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45 Days Until Christmas

November 14, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Christmas Santa 2006 - 044F

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Santa Clause

We all know him and love him. Some of us know him as Saint Nick, some know him as Father Christmas and some know him as Santa Clause. The point is that we all know him. Young or old, Jewish or Christian we all know who he is and what he is about. He is about giving.

Santa was always a special part of Christmas for me. He is where all of the magic of Christmas starts. He is Christmas to so many kids. I know he is in our house. We make sure to give him his cookies and eggnog. We watch out our windows as we fall asleep. I know that I have seen Rudolph the red nosed reindeer out my window many times in the past. It was what always made fall asleep quicker because that meant that Santa was just a few houses away. I remember laying in bed feeling the magic as a child.

The truth of the matter is that I still lay in bed and feel the magic. As a child Santa came and visited me one year. I was quite sick with pneumonia and was feeling down. On Christmas Eve. Santa walked right into my house and told me to feel better and with a blink he was gone. I am not sure if it was really him or a helper but that night I was convinced that it was him. It was one of the times as a child I felt special and felt the magic that Christmas has to offer. Perhaps that is what I feel such a love for Santa.

Santa will be checking his list soon. I am trying to be extra good this year. You never know what Santa will place under the tree for you this year! Be sure that you make it onto the nice list this year!

Becca

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47 Days Until Christmas

November 13, 2008 By 1 Comment

Christmas Tree

What would Christmas be without a Christmas Tree? This is a question that some people do not even understand. Of course you have a Christmas Tree. It is what symbolizes Christmas in our homes, our malls, Rockafeller Center and even the White House. There is even a whole Christmas Carol dedicated to it. “Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas tree”. We all sing its praise year after year. It is what you first learn to color and decorate as a child and what you dream that there will be presents under. So where did this Christmas tree come from is an important question to be answered.

  • The Christmas tree has been said to have first brought about in Germany. A monk had traveled to Germany to teach the people there the word of the lord. This monk used a fir tree, a triangular shape, as an example of the holy trinity. This the became a German tradition at Christmas time. People would even hang their trees upside down. As trade evolved so did the Christmas tree. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who was German, are said to have made the Christmas tree what it is today. Queen Victoria was well liked and people did whatever she did in order to keep up with the times. When people had seen that she had decorated her tree people followed. Ornaments at the time were all home made. From there the Christmas tree has evolved into what we know it as today. Thank goodness we do not put candles on our trees. I would be far to nervous!
  • Real Or Fake? This has been a debate that I have struggled with for years. Do I want a real tree or a fake one? Each year we go for the real one. There is nothing like smelling a fresh cut Christmas tree when you walk into your house. It is magical. For those who are happy getting that scent from a candle they may be just as happy with a fake tree. I will say this for a real tree, it is magical. Look at your child’s face when they come on a Christmas tree hunt with you. The joy hand magic they have at that moment becomes contagous. It is not lugging a big box out of the basement and assembling a tree. It is real. Part of what God gave us on this earth. It is magical.
  • Going Green: I know that many people out there are into a going green kick. It is the new cool thing to do. I know that cutting down trees is not good for the o-zone and who knows what else. There is something to consider though. These trees would not have been here if it were not for Christmas. They are all so perfect now because they come off of tree farms. So please put the green aside and just decide to recycle or reuse your tree when you are done. It will still be used as wood chips, fire wood to cut down on heat or to carve something special out of.

Becca

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48 Days Until Christmas

November 7, 2008 By 2 Comments
HOLLYWOOD - NOVEMBER 03: Actor John Michael H...

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Christmas Caroling

Long gone are the days of people going door to door singing happy joyful Christmas music.  You see all of the Norman Rockwell pictures of old time people singing in the center of town.  It all looks so great.  I remember as a child we used to go to Christmas Caroling with church.  It was so nice.  We would bundle up and hit a whole neighborhood with our joyous song.  People would invite us in for a quick cup of cocoa and we would move on to the next house to spread some joy.  So where have all of the carolers gone?

Now the Girl Scouts go to the local senior center for caroling.  No more are they outside singing and having fun.  They are herded into the senior center and put on more of a concert the “caroling”.  I think that it really is quite sad that we have lost the desire to go out caroling.  It is something I remember and cherish from being young.  It makes me think about what is happening to this country.  Why do we not want to share joy with each other?  Is it the we do not wish to offend people who are not Christian or is it that we just can not get away from our too busy lives?  I think that either excuse is just that, an excuse.  If you do anything this year please go out and do some Christmas Caroling.  Let’s put Christmas Caroling back on the map!

