Fall & Halloween Decor at the Dollar Tree

If you haven't noticed, we're smack dab in the middle of the summer season, but while some are taking note of all the back to school supplies making its way onto the shelf, some of us holiday fruit cakes are all about Christmas in July. In fact, every year one of the things I look forward to most is watching Christmas In July on QVC (airing July 17-19) and the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament launch (which took place this past weekend). At the same time, we are also starting to see a bit of Fall and Halloween merchandise making its way to the shelves of select stores.

One such store that is getting a jump start is the Dollar Tree. Now anyone who knows me understands that I am all about a bargain and the Dollar Tree is one of the best places to pick up holiday decor on a budget. Every season I look forward to seeing what new goodies they'll put out, and so far, so good this season! I saw quite a few of these items in my local stores this weekend and was especially impressed with their selection of fall floral. Some very nice, high quality pieces for making arrangements on the cheap.

While I'm not quite ready to do any serious Fall decorating quite yet, I couldn't help but pick up this little white ceramic pumpkin for my desk. I really love a variety of pumpkin colors, so I thought the whole set was pretty nice and I plan to get a couple more next time I stop in. The little country burlap style pumpkins are very cute as well!





I am also looking forward to checking out the new Tombstone Corners village pieces, which they previewed in their latest catalog. It's a great way to stock up on village accessories for a fraction of the cost of other village sets. Not to mention, they are great for other craft projects.


Here are a few other items available, which are all cute. I especially like the hangers with the burlap and the pinwheels for the yard. You can find more information on these items here.

Yogi's First Christmas

I (Drew) also had the opportunity to write a second blog for the Christmas TV History website during their animation celebration in the month of July. For this blog I selected Yogi's First Christmas. I chose to focus on what a timeless classic this special is and how it has been a holiday favorite for me and my family each year. Enjoy!!!


Yogi’s First Christmas is a 1980 holiday themed television feature- length film that first aired on November 21, 1980. In this Hanna-Barbera Christmas special, the picnic-basket stealing Yogi Bear and his little friend Boo-Boo are supposed to be getting ready to hibernate for the winter but instead decide to experience their first Christmas season.


Yogi’s Christmas special never received a lot of air time on any major networks except on USA, however it is a charming holiday tale for any Christmas lover or Hanna-Barbera fan. Yogi spends his winter working different jobs at the Jellystone Park lodge ranging from a bellboy, a ski instructor and head of security--all of which provide enjoyable moments with Yogi and several classic Hanna-Barbera characters such as Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddie, Cindy Bear, and Herman the Hermit.


When a bratty kid visiting the lodge with his aunt teams up with Herman the Hermit to ruin the holiday fun for Yogi & crew, they realize that having Christmas spirit is not such a bad thing and are forgiven and invited to the Christmas celebration at the lodge. At the story’s end, a visit from Santa occurs at the Christmas party in which Santa brings Yogi a picnic basket full of food. Yogi, however, falls asleep, due to his natural instincts of hibernation. With that, the holiday revelers return Yogi & Boo Boo to their caves for the rest of their hibernation.


When watching Yogi’s First Christmas, it really brings back memories of what cartoons were like back in the 1980’s. The graphics are nothing like today’s cartoons, but every time I watch it, it’s like being 6 years old and eagerly awaiting Santa all over again. There is something unique about how simple this animated special is but yet provides a touching feel with some great songs and unique story to really make you feel the Christmas spirit the way it should be felt. This past Christmas my oldest son ( 5 years old) watched this more than any other holiday special. He also enjoyed the unique humor and ageless child-like feel this special provides. Yogi’s First Christmas has been on the Boomerang channel recently and even had a Christmas morning airing as well.


Purchase on DVD

Santa & The Three Bears

Here is another guest blog that I (Jakki) contributed to Christmas TV History's website for their Christmas In July Animation Celebration. This time for a childhood favorite, Santa & The Three Bears. Here I share my memory of the first time I ever saw the special and how I came to find it again after a long search! Feel free to read and comment over there if you have any memories of this under-rated classic.


