With Christmas winding down, retailers are going to be looking to clear out their stock as quickly as possible.  There are a lot of items that are timeless such as wrapping paper, lights, gift tags and more that you can purchase now at the clearance sale prices instead of paying full price next year.  Why pay $2.50 for a roll of 90 square feet of gift wrap next year before Christmas when you can pick it up for $2 or less now?  Yes, you’ll need to store it for a year, but you can’t put it wherever you store your tree and/or ornaments?

Sure you may not relish the idea of doing more shopping already, but why not save yourself a few dollars now, and also take something off your list for prepping next year?

Get out there folks and snap up those savings!

Post from: RememberingChristmas.com

Start Getting Your Supplies For Next Year Now

Each year the Duracell Toy Report tracks what the most wished for items are by children for Christmas, and this year’s survey of 2,138 respondents showed a definite shift from the items of year’s past to one that should make Apple CEO Steve Jobs very happy.  The top three spots this year are all dominated by Apple products.

Out of the entire survey, approximately 39 percent of children quizzed desired Apple gadgets this year.  Among five to eight-year-olds the number was 17 percent, the number jumped to 50 percent of nine to 12-year-olds and the number went to an amazing 66 percent of 13 to 16-year-olds for putting the gadgets at the top of their lists.

With all of this in mind, it looks like it could be a slightly expensive Christmas this year for parents who want to surprise their kid with their most desired item.

Top 10 Toys For Christmas 2010

1. iPhone 4 (14%)
2. iPod touch (13%)
3. iPad (12%)
4. Kinect for Xbox (6%)
5. Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters / Kung Zhu Hamsters (5%)
6. Flip Video Camera (4%)
7. Toy Story 3 Jet Pack Buzz Lightyear (4%)
8. PlayStation Move (4%)
9. LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 Video Game (3%)
10. Barbie Video Girl (3%)

Post from: RememberingChristmas.com

Survey Shows Kids Are Turning From Toys To Gadgets On Their Wishlists

With your kids at home for the summer, you’re bound to hear a lot of moans about “I’m bored!”  Instead of giving them a couple dollars to go buy junk food, or setting them down in front of the TV, why not start working on some crafts for this coming Christmas?

Now of course we aren’t talking making a gingerbread house in July (ignore the picture in this post on that part), but instead things like making ornaments.  Name a grandparents that wouldn’t love getting a handmade ornament from their grandchild.  Exactly, you can’t do it.  Instead of waiting to until a week before Christmas when everyone is busy, you can do it now and take your time with the project.

And also think about the lessons you can teach your kids with this.

• Christmas is about a spirit of giving, and you can keep it in your heat all year long.
• Handmade gifts can always beat store bought ones.
• It’s never too early to get an “assignment” done.

So it may seem a little odd to be making a Christmas ornament with fireworks going off, but it can keep kids entertained while teaching them sneaky lessons about life and family.

Post from: RememberingChristmas.com

Summer Activities To Prepare For Christmas