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Family holiday traditions are as unique and varied as families themselves. Holiday tradition marks the season and encourages family togetherness. The entire holiday season is permeated with a beautiful air – families being together, spending time together, respecting each other and loving each other. If you are looking to start a unique and special family holiday tradition for your family, here are some great ideas that real families enjoy each and every year. Even if your family has a host of tradition, a new and unique holiday tradition can add some extra excitement to your family’s holiday season.

Matching Family Pajamas - Purchase a fun holiday or Christmas design of family matching pajamas early in the holiday season and have the whole family wear their matching pajamas while holiday baking, watching Rudolph, trimming the tree, Christmas Eve and opening gifts on Christmas morning.

Family Christmas Card Photo – The taking of the family photo for the family Christmas card to send out to family, friends and everyone is not always a jolly joy, sometimes considered a nuisance task marked by grunts and groans. Try making the family Christmas card photo a fun experience and you will be thrilled with the result. Some creative ideas are:

Take the picture outdoors, perhaps while selecting the Christmas tree; Wear matching family clothing – matching holiday pajamas are a great twist; Take a special picture from a special family vacation during the year – who says the family Christmas card has to be taken in the winter? Wear goofy hats – santa hats, chef hats, baseball caps, be creative! Family in action – instead of posing the family stiffly in front of a camera, try having someone take a picture of your family engaged in your favorite family activity, whether its biking, mountain climbing, lounging around or playing the Wii Family collage – a really creative Christmas card idea is taking a close-up snapshot of each family member individually being their own individual self. Put all the photos into a collage to compile a family Christmas card that symbolizes the uniqueness of the individuals in your family and also how they come together to make the family special!
 
Holiday Charity for the whole Family – the holiday spirit is all about giving. Try making your holiday charity a family event. Not only will this tradition instill the charitable spirit into children, but will give the whole family a special bond as they assist those less fortunate during the holiday season.
 
Christmas Eve Bingo – Christmas Eve is a special time for families to be together and celebrate each other. Make your own Christmas bingo cards out of construction paper using any fun symbols and bottle caps for marking the cards. Your family may have more fun making the bingo cards!  
 
Family Cookie Exchange –  A cookie exchange party is a fun event for adults during holiday time. Why not include the whole family and invite some good friends over for a family cookie exchange? Be sure that the kids help bake the cookies and mix the punch!

just wondering about march madness..rather than the usual bracket system of a single elimaniton tournament that tends to require a number of teams that is a power of 2, the ncaa allows 65 teams to participate. the first game is played between the 64th and 65th team and the winner is plugged into the usual bracket
im the tournament ,how many total games will be played ?

A perfect card for an occasion is very difficult to get. Who hasn’t spent hours in card shops looking for the perfect wording, enhanced by a supporting design for one of the various celebrations of life? Thankfully, there are a lot of cards available for Father’s Day. Of course, if you like, you can also make a card by hand for your father as a token of appreciation for what he means to you.

Father’s Day cards are available in various colors, designs and themes. Today, the greetings for Father’s Day can be sent through post or as a simple e-card. Various card companies have websites which offer free e-cards for the occasion. Apart from the websites of the various card companies, there are websites which pertain exclusively to Father’s Day.

One can also opt for belated Father’s Day cards on the websites. These cards ensure that your dad won’t remain grumpy about you missing Father’s Day, once he has a look at the cards.

Thematic cards are also available in stores as well as online. There are funny, regal, sporty and even bizarre Father’s Day cards available. Also, there are print-and-send greetings cards available online. These cards are printer-friendly and can be directly printed on any kind of paper.

Archie’s Greetings is one of the most popular greeting card companies, which has a huge range of Father’s Day cards ranging from the regal to the bizarre. Their products are viewable at Archie’s stores. Another good card company whose products are available for viewing online is Hallmark.

You’re a fool if you don’t know that April 1st is when the Final Four contests commence, with the NCAA National Championship being determined on April 3rd.

It is a crazy time of year all-around and college basketball embraces this insanity whole-heartedly. If you’re planning on wagering on March Madness-the biggest sporting event of the month and one of the most heavily bet events each year-you may want to consider a few important facts when choosing your brackets or making a team-on-team wager.

March Madness features 65 teams from some of the best known and also from some of the lesser-known college hoop conferences. Certainly you’ll see teams from the prestigious Atlantic Coast, Big East, PAC-10, SEC, Big 12 and Big 10, and you’ll also find various other conferences represented, such as the Metro Atlantic, Big Sky, Big South and America East. Most fans will have heard of and know something about the teams from the more competitive conferences, however the schools from conferences that are not closely followed during the year are often difficult for even experts to analyze.

