Dear Santa Party

Last week we wrote our letters to Santa. I decided to make a party out of it. So the boys had a little Dear Santa Party. They wrote letters. They sipped cold milk. They ate yummy treats.

Last year I made up these Dear Santa letter printables.

The letter to fill out is super fun and is easily used for older kids and younger ones. I made changes to the envelope image I made last year. Last year I found an address online that I had been told worked. Well, false. SO this year I did a little more research and found several options that work great.

The address I used:

Santa Claus

PO Box 1

Santa Claus, IN 47579

This address goes to a museum in Santa Claus, Indiana, where they have volunteers who receive the letters and will write a response back to any letter written before December 20th as long as the return address is readable. 

SO I made a new envelope image with that address.

You can still use the first envelope design if it doesn't really get mailed. However, the new address can be mailed.

With letter and envelope in hand we were ready to start our party.

I found these adorable paper products at Target in the Christmas section.

I matched up the straws, Santa plates, and napkins with a few things I already had around the house.

We served Oreos and cinnamon Santas.

I think everyone had fun.

From the littlest Santa believer.

To the oldest believer in the Spirit of Santa, goer along to keep the magic alive for his younger brothers.

This little party was waiting for them when they got home from school. I had so much fun just putting together this simple festive Dear Santa Party. I think we have a new tradition.

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Spicy Cashew: Slow Cooker Saturday

I cannot take credit for these delightfully yummy cashews. This recipe comes to you thanks to The Hubs. Over a month ago The Hubs came home with a bag full of cashews from the bulk section of our favorite grocery store. He declared he was making Slow Cooker Spicy Cashews.

Okay husband. That sounds great. Scratch that. That sounds delicious.

This guy I am married to often introduces me to the yummiest food. However, not matter how hard he tries, I am never going to willing eat peas. Sorry dude.

Back to the cashews. These cashews has just the right amount of kick. The spices work together for this great smoky heat. And even though I know it shouldn't matter, the spices also give the cashews the prettiest color.

These cashews are done and ready to eat in under an hour and a half. They also store great. These cashews also make a great gift. Put them in a mason jar. Add a label. Write a note. You know something like, "We are nuts about you." You know how I like a gift with a cheesy saying.

Get Printable Recipe HERE

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Christmas Thank You for the Garbage Man

This Christmas we are trying to think of more opportunities to show kindness to those around us. We are trying to think of who we can thank or serve. It is our Christmas of Kindness.

This week we decided to serve our Garbage Men. They work super hard. They work in the cold, the heat, and here, in the WIND. They heft our garbage filled cans. They heft our grass filled cans.

Basically, they are amazing.

To thank them we put together these gift bags.

First I went to my ever faithful PicMonkey and made this graphic for our Christmas Thank you to our Garbage Men. How stinking adorable is that abominable snowman? I just adore PicMonkey's Christmas overlays.

I printed off the graphic onto brown paper lunch sacks. You can find my tutorial on how to print on a lunch sack HERE. You can also just print this off on a piece of paper and make a tag.

Since I have an obsession with matching colors, Crunch bars were a must.

I also had some blue striped washi tape sitting around.

Another fun feature to this Christmas thank you, was the batting I used inside to mimic snow. The purpose was double fold. The batting also helped the bag stay upright.

Hopefully we make the day of some Garbage Men.

We have a couple more Christmas Service ideas in our Christmas of Kindness 2014 and I am excited to share them with you.

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Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

Tis the season for holiday parties, which means it is also the time for yummy appetizers. I don't know about you, but appetizers are always the hardest for me. I never know what to make. I am never sure if I should try and bring something warm and in return have to keep it warm. Do I just grab a bag of chips? Oh what to do.

Well, this is the appetizer that fixed all my woes. This Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip is by far our favorite holiday appetizer.

The prep is fairly easy. Chop, mix, and let it set overnight. Then put it all on top of a layer of cream cheese. Then you just dig in and eat it with some crackers.

This dip has been a hit every time we have made it. The next time you have an appetizer assignment for a party, bring this and all the guests will love it and will henceforth declare that you be the bringer of the appetizers from that point on.

Click HERE for printable recipe

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Christmas Print: Come and Adore Him

I am sharing this really simple Christ-centered Christmas Printable with you guys today. One of my favorite Christmas hymns is O Come, All Ye Faithful.  I took just one phrase from the hymn and made a printable.

I used Picmonkey to make this printable. I made a traditional red one for our home because the primary holiday color we use. However I made three other color options. I also made the Christmas print in black, gold, and turquoise.

Just right click on the image and save it to your computer. Then you can print it off in the size you want. Hope that this can find a place in your holiday decor.

I really love fun and Santa themed decorating, but I also know that the real reason we celebrate this wonderful holiday is to commemorate the birth of the Savior. I am trying to get better about also including some decorations that represent Him.

Merry Christmas!

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