All I Want for Christmas

We all get to that point of the year when we start flipping through magazines for things we want. Then we send it off to Santa. Personally, when I begin to formulate my list, I still write it in crayon and decorate it and give it to my mom at least a month in advance. My roommates still write one, but maybe not as enthusiastically as mine, but it seems like it is a staple in holiday traditions. Although it is more of a little kid thing to write a letter to Santa, if I am quick with it and say pretty please, Santa usually comes through! Here are some cute letters to Santa. Check out more and where these came from here!


Dear Santa, Please give me a doll this year. I would like her to eat, walk, do my homework, and help me clean my room. Thank you, Jenny


Dear Santa, I need a new skateboard for Christmas. The one I got now crashes too much. Band-aids would be OK too. David


Dear Santa, Could you come early this year? I've been really super good, but I don't know if I can last much longer. Please hurry. Love, Jordan


Dear Santa, You can send me one of everything from the boys' section of the Sears catalog. But nothing from the girls' section. I can't wait for Christmas to come. Kent

The Stockings Were Hung By The Chimney with Care

Stockings are an essential part of the magic of Christmas. The tradition began over in Germany with kids just putting out socks on Christmas Eve. But with the popularity, it grew to become a ritual for everyone all over the world. For all of the kids who were on the “nice” list, they were rewarded by the man in red with presents overflowing in their stockings. But, if you were on the “naughty” list then you were given a lump of coal. That would not be a good thing for the children who received it on Christmas morning.

The thought of a lump of coal would be a stable threat with kids—my mom used it her fair share in the weeks before Christmas. If my brother, sister and I ever acted up before the big day, my mom would always say, “You better watch out, I’ve got Santa on speed dial and I don’t think you want a lump of coal in your stocking!” That would get us to calm down and stop pissing her off within 2.3 seconds. That would be hanging over us for the rest of the day, or at least until we found something else to do to make her mad.

But stockings are pretty much a staple when it comes to holiday decorating. I’ve had the same stocking since I was little, and so have my brother and sister and even my parents have had the same stockings since they were little. Stockings are a good way to keep kids in check as well as a solid way to decorate any fireplace mental.

Foot-Tapping Melodies

Come mid-November, the stores are decorated to the extreme with Christmas trees and the Christmas albums are on repeat. I almost feel sorry for the workers who have to hear the same songs over and over again, but then again, I love Christmas music! There is nothing better than being at a Christmas party with some Bing Crosby in the back as we mingle over eggnog and homemade treats (although I don't particularly care for the nog). Some people can't stand the tunes, which I have no idea why, but I can tell you that there is something about Bing Crosby's White Christmas that is almost calming. It's almost like when you hear that song being sung, the whole place gets quiet and you simply listen--just like something out of a movie (but that could be because it actually happened in the movie, White Christmas).

So, without further ado, here are the Top 10 Holiday Tunes, according to Contact Music:

1. White Christmas by Bing Crosby (told you it was a classic)

2. Do they Know it's Christmas Time by Band-Aid

3. The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole

4. Blue Christmas by Elvis

5. Merry Christmas Everybody by Slade

6. Winter Wonderland by Doris Day

7. Last Christmas by Wham!

8. Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! by Dean Martin

9. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by anyone (tons of artists have done a cover of this one)

10. Peace on Earth by Bing Crosby and David Bowie

Now, no list is perfect, I mean Andy Williams, Happy Holidays/It's the Holiday Season didn't make the list and that is my favorite of all, but there are simply too many to count and the songs are all just too good!

Christmas Vacation Clip, courtesy of youtube.com

The Brightest House on the Block

One of my favorite holiday movies is Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase, the best part of the movie is when he is putting the lights on his house and that traditon is one of my favorites. I always look forward to the day after Thanksgiving so my Dad and I can shock every passer by.

I take it upon myself to be the official designer, picking which light goes where, telling my dad what looks tacky and how to beat the neighbor’s display. For a while, my family always stuck with the colored lights, until the white icicle lights hit store shelves. That was pretty insane, and seeing it on all of the neighbors houses made me a little jealous. They were an obvious trend that had serious staying power, so I made my dad book it to Kmart so that we could buy as much as possible and ditch the colored lights. (They just seemed so classy, as if we were living in Boston with real icicles hanging down, not the Bay Area in 60 degree weather in the middle of December.) He was hesitant at fist, but eventually I cracked him and made him a believer in the icicle lights. Soon, almost as quickly as we bought them, those were over done, as many lighting fads are and soon came the snow-globes. With those, I drew the line. I did not and do not see the point of a hideous inflatable snow-globe that only is inflated at night (never during the day—we are going through an energy crisis, you know). Why litter your lawn with synthetic fabric just to have it blow up to spit out Styrofoam flakes for two hours? No, not on my front lawn. But, the neighbors went crazy for it. And that just meant that we had to up our game that much more. My dad and I competed with our friend/nemesis (during the holiday decorating season only) to dominate in holiday décor.

