Category Archives: Holidays

My Dog Story & Favorite “Puppy Chow” Recipe

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By Anne Badanes, The Pajama Company Holiday Editor

Have you ever noticed how people resemble their dog? A lean neighbor with long spindly legs is accompanied on her morning runs by a greyhound. My size zero athletic trainer has a new three legged Chihuahua puppy that she named Trinity. Tiny Trinity began as a rescue pup but now hops up the stairs oblivious to her missing leg. We had an English Cocker Spaniel with unruly hair who ate anything in sight and escaped from the house to socialize in the neighborhood cul de sac. I fear he took after me.

I was constantly apologizing to my neighbors for his wandering spirit and his obsession with their compost pile. At Christmas time, I attempted to make peace by giving them yummy bags of homemade Puppy Chow, a fun and sweet gift for dog lovers and those whom your dog may “love”.  It is super simple to make and easy for kids to help make!

Ingredients:

1 stick of margarine

½ cup of peanut butter

6 ounce bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

1 box of Crispix or Rice Chex

2-3 cups of powdered sugar

A LARGE Brown Paper bag from the grocery store

Melt the margarine, peanut butter and chips in a large pan on top of the stove. Stir it regularly so it doesn’t burn. Take if off the stove top and pour the box of cereal into the mixture. Mix with a spoon to coat the cereal with the chocolaty mixture. Meanwhile, put the confectioners’ sugar into the paper bag. Pour the coated cereal into the paper bag and shake it around gently. The sugar will stick onto the coated cereal.

You can serve this tasty snack in a big bowl immediately or store it in a sealed container. I put about a cup of it in a small cellophane bag and tie a bow on it for my neighbors. Even though our dog died several years ago, puppy chow is part of my annual baking. My neighbors still love getting it.

As for my athletic trainer, I am buying her pajamas with dogs on it. She prefers sleep to sweets.

 

 

 

Vote “No” to Christmas Chaos and “Yes” to SIMPLE

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By Anne Badanes, The Pajama Company Holiday Editor

How did the holiday that promises peace on earth become a month of stress? We all know the reasons; we can look at our to-do list and see all the things that we must do. We feel the expectations that others have and we beat ourselves up with the expectations that we put upon ourselves. Many women feel they must be the magicians behind the “magic of this holiday”. We tend to forget that we are human.

For years I taught a seminar to help women avoid the stress of Christmas. It offered practical steps in dealing with those tough holiday issues whether it was extended family, budget worries, an overbooked calendar, or the unspoken “rules” of gift giving. In the seminar, the women evaluated their behaviors and expectations. Then they made hard changes that helped bring sanity and yes, even peace into December.

Here is the bad news. The seminar was held in September. That was early enough in the year for people to make the necessary changes such as telling mom that they wouldn’t be driving to Boise this year….or that they had a $10 limit for nephew’s gifts…or that they would not be in charge of a cookie exchange.

The countdown is here and it seems that everyone knows how many days until Christmas. With a bit of panic in their voices, my friends will say “Yikes only 13 more days until Christmas and I haven’t……..” and then they spew out a list of impossible tasks. I want to tell them there is no way they can get all that done in a month.

Instead of counting days until Christmas,  I concentrate on a few principles to keep it SIMPLE.  These thoughts are nothing new, I’ve gathered them from psychologists and authors who write about holiday stress. Through the years I’ve adjusted them for me.

  • I’ll think of my home as a place to relax and enjoy being with people, not a place for a photo shoot for Better Homes and Garden (pick the magazine) Or for a museum.
  • I’ll not compare myself to others when they start bragging about all they’ve done/bought/ planned for the holidays. Instead I will think of what is important to me.
  • Instead of racing to the malls or downtown, I will shop from home. It will save me money in the long run.
  • I’ll show others that I appreciate them using words not expensive gifts.
  • When possible, I’ll appreciate the winter solstice right when it gets dark, light a few candles and think about the meaning of the holiday.

 SIMPLE

The ReinDog Parade

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By Anne Badanes, The Pajama Company Holiday Editor

I planned to post a blog on how to make the perfect gift for dog lovers, but today is the annual Reindog Parade in Cincinnati; one of the silliest holiday traditions. So instead of making gifts, I will be heading down to Mt. Adams to see the variety and creativity of costumes. As a child we had a Basset Hound, a dog with a droopy frown even though she had the name of Pollyanna. My sister and I tried to make costumes for her, but fitting something over her ample trunk and 2 inch wrinkled legs was almost impossible. We’d try to catch her while she wiggled her long trunk. She’d shake off the bows that we tied to her droopy ears and then hid beneath the bed until we left the room. Creating a fashionista Pollyanna was impossible.

