Christmas has different meanings to different people. Some celebrate it from a spiritual perspective, others see it as an excuse to spend time with family and indulge in food, wine, and gifts.

Whatever your approach, here are the top ways to celebrate the holidays:

Stuff to do on your own around Christmas:

• Volunteer at a local soup kitchen
• Go see a play, concert, or ballet
• Rent movies
• Put together a ’singles Christmas party’
• Take your nieces and nephews ice skating (or to the beach if you’re lucky!)
• Do some Christmas decorating

Activities for One, Two, or Many!

Whether you’re on your own, spending time with a significant other, kids or extended family… here are some great activities to keep you busy.

• Make your own Christmas ornaments
• Make your own Christmas Cards, here is a nice idea
• Make a cool looking Christmas Wreath, for less traditional DIY wraths, use stuff around your house. Here is a geeky “PC Junk Christmas Wreath”
• Here’s where you need help, but worth the effort: set up musically controlled and synced Christmas lights.
• Dig out last year’s Christmas cards, and do something creative with them.
• Make your own Christmas gifts

Holiday Fun with Kids

If you have kids, keep them busy with some fun Christmas themed activities

• Make magic reindeer food
• Track Santa with NORAD
• Bake Christmas cookies
• Go ice skating
• Sing Christmas carols, if you have a piano and a fireplace it is an even more perfect ‘Christmas-y’ event

If you’re still at a loss for what to do, look at this list of 150 ways to save money and have some fun during the Holidays.

Here is a cute and relatively inexpensive gift idea for men. Make your own lip balm at home, and pour it into ‘manly’ looking packaging. For example, a cool pill box.

The easiest lip balm recipe involves using petroleum jelly as a base. For a lip balm even men like, keep it simple and stay away from berry flavors:

Honey Lip Balm

Make your own honey lip balm by melting three tablespoons of petroleum jelly (vaseline) with one teaspoon of honey. You can combine the ingredients and melt it in the microwave, for thirty seconds at a time, until fully melted. You can poor the honey lip balm into a cool looking pill box as packaging, and let it cool.

If you want to add a little something extra to your homemade lip balm, add a few drops of peppermint oil for a refreshing tingle.

The pill box in the picture can be bought here

Traditionally (at least in the Western world), men present rings to the women they intend to marry, and custom design engagement rings are the best choice. Such custom handcrafted jewelry is one-of-a-kind; there are no two custom design engagement rings that will ever look exactly alike.

Ancient Tradition
During Hellenistic times, men formalized marriage agreements with the unique piece of custom made jewelry that has come to be known as the engagement ring by placing it on the fourth finger of his betrothed’s left hand. In ancient Rome, it was said that this particular finger contained the vena amoris – literally, the “vein of love.”

This tradition as continued to the present day, as this form of custom designed jewelry continues to be worn on what we now call the “ring finger” of the left hand, at least in North America and the U.K. In some cultures however – such as those of Poland and among orthodox Jews – custom design engagement rings are actually worn on the right hand.

It’s More Than Gold and Diamonds
Those who work in the field of custom jewelry design create a wide variety of custom design engagement rings, which can range from plain metal bands made from white, yellow or red gold, silver, or even platinum. Tradition dictates that diamond be used in such custom made jewelry, but such tradition hardly has the force of law – which is the great thing about custom jewelry design. “Custom” means you can have it your way – so if your betrothed for some reason prefers sapphires to diamonds, there’s no reason why such a piece of custom handcrafted jewelry be created!

They’re Not Just For Women Anymore
It’s a rare custom at present, but the practice is becoming increasingly common: women who at the time of an engagement, purchase custom design engagement rings for their men. In Northern Europe, it is actually quite common for both the man and the woman to wear rings during the engagement. In Spain, a woman’s choice for custom men’s jewelry when she accepts a marriage proposal is a wristwatch.

Do What You Want
Traditions are made to be broken – it’s not like the Middle Ages when the Church provided literal “engagement police.” If both want to wear custom design engagement rings that are elaborate and feature expensive gem settings or simple gold or silver bands, an online ring designer is available to provide those one or two-of-a-kind custom handcrafted jewelry pieces. After all, the best custom design engagement rings are the ones that please you and your betrothed. Find a company that will let you design your jewelry, instead of choosing from options they present, to make sure you receive exactly what you want. Also ask for samples, and remember: custom jewelry does not have to be just an engagement ring. Custom design anything for a more personal touch. In a world where you can even get personalized corporate gifts, you should definitely get a custom gift for that extra special someone. You design we create.com is one company that offers both personal, and corporate, custom gifts. The whole point is getting something personalized, and it doesn’t have to be very expensive. Custom jewelry can also be made in silver, which makes it a more accessible option available from youdesignwecreate.com than gold alternatives.

When you are coupled up, or dating, there are times you might feel like your significant other is being “too good” to you. You either feel you are not giving back enough, or would like to do something nice for them. There are times when couples are a great personality match, but their checkbooks do not match at all: one may be more financially blessed than the other.

This does not mean you have to feel inadequate as a partner; there are ways to give back that don’t cost very much more than your time. Here are some sweet ideas to be good to the person you love:

- Cook dinner/breakfast/lunch
- Make a tray of brownies or muffins, put them in a nice box or tin and deliver personally
- Do the dishes, or an equally unpleasant household task to help out your partner
- Surprise him/her with something little they appreciate: a cup of coffee or tea
- Put a card under her/his pillow, or send a funny e-card to brighten the day

Medical alert jewelry is an interesting twist on a more traditional ring or choker. Although not the most romantic gift, it can be a useful one for the person you love.

