Sometimes elderly people can be fierce about maintaining their independence – some would say downright stubborn. But it is hard to give up taking care of oneself and give the reins over to someone else. It can diminish their spirits to depend on others to do tasks they used to do so easily.

How can you help without taking away their independence?

Following are five ideas from the free e-book, 101 Ways to Change the World. Use them to stir up your own ideas. Let’s keep our seniors involved in life – they are a valuable commodity!

1. If you have an old computer that still works, take it to an elderly person.
• Teach how to operate it to send and receive email. Give them a connection to the world.
• What a great way to keep them connected to their family and friends who are probably online too.
• Their kids and grandkids will think they are so cool, and be so impressed that they mastered the computer!
• Become an E-mail Pen Pal with them yourself!

2. Help someone around the house who is elderly or sick. You could:
• Paint
• Garden
• Mow the lawn
• Shovel snow
• Take out trash.
Just look around. You’ll be able to discover what needs to be done. If there is an extensive list of things to do, enlist the help of a couple other people – take a lunch along and make it a party! The senior will appreciate the help and the company.

3. Take daily walks with an elderly neighbor who doesn’t feel comfortable or safe going out on their own. Exercise will help keep them mobile and keep their spirits up, too. And you may just learn tidbits of history and wisdom from their perspective.

4. Birds are always a delight to watch for those who are homebound.
• Take over a bird feeder and keep it filled with birdseed.
• Hummingbirds are fun to watch. Keep their feeder filled with fresh hummingbird nectar for hours of entertainment!

5. Help the elderly or homebound decorate for the holidays. They often miss out on the fun of holidays because they aren’t able to handle the traditions and decorations. Yet they usually have boxes of items that made their holidays special over the years. Make sure you return to put them all away!

There you have it – five simple ways to make a difference in an elderly person’s life. All you have to do is make the decision to help and then do it. It’s just that simple!

Ahhh, the Holidays…… The Thanksgiving turkey comes out of the oven golden brown, with an enticing aroma that fills the entire house. All the china is in pristine condition and not a single piece in the set is missing. The family is gathered for holiday pictures, the children are poised perfectly; hands to themselves, not a hair out of place and their smiles are shining brightly for the camera. Then just as the photographer is about to capture the shot… you wake up!

Let’s be realistic ladies. Without proper planning, the holidays are anything but a holiday. Just look at the list of things that need to be done: Shopping, cooking, cleaning, decorating, sending holiday mail, the list goes on and on.

Let me clue you all in on a few key questions that you should ask yourself in order to have a holiday season free of stress and worry, and instead filled with fun and laughter:

What types of holiday celebrations do you want? For example: Do you want to have an immediate family only holiday affair or an extravaganza including immediate and extended family plus a few friends? Once you’ve thought everything through and decided on the type of holiday gathering you would like, you can then start making your plans.

If you are ready to get a head start on organizing yourself, your family and your holiday check lists, then keep reading:

Holiday Cards: Start early! I use a holiday card list that I derive from saving names and addresses from holiday cards my family has received in past years. I created a simple, computerized list that is easy to edit and print onto address labels. Be sure to stock up on stamps so that when you have your cards signed, stuffed and addressed you can affix a stamp to them and make one, simple trip to the Post Office.

Holiday Gifts: There’s nothing like getting a HUGE credit card bill in the mail at the start of the New Year. Many of us tend to want to be generous when shopping for holiday gifts. While your generosity will be appreciated at gift giving time, keep in mind that it is very easy to succumb to “impulse buying” and go all out on your holiday shopping. While your intentions may be good, your pocketbook may be singing a different song. Set a budget and stick to it – your bank account will thank you for it after the start of the New Year.

Wrap it up: Wrap your gifts and place nametags on them immediately after you bring them home, then store the gifts in a secure spot. This will cut down on those late night wrapping sessions that I am sure we ALL have experienced a few times, if not every year.

Baking & cooking: If you will be cooking during the holidays, it is important to plan your meals ahead of time. Be sure to stock up ahead of time on all the necessary non-perishable baking ingredients such as flour, sugar and spices. Create a list of your holiday menus and a list of the ingredients you will need to prepare each of those meals. Also, try to think of a few dishes that can be prepared ahead of time and then frozen as an extra time saving measure

Delegate: This is one of my favorite tips. Be sure to enlist the help of your family or friends. Sit down and discuss what needs to be done then ask for volunteers. If no hands are raised, simply assign small tasks to each of them. Whether it is arranging for a babysitter so that you can escape for a child free day of shopping, passing the shopping list onto another family member or friend so that they can pick up the items for you, or letting the children decorate your home. Be sure to get the whole family involved in the holiday preparations so that you will not be overwhelmed.

