Jessica Meiczinger has spent her entire life in the event coordination industry, from her parents owning a restaurant to managing a banquet staff and planning. In this video she gives some great tips for entertaining the kids at your holiday or Christmas party. These parties are a great opportunity to hand out your holiday photo cards.

Ritz Camera has posted a pretty in-depth article on photographing Christmas lights and low light scenes in general. It gets pretty technical but is also good for the novice photographer.

Read more about it here…

Whaa huh?

A decade or so ago (geeez) my wife and I used to go to a hibachi style Japanese restaraunt. They had great food and drinks that were always topped with Cocktail Monkeys.

Hostess with the Mostess has done it again, she found the perfect addition to your holiday entertaining extra. They’re cute, colorful, won’t mess your couch and may bring a bit of good luck. Thanks HWTM!

Meckmom brings us FREE Christmas planners that make it easy to budget and plan the precious weeks before Christmas. There’s even a gift planner!

For the paperless, digital crowd GiftBox let’s you track your gift buying and receiving. It also lets you create wish lists you can e-mail to friends and family and keep track of what needs to be returned. I wonder if they could make an organizer for recycled gifts and the art of regifting.

Scrapless Press makes giving Christmas cards and holiday cards easy. Complete our order form, send a photo and review your proof. The whole process takes just a few days, so it’s not too late! Get your order in today.

Each year our family is involved in a handful of gift exchanges. These can be lots of fun but you can easily end up giving or getting the wrong gift.

We love getting gift cards, and this year eBay checks in with their own. You can find them at most grocery stores and they’re accepted by anyone that accepts PayPal.

Scrapless Press will be shipping 6 days a week to make sure your Christmas photo cards arrive in time for you to send them out.

Want to make sure your cards and packages arrive by December 25th? Check the USPS holiday deadlines, listed by destination and mail type, to see when you need to drop your cheer in the mail.

More tips from usps.com

1/ Express Mail Military Service (EMMS) is available to selected military post offices. Check with your local Post Office to determine if this service is available to your APO/FPO of address.

2/ Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL) is a service that provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. It is available for Parcel Post items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in length and girth combined. The applicable PAL fee must be paid in addition to the regular surface rate of postage for each addressed piece sent by PAL service.

3/ Space Available Mail (SAM) parcels paid at Parcel Post rate with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds and 60 inches in length and girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and then to overseas destinations by air as space is available.

Get military addressing tips here.

4/ Priority Mail International is available to over 190 countries with delivery in six to 10 average business days. Flat rate shipping options and free packaging are available. Purchase postage online via USPS.com Click-N-Ship® and receive a 5 percent discount.

5/ Express Mail International is available to over 190 countries with delivery in three to five average business days with guaranteed, money-back service to Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea (Republic of South). Flat rate shipping options and free packaging are available. Purchase postage online via USPS.com Click-N-Ship® and receive an 8 percent discount.

6/ Global Express Guaranteed available to over 190 countries via an alliance with Federal Express. See a retail associate at participating locations for a complete list of countries and money-back guarantee details, or go to pe.usps.com, and click “International Rates and Fees,” then “Country Listing.” Some restrictions apply. Purchase postage online via USPS.com Click-N-Ship® and receive 10 percent discount.

Get international addressing tips here.

Our Brill Luxus 38 push mower arrived last week! It’s small, lightweight and quiet. NO gas, NO electricity, just give it a push. Compared to a regular lawn mower it was inexpensive too. Shop around and you might find free shipping or no tax bringing you in around $250.00.

From People Powered Machines:

Fume-free, Noise-free, Hassle-free
The Brill Luxus is a new generation reel mower weighing in at about 16 pounds, easy to push, requires little maintenance, and so quiet you can carry on a conversation while you mow. Other reel mowers are heavier, can be difficult to push, and require frequent blade sharpening. Want to know specific differences between push mower models and manufacturers …check out our Push Mower Comparison Chart and our Brill/Sunlawn Comparison Chart. Already sold on a reel mower, you probably want to read our guide to transitioning your lawn.

Why Blades Stay Sharp for 8 Years.
The Luxus push mowers, the Accu Mower ASM380 cordless electric, and Sunlawn line of reel mowers have a non-contact cutting system. This means Brill blades stay sharp and you will save money and time on sharpening services. In fact, when you calculate how much money is saved by less sharpening of the blades, the Brill 38 costs even less than an inexpensive mower.

Environmentally Friendly : Easy Carbon Neutral
Mowing your lawn with these mowers is better for the air, better for the grass, and better for you. Mow your lawn when you will enjoy it…9 am or 9 pm…so silent your neighbors can enjoy their activities in peace.

Your children can play safely along side a reel mower: there are no flying objects or toxic fumes. Imagine, you could actually talk to them while you mow! Mowing the lawn just became an enjoyable, family activity. Don’t believe that can happen: see our story.

Easy To Assemble, Maintain, Store
For the Brill Luxus 38, assembly is an easy 5 minute, “no-tool” job. At 16 pounds, it can easily be lifted and hung in a closet or on a wall. For best results, we recommend spritzing the blades with a silicone spray before mowing. After mowing you’ll want to brush or wipe off the clippings. That’s it! No Tune-ups, no sharpening, no worries.

Jen Rose Skin Care is a small salon in Belmont Shore, CA. Jen uses the TRUE Cosmetics Skin Care line and specializes in facials, peels and Microdermabrasion, waxing, and eyelash / eyebrow tinting.

Take the relaxing ambience home. Seda France candles are available for purchase, as well as items from the TRUE Cosmetics Skin Care line.

New services coming soon: eyelash extensions.

Treat yourself or a friend. Gift certificates are available and come specially wrapped and hand delivered locally or can be sent by mail.

Jen Rose Skin Care is located at 203 Argonne Suite E, Long Beach CA 90803, Inside House of Design, behind The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

Precious Hand / Footprints – Ceramist, Elsie Holdridge is the proud owner of Orange County’s original and most established ceramic impression company, since 1991. Your baby can have their impression taken as early as one week old. The visit will take approximately 15 minutes. No appointment is necessary during business hours.

They use only the highest quality ceramic materials, and store their clay in air tight containers which keep it very soft and clean. They have a toy area to keep other family members busy while they tend to your baby.

Prices range from as little as $10 to about $95 for their more complex designs. They have a wide variety of styles, giving everyone the opportunity to own one of our ceramic plates.

These unique and memorable keepsake ceramic plates make great gifts for any occasion including Christmas, Easter, Sports Plates, Gifts For Grandparents & Family Members, Birthdays, Mother’s Day, Hobbies and Picture Frames.

Visit their website for more information

It’s never too early to start thinking of your Christmas list and who gets what. If you start now, you can get most if not all of your shopping done online. Standard shipping times are still reasonable and you have time to comparison shop.

When we come across sites we like or good deals we’re going to post them here. We’ll start out with a few friends of Scrapless Press.

Baby Emi Jewelry – glamour for pint-sized people. Baby Emi Jewelry features an exquisite collection of personalized jewelry for the new baby and proud mommy. Their bracelet designs are both timeless and stylish and handcrafted with the finest materials.

The hottest stars are wearing Baby Emi Jewelry too. Angelina Jolie, Britney Spears, Kelly Ripa, Sarah Jessica Parker, Usher, Adam Sandler and Christina Aguilera just to name a few.

Gift certificates are available and make great stocking stuffers. Check them out!