Gift baskets are a popular way to fill out your Christmas giving list. But the usual fare filling baskets, namely wine and cheese, cannot be more boring. The solution? Baskets that are as unique as your friend, neighbor, or relative you are intending to gift.

A little thought and research can create a very memorable Christmas basket. If you have a relative like my aunt who is a a huge fan of romance novels, a basket with a few new romance releases and a gift card or two to her favorite book store or Amazon is a great idea.

You might have a co-worker whose passion is knitting and a basket filled with needles, yarn and a few idea books would be a wonderful gift.

My next door neighbor is a weekend fisherman and I know a basket filled with a variety of fishing gear every fisherman uses like, sinkers, a package of hooks, fishing line, and a lure or two will light up his holiday.

Finally, I can’t resist this. How about a basket filled with Christmas ornaments and a couple of Disney collectibles? You can’t get any more festive than that! Our Christmas Shop can be a great starting point for that gift search.

These are just a few ideas that are miles away from the standard fare of stale crackers, green olives and cheap wine filling most baskets. A little creativity kicks the giving of a Christmas gift basket up a notch and will be remembered for a long time.

Whether on your house or on your tree, Christmas lights are an important part of your decorations. Lights can set the mood for the inside of your house, or light the way in your outdoor display. But they can be quite pricey and putting them up can be time consuming. Finding the right lights for your purpose can also be troublesome. Thankfully, with a little research and planning, your Christmas light display can be everything you want.

Before going crazy and putting lights under every eve and pine bow, consider your budget. Not only are the strings of lights themselves expensive, but your electricity bill will feel the pinch too. If you are planning a large outdoor display of Christmas lights, make sure you give yourself extra money for your bill. Also, before you buy your strings of lights, consider the wattage. You don’t want bright lights illuminating the whole inside of your house, nor do you want your yard to appear to be an airplane landing strip. The proper wattage will save you money, and keep your display to a reasonable level.

Most of us know the 12 Days of Christmas as a popular song about a true love, turtle doves, 5 golden rings, and 8 maids a milking, among other things. However, the 12 days of Christmas are actually a religious holiday that starts on the evening of Christmas day, and ends the morning of January 6th, the day of Epiphany. The traditions and origins of the 12 days of Christmas are old, and are more than the lyrics to a popular children’s song.

The 12 days of Christmas can be traced to at least the Middle Ages, when the 12 days were mainly days for feasting that reached a crescendo on the twelfth night, made popular by William Shakespeare’s play of the same name. There is evidence that Colonial Americans brought the traditions of the 12 days with them. It as at this time that the tradition of weaving wreaths to hang on the door throughout the 12 days of Christmas became popular.

In modern America, the 12 days of Christmas have become a children’s song. Many argue this is due to the advent of Santa Claus, the acceptance of Christmas Eve as a holiday, and the increasing popularity of New Years Eve parties. However, those modern Americans that do celebrate are often religious and use their church to guide their celebrations. Some people give one gift for each of the 12 days of Christmass, some light a candle each day, and some even burn a Yule log a little each day.