New at Christmas Across The Globe September 8, 2005

I have added new pages at Christmas Across The Globe.

The Stocking Share
The Christmas season is a time for warmth, caring, giving and sharing. It is also a great time to burn a whole in your pocket, wallet, and bank account. These days, a better option, especially for a young professional with a lot of acquaintance, a better idea than a large gift, or a secret Santa drawing, is a stocking share. A stocking share is kind of like a secret Santa system, and works in pretty much any situation where a secret Santa drawing would come in to play. It is perfect for an office setting, but can also work in a large group of friends or friendly acquaintances.

Hope you enjoy.

New at Christmas Across The Globe September 3, 2005

I have added new pages at Christmas Across The Globe.

History of the Christmas Tree
Perhaps the most noticeable symbol of the holiday season is the classic Christmas Tree. A Christmas tree is usually an evergreen tree that is decorated with ornaments, tinsel, and sometimes fruit, nuts, and even cookies and candy. "Santa Claus" puts gifts under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve night for all the good little boys and girls in the world--well, at least that's what the legend says. Christmas Trees symbolize the Christmas holiday, and the happy feelings, togetherness, and love for friends and family that go along with the Christmas season. They are taken for granted by most, simply erected and decorated in millions of American homes without ever knowing anything about them, or where the tradition had begun.

The Real Christmas Story
So what is the story behind Christmas, anyway? The American media has done a pretty decent job of telling the fairy tale side of the story of pregnant Mary and Joseph making their journey to and through Bethlehem for the Roman census (a count of the Roman people that the Emperor wanted conducted in every one's home town). For some reason, Mary and Joseph arrived a little later than every one else, and the pregnant couple was denied a room inn after inn, home after home. Eventually, they settled on a manger, where Mary gave birth to baby Jesus; the three wise men came to visit the Christ child bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The End. Right?

Christmas Time in the Classroom
Christmas time always puts a little bit of a hop in your step. All of the carols, food, and lights are hard to ignore and poor spirits are hard to keep up with all of the merriment in the air. However, as we get older, it is inevitable that Christmas just does not mean the same thing to us that it did when we were children. Having children around at Christmas time is truly magical, and if you are lucky enough to have, say, a whole classroom full of them, you are bound to be a busy happy grown up for the Christmas season.

Santa Claus
The conventional idea of Santa Claus is the symbol of the purity of the innocence and faith that children put in the Christmas season. He symbolizes hope, love, and In the present day, Jolly Old Saint Nick is portrayed as a happy, fat old elf with glasses and rosy cheeks that delivers gifts to the children on the Nice side of the Naughty/Nice list on Christmas Eve. Santa's wardrobe consists of mainly red suits with white trim, black boots, and red, white trimmed hats with a pompon on top. The modern day Santa Claus hates to shave, and his principal mode of transportation consists of a giant red sleigh and eight reindeer (one with a keenly red nose). He popped into and out of household chimneys, picking up scores of cookies and glasses of milk along the way.

Hope you enjoy.

New at Christmas Across The Globe September 1, 2005

I have added some new pages at Christmas Across The Globe.

Christmas Reunion Surprise
Five a.m. is an ungodly hour. I was baking a ham and a turkey for dinner and lunch for Christmas Eve. I had yet to make the dressing, fruit salad or the corn casserole. I had invited my friend, Clara from next door. She had recently been widowed and had never had any children. I warned her in advance of the noise and activity when the mob arrives. I have four children and ten grandchildren. Chaos is a nice word to describe the scene. Clara had come over the day before and helped me cook pies, a cake, and special request from little Anthony, the pink fluffy thing. I hated the Jell-o dish, but he loved it.

Christmas Shopping for a New Love
Christmas is a magical time of year, especially for those of us paired off and in love. If you are in a new relationship, however, Christmas can be a bit unnerving. What do you get for your new love? How much should you spend? How personal should your gift be? These are questions that plague those in the honeymoon stage of their relationship and beyond. There really is no blanket system that will work for every relationship or every person, but here are some basic tips that may make your holiday shopping a little bit easier on you, your piece of mind, and perhaps your wallet.

Confessions of a Shopping Mall Santa
I've a confession to make. I used to be Santa Claus. Not the real Santa, of course, but one of the Shopping Mall Santas who help out the Big Guy in Red, filling in for him in department stores and malls around the country talking to children and having their pictures taken with them. A great part time job that lasts only one month a year, from the day after Thanksgiving up to Christmas Eve.

Create Your Own Christmas Centerpiece
Lots of things are eye catching at Christmas time. Of course everyone loves the Christmas lights and the ornaments on the trees. The candles that people put up in their windows, and the often massive outside decorations that people adorn their houses with are impossible to ignore. Nativity scenes, and silver lanes all aglow certainly lead to many a late night journey to look at just what other people are decorating with. For a host or hostess of a big Christmas dinner, no decoration is quite as important as the centerpiece for their dining table. Christmas with a Five-Year-Old PrincessI like taking my 5 year-old granddaughter with me when I go Christmas shopping. We plan each gift and scope out a plan of attack on the stores. For Grandpa we go to the tool store. For Mom we go to the bath products store. For Grandma we go to the gardening section of her favorite store. She helps me navigate around town and tells me good spots to park the car. We always have the discussion of whether Golden Arches is better than the Charcoal Broiled hamburgers. We have found many new places to eat lunch on our shopping trips. On sunny days we try to stop by the park and eat our lunch outside. We have long conversations about gift ideas for our dear ones. Do we buy little brother a truck or a ball? Does Grandpa want the light kit or the new drill? Does Auntie get a scarf or jewelry?

How to Host a Fabulous Christmas Party!
Hosting a party can be a big undertaking, especially during Christmas time, when there are a billion other things going on. Putting together a fabulous and fun Christmas party can be pulled off, however, and with style and on a budget. Here are the key ingredients:

Hope you enjoy.