Merry Christmas!

Just a quick note to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!  I hope you all are having a wonderful time with friends and family during the holidays, and thanks for reading this blog (I will do a better job of keeping it updated in the new year!).

Tis the Season...To Be Prepared

Christmas is arriving pretty quickly this year (something about how the days fall on the calendar which created fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas), and with Christmas comes gift giving, holiday gatherings, and festive events followed by preparing for the new year.  Some tips to survive Christmas this year...

• Don't go into debt to have a blow-out Christmas.  If necessary, create some low-cost holiday traditions, bake some cookies, go caroling with friends...happy Christmas memories are more important than consumer junk that is soon forgotten.
• If you are buying gifts, aim for "buy it for life" items that will last forever with an emphasis on gifts that will help people out in an emergency.
• If you will be traveling for Christmas, be sure to prepare ahead of time whether you will be traveling by car or plane.
• Of course you don't want to forget about your pets's safety during the holidays.
• And of course, your children's safety around the holidays should be paramount.
• Home safety--like avoiding fires and CO poisoning--is also important.
• If you will be hosting large parties for the holidays, it would be a great time to rotate your stockpiled food so you can replace it in the new year with fresh items.
• Finally, during your holiday down-time, be sure to get your finances in order so you will start off the year on a positive financial footing.

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick note to say "Merry Christmas" and thank you for reading this blog over the years.  I hope you and yours are having a festive Christmas holiday this year.

This Christmas Eve...

...please don't drink and drive (and be extra cautious when driving because not everyone heeds such advice).
...ratchet back the drama (the holidays can be difficult for people so be more giving/patient/ understanding if people aren't at their best over the holiday).
...be prepared if you will be traveling in inclement weather (be sure to have emergency gear with you as well as chains/emergency car stuff as well).
...did you know that heart attacks peak each year on Christmas Eve?  I didn't either until I saw this article.  As usual, be prepared to notice if someone is having a health issue and also be prepared to render assistance if necessary.
...lock up (don't just hide) guns, drugs, poisons, etc. so kids and animals and your third cousin's tweaker kid won't find them.
...be grateful for the things you do have--family, friends, health, a job, a home, etc.
...if you are alone for the holiday, there will be a bajillion people on reddit so you needn't feel alone; hop online and converse on the topics of your choice to your heart's content.

And some emergency resources:

• Tipsy Tow
• Suicide Hotline
• Turkey Talk Line
• Social Service Help Line

Are You Prepared for Christmas?

With the busy holiday season, it's always good to have a checklist of things to do so you don't forget anything important:

• Do you have everything you need from the grocery store?  Last minute trips on Christmas morning (if the stores are even open) aren't much fun.
• Is your home ready for guests?  Cleaning, organizing, setting out things guests will need, and most importantly, kid-proofing your home (locking up medicines and guns) are all important.
• Are you prepared for a disaster?  Imagine what would happen if you have a house full of guests and something small, like a power outage, or something huge, like a tornado, strikes.  How could you prepare now for such situations?
• If you will be out and about partying and drinking, have you pre-prepared a plan to get about, and get home safely, afterwards?
• Are the kid's presents put together, wrapped, and hidden until Santa arrives?  If not, maybe have a friend or relative take the kids for a few hours while you get these tasks done then repay the favor for them.
• Have you purchased a handful of extra gift cards in case unexpected guests show up?  Buy cards for things you would use as well in case you don't have any extra people show up and end up keeping them.
• Do you have plenty of supplies on hand for everyone?  Everything from alcohol and extra toilet paper to gas for the turkey fryer and extra batteries for new toys should be on the list.
• If you are traveling, do you have basic survival supplies with you as well as alternate plans prepared in case you get stranded by the weather or other unforeseen circumstances?

20 Prepper Christmas Gift Ideas

Some tried and true items for the preppers on your list...

