My Daughter’s Very Merry Christmas Eve

Amidst all of the hoopla of Christmas Eve I failed to realize mail carriers were still hard at work yesterday. Frankly, I was shocked when I saw our mail lady drive up and fill our mailbox with a bunch of envelopes. My daughter was even more surprised and not because the mail lady actually showed up, but because of what she placed inside our mailbox. Three weeks ago my 3-year-old daughter wrote a letter to Santa. It was more drawing than writing, but since Santa knows the language of all children I figured he could make out what she was … Continue reading →

A Sweet Santa, A Sick Santa, and a Missing Santa Returns

Christmas came early for a few folks in Rutland, Vermont. A local newspaper there recently reported that they received a card sent to them by a mystery “elf” saying he intended to give away $600 to random residents during the holiday season. Sure enough, a few days ago a woman told reporters she was approached by a man she didn’t know as she exited a local Wal-Mart. According to the woman, the mystery man handed her an envelope which contained a Christmas card and $50 in cash. In the days since, the Mystery Santa has reportedly showed up at several … Continue reading →

Fashionable Eco-Friendly Holiday Gift Ideas

I provided some green gift ideas in a previous blog, but if you are a savvy shopper you know I didn’t even scratch the surface. There are so many environmentally friendly gift options out there… and you don’t have to be a self-professed tree hugger to appreciate them. Take a look: Denim. Levi’s has an entire eco collection. The popular denim designer has 100 percent organic cotton jeans for men and women. The Levi’s eco collection offers several styles—for ladies the most popular is the Eco Midrise Boot 553 Jean ($78) and for men the most desired pair is the … Continue reading →

Serious Santa Shortage

It may be the one place on the planet (besides the North Pole) where you would never think a crisis of this proportion would arise. Anchorage, Alaska is in jeopardy of having a very un-merry Christmas. For a city where reindeer almost outnumber two-legged residents its degree of jolliness is surprisingly low. Anchorage is sending out an S.O.S. The city is in desperate need of a Santa Claus. Preferably one that doesn’t mind hanging out at the local mall and ho-ho-ho-ing alongside screaming kids. It may sound funny, but the predicament is no joke. City leaders say there is a … Continue reading →

Totaling Up “The Twelve Days of Christmas”

You’re familiar with the popular Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” right? Well, have you ever wondered how much it would set you back if you actually purchased all of the items mentioned in the song for your own true love? One company did and put together an itemized list, complete with prices, which revealed how much the 364 items would cost from the 12 drummers drumming down to the single partridge in a pear tree. Be prepared to dig deep if you want to bring home all 12 days worth of goods. The total amount is… Drum roll … Continue reading →

Post Thanksgiving Turkey Tales

Regular readers of this blog know that I have a thing for eating contests. While I have never personally participated in one, I find myself strangely attracted to the sight of people shoving endless amounts of food into their mouths at high rates of speed. Thanksgiving meals are similar to eating contests only minus the speed. Which is not to say that Turkey Day was minus an eating contest this year. Thanks to the Food Bank of New York City and one major league eater fans of eating contests could get their fill watching Tim Janus devour a Thanksgiving meal … Continue reading →

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Today we are supposed to hit a record high of 85 degrees. That is more than 20 degrees above normal for this day and virtually unheard of for October. (Believe me I’m not complaining.) Regardless of the temperature, I’m still getting into the holiday spirit. Today I’m picking up the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book from my friend’s house. I can’t afford a single item in the 81st edition of the luxury gift catalog, but that never stops me from dreaming. If you have ever peeked inside the famous holiday catalog you know that you don’t have to be a millionaire … Continue reading →

History of Mardi Gras

I found it funny that when I moved to San Diego, California – one of the biggest melting pots in America – that Mardi Gras was no big deal. In fact, some people I worked with didn’t even know what it was. I couldn’t even fathom that. After all, being raised in the South, Mardi Gras was a “holiday” I was aware of each year. Of course, living in Memphis was not like being in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but you could still find King Cakes in the grocery store and there was always someone running around town with … Continue reading →