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Candles > How to Write a Holiday Tale That Isn't a Turkey

How to Write a Holiday Tale That Isn't a Turkey

by: Caterina Christakos

When we write stories, with the purpose of sharing them with others, we enter into an agreement where we allow our reader to see a glimpse of our heart, our souls and our memories. If we truly want them to be immersed in the tale, we actively immerse ourselves in those memories so that a glimmer of what we saw, heard and felt comes through.

This is especially true with holiday tales. The best way to convey a holiday scene is to take a trip back in time through the wonderful world of our unconscious. Here are some great ways to delve back into our child hood memories and incorporate them into our holiday tales.

1) Sit in a darkened room and close your eyes. Allow yourself to go back in time to the very first Christmas that you can remember. Take a deep breath and relax. What are the scents, sounds and feelings that come up? What is the first picture that pops into your mind?

Is it the sound of children racing down the stairs that comes to you first? The feel of your heart pounding when you awoke and found that Christmas was really here? The warmth of your parents? blankets as you bounced on them, anxious to wake them up?

The autumn and winter holidays will always be associated, for me, with my grandmother?s cooking and pumpkin pies. I remember running into her little house, and the sound of the front door?s slam behind me. I was immediately engulfed in warmth. The scent of nutmeg and cinnamon and pumpkin seeds physically drew me forward, until I was wrapped in my grandmother?s embrace.

2) Recreate the scene. Since a prime trigger for me is the scent of pumpkin pies, I often order pumpkin scented candles from Yankee Candles. I sit on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket, light the candles and wait. Within moments, the scent has pulled me back to my grandmother?s kitchen. And I hear the sound of my cousins pounding down the hall after me, each of us anxious to win the first warm treat.

You can do the same. If a scent triggers your memories, you can either bake the cake or cookie or brew the eggnog. Or you can get one of those scented candles and simply light it.

If the feel of sweaters immediately transports you back to your snow throwing days, slip one on. If you are like me and live in Florida, turn the air way up first. Close your eyes and hear the sound of children shouting as they try to nail each other with snowballs. Picture their fresh flushed faces.

3) If there is a particular holiday character that sparks your memories, rent holiday movies. Some of my favorites are Frosty the Snowman and Miracle on Thirty fourth street. Watch one for a while, until you get the holiday feeling, then turn the sound off. Watch the pictures and let your mind go.

4) Use all of these pictures and sensations and feelings in your story.

If you are writing about a little girl in a big family, think back to what holiday dinners were like for you. Did everyone talk at once? Does your character like this or does she feel overwhelmed? What is it like to be the smallest one in a room full of adults? Is there a cousin or neighbor that is constantly picking on her? Do the children get bored and decide to explore the forbidden attic?

5) Once you have a scene in mind, write down all of these questions. Don?t worry about answering them until you have run out of questions. Then think back to the picture, sound or feeling that you associate with and answer the questions.

6) Now describe everything that you can about the characters. What are their ages? What do they look like? Are they the youngest or oldest in their family? Where do they live? What is their favorite thing? What are their best friend?s names? Who is their arch nemesis and why?

Get as much detail as possible down.

Once you can describe all of these things, the pieces of your story will begin to fall into place. More importantly, your characters and your scenes will be real and alive. Be brave and put as much of yourself into these stories and your characters. Your readers will love you for it.

About The Author

Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Write a Children's Book in 30 Days or less. For more writing tips go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

Five Accessories To Brighten Your Home

Five Accessories To Brighten Your Home

by: Dakota Caudilla

Home accessories come in all shapes, colors and sizes and there's an accessory for every room in your home. Finding creative ways to use pillows, lighting, mirrors, flowers and candles can make all the difference if you are feeling trapped in a dull home. Consider some of the following ideas for a quick makeover.

A pillow's decorative punch

Decorative pillows can add warmth, texture and dramatic accents to your home interior. Choose bright colors and bold patterns to add life to an otherwise boring couch or lounge chair. Add a colorful floral pattern to your stiff classical furniture to add a dash of the earth's warmth. Bold patterns always look dramatic against plain fabrics and surfaces.

For every two patterned pillows, throw in a plain pillow to break the pattern. Too much pattern can become tiring on the eye.

Light's subtle message

Interior lighting can...

Five Accessories To Brighten Your Home

Candles > Five Accessories To Brighten Your Home

Creating A Bath Paradise

Creating A Bath Paradise

by: Angela Kaciomber

How To Turn Your Bath Into A Spa

The public bath played a very important social role in Ancient Rome. Women weren't permitted to use these public baths. It was a place were men often met in the afternoon. The public bath served more that a place to clean. It was a place to socialize and conduct business. You could say the Roman bath was also a place to network. The Roman bath provide hot and cold water baths and would often a gymnasium and or sauna.

Today the bath is a private affair. Nothing like a nice warm bath to soak away the days tensions. Your bath can act like an oasis away from the days hectic happenings.

A regular bath usually is a tub with shower head attached. That way we can choose whether to take a shower or soak in the tub. More expensive bathrooms have a whirlpool tub with a massage shower head. Some might even have sitting areas and a private skylight.

It doesn't...

