How to Choose a Unique Party Theme & Costume This Christmas

The festivities have begun, shops are laden with colourful decorations and gifts are in abundance. What would Christmas be without Santa and his helpers being ever present in the malls, with children flocking around to put in their Christmas wish lists or to catch a glimpse of Santa.

Your shopping is all but over and now it's time to turn your attention to throwing the most amazing party!!

If you would like your party to stand out forever in the minds of your friends then this article is an absolute must read. Make originality your art form and choose one of the following themes.

Costume Theme Ideas:
- Winter Wonderland
- Ancient Dress
- Santa's helpers
- Naughty or Nice Christmas
- Red & Green
- Christmas Decoration or a Gift
- Biblical
- Holy or Unholy (similar to Naughty or Nice, however slightly tamer)
- Christmas Carol (dress as a character or thing from a Christmas carol e.g. a bell from "Jingle Bells", taka a miniature Christmas tree and go as a -Rocker- star adorned with a Santa hat for -Rockin around the Christmas tree-.
- Edible Food (dress in red & white stripes for a candy cane)
- Toy (dress up in uniform, take along a toy rifle and hey presto you have the makings of a toy soldier)

Now that you have chosen your theme, what character do you want to dress up as?

Costume Ideas:

- Winter Wonderland - Snow Queen or King, Frosty the Snowman, Ice Princess, penguin, reindeer
- Ancient Dress - Ghost of Christmas past, Jesus, 3 Wise Men, Joseph, Mary Angel, Devil, Shepherd
- Santa's helpers - Mrs Claus, elves, reindeers, sexy helpers
- Naughty or Nice - Wicked Snow Queen, The Grinch, Ebenezor Scrooge, Angel, Christmas caroler, Evil
- Elf, Devil, Fallen Angel, Sexy Helper or Elf
- Red & Green - Christmas tree, parcel decorated, baubles, mistletoe, elf, Santa, Mrs Claus, The Grinch
- Christmas Decoration or Gift - Angel, star, gift wrapped parcel, Christmas tree
- Biblical - 3 Wise men, Joseph, Mary, Jesus, Angel Gabriel, shepherd
- Holy or Unholy - Jesus, 3 Wise men, Joseph, Mary, Jesus, Angel, shepherd, Devil, Fallen Angel
- Christmas Carol - Jingle Bells, Jingle Bell Rock, Little Drummer Boy, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer,
- Santa Claus is coming to town, Rockin around the Christmas tree, Mary's boy child, Mistletoe & Holly,
- Frosty the Snowman, Silver Bells
- Edible Food - turkey, chicken, plum pudding, gingerbread man, candy cane
- Toy - Toy soldier, doll, Jack in the box, drum

Not interested in wearing a traditional costume this year, or being nice; try naughty instead!!! Here are a few ideas to get your juices going.

Naughty Sexy Costumes:
Elves there are so many variations on this character. Elves are known to be mainly whimsical, however why not add a touch of sexy to your costume, by wearing long striped red/white or green/white socks with high heels in place of the traditional green tights.

Santa's female helpers can be fairly tame in their red dresses trimmed with faux fur. Try wearing sexy red frilly knickers, gloves and striped stockings with a set of suspenders and high heels.

Angels are known traditionally for their purity and spread peace and goodwill. They generally wear long flowing white dresses. Create a sexy look to your costume this year and shorten the length, add marabou fur to the hemline. Purchase a pair of white sexy thigh high stockings and team with high heels.

Mrs Claus wants to play hard this year, forget the traditional long skirt, blouse, vest and apron. Once again shorten the hemline, lower the neckline of the blouse and team it with a corset and a short frilly apron. Perhaps wear a pair of long black or white boots.

By putting some thought into your theme 1st up, choosing your costume will be easy...

Mandy O'Connor is the owner of Oke's Masquerade Fancy Dress Hire which she has been operating for over 14 years. She has a wealth of knowledge in fancy dress costumes and party theme ideas.

If you would like further ideas for costumes check out http://www.costumeideas.com.au or our online hire costume store visit http://www.sydneyfancydress.com.au

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mandy_O'Connor

Christmas Gift Ideas - Customized Gift Tokens and Vouchers

Christmas season is here once again and people are in a rush to buy presents for loved ones and families. Part of this seasonal tradition is for businesses to hand out gift tokens or vouchers to their customers. Business establishments both big and small, practice this act in the interests of customer service. This is to express their gratitude for their customer loyalty and for making this year a profitable one. It reminds customers that they are considered special by the businesses that they have supported.

A good Christmas gift token is one that will remind customers of the quality of service you've provided them. Give your patrons something that they can use everyday. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it should be functional.

When choosing a Christmas gift item for your customers, you can either choose to give the same item to each and every customer or you may set several categories wherein you can allocate which items can be given to which types of customer. The most important thing is you have to include all your customers in list, whether they are big or small clients.

The best way to choose gift items is to find out which items are in demand today. Often, gift tokens are small items that one can use in the office or can place on the office table. The item that you choose must also be relevant to your product. For example, if you are engaged in a business that deals with food delivery, then customized refrigerator magnets may work well for you. Not only are these items highly functional objects, it will also allow you to place your contact numbers on the ref magnet so that your customers are reminded of you.

Also take note of how you will distribute your gift items, mailing and shipping costs must also be incorporated within your budget. Also consider time frame of delivery. Shopping, gift sending, mailing, and almost any type of businesses transaction peaks two weeks before Christmas so make sure you send out these items before the Christmas rush. If you are going to send presents to companies and other businesses, you will also have to consider that the recipients of the gift may be planning to go on a vacation a few days before Christmas, so sending those presents within the first two weeks of December will be an ideal time frame.

Christmas giveaways also provide advertising mileage for your company. When choosing a gift item for your customers, choose one that allows provision for you to place your company logo and you contact numbers. Include your phone numbers and website address in the design so that the gift item will serves as sort of reminder on how to contact your business if in case they need your services again.

Most gift item companies offer customization of gift items. Some of these companies also have a team of designers to help you customize you gift items. There are plenty of online suppliers who can provide you with highly creative gift items perfect for the season. You can either order in bulk or a just few pieces and have them customized.

Brian Parkin operates a customer friendly online shop called Parkin's Patch (http://parkinspatch.com), which specialises in great value personalised gifts. There are over 1000 different products which can be personalised by imprinting a multicolour digital photo quality design, photo, or logo onto them. There is no minimum order and there are no shipping charges.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Parkin