1. Darn tough socks (these have a lifetime warranty, are comfortable, and wear like iron)
2. A puffy jacket (down jackets are really lightweight, super packable, and super warm)
3. Contigo Insulated Travel mug (these don't leak and keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold for many hours)
4. Guns (you can never have too many guns)
5. Safety kits (a car safety kit, a good first aid kit, home safety kit which includes smoke detectors/CO detectors/fire extinguisher/etc)
6. Cool tactical stuff (pens, flashlights, knives, etc)
7. Portable solar battery charger (small and portable, these are great for emergency kits as well as outdoor enthusiasts)
8. Gifts for active folks (activity tracker, PLB, an assortment of gels, YakTrax, etc)
9. Gardening kits (for those inclined to garden)
10. Home security items (door alarm, Ring doorbell, additional cameras for an already set up system, etc)
11. A 72 hour survival kit for those who need one but don't have one (mylar blanket, matches, headlamp, food, gloves, poncho, mini first aid kit, etc)
12. A tool set (a basic set of quality tools is great for anyone moving into their new place or someone who never has the right tool on hand)
13. More expensive items for those in need (we got a gun safe for one of the kids when they moved into their own place some years ago, one son needed snow tires one year, a daughter wanted to fly all of her kids to her home for Christmas...if we know someone wants a specific item that would otherwise be hard for them to pay for we usually get it for them as a holiday gift)
14. New hobby equipment for those who have mentioned wanting to do a particular activity (ie: a fishing pole for the grandkids, an inexpensive drone for first time drone users, knitting needles and yarn, etc)
15. An experience (from tickets to Disneyland to a NOLS outdoor course, experiences last a lifetime and make great gifts)
16. Pepper spray/bear spray (people may not think to get this for themselves unless it is an absolute necessity but it is always good to have these items on hand)
17. Books (whether you go for actual books or Kindle books, helping someone put together a survival library is a great idea)
18. Investment items (jewelry, silver coins, gold Krugerrands...physical items that hold their value and are unique make good gifts)
19. Summer fun items which can be used in emergencies (BBQ grill, large cooler, tent, etc)
20. When all else fails...gift cards.

10 Christmas Preps

The best time to prep for Christmas is now, way before everyone else is doing their last minute holiday shopping, last minute mailing, etc.

1. Shop now for all of the food you will need for the holiday if you will be cooking/hosting Christmas dinner.
2. Shop now for gifts so you won't be shopping the weekend before Christmas (note that online shopping and gift cards makes this task much easier).
3. If you need to mail gifts, do so early--the lines at the post office can get pretty long a couple weeks before Christmas.  Note that mailing gift cards and checks makes this process much less hassle.
4. Hit up the Dollar Store for cheap gift wrap, cards, and Christmas decor.  Again, the earlier you do this, the better the selection.
5. If you will be traveling for the holiday do all of your travel planning now (buy airline tickets, reserve your hotel and rental car, etc).  The closer it is to the holiday the more expensive these things get.
6. If you will be having house guests, get prepped for that as well (kid proof your home, stock up on supplies and food, plan how you will secure firearms, etc).
7. Step up your personal security.  The holiday season is also the season for increased car break ins, home burglaries, muggings, etc.  
8. Spend within your means during the holidays.  Putting yourself in debt will impact your preparedness in many ways so don't do this.
9. Be fire safe.  Dried out Christmas trees, deep frying dinner, holiday candles...all of these things increase the chance of a fire.
10. Pay attention to your health and safety as well.  Don't skip your daily work out even though the holiday season is busy, be careful walking or driving in snow and ice, never use a combustion-type device like a BBQ grill to heat your home, stay a distance away from sick people so you don't catch seasonal viruses, etc.

Merry Christmas

Just a quick note to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!  Here's hoping for a happy and safe holiday season as we move into the new year.

Merry Christmas!

A quick post to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and to thank you for reading/supporting both this blog and the CNI website.

20 Christmas Gift Ideas

As I've been perusing a multitude of online sites hunting down Christmas gifts for everyone on my list, I figured I would share some items that I find particularly useful/interesting. Note: the links are affiliate links that support CNI.  Note also: the spouse says I seem to have a one track mind when it comes to Christmas gifts.

