They do seem to get madder and madder with my growing age so perhaps it is a somebody trying to tell me that I am perhaps going a bit mad myself. My Aunt is the one who does this as she always hands out crazy gifts. Of course these crazy gifts are more than welcome to the boring socks that are opened.

Some of these Christmas gifts have even been eco friendly gifts which I cannot say I am a personal fan of but nevertheless some of them have been really quite fun to mess around with, so without further baffling, here is the list of my favourites.

The Fighting Old Geezers

These are simply brilliant and I was very chuffed indeed when I received these as they are such a simple yet brilliant gift to give. This was great as whenever I put these toys down on the table they started to lay into eachother. It was just like watching Hulk Hogan wrestle it out in twenty years time.

The simple USB Chess Game

Of course personally I will never play chess, I thought it was still a cool little gift as the set knew exactly when I made a wrong move

The poor Bed linen gift

Yes I received eco bed linen from my mad aunt and this is the strangest of all the items received as it isn’t even a crazy gift.

Has she actually lost it now altogether? I really cannot wait to see what crazy present she has in store for me this year. After all, most people have that crazy person who loves to give out wacky gifts every year right?

So now its your turn to tell me what have your wackiest and strangest gifts been at Christmas time.

Of course the choices out there are endless when it comes to buying Christmas presents, there are not many out there for people who are interested in the environment.

The Awsome Fair Trade Slippers

Alpaca’s are what make up these slippers and no this is not made up at all. All of the animals used for the making of these slippers have died of natural causes so you need not worry about that in any way. These slippers are actually fair trade so not only do you get the comfort of these nice slippers but you know the people who made them were paid well.

The Comfy Organic Bathrobe

In terms of eco tableware this is going to be of no use to you whatsoever, however this bathrobe is made out of organic cotton and is very comfy indeed.

When it comes to vases to keep the flowers in you wouldn’t expect to find vases but believe it or not you can even be eco friendly when it comes to keeping your flowers looking nice and healthy.

Of course children and younger people are not likely to appreciate these gifts as to them the Xbox 360 is a much better gift. Of course if you are enthusiastic about these kinds of things then why not purchase them for yourself?

So there you have it, you decide when and how you are going to do your Christmas shopping.

Of course the choices out there are endless when it comes to buying Christmas presents, there are not many out there for people who are interested in the environment.

The Fair Trade Slippers

Alpaca’s are what make up these slippers and no this is not made up at all. Not one of these animals has been slaughtered for this cause, all of them that are used have died of natural causes. Not only do you get the comfort of the slippers themselves but you get the comfort of knowing the maker got paid fairly as these slippers are of course fair trade.

Organic Bathrobe

In terms of ethical tableware this is going to be of no use to you whatsoever, however this bathrobe is made out of organic cotton and is very comfy indeed.

When it comes to vases to keep the flowers in you wouldn’t expect to find vases but believe it or not you can even be eco friendly when it comes to keeping your flowers looking nice and healthy.

Although Granny and Granddad may love these as presents, the children will not so make sure you keep a look out for their all important Christmas Presents. If you really do love taking care of things then why not look into some of them for yourself?

So there you have it, you decide when and how you are going to do your Christmas shopping.

Her mind seems to be drifting further and further away each year as the presents are getting weirder with each passing Christmas. My Aunt is the one who does this as she always hands out crazy gifts. In a way it is a really nice break from opening the boring socks and clothes packages I am so used to getting.

Some of these ethical Christmas Gifts have even been environmentally friendly gifts which I cannot say I am a personal fan of but nevertheless some of them have been really quite fun to mess around with, so without further waffling, here is the list of my favourites.

The Fighting Old Geezers

The great thing about these is that whenever they are switched on you seem to get a small gathering of people each routing for one granddad over the other. Basically you get two toy granddads and once you set them down on the table or wherever they start hitting each other with canes. However I did get a bit of enjoyment out of watching two old men hit eachother with a stick, is that so wrong.

