I Hope Your Christmas Was Wonderful!

Okay, now that things are getting back to normal and Christmas is over, how was it? Mine was wonderful.

This was my first Christmas without my mother, so it's not surprising that there were lots of bittersweet moments. As much as I missed her during the holiday I seemed to somehow feel closer to her than I had in prior months. Christmas Eve had always been celebrated at her home and this year we would be starting a new tradition - my children, grandchildren, and my husband and I would celebrate at my home on Christmas Eve.

I was looking forward to Christmas Eve - I knew being with my kids and grandkids was the therapy I needed to make my holiday special. My husband and I had done everything we could to make the evening wonderful. In fact, were shopping up until the last minute - we wanted to be sure that everyone had a good time.

In hindsight, there are a few things I wish I had done differently - like plan for my Christmas dinner earlier.

Here's a true story: my husband and I had some last minute shopping planned for Christmas Eve - just before our celebration. Because I knew we would be out at the last minute I thought it would be ideal to pick up our Christmas Day dinner ham while we were out. To me, that made sense.

The problem - all the grocery stores closed early on Christmas Eve! Although we were able to shop at department stores until late in the day, by the time we thought about the ham all the foods stores were closed. I happen to be a vegetarian - but everyone else in my family expects meat with their meals.

To make a long story short - of course we had other meat; the dinner just wasn't our traditional one. But to make up for that disaster we had a large dinner today (Sunday) - and yes, it did include ham and all the trimmings. This was a wonderful way to end the weekend. So guess what; yep, you guessed it, we will probably be doing this again next year. A new tradition born from a total accident.

Happy Holidays To All!

Doing What You Can To Spread Goodwill During The Holiday Season

The real meaning of Christmas is to give, not to receive, especially to the people that can’t afford to pay for their daily needs and don’t have enough financially to be able to enjoy the Christmas season. So this season let’s all try to spread some goodwill to all the families out there that are struggling this holiday season.

Hundreds of Santa letters are written each year, wishes, hopes and dreams that the children want or maybe even are in need of. Just about every child is told the story of Santa Clause and how he brings gifts to all the children. Or how you can write your own letters and send them to him, asking Santa for the things you want.

Most kids will believe in him for years. Most of the Children’s letters are their only request because they know their family will not be able to afford any gifts.
Gratefully there are volunteers and charitable organizations that will give help to families, kids and adults that are in need of help for the Christmas holiday. Many stores and banks set up special big boxes so that their customers can put new or used toys, clothes and shoes in them and then they donate the contents.

There are many places where people can volunteer during the holidays to do a lot of things, things like helping pass out gifts to families and kids, or going to a soup kitchen and help serve the food to homeless people, or even just donating to a place that is helping needy families or simply giving some of the things around your own home to your local thrift store. You could even visit a nursing home with your family, take some cookies and some cards and just visit with the elderly who may not have any family that visits them.

I was out Christmas shopping just the other night and witnessed firsthand a family in need. When I was checking out the girl that was ringing me up said she had seen a girl steal. I walked to my car and was putting my things in the trunk and all of a sudden a bunch of workers and a woman came from the store. The manager stopped and asked her if she wanted to give him back what was in her coat.

At first I was glad they caught her stealing until I saw it was diapers and baby clothes. I felt sorry for the lady. How sad to think that she could not even afford diapers for her baby and Christmas is just a couple weeks away. I offered to pay for the items and the manger declined my offer. The manager allowed the lady to leave without calling the police. There are millions of families struggling, we can’t help all of them but we can help some.

Christmas Is All About The Children

Many parents will sacrifice buying things they need around the holidays to make sure their children have a good Christmas and get just what they want for the holidays. Just like children, adults look forward to the magical holiday also, but in a different way - in the end of all the shopping and decorating it’s all for the kids on that special day.

Children usually get Christmas gifts directly from parents and other relatives, but they also receive them from Santa Claus himself. And that allows parent to use the story of Santa Clause as a discipline tactic. They will often start to remind the kids that if they want a good Christmas again this year they better be good. But it is also fun just telling the children stories about Santa, his elves and reindeer to let their imaginations run wild with the stories about him.

All the lights, decorations and sparkling ornaments really grab the children’s attention and are truly the main purpose of decorating for the holidays. There is something special when you see a child’s face light up with excitement when they see all the decorations.

Seeing the delight on a child’s face as they open a gift you purchased can make you feel good. The good feeling comes from a sense of relief that the child likes what you bought, but also that you have added to the joy of his or her holiday. It gives a unique sense of pride that cannot be explained.

Families also take this holiday to make special family traditions with their children. Whether it is helping decorate the house or taking the time to write letters to Santa or even baking cookies for him and finding treats for the reindeer, Christmas is a perfect holiday to start your family traditions.

It is important to teach your children when they are young that Christmas is not about the presents they might get or the Christmas parties they might go to. It’s about coming together as a family and being there for one another.

It’s also about giving and not receiving, so try to teach them that giving to families in need is good too. Also, try to make as many family traditions as you can so your children can pass them down to their family. Always make memories so your children and you can look back and remember that special day.

Beware of Santa Scam Sites

A wide variety of media reports indicate that scams using Santa Claus are on the rise. A number of “Santa services” can now be purchased online and offline promising letters, phone calls, emails, videos or personalized chats with Santa. But some parents are reporting that some of these service providers merely take the money and run.

“It’s a very competitive niche,” said Dale Gruber, who owns and runs PackageFromSanta.com with his wife.

He is a member of the Better Business Bureau. The scams, he indicates, don’t just reach the consumer. Competition is sometimes dirty in the Santa services business. At one point, Gruber said another company had duplicated the exact look and feel of his Web site. The infringing website quickly received a Cease & Desist letter from Mr. Gruber’s attorney. Gruber said that company even tried to claim his BBB membership, as well.

“It’s unbelievable how much fraud there is, and we aggressively protect our trademark, artwork, and website elements” Gruber said.

This is the third holiday season for PackagefromSanta.com, who has gained acceptance and notoriety amongst the online Christmas communities.

The company has three products: A letter from Santa for $12.99; a second package that includes a letter from Santa, a letter from Rudolph, a “Nice List” certificate and an autographed photo of Santa and Mrs. Claus for $24.99, and a red box filled with all of the above and more, including “North Pole Snow”, a collector's tin of Reindeer food, an Authentic Collector's Swatch of Santa's Suit, and more for $49.99. For a limited time, PackageFromSanta.com is offering free shipping but may charge for shipping in the next few days. Priority shipping, which is recommended now to ensure delivery by Christmas, is $5.95.

Many online Santa letter services aren’t as well organized. Some only begin operating just after Thanksgiving and shut down as soon as Christmas passes. Some will sell on eBay. And many simply fail to deliver.

Tim Burns, public affairs director for the Better Business Bureau, was amazed to see the number of online offers for letters or phone calls from Santa.

“If they say wire them money, run away,” Burns said.

Typically, consumers never want to wire money to any person that they do not know well. Burns said wire transfer services have become “the ATM of scam artists and should be a red flag for consumers.” Western Union also warns that you don’t want to use money transfer services to pay for things like online auction purchases. Some Santa publishing outfits even claim to be members of the BBB but are not, Burns said. He suggests that you double check that information directly at www.bbb.org.

