My Letters To Santa Were Answered

Yes, I really did, when I sat down with my grandkids to write letters to Santa Claus I asked him to bring my son Johnny home safely to me. All I wanted for Christmas was to see my son. It was his first year away at college. I was going crazy having him hundreds of miles away from me. Before this he had never spent more than a couple nights a time away from home. His Christmas vacation couldn’t start soon enough for me. I know, call me a mother hen or whatever – I just call it a mother’s love!

The whole family came over the day Johnny arrived home. I gave him maybe fifty hugs the first hour he was home. We all had questions for him. I was proud of the man he was beginning to be. It was a very happy day for us all.

We all sat down and had a lovely dinner together. I noticed that he had lost a little weight while he was away.

After dinner we spent hours just talking about how he was doing in school. He told us all about his roommate Joe. Joe we learned had numerous tattoos and piercings, hearing that made me a little bit nervous. He went on about his professors and all of the interesting people he has met. Johnny admitted that while he was having fun at college he still missed the whole family and home cooked meals.

Johnny’s brothers and sisters came in to kidnap him. They wanted him to help them write Santa letters. As he helped the younger kids I realized how mature he had become. It was so nice to have him home. His siblings had really missed him. They spent a long time at the table that day just talking and catching each other up on things. I’m glad that my children have great relationships between them.

Over the next few days we all spent as much time with Johnny as we could. I was happy when he no longer was annoyed when his younger brothers pestered him to play army. He even took over the job of mixing up the reindeer food. He told his brothers and sisters that when they went away to college he would teach them Santa’s magical reindeer food recipe.

I was amazed that he volunteered to help clean up around the house. He even motivated his siblings to pitch in and help. It was sweet the way that he made time to spend alone with each of his brothers and sisters. He was the camera man the day the letters from Santa came for his brothers and sisters. But on Christmas Eve Johnny was just as excited as all of the other kids. You could tell that he couldn’t wait to find a gift from Santa under the tree for him.

After everyone was asleep on Christmas Eve I tiptoed into his room just to watch him sleeping for a moment. My heart melted when I noticed the teddy bear he slept with every night when he was small on top of his dresser. No matter how old they get they will always be my babies!

Santa Letters And Real Christmas Trees Make The Season Merry

Nothing makes visions of Christmas pop in my head more than kids excited about letters from Santa and the smell of a fresh cut Christmas tree. But before you make that purchase there are a few things you need to know.

Before you go to the tree lot to pick a tree determine how much space is available for the tree. Remember that the water base and tree topper will add several inches to the height of you tree. Choose a spot in your home that is away from vents and heaters to prevent water loss. Find a place that will allow plenty of room to for all your kids to find a gift from Santa.

Before you leave make sure that you have planned for transporting your tree home. If you are going to use rope or twine be sure that you have enough.

At the lot you will need to find a tree that fits the space you have decided on. Remember if your tree will be in a high traffic area you don’t want a tree that is too wide. If the tree is brushed when people walk by you risk having ornaments knocked to the ground and breaking.

Before buy lightly run your hand down the branches you shouldn’t have a hand full of needles if you do move on to another tree. Give the tree a gentle shake a very little amount of needles should fall out. You should find gifts from Santa under your tree not a pile of needles.

Once you have the tree at home you need to cut at least a ½ inch disk from the base of the tree. This will allow you tree to absorb water easier. Avoid cutting in the sides of the base. Fill the base with fresh water and place your tree in it. While this is going on I have my kids write their Santa letters to keep them busy. If you have pets you want to secure the tree at the top to prevent the tree from falling on your pets.

Christmas trees soak up a lot of water. Be sure to check the water level everyday. If you allow the tree to dry out you will a lot more needles to clean up.

Now put on the lights, garland, and ornaments. Take pictures to capture the moment. My kids always send a picture of the finished tree with their letters to Santa.

After Christmas is over you need to find something to do with your tree. If you have a live tree (if you have the root ball attached it is a live tree) it can be planted outside. If you plan on doing this it is a good idea to dig the hole before the ground freezes. Otherwise recycle the tree.

Christmas Snow, Santa Letters, Fun And Love

The snow swirled around the yard outside making everything blindingly white. The kids were already pulling on their snow suits and boots. I wrapped scarves around each of their necks. They have to show me that they have their gloves on before I will let them out the door. Bessie our dog follows the kids out to have some fun kicking up snow as she goes.

While they are outside I gather up everything the kids will need to letters to Santa. The kids like to have something to do when I make them come in for warm up breaks. As I put the sugar cookies in the oven I set out six mugs for their hot chocolate. From the window I see the kids having a free for all snow ball fight. They are all covered in snow from head to toe. By the smiles on their faces it is clear they are having a good time.

When they come in they are ready to warm up with the cookies and hot chocolate. The girls were the first to ask about writing letters to Santa. I showed the kids the paper they had to choose from. Soon all of the kids are writing a letter to Santa. Sally used the star hole puncher all around the outside edge of her letter.

The snow outside piled up deep. The world outside had become a wonderland of snow. It wasn’t long before the kids were ready to go back out. I told them they could finish their Christmas letters to Santa when they came back in.

