Search Results for: blog have the christmas spirit all year long

Tis the Season of Getting

I am going to just throw this out there;  I don’t see anything wrong with buying your children a lot of gifts.  Christmas may not be about gifts but we all know gifts help make the season bright.  If we didn’t believe that we wouldn’t give to Toys for Tots, Operation Homefront, or go into an insane amount of debt every year.  Like it or not, gifts are here to stay and I do not feel that is negative.  Who doesn’t like to unwrap a gift?  Who doesn’t like to see their children’s eyes light up when they open that … Continue reading →

He Trusts Me Too Much

My son and I put up our Christmas tree yesterday. Yes, I know it is not even Thanksgiving yet, but I was in need of some Christmas spirit a little early this year. Logan didn’t seem to mind too much. As we were putting ornaments on the tree I happened upon an angel with a quote from Mother Teresa. It said, “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle, I just wish He didn’t trust me so much!” I seem to remember my mother giving this ornament to me the year after my divorce. There have been … Continue reading →

The Surprisingly Strict Disney Dress Code

Is Pluto properly groomed? Just about everyone has a dress code at work. Some are more lax than others, but few work places don’t have any requirements for dress or grooming. One of the few establishments I’d think of that wouldn’t have much in the way of a dress code would be an amusement park. I picture teenagers in t-shirts, baseball caps, and torn jeans when I think of amusement park employees. But the Disney Parks, as they are for many things, are an exception. The Disney Parks follow a dress code that originated in the 1950s. Its rules are … Continue reading →

Basking in the Post-Holiday Glow

Does your home still look like this? If it does, then you have my heartfelt thanks… and that of my young daughter who is utterly enchanted by outdoor holiday light displays. Big, bright and gaudy is best, in her book. While there are many of you, who strip your homes of festive knickknacks and toss out your Christmas tree by noon on December 26th, I happen to appreciate folks who keep the holiday spirit glowing well into January. Why yes, I am one of them. And no, I don’t throw up an extra string of red lights in early February, … Continue reading →

Unique New Year’s Eve Travel Destinations

If you are not into the pomp, and the “BOOM! BANG! POW!” associated with rowdy New Year’s Eve blow outs; consider ushering in 2012 at the following locales: Death Valley The Eastern California landmark is located in the Mojave Desert and features some of the driest and hottest parcels of land in North America. Despite its popularity with travelers during the holidays, you won’t be kept awake with firework shows on New Year’s Eve. You also won’t have to contend with noisy neighbors partying until dawn. Rather, you can soak up the silence under the stars in the park’s three … Continue reading →

Extending the Holiday Magic

(Our Tannenbaum) Here’s a sight you don’t want to see on the third day of Christmas: a bare tree dumped on the curb, stripped of its holiday lights and ornaments, waiting for the city recycling truck to pick it up and chop it into mulch. Oh, the horror! It’s like seeing Santa standing naked on the side of the road. My eyes! My poor eyes! It’s the third day of Christmas, people. Where’s your holiday spirit? Knowing that someone undressed that tree’s lovely branches and prepared it for disposal within hours of Santa’s visit is utterly heartbreaking. It’s especially gut-wrenching … Continue reading →

Prepping for Fluffy’s Holiday Photo

It took working at Families.com for nearly a year before I got my first taste of the term “Fur Baby.” The very first time I saw the words featured in a blog I thought the writer was referring to this. Then, I took a closer look and realized that it was “Fur Baby,” not “Furby.” It didn’t take long to deduce that the blogger loved her four-legged “kids” as much as her two-legged ones. In fact, I became friends with said writer, and the following Christmas I received a hilarious photo card with her furry kids sitting on the laps … Continue reading →

Card Scrapbook

According to a new study, traditional Christmas cards may soon go the way of VCRS and record players. Unity Marketing reports the percentage of people buying greeting cards for Christmas fell from 77 percent in 2005 to 73 percent in 2007 and to 62 percent in 2009, and with the growth of social media networking, that number is predicted to dip even lower in 2011. Experts in the greeting card industry blame social media platforms, such as Facebook, which allows people to stay up-to-date on an immediate basis. These days there is no longer the need to tuck an annual … Continue reading →

Christmas Embellishments

From snowflakes to snow angels, candles to candy canes, reindeer to rhinestones, the variety of Christmas-themed scrapbook embellishments is practically limitless. What’s more, during the holiday season, finding the adorable adornments is a breeze. You can find Christmas-themed stickers, stamps, die cuts, and paper wherever scrapbooking supplies are sold. Fortunately, you don’t have to go broke decorating your seasonal layouts. There are a number of ways you can create frugal embellishments with supplies you have in your leftovers bin. For example, you can use plain computer paper or extra construction paper to make mini snowflakes to decorate your page. Other … Continue reading →

Take Time To Slow Down

Is anyone else tired? I love the holidays but boy am I tired. There is so much to do and so little time to do it. When you are a single parent the time to get it all done is even more reduced, there just isn’t anyone else to help. It seems my to do list gets especially long this time of year, cooking, baking, decorating, shopping, in addition to all the other things you have to do on a normal day. I remember when Hailey was younger just wishing I could have an entire day to myself to leisurely … Continue reading →