The interesting development in this area is that you can actually get medical jewelry in nice designs and even in the form of watches. From cute charms to bracelets, watches and dog tags. There is something for everyone, and if you have a partner who thinks it is endearing if you are concerned for their health, then this can make a cute, cheap, “just because” gift.

We’ve seen this type of gift in romantic movies, so it is not entirely original. However, giving your significant other a pet – providing they would want one! – can be a very romantic and special gift. After all, the pet will be around for years and likely remind him/her of the gift you have given.

Before you respond to any classified ad stating “Yorkshire Terrier puppy for sale“, make sure the pup comes from a certified breeder who actually cares about their dogs. A lot goes into choosing a pet, and making sure you put that bow on a very healthy gift is a big part of the research process.

Know your breeds
The first step in choosing a puppy (or any other pet) is knowing the recipient of this gift will actually want it, and is capable to care for it. Don’t get your girl/boyfriend a German Shepherd – or other big dog – if he/she lives in very tight quarters. You want to make sure both the gift, and the girl/boy are happy!

Know the recipient of the gift!
What type of dog/pet would he/she like? If you know your significant other is an animal lover, you will likely also know which breed or animal type would make a great gift. Forget your own wants and needs for a second, and think of the person who will actually be the primary caregiver of your gift. You may like bulldogs, but if the dog is for someone who loves Yorkshire terriers, then a bulldog clearly does not make the perfect gift.

Get to know the kennel
Your dog will only be as good as it’s background. So, ensuring your gift actually brings years of pleasure instead of pain, make sure you pick the right kennel. Look into the kennel’s certification, how and where they breed their dogs and whether the puppies are properly socialized, healthy and what their pedigree looks like. Many kennels avoid inbreeding by bringing in dogs from across the country, other kennels care less and do not go through these efforts (and expense!). Although both may charge nearly the same for a puppy, you’d be better off picking the one with a better track record.

This year ditch the roses-routine and try giving your date a more personal gift on [tag]Valentines Day[/tag].

Spreadshirt is an online shirt-printer who is gearing up big-time for Valentines Day and giving designers with a date to impress (YOU!) 14% off all orders. Nothing says “I love you” like a shirt (or boxer shorts!) designed by you.

Self-made gifts have always been a popular way of giving something very personal, and sometimes also save money in the process. Self-made has now made the step to self-designed and gone high-tech. With cheaper ways of “on-demand printing” it is economically feasible for companies like spreadshirt to offer this option of 100% personalized one-of-a-kind apparel. This option is not just a great way of impressing the person you are dating, but think of the wedding favors you could design? Never mind bachelor/bachelorette party favors!

It’s a neat gift idea that doesn’t have to break the bank, but will surely still impress your date.

[tag]Valentines day[/tag] is approaching fast. A little too fast for my taste!
To make Valentines Day taste a little better this year, this may be a great and original alternative to the bouquet of [tag]roses[/tag]: organic, edible Organic Chocolate Massage Oil.

Massage has proven not only to relax (of course!), but has serious health benefits. Couples who frequently touch each other actually have stronger immune systems, live longer and are healthier in general. They also tend to catch cold less often, don’t suffer as long when they do get sick and tend to be happier. But do we really need so many convincing reasons for touching?

To make sure the [tag]massaging[/tag] never gets boring, playing around with different scents and edible [tag]massage oils[/tag] keeps things extra interesting. Frankly I’d give up [tag]chocolate[/tag] for a good massage any day, but combining the two is like – to quote a famous cartoon figure – “And oooorgasm of flavour in my mouth”.

Some people like buying everything they can online: it is true that a worldwide market place leaves you with unlimited options in terms of style choice and pricing. The internet is a consumer’s comparison shopping dream!

A growing trend is buying diamonds online. New retailers, such as Ciara diamonds are springing up everywhere. Diamonds are one of those universal things most people love, and as a staple of our culture it is a must-have for any groom-to-be popping the big question.

Not everyone dates a geologist or gemologist though, so educating yourself properly on the quality of diamonds is extremely important. Make sure you know what you are getting, and ensure yourself with an appraisal that the diamond in question was worth the investment. Figure out what is important to you, or the person on the receiving end of the little black box: shine or size. Sometimes a very small tradeoff in clarity of the diamond can mean you can afford a large size gem stone. A small decrease in clarity is often not even visible to the naked eye, so know what you are looking for when asking for “the best of the best”. A bigger diamond may sparkle just as much, or more, than the tiny flawless one you could get instead.

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend – or so they say. However, you need deep pockets to get a good quality diamond. Whether you’re looking at a [tag]valentines day gift[/tag], just because or whatever your reason… diamonds are one of those fabulous things that go well at any occasion. Having said that though, the price point of diamonds is definitely a deterring factor when it comes to buying one.

There are companies out there that offer the wonderful shine, without the hefty price tag of [tag]diamonds[/tag]. For example; I would never purchase a small pendant with diamonds, just for the sake of them being diamonds. I’d rather put that money towards the far more shiny and ostentatious equivalent you can get at, for example, Swarovski. A few hundred dollars buys you a lot more shine when you’re looking at crystal, than when you are shopping for diamonds.

However, you don’t always need to buy your diamonds, you could also try and win a diamond ring.

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