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.

 

 

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

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.

Storage space is always a premium when it comes to decorations. You want to be able to use them more than just once, so finding enough space to keep them in the offseason is a very important task. Because of this, it is often very helpful to find decorations that use deceptively little space. To wit, the Inflatable decorations. In addition to being impressive and light, inflatable decorations have the advantage of bundling into very small packages, relative to their size, giving an excellent storage profile. We have many different sort of decorations in the inflatable set.

In terms of holidays, we have something for practically every major one that you can think of. For Christmas decorations, an endless selection of Santas, snowmen, and other such decorations, but that isn’t all we have. For example, if you need a haunted tree for Halloween, or a friendly pilgrim turkey for Thanksgiving, we can provide it for you. Valentines Day and you want a display for your home? Consider this fine heart decoration. Easter Bunnies are available as well, whenever you might feel you need one. The wide year selection gives all sorts of options for you to decorate your home with the style needed, no matter the time of year.

If holidays aren’t your need, don’t despair, because we have other options. If you ever find yourself in need of an item for parties, we have a fine selection of bounce houses. These large structures are a lot of fun for group events, for kids and adults alike! On the other hand, we have all kinds of pool inflatables for your fun. From extensive play sets to rafts, inflatable toys are all kinds of fun for the water!

So take a look at your yard and your pool, and anywhere else that you could use a big inflatable option. Odds are you will almost immediately see a spot where one of these fun and playful items would be perfect, so check them out today!

As May slowly rolls to a close, we look forward to the next month.  June, the month of the start of summer, promises a continued increase in temperatures as things start to heat up everywhere. So lets take a moment to once again look at the pool. As the best way to beat the upcoming heat, its only natural to want to get the pool ready as soon as possible. And we want to help you get everything you need for it.

Whether cleaning it up, or looking to decorate, there’s no better tool than some great pool accessories. After all, its been months, normally, since the last time you had the pool open, so who knows what might be useful? Need a new thermometer to keep track of how quickly the water will freeze you? We have it! From normal wall thermometers to floating frogs, there is a wide selection of temperature trackers available. On the decorative side, there are a selection of fountains for the pool. To create a sparkling and shimmering water centerpiece, one of these is a great choice, as it create a waterspout that shoots into the air in one of many decorative styles. And when it comes to cleaning tools, we are no slackers there, either. Vacuum components and heads as well as pool skimmers, we have all kinds of utilities to keep your pool water sparkling clean and clear of debris.

With summer just around the bend, now is a great time to open the pool, drain out any old water, and scrub it clean for use. The faster you get it filled, after all, the quicker the water will be at just the right temperature for the perfect summer beating the heat activity. Pool gear is a big thing in the early summer months, and we are proud to add our own selection for your perusal.

Memorial Day is right around the corner, and people everywhere are trying to plan a perfect outdoor event to commemorate the brave souls who fought for our country. If you or your friends and family want to host a picnic or cook-out this weekend, we have the best stuff, from decorations to food and appliances.

Adorn your backyard or patio with a fun set of red, white and blue lantern lights! (We used two sets of lights in this photo)

Buffalo has been very well known for the past 80 years for our outstanding, locally made Weber’s brand horseradish mustard and our hot green tomato piccalilli relish,which can be used on hotdogs, hamburgers or sausages…yum! And for you meat lovers, you cannot go without Western New York’s famous Chiavetta’s Barbeque Marinade, which is basically magic in a bottle. The sweet aroma coming from the grill will have you and all of your special guests salivating and coming back for more!

Hang our lantern lights from a tree, railing or wherever you can imagine. They instantly give a vibrant pop of our American flag colors!

If you’d like to add some sparkle to your picnic space, we sell this festive red holographic star garland. Also, we carry the featured red and black portable outdoor charcoal BBQ grill, which is perfect if you are having your celebration at a park or other open space where a standard size grill isn’t plausible.

Last, but certainly not least, is our delicious Sahlen’s brand hot dogs.  Since 1869 Sahlen’s has produced the finest quality meat products using secret family recipes passed down through five generations! I even have an aunt from out of state who brings back pounds of Sahlen’s hot dogs home with her and saves some in her freezer, because no one else has hot dogs that can even come close! Also featured above is our sparkler-inspired red, white and blue twinkling mini lights on white cord, which can be used on a table, tree, wrapped around a railing or hanging from an open patio umbrella.