That is why the Reindog Parade tickles me. Somehow the owners find costumes that their dogs will wear for the entire parade route.  Many of the owners are also dressed up and they are almost funnier than their pets., particularly when their well dressed pup attempts to sniff another dog. (Of course, dog owners are a breed unto themselves.) While lots of the dogs have antlers or fancy velvet colors, the prize winners have much more creative attire. Here are my two of my favorites from last year’s parade.

The two pajama dogs were among a big group of jammie dogs and these two might even be smiling.  Teeny Santa looked much less comfortable. There was a Basset who only had a bow taped to his head and of course was frowning. Déjà vu for me.

The weather forecasters predict showers so it might be a RAINdog Parade.

 

Let’s Make The Holidays SIMPLE This Year

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ByAnne Badanes,The Pajama Company Holiday Editor

This December, instead of getting caught in the rat race, I am pursuing simplicity; simple joys and simple recipes that provide simply relaxed time at home. When I saw the new Daisy Alexander Vintage Kitchen pajamas, they reminded me of the apron that my mother wore when I was growing up and kitchen memories flooded my brain.  Our 1960s kitchen had an avocado green refrigerator and stove with a canister set that matched the appliances. We even had a dishwasher, something that few of my friends had in their houses. Mom’s recipes were handwritten on index cards that were kept in a little metal index box that was olive green but that was close enough to avocado to fit into our kitchen décor. I remember wearing fuzzy hot pink slippers to stay warm in the kitchen while I baked holiday treats and gifts. Mom always nagged me to make sure I didn’t spill cake batter onto those slippers.

With that spirit of simplicity and years of making easy but impressive gifts in my kitchen, I will be writing  a few blog entries for The Pajama Company. After all, it is much simpler to share recipes here than hand writing them on a card. My recipes will use the microwave, even though it had not been invented in the 60s. And, to keep life really simple, I’ll cook wearing my pajamas—they are much easier to toss in the washing machine than those fuzzy 60s slippers.

 

Today we have asked our new Holiday Editor, Anne, a few questions about what she loves about the holidays:

 1. What is your favorite Christmas Carol?

It is Partridge in a Pear Tree. Even though I don’t like excess, I think it is so much fun to sing this song with a group; with each one taking one line of it. Or, even funnier is improvising the song to fit your group.

2.  What is your favorite Christmas book?

The Grinch is at the top of my list. It gets to the heart of Christmas and for that reason relates to all of us. And of course I like Luke’s account of the Christmas story.

3. What is your favorite Christmas food?

That list is way too long, but I’ll share the super easy recipes of two of my favorites; bourbon balls for adults and puppy chow for dog lovers.

4. What’s your favorite way to relax during the holidays?

Play Christmas music, light a few candles or plug in the tiny white lights, put on pajamas, turn off the cell phone and have a silent night!

Meet Our New Holiday Editor, Let’s Talk Pajamas

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By Anne Badanes, The Pajama Company Holiday Editor

First impressions are tough. For me, I usually wonder whether my clothes are right when I meet someone new. Ta Da…right now my attire is perfect as I am wearing my favorite plaid pajamas while I write this blog for The Pajama Company. Here is the the story of my pajama passion.

During my college years, long flannel nightgowns were popular and I wore them for years. While they hid a stomach full of late night pizza, they made me look like an over sized Wendy in Peter Pan. Moreover, they’d get tangled around my legs in bed. At a bridal shower, flannel nightgowns were called armor for new brides.  I heard that and quickly switched to SSS nightwear–short, silk and sexy. Not only were those flimsy things chilly, but they were hard to launder. Once I had a baby who woke up several times each night, I needed something else to wear to bed.

Fortunately, that was about the year that Ellie joined our family as my new sister in law. She was one of the first women I knew who loved pajamas and always looked cute in them. That was years before she began The Pajama Company. Yes, she’s a  woman who has walked her talk for years–the pajama evangelist. She gave me a pair of pajama bottoms and I became a convert.

Currently, my favorite pajamas are the ones I am wearing now, a pink plaid pair that was left here when my daughter moved out. I have a drawer stuffed with my own pajamas, but this pair hung alone on a hook in her bedroom when she left for college. As I straightened up her room, my emotions were in limbo between tears and the elation of an empty nest. I saw the lonely PJs and remembered all the mornings when I was unable to get her out of bed. They were soft and smelled of her. I paused on the way to the laundry basket, wondering whether to launder them or retain her scent.

