Hanukkah is a beautiful and bright time of year, full of light, family, and hope.  It’s a time for both family and friends to gather together in an atmosphere of thanks, as well as festivity.  To get the most out of the season and host a truly unforgettable party, check out these ideas that bring together traditional celebrations along with innovative new options. Food: This is one of the most important aspects of any Hanukkah celebration.  Food is something that brings people together, celebrates cultural as well as family traditions, and that offers a great deal of fulfillment.  No celebration is complete without traditional latkes.  You can pull out a time-honored family recipe, or even mix things up a bit, as there are a wide variety of latke recipes available.  Who knows? You might stumble upon a new family favorite destined to become a new tradition.  Also think of brisket, smoked salmon, and garlic mashed potato croquettes.  Matzo balls and various spreads/dips are also great, but don’t neglect dessert items: fritters with a variety of fillings, doughnuts (sufganiyot), even sugar cookies and pastries shaped like menorahs or dreidels. Decorations: While you certainly need a menorah placed in a central place...Read More
From family and friends to coworkers and bosses, it’s sometimes hard to figure out what would be a great gift and what would be a dud.  Of course, then you have to figure into the equation whether or not you should be giving a particular gift to a particular person in the first place, or if the gift you’ve picked out is truly appropriate.  Is there an art to receiving gifts, as well?  This holiday season, don’t find yourself in a gift giving quandary.  Instead, check out this series of tips and helpful pieces of advice perfectly picked to help you avoid any awkwardness and to truly rock the gift giving season. Gift Cards: There was a time – and for some it may still be here – when gift cards were seen as impersonal and a shabby sort of holiday gift.  That may have been true in the past when only certain retailers really paid much attention to gift cards, but virtually every business – even those exclusively online – offer some sort of gift card/certificate.  Some people even specifically request certain gift cards, as they feel it offers them more of an opportunity to buy things they really...Read More
The holiday season is meant to be a fun and warmly cherished time of year, but planning and preparing for it is typically anything but.  Getting big family meals planned, dragging out old decorations, and buying new ones to arrange around the house, and then getting yourself in readiness to host any kind of party can easily wipe out anyone’s energy reserves.  To keep things more hassle-free this holiday season, and to revitalize your festive spirit, here are several holiday party planning tips that are sure to deliver. Make Your List – Then Check It Twice: Lists are going to be your best friends in this endeavor, so treat them well and surround yourself with as many of them as you can – but keep them practical and organized.  The very first thing to decide (several weeks in advance) for your party is the date you want it held on.  This is likely going to be equally influenced by the guests you plan on inviting, so this is also the time to make and refine your guest list.  If you’re planning on inviting family from out of town, or if you have friends and neighbors who will also be busy...Read More
For many of us, Christmas is the holiday event we wait in avid anticipation for every year, and what better way to get everyone in the festive spirit than hosting a party?  That being said, it’s not always easy to figure out exactly what kind of event you want to hold and how to bring it all about.  It’s likely that a lot of your creative energy is already being sapped by gift buying, decorating, and the likes, so we’re going to make it super easy for you to get the holiday ball rolling this year.  Get ready for some fun themes, creative ideas, and helpful holiday tips that all guaranteed to keep you happy – as well as sane – this season. Festive Themes: Winter Wonderland – Everyone dreams of snow for Christmas, even if they know they won’t be getting it.  This year, make some dreams come true by hosting your own winter-wonderland- themed party, the sort that would make even Frosty the Snowman melt.  Focus your color scheme on icy shades of blue interspersed with glass and crystal-like decorations.  Use white flowers in floral arrangements, including pieces encrusted in crystalized decoration.  Use plenty of white lights –...Read More
The way we cross our t’s and dot our i’s may say more about us than we realized.  In fact, there is an entire field of study dedicated to the subject called graphology.  The field is somewhat controversial and is often called “pseudoscientific” by some, but there has been some evidence pointing to its validity.  At the very least, you will be able to see if the research is accurate for your own handwriting.   What Is Graphology? Graphology is the study and analysis of a person’s handwriting to help uncover personality traits and behavior.  It has been around in some form as far back as 4500 A.D. when the Roman historian known as Suetonius analyzed Emperor Augustus’ personality based on his handwriting.  Our modern methods of analyzing individual strokes in a person’s handwriting were developed in 1915 by Milton Bunker.   Who Uses Graphology? You might be surprised at who uses graphology today.  Law enforcement, courts, and potential employers have all been known to analyze handwriting.  A 1988 report published in the Wall Street Journal revealed that in Spain, France, Holland, and Israel, approximately 80 percent of the top 500 companies use a handwriting analyst to screen potential employees...Read More
