Tag: christmas

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Health & Home Recreation & Leisure

15 Edible Gifts to Send to Your Friends This Holiday

15 Edible Gifts to Send to Your Friends This Holiday

Who doesn’t love to indulge in sweet treats during the holidays? Of course, everyone does! And who doesn’t love to receive gifts on Christmas? Everyone loves it! Be it a chewy chocolate cookie, or Santa-shaped candies, Christmas is not Christmas without all the delicious edibles. Let’s have a look at 15 edible gifts to send to your friends this holiday season:

1.   Madeleine Cookies Dipped in Chocolate

The sweet, airy treats covered in chocolates can be the perfect edible gift for your friend. Add some edible red sprinkles on top, and you are good to go!

2.   Christmas-Shaped Cookies

Cookies shaped like Santa, stars, Christmas trees, or gingerbread men can never grow old. They are a favorite of both children and adults and even pets!

3.   Cream and Ginger Sandwich Cookies

Combine cookies and cream to form a delicious sandwich! This will be a hit among your friends.

4.   Chocolate Granola Bark

In most cases, granola is a high-fiber protein bar, but add in some chocolate, and it becomes much more exciting. The pistachios in the bark add a fine flavor, too!

5.   Jam-Filled Cookies

Jam and cookies are the perfect Christmas combo! Bake different shapes of cookies, add the delicious strawberry jam, and combine them together to make a sandwich. Delicious written all over it!

6.   Santa Spoons

Create Santa spoons with cocoa and marshmallows. These frosty spoons look adorable in a gift package and taste delicious with hot chocolate!

7.   Pretzels

This salty-sweet treat becomes tastier when dipped in chocolate. Add multi-color sprinkles on top to give them a Christmassy feel.

8.   Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Nobody has ever said no to Chocolate Chunk Cookies! Your friends will never stop munching, especially with the gooey chocolatey goodness inside. Wrap them beautifully and put a red bow on top to complete the Christmassy feel.

9.   Milk Mug Mixers

Make use of those beautiful vintage spoons this Christmas. Put frosted chocolate on the spoons and wrap them in cellophane. The chocolate will melt when you mix it in hot milk. A delicious warm drink by the fireplace!

10.  Homemade Jams

Homemade jams never go wrong. Make seasonal flavored jams, and package the jar. Add in a baguette or two to complete the gift for your friends.

11.  Eggnog Mix

The ultimate Christmas drink pancake mix. Pack eggnog mix in jars and add a cute little note around them. Your friends will love it and who knows they invite you over for breakfast to enjoy!

12. Crunchy Popcorns

Make caramel-covered crunchy popcorn, and send it over to your friends. The simple, yet yummy snack makes up for the Christmas movie night. Pack them up in tins for a beautiful presentation.

13. Nut Biscotti

This almond chocolatey biscuit is the perfect snack for the holidays. It is not very sweet and a good munching partner. Put them in jar containers and add a bow to make it a beautiful gift.

14. Chocolate Hazelnut Clusters

 Clusters are one of the easiest holiday gifts you can give to your friends. You can make them with two to three ingredients only, depending on what you want to add. Your friend can also keep them in the fridge for up to a month.

15. Mini Cheesecakes

A cookie-based cheesecake will light up your friends for sure! This tiny wonderful treat has its own pleasantness. Don’t forget to top it up with a yummy blueberry sauce.

You can come up with lots of edible gifts to send to your friends during the holidays. Make sure to present them beautifully and make their holidays even better!

Categories
Health & Home Recreation & Leisure

Why Christmas Will Cost 17% More Than Before

Why Christmas Will Cost 17% More Than Before

According to economic specialists evaluating numerous sectors and current pricing patterns, Christmas activities will cost 17% more in 2019 than they did before the epidemic. The cause of this? The dreaded inflation that is impacting nearly every industry and every aspect of our everyday lives.

What Is Inflation?

And what exactly is inflation? Simply put, inflation is the gradual loss of a currency’s buying value over time. The rise in the average price level of a selection of chosen goods and services in an economy over time may be used to calculate a quantitative estimate of the pace at which buying power declines. An increase in the overall level of prices, which is frequently stated as a percentage, signifies that a unit of money now buys less than it did before. Right now, America is facing what could be a very serious period of inflation, following the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

How Does This Affect Christmas?

According to estimates, gifts, a normal Christmas lunch for ten people, and a tree will cost an average of $1,700, up from about $1,500 only a few years ago in 2019.

Experts have calculated how extreme the price hikes will be across the board. They do this by evaluating the pricing of prominent goods on many holiday wish lists. As well as the prices of components for a holiday feast and other Christmas mainstays. For example, the cost of a gallon of milk has increased by more than 27% since last year.

Christmas trees are considerably more costly, especially if you buy a new artificial one. The typical fake tree is 26% more expensive than last year. The average natural tree is around 5% more expensive.

It’s vital to remember that the news isn’t always negative! Not everything on your Christmas wish lists has been affected by inflation. Numerous popular gift items have remained unchanged in price since last year, including smartphones, footwear, and a Nintendo Switch or Sony PlayStation.

Despite the fact that inflation is skyrocketing—at its highest rate in over 30 years, according to government officials—shopping seems to be unaffected so far. Many big stores have already claimed record sales, both online and in person.

Conclusion

According to the National Retail Federation, this year’s Christmas retail sales will be the largest on record.

The consumer price index, a key indicator of inflation, has grown 5.4 percent in the last year, the highest level in more than a decade. While President Biden and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell have stated that the price rises are only temporary, indicating pent-up demand as a result of the epidemic, many economists anticipate the scenario will endure far beyond 2023 and 2024.