Enjoy: Whatever you decide to do, remember to relax and enjoy yourself. You and your family will have much fonder memories of this holiday season if you are not spending it pulling your hair out.

Gadgets are good, books can be beautiful, sweaters can be sensible, and sexy lingerie — well it’s seductive to say the least. But what would the majority of women (and their daughters) like wrapped up under the Christmas tree? You guessed it — it’s a fabulous flannel nightgown to replace the thread-bare, worn (and well-loved) one they’re probably wearing Christmas morning.

And because flannel is long-wearing, it’s actually become a once-a-year gift giving tradition.

Recently, at a MOPS (Mother’s of Preschoolers) gathering, the speaker shared ways to create memories for children that would last a lifetime. Lots of ideas were exchanged, but the one that got everyone talking was the idea of purchasing a new flannel nightgown every holiday season. One mother said, “Every Christmas my Mom let us open one gift on Christmas Eve. We always knew it was going to be a new Lanz of Salzburg flannel nightgown and we couldn’t wait to put it on –we didn’t care if it was a holiday print or a Lanz classic pattern — we were thrilled!”

Kristen Donnell of Kristen’s Pajama Company, who sells hundreds of Lanz of Salzburg flannel nightgowns, notes, “All my customers have flannel nightgown stories. I have had fans of Lanz recount stories of their grandparents wearing Lanz flannels when the Austrian company was newly established in 1938. This was only 48 years after Christmas became a national holiday in the United States. Many of my male customers say they can’t show up on Christmas Eve without a Lanz flannel nightgown under the Christmas tree.”

Traditions are a part of the holiday season no matter what you are celebrating. A particularly bittersweet story was retold to Kristen in a recent customer e-mail. A woman wrote that a favorite Hanukkah tradition was receiving a Lanz flannel nightgown that matched the one her mother wore on the last night of Hanukkah. She said that although her mother was no longer alive, she has continued this tradition with her own family. And though some in the family were boys, she included them by giving the big guys and small a new pair of plaid pajamas.

Certainly the tradition of flannel pajamas was born out of necessity, when there was no such thing as central heating, and once away from the hearth, rooms — whether in castles or cottages — were cold. Flannel’s soft but dense weave was the perfect fabric to chase away the chills for everyone from newborns to newlyweds.

Lanz of Salzburg understood that flannel was practical, but as practicality gave way to a more modern way of dressing (and that included sleepwear) they designed fun and feminine patterns that could make wearers feel good inside and out.

So no matter whether you are giving or receiving flannel this year — for the first time or the 50th — you’re not just exchanging sleepwear; you’re part of a wonderful tradition that just might be with your family and friends for generations.

This is a favorite time of the year for many people. Why not
take one night in December and set up a nice holiday
party. Plan a small get together with family and friends.

It is a great excuse to get together. Plan it early in
December so it doesn’t conflict with all the Christmas Day
events. Before you get too deep in the planning see how many
people will be able to come. Then base your plan off that
number.

I like to make it a simple potluck meal with everyone
bringing part of the meal. Whatever works, Then you can fill
in the blanks.

All you need for a small get together is a few decorations,
set the table and chairs up, refreshments, music and some
fun games to play.

Try to set up a couple of different seating areas, so people
can just sit and talk while others play games.

It is a great night and really is nice to see everyone while
they are in the holiday spirit. Here is a short guide to
give you some ideas of what a party entails:

1. Pick a night
2. Invitation phone calls
2. Plan food needs based on what others are bringing
3. Shopping for food, refreshments, decorations and games
4. Verify with phone calls 7 days prior to party
5. Clean house
6. Decorate and set up chairs
7. Any last minute cooking and food prep
8. Set table
9. Greet the guests
10. Relax and enjoy the Christmas Party, it is just a casual
event.

Every year around this time, the number-one complaint people make is that there isn’t enough time to get everything done. You have to put up the lights, decorate your tree, shop for gifts, and send out cards. As if those tasks weren’t stressful enough, a lot of people also decide to add holiday entertaining to the list.

