Hanukkah

Feeling bad about the ten rolls of gift wrap you blew through this past holiday? Well, make up for your global destructiveness by tossing those empty wrapping paper tubes to the kids for oodles of quick cheap thrills. Marie from awe-inspiring family site Make and Takes has put together a fun little list of clever ideas for upcycling those empty wrapping paper rolls.

Amy from Let's Explore has a simple yet grand idea for repurposing all those holiday cards into a fun activity for young kids. She's provided a fast and easy tutorial on how to make a "Christmas Card Puzzle Game". I can't wait to make a set or two of these puzzle cards for my own 2 year old daughter. It's such a basic, clean matching/puzzle idea that I know my detail obsessed little girl is going to go crazy over.

Moogsmum has posted a few links to some pretty crafty recycled paper Christmas crafts. Among the ideas listed is this super-smart gift bag tutorial made from your breakfast routine basics. With a few well chosen newspaper pages, a cereal box, string or ribbon and some glue you can put together a sturdy, environmentally friendly, virtually free gift bag. Oh how it hurts plopping down four bucks for a gift bag.

As part of their popular Holiday Fest the Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles is offering families a fun way to kick-off the Hanukkah holiday. This Sunday, December 21st from 2:30 to 7pm they'll be hosting a Hanukkah celebration.

Reading like a traditional Yiddish folk tale "Latkes, Latkes Good to Eat" by Naomi Howland is a fun holiday book with a nice message full of suprises.

Hanukkah is just around the corner. Your house is lacking some major Hanukkah spirit. Amber of Kids Craft Weekly has provided a wonderful newletter dedicated to easy and simple hanukkah crafts suitable for school age kids and younger. Seriously, these crafts require minimal materials most of which are fairly accessible items you already have on hand. My 2 year old daughter and I are set today to craft up one of Amber's clever and cute macaroni menorahs.

One Voice a non profit organization whose mission it is to help "families living at poverty level within our community" is preparing for their annual Holiday Food Program Giveaway

Preparing to give up a few precious days slaving in a hot kitchen baking up some special cookie shaped cheer for your rowdy bunch of holiday revelers? Tired of the old cookie standards you seem to have memorized because they've been in your family for decades yet don't want to sacrifice any nostalgia? Well, Gourmet magazine has done a fine, fine thing. They've published a list of their favorite cookie recipes from 1941-2008.

Here's a good old fashion how-to project for making borax crystal decorations. The activity provides some good clean fun with an educational twist that's sure to impress your kids and get them wondering how it's done. Not only will these shimmer-shiny babies enhance the holiday atmosphere of your home but when you reveal the scientific "magic" behind the crystal mystery it's sure to secure your position as smartest person on the planet for a little longer. And who doesn't want that?

"Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins"by Eric A. Himmel is my kids' favorite Hanukkah book for many reasons but mainly for the goblins.