An overabundance of money is the primary cause of the current inflation in the United States. The money supply in the United States increased by $5.5 trillion between December 2019 and August 2021, an astounding 35.7 percent growth in just a year and a half, owing mostly to the Federal Reserve’s purchases of Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities. Of course, this has benefited the economy at a time when it was most needed. However, it has also resulted in the present Christmas price issue.

Categories
Health & Home Recreation & Leisure

The Best Places to Buy Christmas Decorations

The Best Places to Buy Christmas Decorations

Christmas is that one holiday that demands a lot of preparation, which explains why Christmas preparations can begin months prior. After all, there is always a lot of cleaning and decorating to do. While the festive cheer that Christmas brings can’t be ignored, preparing for it can often be quite stressful, and the shopping part can just add to the stress and anxiety. Christmas means that you’ll have loads of shopping to do, whether you want to replace old stuff, get holiday presents, or find the best Christmas-themed décor items.

When you talk about Christmas decorations, the first thing that comes to mind is the tree. However, a Christmas tree is not the only thing you have to put out and decorate. Most people like to decorate their entire houses, including porches and backyards. But even when the Holiday is so close, it can be hard to get your hands on the best Christmas decorations. To help you out, we have compiled a list of places you can visit to help you out.

Anthropologie

The home décor and holiday decorations that Anthropologie brings are always chic, artsy, and at times, very unique as well. They have a lot of variety and options to choose from. However, their elevated holiday collection is often limited, so you might need to hurry up. With Anthropologie, you can get ditch your regular tree and get a pre-lit mushroom.

Or, if you want an out-of-the-ordinary stocking, you may like the bright stockings at Anthro or the ones that come with tassels. They also have an incredible festive-smelling selection of candles that you can get to the light at your holiday dinners. Moreover, they have all the other décor must-haves like throw pillows, ornaments, and chic figurines.

Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn is the go-to for many homeowners as it comes with plenty of décor inspiration each time. If you are looking to expand your collection of Christmas decorations, this must be your go-to place. You will find that Pottery Barn has almost everything that a person might be looking for, ranging from advent calendars to festive-themed pillows.

Not to forget, it is also the best place to head out to if you wish to turn your home into a winter-themed space. Pottery Barn has some really attractive stocking holders and an impressive assortment of stockings and tree skirts that everyone loves. What’s better? They have an entire collection of holiday gnomes for people passionate about them.

Target

This may be your easiest option, for when you don’t want to spend a lot of time and energy on the decorations. This is especially helpful when you have a holiday party at home and less time to set up the space. Target has come up with a shoppable rooms tool through which you can click on a décor piece on a farmhouse living room, and it will be added to your cart. What’s great about Target is that it is just a drive or walk away for many.

Moreover, it has an entire Christmas section that you can browse through. It allows you to see through all of their Christmas-related items like wreaths, lights, and stockings, etc.

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Children Family

Stocking Stuffers: The Best Ones for Teens

stocking stuffers

You may have a number of pocket-friendly stocking stuffers on your list for your toddlers, but do you draw a point-blank when it comes to your teens? No problem!

We have a list of the best stocking stuffers for your teens this year, and each one will delight them for sure.

1.    Lokai Bracelets

By giving your teen a lokai bracelet in their stocking stuffing, you’ll not only be giving a great gift to your kid but also serving one of the many charities, the founder contributes to.

2.    Bluetooth Shower Speaker

Teens and music seem to be inseparable; at times, it feels they are even incapable of getting through a night of sleep without music. So why not make their shower time more fun with water-resistant mini Bluetooth speakers?

They can croon to their favorite beats while scrubbing up, and the flat bottomed speakers sit conveniently on ledges and shelves.

3.    Driving Gloves

We’re sure your teens are enjoying their newfound freedom as drivers. Gift them a pair of leather driving gloves in their stocking stuffers, and the teens will love how the cold weather gear will protect their hands in freezing temperatures.

4.    Three Bit Pack

Teens these days can’t do without memes. It seems their life revolves around them, and undoubtedly yours are no different. Why not gift them GIF collectibles and memes as their stocking stuffers this year>? Each delivers emotion, and the teens will find them fascinating for sure.

5.    Frother

Our teens rely on Starbucks just as much as we do but can console the extra expense with the excuse that we work for it. But what about the younger ones? Give them the next best alternative to Starbuck, such as a frother.

The tool will help them make customized drinks like hot cocoa and coffee yet saving them precious dollars. Besides, the device is thin and highly functional, and it would make a great stocking stuffer and convenient tool for their duffels.

6.    Cable Bite

We know how teens value their data and charging cables more than their life but are just as careless in keeping them safe. The cable bite is a fascinating little thing that wraps around the cords and keeps them from breaking.

You can find this stocking stuffer in various versions, including pig, catshark, and dogs.

7.    Essential Oils-Bath bombs

If you’ve got teen girls especially, they’ll surely love this gift. They will also find these bath bombs a special treat for their showers at home, especially after sharing the less appealing communal showers at college or school.

The bath bombs come in various essential oils, including sweet orange, jasmine, cinnamon, frankincense, lemon, rosemary, chamomile, peppermint, tea tree, grapefruit, rose, and lavender.  

8.    Face Masks

Find the Airism face masks to gift your teens this year. These masks will not only make a great stocking stuffer, but the triple-layered structure also provides optimal performance. It blocks 90% of ultraviolet rays quite effectively with its UPF 40 rating and comes in three sizes for adults, teens, and children.

These AIRism masks also feature heat-releasing, self-deodorizing, anti-microbial, and sweat-absorbing qualities. Your teens will never complain of feeling sweaty with these masks on.