Christmas Central – The Blog

For those who beat the heat by diving right into a pool, amp up your summer swims with the seasons must have swimming inflatables that guarantee fun for everyone.

The first pick you’ll find at any pool, and one yours certainly cannot do without is the beach ball.

This classic inflatable comes in variety of colors and sizes, and still remains to be one of cheapest toys you can get.

 

 

Heighten the fun by bringing a sense of adventure in the pool with an elaborate floating castle, or this floating habitat boat house. Both are a great investment because they allow kids to float and still kick around the pool. Perfect for any new swimmer to learn more. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Switch up the ordinary by trying out games that are normally played outside the pool. Like Ping-Pong, or even crazier Golf.

Whether you’re poolside, or in the pool this floating device includes everything you need for the perfect game including a three hole island with a flag and a tee-off pad. 

 

And lastly for those who would rather not swim, lounging on a pool mattress will help take away the days stress, and bring on the relaxation.

 

 

 

When it comes to pool toys, your options are endless. It doesn’t matter if you have a few essentials, or a mass variety. The fun in the sun will always be guaranteed.

 

 

Get up, get going, and start early. Getting to work ahead of time rather than behind feels like a punishment, but it’s giving you time to be organized. It also gives you time to grab a bite to eat. Eating breakfast, regardless of whatever fad diet you may be on, is important. It improves concentration (something we may not acquire early in the morning, especially on a Monday) and vitality. A supple dose of caffeine will always help too. Drinking something that is warmer or colder than room temperature will snap you out of a haze.

After that, start your day with a plan. Divide your schedule into one or two hour chunks. Focus on one goal for each unit and then just get to work. Doing the work isn’t what makes us tired; it’s the thought of actually starting it. The longer we force it off, the more we dread it. While beginning said work listen to music. An upbeat tempo cannot only liven up your mood but also get you to move your body around, which will prevent you from falling asleep.

Adding short breaks into your workflow is also a necessity. Though getting to work is important, you can easily become overwhelmed. Going, and going can drive you to want to quit faster than you should. Step away, take a walk, and get some fresh air.

Spring and summer are definitely the time for holidays celebrating various aspects of the country. From the celebration today of the country’s flag, to Memorial day just a month ago, there are so many days dedicated to remembering what is great about this country. But the one that everyone thinks of first when patriotic holidays come to mind is coming. We are now just three weeks away from Independence Day, the 4th of July itself! As the celebration of the birth of the country, this holiday may be the most important American tradition throughout the summertime. And, like always, we want to help you out in enjoying this wonderful day.

As might be expected, we have a wide selection of Independence Day themed decorations and items. Much like with the other holidays, a major decorative component is flags. Coming in every shape and sizes from garlands and garden flags to pins and ornaments, flags are just everywhere. Naturally, the colors of red white and blue are also a big part of all of this, making for a clear decorative theme, whether in lights or in decorative items such as glass pebbles.

Other decorations are commonplace too, of course. Stars, as the image above shows, are a big part of Independence Day  Also appearing regularly in flags and hanging decorations, they evoke an image of the country just as assuredly as the flag on which 50 of them appear.

So get the fireworks ready and set up the barbecue. We’ve described before all the options we have for getting a picnic ready, such as patio furniture and grilling accessories, so with luck you are all ready by now for your big cookout! Because time is counting down to the biggest picnic of the year, and you don’t want to be left behind, do you?

• The first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 17, 1910. However the day itself didn’t become a national holiday until 1972, when President Nixon signed it into public law. The accomplishment came 58 years after Mother’s Day was already a celebrated holiday. 

• Following behind Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day, Father’s Day is the largest seasonal greeting card occasion. The majority of these cards are given by sons and daughters, while the remaining percentage is wives and relatives. 

• A red rose is considered to be the official flower for the holiday. It represents commitment, companionship, loyalty and love. Traits we can easily associate with our Father.

• The two gifts that any Father is guaranteed to receive at some point in their lives are the necktie, and flowers. Although with the ever growing digital age, those gifts are slowly being replaced by more high tech gadgets like tablets and smartphones. 

• There have only been two instances in history where both a Father and son has been president. The first set was John Adams, the 2^nd U.S. President, and his son John Quincy Adams, the 6^th U.S. President. The last set was the more recent George Bush, the 41^st U.S. President, and his son George W. Bush, the 43^rd U.S. President. 

