a good Christmas for our children. The problem lies in what we perceive to be a ‘good’ Christmas. For most, that means material items under a tree. But why does this have to constitute a good Christmas? Why do we have to compete with those around us? Why do we feel bad if our kid doesn’t get the toy that the neighbors’ kid got?

There is a better way than going into debt!

THE GREATEST CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOUR KIDS

This Christmas give your children the greatest gift that you could possibly give them…your time. Think about it, it is not the toys you got as a child that you most remember. It is the time you spent with loving parents. If you never had time with those loving parents, that is most likely your greatest regret from childhood.

A well-thought-out and planned Christmas can generate fonder memories than any present under the tree could. One of the things I most remember about Christmas never happened on Christmas day. It was going to the mountains and cutting down a Christmas tree. I can probably only name one or two presents that I ever received under a tree. But I can regale you with stories of cutting down Christmas trees in the mountains! I remember Christmas caroling (although I hated to sing) more fondly than any present. I remember the time spent with my parents.

We spend too much money and not enough time on Christmas. If you want a better Christmas, spend less money and more time with your children!

SUGGESTIONS FOR A BETTER CHRISTMAS

Wrap a huge box in wrapping paper. Inside have a smaller box wrapped in paper and so forth until you have a very small box with a piece of paper inside. On the paper, write something like this: “One Free Hour of Wrestling with Daddy.” The paper can say fishing, playing a sport, and for girls doing makeup or her hair with mommy. Get creative!
Take your family into the mountains to cut down a Christmas tree. This may cost you a small amount of money, but eliminate some presents to do it. There will be fonder memories of that than any present.
Conspire as a family to make someone else’s Christmas memorable. Have your children sneak onto the front porch of a friend or of a family in need and have them ring the doorbell and flee before anyone answers it. Leave a wrapped present behind for someone in the family. If you can, do it again at the back door sometime later. Your children will have so much fun doing this!
Go Christmas caroling.
Always bring Jesus into Christmas. I remember the Christmas stories read before opening the presents.
Start new traditions that involve the entire family.
Christmas morning before the kids all get up, hide a few of the presents. This will turn finding their gifts into a treasure hunt for the kids. Split up into teams with children working with parents to find a present based on clues. Your kids can get involved by hiding presents for their parents.
Make decorating for Christmas unique and enjoyable.
Fun and enjoyable Christmas pranks that make people laugh (not get embarrassed) are more memorable than merely opening presents.
Make Christmas gifts for others. Spending time with your family, especially your children, to make a gift will provide good memories. If you have experience in woodworking, crafting, carving, sewing, knitting, metalworking, or graphic design, you can create gifts that will provide lasting memories.
Ultimately, the memories of Christmas will center around what you do together, not what is under the tree. The mistake that so many people make is to assume that a good Christmas is dependent upon the number of expensive gifts that you can put under a tree.

Try to spend ‘time’ with your family this Christmas and you might just make it the best Christmas you ever had!

The post Christmas Gift for Kids appeared first on TheFlowersPoint.

Tips

The first thing to do is to decide the kind of relationship that you have with the woman. Is she a sister, mother, grandmother, girlfriend, co-worker, boss, classmate, or teacher? You have to recognize how close you are to each other to be able to choose an appropriate Christmas gift for her. If you are extremely close to the receiver, like your mother, sister, or girlfriend, you can choose something personal or costly like jewelry or gadgets. For your boss or co-workers, you can choose a general and safe gift like CDs or books. You also need to know the interests of the woman to be able to find ideal Christmas gifts for her. Does she like cooking or playing sports? Or maybe she loves attending parties or theatre plays. You can buy gifts based on what she loves to do. It may be a hobby or any new interest that she has.

You also have to know her needs, aside from her interests. For your mom, it will be an easy choice because moms need to do house chores. Give her something that will make this task easier like a brand new and very efficient vacuum cleaner or a complete set of baking tools and utensils. If your girlfriend is always late because her watch was broken, why not give her a watch this Xmas so that she is on time for your dates? You have to know what their requirements are and they will be thankful that you have thought of them.

You have to know that women love looks. Choose gifts that are not just functional but good in looks also. Women love bright and interesting things that are great to look at but also very usable. But if the gift is good-looking, she will fall in love with it at first sight. Make sure that you also wrap your gift well to make it more attractive and presentable.

The post Four Tips to Select the Best Christmas Gift For Her appeared first on TheFlowersPoint.