holiday season Archives

Get Even Closer Together Doing Good During the Holidays

December 9, 2015January 22, 2024 by zfortadminin LOVE

The reason why Christmas is a national holiday, whether you celebrate it or not, is because it symbolically represents the season of giving. Many of the other religious holidays in December including Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are the same way.

Personally, I’m a giver. It’s more fun for me to figure out unique ways to bless someone with a gift than it is to think about what I’m going to receive from other people. Don’t get me wrong. I still act like a little kid on Christmas morning when my wife gets me the gadget I’ve been salivating over the entire year. But, I really enjoy giving to others. It’s a huge motivator and it helps puts life into perspective for me.

I’m sure you hear this all of the time, but think about giving back to the community, especially during the holiday season. Even if you read this article after Christmas or even during the Spring or Summer, it’s never too late. You can be generous any time of the year. In fact, you might put even bigger smiles on people’s faces because you showed generosity during a time when they least expected it.

Here are 4 creative ideas you can use to give back this holiday season.

1. Anonymous Giving

Giving anonymously is great because the recipients won’t know who the gift came from. As a result, they won’t feel embarrassed or ashamed of needing help. If you really want to make someone’s day, seek out that single mother who busts her butt to provide for her kids or that struggling family that works hard but can’t seem to get ahead. Buy a $50 to $75 toy for each kid and a grocery store gift card for a Christmas dinner. If you have a coworker in mind, get to your office or workplace a little early and deliver it anonymously to their desk or locker.

2. Over Tipping

You probably have people in your life who you see regularly throughout the year such as hair stylists, mailmen, dry cleaners, restaurant servers, and garbage men. Some of these people expect tips and some don’t, but during the holidays especially, you can put a smile on their faces by giving them a big tip to show your appreciation. There’s nothing better for people in the service industry than to get a big fat tip.

3. Give Away Your Christmas Decorations

After the holidays, give away your Christmas decorations to your neighbors and other young couples that don’t have much. After all, if you’ve been married for more than a few years, you start realizing how quickly you accumulate Christmas decorations. Decorations are expensive, and you could bless other families by giving yours away and starting fresh the following year.

4. Take a Homeless Person To Lunch

The majority of homeless people I’ve come across are either mentally ill or just had a tough break in life and don’t know how to turn things around. However, interacting with homeless people can be a wildcard at times, not knowing if they’re going to try and hurt you or be cool. Be sure to take precautions if you do choose to try this tip out. The idea is to get together with a few other people, find a homeless man (or woman), take him out to lunch around the holidays, give him a gift card to a hotel to use for a night’s stay, and buy him a new outfit. You’d be surprised at how receptive they’ll be. They’re not all just looking for booze money.

Seriously, try giving if you haven’t already. If nothing else, it’s pretty fun, and the more creative you get with it, the more memorable it becomes. Also, the more you give back, the more blessings you end up receiving because your eyes are opened to all of the good things you have in your life.

How are you giving this holiday season?

Curated by Erbe
Original Article

15 Sexy Holiday Dates to Get You in the Mood This Festive Season

December 16, 2017January 22, 2024 by Kate Oczypokin DATING ADVICE, RELATIONSHIPS

Looking to spice it up this holiday season? We’ve got some perfect sexy date ideas for you.

The holiday season can be a hectic time of year. Take some time out for your significant other and yourself and enjoy these super sexy dates.

Here are just some ideas on how to make this holiday your sexiest yet.

1. Dinner and a striptease.

Make a cozy dinner together at home with some known aphrodisiac foods. When you’re done, surprise your partner with a sexy striptease with a holiday twist. Santa Baby or better yet, Jingle Bell Rock with the “Plastics” outfit from Mean Girls anyone?

2. A winter workout.

Go for a frosty hike or some old-school sledding. Your flushed cheeks and having to grab on to your guy or girl will be sure to ignite some “warming” up by the fire later.

3. Visit a cozy bar.

Curl up by the fireplace at your favorite cozy bar and get extra cuddly as you sip cold weather cocktails like a Manhattan or hot toddy. All that cuddling in public will inevitably lead to some private fun at home.

4. Take a bubble bath together.

Take an extra soapy, hot bubble bath together. Light some candles and play some smoky, jazzy holiday music (Diana Krall’s “Christmas Songs” is a great pick). It’s your call as to what goes on below the bubbles.