Burns said one woman in Tennessee complained to the BBB that she purchased two Santa letters online, but her children never received them. She was unable to contact the company by phone or fax.

A few years ago, a California woman also complained to the BBB because she paid $20 for letters for her then 3-year-old nephew whose father was stationed in Iraq. The letter never arrived at the boy’s home in North Carolina nor at the aunt’s home in California.

Another woman in Texas complained to the BBB of paying $45 for a phone call from Santa that never came.

As with any purchase, consumers need to realize that anytime they give a credit card number to someone they don’t know, there’s a risk that the card could be charged over and over again. So you need to watch your credit card statements, too.

By SUSAN TOMPOR
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

For a reputable Santa Letter service that IS registered with the BBB, just go to www.PackageFromSanta.com

A Christmas Miracle

It was about a week before Christmas last year and we still did not have our tree up. The kids had been whining for weeks about putting it up and decorating the house – but I had put off the task because of all the rearrangements and digging out of boxes. You know the drill – it can be a lot of work and a real mess. But I finally got the living room moved around so we had room for our extra large Christmas tree.

We all gathered around the artificial tree to help get it set up and make sure we had all the pieces to it. After we had the tree set up I decided to take the kids up to the attic with me to get the rest of the decorations from up there.
We got up to the attic and had to move a lot boxes out of our way, but we finally found the old, favorite Christmas decorations from years gone by. I was so excited that I found all those old decorations that held memories from the kids - I just grabbed the boxes and went back down stairs to go through them.

After I got down stairs and made some lunch for the kids I started to go through all the old boxes of decorations. As soon as I opened the first box I noticed that there was a whole bunch of glass in the bottom of the box and all the decorations that were glass had been broken.

I started opening all the boxes to see if all the glassware had been broken – and to my disappointment, yes, all of the glass things were in tiny pieces in the bottom of the boxes. All the ornaments that my kids made and their baby’s first Christmas ornaments were all broke. These things were much more than decorations to me; they carried with them memories from Christmases in the past.

When my husband got home I was still very upset about the decorations. He told me that everything was going to be ok and we will just buy some more ornaments that the kids can decorate. He gave us some money and sent us to the store to get decorations and supplies for the kids.

The kids and I went to the store and got everything we needed to decorate the tree and to make some new ornaments. We were all still upset but we had a good attitude and we thought it would be fun to have new decorations this year.

When we got home and started unloading the car my husband came out to help. We all got inside and I looked over to see our empty tree and to my amazement it was beautiful. It was covered with lights, decorations and garland. Even some decorations made by my kids.

While we were gone my husband called his mom and she came over to help with the family crisis. Turns out my mother-in-law had a few ornaments made by my children that she had kept safe over the years. With those beautiful decorations and special touches, they got the whole tree decorated before the kids and I got back home - and it was the best tree ever.

After I got over my shock I made everybody some hot chocolate and we all sat around the lighted Christmas tree. This was a Christmas that the kids and I will never forget - it was a true Christmas miracle to me.

Starting Family Traditions

If you are a parent of young kids now is a good time to start family traditions with them. Starting traditions when your kids are young is great because they will soon associate those activities with the holidays and they’ll look forward to them every year. You could try to think of stuff that you enjoyed as a child or you can come up with new ideas, things just for you and your family.

A great tradition is making the holiday decorating a family a family affair. From young to old, get everyone involved – the kids will love it! A cheap idea that I do is have the kids make their own ornaments, I just buy the plain glass ornaments and have them decorate and put the year on them. This makes the kids happy because they are helping to decorate the house and you can use them over and over every year as a keepsake.

Writing letters to Santa is always a great project to include, it’s simple to do and it gives you a chance to see what the kids really want for Christmas. The kids always feel proud that they wrote to Santa himself. I love seeing the look on their face when they get their letter from Santa – they get so excited.

Another idea is to bake cookies or brownies - something the kids can get involved with. You could even give baked goods as gifts; the kids would feel real special. Santa always likes cookies and milk on Christmas Eve so be sure to make some and leave them out for him as another tradition.

Another good tradition to do with the kids is have them make homemade holiday cards to give to the family. You can give them to your closest friends and family for the holidays. The kids will have fun decorating the cards and passing them out to family members and friends.

Whatever traditions you start or continue this year with your family, remember that Christmas is about giving and not receiving. It is not about the present you might get, it is about being with your family and friends that you love the most. Christmas traditions help to instill a sense of family strength as the family members come together to enjoy a loved event or activity. This provides an insight into our past, as we can see what our parents or grandparents may have done or what was important to them during the holidays.

As the years and generations go by, each family adds their own twist and touch and the tradition continues. Be sure to enjoy some of those great family traditions with your children this year so they can pass them on to their children when they get older. And do what you can to keep your kids believing in Santa for as long as possible because after all, Santa Claus keeps the magic alive!

Christmas Will Be here Soon!

We all know Christmas is that special time of year when family and friends come to together to spend time with each other. In doing so they make memories that all involved will enjoy thinking back on. Planning ahead for these special events will just help things go a little smoother so the memories will be that much better – after all, stress and frustration has a way of tarnishing a perfect day and our associated memories.

Christmas is approaching fast here so I have some last minute tips to help you get all your finishing touches done before the big day. If you are like most people you still have some last minute shopping to do. The closer it gets to Christmas the more crowed the stores become and they often run out of items – which of course, can increase any stress and frustration. Some simple ways to avoid this is making homemade gift baskets for family and friends. This allows you to easily buy stuff – useful stuff, which will fit into the basket. A lot of movies go on sale during the holidays and they make great gifts. The ideas for gift baskets are endless – you can create them around hobbies, crafts, spa and bath supplies, or anything else. Consider giving a pet lover a gift basket that includes items for his little friend.

Shopping online is always fast and convenient and it can save you lots of stress. But as Christmas gets closer shipping will be more expensive for fast delivery.
Wrapping gifts early is always a good idea – this prevents that last minute hassle and stress of staying up late Christmas Eve wrapping all the gifts and getting everything ready for the big day. Also getting the kids to write their letters to Santa is always fast and simple and this can be done early in the holiday season. This easy tradition helps to keep the kids believing in Santa Claus, which of course, helps to keep the magic of Christmas alive. Try to think of fun things that you could do to make the kids believe in him even more. The kids should be involved in holiday events and projects as much as possible.

If you are having a family gathering where your family is coming to your house for the celebration here are some tips: keep your gathering simple, plan ahead of your gathering. Plan to cook things that are on the simple side so you will not have to stress about the food or even about serving it. When it comes to entertainment for your guests be sure to include activities for the kids. Easy craft projects and writing letters to Santa are my favorites.

Decorating the house gives it that festive feel and you do not have to do much to have a big effect. Some of the Christmas craft projects completed by the children will make wonderful additions to your holiday décor.

Christmas will be here in just a couple weeks so you need to prepare. Whatever you decide to do this year, just remember to make holiday memories that your family will hold dear in their hearts in years to come. Keep in mind that Christmas is not all about the gifts that you might give or get, it’s about family and family time – and cherishing what you have in unique ways – if giving gifts fits in that is great. I hope that you have a Christmas to remember this year!

