ECARD – Page 29 – This blog is about free ecards and holidays

Halloween costumes don’t have to cost a fortune

Are you tired of spending money on ridiculously expensive Halloween costumes that your child will wear only for a couple of hours? No worries! There are ways to make Halloween, and almost any other occasion, fun for your kids and family even if you are on a tight budget. Here are two thrifty saving tips to get cool Halloween costumes without blowing your budget.

Make your own costumes. Get creative.

Used gift wraps, old night gowns or bath robes, bed sheets, old curtains, table cloths, chart paper, cardboard can all be used to make a unique Halloween costume that can’t be found in stores. With your imagination and a little creativity, you can make this ‘annual Halloween costume making’ a fun, family project. What a great way to save money and spend quality time! Besides, you can come up with your own themes. One family I know dressed up as a garden salad bowl once. The parents were celery and spinach, the kids were carrots, broccoli, peas and beans! What a wonderful way to get kids to like vegetables! Can you think of a theme that will engage your family?

Buy costumes a year in advance. If you are sure you will be purchasing a costume for your kids next year, then why not buy them now, at a bargain price? Plan ahead. Stores put up Halloween costumes on sale the day after Halloween. You will find great deals on some very good costumes. This is the perfect time to buy next year’s Halloween costumes at a steal. Remember to buy children’s costumes a size or two larger.

Remember, having fun does not necessarily mean having to spend a lot of money. Spending more time doing what you like is more important. So, don’t let the economy, job cuts, fuel prices or anything come in the way of your celebration. By being creative, you can still celebrate in style. And while you are at it send out free ecards to your loved ones.

Flying Pumpkins – Halloween Ecard

There are many things about Halloween that are frightful: scary costumes, spooky music, and haunted houses. But those things are to be expected, and therefore are not quite as scary in the long run. But what about the unexpected things of Halloween? As a child, and yes even as an adult, I tend to let my imagination go a little too far and found myself more scared about things I had yet to see but imagined to be truths.

For instance, we always hear about Witches flying on broomsticks. The idea of a little old lady with an eerie laugh and a tall pointy hat being able to elevate into the air on a broomstick just gives me the chills. If I were ever to see this, I would surely pass out from sheer fear. And then I take one step further and ask myself, “What do jack-o-lanterns do at night when everyone is sleeping?” While it may not sound scary right now, wait until nightfall and think of it then. Do they sprout arms and legs and walk around? Or do they grow magic wings and fly around, annoying Witches on their broomsticks?

To me, this is the essence of all things scary on Halloween, the possibility of the unknown. This is why I love the animated Halloween ecard, Flying Pumpkins; it gives me the chills every time! So share this ecard with someone you care about or maybe just someone you want to scare! Happy Halloween!

Halloween Ecards to the Rescue

When the Holidays start creeping up on the calendar, our loved ones that are out of town become prominent in our minds. We want to be near them during the gatherings and celebrations, so we call them and email them, closing the gap on the miles that separate us. But imagine living in another time when phone calls were not always reasonable to make and email was non-existent.

It seems hard to picture; your loved one is in another state or country and being in touch with them is close to impossible. Even if your loved one was just one town over, being able to communicate with them was only conceivable via the reliable postman. Writing a letter, putting it in the mailbox, and not knowing if it got there until you received a letter in return was a typical scenario not that long ago.

Today, technology has taken us so far that with the touch of a few keys on our computers we can send our out of town loved ones an animated greeting card through the “air” from our computer to theirs, at no cost to anyone. So take advantage of the technology of today, and send those you miss a holiday ecard, starting with Halloween!

How will you celebrate Diwali?

Deewali or Deepavali, the most popular festival of India falls on Monday, Oct 27, 2008. How will you celebrate?