So whatever you may do to celebrate the dad in your life have a fun, and safe holiday!

 

 

 

It’s finally starting to feel like summer and now is the perfect time to pull out those fun summer decorations! For those of you who have a little extra time during this season, why not start a new DIY project at home? Today I’ll be teaching you step by step how to upcycle and use ordinary polyethylene milk jug containers to create eye-catching lotus flower votives.

Step 1: Gather materials

Milk or water jugs (essentially, one gallon jug will make one flower, so make sure to plan accordingly regarding how many you’d like to make), paper petal templates, scissors, fine tip black sharpie marker, glue gun, ruler, WD-40 (to remove sticky labels) or “Goo-Gone”, rubbing alcohol to clean off the oily excess, indoor/outdoor purpose spray paint in whichever color you prefer, and a set of three LED Tealight candles (we also sell packs of colorful waterproof tealights)

Step 2:

You will need 8 small petals (2.75 inches each), 6 Medium (3 inches each), and 6 Large petals (4 inches each), and cut out a circle template about the size of the LED tealight

Trace and then carefully cut your template petals onto the polyethylene surface

This is what you should have to begin assembling:

 

 

This material is somewhat flexible, so you can bend it in and press on the petals for a more realistic portrayal.

Start by attaching all 8 of the small petals onto the center circle, followed by the 6 medium and then 6 large petals, evenly spaced.

This is how the front and back should turn out:

If you prefer to leave the flowers their original color, then you are finished! Otherwise, the next step is to coat an even layer of spray paint onto the top, bottom and all the nooks and crannies.

Final Product!

The votives do float but only without the tea lights. If you want to place them in a bird bath, you could add decorative stones onto the bottom for the flowers to rest upon.  They would also be great accents as center pieces on a outdoor or indoor table as well!

This gorgeous orange, yellow, green and black poppy flower glass painted bird bath is available through our company, you can find it here!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! It’s fun and good for the environment to upcycle materials and turn them into something completely new

Whether you begin planning for the upcoming holiday season months or days before, the more you know, the easier your 2013 Holiday Season will be.

Below is a top five list of the sites that can help you do just that.

1. Redesign Revolution, @RedesignRev

This website dedicated to awakening the designer in all of us by finding inspirational crafts, artwork, brands and structures. The site features videos on home decorating tips, and daily tidbits such as “Eco Monday,” and “DIY Thursday.”

www.redesignrevolution.com

2. Organized Christmas, @organizedxmas

This website is all about structure, and preparing yourself for the 2013 holiday season. A once-a- month a “Rudolph Club Meeting” is held, and each one gives you simple tips and assignments for you can try to keep the holiday on track.

www.christmas.organizedhome.com

3.  Great Gift Ideas, @great_gifts_

Run into a rut with shopping? Pesky family member that is hard to shop for? Well this website is just what you’ve been looking for. It provides frustrated shoppers with various ideas to help you find the most perfect, unique, and special gift.

www.great-gift-ideas.org

4. Christmas Countdown, @xmas321

A blog that doubles not only as a daily counter, but also one that provides essential cooking recipes, and tips on what makes the ideal present.

www.christmascountdown.co.uk

5. Finding Home, @LPatFindingHome

Finding use for items that we often over look, or just throw away. This site helps you turn your house into a well loved home, on days and occasions that don’t just pertain to Christmas.

www.findinghomeonline.com 

And of course we have our site,

Christmas Central, @ChristmasCenter

One of the largest Holiday, Home and Patio Decor superstores in the world. Christmas  is our specialty, and there isn’t one piece of merchandise that won’t fit your needs.

www.christmascentral.com 

 

Throughout the course of our lives, once something is presented to us in a certain way, the image of that will stick with us. For example, if we all close our eyes and imagine a “stocking,” chances are high that we all just pictured a furry, bright red sock hanging over the mantle, or fire place.

So because we have such images engraved in our memories, the need to see them portrayed in a different light becomes unimportant to us. We know what we’re looking at, so why picture it differently?

Well that is what makes this so much more important. Customers cannot deny the fact that when purchasing a new product, its appearance is sometimes just as important to us as is all the features it provides. Companies executing products in a unique way shows buyers that the simple set of Christmas lights can be used for more than just hanging on the family tree. Providing a new approach can help motivate a customer to not only use the product year round, but to also purchase it when it may not be in season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creativity is one of the ultimate keys to success. Discovering the unusual within the ordinary not only helps set your company apart from competition, but it is also allows a window for new exploration to be opened.