Thinking Of Doing Some Online Christmas Shopping This Year?

When most people think about going Christmas shopping they think of checkout lanes that are too long, stores that are packed, crowded parking lots and a stressful experience. But this kind of joy can only be experienced after hastily preparing for the shopping extravaganza and fighting traffic to get to the shopping mall of choice. For a lot of people this is what Christmas shopping is all about and they would not have it any other way.

For other people, people like me, who do not want to deal with all of that, there is an excellent alternative for your holiday shopping this year. Online shopping is an easy and simple way to shop; you can visit lots of stores in just a matter of minutes. You may be able to save a little bit of money in the process, online stores just like regular stores often have big sales during the holidays and many even offer free shipping. Another way to save is to visit some of the online coupon websites. You can usually find a coupon code for virtually any store or product.

One of the most important things to remember is to order early enough to have the gift delivered to the person before Christmas. This is important because you want your gift to be sent on time with no rushed delivery charge. The difference in shipping costs can be huge. Before you go through with your order check the stores shipping prices, some stores have high shipping. You don’t want to spend a lot of the money you saved by shopping online just trying to get all your presents shipped to you.

The only problem that I’ve had occur is that some items look a little different online than in person. Be sure you know what you are buying - look at the item carefully and be sure that is exactly what you want. That’s another good thing about shopping online; you can quickly do a search to learn more about any product that interests you – before you spend your money! You might also want to check that the store has a return Policy, just in case you need to return something.

The last thing to remember is to always choose a company that has a good reputation or one that you have bought from before. You do not want to experiment with a new store around the holiday season; there could be unexpected delays because of bad business practice.

Just to put things in perspective, online shopping is the future. It’s the quickest most convenient way to shop you; don’t even have to leave your house and anything that makes life less stressful is always good, especially around the holidays.

Online shopping has gained in popularity over the past five years and there is no reason to believe that this popularity will not continue to grow, year after year. Get a jump on things and start shopping online now – you’ll save time, money, and stress.

Baby’s First Christmas

It’s baby first Christmas! How exciting for you and them! Now is a perfect time to start traditions. Like buying the new bundle of joy a baby first Christmas ornament and sending a newborn santa letter. Or making them a scrapbook for the holiday season or just putting every day pictures in it for them and you to look back on. Here are a few gift ideas for your new bundle of joy.

If you ask a parent what they think they spend the most money on when it come to the kids they will probably say diapers. Diapers are expensive so a great gift to get a new baby or for a baby shower is a diaper cake. Diaper cakes are made to look like a wedding cake but it is made from diapers and is filled with toys, blankets, pacifiers, clothes, socks, and sometimes a keepsake for mom.

Soft squeaky washable books are another great gift idea for new babies. They can be washed and used over and over again. Don’t be worried if you get a book that is too advanced for your baby; your baby will grow into it before you know it and he will enjoy playing with it for a long time.

Piggy banks are a gift that can last for a lifetime. They can help your child learn to save money. Get them personalized with the child’s name and the year on it and it will be keepsake that will last.

Every parent wants to show off their new bundle of joy - especially around the holidays. A good gift idea to give to family members is a personalized photo frame with your child’s photo in it. Since your frame is personalized they can only put pictures of your child in it; pretty sneaky isn’t it?

Another gift idea for baby’s First Christmas is buying baby’s first Christmas pajamas. You will to give the pajamas to them early so when they open their presents on Christmas morning you can take all kinds of pictures with the pajamas on.

There are many places that will personalize blankets. These blankets are a great gift idea for babies because you can have them personalized with their name, the year and even baby’s first Christmas on them. They are machine washable so you can use them over and over for years.

Whatever you decide to do this year and in years to come, make sure you make memories with your kids that they will remember and you will too. Be sure to take a lot of picture so you all can look back on that special day.

Need Help Christmas Shopping For Your Wife This Holiday Season?

Most of the time when you ask a man if he likes to shop the answer is likely to be ‘no’. Whether it is for the Christmas season or just everyday shopping, it is often a dreaded chore. These men may love their wife dearly but the thought of shopping and getting a gift seems like a hard task to accomplish. Many women do not realize just how much it stresses their husbands to go shopping. In this article you find some stress free ideas to help you shop for your wife this holiday season.

Most women like anything that smells good or sparkles. Perfume that she wears, lotions that she uses and any kind of jewelry are always good gifts for most women. You could even have flowers sent to her a couple days before Christmas to surprise her.

If your wife is complaining all the time over the same things, listen to her around the holidays and get some ideas for Christmas presents. You may hear her complain that the photos are a mess and that you will be adding more to the mix with the Christmas photos that are sure to be taken. Instead of receiving this as a complaint, listen to it as a hint for a holiday gift. Maybe she would appreciate a nice photo album or perhaps you could put together a scrapbook for her with all the family pictures. That would provide a safe place for the photos and they would all be in one place – she would love it.

Another great gift idea to give to your wife is to buy a certificate to the spa. Most women enjoy getting pampered. Get a certificate that entitles her to having her nails done, facials, and massages. A day at the spa provides her with time to just sit back and relax, without cares or worries.

Another gift idea is hiring a maid service. Especially round the holidays a lot of women feel overwhelmed with the shopping, decorating and cleaning the house. Giving a certificate does not mean that you do not think that house is dirty, it just means that you see how hard she works and you want to try to make her life a little bit easier.

No matter what you get your wife this holiday season, she will love it as long as you put your time and thought into making it all about her. This holiday season try something new and try to surprise her with what you get her. Women like surprises whether they admit it or not.

Thanks To The Kids, You No Longer Have To Spend A Lot On Holiday Decorations

As parents we all know what matters most about the holidays; it’s not how much you spend or what you get, it’s all about the kids. The holidays are the most stressful time of the year, trying to make ends meet and get everyone what they want is hard for most of us. Fortunately getting great decorations is not difficult, nor is it expensive. This year, don’t spend much at all on them, instead, help the kids to make some.

One of the greatest benefits to doing this is to see how proud the kids are when their Christmas craft projects are complete and you are displaying them around the house. It gives your child a chance to have some pride in something that he or she has done alone or taken a part in.

To begin, most families that celebrate Christmas have a Christmas tree. You can start by having the kids help you make decorations for the tree. Visit your local craft store or even the craft section of a department store like Wal-Mart. Use your imagination and let the kids use theirs. You should be able to find just about anything you need for projects you want to do. In fact, you will probably get some great ideas as you look around.

Christmas craft projects are fun for all ages. This means there is something for everyone, from young to old, to do and enjoy. Your kids will proudly point out their art work to visitors and family members that visit during the holiday season. Their pride and sense of accomplishment will show on their faces – a free gift for you to enjoy and cherish; isn’t their happiness what it’s all about anyway?