In the first round, bottom seeds contend against top seeds with the results usually being predictable-the top seeds more often than not win. However, as far as covering goes, that’s a different story. When you look at underdog teams from lower ranked conferences they rarely win, but about half of the time they beat the spread, which spells “upset” for the bettor.

Whether you’re considering the first round or focused on the Sweet Sixteen, which is when making your picks gets extremely difficult, here are a few guidelines to help you make productive wagers.

Ranked Number 1? Big Deal:

In the last 20 years, the team nationally ranked number one going into the tournament has won it only three times. Since 1966 the top three NCAA teams have all battled it out in the Final Four only once. Let’s face it, most teams competing in March Madness are pretty good and when you come down to it, what’s the difference between the seventh and first ranked team? Not a whole lot. This is especially true in a sport where during the regular season there have been virtually no head-to-head match-ups between initial tournament participants. An additional fly in this year’s ointment are the numerous conference changes that various teams have initiated, with more than a half-dozen perennial March Madness contenders switching leagues.

The bottom line is-do your homework. Read up on the teams and find one or two experts who have crunched the numbers for you and really analyzed each club according to how they’ve performed in various situations.

Some Things Won’t Change (Probably):

Teams that play well on the road tend to do well in the March Madness frenzy, where almost every team, except for the top seeds, play away from comfortable, familiar surroundings. So, if a team has been a road warrior all season, they will probably continue to be that same animal in March and possibly into April.

During March Madness teams usually step it up, performing at an extremely high level. If throughout the regular season a team has played and consistently beat good teams, chances are they will continue to do so from March 14th to April 3rd. It is a tough, grueling tournament, and you want to back teams that can step up to the challenge every time. Who are they? They tend to be the clubs that have been stepping up all season.

More experience and less talent will more often than not beat more talent and less experience. Why? It’s the nature of March Madness. Teams are under a lot of pressure, playing in unknown arenas and in the national spotlight against teams they’ve never seen. There’s a lot of travel and little rest between games, which translates into an advantage for a team that’s been there before with a coach who has experience in the March Madness pressure cooker.

Numbers That Don’t Lie (Well, Usually They Don’t):

There are no guarantees when it comes to any sporting contest. With that in mind, here are a few basic statistical observations to consider. When it comes to championships and March Madness, 13 of the last 15 teams have either been a number one or two seed. In the past 26 years (since 1979), the final two teams vying for the championship have been there before. (Limits the field a little bit, doesn’t it?) Finally, in the last 24 years there has always been a number one seed in the Final Four. Do long shots win it all? In this contest, hardly ever and certainly not in the last quarter century.

Conferences are important. If a team plays in an elite conference, has faced the type of competition that a tough conference offers, and has done well in their conference, they are definitely a contender. If they play consistently well, that means more than the occasional blowout victory amongst various games they’ve blown in the final minute. Look for teams that play well under pressure.

With those tips in mind, you’ll want to consider that in the past seven NCAA Tournaments, two teams in the Final Four came from the same conference and in the last five of six tournaments three teams in the Elite Eight came from the same conference. In eight of the last 11 Sweet Sixteen rounds, one conference has contributed four teams and last year nine of the sixteen came from three conferences-the Big East, Big Ten, and ACC.

You’ll want to look closely at top seeded teams from powerful conferences. Although it’s called “March Madness,” remember that wagering on teams that are presently strong and have been strong contenders in the past may be conservative but it makes sense. Look for a conference that has at least four teams in the tournament and stick with them. Odds are that you’ll have someone in the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, and Final Four.

Also, consider a well-conditioned 10 or 12 seed for one of your picks. Why? Since 1997 each Sweet Sixteen round has had at least one 10 seed and in five of the last seven Sweet Sixteen’s a 12 seed has been there. How do seven, eight, and nine seeds do? They don’t even come close to performing the way 10′s and 12′s do. However, more often than not a three to eight seed makes it to the final four. Do your homework and pick one from this group to become a member of that heralded quartet.

Team and Tournament Specifics:

If you’re serious about wagering, you’ll want to read at least one or more of the many in-depth reports available through various media-magazines, newspapers, and the Web. A good report will include an analysis of the team, especially the point guard and the interior players, road and home record, recent performance, playing style, turnover ratio, penchant for committing fouls, injuries, tournament history, bench, and coaching.