The awsome USB chess game

Of course personally I will never play chess, I thought it was still a cool little gift as the set knew exactly when I made a wrong move

Bed Linen

Yes I received organic bed linen from my mad aunt and this is the strangest of all the items received as it isn’t even a crazy gift.

Has she actually lost it now altogether? I really cannot wait to see what crazy present she has in store for me this year. What will it be?

Do feel free to drop a comment to tell me what your strangest Xmas gifts have been.

Prepare Food Early. You’d be amazed at just how much of the food can be prepared well before the meal, without compromising on quality. Cooked vegetables wont go bad or dry out if you place them into cold water and reheat them before serving. Place into hot water again for a couple of minutes and there are as good as fresh. Most of the sauces will keep just fine if you make them in the morning and then just add some more water and heat up again quickly when you want to serve. Unfortunately its very difficult to pre-cook the turkey as it tends to dry out and tastes better fresh, but you should now have time to cook this.

Lay Table Early. This can be done at the very beginning of the day and saves a lot of hassle. You can lay all the place settings, cutlery and champagne flutes as long as you know how many people you are expecting. You can even place the crackers in position and add decorations such as poinsettias in glass vases.Making sure everything is in place and everyone has everything they need early on saves people complaining they haven’t been given a fork or napkin later on.

Self Serve. If you let people plate up themselves from dishes in the kitchen you save a lot of time and effort. This way you don’t have to lug heavy bowls and serving dishes back and forth, the dining table doesn’t get cluttered up, and people can have exactly what they want. It’s advisable to keep the wine glasses on the table however as trying to juggle food and drink never ends well.

Prepare Food Early. You’d be amazed at just how much of the food can be prepared well before the meal, without compromising on quality. All the vegetables can be cooked hours in advance and then simply kept in cold water until you serve the food up. Add to hot water for 3 minutes and its ready to serve. If you have a microwave you can make your sauces up early doors and then just heat them up again with a bit of added water when you need them. Don’t try this with the potatoes or turkey however, as these don’t taste so good reheated.

Lay Table Early. This can be done at the very beginning of the day and saves a lot of hassle. You can lay all the place settings, cutlery and champagne flutes as long as you know how many people you are expecting. You can even place the crackers in position and add decorations such as poinsettias in glass vases.Getting all this sorted as early as possible just gives you less to think about later.

Self Serve. If you let people plate up themselves from dishes in the kitchen you save a lot of time and effort. This allows for much more room at the dinner table as its not taken up with serving dishes, and people can choose exactly what they want to eat, without grandma loading your plate up with sprouts. It’s advisable to keep the wine glasses on the table however as trying to juggle food and drink never ends well.

The local church can help get you in the holiday cheer with Christmas songs and invite you to sing along or just listen in their church sanctuary under a large Christmas tree.  The city square Will heighten your holiday cheer with a horse drawn carriage ride around the center of town, a toasty bon fire with Chestnuts roasting and marshmallows toasting, and Santa Claus waiting to listen to you Christmas wishes.

The season enthusiast will appreciate the excitement of the Holiday Scavenger Hunt and a Christmas challenge and an evening awash with gathering treasurers from all the shops.  You can turn your answers at our History Museum and register for awards from our area merchants.

Everyone can easily relax by enjoying a band at Mount Pleasant Winery with a glass of wine; spend the evening at dinner with friends at Café Bella, Augusta Brewing Company, Ashley’s Rose or Balducci’s; relax with a therapeutic massage at Halcyon or they can shop till you drop at a many of specialty shops and antique stores.

Experience the holiday season in Augusta, Missouri on one of the first two Fridays of December with the annual Candlelight Christmas Walk.  The local Augusta Chamber of Commerce sponsors this event annually and visitors will feel the Christmas cheer throughout the town.  We suggest you make your hotel reservations early, before all the rooms are reserved. The festivities starts at 5 PM and goes until 10 PM with over one thousand luminaries illuminating your way across the village. 