Okay I am not going to list a lot of ideas about how to make this or that. This is not about that, this is just trying to show you that you don’t have to spend much on Decorations and after your kids and you sit down to work on a craft project or two you won’t want to buy store decorations anymore. But I will tell you a couple of things that my kids and I have done over the years. This fist one is for younger children, and we call it “Pine Cone Christmas Trees”. All you’ll need are Pine Cones, Green and red Glitter, Glue and tinsel. The directions are simple; you just dip the pine cone in glue and before the glue dries, sprinkle the cone with glitter. Top with it with a pipe cleaner that is shaped into a star or other creative shape. When the pine cone is completely dry you can glue on some tinsel and hang the ornament on the tree.

Hope that your family likes it as much as mine has. The next one is always fun to make; it’s a Snowflake and it’s quick and easy. For each snowflake you will need 4 toothpicks cut in half, 9 small glittery white pompoms, white craft glue and white or gold ribbon. First you paint the toothpicks white and let them dry. Glue pompoms to each end of the toothpick. Next you position the toothpicks in the shape you want and glue them (hot glue guns work great – but use caution if your children are helping). The last pompom is saved to adorn the center of the snowflake. After all glue is dry you simply tie on your ribbon and hang the ornament on the tree.

I hope you find these ideas an inspiration to come up with some of your own. Doing Christmas craft projects is as much a Christmas tradition at my house as writing letters to Santa is. These family times create lasting memories that each family member appreciates.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Things To Consider Before Doing Your Christmas Shopping

We all know that Christmas is that special time of year when everyone spends time with their family and friends. There is just something magical about Christmas; seeing the kids’ intently writing letters to Santa and their expressions of delight when they receive a letter from Santa Claus himself. And that joyous wonder they show as they curiously inspect wrapped gifts under the Christmas tree. Of course, we cannot forget the look in their eyes when Christmas Day finally comes and at last, they get to see what Santa brought them and open all those wonderful gifts. These are true Kodak moments!

No one enjoys the Christmas Season more than kids do. But what makes it so special for them? It might be that they get some well deserved time out of school or the enchanting holiday decorations or the beauty of snow or just knowing that Santa is going to be coming to their house soon. Whatever it is, for kids, Christmas is more than just a holiday, it is a feeling that comes from within.

Christmas shopping for kids is always fun, but there are things that you have to consider before you go shopping for them, including budget, insuring that the toys are age appropriate for the child, purchasing toys that are loud or noisy or messy (after all, you have to deal with that long after the fun of Christmas is over), choosing toys that are not too big for the child’s room, and above all, being sure that it is a toy that your child will enjoy. With all those things in mind the fun of shopping for kids seems to take on a whole new meaning!

It is very important to set a budget before you go shopping and then make a list of all the people that you intend to buy for this holiday season. Then budget in how much you think that you will spend on each person, try to stick to your budget by buying things when they are on sale or purchasing things throughout the year.

Always make sure that the toy you have selected is age appropriate for your child. Small parts can be a choking hazard. Children under three usually still put things in their mouth so always consider that while you are shopping this year. Toys are labeled as to the age range they are intended for.

When you are shopping it is important to consider the child’s parents and the living situation. Loud toys can be annoying to neighbors and parents alike. Toys that are too big will hardly ever get played with. So always keep this in mind when you are shopping.

Always remember that Christmas is not about the gifts around the tree but the people around the tree; the memories that you make and the special time that you get to spend with your family and loved ones is what makes Christmas the special holiday that it is. However you decide to do your Christmas shopping this year just have fun with it and try not to stress too much - Christmas only comes one time a year and in a blink of the eye it is over again.

Santa Letters For Those Special Kodak Moments

Last year I was ready and waiting when my three grandchildren received their letters from Santa. You see, writing a Letter to santa has been a family holiday tradition since I was a child. For as long as I can remember the evening of Thanksgiving Day has always been designated as the official and traditional time for children of the family to write Santa Claus a letter and work on Christmas craft projects. This always seemed like the perfect way to end the Thanksgiving holiday and bring in the Christmas season.

Santa Letters are excitedly discussed over the meal and the children’s enthusiasm for writing grows long before dessert begins. As the writing begins each child has his/her own ideas about what must be included. One may feel the need to explain away a few bad grades or even some misbehavior and another may only make a list of what the perfect Christmas gifts under the tree would be. This varies from child to child and even from year to year.

When the letters are ready they are stuffed into envelopes and addressed to Santa at the North Pole. Then the wait begins. The children look forward to receiving a response to their letters. In years gone by this was a difficult task to carry out because as parents, we had to somehow get the ‘Letter from Santa’ into the mailbox at a time that would make the children believe it was delivered by the mail carrier. The other challenge was writing a letter that seemed authentic enough to be believable.

Nowadays parents do not have to do any sneaky work at all. Fortunately, there are now ways to have genuine letters from Santa delivered by your official mail carrier, along with other mail. And that brings us to where I was yesterday when my three grandchildren received their Christmas letters.

Daniel, my oldest is 10 and he was on the fence about believing in Santa Claus at all. When he received his letter his look was one of amazement. His eyes were wide and he almost looked afraid to open it. Savannah is 9 years old and an avid believer. When she saw the letter addressed to her it was as if she had known it was going to arrive at just that moment – no surprises at all; but Savannah read her letter in private before she shared it with us. Madilynn is only 3. She believes wholeheartedly and the simple fact that Santa wrote her a letter made her shrill with delight.

While each of my grandchildren had a different reaction, each facial expression was priceless – they were what people often refer to as Kodak moments!

Letters To Santa Bring Joy To The Little Santa Letter Helpers

Children everywhere send Letters to Santa during the holiday season. Santa regularly hears from children that live in Canada, the United States, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, and so many other places.

Because children come different places and they are individuals with various wants and needs, each letter written to Santa is slightly different than the others he receives. Children that live in Hawaii often ask Santa for new swim gear and children that live in Canada are likely to ask for new sleds or snowboards.

But as the letters are written most children make it a point to thank Santa Claus and his helpers for the wonderful Christmases of years past. Those helpers most often mentioned are the elves and the reindeer. The reindeer are well aware of the appreciation felt for their services of flying Santa around the world on Christmas Eve because children often leave treats out for them to eat on that special night.

But when it comes to the little elves that work hard all year to insure that every toy asked for is delivered on time, these letters are the only way they find out how much the children value what they do. That’s why Santa and Mrs. Claus share these letters with the elves.

When Santa letters mention the elves and an appreciation for their work it makes them realize just how important their role really is. Christmas could not be Christmas without the help of the elves. Many times Santa will write a special note to children which reminds them of all the hard work done by the elves, the reindeer, all the other animals at the North Pole. Santa knows that without their help he could not make Christmas as magical as it is. A Letter from Santa is only made possible because Santa has the time to write them – and he would not have that time available without the help of the elves.

Santa Letters From Santa’s Nice List Are A Child’s Best Reward

Parents everywhere use the concept behind Santa’s Naughty and Nice List as a way of eliciting good behavior from our children. This tactic has been used for generations, passed down from parent to child over and over.

Most of us can remember hearing our parents threaten us with calls to Santa or the simple, “Santa knows if you’ve been good or bad”, which was usually enough of a warning to scare us into being good, at least temporarily.

