This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walmart for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

This holiday season, Walmart will be giving $1.5 million in grants to benefit local communities across the country and I have nominated Paul’s Pantry in Green Bay for this cause.

Paul’s Pantry is important to me because it helps members of the community in which my family lives.  Processing over 20,000 pounds of food DAILY, Paul’s Pantry distributes over thirty different perishable fruits and vegetables, usually five types of dairy products, fresh and frozen meats, and various types of bakery.

In addition there are many non-perishable food items such as cereal, soups, macaroni & cheese, canned meats & stews, canned vegetables and fruit.  Toilet tissue is usually distributed bi-weekly and other personal hygiene items such as soap and shampoo are distributed the last week of every month.

On December 10th, Wal-Mart will start the 12 Days of Giving by announcing who the winning non-profits are!  You can vote for a non-profit in your community on Facebook!  You can also still nominate a non-profit that is close to you by taking a moment and filling out your non-profit’s name, contact info, website, and why you are nominating them on the Walmart Facebook page between now and November 18th and encourage your community to vote!

I nominated a non-profit in my commjunity that I believe is truly helping make a differece, why don’t you nominate a non-profit near you?

If you do submit a nomination, please let me a comment below and tell me about them!

*This is a guest post*

Believe it or not, I am not a big fan of shopping.  I think it might have something to do with all of the time I spent hanging out at the mall as a teenager.  Since I do not like to shop, I hate all the crowds and long lines, I choose to do my holiday shopping from the comfort of my home by ordering online!  Not only is it easier to get what I need for everyone but I can also pay a little extra to have it all wrapped too! 

This year I have been doing a lot of online shopping for the kids and I swear that Amazon has a bunch of clairvoyants working for them because a lot of the items I have been shopping for this year have had great prices on their site and I have saved A LOT of money!

For years I went out the on Black Friday to try to get the good deals but these days I cherish my sleep and family time a lot more!

What do you do to save money during the holidays?  Do you order a lot of your gifts online?

Have a money saving tip you want to share? Leave a comment below and let me know!

*This is a guest post*

The holidays are here and now that the elections are over we can get back to celebrating instead of arguing.  Here are three fun ways that you can get everyone back into the holiday spirit that you may not have thought of.  Feel free to add your favorite below in the comments as well.

1.  Broadway and Theatre

Many people think of the Rockettes in NYC when they think of Christmas and holiday shows.  Although that is a famous one, there are two other ones out there and one of them is touring.  Irving Berlin has an entire Broadway musical called white Christmas which is currently touring through the US.  It is an amazing adventure that takes you into a fairy tale land of Christmas with some of his most famous songs.  The cast, set and show are the perfect way to get everyone back in the happy and giving spirit.  Check tour dates and buy Broadway tickets so you can treat your family to a fun and fabulous show.

If you are able to make it to NYC, and the Rockettes aren’t the show that you want to see, you could always try a limited run of A Christmas Story the musical. This is the classic show that TBS runs for 24 hours on Christmas each year.  Now instead of having to watch it on TV, you can enjoy a real life version live in a theatre.  The previews have already started so if you want to see this amazing show, reserve your tickets now.

2.  Making boring kids gifts fun. 

Everyone loves to shop and buy kids pajamas  for a gift.  The problem is that the kids usually hate these as gifts.  That’s why you can do a few things to make them fun for everyone.

If you know your Niece or Nephew loves a specific cartoon or if you are buying them something besides pajamas or clothing, try to make it a combined gift that everyone will enjoy.  If the gift is a toy like the new Scooby Doo game where Scooby and Shaggy fall off the wall if you move the wrong brick, find a cheap version of one of their movies at a store like Target and then also buy Scooby Doo pajamas as the pajamas gift.  This makes the gift an affordable gift that makes something kids would find boring a fun package since everything matches together.  They can wear the pajamas while watching the movie and also while playing the game in the morning with you or their siblings and friends.

3.  Baking a pumpkin bread and changing the recipe. 

Libby’s has an easy to make pumpkin bread kit.  You just combine 4 eggs, ½ cup of vegetable oil, 1 cup of water, 1 can of Libby’s pumpkin and their bread mix into a bowl.  Then you pour it into bread pans and bake it.  Although the bread is delicious on it’s own, here are three ways you can modify it to make it fun for the kids and help get everyone excited for the holidays.

Holidayshapes:

Bake the break in a large cake pan so it’s a somewhat low rise cake (maybe an inch tall).  When you take it out of the oven, cut foil baking pan or turn the cake sheet over so you have a large flat sheet of pumpkin bread.  Now take large holiday cookie cutters and make a simple icing out of powdered sugar and milk.  Now cut out the holiday shapes so you have holiday shaped pumpkin break snacks for your kids and you can let them decorate them with the icing and other candies or decorations you buy for them.  You can use the icing to make the decorations stick.

 Flavor it different: 

Think about what you like with your pumpkin.  I love salted caramel and pumpkin so when I made a pumpkin break I slice it in half and pour salted caramel in the middle then put it back together.  Another thing I do is take a bit of chocolate powder and ancho chili powder and put it in the bread mix.  This makes a chocolate and spicy pumpkin bread that’s amazing.  Think of the other things you love with pumpkin and them combine them into the batter or put it in the actual bread.  It’s a fun way to make a seasonal food and also have it be unique for you only.

Now that the elections are over we can get back to having fun prepping for the holidays.  Going to see a show at a theatre, local or professional is a fun way to get everyone ready, shopping and making a boring gift fun and help to get you ready and making seasonal foods different ways with your family can also help to get everyone ready.  Feel free to share your own favorite ways to get your family and friends ready for the holidays.

Mary is a blogger who loves helping everyone find things from aprons  to discounts on travel, shows and everything else.