There are different beliefs, rituals, mythological tales and legends associated with Deepavali, the festival of lights. Even the name has variations ranging from Diwali, to Deevali. In Hindi, its expansion ‘Deepon ki Aavali’ means row of lights, which are used to represent this festival. Some believe that this is the day Lord Krishna destroyed Narakasur, the demon. Others believe that this is the day Lord Ram vanquished the demon king Ravan. No matter what the belief, this festival celebrates the victory of good over evil. It is one of the festivals that is celebrated in almost every state and region of India. To some, it represents the birth of a new year. Rituals like playing cards all night are believed to bring in prosperity. For others, it is an auspicious day to buy gold or a new house or appliances.

Deepavali is celebrated in different ways. People meet friends and relatives, exchange sweets and goodies, wear new clothes, worship in temples, decorate the house and porch with lamps and rangoli. Blockbuster movies hit the theatres. Prime time programs revolve around interviews with film stars and how they celebrate the festival.

Amidst all this fanfare, the true significance of the occasion tends to get lost. Now might be a good time to remind ourselves the real meaning of Deepavali. A lamp or light symbolizes dispelling the darkness of ignorance and evil in each of us. Ravan and Narakasur represent the demons in us. Each of us possesses the noble qualities that Lord Ram and Lord Krishna propagated. Deepavali is a reminder of the eternal flame glowing within us. It is this realization that leads to enlightenment, bliss and everlasting peace.

So by all means, celebrate Deepavali with friends and family. Exchange gifts and deewali ecards. Wear your finest clothes and jewelry. Treat yourself to a feast and fireworks.

But in addition, why not start and end the day spending a few quiet moments looking inwards?

Wish you a very peaceful, safe and happy Diwali!

Birthday in July

When I was growing up, I had a friend in the neighborhood whose birthday was on December 27th—just two days after Christmas. I often told him how unlucky he was, to have a birthday so soon after Christmas: there’s no way he would get enough presents! Me? I was lucky, I thought, because my birthday is in the summer, and so my gift-receiving days were spread pretty evenly apart through the year.

Of course, now that I’m older, I realize it’s not just about maximizing gift-receiving potential, and I’ve often wondered what it would feel like to celebrate a birthday in a snowstorm, rather than at the beach. The important thing, either way, I’ve learned, is to surround yourself with people you love, and who love you. That is what makes a birthday special, and not gifts.

But gifts are nothing to sneeze at, either. At gotfreecards.com we have free e-cards that you can send to your friends and loved ones on their birthdays. You can show them how much you care with our animated e-cards, and save money by not splurging on expensive gifts, too.

Even though I still wonder what a winter birthday would be like, I’m perfectly happy to be able to blow out my birthday candles, and then jump in the pool.

Halloween Ecards – A Romantic Message

While Halloween is a time for treats, costumes, and pumpkin carving, it can also be a time for romance. The treats can be a box of chocolates given as a gift out of love, the costumes can be matching as a way of telling everyone he or she is your “match”, and pumpkins can be carved with a loving message.

Carving jack-o-lanterns on Halloween is a skill; it can take years of practice before you achieve the perfect carving. The moment when you set the finished product outside and light the candle, and the light flickers inside the toothy grin of the pumpkin, you can just feel the excitement and the thrill of Halloween. I once tried to be creative and carve initials into my pumpkin, but it didn’t quite work out and my creative carving just turned into a big hole.

This year, I want to be a bit of a romantic and carve a heart into my pumpkin and find some fireflies to light it up. But alas, I am not that good! So I turn to GotFreeCards.com, find the very romantic Pumpkin Love animated ecard, and send it to my loved one! It conveys the very message I wanted to do with my own pumpkin, without the risk of a carving mishap! And where in the world would I find fireflies to light up my pumpkin? Right here at GotFreeCards.com, that’s where.

Ecards and politics –a healthy mix?