While as a child, had we known what we know now, this treatment may have been recognized as cruel or manipulative, as an adult we fully understand why our parents used this tactic – the simple truth is that it works. And when a parent finds a fail-proof way to get his/her child to demonstrate the deserved behaviors we latch on to it. In fact, many of us would like to find other ways to use the same sort of method year round.

This method puts the dirty work on someone else – but what child could ever think badly of Santa Claus? After all, he is the ultimate when it comes to giving and caring for other people. Obviously displeasing him is our fault – not his.

These Naughty and Nice Lists are often the core reason that many children want so desperately to write Letters to Santa. They want and need the assurance that they are on his Nice List. While the Santa Letters may not always directly ask Santa which list the child is on, most children know that a response from Santa means that they are in fact, on his Nice List.

The simple fact that a child receives a letter from Santa indicates that he is willing to take the time to talk with the child. In a child’s mind, misbehavior can result in a less caring relationship which would possibly mean that in this case, if the child was on the Naughty List, Santa wouldn’t care and would not write back. When children get a Christmas letter from the North Pole they know they have been forgiven for any misdeeds and that Santa still loves them – but more importantly, they know they are on Santa’s Nice List!

A Santa Here, A Santa There?

Years ago kids had to wait for that special day when Santa came to town to sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas….do you remember that – it was a special weekend when Santa came to town. Kids often stood in a long line waiting for their turn to talk to Santa, to tell him what they really wanted for Christmas, to remind Santa about the special letter they sent to him. Santa would sometimes ask that scary question, “Have you been good this year,” which was terrifying for some of the kids to think about.

Times have changed, nowadays there’s a Santa Claus in every mall or in front of nearly every store during the holiday season. How do you explain that to young children? There is supposed to be one Santa that comes to town to see who has been good or bad and now they are everywhere.

You take the kids anywhere during the holidays and there is Santa Claus everywhere. I think this makes Santa look cheap and fake. It’s no wonder that so many kids stop believing in Santa at an early age. Christmas is supposed to be filled with magic for kids and Santa Claus is a big part of that. His magic is that he lives in the North Pole and he travels around the world in one night, delivering presents to all the boys and girls all over the world.

Doesn’t having all of these unnecessary Santa’s everywhere take some of that magic away?

Christmas Trouble Maker

Christmas was about two months away and I kept asking my husband for a kitten for the kids. Of course he kept telling me no, that’s the last thing that we need right now. I told him that I thought it would be a great pet for the kids and they are inexpensive, he should think about it a little more before just saying no.

It was about three weeks until Christmas and my husband was late coming home from work - by the time he had gotten home the kids were in bed. When he walked in the front door he had a little grey kitten in his arms. With a huge smile on his face he bellowed out, “Merry Christmas” and handed me the kitten.

The next day I got up and showed the kids the new member of the family. They could not believe that they got a new kitten for Christmas. They loved him immediately and their delight was evident by the beaming smiles on their faces. We decided to call him Tidas.

After I introduced everybody I took Tidas into the living room and as soon as I put him down he ran right to my Christmas tree. He instantly started smacking at the ornaments.

We tried to distract him with cat toys but he kept going back to my tree. I had forgotten about the troubles that kittens are - getting into stuff they shouldn't, climbing up shelves and knocking stuff down. I could tell I was going to have big problems with my new baby and the Christmas tree.

It had been about two weeks since we got Tidas and my Christmas tree had already been knocked down about twenty times, several ornaments had been broken and a few presents torn open, I was very frustrated. I started thinking of what I could use to block this itty bitty kitten from climbing up my tree or going around my tree and presents.

I had a play yard play pen for the kids that I was not using any more and I thought that it would perfect to put around the tree to block the cat and the kids. I got the playpen around the tree, the tree put back together with all the ornaments hanging, sparkling lights and the presents rewrapped and placed under the tree.

Finally, I had won the war - Tidas could not get to the Christmas tree or the presents anymore!

I will never forget the Christmas we got Tidas, we all had to redecorate the Christmas tree every night that year until we put that gate around the tree. I had forgotten how playful kittens are and the next time I ask for a new pet I am going to think twice about it and make sure I am ready for the challenges they bring to me.

Santa Letter From Marty the Mouse Spreads Christmas Magic Like Cheese

After getting in trouble for disobeying his parents, Marty the Mouse was terrified that he would be placed on Santa’s Naughty List. You see, Marty’s parents have told him many times that he mustn’t venture out into the big house by himself. But Marty loves exploring the large rooms – and he finds lots of treasures to bring back home to his family. Marty is a little mouse that is full of ideas and adventures – he dreams of the day when he can freely leave his family home in the walls of the big house and travel far and wide. But right now he must tend to the business of getting on Santa’s Nice List.

Marty’s distant cousins, Jingles, Sparkle, Twinkle, and Jolly happen to be four of Santa’s Christmas Mice. In case you didn’t know, the Christmas Mice are Santa’s official mail helpers. This gave Marty some ideas… If his cousins work helping with all the Santa Letters, why couldn’t they give him some advice? Marty was sure that his cousins would help – especially Jingles. You see, Jingles is a very sweet little gray and white mouse that has worked hard to make sure that all mice everywhere are remembered at Christmas time.

Marty would send a letter to Jingles right away; he was sure his Aunt Wilma had the secret address for mice at the North Pole. Marty excitedly got his best pencils and notepad out to begin his letter.

Marty’s letter started off with the usual kind of stuff that anyone would include in a letter to someone you don’t see too often; it included updates on each of his family members and the weather, and of course, questions about Jingles’ life and the weather at the North Pole. But then Marty got down to the business of explaining his situation and asking for advice.

Marty needed to know exactly what to say in his santa letter to keep him off the Naughty List. When the letter was completed Marty stashed it in a pile of outgoing mail and hoped that his mom would be sending that mail out soon.

About a week later Marty got a letter from Jingles at the North Pole! He was so excited, and his family was too – everyone was interested in how Jingles and his family were doing and they wanted to know what the weather was like at the North Pole. Marty said he would like to read the letter in private and then he would share it with everyone.

When Marty opened the letter up he was so proud of Jingles – those Christmas Mice really are smart! Jingles had written two separate letters, one was all about life at the North Pole and his friends and family – he even included a picture of him with Santa Claus. But the other letter was meant only for Marty. That letter held the secret to staying on Santa’s Nice List.

As Marty read the letter he learned that the Christmas Mice are responsible for sorting all Personalized Santa Letters that come and go at the North Pole. This means that the mice get to read lots of letters to Santa Claus. It also means they get to see what letters from Santa say.

According to Jingles, Santa Claus is just as wonderful as we have all imagined. Jingles says that if we try to be good and work hard at doing the right thing Santa will understand when we have little mess ups. Jingles also added that Santa Claus will only add us to the Naughty List if we keep doing bad things over and over, and we don’t try to do the best we can.

Jingles explained that because we all know in our hearts what is right and wrong, Santa Claus believes that it’s not necessary for him to be real specific about what we should or shouldn’t do. But Jingles said we could get a Nice List Guide if we need one.

Marty was ecstatic! All he has to do is be good and he will stay on Santa’s Nice List. But even in Marty’s excitement he wondered if Santa would mind if he just made a few more secret trips into the big house.