As an example, consider these few key elements as they relate to the tournament.

Point Guard and Interior Players:

Point guards are often the playmakers on the court-controlling the tempo, keeping the team on the same page; and leading by example. A sound, dynamic point guard can be the difference between long-term survival and immediate elimination. As the stakes get higher, the position becomes even more important.

Strong, solid interior players who can bang inside and control the boards are essential. Teams in the top conferences work hard to secure guys who will wear down and dominate other teams inside. The Big East, ACC, Big 12, Big 10 and PAC-10 are noted for tough, interior play. In this brutal tournament these types of players can be the difference in the second half of any and every game.

Fouls:

A team with key players who get into foul trouble can be in big trouble in the tournament. The best of the best referees will be officiating and they won’t hesitate to make a call no matter how close the game is or how little time is left. During crunch time, when mistakes tend to happen, is also when cool-headed experience can pay off for a team.

The Bench:

It’s a long road from the March 14th tip-off to the April 3rd final game showdown. A deep, mature bench offers a huge advantage to any team. There’s no way around it, every player is important during this three-week period.

Turnover Ratio:

If teams are making mistakes during the regular season, they will continue to do so in the post season. Turnovers will kill any team’s chances of advancing to the next round. Again, think-point guard and the bench.

Toughness:

How do you evaluate toughness? First look at the coach and his staff. Consider how disciplined the team is. Find a time when the team lost a tough one or got blown out and look at how they responded. Don’t just consider the next game but the next series of contests. Did they meet that opponent again?

How durable are the starters and how driven are they to play? Is this a team that has players sitting all the time due to injury?

Is there one guy, a true team leader, who may not be the most talented player on the court but is savvy, dedicated, and focused on one thing-winning? Does he push the other players to excel through example, team play, and determined grit?

Another part of toughness relates to a team’s legs or ability to play up-tempo ball. If a team can control the tempo and run with the best of them, they’re not going to give up, and they will usually not be intimidated. If pushed, they’ll push back. They’ll counter the energy of the other team every time.

These are just a few ways to assess a team’s toughness, which translates into durability and resiliency. Both are needed to go deep into the NCAA Tournament.

A Final Thought on the Final Four:

Often people make gut choices rather than analyzing a team’s performance, reading some expert analysis, and considering match-ups and trends. If you really want to go deep into the tournament, then do your homework. It can payoff, taking you to the National Championship by insuring that you make sane picks without bending to the pressures of March Madness.

How do I build up skills for my custom character on NCAA March madness 08?
I know I can get it up to 52 overall but that’s all I can do.
Don’t know how to build him up :]

German Christmas traditions are fun to include in your own annual Christmas traditions. It doesn’t matter if you’re of German descent or not. These are some fun German traditions to do with your entire family, especially the children.

On December 21, which is the shortest day of the year, the feast of St. Thomas is celebrated. Whomever is the latest to get up in the morning, or shows up last to work is the Thomas Donkey for the day. The Thomas Donkey is given a donkey cutout and are the butt of many jokes throughout the day. At the end of the day yummy Thomasplitzchen, iced current buns, are eaten and the abuse of the Thomas Donkey ends.

On Christmas Eve, before the huge feast, is the presentation of the Christmas tree. This is one German tradition that has gone all over the world. In Germany, the Christmas tree is not allowed to be seen until Christmas Eve. The children are kept entertained in another room, usually by Father, while Mother gets out the tree and decorates it with fruit, candy, cookies, angels, lights, trains, family ornaments and tinsel. She also places the presents under the tree. Decorated plates are set out for everyone in the family. The plates are loaded with fruits, nuts marzipan, biscuits and fruit. A bell is rung and the children run into the room to celebrate. German Christmas songs are sung, the Christmas story is read and the gifts are opened.

Christmas Eve also goes by another name, Dickbauch which means fat stomach. There is a German tradition that if you do not eat a lot on Christmas Eve you will be harassed by demons all night long. I always thought if you ate too much before sleeping you’d have an upset stomach all night!

DirecTV has long been known as the premier sports carrier in the US. With packages ranging from March Madness exclusives to NFLN (NFL Network) and a ton more, you’d think that they would have tapped out the market on sports exclusives. That, however, is not the case. Recently, DirecTV announced that they would begin carrying The MTN. The MTN. is the Mountain West and is the nation’s only network dedicated to carrying a college sports division.