There’s no getting around the fact that putting on a holiday party is going to be a lot of work; but if you plan ahead, you’ll find it makes all the difference. Whatever you do, keep it simple. That goes for everything from decorations to the menu.

“You should spend the holidays enjoying the company of your friends and family, not slaving away in the kitchen,” says “Rosemary,” resident chef at Tastefully Simple, a Minnesota-based company that sells easy-to-prepare gourmet foods primarily through home taste-testing parties. The holiday season is their busiest time of year.

Here are some great party ideas Rosemary thinks will be very popular this year. They feature foods that are gourmet, yet easy to prepare.

* Gift Wrapping Party (for charity or yourself)

Gift wrapping is one of those chores people love to hate. It requires precision and attention to detail, which can make it extremely frustrating at times. To take the edge away, why not turn it into a game. Call up a bunch of friends and ask them to bring a roll of paper each — along with any presents they may need to wrap themselves. Attach a gift tag to each of the presents so they don’t get mixed up, then have your guests grab from the pile and start wrapping while you all chat and catch up on each other’s lives. The task will be taken care of before you know it. Since everyone will be busy, there is no need to serve a big meal. Offer your guests drinks and easy to prepare hors d’oeurves, such as Pesto Palmiers.

Pesto Palmiers

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

6 to 8 oz. provolone or fontina cheese, shredded

Directions:

Prepare Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto as directed on jar with water and olive oil; set aside. Sprinkle work surface with half of chopped parsley, roll out 1 sheet puff pastry into a 12 inch square over parsley. Sprinkle dough evenly with half the Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto and 3/4 cup cheese; pressing gently into dough. Roll up one edge to middle of pastry sheet; roll up parallel edge in same manner so that the two rolls are touching. Repeat procedure with other sheet of puff pastry. Slice pastry rolls with sharp knife into 3/4 inch slices. Place cut-side up on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly; serve warm. Makes about 26 palmiers.

* Wine/Beer Tasting Party

In the invitation, ask each of your guests to bring along a different bottle of wine or beer. As each guest arrives, hand them a festively decorated bag with a bunch of small cups inside. Have a central place where people can find samples — and leave ballots near each bottle. Ask your guests to sample all the different drinks, and vote for their favorite.

Your guests will probably be expecting to find cheese and crackers to munch on at this type of party, but why not wow them with Honey Teriyaki dip instead. They won’t believe you made it from scratch.. This appetizer can be served as a spread on a pretty holiday platter with sesame crackers in a napkin-lined basket.

Honey Teriyaki Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 Tbsp. Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic

1 cup chicken, cooked, diced

4 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup peanuts, chopped

1/4 cup Tastefully Simple Honey Teriyaki Sauce

Sesame crackers

Directions:

Combine cream cheese and Garlic Garlic; spread on large plate. Top with chicken, green onions and peanuts. Drizzle Honey Teriyaki Sauce over all. Chill. Serve with sesame crackers.

*Caroling Party

Here’s a great way to spread cheer throughout your entire neighborhood. Invite friends over to go caroling. Print the words to each song you want to perform on a piece of paper decorated with a holiday theme, roll it into a tube and tie with colorful ribbons. As each person arrives, hand them a roll, but tell them not to peek. Then, once you’re ready to go out and sing, divide people into color-coded groups and send them on their way.

When they return to your house, have dessert and coffee or hot chocolate waiting for them. Your guests will think you went to cooking school after they taste your Banana Toffee Coffee Caramel Pie, topped with red and green sprinkles. They won’t believe you when you tell them how easy the pie was to prepare. “I’ve served this pie at my own holiday parties and always get plenty of compliments. It’s one of my favorite recipes in our collection,” says Rosemary.

Banana Toffee Coffee Caramel Pie

4 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced

6 oz. pkg. vanilla wafer crust or butter shortbread crust

1/4 cup Tastefully Simple Creamy Caramel, warmed slightly in microwave

1 cup chilled whipping cream

1 Tbsp. Tastefully Simple Toffee Coffee

Shaved chocolate (optional)

Directions:

Layer bananas in bottom of crust. Drizzle Creamy Caramel over. Beat cream and Toffee Coffee with electric mixer in bowl until stiff peaks form. Spread over bananas, swirling top of mixture decoratively with spatula. Top with (optional) shaved chocolate and additional Creamy Caramel. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours. Cut pie into wedges and serve.