You do not have to stick to common locations to get married in Washington DC. There are several wonderful places in Washington DC where you can hold your wedding.

If there’s something I learned as a child that I am teaching my children, is to make the best out of the cards they’re dealt by life. If you get lemons don’t mope… make fresh lemonade! Now there’s the kind of positive reasoning I’m a big fan of! And when it comes to winter, the same principle could be applied: don’t just complain about the chilly weather, keep focused on the shiny ice!

Sure, feeling cold is annoying, but that’s nothing you can’t get around with a simple heavy coat. Once you think about it, the cold is just a technicality, and there are many beautiful things that you can experience in the cold winter outings! Who doesn’t like watching the snow, or trying skiing or snowboarding? Which child has fully experienced childhood without making a snowman, getting into a snowball fight, making angels in the white show and feeling blushed from the cool ice? If you live in a place where there is no snow, you should serious think about getting a true winter outing, this year!

Sometimes, you’ll find resorts in the mountains not too far away from your city, where you’ll get to experience the best winter thrills with the least expense. There are winter resorts out there with ridiculously low fees, and sometimes it’s just a matter of shopping around until you find something that perfectly fits your budget. Think about this next time you find yourself complaining about the weather, and make sure to get yourself some icy lemonade!

  So, you’re thinking on how to reward your employees after one of the most stressful years in recent memory, but you have a small budget, or lack ideas? First of all you should keep in mind that’s not really a problem: people expect from corporate holiday parties is just spending a good time far away from the pressure of the work place.  Most employees view corporate oliday parties as a way to improve personal bonds with co-workers, thus promoting a more relaxed – and productive working environment. Once you realize the global goal of the get together, the occasion is all about sharing experiences, thoughts, and socializing out of the office.

With that in mind you shouldn’t be concerned about renting an expensive place for the party… actually, if the weather is inviting, fresh-air activities are always one of the best choices that you can make. You can start by arranging collaborative activities that can stimulate the group, while encouraging people to communicate collectively. It’s always nice coming up with some fun activities or sports that will keep people entertained and promote a friendly environment. Such scenario will get people to speak freely even with their superiors.

Cutting the formalities right from the onset of the party will be a good way of promoting friendly interactions. Naturally, it’s always a good idea to get some snacks offer your guests, using the less formal attitude you can find, and why not give some symbolic awards (with no material relevance) to the top performing teams from the events you organized?   

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="344" caption="Buy favors for your events at the Planaganza Event Shop and get Free Shipping when you spend more than $50! Use Discount Code "Holiday08" to save 10% off your purchases over $100!"][/caption]

It’s true, these holidays we are getting back to the 1920′s, with the ghost of the recession hanging on our heads! But in the end, it could be all about returning to the basic, to the meaning of the season itself!! ‘’Saving it” only depends on your ability to show others your feelings for them, to be kind to the others, to really get the meaning of it in the personal sphere, without the material requests of this society of consumption!

So, this season keep it simple: be with your family, show the support they need, and be gifted with the affection and the wellbeing that they provide you! Be a present member of your community; help the others with your own work and dedication, stand for a greater good, putting aside your personal goals to archive a common one.

That is the true spirit of the season, the ability to be and to give something to the others, rather than a material gift, to ‘’catch-up” with your loved ones, to be part of a celebration that is intended to be a spiritual reflection about your year, about your projects, and about yourself!

In the end, you will see that, sometimes, in this stressful world, all you need is to lie back, and enjoy the simple things in life… like a smile, a simple conversation, or even an ‘’Hi, how are you?”! That’s really something you can hold on to!

If you really want to spend your money on gifts, be sure to visit sites like: eBay and Fatwallet to find deals!

Also, visit the Planaganza Event Shop to save on items to make your gatherings a blast! In addition to FREE SHIPPING on orders greater than $50. We are offering 10% off orders over $100. Use Discount code “HOLIDAY08″ (offer good until 12/31/08).

The Home and Garden Show is the premier tradeshow for home decor and outdoor living experts.  This is also a must-attend event for home remodelers, landscaping enthusiasts or for the trend seeking homeowner!  This year’s show will feature celebrity personalities like Shane Tallant from HGTV’s show “Designed to Sell”.  The show will of course feature over 300 exhibitors like American Marble and Granite (for those to die for granite kitchen countertops!) and Home Network Systems (for wiring your whole house for the ultra cool home audio systems!) to help with all your maintanence and design needs. 

If you are a new home owner or in the market for a house and need decorating ideas, the Home and Garden Show is the place to be February 21 -24, 2008 at the Dulles Expo Center.  Make sure to create your home inspiration on Planaganza to take to the show with you!

Plan this and other events at Planaganza.com - The Place for Life’s Events!