Santa and the 3 Bears is a heartwarming animated tale about 2 precocious bear cubs experiencing Christmas for the very first time, with the help of a jolly park ranger. Mama Bear would rather be hibernating, but can't resist the cub's enthusiasm to know more about this exciting time of year and decides to make an exception if they agree to sleep the rest of the winter after Santa's visit. The film was released in 1970 and originally ran 76-minutes in theaters, but was eventually cut down to 45-minutes for TV airing. Though it has been mistakenly credited as a Hanna-Barbera production, there is in fact no official connection.




This simple little story has been a favorite of mine for years. I still recall the first time I ever saw it and how it stuck with me years before I knew it by name. It was a weekday afternoon during Christmas break in the late '80s and I came across it while flipping channels on television. I was excited to see something Christmas related airing at a time of day when all you would usually find is talk shows, soap operas and toddler programming. This was well before 24 hour cartoon networks and easy accessibility to movies through DVD and Netflix, so it had my full attention!


Santa & The Three Bears is not a frenzied, hysterical Christmas special, as commonly seen today, but instead has a understated, classic charm. It also lacks a villainous plot, choosing instead to focus on the discovery of Christmas and all it entails. As the ranger explains our human traditions to the cubs, even a child familiar with Christmas can't help but be drawn in. Christmas just has a profound effect on all who celebrate it, in a way that can't really be explained. This special captured the mystery of that miracle, but is also a snap shot of youthful innocence, where the magic of Santa's visit is all too real.


I often thought back to this special and wondered if I would ever know what it was, though I knew I would recognize it in an instant if fate was ever kind enough to cause me to stumble upon it once again. Then one extraordinary summer day, many years later, I was browsing used VHS tapes at a local thrift store. I suddenly came across the title, Santa and the Three Bears. While the cover art did not look quite like the animation in my memory, the title and description sounded exactly right. I took a chance, popped it in my VCR when I got home, and in an instant, was transported back to that winter afternoon in the late '80s with all the hope and wonder of a child.



Purchase on DVD or get the soundtrack on MP3

Feel free to also check out my previous post for Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town!

A Garfield Christmas

I (Drew) also had the honor of writing a guest blog for Christmas TV History's for their Christmas in July Animation Celebration. I chose to write about A Garfield Christmas. I shared in this blog about why i feel this special is an under-appreciated classic and why it should be ranked up there with the classic's aired each year. Please take a look and tell me what you think....


The orange cat Garfield, his owner Jon and the slobbering dog Odie head out to the country to spend Christmas with Jon’s family on the farm. Garfield is a Scrooge about the whole Christmas season until he bonds with Jon’s grandmother while coming across a heartfelt gift for her, a forgotten but special item from her past. This holiday season, the fat cat learns the true meaning of Christmas.


It may be the '80’s child in me but I am not sure how A Garfield Christmas has been overlooked as a holiday classic among the likes of A Charlie Brown Christmas and Frosty the Snowman. A Garfield Christmas Special was aired on CBS right after A Charlie Brown Christmas all through the late '80’s and early 1990’s and was just as highly anticipated as any holiday classic being aired. My holiday season is not complete without a viewing of A Garfield Christmas Special. It has become part of my holiday tradition just as much as hanging the stockings or decorating the tree.


Garfield’s Christmas special has such a wonderful message about learning the true spirit of Christmas. Garfield’s sly humor and bond with Jon’s grandmother add great moments to this cartoon. The heartwarming story also includes a terrific carol “Christmas is here,” a song Jon’s mother plays on the piano Christmas Eve night. This holiday special’s message is not about the giving or receiving of gifts but it’s about the love one person or cat can give to another.


A holiday special with a meaningful message such as this, A Garfield Christmas Special not only is a classic to share with family and children but deserves the right to stand with the classic holiday animated specials that are aired year after year. I loved this cartoon as a child and my two young boys look forward to watching this classic each holiday as well. Don’t ignore the opportunity to enjoy this holiday special with your family.