Becca

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49 Days Until Christmas

November 6, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Christmas Elves 2006 - 020F

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The Christmas elf

Does your family have an elf?

Elmer the Elf has been around for quite some time. I know that he was there for my grandfather, he was there for my father, he was there for me and now he is there for my children. I can only begin to imagine how old he must be. I am not sure if it goes back to my great grandfather or even further. What I know is that Elmer has been the family elf for at least four generations now. It is such a magical addition to the holidays and a great incentive for all to be good. So what does an elf do for you? I know that this is a question that many have asked me over the years. So here is the secret of Elmer for you. It is not something to take lightly. Disrespecting Elmer is an automatic naughty list violation. Keep this information safe and secure and have fun with it.

  1. Elmer is an Elf who watches over you from Thanksgiving until Christmas. Now my sister-in-law says he is already watching. This is unfounded information. He ONLY watches from Thanksgiving until Christmas. He spends the rest of his time busy making toys.
  2. Elmer is there to make sure that children are behaving all season long.
  3. If you are caught by Elmer being good he will leave a little something in your room for you. These are not big toys. I have heard rumors of Elmer buying Movies and other such things. This is very atypical elmer behavior. He usually buys neat toys such as a Chinese yo-yo or a holiday bubble necklace that can be warn all season long. It is just a little something to let you know that you are still on Santa’s “nice” list.
  4. Elmer has been spotted. My older brother still to this day remembers seeing Elmer in his room sitting on his tuba while he was sleeping. You never know who will spot Elmer and it is always great to hear what he looks like.
  5. Elmer is a magic that can not be abused. The kids are so receptive to him and love that he comes around year after year.

As you can see this simple little elf really helps to add to the holiday spirit. Perhaps your family should write to Santa and get an elf. You will be glad you did. Just a side not… Elmer is taken!

Becca

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56 Days Until Christmas

November 5, 2008 By Leave a Comment
The mess before

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The Holiday Cleaning List

The holidays bring a chance to clean and get reorganized. While this is my intention before I start to pull out all of my decorations I am going to yet again need a plan. After spending the entire summer in a cast I feel like my house is a gross mess. I am slightly overwhelmed by it but I am determined to make it sparkle with the lights this Christmas.

What I need is a week by week list of things to accomplish. At this point there are a little more then 7 weeks until Christmas So I have 7 weeks to make it happen. Here is the plan…

  1. WEEK 1: This week I would like to go though the girls toys, without them and make sure that I get rid of the ones that do not get played with, the ones that are broken, and the ones that I hate because they make far too much noise. This is a huge task and I hope that I can complete it in one week!
  2. WEEK 2: Eliminate the clutter. I have a problem with keeping everything and my husband never puts things back where they belong. This means that the house right now looks beyond cluttered. I would like to spend wee 2 getting rid of anything that does not have a home and put things that do have a home away.
  3. WEEK 3: This week I would like to finish switching out all of the summer and fall clothing for winter clothing. It is time and with 5 people to switch for it will certainly take a large hunk of time.
  4. WEEK 4: This week I would like to take out all of the china and crystal and wash it all. It will be nice for it to sparkle this holiday season. This will also make it so that I can just grab any pieces that I want to use when I want to use them.
  5. WEEK 5: It is wash the walls week. This week I would like to scrub the walls and wash anything that is on them. This will help brighten up the walls and elminate all of the dust in the air.
  6. WEEK 6: Wash all of the curtains is what is on the list for this week. I think that perhaps I will even make some holiday curtains for the kitchen this year so I can wash the everyday ones and replace them with a holiday treat!
  7. WEEK 7: This week we will just be streightning. I want everything to be nice for Santa

Although it does not sound like a lot to do it really will be time consuming. Just like everything else in this countdown it will be pread out enough so that we can still be enjoying Christmas and the entire holiday season!

Becca

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58 Days Until Christmas

November 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
An early official promotional photo from the T...

