A Letter To Santa Can Provide A Shopping Guide

During the holiday season I try to help others as much as possible. The mothers’ group I belong to collects clothes and shoes throughout the year. At Christmas we get a list of twenty families that need help for the holidays. I believe that every child should find gifts from Santa on Christmas morning. The families on our list will get clothes for the entire family, gifts for the children in the house, and Christmas dinner.
When we receive the names of people we are to help we contact them. Our first step is to find out what they need for Christmas. We have even brought in Christmas trees to decorate homes when had to. At one house we visited the kids had never even had a Christmas tree - that about broke my heart.
All the children in each family write a letter to Santa. This way we have a real sense of what each child really wants. This will be the fourth year I have volunteered with the group. We have laughed over the funny letters to Santa and cried over the sad ones. Over the years I have kept in touch with a few of the families that I have met. Nothing is more gratifying than being able to help these parents provide Christmas for their children.
We go through all the clothes and shoes we have collected and divide them among the different families. We try our best to provide a new coat and gloves to every child. Inside the pocket of each coat each child receives a letter from Santa. Specific toy requests are usually the hardest to fill so we just do the best we can. We deliver the gifts to the parents before school is out for Christmas break. The dinner is either sent or picked up the week of Christmas.
Every member of my family has helped to make these families’ Christmas season brighter. My oldest loves to help me shop discount racks and yard sales. My sons are always ready to help when I have a heavy load to carry. I think by seeing just how lucky they are my children have gained a respect for the things they have in life. I really believe they are and always will be better people because of these experiences. I know I’m blessed to have the life I live and the least I can do is to help make another parents’ Christmas that much easier.
This Christmas when you are stressing over things being perfect at your house take a moment to look around at all you have to be thankful for. If you get a chance this year help out in whatever way you can. With the way the economy is going these days there will be plenty of families who need help with the holidays. Call churches in your area or local shelters, they will be able to lead you in the right direction.

The History of Decorating and Using Mistletoe at Christmas Time

The Christmas season is considered a special time in the entire year. Everywhere you will find people who are happy and also kind to each other during Christmas as compared to the rest of the year. Children are extremely happy during this season because they wait eagerly for the annual visit from Santa Claus. This happiness could be taken to a new level by parents by gifting their children personalized gifts and letters from Santa. The children would be doubly thrilled.

When they receive the letter as well as gifts they will jump with joy. The gleam in their eyes will make all your efforts and the money spent worth it. Every parent wants to see the look of joy and happiness on their children's faces. There’s no better way to do this than to give gifts and personalized letters from Santa. Do you wish to know the history of decorating and using mistletoe at Christmas time? The mistletoe is a partial parasite. It grows on the trunk or the branches of a tree and its roots penetrate the tree and absorb all the nutrients. It can also produce its own food with the help of photosynthesis. The mistletoe that is used as a Christmas decoration is found in North America. Since ancient times it has been considered as a secret, mysterious and magical plant. It is known to restore life, protect against poison and is considered an aphrodisiac. Kissing under this plant is associated with a Greek festival known as Saturnalia. In Scandinavia, it is looked upon as a plant of peace. Enemies or warring spouses kiss under it in order to declare a truce or to make up respectively. At Christmas, if a young lady is standing under mistletoe that is brightly trimmed with ornaments, ribbons and evergreens she can be kissed by anyone. The kiss could imply goodwill and friendship that would last or deep romance. It is thought that those who are brought together in such a way are sure to get married the next year. The Christmas mistletoe is burnt on the 12th night in some parts of England in case the couples who kissed under it do not get married ever. Many people look upon it as a symbol of frolic and fun at Christmas celebrations.

This custom of kissing under the mistletoe is still prevalent in Europe and Canada. If a couple kisses under it, it is looked upon as a commitment to marry and a prediction of long life and happiness. The legend behind the mistletoe is that it was a sacred plant of the Goddess of Love by the name of Frriga. She was the mother of the God of the Sun in Summer, Balder. When he dreamt of death his mother was greatly alarmed because if he died, life would end on earth. So, she went to all the elements and every plant and animal and took a promise from everyone that they would not harm her son.

Frigga forgot all about the lowly mistletoe that was not to be found on or under the earth other than on oak or apple trees. The God of Evil, Loki used the mistletoe in order to make an arrow tip and asked Hoder, the God of Winter to shoot it. Balder died and all the beings on Heaven and earth cried for him and tried to bring him back to life. His mother was able to restore him. Her joy knew no bounds and she kissed all those who passed under the mistletoe. This is why the mistletoe symbolizes love that can conquer death and is used as a Christmas decoration throughout the world.

Explaining the history and beginnings of Christmas traditions is often a part of the fun when families are working on Christmas craft projects and writing letters to Santa. Keep visiting this blog for explanations of other long cherished Christmas traditions.

Looking Back on Christmas of 2009

My daughter and I just had a long talk about the past year and of course, the conversation ended with a focus on Christmas and how things turned out. We talked about what went well and what we might want to do a little differently next year.
As we talked about shopping and planning for our gift buying we decided that this year we would do most if not all of our Christmas shopping early and do it online. Over the past two or three years I have done more and more shopping online and now I feel very confident that I can find what I need and save money, time, and hassle in the process.

Because I work from home as a freelance writer, I spend lots of time on the Internet and I have learned that there are many websites which offer online coupons. A simple Google search will bring up lots of sites you can choose from in order to find the coupon you need. You’ll find that some coupons are good for a certain percentage off of any purchase, others are good for discounted shipping rates – oftentimes free shipping, and still others are only good for specific products. I suggest that you visit these sites from time to time to find the coupons you need for whatever you desire.

The discussion about Christmas also included the fact that we wanted to be more organized with our decorations and other Christmas related items. That process has already been started, as we tried to be more organized in storing our Christmas things.

Just as in the past two or three years, Christmas of 2009 included the fun of the kids receiving personalized letters from Santa. These letters add real fun to the holiday cheer and the anticipation of Santa’s visit. That’s a tradition we will continue.

We also enjoy having the kids write their letters to Santa Claus and do simple Christmas craft projects on Thanksgiving after dinner. This keeps the kids busy while the adults enjoy dessert and conversation. The kids love it and we enjoy their enthusiasm as they begin thinking seriously about the Christmas holiday.
Something we plan to try for this Christmas is having our own 12 Days of Christmas. We haven’t quite worked out all the details yet, but we want it to be fun for all. I’ll keep you posted on whatever we decide.

So how about you – have you thought about your Christmas of 2009? What will do differently this year and what are some of the things that you absolutely must keep? Let us know – share your ideas!

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!