Monthly Archives: December 2013

Great Holiday Fun for the Whole Family

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Sharky Liu

Holidays are some of the occasions to which people most look forward. They are about having fun, being with family and loved ones and often include parties. However, we are often so busy preparing for the parties that we sometimes miss out on the holiday spirit. We tend to get occupied by so many things, like decorating our homes or arranging meals that we forget that our families are waiting for us to join in the fun and frolics. So, relax, unwind, and participate in the festivities your family is already into.

Here are a few tips on how to have great holiday fun with your family.

1. Go on holiday to a destination

Many families love to spend their holidays in a location away from their homes. For example, Disneyland, which is a great place for kids and adults alike, is very popular. There are so many activities you can do there that you would probably need more than three or four days to enjoy it all. When planning a holiday at Disneyland, you must arrange your stay in a nearby hotel or other place that caters for holidaymakers so that you can just walk to Disneyland instead of using transportation. Some hotels offer discounted rates during the holiday season. However, you have to book well in advance because it may seem that everyone is going there and that the hotels are fully booked very quickly.
How about going on a cruise? You can have a great time on a cruise. Since it is winter in the northern hemisphere at this time of the year, choose a cruise that will take you south or to the Mediterranean region. Imagine cruising on the Mediterranean Sea and at the same time exploring Rome, Sicily, Nice and Florence. You and your family will discover the delights of the Mediterranean area while holidaying together.

2. Watch movies!

Holidays are the best time to watch your favorite movies. Buy a bunch of them from Amazon and get together to watch them. You can prepare your favorite dishes, gather around and watch the movies. Get some popcorn, fizzy drinks, and darken the room to watch the movie which will emulate the movie hall atmosphere.

3. Family tree trimming

If you are celebrating Christmas, you will most likely put up a tree. Make this activity a family affair right from start to the finish. This activity will keep your entire family involved. A Christmas tree can provide loads of holiday fun, as you have to decide on decorations, shop for them and if you want to be creative, make them. You can set different days for all these activities. Shopping can take the entire day, while creating decorations can take forever! Set aside a day or two for the whole family to make ornaments.

4. Enjoy winter during the holidays

Can you resist the urge to hide inside your home when cold, icy weather knocks on your door? Winter offers so many activities and complete holiday fun. You can go for skiing, skating and even dog sledding. If you don’t want to leave home, go sledding or play in the snow in your backyard. Your kids will enjoy this so much that you will have a tough time getting them to come inside for dinner!

10 Christmas Gift Ideas Your Kid Will Love

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Sharky Liu

Christmas is a month away and you must be thinking that “why should I start planning so early. I have the entire month with me.” If you are one of those who do their Christmas shopping at the last moment, then you must also be knowing that there is a lot of stress with the last minute shopping – you have to wait in long queues, there is a shortage of desired items and in the end you actually end up paying more than what your budget allowed. For all these reasons you must start planning now and start shopping. Kids are most excited about Christmas gifts. They love to receive presents from you. But you must choose the right kind of gifts for them. So are you running out of Christmas gift ideas for your kids?

Here’s a list of 10 Christmas gift ideas your kids will love…

Gift basket with chocolates, cakes and other goodies: This kind of gift basket has been one of the most popular choices. All kids love chocolates and cakes, and would instantly radiate after seeing it.
Soft toys: Soft toys are perfect for small children and girls. If your little one loves to cuddle a teddy or any other soft toy while he is he is sleeping, you can always increase their collection.
Is your kid outdoorsy? If your child loves to go for camping or hiking, you can buy them a backpack. There are several backpacks available on the market right for preschool-age children to adults.
Winter wear: You can always buy Sherpa Coats or weather boots for your kids. They can wear it and stand under the tree.
Is your child into reading books? If your kid loves to read books, you can buy him or her books like Little Humbugs, Harry Potter series or Lord of the Flies. You simply can’t go wrong with this Christmas gift idea.
Something to do: Here’s your chance to take your kids for an outdoor activitythey’ve been looking forward to. You can take them for ice-skating at your local ice-skating rink. This is surely going to be one of the most memorable Christmas gifts.
Gadgets make into this list: If your child is a gadget freak, why not present him or her with an interesting techy stuff this Christmas? iPad, iPhone are a passé. You can give them something more stylish like iPod Nano, PS3 or Kindle.
Christmas gift ideas for cycling kids: This is the time to spoil the kids with all things you never got as a child. If your junior is hoping to find a bike under the tree, get one for him. These are available for modest budgets.
Food gifts: This is a gift that every child in your family would love. It is inexpensive and yummy. You can make special homemade breads that are sweet. Add a little bit of honey butter and you are good to go!
Stationary: if you have a printer in your house, you can do a lot with that. One of the most popular Christmas gift ideas is a personalized gift. A set of note cards with stamps is very useful.

Planet Bowl Named Bowling Venue for TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Planet Bowl

Planet Bowl is extremely honoured and privileged to be hosts to the best strokers, crankers and tweeners in the Americas and Caribbean for the summer of 2015.

John Chapman; our General Manager and a senior member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), mirrors the city’s excitement, “We’re incredibly excited to host the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am bowling tournament. This is a wonderful opportunity for our facility to host an international competition and to join together in the community celebration when the Games come to Toronto and Canada in the summer of 2015!”

For more information about the Games, please visit TORONTO2015.org and their news article on this

Best 3 Places for a Holiday Office Party

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Sharky Liu

A holiday party is probably the last thing on your mind as you try to wrap up this year’s business and deal with all the other formalities. Even if you haven’t managed that you cannot ignore the holiday office party, as you still need to motivate your employees. So plan your office party and be stress free.

Holiday Office Party

Which is the best venue for your holiday office party?

Office

One of the most important things to consider when throwing an office party is the venue. This dilemma can be solved by hosting it on your office premises. Small or mid-sized businesses should host the party in their office premises, as they will save a lot of money by not having to rent a room or a hall. If your office building has a huge penthouse or an empty space, you can take that on rent to host your party. This way you are able to spend more money on food and entertainment. You won’t have to find a venue and your employees won’t have to struggle through traffic to reach it. Also, whatever decorations you put up will be retained by you, and can be enjoyed during other office parties in the future.

Conference hall

If you want to hold the party off the official premises, it would be best to use your personal or professional networking connections. See if any one of them can offer you discounts on their normal rates. You never know if the person with whom you play golf or tennis on a regular basis is the owner of such facilities!

Conference halls are pretty expensive, but the professional service offered there is next to none. The staff there knows what is required for a holiday office party and will prepare things for you in advance. For example, they will decorate the place for you, and arrange dinners with a large menu to choose from. So if you have a big enough budget, go for a conference hall.

Bowling centers

Did you know that official parties are also hosted in bowling centers? Well, bowling centers are great fun. Not only do your employees get a chance to play the game, it will also de-stress them. They will be more open to each other and will interact in a friendly way. Generally, the atmosphere is more relaxed, people let go of their inhibitions and there is a great team spirit.

There are so many bowling centers, but if you happen to be in Toronto, you’ll find that bowling centers in Toronto offer great packages for a holiday office party. With the festive season around the corner most of them are offering discounts and special extra services to attract more customers.

A holiday office party offers an ideal opportunity for employees and employers to spend time with each other and get to know each other better. Your party should be such that the employees feel they are part of the entire entertainment instead of just being passive observers. Why not encourage them to get involved in the arrangements?