While The MTN. will not be available to DirecTV subscribers until at least September 1st this year, it is something to which fans can look forward with anticipation. This new channel will provide in depth coverage of all aspects of Mountain West Division 1 sports, from baseball, soccer and football to Olympic sports and much more. While the channel location is not set yet, nor is the actual programming format, checking with DirecTV’s website will keep you up to date on this fascinating development.

With the new HD DVRs, you can get true MP4 viewing, as well as standard format MP2. Additionally, you can record 200 hours of standard programming, or 50 hours of HD shows. With the new programmable memory, you can program your HD DVR to record an entire season. Even if the show changes times, your DVR will keep up. Standard DVR capabilities include 90 minutes of live TV recording that can be paused or rewound. You can also store music and photos using DirecTV’s “Media Share” offering based on the Intel Viiv processor.

As you can see, getting the new Plus HD DVR is a great way to get the most out of your sports package. Upgrading to HD before the offering of The MTN. channel is a good idea; this way, you’ll have all the hardware in place prior to the station’s launch. With this setup, you can record upcoming sports games when you’re not home. How many sports fans have had to throw their hands up in frustration when they learn that they won’t be home to watch the big game?

Well, that’s no longer an issue (as many have known for some time now!). The combination of The MTN. and a new HD DVR, though, gives you the options you need to catch all of your favorite Division 1 sports, even if you’re not home when the game comes on. You can also program your DVR from your cell phone or your work computer, so if you forget about the upcoming game, there is no need to worry. Don’t forget to check with DirecTV to find out what package will carry The MTN, as well as to sign up for the new HD DVR offer.

My bf and I have been dating for seven months now and I just now realized valentines day is this saturday but I have no idea what to get him. We arent really into the hearts and chocolates stuff but we do like to be kinda romantic. I have no clue about any ideas of what to get him.
Thanks for the ideas if you have them

Flags aren’t just for pride in our countries any more – many people are choosing to display them for holidays and other special occasions, too. That means that there’s a wide variety of holiday flags available, from Valentine’s Day and Easter flags to Thanksgiving and Christmas, and everything that comes in between. Here are some of the options you’ll see in the most popular holiday flags on the market.

New Year’s Flags are getting more popular, and tend to be mostly party oriented. Some can be reused year after year, but others have the date printed or sewn on them. You may also see patriotic New Year’s flags, featuring the Stars and Stripes in various arrangements. You can order custom flags and choose from many sizes and colors. For other cultures that don’t celebrate the traditional January 1st New Year, there are still New Year’s flags. Chinese New Year flags and ones for other cultures are also available.

Valentine’s Day Flags are flown in early February, once thought to be the beginning of birds’ mating season. Hearts are an ever popular choice, but you’ll see Cupid flags, balloon patterns, arrows and roses. For those who want to fly a seasonal flag but aren’t happy about the holiday, there are broken heart flags. You’ll see Valentine’s day flags at parties, on homes, or even in a restaurant for the occasion.

St. Patrick’s Day Flags are also popular. They come in every shade of green, and feature emblems and designs that people associate with the Irish. That means you’ll see pots of gold and leprechauns, rainbows, shamrocks, and other symbols, as well as the Irish National flag. These flags will be flown both inside and outside, in parades on St. Patrick’s day, on people’s homes, and in pubs and bars.

Easter Flags are another popular choice, whether they’re secular or religious. You’ll see rabbits and chicks, Easter eggs, lilies, spring items and other symbols on flags. These are fun flags to display at kids’ parties, or just because you’re happy to see Spring. For those who prefer a strong religious statement, crosses and other more traditional Easter symbols are also available for display. They’ll remind passers by that Easter isn’t just about chocolate.

Flags for the Fourth of July are also available. Not all of them are just the American flag. You can find various historical versions of this flag, as well as fireworks flags, flags with the Stars and Stripes in different arrangements, and other patriotic designs to fly proudly.

Thanksgiving Flags are seeing a rise in popularity, both indoors and outside. You’ll find flags with pilgrims, the Mayflower, and native Americans on them, flags featuring the cornucopia or other fall harvest symbols, scarecrows, turkeys, and lots of flags with food designs. These can be seen during Thanksgiving Day parades, or just on the front porches of people who are enjoying their Thanksgiving dinner.

Christmas is a season for flags, too. Like Easter, it’s developed its own secular symbols, in addition to the religious ones. That means you’ll see crosses and nativity flags, as well as holly and ivy. You may see Christmas tree flags, candy cane flags, Santa and his reindeer, snowmen, Christmas lights, and lots more.