5. Have a snowball fight.

Think about when you were younger and how you flirted by chasing after boys on the playground. Having a snowball fight is a fun and flirty precursor to some seriously hot sex later that night.

6. Bake holiday cookies.

I find baking seriously sexy. Why? Think about how much fun you can have as you make cookies–licking icing off each other’s fingers, flinging flour at each other, kissing lips that taste sweet. Yum.

7. Take a ski weekend.

Go skiing for a weekend together. If you aren’t much of a skier, settle in the cabin’s hot tub with some bubbly and get ready for steamy seductive fun.

8. Take a couple’s massage class.

Sign up to take a couple’s massage class and learn all the techniques that make your partner swoon. There’s nothing like a good massage as foreplay to get you in the mood.

9. Role play—holiday style.

Tongue and Cheek role play together with a holiday theme. Maybe you’re two people in an airport who meet over drinks when their plane is delayed and end up joining the mile high club. You could be home alone while your significant other is traveling for the holidays. Your SO role plays as your neighbor who fulfills your needs just at the right time.

10. Eat a fancy dinner out—and get a little handsy.

Go for a holiday dinner out to a fancy restaurant in town. Get a little kinky under the table with your hands while you wait for your main course to arrive. The thrill of potentially being caught is enough to keep you going for a long time.

11. Watch holiday movies—in your underwear.

Netflix your favorite holiday movie and get cozy in bed or on the couch. Don some sexy lingerie and reindeer antlers and have your guy put on boxers and a Santa hat. See how long you actually watch the movie.

12. Play your favorite childhood games, with a dirty twist.

Heat up some hot chocolate, light a fire and snuggle by the tree. Think of steamy games you played growing up and make them extra racy. Ideas include strip poker or sexy truth or dare. The possibilities are endless!

13. Attend a tree lighting.

Your city or neighborhood tree lighting seems innocent enough right? Not when you make out during the ceremony. Chances are the tree won’t be the only thing lighting up as you two make merry.

14. Get a quickie in during your work’s holiday party.

If you’re headed to your significant other’s work party this season, sneak off during the festivities for a quickie in the bathroom or an office. You’ll be sure to spice up an otherwise boring holiday party.

15. Volunteer.

There’s something positively sexy about doing some good, isn’t there? Volunteer at your favorite organization this season and when you’re done, chances are you’ll feel ready to have a romp in bed when you get home.

These sexy holiday dates will surely get you in the mood this festive season.

Skip the boring old dinner and a movie. Take any of our 15 sexy holiday date ideas and get ready for some seriously hot fun. From dinner and a striptease to an extra fizzy bubble bath, there’s something for every couple to try this holiday.

If you want some advice on how to make the most of your holidays together, check out these romantic relationship tips for the holidays.

How to Focus on Friendships This Holiday Season

December 13, 2019January 22, 2024 by Jillian Pretzelin DATING ADVICE, RELATIONSHIPS

The holidays should be about family and friends.

There is so much to do during the holiday seasons. There’s family to see, presents to buy, work to catch up on, events to go to. Sometimes friends get forgotten when you have so much more going on. You forget to call, tell each other you don’t have time to go out for a coffee or a drink just now, and before you know it, it’s mid-January and you haven’t seen any friends for months.

But maybe your friends don’t have to take a back seat during the holiday season. There are ways to not only include your friends this season, but to make sure they feel like they’re apart of your holiday fun!

How to Focus on Friendships This Holiday Season

There’s so much to do during the holidays: There’s family to visit, gifts to buy, and events to attend.

You might be rushing to clean up the house before family comes over or maybe you’re speeding to pack your bags in preparation to go head home for the holidays. But no matter your plans, this season can get busy.

With so much going on, it’s not uncommon to find friendships taking a back seat in December.

You and your bestie may forget to call each other, you might miss your friend group’s usual coffee date, and before you know it, it’s mid-January before you realize that you haven’t seen any of your friends for a long time.

But maybe you don’t have to forget about your friendships this year. This season, make a point to focus on your friendships with these 4 tips and tricks for a friends-filled holiday.

1. Show them you care, with some gifts!

I know, I know, you already have so many people on your shopping list. You’re probably already panicking about what to get your grandma, what to get your baby cousin, and what on earth to get your boss.

