Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets Blog

Archive for June, 2010

Summer Solstice - the first day of summer - began June 21, 2010 at 7:28 am EDT this year.  So what exactly is the summer solstice and how do people celebrate?  Below are some Summer Solstice fun facts:

• As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The Northern Hemisphere celebrates in June, but the people on the Southern half of the earth have their longest summer day in December.
• Summer Solstice and Winter solstice are the most common names. However, these can be ambiguous since seasons of the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere are opposites, and the summer solstice of one hemisphere is the winter solstice of the other.
• Awed by the great power of the sun, civilizations have for centuries celebrated the first day of summer otherwise known as the Summer Solstice, Midsummer (see Shakespeare), St. John's Day, or the Wiccan Litha.
• Summer weddings were, and still are, popular during this time.
• It is overseas that Midsummer is truly recognized. If you visit Stonehenge, in the English country of Wiltshire, the English heritage has it opened for Solstice celebrations.
• Sweden celebrates Midsummer Eve and Midsummer Day from June 19 to June 25. Sweden is more traditional in their festival. They raise and dance around the Maypole and have a great feast.
• France has the "Fête de la Saint-Jean" or the Feast of St John. Taking place on June 24, towns build large bonfires to celebrate Saint John the Baptist.

There's till time to make dad a special gift for Father's Day!

One of my favorites is a homemade card made to look like a shirt and tie.

Materials Needed:

• Decorative Scrapbook Paper
• Scissors
• Glue

Instructions:

1. First cut a 4 x 12 inch rectangle from a piece of decorative scrapbook paper and fold it in half to create a double-layer 4 x 6 inch rectangle.
2. Form the collar by cutting 2 matching 1 inch long horizontal slits about 1 inch below the fold.
3. Fold over the 2 flaps as shown, then glue them down with a 5-inch-long tie shape cut from another piece of decorative paper glued between them. Glue a pair of small buttons to the collar.
4. Once the glue has dried, lift the bottom front of the card and write a Father's Day greeting inside.

A fun idea for the younger group is to make a card on computer, then inside print questions about dad and ask your little one to answer the questions, then fill in their answers.  Questions could be: "How old is Daddy?", "What does Daddy like to do on the weekends?", "How tall is Daddy?", "I know Daddy loves me because . . .".  The answers are sure to bring a smile and can be tucked away to look back on years from now.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!  Be sure to check out the Celebrate Father's Day - Activities and Ideas lens at Squidoo for even more great ideas.

Shirt and Tie Card Credit: Family Fun

This Father's Day, combine 2 things that Dad loves - golf and food!

At Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets we have a great assortment of Father's Day Gifts.

We have delicious snack baskets that include items like cheese, salami, crackers, cookies, and candy along with golf related items like Golf Balls, Golf Book of Wisdom, Greens Keeper Turf Kit and more!

If your dad is known for his sweet tooth, then one of our Cookie Bouquets is right up his alley!  We take deliciously iced cookies in the shape of golf balls, golf bags, flags and greens then arrange them so they almost look too goo to eat - but we're sure that won't stop him!

Whether your dad lives near or far, these gifts will surely be up to par this Father's Day!

For even more great ideas for Father's Day, check out this cool lens at Squidoo where you can get all kinds of Golf Gift Ideas.

Father's Day is coming soon, and dads love gadgets!  Some are helpful and some are just plain fun.  Below are 5 great gadgets no dad should be without! And if your Dad loves gadgets, you can find even more great things on this Father's Day Gadget Gift Ideas hub.

Kindle Wireless Reading Device:  If your dad loves to bury his nose in a good book, then the Kindle is for him!  Weighing just over 10 ounces, the Kindle can download and store over 1,500 books.  It reads like real paper - there is no glare!  Not only can he read books, but he can also download Newspapers instantly via a 3G wireless connection.  The Kindle is available from Amazon for around $259.00

Portable GPS System: You know Dad doesn't like to stop and ask for directions, but now he doesn't have to!  Perfect for navigation on the go, he can take this handy device with him in the car, on the bike or on foot!  Many new systems include trail maps for when dad seeks a little adventure.

All-in-One Remote: Does trying to do something simple like watch a movie involve a ton of remotes, and one always seems to be missing? If you'd like to simplify dad's life, get one of the new programmable remotes. These aren't just a single remote that can control all the electronics in your family room; they can execute multiple steps with the single push of a button. Most are actually programmed by connecting them to your computer, where you follow a set-up wizard one time. What makes them so great is the buttons are set-up around the actual task you want to perform. For example, let's say you wanted to watch that movie you just put in the DVD player. You simply click "Watch DVD" on the remote, and it will turn on the TV, change it to the right input, turn on the stereo and set that to the DVD setting, turn on your DVD player, and turn off anything that was on previously. It does all of that with a single press of a button! Dad will surely feel powerful!

Wireless Grill Meat Thermometer: Is your dad King of the Grill? Help simplify the task with a meat thermometer that takes the guess work out of grilling! Dad can insert the thermometer into whatever he is cooking, then go back to watching the big game on the TV inside, and still keep an eye on his grilling duties by watching the temperature! Some models even have an alarm to let him know it's time to take the meat off the grill.

Swiss Army Golf Tool: Here's a sports twist to the all-time best selling Swiss Army Knife. If your dad can be found going 18 rounds during the summer, then this is the perfect gift for him. The beauty of this little golf gift is it has all the things a golfer should have handy, and they come in one tool. There's a divot repair tool for the times he's lucky enough to land on the green, and a ball marker in case his putt is out of tap-in range, plus many more useful tools that he never knew he needed, but will surely find a use for!

Is your Dad more of a food lover?  Then check out all of our Father's Day gifts filled with all kinds of goodies just for hime!