I think I first became a lighting enthusiast because I was convinced that if my house was the brightest then Santa would be sure to hit my house first and give me all the presents. As I grew up and found out that there is no Santa, then I was just caught up in the tradition and focused more on the excitement of this unspoken rivalry on the street. Although I can’t answer why others are so obsessed with doubling their electricity bill for a month, but their reasoning could be that everyone's just got a little Clark Griswald in them and they simply want their house be seen from space and literally blind the neighbors.

Cookies for Santa!

You put them out every year, whether you believe in the magical man or not! Here's some legit recipies that you can use to get Santa to leave you the best stocking suffers!!!!

Candy Cane Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine

1 cup sifted confectioners sugar

1 egg 1-1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring OR 3/4 teaspoon peppermint flavoring

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy 1/2 cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix butter sugar, egg, and flavorings thoroughly. Add flour and salt, Mix well. Shape dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap; chill for at least 2 hours or until easy to handle. Roll into 4 inch strips; place on baking sheet. Curve top down to form handle or cane. Bake 9 minutes. While still warm, remove from pan and sprinkle with candy and sugar mixture. Dough may be divided in half and colored with 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring if desired. Roll each color into strips, place side by side, press together lightly and twist like a rope.

Edible Cookie Ornaments

makes about 9

1/4 cup vanilla frosting

9 ring-shaped butter flavored cookies or any ring-shaped cookies

1 roll (9 count) ring-shaped fruit flavored Life Savers

1 1/2 to 2 yards red string licorice or ribbon

Place frosting in small bowl. Add desired food color; blend well. Place colored frosting in decorating bag fitted with small writing or decorator tip, or in small resealable plastic freezer bag with 1 corner snipped off to make a very small hole for piping. Place 1 cookie on flat surface; lightly outline center hole with frosting. Place 1 ring-shaped candy over frosting, pressing lightly and matching center openings. Pipe frosting decoratively on cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies; let dry. Insert licorice through hole in each cookie; tie in knot or bow. Hang ornaments on tree or use to decorate packages or gift baskets.

Think these cookies are simply delicious? Check out more here!

Clip from Elf, courtesy of youtube.com

Who puts more work into Christmas, a mom or dad?

Dads usually aren’t the ones who are fighting the crowds for that last Furby on the shelf or pushing the doors down when Toys-R-Us opens extra early the day after Thanksgiving. Moms usually get the honor to fight with teenage sales people or elbowing her way to the checkout counter. However, dads usually are the ones who don the red suit and fake cotton (or worse, polyester) beard. They also might be the ones who put the bikes together, and in doing so, have to decipher the unhelpful pictures that always seem to miss a step. So who has it worse—moms or dads?
When talking to members of my family, it all seems to be bittersweet. Some decide that they hate the prep work that goes into making every child’s favorite holiday seem like it is the best day ever, and having to top it every year, but when they see their child’s face they know it was worth it. Just chatting with my aunt, she was very enthusiastic with making her Christmas the best for her kids. My mom, however, loved believing in Santa, but wished that there really was a Santa so that she didn’t have to do all that work. In my dad’s opinion, he was happy to do it, but when it came to Christmas Eve, he was always more of a Grinch because he had to stay up late getting everything done. (But they did learn, as we got older to have someone else put the bikes together so that they could go to bed earlier.) My mom always said that he had it easy because he didn’t have to do all the shopping, hiding, wrapping, and everything in between.

But if there is one thing that they can agree on, is that it was all worth it, because they loved the holiday itself. I am not sure who I think has it worse, but parents do get to share in the joy of making sure that their kids set Christmas apart from any other day and they get to eat those cookies for Santa.

