Animal Christmas Recipes

What could be merrier than cute Christmas critters for you holiday fiestas?  Our theme for the holidays is cherry, merry, and delicious animal treats.  All are so easy the kids can help as well.  Try one or try them all but be warned, these goodies are so cute, your guests may not want to eat them!

Cream Cheese Penguins

Ingredients

·         Jumbo black olives, pitted

·         1 package cream cheese, softened

·         Small black olives

·         1 carrot

·         Toothpicks

·         Pimentos (optional)

Directions

1.    Cut a slit from top to bottom, lengthwise, into the side of each jumbo olive.  Carefully insert about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese into each olive and pat down.

2.    Slice the carrot into 1/4 inch thick rounds; cut a small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet.  Save the cut out piece and press into center of small olive to form the beak.  If necessary cut a small slit into each olive before inserting the beak.

3.    Set a big olive, large hole side down, onto a carrot slice. Then, set a small olive onto the large olive, adjusting so that the beak, cream cheese chest and notch in the carrot slice line up. Secure with a toothpick.

4.    Add pimento scarf around neck of the penguin (optional).

Christmas Mice

Ingredients

·         Double-stuffed Oreo cookies

·         1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

·         2 teaspoons vegetable oil

·         Red maraschino cherries with stems, well drained

·         Milk chocolate kisses

·         Sliced almonds

·         1 small tube green decorative icing gel

·         1 small tube red decorative icing gel

Directions

1. Carefully twist cookies apart; set aside the halves with cream filling.  Store and use the plain halves another time.
2. Unwrap chocolate kisses and have them ready to use.
3. On stovetop, melt chocolate chips and oil on very low heat; stir until smooth. Holding each cherry by the stem, dip in melted chocolate, then press onto the bottom of a chocolate kiss. Place on the cream filling of cookie, with cherry stem extending beyond cookie edge.
4. For ears, place slivered almonds between the cherry and kiss. Refrigerate until set.
5. With green gel, pipe holly leaves on the cream. With red gel, pipe holly berries between leaves and pipe eyes on each chocolate kiss. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Reindeer Cupcakes

Ingredients:

·         Twisted Pretzels

·         Cupcake Mix

·         Vanilla Wafers

·         Chocolate Frosting

·         Red Candy (M & M’s or Red Hots work well)

·         Candy Eyes

·         Cupcake liners

Directions:

1.    Line cupcake pans with cupcake liners.  Make cupcake mix according to the box directions. Let cool.

2.    Frost cupcakes with brown frosting. Add vanilla wafer to one side of each cupcake.

3.    Add pretzels as antlers and candy eyes.  Add Red nose to wafer with a bit of frosting to make it stick.

Christmas Under $25!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and yet, everyone these days is feeling the financial crunch and cutting back on extras.  In today’s day and age, spending frugally has quickly become the trend.  This concept is making it harder and harder for people to budget for the holidays.  However, you don’t have to sacrifice the family budget to be able to enjoy the Holiday Season.

This week, if you haven’t already, sit down with a cup of coffee and jot down what you think your holiday season will cost.  It can be done a number of ways, but here are a few of the most common holiday items:

Tree and Lights
Misc. Decor (ornaments, candles, wreath, etc.)   
Craft Supplies
Cookie or Dessert Ingredients & Accessories
Christmas Day Dishes
Tableware (cups, plates, napkins, etc)
Stamps, cards, and envelopes
Photography
Gifts (spouse, kids, parents, siblings, coworkers, etc)
Stocking Stuffers
Misc Gift Supplies (wrapping paper, tape, gift tags, etc)
Giving ( church, charities)

After you make your list, which is going to be different for each family, start your search at Nobbies where you can find most of your decorating items, stocking stuffers, holiday cooking utensils, wrapping supplies, and tableware.  In fact, we’ve done some of the work for you and came up with a few different baskets of holiday items for $25 or less!

Christmas Party Basket

This basket includes everything you need to create a Christmas dinner with festive displays of red and green, including decorations and a centerpiece! (M & M’s not included)

·         Poinsettia Breeze Dinner Plates – 3.99

·         Red or Green Value Luncheon Napkins – 1.50

·         Curling Ribbon – Assorted Colors – 1.57

·         Festive Table Cover – 1.97

·         Value 9oz Red Paper Cups – 1.50

·         Cello Christmas Loot Bags – 2.99

·         Candy Cane Striped Straws – 1.79

·         Glittered Foam Snowflakes – 1.79

·         Tray W/ handle or Bowl W/ Pedestal – 1.99

·         Green Centerpiece Spray – 2.79

·         Heavy Duty Apple Red Cutlery – 2.49

Total:  $24.37!

Stocking Stuffers Basket

Stuff your stockings full with this basket of fun toys galore!

·         Reindeer Game – 12pk – 3.49

·         Mini Christmas Yo Yo’s – 12pk – 1.99

·         Assorted Holiday Playing Cards - .57

·         Holiday Pencils – 12pk – 2.49

·         Snowflake Bookmarks – 12pk - .99

·         Holiday Pop Up Stickers – 1.99

·         Penguin Tattoos – 36pk – 1.99

·         Christmas Paddle Ball - .79

·         Christmas Rings – 48pk – 1.99

·         Holiday Stamps – 6pk – 1.99

·         Christmas Crayons – 4pk - .20

·         Holiday Erasers – 30pk – 1.99

·         Santa or Elf Headband – 1.99

·         Bag of Coal Joke Kit – 1.49

·         Christmas Rubber Ducky - .59

Total:  $24.54!

Be a smart shopper this Holiday Season and make your dollar stretch by purchasing all your holiday party supplies at Nobbies.  Come into one of our stores to make your own party basket for whatever your holiday budget may be. 

Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday

By: Poppie

I know your mind is on Black Friday.  I know you are planning your strategies, shopping lists, battle armor, and survival kits.  But I feel it is my duty to remind you of the wonderful online-sale day that is Cyber Monday, 2011.  Cyber Monday is a marketing term for the Monday immediately following Black Friday, created by companies to persuade people to shop online. The term made its debut just 6 years ago in November of 2005 by a company called Shop.org.

For some (like myself), Cyber Monday is much more enjoyable than Black Friday.  You can trade in your battle armor for your PJs or enjoy a hot cup of coffee while browsing the best sales.  And best of all, the only arguments you will have are with family members if they dare to interrupt your internet shopping. So if you break it down: pajamas, hot coffee, comfy couch, and ONLINE SALES!  It really doesn’t get any better than that.

Let me share one tip with you: be as diligent about staying on top of Cyber Monday sales as you are about Black Friday sales.  Although Cyber Monday may still seem like the little cousin of Black Friday to some, it is quickly becoming a shopping day to be reckoned with, especially with the ever increasing popularity of online shopping.  Retailers will be jumping at the chance to offer you great sales that you can take advantage of from the comfort of your own home. Another piece of advice, some online stores start their Cyber Monday as early as Black Friday to stay in competition.  This means you can still get that awesome sale item without battling the crowds. So put your feet up on the coffee table, grab your cup of joe and laptop, and shop away!

Thanksgiving Tree

Thanksgiving Tree

We all know Thanksgiving is a time of reflection on the blessings we have in our lives, yet it seems more and more a holiday to overstuff ourselves with a turkey dinner and pumpkin pie.  The thankfulness we should feel, especially on this day, but also year-round, has been replaced with a time to have the day off, watch football, and gorge on a great dinner.  We tend to forget why we even celebrate this holiday at all. 

Did you know that the Pilgrims had it extremely difficult that first Thanksgiving, yet still had a feast to consider all they were thankful for?  Here are a few hardships they endured their first year in 1621:

·    They didn’t even reach the place they had set out to go (Virginia) and ended up in Massachusetts. 

·    They had extremely bad weather (storms and snow) that first year and very rudimentary shelter.

·    They had little food.

·    Almost 2/3 of the first Pilgrims died of disease, malnutrition, or sickness from the cold.

·    Their first crops they planted, with help from the Indians, failed and what little they did get they sent overseas only to have it stolen by Pirates.

If you had endured all this, would you really be thankful?  Gratitude isn’t an emotion most of us cultivate, even on Thanksgiving.  We are more likely to concentrate on the turkey or television than on giving thanks.

Here’s my crafty solution for establishing a grateful heart in your family: a simple, child-friendly Thanksgiving Tree.  There are many ways to incorporate this into your holiday festivities, but here is my favorite.

You will need:

 

·         Construction paper (in fall colors)

·         Leaf stencil or your child’s hand

·         Markers

·         Glitter (optional)

·         Two-sided sticky tape

To do:

1. Cut a tree pattern with brown construction paper.  Make it as big as possible (note: you could also use real tree branches from outside or felt for this as well).
2. Have children use the stencils or trace their hands and make lots of leaves in a variety of colors with the construction paper, then cut out the leaves.
3. Put the tree up in a prominent spot so everyone will see it (maybe even in a glassless frame or as a centerpiece on your table).
4. Have every family member take a leaf (or several) and write something they are thankful for, then decorate with glitter if desired.
5. Stick the leaves to the tree with tape. 

This is a great way to encourage family members to express their thanks and can quickly become a wonderful Thanksgiving tradition.  It’s also fun to see how your family’s gratitude changes over the years.  Remember as the Pilgrims remembered, not to take the gifts and blessings in your life for granted and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Get Geared Up For Black Friday!

Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Though not an actual holiday, many employees do receive the day off.  The increased number of shoppers creates the busiest shopping day of the year.  To accommodate the rush, many retailers open at 3 am or earlier to offer massive sales to entice people to shop their stores.  Shoppers will camp out to be the first in line to get that special sale item for their loved ones.

What does Black Friday mean for shoppers? Black Friday = Sales!  Shopping for deals on Black Friday has become a post-Thanksgiving tradition for many families.  In preparation for this "holiday," shoppers map out the best routes to their favorite stores, each clutching a stack of Black Friday ads and coupons along with a survival pack.  What to pack in your survival guide?  Nobbies has given a quick rundown of the essentials:

Survival Pack:

·         Recyclable shopping bag to keep survival essentials in (plus an extra for your finds)

·         Thermos with water, coffee, cocoa, or energy drink

·         Energy bars or snacks (such as trail mix to keep you going)

·         Ads and coupons in order of first store stop to last

·         Book or magazine to read while waiting in long lines

·         Chapstick, earmuffs, gloves (while waiting in outside lines)

·         Black Friday Gear (antler headband, Santa hat, etc)



 What?  Why do I need gear?  Well, because of a few reasons: It’s a great conversation starter and people just can’t hate someone donning holiday gear to get into the spirit of things, even if you are grabbing the last toy out of their hands.  Also, if you are shopping with others, what an easy way to find your shopping partner during this hectic day. Plus, it’s just fun and makes the day smoother and your spirits brighter if you have on a silly tree hat or reindeer nose that glows.  Not to mention, you can wear your festive gear to all your many holiday get-togethers.

So get Geared Up to tough out the crowds and make the day the most fun it can be.  Don’t forget that Nobbies offers great holiday gear now through November 22^nd at 20% off as well as many items for your survival pack.  Come in early and get all the items you need to look festive while battling Black Friday crowds for all your awesome sale finds!