1. Flashlight. 
MAGLITE GX01016 Lite Pack 3-Cell D Flashlight and 2-Cell AA Mini Flashlight
2. First aid kit.
Adventure Medical Kits Day Tripper First Aid Kit
3. NOAA/Emergency radio.
Ambient Weather WR-111B Emergency Solar Hand Crank AM/FM/NOAA Digital Radio, Flashlight, Cell Phone Charger with NOAA Certified Weather Alert & Cables
4. Emergency water filtration system.
Sawyer Products SP128 Mini Water Filtration System
5. Handheld GPS.
Garmin Oregon 450 Handheld GPS Navigator
6. Bear spray.
SABRE FRONTIERSMAN Bear Attack Deterrent with Hip Holster - Maximum Strength & Maximum Range - 35 Feet (9.2 oz)
7. Daypack.
Osprey Stratos 34 Backpack, Shale Black, Medium
8. Buck knife.
Buck 110BRS Fld Hunting 3-3/4"
9. Pocketknife.
Victorinox Swiss Army Tinker and Classic Knife Combo
10. Multi tool.
Leatherman Wave Black Oxide Finish Multi Tool with Nylon MOLLE Sheath , 830246
11. Basic tool set.
Stanley 94-248 65-Piece General Homeowner's Tool Set
12. Bicycle.
Schwinn Discover Men's Hybrid Bike (700C Wheels)
13. Sleeping bag.
Kelty Cosmic Down 20-Degree Sleeping Bag, Red, 6-Feet
14. Solar charger.
Goal Zero 19010 Guide 10 Plus Solar Charging Kit
15. Knife sharpener.
Lansky PS-MED01 BladeMedic
16. Fire steel.
Light My Fire Swedish FireSteel 2.0 Army 12,000 Strike Fire Starter with Emergency Whistle - Orange
17. Backpacking stove.
Flash Personal Cooking System, Carbon
18. Water purification tablets.
Aquamira Water Treatment Drops 1oz
19. Emergency food supply.
Mountain House Just In Case - Classic Assortment Bucket (Pack of 12)
20. Emergency heater.
Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy 4,000-9,000-BTU Indoor-Safe Portable Radiant Heater

10 Old-Time Christmas Skills to Teach Your Kids

With Christmas just around the corner, there is no end to the commercialism surrounding the holiday.  Years and years ago there were quite a few skills that went into making a happy holiday season.  These days, all you have to do is open your wallet and "ta da", instant Christmas.  Make an effort this holiday season to create lasting holiday memories with your kids (and surreptitiously teach them some useful survival skills in the process).

1. Cut down your own Christmas tree.  This can be done easily at u-cut Christmas tree places or cheaply with a permit to cut on public lands.  Skills learned: how to use a saw, how to secure your load to your vehicle, how to pick a "good" tree, how to navigate the permit process if you go this route, how to find the location of where you will cut your tree.
2. Have the kids decorate the tree using non-store bought products.  Skills learned: how to glean natural products to use for decorations, creativity, how to research (they can figure out how people decorated trees prior to store bought decorations being available).
3. Do your own baking for the holiday season.  Bake pies and cookies, make candy, etc.  Skills learned: how to bake and cook (a useful skill that will last them their entire lives).
4. Decorate your house for the holidays.  Skills learned: how to safely use a ladder, how to safely hang Christmas lights, how electricity works in regards to Christmas lights.
5. Make your own Christmas cards.  Take the kids out to photograph some Christmas-y scenes and make your own cards on your home computer.  Skills learned: how to be creative, how to use a computer/Photoshop/printer/etc, how to address envelopes, how to find addresses that you may need.
6. Make a Christmas dinner and invite friends and family.  Skills learned: how to shop for ingredients, how to use coupons and shop sales, how to plan food needs based on the number of people attending, how to cook, how to invite people to a dinner, how to work collectively with the family to pull off a big event.
7. Make your own Christmas stockings.  Skills learned: creativity, how to sew, how to make/use a pattern, how to buy fabric.
8. Volunteer or donate to help the less fortunate.  Skills learned: how to help others in need, how to perform various jobs (sorting canned goods at a food pantry/serving a meal at a homeless shelter/etc), how to interact with people who are usually marginalized in the community.
9. Attend a holiday religious service that is different from your own religion.  Skills learned: how to be open minded, how to learn about different religions, how to be respectful of other people's beliefs even if they are different than your own.
10. Let the kids choose a new holiday tradition, plan it out, etc.  This may include looking at Christmas lights around the city, Christmas caroling at nursing homes, setting up a movie night to watch "It's a Wonderful Life", etc.  Skills learned: how to plan an event, how to research, how to use a map to find the most efficient route to look at lights, how to contact a nursing home and arrange a time for Christmas caroling.