A complimentary Trolley shuttle is on hand to help you visit all the wineries, spa, and restaurants.  You can discover original artwork with paintings at Augusta Wood, unique jewelry at Wine Road boutiques and hand-blown glass by local artist Sam Stang at a studio in town.  Stoneledge antiques and the local Emporium will carry you back to yester years with a vintage collection of antiques and fun items from the past.  Purely Provence offers home embellishments and holiday décor, while Good Life Goods has gift baskets inspired by faith, hope and love.  These are a few of the Missouri travel guide attractions you will discover

Mount Pleasant winery has a free concert and don’t miss the warm mulled-spiced vintage at Augusta Winery.  The brewery has a great variety of micro-brews and dinner.  Halcyon spa provides free chair massage to relax you during the hustle and bustle of the festivities.  The restaurants and food stands will satisfy your hunger with specials and homemade delights.  Attactions include Santa Claus, horse drawn carriage rides, kids activites at the library, Christmas caroling with the Ebenezer United Church of Christ, our Town Historian, the History Museum, a Scavenger Hunt and many new businesses.

Nearly all of my male relatives are involved in politics, one way or another. Sharing this passion, they spend most time talking about their political careers, which don’t interest me in the slightest. I try to find other activities, such as talking to my cousins, but they’re so young I don’t know what to talk to them about. However, this means I don’t have to listen to my other relatives talk, so it’s definetely a good thing.

After a couple of days, however, I ran out of things to talk to them about, and I started looking for something else to keep me occupied, while Christmas days slowly passed. Only Christmas shows and movies were on TV, and I had enough of them. Fortunately, I remembered a Christmas present I’d received several years ago and I hadn’t really used.

That’s how I started using my iriver h10 . By listening to music and not having to listen to their boring conversations, time was passing much quicker. My parents got a little upset with me, saying it was rude to listen to music and not talk to my relatives, but they let me do what I pleased, in the end. My small player became indispensible.

When I was old enough to move out from my parents house, I did it, but I still kept my player, and whenever Christmas came, I’d listen to it again. It was probably one of the best Christmas presents I’ve ever received.

When adults and teens share short Christmas stories with younger children by reading to them, they are bridging any kind of generational barrier and they are opening the eyes and minds of youngsters. Children are eager to learn, and invaluable lessons about humanity are a great way of sharing established ideas. Kids will also discover their own meanings within the Christmas stories. This type of relating also helps foster a deeper understanding between children and the people reading to them.

Anyone who is reading Christmas stories to smaller children will have an impact on the lives of these younger ones. For the rest of their lives, they may be impacted profoundly. One of the benefits that does not get credit many times is the fact that you are helping the children expand their minds and you are helping to introduce them to concepts that will serve them well in discovering who they are.

By taking the time to share and explore the wisdom contained within Christmas stories  with younger people, you are opening their eyes to all sorts of ideas and understanding and you will have the chance to answer many of their questions yourself. This will help you also discover and deepen your own understanding.

The holidays are about hope and giving life. Doctors like me are changing lives everyday, when we deal with our patients. Physicians are supposed to give hope to their patients that they can recover. We also make them happy, even if treatment for their diseases is impossible, as long as they know we are doing our best in helping them adjust to their illness situation, and eventually help them accept death.

That is what makes everyday of our life a Christmas celebration, and it is stressful enough in our part, especially is we will be witnessing the last breath of our clients. There are times, you can’t hold long by being strong in front of a dying patient, and what you can do is just to empathize, or better yet, get out of the room and keep the sorrow for yourself. This is the reason why being a doctor can overload one with stress. It’s true when I say that holiday stress can be very different when you’re a doctor, because you can’t run away from it, it becomes a part of everyday normal life. So this year when you’re sitting under the pre lit christmas tree just relax and think it could be worse.