May the blessings of the season fall abundantly on you, your family, friends and community.

Merry Christmas from all of us at OrganizedChristmas.com!

Why is Rudolph's nose red? Was Jesus really born on December 25th? Why do we decorate with holly--and what's with spelling Christmas as "Xmas"?

You've got Christmas questions? HowStuffWorks.com has answers.

Get in the know about all things holiday:

How Christmas Works

Our "We Whisk You A Merry Kissmas" craft is a sweet surprise for the chocolate lover in your life! A homemade Christmas gift, it's easy enough for children to make and give.

Makes a great teacher gift, stocking stuffer or office Secret Santa present.

To make your "Kissmas Whisk", place a handful of foil-wrapped chocolate kiss candies between the tines of a new kitchen whisk.

Wrap whisk bottom with plastic food storage wrap and tape wrap to handle.

Add a pretty bow or ribbon, and attach a copy of our free printable Kissmas Whisk gift tag for a simple stocking stuffer or 12 Days of Christmas gift.

Count down to Christmas with an easy-to-make "Santa's Beard" advent calendar from KidsDomain.com.

Print the free printable pattern, decorate it, then hang it up on December 1.

Each day, add one more cotton ball to Santa's beard to count the days until Christmas:

Printable Advent Calendar for Kids

Simple enough for children to make, but elegant enough for adults, this free printable Advent calendar will brighten your home as you count down to Christmas. From JanBrett.com:

Christmas Treasury Advent Calendar

When it comes to kids and Christmas, cheap is good! Simple, inexpensive family activities can be as meaningful as pricey Nutcracker tickets--and no need for scratchy dresses or dress-up suits.

Try these no-cost, low-cost ways to celebrate the holiday season with kids:

• Christmas camp-out! One evening, roll out sleeping bags in the living room, and hold a family camp-out underneath the Christmas tree. Don’t forget the hot chocolate and carols around the fireplace!
• Lights Night! Put younger children to bed as usual, but wake them an hour later. Tumble the family into the car pajamas and all, and drive out to see the Christmas lights. Pack hot drinks and popcorn for a surprise treat.
• Shopping Date! To encourage children to give, make a one-on-one shopping date with each child. Together with a parent, help the child shop for gifts for other family members. Be sure to stop for a sweet treat. Make memories!
• Pet Patrol! Visit the local humane society or animal shelter, and volunteer to walk homeless pets during the season. Fresh air and family time are a bonus!
• Candle-Lit Dinner! Make an everyday dinner special by dining by candlelight. Share stories around the table as you enjoy the glow.
• Glowing Toes! Share a mother-daughter moment: a girls-only pedicure party, complete with Rudolph-red nail polish!
• Library Lane! Visit the local library and check out books about Christmas.
• Cracker Crafts! Save enough toilet-tissue tubes to supply the family. Create Christmas crackers by stuffing tubes with tiny candies, toys and treats. Wrap crackers, and use them as place cards for holiday dinners.

The sharp photogs at the Digital Photography School have a great roundup of tips to get better Christmas photos from your digital camera.

Close to our (organized) hearts: the first tip is to make your list and check it twice, so you're ready to catch the moment.

Get all 16 tips for better Christmas photography:

16 Digital Photography Tips for Christmas

Rolling into the last week before Christmas, productivity pays!

Try these last-minute tips to organize the last few chores and cut holiday stress in the final days before Christmas. From Lifehacker:

Getting To Done: Last-Minute Holiday Tips

It's a Christmas Countdown of a different color: a crafts countdown for kids, from FamilyFun.com! With a different free printable craft for each day in December, children can have fun preparing for Christmas, too.

Projects include coloring pages, ornaments, gifts and decorations. Get 'em now:

Countdown to Christmas