A Parents Perspective Concerning Santa

When do parents tell their kids no when they ask for something extravagant, most usually say that they will simply ask Santa for it. So where does that leave the parents? Kelly Burgess wrote about how the myth was more trouble than anything else. But is that really how it should be? Shouldn't Santa be something exciting and happy rather than a parent's demise during the holiday season? Some parents, like Burgess's friend, simply tell their kids from the get-go that he is not real, but is that really fair to the kids who miss out on believing? The kids who find out that he really doesn't exist are sad, but get over it. In my personal opinion, I wouldn't trade believing for anything. But for the parents, it seems like some can't seem to stand the holiday tradition of hiding things in the rafters or writing the gift label in the opposite hand.

The Dark Day in 4th Grade

When I found out about Santa, it was a bad day in 4th grade. I was minding my own business, right before the holidays, when a girl was talking about how she knows who Santa really is. (Ironically, she is one of my best friends.) I tried to ignore the conversation, but they kept talking about how it was really just mom and dad who gave us the presents, rather than a mysterious man in a red suit. So, shocked by the amount of people who thought this, I wanted to know the truth. I went home and asked my mom, point blank, "Is there really a Santa?" She tried to dance around the answer by telling me that there is always magic at Christmas and that everything is magical. I wouldn't except that answer, so I continued to be persistent. This went on for about 5 to 10 minutes, and eventually, my mom had had it. I pushed her buttons too many times that she just blurted out that "NO! Alright, there is no Santa!" This was obviously not the answer that I was looking for, and I burst into tears. I thought I could handle to truth, but I was sorrowly mistaken. My mom then felt so bad that she ran out and bought the movie, Miracle on 34th Street, just to see if that could make up for it. Now, it is one of my favorite holiday flicks, but I still remember the sadness that was with me that Christmas, and how much I wanted Santa to be real.

Thanks to www.the-reel-mccoy.com for the picture.

Thanks to Lovefilm.com for the picture.

Feel Good Holiday Movies

The movie, Elf, is a great example of people not believing in Santa, when there really is one. Buddy the Elf spends his time in New York City trying to find connect with his father, but also encounters the non-believers in the Big Apple. They talk about the rumor of Santa, and even show that the belief rate is down, according to the "clausometer" but he does his best to get people believing! Elf is a feel good movie that gets you into the holiday spirit super quickly and ready to sing carols!

Miracle on 34th Street is also a perfect example. One of the best holiday films, in my opinion, it tackles the issue head on, and by the end, everyone is a believer! When I first saw this movie I was trying to figure out if there really was a Santa Claus, and this made me believe in the magic of Christmas--for a while longer. The innocence of the little girl, Susan, the determination of the lawyer, Brian, and the faith that Kris Kringle has in his case, leaves you feeling good about the world and hopeful that there could really be a Santa!

Is it Really Lying?

Some parents find tell their kids the truth about Santa when they are little because they see it as lying to their children. In fact, the movie, Miracle on 34th Street, the whole premise is that Dorey Walker tells her daughter, Susan, the truth simply because she does not want her to tell her a lie and have her believe in a fictitious character. But, psychologists have come to terms that it is okay for kids to believe. It may be hard to hear that there is no man with flying reindeer who slides down our chimney, but is it part of any childhood. If the parents do find it to be deception, then they are encouraged to tell their kids about Santa but to keep it toned down. Although some kids are heartbroken, myself included, when they find out the ugly truth, it is unlikely for them to be mad that they ever believed in the first place.

Cathy Finds Out the Terrible Truth

Cathy was in the 2nd grade and she and her brother were sleeping downstairs on Christmas Eve. She heard a noise outside and was convinced it was Santa. Her brother, Tim, quickly corrected her and told her that it was most likely the neighbors taking their garbage in, and of course, added that there is no Santa. It ruined her Christmas and made her question the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. After losing her tooth, she was determined to find out the truth, so she stayed up with her hand under her pillow. She was devestated when she grabbed her dad's hand that left the quarter under her pillow. But, for her own kids, she went above and beyond the call to make sure that they believed in the magic of Santa and her efforts were rewarded when her kids believed till 5th grade!

Questioning Santa

When kids begin to ask about the magic of Christmas, it is hard to keep the spirit alive and even harder to answer them. Jessica Haupt addresses this in her article, "The Santa Myth: How long should it last?" Click here to read the article.

http://archives.cnn.com/1999/HEALTH/children/12/14/santa.myth.wmd/index.html

The Rumor on the Playground

We've all been on the playground and heard the horrible whispers of the older kids saying that there is no Santa, but there are thousands of people who have had a traumatic experience trying to keep this guy alive! How far have you gone to keep others believing?