But even if it’s something small and silly, like a funny t-shirt or a scented candle, a gift that says “I’ve been thinking of you” can go a long way for a friend. Of course, you probably don’t even have to work hard on this gift. Picking something out on Amazon or ordering some cookies online is pretty painless. Plus, you can usually find a good deal while online shopping.

Just remember: the more personal you can get with a gift, the better. Your friends probably don’t need anything fancy or expensive from you, but they’d probably love something that reminds them of you, or an inside joke you share.

To help with your shopping, here are some fun (and simple) present ideas that make for wonderful friend gifts:

-A bottle of wine you think they’ll love

-An order of fruit, chocolate covered fruit, or cookies from online retailers like Harry and David or Mrs. Fields

-A hat or scarf in a color they look good in

-Drop off a pie or cheesecake on their doorstep

-A gift card to get a manicure (with a note saying you’ll plan to do your nails next time you’re together)

-A book or movie you loved (that you can talk about next time you hang out)

-A cute planner for 2020

-A holiday puzzle (you can even get a personalized puzzle with a photo of you two on it!)

-Silly socks featuring their favorite animal

2. Set aside time… ahead of time.

Making time for friends shows them that you care about them. It proves that, not only do you like seeing them, but that spending time with them is a priority to you.

But making time for friends in the middle of the holidays can be a tricky business. For me, it’s already difficult to plan hangouts during the non-holiday seasons. Between my work schedule, their work schedule, and miscellaneous commitments to worry about, it’s tough to set aside time. So, when you throw in extra holiday errands and family events? It can be tough.

The best way I’ve found to make time for friends is to set up a hangout date, weeks in advance, at an event that’s extra special and really can’t be moved. Think late-night movie premier or special live holiday show.

If you’re like me, it can be easy to ask a friend for a rain check if you only make loose plans to meet up for something like happy hour “one day this week.” But if you set aside time for a special event, buy the tickets ahead of time, and put it on your calendar weeks (or a month) before, you’ll both probably stick to the plan.

3. Do holiday chores together.

Sometimes, you simply can’t set aside extra time for friends during the holidays. The idea of making time to see a movie? Impossible. Going out to dinner? Nope.

But you don’t necessarily have to carve out exclusive “friend time” in order to see your besties. Instead, team up with your buddies to get your holiday chores done together.

Meet up at the mall to shop together. Chit-chat as you wait in long lines. Help each other figure out what to get your parents or significant others. Try on Christmas sweaters and tell each other, honestly, if they look okay. As a reward, maybe you can sit down together for a drink once the shopping is done.

If you’re not crazy about the idea of shopping together, consider inviting friends over to your place on Christmas Eve to make pies (or appetizers) that you can bring to each of your family’s homes the next day. It takes about the same amount of time to make two or three batches as it does one—but baking together makes it twice as fun.

Or, if baking isn’t your thing, you could just meet up to wrap presents.

One of my besties and I love to meet up before Christmas and wrap presents together. We drink wine and eat cookies as we wrap, and over the years, it’s become one of my favorite holiday activities!

4. Involve friends in your traditions.

Another great way to include friends in the holidays is to make at least one of your traditions friend-friendly.

One option is to can make a tradition especially for your friend group. “Friendsgiving” is such a hit, you might consider organizing something like that (perhaps a little present exchange or ice skate party) in December. Or, if that’s too much work, you could always include friends in your existing family traditions.

You could slide some more chairs up to the table for Christmas brunch—or why not invite some friends over for some spin the dreidel?

Of course, you might be thinking this is probably easier said than done.

You might assume that your friends probably have their own plans with their own families—so why would they want to join in on yours? The truth is, you might be surprised at how many of your friends don’t live near family, or if they do, have low-key family gatherings at holidays. You might even have friends who do their “big” celebrations on different days.

I once went to a friend’s house for “Christmas Eve-Eve” which was a big thing in her family. All the cousins, extended family, and friends would get together for a big potluck. For them, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were small and pretty quiet, but December 23rd was more about neighbors and friends. It was a great tradition.

The holidays are all about spending time with the people you love—and that should mean your family and friends. While your season may be busy, these tips can help you rearrange and refocus to find some extra room for your friends this holiday.