With the presidential elections around the corner, there is no shortage of material for late night comedy shows, humor columns and comic strips. Politics and the candidates have made their way into ecards too. As election day nears, more and more ecards are being created with politics as their theme. Some ecards mock at one or both the candidates, their running mates and their catch phrases. Others have more universal themes revolving around politics. Either way, these ecards serve as stress relievers. Witty lines, cynical comments, spoofs on politicians are all popular concepts. Who doesn’t like to share a hilarious ecard with friends and colleagues? And some of these jokes are in fact quite clever. But, the fact is that politics, as such, is a very serious issue. Especially this election is being slated as one of the most crucial in America’s history. Considering the current economical situation, the next president of the US will have a pivotal role to play in shaping the country’s and the world’s future. So, is it really ok to take things lightly and to make jokes out of the campaigns? Does that diminish the graveness of the situation and mislead people into believing that everything is fine when that’s far from reality? Do these jokes and wisecracks cause today’s youngsters to take an important responsibility lightly?

Or do we need these lighter moments to take our minds off the bad news all around?

What’s your take?

Snazzy Animated Halloween Ecard!

It’s dark and eerie; there are sounds coming from every corner. And then, a shriek! A ghost jumps out and visitors to the Haunted House scream while others laugh out of sheer excitement. Don’t we just love the Halloween season? It is filled with excitement and pumpkins and costumes and haunted houses!

There are many things we love to do on Halloween, but none of it is any fun when done alone. Instead of calling your pals to invite them to join you for the celebrations, do it via email with a snazzy animated Halloween ecard! Pick some Halloween ecards to send, and include a message inviting one person or all of your friends to come out with you! You can write your own personal message like “I picked you for a boyfriend, now help me pick a pumpkin!” or “I’d like to take you out on Friday the 31st, will you go trick or treating with me?” or even “If this card didn’t spook you enough, come along with me to a haunted house!” At GotFreeCards.com, there is a marvelous selection of Halloween ecards, all animated and FREE to send to as many people as you want to. All you have to do is pick the card, write the message, send it off via the internet, and you’ll be sure to have the spookiest Halloween yet!

Your Worst Halloween Nightmare

When I was little, my siblings and I would get so excited for Halloween and all of the things leading up to it. Carving our pumpkins, helping our mom make our costumes, and getting dressed up for the parade at the school carnival were among the things that we were the most excited about. And of course, who could forget the evening’s trick-or-treating and all of the forbidden candy we would soon have!

After a healthy dinner (to counter the sugar in our future), we’d venture out with the other neighborhood kids in search for candy to fill our trick-or-treat bags. We knew all of our neighbors and we knew who gave out the best candy and who gave out the scary stuff: pennies, raisins, and strange plastic toys. But we never encountered the scariest “treat” of all, though we were told that they were out there, being given out to unsuspecting kids. Toothbrushes, the scariest “treat” on Halloween night, was something we hoped never to encounter. I am sure there are other “kids” out there who have similar Halloween memories and fears, which is why I love the “Haunted House” ecard here at GotFreeCards.com. I’ve sent it to my siblings for some good old reminiscing, and I am sure you have friends and family with the same memories! So send them this card, remind them of the true horrors of Halloween – toothbrushes!

Halloween Candies or Ecards!

October is sure to be a month of purchases: Halloween candy, costumes, spooky decorations, pumpkins, and admission tickets to the neighborhood haunted house. But money need not be spent on Halloween cards, especially cards at typical stores that have no animation and that still require postage! GotFreeCards.com is the one stop shop for all your card sending needs, Halloween included. There are spooky ecards, wishful ecards, and comical ones like the Competitive Witches ecard, all FREE and all animated. No postage needed as they are sent via the internet to the recipients email inbox, fast and free.

Now is the time to send Halloween ecards, it is early enough in the month that there are still those who haven’t given a thought to Halloween yet. Now is the time to remind them that Halloween is here by sending them your favorite Halloween ecard from GotFreeCards.com. Do you want to scare them silly, make them laugh, or make them ponder their Halloween costume? You can do all these things and more simply by sending them an animated ecard.

So put your money away and browse GotFreeCards.com to check out the awesome Halloween ecard selection; pick as many as you want, write some spooky and funny messages, and email them off! Make sure everyone you know has a faBOOlous Halloween.