Wednesday, December 24, 2014

8 ways to give back during the holidays

In the spirit of the holidays, here are eight fun and easy ways you can give back to your community. We wish you a very happy holidays and a bright and prosperous new year. See you soon!
volunteering

Bake a batch of cookies for your local fire department. In addition to being really brave and selfless and hard-working, it's a fact that all firefighters love baked goods.

Buy a whole bunch of socks and donate them to your local homeless shelter. They're one of the most requested, least donated items.

Buy a package of baby wipes. Leave it on the changing table in a public restroom. Some busy mom who is fresh out of wipes will absolutely love you for it.

pinterest baby wipes (Image source)

Send a care package to a deployed soldier. Here's what deployed troops really want in their care packages, and here's a list of organizations that can help you do it.

Go Christmas caroling at a nursing home. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than 50 percent of nursing home residents have no close relatives. You could really brighten a lonely person's day by providing even just 30 minutes of entertainment and company.

Volunteer at a children's hospital. Seriously, it'll change your life. Many children's hospitals have an established volunteer program, no experience necessary!

volunteer14

Adopt a family. Contact your local or regional United Way about a "Christmas Bureau" or community-based, low-income holiday assistance program. (Most of these programs have a deadline of December 17, so put it on your calendar for next year!)

Cook! Take a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday to go cook and serve food at a homeless shelter or food pantry. These organizations always need hard-working volunteers!

Give the gift of reading.  This organization enables children who may not have access to a public library to discover the world of books.


 gift of reading

Friday, December 19, 2014

10 holiday accents at 25% off or more!

Chances are, you've probably already got your house decorated and ready for your holiday guests to arrive (or maybe just tidied up for a nice quiet holiday without the distraction of a dozen noisy family members!) But since we're already making room for our spring decor, we have tons of holiday and winter decor items on sale. So add that one last finishing touch, or stock up for next year with these (and more!) holiday accents, all at 25% off or more.

Country Elmer snowman. You may have seen him before-- he's one of our most popular snowmen! (25% off right now!)

Country Elmer Snowman  

Home for the Holidays dessert plate set (50% off!)

home for the holidays dessert plate set

Santa Tree Hugger-- New this season! (25% off!)

Santa Tree Hugger

Winter Buddies Mantle Scarf (50% off!)

Winter Buddies Mantle Scarf

Black Sled Accent (25% off!)

Holiday black sled accent

Winter Buddies Pot Holder (50% off!)

Winter Buddies Pot Holder  

Santa Mouse (25% off!)

Santa Mouse  

  When you stop believing... pillow (25% off!)

C1947-Stop-Believing-Pillow_LRG  

Home for the holidays tree skirt (50% 0ff!)

Home for the holidays tree skirt

Small chunky snowman head ornament (25% off!)

C1260-Small-Chunky-Snowman-Head-Ornament_LRG

Bonus item! If you haven't seen our stocking hangers yet, check them out! They're a game changer for you holiday mantle decor!

22-812M-Red-Star-Stocking-Hanger_LRG