About The Author:
Hailei Corin lives in the big house – the same one Marty lives in! Hailei discovered Marty the Mouse in her desk drawer the very night she was writing her santa letter. Hailei had a long talk with Marty about the importance of Personalized santa letters and why a letter from Santa is so special. Look for more adventures of Marty the Mouse from Hailei – they have become great friends!

Helping Soldiers Overseas This Holiday Season

This Christmas while you are celebrating with your family there will be thousands of military families separated for the holiday season. Some of those families may have lost a family member to war. Shouldn't we do what we can to help these families in need?

They have given up their life as they knew it to fight for our country. Some of them overseas may not come back. Christmas without your mom or dad there would be hard; I could not imagine having a Christmas without them. We should all do what we can to show our support for everyone over there fighting so that you and I can live our life like normal.

While they can't spend time with their family you and I will be enjoying Christmas with ours. But there are lots of ways to help the soldiers and their families have a better Christmas even though both their parents may not be there.

Some things that you can send to the soldiers while they are serving for our country are phone cards and Christmas cards to send back to their families, puzzle books, cigarettes, books, magazines, fleece blankets, hats (black only), footballs, basketballs and DVDs, just about anything that you can think of you can send to them.

Some of the things that you can not send to the soldiers are alcoholic beverages, anything that depicts nudity, unauthorized political material and pork and pork by- products. If any contraband is found in the package what so ever your package may not be delivered so make sure you read what they can have and not have.

I myself am by no means rich but I can always manage to send them something, even if it is just candy canes. As you can see, you can get items from this list at almost any store. It just lets the soldiers know that we are thinking of them and appreciate what they are doing for us.

Christmas has always been a special time for my family and I am sure yours too. These families are separated for the holidays and we should do what we can to help them this holiday season. This year I plan to use Thanksgiving as a beginning day of collecting things on the list from family and friends and making a gift basket to send to the soldiers. So this year, as our kids write their Christmas letters to Santa, we plan on helping them make Christmas cards for soldiers and preparing care packages.

No matter how you celebrate Christmas just don't forget about our soldiers and all they do for us. Remember that while they are working for us we should all do our part to help them as much as possible.

Helping Others During The Holidays

I can remember the Christmas holiday that my mom helped our neighbors across the street from us. They were new to the neighborhood and had openly discussed their financial problems with my mom. The family had young children to care for and was worried how they were going to get through Christmas. Their bills were piling up and things were looking pretty dismal.

My mom suggested that they call some of the local churches that would help with gifts for all the children, they also provide food for the ones who qualify. She also told them to try and put the kids on the Angel tree and wait to see if they get picked from the tree. She told them that Christmas is about making memories that will last with your family. It is not what you get your kids it is the memory that you make with them.

They called around to all of the churches – some gave them food, others helped them with their bills and others helped with gifts and in other ways. The family was able to use a little of the money to actually shop for a gift or two for each of their children.

They were so happy and appreciative that my mom had told them about all of those places that would help them. They even pulled together enough money to get something for her. They came over a couple days before Christmas to give my mom her gift. It was wrapped with a bow and my mom placed it under the tree with all the other presents. It made my mom proud that she helped this family and she invited them to eat Christmas dinner with us, she was thrilled that they accepted.

On Christmas Day the family arrived to eat with us. The house was packed with people everywhere; the mood was festive with Christmas music playing in the background.

This is a Christmas that I will never forget. My mom helped this family get through Christmas just by giving advice to them. Because they listened and took action, they had a good Christmas. It shows you that you do not have to do much to help less fortunate people.

This year I plan on getting the family together and making a big gift basket to send to the churches in the area. It will be helping the less fortunate in an indirect way and making memories with my children in a very direct way – memories that will last a lifetime.

Spreading Kindness During The Holidays

I can remember the year that I helped my mom get everything ready to take to the nursing home. She went there every year to visit the residents and this year she wanted me to go with her to help.

To be honest, I didn’t really want to go but my mom talked me into it. She said that the people there did not have anybody to visit them and it would make their day if I came along – I finally decided I would.

I helped my mom make Christmas cards from construction paper to pass out; I also helped her make the Christmas cookies with the little Santa Clauses on them. We bought special Christmas tins to place the cookies in. The preparation for the visit to the nursing home was actually kind of fun.

When it was time to take all of our goodies inside I started to get nervous; I had never done anything like this before and did not know what to expect. When we got inside the entry way a lady led us to the ‘gathering room’. That is where we handed out our cookies and cards. I remember feeling sad that some of the people couldn’t have the cookies (because of diabetes or other complications).

All of the people there were very friendly and wanted to talk to us. They seemed so happy to have us there – it made me feel glad that I came. We were there for hours. Even after the cookies were gone some of the people stayed just to talk to us.

We visited some of the people in their rooms. My mom brushed some of the ladies’ hair, but a lot of the people were asleep so we just left our homemade Christmas card on their nightstand. I liked being in the rooms with the people better than being in the gathering room.

We could talk to them one on one and did not have a bunch of people trying to talk to us at once. They were very appreciative about their cookies and cards. Many of them asked us to come back not only for the Christmas holiday, but just to visit and play games with them.


This is a Christmas that I will never forget. I have gone back to that nursing home to visit and pass out cards and cookies many times over the years. The people living there are so appreciative when someone takes the time to visit with them.

My children are even involved now – they help me make the Christmas cards and cookies, and they go with me for the vists. My kids love it and look forward to it every year.

Top Site For Santa Letters

Santa Letters are a traditional part of Christmas for most families with children. Kids everywhere enjoy writing letters to Santa Claus so they can remind him of their favorite things. But writing the letters is only half of the tradition – the other part revolves around Santa answering the letters.

The children anxiously wait for their letters from santa claus, as they fret that they may have made it to Santa’s Naughty List. While there are several companies that offer Santa Claus letters, many of them just don’t quite measure up to the ones of quality. I have been on the lookout for such companies for years and I believe I have found the best place to get a Personalized letter from santa Claus.

PackageFromSanta.com not only provides the letters, but also a Christmas countdown calendar and a Nice List Guide. These products are such high quality that they can make even the most skeptical among us believers again. If you’re looking for a wonderful holiday tradition that will keep the magic of Christmas alive – I highly recommend checking this out.

Parenthood Changes Christmas

Are you a parent with young children and just realized that Christmas is coming soon? Have you ever thought about how much Christmas changes every year now that you have kids? When you were younger you thought about the things that you wanted for yourself but now that you have kids you worry about them and their wants and needs. Your only concern is making Christmas special for them. Christmas becomes more stressful for you because they depend on you for their Christmas joy. You want their Christmas to be as wonderful as yours was as a child, or even better.

Every year your child is a year older, wiser and smarter so you are trying hard to keep up with them. Being a parent with young children affects the way you decorate your home, shop and celebrate for the Christmas season. Now that you have children you could start your own family traditions with them. Or carry them on from when you were a child. Something that you do every year with your family, something they will soon look forward to every year.

One of our family traditions is sitting around the table and helping the children write their letters to Santa and then helping them mail those letters off to the North Pole. We also spend time doing Christmas craft projects and making decorations.