Do you have someone in your life who never seems to be on time?  Most of us know someone in our life who is constantly misplacing things or who always forgets their anniversary.  Whether they are regularly losing their keys or can’t remember their account passwords, there are plenty of gifts to appeal to the forgetful.   Gifts for People Who Misplace Things Lost shoes, misplaced keys, an important work document—whatever the item is, many people just can’t seem to keep track of their things.  Help them out by purchasing these gifts:   Find-One-Find-All Key Finder There are many types of car key locators out there, but the 2-Way RF Find-One-Find-All Key Finder is the one to buy.  When users purchase this product, they actually get six Find-One-Find All’s that are able to locate each other.  This is helpful for the friend who not only loses their keys, but also loses the tracker to help find their keys.   The Tile The product known as the Tile is a Bluetooth tracker that you can stick to everyday items, and then track them with their app.  It won’t tell you precisely where the item is, but it allows you to know...Read More
You don’t need to wait until Valentine’s Day to send your significant other a love letter.  In fact, sending a love letter at random could mean even more to your partner than if you waited for a special event.  It may seem difficult at first, but the truth is that anyone can write a love letter.   How to Begin The hardest part about doing anything for the first time is taking that first step forward.  Before you even begin to worry about what words to write, you will need to get the basic supplies.   Stationery Before you begin writing, you will need the right stationery.  Writing declarations of love on some notebook paper will work for those small love notes, but a true love letter will require some nice paper.  Find some tasteful stationery that will impress your significant other.  The stationery doesn’t need to have hearts or cupids around the borders.  Keep it simple and elegant so that the recipient will be focused on your words.   Writing Utensil For a writing utensil, it is recommended that you write in ink rather than pencil.  If you are worried about making a mistake, you can always write a...Read More
While some people have gorgeous handwriting that looks like something only a computer could generate, others may struggle to make their penmanship legible.  Many of us have been asked to clarify what our writing says because it was so bad.  Luckily, there are many ways that we can make our handwriting classy, or, at the very least, legible.   Why Your Handwriting Matters You might think that poor penmanship isn’t a big deal, but it can have a significant impact on an individual.  These are just a few reasons why our handwriting matters:   The Stigma Isn’t Fun or Fair Unfortunately, there is still a stigma that surrounds bad penmanship.  Those with bad handwriting may be perceived as unintelligent.   Miscommunication Occurs A package that needed to be delivered in a timely fashion may not ever reach its destination due to poor handwriting.  To avoid this, the sender can always use personalized labels so that the package will at least be returned to the sender.   Lower Grades in School People with poor handwriting tend to receive worse grades.  School teachers may become frustrated that they can’t read a student’s writing and simply mark it wrong, even if the student...Read More
We’ve all had to write a letter at some point in our lives, whether it was a thank you note or a “thinking-of-you” letter.  For some of us, the ability to sit down and write a heartfelt letter just isn’t easy.  Sometimes, the words just won’t come out right, and we struggle to find the perfect way to say what we mean.  If this sounds familiar, don’t worry.  These tools won’t magically produce the words of Pablo Neruda, but they may be able to help you write a better letter.   A Fountain Pen Fountain pens have been known to increase penmanship, and they are the preferred writing tool when it comes to writing for long periods of time.  This is because writing with a fountain pen requires less pressure to produce enough ink, which helps reduce hand cramping.  The novelty of using a fountain pen is also something that makes them attractive to writers.   Letter Writing Prompts We have all stared at the paper in front of us and drawn a blank on what we should write.  Getting started is often the most difficult part, and, once we get over that hump, everything starts flowing.  To motivate you...Read More
You Have To BeDistinctive To Be Remembered That Is the Power of a Personalized Gift Surrounding yourself with nice things is a part of the care of the self. Quality objects that you own and use often can become part of your identity, even of your sense of self-worth, and they can represent you in many subtle ways. You probably like the things around you for many different reasons: some just look good, and some are functional, but chances are that the ones you like best are the ones that reflect who you are, and that they are the ones which you would be the most reluctant to let go of. Having nice things also shows that you put attention into how you live your life and are keen to attend to the details. This is an attractive look, but it is hard work. It is always the product of a struggle between how much control you want over your global presentation and how difficult it is to achieve it. Generally, it is worth striving for the optimum in this respect, because, whether in business or informally, presentation is key. A word, a name, or a thought printed on an...Read More
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