Design Crafters

Now that Halloween and Thanksgiving are over, the signs are all around…It is officially that time of year. It’s now officially time to start listening to Christmas music and decorating. (Despite the fact that the eager beaver radio stations were playing Christmas music the day after Halloween and many of the malls were decorated for Christmas even before Halloween was over).

The lines at the post office are getting longer with people carrying huge packages trying to see over the top of them. The Christmas lighting ceremonies have started. People are hurrying to get their outside Christmas decorations set up while it’s still sunny and before the real snow flies (at least in my neck of the woods).

Some of my neighbors are waiting until December 1st. It’s only a week or so away, but the nice thing about getting it done now is that you can enjoy it all December and spend more time getting other Christmas things done so it’s not such a mad rush come December 1st.

Remember to get the kids involved in decorating to create those Christmas memories.

If you haven’t started working on your photo Christmas cards, better get started right away.

Sending Thanksgiving cards has always been a good idea but
has taken a long time to catch on as to why they are a great choice when it
comes to sending holiday cards. Thanksgiving is a time of reflection - a time
of showing appreciation and thankfulness for various blessings. It’s a great
time to let clients and customers know how much you appreciate their patronage,
friendship etc.

Two things stand out as to why Thanksgiving cards are such a great choice.
First of all, if you are concerned about such things, they cross all cultural
barriers. If you are concerned at all about offending someone because of
religious differences and consequently their beliefs and celebrations it just
won’t happen with Thanksgiving cards which are as generic as they come. On the
other hand, if you want to put a spiritual type message inside you can do that
just as easily as selecting a generic message, so they consequently can be used
either way.

Another important point in the selecting and sending Thanksgiving cards is that
they get to the recipient before all the other cards that will be coming closer
to Christmas. The receiver is more apt to take more time reading and digesting
the message and your name will stand out more because it isn’t lost in the
crowd. Think about sending a Thanksgiving card today while there’s stil plenty of time.

What are holidays? They are basically a date that people
have decided to set aside to celebrate something. Who says they have to be
"official" in order to be valid? If you don’t want to wait for Thanksgiving
or Christmas, why not pick something to celebrate and make that your special
day. You don’t have to try to make it special for others by sending them
something like you would Christmas cards at Christmas or a bouquet of
flowers for Mother’s Day.

There’s a pretty big gap between President’s day in February and Memorial Day
at the end of May. That’s a long time to wait for a three day weekend in
anybody’s book! Why not come up with a reason to be thankful and take a three
day weekend to celebrate it! Invite special friends to celebrate with you. Think about what you could do for a "Personal Holiday" and tomorrow I’ll talk about some ideas and you can see if any of them resonate with you.

This morning
while thinking about how we should take some time to think about the blessings
in our lives, I think first of all of my Creator and how blessed and thankful I
am for so many things even
during the hardest (most hectic) time of year regarding my professional life.

I am so
thankful for my supportive family, especially during this time of year when
they don’t see much of me. I’m thankful for my health, friends and those I
don’t even know who have made the freedoms we experience so possible - many of
whom have even sacrificed their own lives or are suvirors of those who have
made it possible for us to enjoy so many freedoms here. May those of you who
have lost loved ones fighting for those freedoms be especially blessed.

There is no
other place I would rather be than right here in the grand ole USA. Yes, we have had many
problems, tragedies, and disasters, but still, I am so very thankful for the
democracy and freedoms we experience as a nation. These experiences should only
make us stronger. The outpouring of love and support that was exhibited during
these times shows that while there is a lot of dissention and pain, we have
pulled together as a community to support one another. That is how it should
be!

For those of
you who may have lost your possessions, jobs or even worse, loved ones as a
result of our recent natural disasters, my heart goes out to you. May you in
someway experience supernatural blessings in you life this season.

In an effort
to encourage an attitude of thankfulness and gratitude, I would like to share a
poem with you that I found which I thinks says it all much better than I ever
could:

I’m
Drinking From My Saucer

—Author
Unknown

May you have a blessed Thanksgiving and forever keep in mind that you are blessed - pass it on!

 Many people enjoy
and look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas simply for the traditions of the
holiday season. Traditionally, most greeting
cards would feature a scene meant be a personification of the Christmas
spirit—a family seated around a fire, a beautiful poinsettia with red ribbon,
the manger scene, or candy canes and stockings. Traditional greeting cards have always been praised for their delicate
and realistic portrayal of whatever appeared on the cover. However, there are people who still enjoy the
traditions of the holidays but prefer a more contemporary and modern look for
their cards. Contemporary greeting cards
feature graphics and objects still associated with the Christmas spirit but
portrayed in a more avant-garde and abstract manner. Whatever your preference may be - a
traditionalist or a trend-setter, there is a greeting card to suit your tastes!