Decorating your home can actually be more fun now that you have kids. Don't be afraid to let your kids make a mess and get dirty. You will never get a better gift than a handmade gift from your child. You can have them make ornaments to put on the tree and Christmas cards to give to the family. You will probably be able to use the decorations every year and it will be a memory that you and your child have together. You could even make this a tradition that the kids will love.

Shopping is a lot more difficult now and since you are shopping for the kids you will have to find a babysitter for them. Online shopping is more convenient and you can do it when the kids go to bed. You can also have your gifts delivered to your door so you do not even have to leave the house.

When your kids are young it's a good time to teach them the meaning of Christmas - that it is not about the material things that they may get but that Christmas is about giving rather than receiving, and being there for your family and friends.

Christmas Season Begins With Santa Letters

According to Santa Himself, the tradition of writing letters to him marks the official beginning of the Christmas season for many families throughout the world. In the early days letters to Santa Claus were mostly written for the sole purpose of asking for things children wanted for Christmas. But over the generations, as more and more children became aware of Santa’s Naughty and Nice Lists, many children started using Santa Letters as an opportunity to explain away bad behavior.

That’s one of the reasons that Letters from Santa are so meaningful to children. A Christmas letter from Santa can relieve any worry about being on the dreaded ‘Naughty List’ and at the same time, it can assure the child that Santa has not forgotten him/her.

A Christmas Dream To Remember

Have you ever had a Christmas dream, something that you wanted so bad that you dreamed about it every night until Christmas? Of course, you are more likely to have this happen to you as a child than as an adult – and that is what this story is about.

I can remember my little brother waking me up one night to tell me about his dream. He was so excited he could not sit still. He really thought that he had actually seen Santa and his reindeer. He started trying to tell me about what he saw but he was so excited and was talking so fast that I could not even understand him.

I just told him to go lay back down and we would talk about it in the morning. I don't think that my little brother went back to sleep that night but he did leave me alone until morning. That next morning my little brother was there to wake me up bright and early, he couldn’t wait to tell me about what he had seen the night before.

He said he heard a noise that woke him up and then he went down stairs to see what it was and to his amazement he saw that it was Santa. From the steps you could see him; he just sat there and watched Santa quietly put the presents under the tree, one by one, pulling them from his big red bag.

Santa was about done with the presents and then it happened, the stair creaked and Santa quickly turned around and saw my brother. Santa called him by name and asked him to come over to the tree. He then asked him if he thought he was a good boy this year. My brother just stood there shocked and did not know what to say to him. He said that he did not even hear Santa as he stood there starring at his big red suit his long white beard and his big black shiny boots - he just could not believe it.

He was actually in our house! “SANTA…,” my brother finally asked him, “did you ever get my letter.” My brother continued with his story telling us what Santa said to him. “Santa said that I won't be disappointed when I open my presents. Santa said that I was good this year, that he had been watching me closely. He then told me to go back to bed and that it is not too late, he can take these presents back.”

My brother then ran up to his room just in time to see Santa and the reindeer. Santa was yelling “Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas”, then they flew away into the night. He woke up after Santa had left and then he realized that it was all a dream.

He still wanted to tell me because he was scared he was not going to get anything because he did not go back to bed when Santa told him to. Isn't it funny when you want something so bad that it is all you think about and you dream about it? My little brother was only 6 years old when this happened and we still remember that night to this day.

Simple Santa Letter Results In Merrier Christmas For Children

The results are in; an ongoing study conducted by “Package From Santa”, which has covered several years and countless types of feedback, confirms that a Santa Letter will make Christmas merrier. While the focus of the study was the effect that Christmas letters from Santa have on children, the research revealed that even adults appreciate a note from Santa Claus.

For children, the importance of Personalized Santa Letters seems to stem from the fact that they want to be remembered by Santa Claus and insured that they are on his ‘Nice List’. Adults’ feedback often referenced childhood memories that a Santa Claus letter would bring back. Many said they had cherished letters from Santa that are their favorite Christmas keepsakes from memorable holidays of the past.

Parents have always known about the magic of letters from Santa, and now there’s a study to validate the fact that a simple Santa Claus letter can make Christmas merrier for children and adults alike!

Christmas Around The World

Christmas is celebrated on different days and in different ways all around the world. Although many countries celebrate Christmas we may not quite recognize it as such because it is done in a very different way.

In China, Christian children decorate ornaments made from paper. For example flowers, chains and lanterns to hang from the trees. The Chinese Christmas tree is called ‘tree of light’.

The non-Christian Chinese call this season the spring festival; which they celebrate and pay their respect to their ancestors. The children are the main focus of these celebrations and they receive candy and clothes. The Chinese call Santa Claus Dun Che Lau Ren, which means Christmas old man.

In Egypt the Coptic is an Orthodox church where Christmas is celebrated on the 7th day of January. Advent is observed for forty days and during this period people can not eat meat, poultry or dairy products. Everyone goes to church on Christmas Eve night. After church they go home to eat a special dinner know as fata, which is bread, rice, garlic and boiled meat. On Christmas morning people visit family and friends and take with them kaik to give to them, it is to be eaten with a drink called shorbat. Christmas is a public holiday for Christians.

In Ireland Christmas lasts from Christmas Eve to the Feast of Epiphany on January 6, which is also known as Little Christmas. Little red candles are usually placed in the windows as a guide for Joseph and Mary as they might be looking for a shelter. Irish women make a seed cake for each person in the family.

After the Christmas meal bread and milk are left the door and the door is left opened to show hospitality. It is an Irish tradition to leave minced pies and a bottle of Guinness as a snack for Santa.

In Belgium they have two Santas. St Nicholas visits the kids who speak the Walloon language and Pere Noel visits the kids who speak French. St Nicholas actually visits the kids twice. He comes first on December 4th to ask the kids if they have been good throughout the year and then again on December 6 to give the good kids their present. The bad kids will usually get sticks or twigs left in their shoe or in a small basket inside their room. Christmas is on December 6th; it is a religious occasion and celebrated in a church with a nice service.

The world is a huge place with lots of different countries and ways of doing things. It’s interesting to compare and contrast our beliefs and traditions. No matter where you are or how you celebrate I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas.

Create A Beautiful Christmas Gathering The Simple Way

Are you having guests over for the holiday season and don't know what you are going to about cooking, entertainment, food and drinks, and maybe even decorations? Well I am about to give you some simple, quick and inexpensive ways to make your Christmas gathering a beautiful occasion this Christmas season.

Something that you could serve that is quick and easy is a party tray. Whether it be a cheese tray with a variety of cheese and crackers, or a meat tray with sliced summer sausage or pepperoni, or it can be a vegetable tray with a variety of vegetables and some dressing to dip. This is a fun and inexpensive treat that all of your guests will love- even vegetarians.

For entertainment at your family gathering why not play a game or two? Charades or Christmas bingo are always fun and easy to prepare for. Charades is a great game for larger groups of people, you need two teams; one person from each team is given a secret from a movie, song title or a book to mimic to their team. The team has to try and guess it within 2 minutes.

Teams take turns and earn points for the correct answers in the time limit. No verbal cues are allowed. Creativity can be used when designing your own Christmas bingo game or you can purchase manufactured games in card shops. The point is to make things fun.

