Special Christmas & Holidays.

Christmas comes and Christmas goes. Year after year. So we ought to make the most of it. Find ways to remember and cherish it. Not just on Christmas day, but the whole year round. There are lots of way we can make that happen. Here are some suggestions for keeping those special Christmas memories in your hearts all year long and for many years to come.

In our modern and very material oriented society we often forget that the little things we do for each other mean more than the stuff we buy for them from a department store. Don't just buy presents. Presents are great too. Of course. Just don't forget to give gifts. Gifts from your heart instead of a store.

Make personalized Christmas cards with your own computer. Windows comes with a paint program you can draw in. Gnu is a free graphics program you can download and use to manipulate photos and create beautiful and heart-felt greeting cards. You can purchase card stock for very little money and print them from your own computer or go to your local kinkos and have them printed there. Either way, the thought and genuine effort you put into your home-made holiday cards will be a treasured memory for all those who receive them.

If you possess a skill like knitting, sewing or crocheting that's a no-brainer. You can create an array of wonderful gifts each one personalized for your recipient. You can choose the colors each person likes. Add their name to it. Tailor it to their hobbies even. Potholders for one friend. A ski cap for another. Golf club covers for your brother. Mittens for your niece. You can even make a coat for your dog or cat.

If you're an artsy/crafty type person there are so many possibilities. Gather an assortment of family photos and make good copies. Use a blank photo album to create a scrapbook of treasured family memories. Decorate the photos with glitter, ribbons and paint pens. Apply decorative edges to the photos using craft scissors or vividly colored origami paper. Be sure to personalize the cover of the album as well with the person's name and the theme of the book. It's the perfect warm holiday gift for grandparents.

If you like to draw on the computer or off you can make personlized coloring books for children. Create drawings unique to each inidividual child. Ponies and fairies for the child who likes that. Cowboys and sports for another. Give your special coloring books with a fresh box of crayons and/or washable markers. Make special covers for your coloring book gifts that have each child's name and perhaps their picture on the front so they feel special and honored.

Take lots of photos during your holiday festivities. Upload your holiday photos to an online account where all your friends and family will have access to them. Share the love.

Be kind. Not just during the Christmas season, but all year. If everyone were as kind as they are during Christmas all the year long, wouldn't the world be a much more beautiful place. Always say thank you and please. Hold doors for the people behind you. Think before you shout. Tell the people you love that you love them. Be kind to neighbors and strangers. Hug your spouse, children, friends and pets as often as possible.

Use gift bags that can be reused year after year. Or wrap gifts in newspaper or colorful sales flyers and recycle afterwards.

For a really great eco-friendly christmas wrap use printed fabrics. Sew your own gift bags if you can do that. Otherwise cut the fabric to the proper size for your gift. Use pinking shears to keep the edges from unraveling. Or if you want you can hem the edges. Gather ends at the top in a bunch and tie closed with some pretty ribbon. Once the person has opened their gift they can take the fabric and ribbon home with them and use it again for something else or to wrap other gifts.

Recycle any regular wrapping paper. Instead of store bought stick on bows use ribbon that can be reused. Be kind to the Earth as well as people.

And always remember, Christmas isn't just one day amongst 365 others. It's a reflection of how we live and how we love our whole lives through. Christmas is every day if you're kind.