I love to see kids learning how to actually DO things.  Anyone can drop money at a store and end up with a reasonable facsimile of the holiday season but this precludes kids from working with others to accomplish a goal, learning valuable skills, developing their creativity, and most importantly, keeping busy (on projects that don't involve a computer or iPad).  This holiday season make an effort to instill the spirit of the season in your family.

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick note to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and thank you for your years of support of the CNI blog and website!

10 Christmas Gifts for the Prepper

Sorry for the dearth of posts recently--it's getting kind of hectic around here due to the holidays.  So in the spirit of the holidays (and due to the fact that the spouse has nixed some of these ideas that I figured would be fine gifts for a few people on our list), I present to you some holiday gift suggestions for the prepper on your list:

1. Firearms.  Fortunately I have a bunch of nieces and nephews who are at the age where a 22 rifle or a coveted .30-06 will make them jump up and down with glee (obviously you want the parents to be OK with such a gift and you also want to know for a fact that the parents will provide proper training and supervision if you are to give such a gift to anyone under 18 years old).
2. Gift cards.  I like to semi-direct the purchase of (what I consider to be) good gifts by giving specific gift cards (Bass Pro Shops, REI, etc) instead of just giving a prepaid visa card.
3. Toys that require imagination and activity.  As a rule I never give video games as gifts and will only give tech products if it is required (like a kid whose computer recently crashed or something).  Instead I prefer to give such "old fashioned" things like chemistry sets, telescopes, fishing poles, and other items that make the kids learn something and do something besides wiggling their fingers for hours on end.
4. Annual passes.  If you have a friend or family member who has a particular hobby or interest, consider giving annual passes to the local aquarium, the local shooting range, or the local ski area.
5. Tactical gear.  For the right person (in our case, my side of the family and not the spouse's side), cool tactical gear is always a hit (flashlights, knives, EDC stuff, holsters, etc).
6. Experiences.  Probably one of the best gifts you can give (at least it is something that won't get re-gifted, put away in the garage and never used again, or Craigslisted) is an experience.  From the big and expensive cruise for the parents, to the cool and slightly less expensive, depending on where you live, deep sea fishing trip, experiences are a great gift idea.
7. Practical stuff.  Often the most difficult people to buy for are the elderly.  They pretty much have everything already and are seldom craving for the newest hot tech item so what do you get them?  If you know their habits, consider filling up their freezer with a side of beef, providing gift certificates for their favorite restaurant, or providing gift cards/gift certificates to their local grocery store.
8. Gold.  There are times when you will have to produce an "appropriate" gift (which, I have been told is something that does not require ammunition).  In that case I prefer to give something with a "wow" factor and a high social acceptablity factor; this means gold--a gold chain, a gold bracelet, or gold earrings (14 to 24 carat).  Not only is this an appropriate gift but it will also hold its value over time (and can be used in a barter/survival/bribery situation ..I just don't happen to mention that fact when I am giving the gift).
9. Disaster preparedness supplies.  This will probably only go over well with people who have recently been in or come near a disaster (which makes them both aware of possible dangers and aware that they need some gear to weather a future disaster).  These items may include: a NOAA weather radio, a hand crank radio, a case of MREs, etc.
10. Other useful stuff.  Again, you have to know the person in order to know what they would find useful, but some of the most popular gifts we have given to people have been a food dehydrator, tools, a pressure cooker, an auto emergency kit, etc.

Preparedness Gifts for Your Christmas List

Here's the obligatory Christmas gift list, targeted towards the survivalists on your list, of course...

