Category — Sweet Resources

When I was growing up I remember celebrating special occasions and holidays much differently than I do with my own family now.

Birthdays were spent at home sharing your favorite home cooked meal and birthday cake with loved ones. We didn’t use disposable dinnerware and at times we used the newspaper funnies to wrap the presents.

When the holiday season started rolling around…we made our own Halloween costumes and some of the decorations, then used pillow cases to stash our candy. Thanksgiving was filled with the wonderful scents of made-from-scratch dishes and desserts. Again using no disposable dinnerware…I remember this well because my sister and I were usually the ones that were granted membership to the “clean up crew”. Christmas was my favorite, not just because of the gifts, but because we usually made ornaments or some kind of decoration.

So what does any of this have to do with Green Celebrations? I look back on those days and although I know we didn’t employ “green” tactics consciously, it was the way of life back then.

Nowadays, our family celebrations are far from being green. Oh, we reuse gift bags, tissue paper and decorations, but that’s about the extent of it. So how do you go about making these celebrations more earth-friendly and less costly?

You pick up a copy of Cory Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell’s newly released book, Celebrate Green. Based on Corey’s original concept of making Halloween healthier and earth-friendly, the mother-daughter team branched out to encompass all major celebrations through this enlightening book.

Copyright 2008 Holli Dunn

With over 200 pages, Celebrate Green is jam-packed with fun, quick, easy ideas for just about any occasion. It begins with the basics of Green Holidays and takes you through celebrations in spring, summer, autumn, summer and winter, plus year round celebrations like baby showers, graduations, weddings, birthdays and more.

For instance, did you know that you can dye Easter eggs naturally? Or instead of handing out candy on Halloween, maybe give stickers or homemade bean bags? I’m dying to try the apple pie recipe for Thanksgiving and for Christmas using LED lights can save energy, they last longer and are much safer.

There is even a “Green Anniversary Gift Guide” and a section on Birthdays that Give Back which helps children take the focus off materialism, plus many other tips that help save money and the earth.

Celebrate Green can be purchased at www.CelebrateGreen.NET or on Amazon.

Are your celebrations going green this year?

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

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Sometimes it can be overwhelming trying to plan your kid’s birthday party. There is the theme, invitations, entertainment, food, cake, possibly goody bags and thank you notes. I’m creative, but it only reaches so far when it comes to birthdays.

I was actually doing some research for another article and came across Birthday Party ideas 4 kids. It is packed full of birthday party theme ideas for babies all the way up to teens. There are some cool and creative ideas for activities, games and food as well.

A huge time saver and definitely worth checking out. Go now!

To find local businesses offering birthday discounts & freebies for adults, kids and pets, visit my website, Free Birthday Treats.

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Introducting my first guest post written by Jennifer Tankersley the creator of ListPlanIt.com.

I almost always have three or four ongoing lists attached to my clipboard, but when I have a birthday coming up in my family, the number of lists tends to more than double.Here is a list of the lists that I use to help me plan a birthday.

1. A birthday to do list is a realistic recording of all of the details that go into planning a birthday for a loved one. Important things to include might be shopping for gifts and supplies, deciding whether to make or buy a cake, deciding how many people to invite, cleaning for the big day, making reservations, or even ordering something by a certain date to receive it in the mail on time.

2. A gift list is a necessity because often one or two gifts have been purchased ahead of time and placed in a secret hiding place. So an ongoing list is essential. There must be room on this page, however, to record the ideas you have for gifts along the way.

3. If you are planning a party for this birthday, then there are a few lists that are crucial to being ready. A guest list with addresses makes sending invitations and thank you notes a breeze. A timeline of the day of the party will help you stay on track. A planning list with possible games/entertainment options to help keep guests busy. A list of the dishes that will be served at the party with space for a grocery list of the ingredients of the food and drinks you’ll need.

4. A calendar of the weeks leading up to the big day will help you set deadlines and goals so that you can accomplish everything involved in planning a lovely birthday for that special person in your life.
 
Jennifer Tankersley is the creator ListPlanIt.com where you can find over 300 lists and planning pages including everything you need to plan your next birthday or party and much more and of List Mama Blog: Lists of Lists for List-Lovin’ Mamas.

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