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A Time Of Giving – Toys for TOTS:

One of the first thing that I think about when I think about the holidays are all of the people who are really struggling through the holidays.  There are people who are ill, people who do not have any money and children who have no coat to get them through.  For decades the holidays have been a time when people have given to others without judgment.  The holidays have been a time when we all come together and are a little nicer then usual.

In high school I worked in a retail store that had a tree of giving.  You were to take a name off of the tree and make one child’s christmas wish come true.  Since I was 17 I have made it a point to adopt at least one child off of a tree each year.  Christmas is after all a time of giving.

I remember the first tag that I had taken off of the tree like it was yesterday!  I felt so sad for this child.  Although my parents did not have tons of money when I was growing up I really did not want for much.  The child who had filled out this tag asked for a coat to keep warm.  I am sure that mom was the one asking but it broke my heart.  In New York winter gets cold.  I bought this girl a coat, hat, two pairs of gloves, a scarf, a warm outfit and felt good about it.  Then I stopped and looked at what I had gotten and was disapointed.  All of these things were things that a child needs.  There are no dreams and desires in a list like that.  So I went back out shopping and bought her a Barbie, a matching Barbie car, a few coloring books, crayons, a baby doll, an outfit for the baby doll, some hair clips, chap stick, Monopoly and a beautiful dress that she could feel like a princess in for Christmas.  I think that I ended up spending about $150 on a child that I did not know.  I had it then and felt really good about it.  It was worth every dollar.

I still make sure to take a name off of a tree although I can not afford to spend nearly what I did that year but I can help make another child’s Christmas wishes come true.  Giving is what Christmas is all about.  It is a huge part of the season.  There are so many things that you can do to give back this Holiday season.  You could grab a name off of a tree, donate a holiday meal to the food pantry, work in a soup kitchen, help out a friend who may be having a hard time making ends meet in the current economy.  There are so many ways that you can give this Christmas.  Even if you just drop one toy in the Toys for Tots collection box it makes a huge difference in someone’s life and someone’s Christmas.

This holiday season please put a little extra time or money aside for someone who needs it.  Not only will they be forever grateful but you will forever feel good about it.   Fifteen years ago I gave Christmas to a little girl who wanted nothing but a warm coat.  I still feel great about it to this day.  So come on and just do it!  It will warm your heart and is a great thing to teach your children!

Becca

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65 Days Until Christmas

October 22, 2008 By 2 Comments
A folk tale depiction of Father Christmas on r...

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Traditions

A huge part of Christmas and the entire holiday season are traditions. I was thinking about the things I remember as a kid and have been thinking about what new traditions I can make for my family. Don’t get me wrong we already have a few that we have brought from our childhood. I think that it is important to have one that is new to us if not completely new.

The first and biggest tradition in my family is Elmer the Elf. Elmer has been watching over this family since the 1800′s. It is a tradition that has not died and continues to be passed. Starting on Thanksgiving, the children know that Elmer is watching. He works for the big guy and is there to assure that you are being good and not bad. If he catches you being good he will leave you a small prize the next morning. It adds excitement and certainly keeps the kids on their toes. They want to be good at the hectic holiday time. There have been times in my family that we have had to call Elmer but he always takes care of it. Elmer is a special magical part of our holiday season. Sometimes we know he is watching because he leaves his hat behind.

Another family tradition we have is to spend Christmas Eve. together. It is a time that is cherished. All of the kids get together and play while they anticipate Santa’s arrival. We have a beautiful dinner, chat and enjoy each other. It is like the end to all of the running around and hustle and bustle. We track Santa on the computer and usually get home just in time.

We also, like everyone else I know, leave cookies for Santa and a few carrots for the reindeer. Sometimes we leave egg nog instead of milk because Santa likes it a little more. It is the second to last thing before bed. Of course we read twas the night before Christmas right before bed.

A tradition we used to have but that has died was movie time Sunday. On Sundays from Thanksgiving to Christmas we used to get together and choose two holiday classics to watch. Everyone had their week to share the two that they like the most. While watching the movies together we would do crafts, enjoy each others company, wrap gifts or write our holiday cards. It was so special and I miss it. I think that this year I will start doing it again! I hope that others think it sounds fun!

So there are the traditions we have already. I am looking for a few new ones to start. I would love to hear your ideas and suggestions. I have a few in mind but thought that it would be nice to know what you family does for Christmas to make it special.

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