• Firearms.  Fortunately there aren't any anti-gunners in our family so giving firearms as a gift isn't an unusual--or shocking--occurrence.  When kids are younger they get a BB gun and as they get older they usually find a .22 rifle under the tree.  For the kids who develop a real interest in competitive shooting or hunting, they will eventually find something much nicer from "Santa Claus" (like a Mossburg, S&W, H&K, Sig, etc).
• Knives.  Everyone should own a good knife.  Even grandma should carry a small pocket knife in her purse for simple things like opening packages or peeling an apple while on a picnic with the grandbaby.  A pocket knife will be something that people will own for a lifetime so make sure it is of good quality.
• Outdoor gear.  There are plenty of people in the family who participate in outdoor sports which makes Christmas shopping a lot more fun (meaning I would much rather spend my time perusing gifts at Bass or REI than at the mall).  Whether you buy some fancy new long underwear for the hunters in the group, a snowboard for Junior, or the latest gadget for the long-distance bicyclist or runner in the family, quality outdoor gear is yet another item that will be used for years and years so makes an excellent gift.
• Emergency gear.  I know.  I've been told that buying flashlights and Bug Out Bag stuff for Christmas doesn't make people say "wow!" but how can a person resist the lure of a new Maglight or a comprehensive first aid kit??  I am sure these kinds of things will be much more appreciated during an emergency than a tie or a sweater.
• Experiences.  By far one of the best gifts that you can give someone, especially the person who has everything, is an experience.  Experiences--everything from a deep-sea fishing trip to a guided hunting trip in Alaska (or something less costly and closer to home)--will be something that a person remembers forever with the added bonus that the lessons learned on these types of trips are skills that a person will be able to keep--an use--forever.

The bottom line--in my mind anyway--is that giving gifts shouldn't be something that one does just to check a name off a list but it should be done with purpose in mind.  The main purpose being that the gift has some sort of usefulness that would come in handy during every day tasks as well as during an emergency situation.

Merry Christmas! And Of Course, A Few Tips

Just a quick note to wish all of our readers a Merry Christmas (or Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanzaa or Happy Holiday of your choice) and a very Happy New Year. Thanks to you, our readers, the CNI website has been going strong for over five years and we have posted 602 blog posts to date. We especially appreciate comments and feedback from our readers--you cannot survive a disaster all by yourself and one website certainly cannot provide all you need to know about preparedness which is why input from our wise and well rounded readers is so important.

Here's some other things to keep in mind during Christmas and New Years:

• If you drink, don't drive and vice versa. The most common 911 calls during the holidays revolve around drunk driving and alcohol-fueled domestic violence problems. Spending the night in jail, or worse, is not the way you want to remember the Christmas of '09.
• Give yourself plenty of time to get to where you are going for the holidays. A good section of our country is buried under a treacherous pile of snow so take it easy getting to your destination (I don't have to tell you to have emergency supplies in your car in case you get stranded by the bad weather).
• Keep a good attitude and don't let people get to you. Sometimes relatives can only be tolerated for a short period of time which is why we only see them on the holidays. If you have a particularly bothersome clan, strive to keep a positive attitude no matter how bad you want to tell them where they can stuff the holiday turkey.
• If you are having a tough Christmas financially, and many people are this year, remember that money and extravagant gifts really aren't required in order to have a happy holiday. Kids remember unique and creative things much longer than they remember a sparse Christmas. Even if you have NO money, you can still have a fun Christmas. Put on a play with the whole family, make cookies for an elderly neighbor or the local police/firefighters/ER staff who will be working over the holiday, start a new tradition that requires creativity not cash, or volunteer at a homeless mission and make someone else's holiday brighter.
• If you have lost a loved one recently, you have my condolences. The holidays are tough when loved ones are missing from our lives.
• If you are alone/sad/otherwise miserable around the holidays, remember there are always people with stories much worse than yours. The way to take your mind off of this is to help someone else. Leave a huge tip for the waitress who has to work all day on Christmas, help the homeless, walk through your city and randomly give out $20 or $100 bills.
• Finally, stay safe. The holidays bring about situations that are uncommon and thus follow uncommon problems that we often forget about. If the power goes out, DON'T bring the barbecue grill inside to finish cooking the turkey. Of course be careful if you are deep frying a turkey for the holiday. Keep and eye on kids and pets if they are in a new environment (ie: if your kids are rarely at the grandparents house, be sure to ask that medications, firearms, and other things they can get into are secured. The same is true if you are hosting the family party and are having lots of little people over and your house isn't kid-proofed).

Have a very Merry Christmas and safe New Year!