 

Some holidays are more obscure than others. We have looked at a few of these in the last couple days, so why not continue? Today, I would look back at a popular pastime for people of all ages, and that would be fishing. From the 1st to the 9th of June is National Fishing and Boating Week. So here, from the middle of it all, let’s talk about how we here at Christmas Central offer all sorts of products to relate to your love of the rod and reel.

Fishing is a fun topic, and can appear in all forms of decorations. For example, there are many ornaments, both Christmas and other themed, that relate, in one way or another, to the sport of fishing. Ornaments shaped like lures, for instance, are a great thematic visual for any season. These humorous sayings, on the other hand, are more for a comical approach, as are these amusing little images.

Outside Christmas ornaments, there are all sorts of fish and fishing related items. For decorative purposes, you can’t go wrong with these wall art fish, or this throw blanket and pillow, just a couple of examples among so many. From the traditional image of the large wall mounted fish to more amusing items such as water fountains and fish shaped clocks, the possibilities are endless for the true afishianado(sorry). And for real fun, you can’t go wrong with this almost 5 foot tall Fishing Bear. Free standing with poseable jointed arms, this fellow is great for a centerpiece or display under almost any circumstances.

So take the time out of your day to think about the relaxing sport of fishing. Just you, with friends or family or just by yourself, out at the lake, waiting for that perfect moment when you get that bite you’ve been waiting for. How could you resist?

Today happens to be World Environment Day. The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was the start of this day of observance. Convened in June 1972 from the 5th to 16th, the conference was an opening move towards protecting the environment across the planet. Since then, June 5th has been a commemorated day for learning ways to protect the environment. In acknowledgement of that goal, lets talk about a few things that we here at Christmas Central have to assist in this grand work.

Recycling, for one, is an excellent way to decrease the weight of garbage and manufacturing upon the environment. We have a wide selection of goods that are made of recycled materials. Would you like a vase made of recycled glass, perhaps? We have many in stock. We also have recycled metal dishes, tables made of recycled wood, and pillows made with recycled polyester.

A subset of the recycled products that we offer is our wide selection of earth friendly patio furniture. This selection of heavy duty furnishings are made of recycled plastic processed into a faux-wood form, durable and heavy. It is super-sturdy and built to last, solid enough that even in strong winds you won’t have to worry about your table blowing away. And we have all kinds of furniture made with this. Tables, rocking chairs, adirondack chairs, benches, gliders, dining tables, and more! If you’re looking for something high quality which is also helpful to the environment, you can’t go wrong with this gear.

So take a moment to consider the environment. This year’s theme is about conserving food, so you also might find our coolers useful for outdoor cooking events, keeping food and leftovers fresh and unspoiled. But in any case, you can’t go wrong with trying to improve the health of this planet just a bit, so let’s all do our best.

Cats. Easily the second favorite type of pet, they can be fund in homes throughout the world. Independent, intelligent, and friendly, cats are a great companion for almost anyone. Today, June 4th, is Hug Your Cat Day, something many of you probably did not know. In celebration of this under-appreciated day, lets take a moment to look at everything we have here at Christmas Central connected to the furry felines.

Even now in summer, its fun to note the Christmas decorations we offer, and that holds true for the topic of cats too. Even if not technically a traditional part of the holidays, there’s no reason why your whiskered friend can’t be represented as well for the next Christmas season. Naturally associated with comical behavior, cats are a very popular image. They also are fun to have, after all, due to their natural cute demeanor. From realistic images, to cartoony figures, even to well-known ones like Garfield, Cat ornaments and decorations are a common, enjoyable part of the holiday season.

We carry cat decorations and products in a wide selection of other items as well. For example, we have a number of plush animal cats. Find a toy for your kids or a soft decoration for specific decoration uses. On the other hand, we have utilities such as photo frames, clocks, hanging tapestries, figurines, candle holders, and flags. All of them fun, and often very funny, as per cats themselves, there is a place in any home for these.

Most people either love or hate cats. If you are even close to the former category, you definitely should consider our selection. Everything you could ever want to make your furry pals feel appreciated is here, so check it out today!