Good & Perfect Gifts: Christmas

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

7 Fun Holiday Traditions to Start

Getting gifts every year at Christmas time shouldn't be the only thing that you have to look forward to. Good & Perfect Gifts is a big fan of annual holiday traditions. When you come up with ways to spend quality time with your family and friends around the holidays, that can end up being better than any material gift you could receive. Here are a few great ideas for traditions that you can begin with your friends and family every year.

Bake together.

The earlier in December you do this, the more sweet treats you will have time to make over the holidays! Spend a day making up batches of treats to be baked later, or take care of the mixing and baking all at once. Another option is to stick to one or two holiday favorites, like sugar cookies or gingerbread cookies, then spend the rest of the time decorating them.

Watch a movie marathon.

There are tons of holiday movies to watch, and you can easily find some to match your crowd. There are lots of Christmas cartoons for the kids, and just as many comedies out there for a more adult audience if there won't be any children at your gathering. From the heartfelt classics all the way to a few scary choices, you should have plenty of movies to pick from to fill a day with flicks. Mix up a few snack foods to last the day and get some gift wrapping done while you watch.

Host a game night.

Plan one entire evening around having fun and playing games. Everyone can gather around the table and go through all of your favorite board games. Another option is to plan some holiday-themed competitions, like Pin the Nose on the Reindeer or a gift-wrapping relay race. Come up with a really cool trophy to be passed on to the grand champion year after year.

Record memories.

When your family and friends are all together for the season, it's a perfect time to think back about all of the wonderful things that have happened over the past year. Keep a journal or scrapbook that can be added to annually and let each person write in one of their favorite memories. Make sure that you take a good group photo to add to the book when you are all done writing.

Go on a holiday lights tour.

There are all kinds of holiday light displays nearly everywhere that you look. Bundle everyone up, pile into the car, and take a lights tour. If you have a large group, turn it into a caravan with festive stops along the way. At the end of the night, meet back at home for hot chocolate.

Volunteer together.

There are always extra opportunities around the holidays to volunteer and help out someone that is in need. Collect items to deliver to a local food pantry or shelter, visit the animal shelter and walk the dogs, or go to a nursing home or hospital and sing some carols.

Start a Christmas Eve or Christmas morning tradition.

Come up with an activity that you can all do together and will look forward to every year. Read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" before going to bed on Christmas Eve, taking turns reading lines out loud. Place the final decoration, the topper, on the tree. Host an annual brunch on Christmas Day for friends to stop by. One simple thing can turn into a really big deal when you make it a tradition.

When choosing your new holiday tradition, focus on the things that your family and friends enjoy doing together. In between all of the new traditions that you start, stop by our Lake of the Ozarks gift shop and get in a bit of Christmas shopping. We've also got lots of tasty gourmet treats for you to take back to your new annual holiday movie or game night. Whatever you end up doing, the important thing is that you enjoy it together. Have a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us at Good & Perfect Gifts.

A popular destination gift shop near the

Lake of the Ozarks

1603 Business Hwy 54,

Eldon, Missouri 65026

573-392-7900

Like us on Facebook

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Holiday Fun Events for the Entire Family

The best gift shop near the Lake of the Ozarks loves being located in the lovely town of Eldon, Missouri. Although we miss seeing our Jefferson City area friends as often as we used to, Eldon has given us more wonderful friends to add to our list. Although the town is smaller, they have big fun planned for the holiday season, beginning this weekend. Good & Perfect Gifts would like to share a few of these events with you.

Eldon's Home for the Holidays Parade & Celebration

November 21, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Beginning at 10:00 am, Eldon's annual holiday parade will make its way through town. This year's theme is "Winter Wonderland." Afterwards, head over to the Eldon Community Center for children's activities, a 50/50 raffle, and visits with Santa. There will be live entertainment all day long., and food will be available from Maple Street Cafe.

Eldon Community Thanksgiving Dinner

November 26, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

The Eldon Community Center will be serving a Thanksgiving Day Meal to anyone that would like to join in. Home delivery is also available. Please call 573-280-4956 for more information.

Eldon Elementary PTO Breakfast with Santa

December 5, 8:30 am - 11:00 am

Bring the kids for a pancake and sausage breakfast with Santa Claus at the Eldon South Elementary School! The cost of the breakfast is $3.00 per person, and photos with Santa are available for $2.00. Parents As Teachers will be doing crafts with the children for free, and there will also be a Christmas book walk.

Annual Christmas Luncheon

December 9, Noon - 1:00 pm

The Eldon Area Chamber of Commerce cordially invites the entire community to join them for this annual luncheon. It will be held at the Eldon Community Center. For $15, you can enjoy a buffet dinner including salad and rolls, roast beef and ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, brownie bottom pie and cherry cheesecake, and tea and water. The lovely sounds of Christmas carols will be provided by the Eldon High School Chamber Chorale. Please RSVP by December 1, 2015 by calling 573-392-3752.

Eldon's Hometown Christmas

December 12, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Bundle up and make your way downtown for a hayride down Maple Street. You will get to view all of the holiday decorations, including the living windows displays in many of the local businesses. There will be refreshments, Christmas caroling, and photos with Santa. The evening will end with Eldon's Mayor lighting the Christmas tree at Whittle's Pocket Park. Everyone is encouraged to bring an ornament for the community tree. Lloyd Belt will also be taking donations for their annual toy drive.

Just up the road from us, the Lake area will have all of their holiday light displays lit up right after Thanksgiving, and there are lots of shows and celebrations going on that are only a short car trip away from our Eldon gift shop. We hope that you all get a chance to attend at least a few of the celebrations above.

In between all of that fun, be sure to stop by Good & Perfect Gifts to get some of your Christmas shopping done. While you are here, have something sweet from Sugar B's Cakes and Pastries with a cup of coffee and a little holiday conversation. We love visiting with our customers, and the Christmas excitement makes the conversations even better.