I hope this day gives you a chance to laugh and share memories of your loved ones lost in battle with close friends and family. Enjoy every second of it!

Cheers

Some decorations are useable year round. Not just that they are adaptable to different circumstances, but that they actually are meant for usage at all different times of the year. One type of decoration that falls into that is the Flag. Flags come in every shape and size available, and have a variety of uses, even some types you might not have expected.

A unique type of flag that even now is available for multiple uses is lighted flags. The flags are made with a built in fiber optic light and a timer to turn it on at night and off during the day. These flags change from a simple garden decoration during the day to a fun shining sight at night. These flags, of course, come in multiple styles, such as American flags, winter and Christmas themes, and sports imagery. All of these various flags are equipped with the same visible change from day to night and automatic lighting.

When it comes to standard garden flags, the choices are even more extensive. Being that flags are designed for every shape and event, it is almost harder to find a theme or day that there isn’t a flag, or several, dedicated to. Just a few to recommend are the Mardi Gras celebration flags, flags monogrammed with initials, to be used for a personal touch, as well as flags for each and every season. Animal and bird themes are also extremely common. The best advantage to flags, of course, is their light and simple storage, allowing for easy interchangeability. Get as many as you like for as many events as you need them for, it’s easy to do!

So wave your banner high! And don’t just limit it to a single banner, you can have as many as you’d ever need with these wonderfully made flags.

Who said string lights could only be used during the holiday season? Since spring has sprung and summer is right around the corner, we wanted to add a DIY section to our blog to help our customers get those creative juices flowing. In this tutorial, I will show you how to create flower decorations made from cupcake wrappers! So simple, fun and absolutely affordable!

Lets start with the material list:

Single hole puncher, razor blade or exacto knife, scissors, any color cupcake wrappers (I mainly used the scissors to cut my flower designs but if you wanted more intricate shapes, the exacto knife would help you be more precise.)

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

Step 5:

Step 6:

Step 7:

 

Step 8: Continue these steps for each flower. If you fold the wrapper in half 4 times, like I did above,  the flower will have 8 petals. The less times you fold it, the less petals there will be. I layered two different shaped wrappers to create one flower, that way it gives it more dimension. Feel free to experiment with different size cupcake wrappers, you could use standard size ones for the outer layers, and mini wrappers for the center… it’s all up to your imagination!

Step 9: To attach the flowers to the lights, very very carefully poke the lights through the back of the flowers through the holes you punched and gently wiggle them a few millimeters onto the top curved edge of the mini lights. You want to make sure not to rip the paper or slide the paper too far down the lights or they will fall down the cords.  I used a set of 20 white wire, clear bulb mini lights, but if you want to continue with more string lights, the more the merrier

Step 10: Hang the flower lights up on the outside patio or indoors. Just be mindful of the weather because they would definitely get ruined in the rain!

Total time estimate: about an hour and a half to cut all 20 flowers and gently place them onto each light.

Enjoy!

 

Spring continues to slowly drift into summer, cookouts and other dining chances will become more common. Barbecues, open fire cooking, grilling, people will participate in all of it. And we want to have you covered! We’ve already shown how we can help with the furniture and the tools, and any decorations for more special events, so lets get into the food itself! Yes, here at Christmas Central, we even can help you with supplying the food for your meal, and improving it with various seasonings and sides.

To start with, we have one heck of an offer for the main dish itself. Sahlen’s Hot Dogs have been the premier hot dogs of Western New York since 1869, using secret family recipes passed down through five generations. Sahlen’s hot dogs are fully cooked so they only need to be reheated, and we even send them frozen so that they arrive safe and healthily.

This isn’t all we have, of course. We have a nice selection of spices and dry rubs that work for all kinds of dishes. From spicy red pepper and chili seasoning to barbecue rubs, we have it all. Want a bit of flavor for your meal? Well, we have it in every form you can imagine.

We have still more to work with, too. For toppings for sandwiches and hot dogs, we have many kinds of relish. Need barbecue sauce? We have that as well. This is just scratching the surface. Although our focus is in sauces and seasonings, that is not all we have. Give our  gourmet grocery section a look, and find that element you need for a perfect barbecue and outdoor cookout today!