Sometimes finding the perfect gift for a child is a real challenge. Perhaps it is a niece or nephew who lives far away, or you have been invited to a birthday party and do not know the child very well or cannot attend.

Sadly sometimes childhood is full of struggles. For the child who has worked really hard to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, a special gift is a wonderful way to say, 'I am so proud of you.'

Finding the right gift can be time consuming and confusing. A great way to really surprise them is with a themed gift basket. Mygiftbasketideas.com has a number of baskets for the special little girl or boy you are trying to surprise. There is limited guesswork and they will ship it directly.

For some children, they have experienced serious illness or injury, which has caused them to spend an extended time in the hospital or at home recovering. A Get Well gift basket, loaded with keep you busy activities is a great gift, to help them focus on play and being a kid even while coping with a serious illness.

Another great idea is the next time you head out on a trip to have a basket sent ahead, waiting on your arrival at your destination. It is less for you to carry and something great to surprise and occupy the kids on the inevitable vacation down time that seems to throw little ones for a loop.

Another great idea for kids gift baskets is as a party centerpiece for birthday parties. It will lend an attractive edge to the gathering and the kids can enjoy the goodies.

Labels: birthday, gifts for children, kids, kids gift baskets

Friday, January 11, 2008

Madri Gras

Many of us have with a bit of sadness put away all the Christmas finery and in many parts of the country the weather is more cloudy than sunny. The time between the bright lights of Christmas and the fun that is spring can a be a long few months. Are you looking for a way to extend the festive times of late December?

Around the world, people are doing just that. From Epiphany, which is January 6, until Mardi Gras (also called Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday) the day before Ash Wednesday people are celebrating with parties, costumes, parades, floats, and special food. Many of the most famous Carnival or Mardi Gras celebrations are in Brazil, New Orleans, Venice, and the Caribbean. Traditionally Madri Gras is the last big party before the time of fasting, which takes place during Lent.

Hosting your own Mardi Gras celebration is a snap. Many retailers have the party ware and other favor items including beads and trinkets - which are often thrown from floats to the crowds as they pass by. The traditional colors of Mardi Gras are green, purple, and gold.

A staple at Mardi Gras parties are King's cakes. Traditionally a King's cake is made with braided strands of dough topped with icing and green, purple and gold colored sugar. The shape symbolizes the unity of religions. Inside the cake is a figure of the baby Jesus - or King's crown. Whoever gets the the figure in their slice of cake is responsible for bringing the cake to the next party.

Mardi Gras parties are a time to enjoy food, family and fun. The menu is versatile and it is a great way to get kids involved. A trip to your local library is all it will take to find a few books, music CDs and DVDs, which will not only be inspirational for the fun but also a great way to learn more about the international flavor of a very festive time of of year.

Labels: celebrations, holidays, kids, Madri Gras, party ideas

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Celebrate with a birthday horoscope party

Many people, both young and old, follow their horoscope. They check it out in the paper or online daily. Wouldn't it be fun then to throw a birthday horoscope party. This theme lends itself to many variations.

To begin with, for any age level, you will need to shop for theme invitations and party supplies. The invitations and party supplies could be the classic Greco-Roman Style mythical figures or a more modern interpretation. In a pinch, a simple star and solar system theme would do. For a twist on the horoscope theme, you could use the Chinese Zodiac.

Once you have the basic party supplies you are ready to customize. If you are working with teenage girls, perhaps have each guest bring with her a handful of magazines or newspapers. Suggest that the girls, search the magazines and newspapers for their horoscopes and other Zodiac related items. Have as a party favor, a journal or book, which she can add her clipping to. Or you could ask each girl to bring a copy of the birthday girls horoscope from her birthday for a given year. The girls could then build a birthday book for the guest of honor.

For an older mixed group, have a collection of books or other reference materials on hand. Then prepare questions about the guest of honor's birthday and other topics related to her Zodiac sign and year of birth. For example, for each sign there is a corresponding precious gem, flower, tree, bird, instrument and much much more. You can limit it to the guest of honor or allow all the guests to build a list of their own. It would also be fun, to invite someone to provide a reading for guest of honor or simply talk about topics related to the Zodiac.

If having Zodiac themed activities does not work with the mix of party guests, perhaps suggest that each guest bring an appropriately themed Zodiac or horoscope gift for the guest of honor. You can include a suggestion card in the invitations based on some simple research at your local library or online.

Your party menu choices are limitless, consider serving foods linked with the guest of honors sign or with an astrological flare. If you choose to incorporate the Chinese Zodiac into the party, a buffet of Chinese food would work well. The same is true for the birthday cake. You can choose to use the colors favorable to the guest of honor's sign or work with overall theme and flare of the party.

A birthday horoscope theme lends itself well to party, where there will be good friends, good food, time for lively conversation and enjoyment of the myths and legend, ideas and predictions associated with each astrological sign.

Labels: birthday, horoscope, kids