As March Madness approaches, college students, alumni and fans alike prepare for another year of intense match ups. 64 teams of Division 1 basketball are about to square off to determine who the #1 team in the nation is. This is the time of year when basketball becomes more abundant on ESPN and the coverage shifts from football to college basketball followed by the NBA playoffs.

I grew up in an area in North Carolina where you are surrounded by fanatics of Duke, UNC, NC State, Wake Forrest and UNC Charlotte. I recall going to my friend’s house and stacking up two to three television sets beside each other in order to cram in as much basketball as possible. We would all sit around with our brackets and cheer for teams we new little about. Thanks to modern television, I can get a split screen of 4 games at one time with Mega March Madness on my Directv account. My television is a lot bigger then it was back then and splitting the screen into 4 still has great clarity.

Keeping up with the standings is important to many fanatics and it becomes increasingly hard if you move away from your local team. There is a small fee to get Mega March Madness included with your programming options but it is definitely worth it. I get ESPN Full Court which broadcast up to 30 games each week during the regular season. You would think that I would be satisfied with that but it only increases my need for the playoff match-ups. Thanks to being able to see most of the games during the season, I have an advantage over all my friends when it comes to team strength. I am also able to carry on conversations about almost anyone’s team. Television as become more and more user friendly over the last few years. Thanks to satellite, we can now watch out teams even if we do not live close enough to get the direct feed. The number of HD college basketball feeds is increasing as well which ads to the excitement.

Valentine’s Day is not just a day for lovers. You can spend time with your kids or get them gifts on this special day. This is a holiday that is now celebrated to show others that you care about them. Some ideas on Valentine’s Day gifts for kids include the following:

A Family Dinner Out. There are theme restaurants that cater to children as well as pizza places where there are games to play. Depending on the age, you could go to places like Chuck E. Cheese or Dave & Busters. Even taking the kids to the local hamburger joint can be a treat if it’s not something you do normally. Kids love to eat out and if there’s a game room or activities involved, that’s even more special for them. Hand-Made Coupons. Give your kids a bunch of coupons that you make yourself on the computer. Coupons for skipping a bath one night (which most little kids will love) or saying up a half hour later – all of these are easy to make on the computer and can make great Valentine’s gifts for kids. Who knows? You might even be able to stretch this even further and make it a year-round option to reinforce good behavior! A Basket of Goodies. You can get small baskets at craft or discount stores and fill them with all sorts of little inexpensive treats to show your children how much you love them. Most of the stores have little novelties for children that can be incorporated into their baskets.

Older children, such as teenagers and pre-teens may want to put away childish things and get something a little more grown up. Here are some good Valentine’s Day gifts for kids who are a bit older:

Gifts for Girls. Young girls, especially in the tween set, love the magazines that show their favorite teen idols on the cover. These magazines can usually be picked up cheaply and will be guaranteed to thrill the tween on your list. Girls at this age are gravitating towards make-up and jewelry, so if you’re game, a small starter set of good quality make-up or a nice piece of jewelry such as a bracelet would thrill any young lady. Gifts for Boys. Young boys will enjoy comic books or action figures based on their favorite characters. Young boys still enjoy reading about superheroes and reading comic books. You can go to your local comic book store and get your young boy a bunch of comic books rather cheaply. To really juice up the gift, a matching action figure would make any boy’s day. A Shopping Spree at the Mall. This can be for both young men and women who are teenagers. If you try to buy them clothing, they may not like it and the same goes for music. You can also get them gift certificates for Best Buy and other electronics stores where they can get all of the latest music and DVDs. While some people balk at the idea of getting gift certificates for people as gifts, they can be the best answer when dealing with teenagers, who can be very difficult to please. Gift Certificates. Gift certificates to the movies are a great way to surprise your teen this Valentine’s Day. You can also get them a gift card for their favorite fast food place or even Starbucks. There are dozens of different ideas on how to please a teenager during this holiday. Cash is also a much coveted gift by most young people. Just be sure to put it in a nice card that tells them how much you love them.

You do not have to spend a lot of money on your Valentine’s Day gifts for kids. This is a low key holiday when it comes to buying kids presents. However, it is nice to show your children that you are thinking of them on this day which is dedicated to love.

so this year i want to make my family a nice Valentines day dinner.So what suggestions would you have..i need a whole lot of suggestions on this ! thank you everyone!