Creating A Bath Paradise

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Changing Your Lighting On A Budget

Changing Your Lighting On A Budget

by: Karen Hughes

We aren?t all blessed with bucket loads of money to throw at improving our living space. Here are a few tips that can change the way you feel in your home by simply changing the lighting arrangements.

Buy yourself a lamp.
They?ve been around forever but when was the last time you looked at the vast range of lamps that are available today?
The form of lamp that most people are familiar with is that old favourite the table lamp. The electric table lamp has evolved from generations of oil and gas lamp. It is versatile and portable, as far as the flex will reach! It gives out a pool of light that is usually directed down and creates a warm and cosy atmosphere.
Lamps are available in many forms with bases that can be made from glass, stone, metal, wood and even ceramic. Shades also come in many shapes and sizes and a wide range can be found online. You don?t even have...

Changing Your Lighting On A Budget

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How to Have a Successful Fundraiser

How to Have a Successful Fundraiser

by: Paul Jensen

To achieve a successful fundraiser you need to create

awareness and excitement.

Some things to consider:

 When planning a fundraiser the most important

question you need to answer is: How much money

do you need to raise?

 How many people do you have that can help carry out

the fundraiser?

 When will the fundraiser start and when will it

end? It is generally a good idea to have the fundraiser

last

2 weeks or less. With a smaller window of

opportunity, people are more inclined to act immediately.

It is important to get a commitment to the fundraiser the

first time, and eliminate the need for a second sales pitch.

 Collect the payment at the point of sale. This

eliminates the need to collect payment at the time of

delivery...

How to Have a Successful Fundraiser

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Crafts for Baby Shower Decorating

Crafts for Baby Shower Decorating

by: Criss White

Planning a baby shower? Baby showers are a great opportunity for artistic people to make their own decorations and gifts. Here are some fine ideas for baby shower crafts:

1) Baby shower gift baskets - Gift baskets are a great baby shower centerpiece or gift. Many of the items in the basket can be handcrafted. Some ideas include candles, soap, ceramic figurines, and personalized jelly jars.

2) Diaper cakes - A diaper cake is an easy to make gift or centerpiece for a baby shower. This is a great gift idea for the person hosting and planning the shower. Basically, get a lot of diapers and attach them together with pins or glue. You can use towels or blankets to wrap around the outside of each layer and add a teddy bear or other centerpiece on top of the diaper cake. The new mother will have plenty of diapers and gifts she can use from the diaper cake and it looks great as a centerpiece too....

Crafts for Baby Shower Decorating

Candles > Crafts for Baby Shower Decorating

How to Make Sea Shell Candles

How to Make Sea Shell Candles

by: Patricia B. Jensen

Make sea shell candles in advance and scatter them over the party table for a unique nautical decoration.

Or, with a little adult assistance, kids can make these beautiful candles to take home as party favors.

A great kids craft activity for a Spongebob party, Luau, Beach or Pool party.

Collecting sea shells along the beach is a favorite kids summer activity. Take it one step further by transforming their seaside treasures into beautiful decorations or kids make-and-take party favors. This easy sea shell candle craft shows you how.

When completed, scatter sea shell candles about your party table along with other beach souvenirs, such as starfish and sand dollars. Larger shells can be used as unique centerpieces, or accent pieces in the bedroom or bath.

The perfect souvenir for a seaside-themed party.

What you?ll need:

Bar of paraffin

Wicks

Metal...

How to Make Sea Shell Candles

Candles > How to Make Sea Shell Candles

Where to Get Forex Training

by: Jay Moncilff

For those of you who are interested in forex trading, you may want to start off by getting some good forex training. Forex training is a necessity for anyone with this interest. This is because a lot of money is involved in forex trading. If you don't get some forex training, you are bound to lose a lot of money.

Some of you may not even know what forex trading is. If you don't know this, you defiantly need...

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data recovery Candles

computer printers

Snoring Aids

by: Andrew Gipson

Anti-snoring devices range from the very simple, to the somewhat complex. The majority of devices are available in drug stores or through direct mail (postal or Internet/e-commerce). The most common and effective devices and snoring aid are described below.

? The ?Sandler? Pillow?

A popular non-surgical device used to alleviate snoring is called The Sandler pillow (named after its inventor). This pillow, by design, compels...

Candles hearing aids Snoring Aids

Candles > Snoring Aids

What You Need to Know About Tubal Pregnancy

by: Susan Tanner

What is a tubal pregnancy?

An ectopic pregnancy, commonly known as a tubal pregnancy, is a pregnancy in which the fertilized egg implants itself somewhere other than the uterus. It is referred to as a tubal pregnancy because 95% of ectopic pregnancies occur when the fertilized egg is unable to travel all the way through the fallopian tube to the uterus, and therefore implants itself in the tube.

Of...

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Candles > What You Need to Know About Tubal Pregnancy

Online Car Auctions Can Take You for a Ride

by: Charles Essmeier

The Internet has provided the public with a useful and convenient tool that makes it easier to do all manner of things than it used to be. One of these things, oddly enough, is the sale of motor vehicles. It seems strange that cars would sell well on the Web, as one would think that buyers would want to "kick the tires" before making a purchase. The success of eBay Motors, AutoTrader and other online...

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Candles > Online Car Auctions Can Take You for a Ride