A great game for young kids is pin the tail on the reindeer. It is the same concept as pin the tail on the donkey but you use a reindeer instead.

Decorations can also be a worry, but I will share a few ideas that have worked for me in past years. One suggestion is to purchase plain wreaths (they can be artificial or real) and decorated them yourself with pinecones, berries, ribbons and small Christmas ornaments or anything else festive that you can find. Wreaths look great on your front door or above fire place as they give off a warm and festive feel.

Another idea is using old Christmas cards around the house. For instance you can put them on a mantel or if you have steps you can line them up the stairs. If you have small children they might like to make a Christmas count down calendar to count down the days till Christmas it's is a great way to get the kids involved for the season. You can try any of these easy ideas to make your next family gathering special for you and your family- they will help to make memories that will last a lifetime.

Christmas Then And Now

If you are like me you were fortunate enough to grow up with grandparents and even great-grandparents that were around on holidays and other special occasions. I remember how I loved listening to their stories of adventure and old times. Of course, as a child, some of my favorite stories were about Christmas and how they celebrated.

I can remember sitting and listening to my great- grandmother for hours as she told stories about the gifts that she received as a child for Christmas. The ones that stand out are handmade clothes, hand carved jewelry boxes, knick knacks carved from wood, and rag dolls. She said that sometimes they would even get fresh fruit such as oranges and apples as presents.

At that time she lived in a very rural area so a trip into town was required if you were going to enjoy fruit – and that was horse and buggy days. Times sure have changed!

As time went on department stores opened up everywhere and shopping became more convenient. Then along came shopping malls and soon the hassles associated with shopping, things like finding a sitter for your children so you can shop for their Christmas gifts, searching the parking lot over for a place to park, or standing in long lines to pay.

Christmas is not supposed to be stressful. It is a time to be with family and friends and enjoy each other. We need to simplify things so the holiday season is more joyful.

The modern, less stressful way to shop is online. You can go to dozens of stores in just minutes and do not have to deal with the hassles of physical shopping. Just wait for the kids to go to bed - you can even shop in your pajamas and have a little snack beside you. The reality is that you can get all of your shopping done in one night without ever leaving the house.

It is amazing how Christmas has changed over the years, and how shopping has evolved. Maybe online shopping can help put the focus of Christmas back where it should be, back on spending time with the ones we love.

This holiday season we plan to keep it simple and just spend quality time with our loved ones. Each of us will be making a handcrafted gift for other family members. We plan to make this a new Christmas tradition. With so many people having financial problems I believe simple traditions will become increasingly popular.

A Christmas Dinner Fit For Santa Himself

Image via Wikipedia

Last year I went to my mother-in-laws for Christmas Eve dinner. As our tradition continues, everyone read the Childrens Letters to Santa that would be placed beside the snack we would all leave out for him. And the children merrily shared their Custom Santa Claus Letters from the North Pole with everyone.

My mother-in-law is a talented cook and she made a wonderful chicken dish; it was crispy on the outside but tender and juicy on the inside. It was scrumptious! I have included a dessert recipe to top this delicious meal off, and trust me, everyone will love this. I can't imagine a better meal for the Christmas season. This recipe only calls for about fifteen minutes prep time after marinating overnight. Whether you plan to have a large or small group this year, this recipe has you covered as it provides about 16 servings. You will need the following ingredients:

• 16 boneless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 2 cups sour cream
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons celery salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 to 2 cups crushed butter flavor crackers
• ½ canola oil
• ½ cup melted butter

Directions:
Place the chicken in two large zip-lock plastic bags. In a bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings. Pour over chicken; seal bags and toss to coat. Refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to cook, drain and discard the marinade. Coat chicken with cracker crumbs; place in two large well-greased baking dishes.

Combine oil and butter; drizzle over chicken. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until juices run clear. Now time for that dessert I was talking about. Nothing says Christmas season like this delicious and easy Slow Cooker dessert. Santa Himself may decide to show up early so he can have some! You will need:

• can (21 ounces) apple pie filling
• cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• cup canned pumpkin
• 3/4 cup egg product
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• teaspoons baking powder
• teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* Ice cream

1. Spray 3 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Spoon the apple pie filling into cooker.
2. Beat remaining ingredients except ice cream with electric mixer on low speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl constantly. Pour batter over pie filling.
3. Cover and cook on High heat setting 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with ice cream.

This year I plan to cook this same meal for my family. And while the dinner cooks I will help my children write their Authentic Letters to Santa. It has always been a family tradition of ours to write the letters around the dinner table. Last year the kid's letters from Santa even came with genuine reindeer food that they set out for the reindeer to eat. Each year I look forward to seeing the look on my child's face when he opens his North Pole letter. I can't imagine Christmas without it. The Personalized Christmas Letters can even make adults believe in Santa again.

Even Santa Himself Is Doing Christmas On A Budget This Year

With the economy in the shape that it is in most everyone is trying to do Christmas on a budget this year. Every day it seems like the unemployment rates are raising. Most people are trying to save as much as possible in these uncertain times. Here are some ideas to help you save on Christmas this year.

There are lots of simple ways to save money on Christmas, without sacrificing everyone's enjoyment. By simply going back to the basics you can save money on decorations, ornaments, and you can create homemade gifts that your kids would actually enjoy helping you make. Even Santa Himself would love these ideas.

I’m including a couple examples of simple ornaments that I have made in the past with my kids. They enjoy being creative and the time together is a true bonding experience. Crafts are fun and easy, and they can save you lots of money. Check out these ideas!

You will need:
• Gold Bells
• Small Bow
• Green Pipe Cleaner
• Paper Clip or Ornament Hanger

Instructions:
Slide six gold bells on a green pipe cleaner. Twist the pipe cleaner into a spiral tree shape that narrows at the top. Tip: a 20 ounce coke bottle works well for shaping. Twist the top end of the pipe cleaner around an opened up paper clip or an ornament hanger. Our bows have a thin wire that we use to twist around the top of the tree. Try putting glitter on it to add more effect.

Popsicle sticks can be used for all sorts of craft ideas. Here’s one idea:
Lay one Popsicle stick down flat vertically, and then lay others over it, horizontally. Glue in place, and then cut the shape to form a tree. Paint and decorate any way you want it. Don’t forget that those custom Santa Claus letters can be decorated with glitter and stars and other eye catching extras.

Another idea for cheap ornaments is purchasing the plain glass ball ornaments and having the kids decorate them. They can add the year as part of the decoration, which adds to the keepsake.

Even though we are doing Christmas on a budget this year we could never take away are children's Letters to Santa. They love to sit and write their letters to Santa every year. It is a great experience to see what your children write to Santa and it helps you understand what they are wanting for Christmas. Every year when the North Pole Letters arrive, their faces light up with excitement - this is a wonderful tradition we will be sure to continue. When we first got our Custom Santa letters it was certainly a surprise to see how authentic and real they were.

The Personalized Christmas Letters are beautifully crafted and they are a keepsake you and your children will always cherish. The letters from Santa will always be a tradition in our family, and one your family will also enjoy.