I watched my kids making snow angels. They all worked together and built a huge snowman. The backyard looked like a scene from a snow globe. The large flakes of snow float and spiral, painting out the world in white. The bright colors of their snow suits glow against all the gleaming white. It reminds me of a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting.

When the kids came back in they had icy red cheeks. I sat them down to warm back up. Bessie curled up on the rug in front of the fireplace. It didn’t take long and she was fast asleep. The kids changed out of their wet clothes and put on warm pajamas.

They gathered back around the table and I passed out grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken noodle soup. They finished up the meal and went back to their Santa letters. They all had finishing touches that they wanted add before the letters were sealed in the envelopes. As they finished their letters they stacked them on the shelf by the front door. One by one my kids fell asleep scattered around the living room watching Christmas movies. This was a good day – it was one of those days that only happens during the holiday season and the kind of day that mothers cherish long after their kids are grown.

Keeping Your Pets Safe during the Holidays

Everybody loves Christmas holidays because it is that time of the year that marks merry reunion with friends and family. Festivities are ongoing throughout the season and the joyfulness is contagious. Adults are busy shopping and planning, children spend hours writing letters to Santa Claus, and all enjoy decorating the home. But we tend to forget that these holidays are disastrous for our pets.

During Christmas, innumerable pets are injured because of decorations, foods or holiday plants. Help your pets to celebrate this festive occasion safely by ensuring that they are protected from Christmas health hazards. Beautiful holiday decorations like Christmas lilies, poinsettias, holly and mistletoe are toxic when pets ingest them. Mistletoe is responsible for cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems. Poinsettias and holly cause lethargy, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. If you plan to decorate the dining table with the help of holiday plants keep them in a place that cannot be reached by pets between mealtimes. The mistletoe should be hung where pets will find it difficult to reach.

Cats are attracted to berries which are extremely poisonous. Do not allow your pets into the room where you have kept your Christmas tree if there is no one to supervise. If your pet eats pine needles, its intestine could get punctured. Always unplug the lights of the tree before you leave the house and either tape or secure the electrical cords of the holiday lights so that your pet does not chew them. The Christmas tree should be secured to the ceiling or wall so that it does not fall on your pets. Restrain your pets from drinking water from the holder of the tree becomes even fresh water would contain the residue of fertilizers and water that are stagnant is a breeding ground for bacteria. If you tend to use water preservative for your tree go for one that is non-toxic so that it will not harm your pet in case it drinks it when you are not around. Do not use aspirin in tree water to preserve it because if your pet ingests it accidentally it could become seriously ill or even die.
Keep away Christmas ornaments and tinsel. Cats like to play with the latter. Some even eat it but this is dangerous as it can block the intestines. Pets think of ornaments as toy balls. The shards from glass ornaments that are broken could injure the paws and mouths of your pets. If swallowed, they could injure the intestine tract and stomach grievously. If your pets continue playing with the ornaments, hang some balloons on the lower branches of the Christmas tree. Be around till your pet snares one. The sound of the balloon bursting will make your pet leave the Christmas decorations alone.

When your children open their gifts make them put the toys away because the smaller parts of the toys could result in intestine blockage or choking in pets and would require surgery in order to remove them. A majority of pets love to doze on a hearth that is warm. Even if the fire is out make use of fireplace screens. Extinguish candles when you leave the room and keep them out of reach of your pets.

Making Christmas 2010 Even More Special Than Christmas 2009

I’m working hard to stay ahead of schedule for things now and to be more organized when it comes to planning for events, holidays and other special occasions. I started my new year out with a day planner that has plenty of space to write in. I have already added tasks that have to be done at various times of the year for my home, my family, and my business. With that in mind I decided to also add some plans, ideas, and thoughts about things to do for each holiday. Of course, Christmas is the one that requires the most planning and preparation so I wanted to start there.

One of the things I have been doing already is reviewing how the past Christmas went and how I could have improved things. I am always looking for ways to save money, to keep organized, and to involve my family in the processes.

Some of our regular Christmas traditions include the simple things like making some handcrafted decorations, writing letters to Santa Claus, and having a fabulous Christmas dinner. Christmas Eve is also a big event around my house – that is when my children and grandchildren gather to exchange gifts and socialize.

I have decided to add a task of creating one handcrafted gift per month between now and November. I’ll try to stick with that. I have some things that my mother and my grandmother made for me that I simply cherish. I want to pass that tradition along to my family by giving them things that I personally make.

Another idea I have is that when my grandkids come over I will encourage them to make Christmas cards. I’m going to purchase some quality materials to use as well as scrapes from Christmas wrapping paper and old Christmas cards. Depending on how the cards turn out, I will either use them myself or the kids can give them to their friends or they may simply be used for decorations and kept as Christmas keepsakes.

I have also been collecting some easy candy and cookie recipes. My grandkids love to help me in the kitchen so I think instead of me doing it all myself this year I will have a special day of them helping me with these tasks. They will enjoy it and it should be good for some lasting memories – of course, I may be exhausted by the end of the day. Lol

I’ve also thought about making letters to Santa something that the kids do periodically throughout the year. They enjoy writing to him so much that it seems a shame that it is only allowed during the holiday season. After all, Santa is always available, right?

As time goes on I will share some of my ideas for the handcrafted gifts as well as the kid-friendly recipes. Please share any ideas you have too.