Christmas Prep Blog Review

In the middle of winter and with this years’ Christmas not far behind, we felt inspired and thought of gathering together the best ideas we’ve stumbled upon so far, for welcoming the cold season and the winter holidays.

We have everything from energy, gifts and finance, all related to this time of the year. So take a seat, grab your favorite drink and a snack and read on!

And remember to let us know how you’ve spent Christmas in the comments section below!

1. Tips for Properly Seasoning Firewood

“Wood is essentially a mass of tiny long tubes, or cell cavities, that run the length of the tree. Moisture exists both as “free water” in these cavities and as molecular water that is locked in the cell walls. When a tree is felled, the slow process of drying begins, and the free water is the first to evaporate.

Once the free water evaporates, the moisture content of the wood is around 30 percent. This is called the “fiber saturation point.” After this, water begins to leave the cell walls, and the wood starts to shrink and crack.”

Read more on Mother Earth News.

2. Frugal Homemade Gift Guide: Stick Edition

“Every year I get more and more averse to buying cheap, imported stuff; stuff that breaks, gets tossed aside the moment the newness wears off and becomes little more than something I can’t wait to discard so I don’t have to keep picking it up so I can vacuum.

Here are a few of the favorite things we’ve featured on the site over the years that can be inexpensive, simple, homemade gifts. We have so many of them I’m sorting them by theme and will have some more themed collections coming soon. Today we feature the humble stick.”

Read more on Little House In The Suburbs.

3. How to Make Sweater Mittens Out of an Old Sweater

“A cold weather needs a warm remedy! And one way to care for yourself in times of chilly weather is with the help of a pair of mittens.

Learn how to make in just a few minutes some mittens from an unused sweater. The process is fairly easy and the images really speak for themselves. Grab these materials:”

Read more on My Family Survival Plan.

4. 30 Ways to Have Yourself a Thrifty Little Christmas

“There are a lot of reasons that sensible people want to step off  of the materialistic rocket ride that is the standard North American Christmas.

They may be tired of spending the entire following year working overtime because they are deep in debt for having produced a spectacular Christmas morning that was the stuff of storybooks. “

Read more on The Organic Prepper.

5. Greenhouse Dreams

“A home garden greenhouse may seem like a daunting item on a gardener’s wish list. It comes in the form of a pipe dream or is shuffled into the “one of these days” category.

Greenhouse dreams typically resurface when coming home from a weekend adventure to find freshly emerged seedlings on their deathbeds. Sometimes they can be coaxed back to life and other times they are beyond revival, but these young phyto-children could have been saved with a simple DIY greenhouse.”

Read more on Custom Made.

6. It’s Now Legal To Hang The President

“There’s good news for conservatives this Christmas. Santa has provided us with a gift that we never would have expected. Yes everyone, this year, for Christmas, we can hang Barack Obama.

So many have been calling out for Obama’s impeachment or to try him for treason. Well, we don’t have to wait any longer for the legal beagles to sort things out, we can hang him ourselves. Why worry about the formalities of a trial, when it’s legal to hang him without one?”

Read more on Prepping Plans.

7. Make Your Own Energy-Saving Thermal Curtains

“Windows are very frequently a source of lost heat in your home. Older homes may suffer from only having single-paned windows, which lose a large amount of heat, and even newer double-paned insulated windows lack enough insulation against cold winter temperatures and wind.

However, you can save home heating costs and easily bulk up the insulation around your windows by making your own inexpensive thermal curtains.”

Read more on Sustain A Blog.

8. How To-S Day – Wooden Branch Buttons
“I took full advantage of winter break at my parents’ house. They have a spacious garage chock full of every tool imaginable, and I was in heaven.

I took the dogs out for a walk to the park one afternoon and found a couple perfect branches, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make these darling little buttons!”

Read more on Shrimp Salad Circus.

9. 30 Foolproof Ways To Get Through This Winter

“4. Rub Vicks Vapor Rub on the soles of your feet if you’ve got a cough. Cover with socks. ” Even the worst cough can be stopped within 5-15 minutes, and lasts hours.”

Read more on Buzz Feed.

10. Herbal Fire Starter

“Pinecones and dried herbs such as rosemary, sage leaves, and cinnamon sticks make fragrant kindling for a winter fire — and, unlike composite firelogs and lighter fluid, don’t rely on chemicals to ignite the flame.

1. Bundle dried herbs and small pinecones in a sheet of newspaper and secure the ends with raffia or cotton twine.

2. As you pile up logs for your fire, nestle the herb bundle underneath, with paper ends sticking out. 3. To start the fire, light the newspaper ends. As the paper burns up, the herbs inside will ignite and incinerate, giving the logs a chance to catch fire.”

Read more on Alternative Energy Gardning.

This article has been written by Brenda E. Walsh for Survivopedia.