Purchase on DVD

QVC Christmas In July!

It's that time of year again! QVC is kicking off their annual Christmas In July sale this weekend, Jusy 20th & July 21st. 48 hours of nothing but Christmas Christmas Christmas! If you're really eager, you can even catch plenty of sneak peaks today at various times. This is something I look forward to every year because it gives me an excuse to start thinking about Christmas in the middle of summer. Here is an idea of what's in store!

PROGRAM GUIDE:

Saturday (7/20): 12am The Joy of Christmas 2am Gifts for Grandkids 3am Deck the Halls 5am The Joy of Toys 6am Christmas Shoppe 7am Heartfelt Holidays with Valerie 8am Home for the Holidays with Dan 10pm Saturday Morning Q 1pm What A Kid Wants - Sneak Peek Toys 2pm You're Home with Jill 4pm Gourmet Holiday 6pm The Joy of Christmas 7pm Heartfelt Holidays with Valerie 9pm All is Bright - Outdoor Lights 10pm The Joy of Christmas

Sunday (7/21): 12am The Joy of Christmas 1am What A Kid Wants 2am Temp-tations Presentable Kitchen 3am Christmas Shoppe 5am Mr. Christmas 6am Bethlehem Lights Seasonal Lighting 7am Jim Shore Heartwood Creek 8am Flameless Candles 9am The Joy of Toys 1pm Sundays with Carolyn & Dan 12pm In the Kitchen with David 3pm Hosts@Home with David 4pm Gifts for Grandkids 6pm Christmas Shoppe 7pm Gourmet Holiday 9pm Gifts for Grandkids 10pm Decorating with Lisa Robertson 11pm The Joy of Christmas

Check local TV listings or watch online from the QVC website.

Christmas In July Party!

This month is halfway over, but we've noticed a growing trend of people celebrating Christmas In July and hosting parties this time of year. So in that spirit, we thought we'd share a variety of ideas with others who may be planning to get in on the Summer holiday fun and host a Christmas In July party of their very own!

• Invitations: Send your guests invitations for your party to let them know when and where the event takes place and what to bring. You can use regular store bought invitations, but there are also many free printables online as well. Another option is to use Facebook or Evite to invite your guests. Plan a theme or activity, such as crafting, making ornaments, baking, watching movies or even holding a fundraiser for a good cause.

• Decorations: Decorate the house the same way you would for Christmas. Break out the Garland, red bows, stockings etc. Another option is to mix Christmas with Summer by making or buying a small Seashell Christmas Tree, decorating a tree in a Beach Theme, creating a Drink Umbrella Wreath or covering the table with a Red Checkered Tablecloth.

• Menu: Decide if you will be planning a special menu or hosting a potluck where everyone brings a favorite Christmas dish. You may also consider adding a Summer twist to the party, while keeping with the Winter theme (Watermelon Christmas Trees, Snowmen Ice Cream Shooters, Peppermint Ice Cream Sandiwches, Santa S'mores, Frozen Hot Chocolate, Strawberry Santas).

• Activities: If you plan to hold the party outdoors, instead of horseshoes, why not paint them red and green and call it Reindeer shoes? One way to stay cool in the hot sun is to have a "snowball fight" using white or blue water balloons! If the party is going to be indoors, you can host a cookie decorating or ornament making party. Another fun activity is simply to have a Christmas movie marathon.

• Music: Of course you can always choose to play classic Christmas music, but a more unique approach would be to go with something more fitting to Summer; such as the Beach Boys and Jimmy Buffet or Hawaiian and Reggae Christmas music. Here are few suggestions, along with a PLAYLIST we created on YouTube to get you inspired!

There are so many creative and fun ways to celebrate this fun, quirky holiday. Just be creative and try to think of other ways to make Christmas In July a fun tradition. Feel free to share any ideas you may have as well!

Check out our Pinterest Board for more ideas on how to make
your Christmas In July party the best on the block!