Finder’s keepers. They are my favorites.

Cyber Monday Pajama Deals

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Happy Cyber Monday! We want to make your holiday shopping SIMPLE at The Pajama Company today and have four pajama deals just for you. Only one Discount Code can be applied per order so choose the discount that best suits you.

Use Discount Code MONDAY today at checkout and receive 15% off anything in our store

Use Discount Code BEDHEAD today at checkout and receive and additional 20% off Bedhead Pajamas

Use Discount Code SIMPLE today at checkout and receive free UPS Ground Shipping within the USA on orders $25 and over

Use Discount Code BARGAIN today at checkout and receive an additional 25% off our Today’s Specials sale merchandise

Make your shopping count for a little bit more today because today we have partnered with Every Mother Counts for our “Maternal Health Cyber Monday” event. We will contribute 10% of our Cyber Monday sales to Every Mother Counts focused on increasing education and support for maternal and child health around the world. Today we are “Doing Good in Pajamas” and thank you for shopping with us.

14 Ways to Turn Your Pajamas Into A Halloween Costume

Halloween Pumpkins

1. White footies and a gold crown makes you Max from Where The Wild Things Are.

Big Feet Jersey Footy $44

2. Put on your red “Bear Bottom” Flapjacks with a white or gray beard and an old hat and you’re Grandpa.

Bear Bottom FlapJacks $48

3.  Red and Blue plaid pajama pants with a red or blue  hoodie and a few Romney and Obama buttons makes you an Undecided Voter.boxer-redblueplaid

4. Tape googly eyes and a round orange nose to a red knit hat, pair with red footies and you’re Elmo.

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5. Pair our famous “Sushi” pajama with a chefs hat and you are a Sushi Chef.

The Pajama Company

6. Make a crown of paper petals, pair with green footies and you’re a Flower.

aquagirls

7. Combine our plaid flannel pajama pant with your favorite team hoodie plus sneakers or uggs and you’re a College Student.

8. Our Cupcake pajamas plus a tray of cupcakes and a crown makes you the Cupcake Queen.

thecats-cupcakes

9. Add a tail and ear to your leopard print footies and you’re a Leopard.pjsal-leopfootie

10. Tape a black jack o’lantern cut-out face on top of our orange top and bottom from Footzies and you’re a Pumpkin.

11. Put on flannel pajamas and glasses, carry a laptop and you’re a Blogger.

12. Put on our “Dog Person” nightshirt and carry some stuffed cuddly dogs with leashes and you’re a Dog Walker.

Dog Person Nightshirt

Dog Person Nightshirt

13. Pair our “Come to the Dark Side” pajama pant with red horns and you’re a Devil (who loves cookies).

14. For the truly lazy … put on this “Like “t-shirt and you’re a Facebook Profile

Happy Halloween!

Valentine’s Day Gift Inspiration (FOR HER)

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In need of some Valentine’s Day gift inspiration? Here are five unique gift ideas for the woman in your life.

1. Hearts Women’s Plush Robe – Wrap your loved one in plush softness in this allover hearts print robe. The short length pink robe with black contrast stitching is made of 100% polyester microfiber.

2.”Addicted to Love” Women’s boxer – Put a spell on someone this Valentine’s Day with this “Addicted to Love” women’s boxer, decorated with “love potion” potion bottles. This pretty pink boxer is 100% cotton and has an elastic waist with drawstring.

3. “Beauty Queen” Eye Mask – Treat your beauty queen to some beauty sleep this Valentine’s Day with this glittery pink eye mask.

4. “Eiffel” Classic Flannel Pajama – Ok. So you’re not going to be able to take her to Paris this Valentine’s Day. But this pajama is the next best thing. This pretty pink flannel pajama is decorated with Eiffel towers and flowers and has a classic blue piping.

5. Perfect Pink Throw – Wrap her in incredible warmth and comfort with this luxuriously soft pink blanket.

Place your UPS Ground Shipping order by 10 a.m. (EST) Thursday to ensure delivery by Valentine’s Day.

Results Are In: Flapjacks Most Popular In November

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For months, our adult footies have by far been the most popular item at our store. But something changed in November, and a new item challenged the footy reign.

Now that the month is over, the results are in. Flapjacks, the wonderfully-retro long john pajama, have moved into the lead.

These onseies with the “bear bottom” that come in adult and children sizes were the most popular item bought at The Pajama Company in November. Now the question is, will they continue to hold the lead in December?