Tag Archives: santa claus

Why Santa Doesn’t Visit My Home

When my husband and I had our first child we were asked by grandparents if we were going to encourage her to believe in Santa Claus.  We both responded with a united no but with different reasons.  My husband felt it was a distraction from the true meaning of Christmas.  We are in agreement on this point.  But even if I could be persuaded the two concepts could live side by side, I would still struggle with keeping up with it.  I can’t even take a daily vitamin on a regular basis.  I also thought…and forgive me…having a child believe … Continue reading →

Holiday Geography Fun for the Whole Family

Do you know where in Missouri the city of Noel is located? How much do you know about Santa Claus, Indiana or Bethlehem, Pennsylvania? Could you find them on a map? Noel, Santa Claus, and Bethlehem are just a few U.S. cities with Christmas-themed names. Heck, there’s even a Christmas, Florida. This time of year these merry locales see a surge of visitors, and locals do their best to make everyone feel welcome. Out-of-towners who make the trip are treated to spectacular holiday light displays and other seasonal attractions. If you are looking to spend some quality family time with … Continue reading →

Countdown to Christmas: The Letter to Santa

It’s done. My daughter’s annual letter to Santa Claus is complete. Not exactly a big deal in most households, but it was a major milestone in our family as this is the first year that my daughter’s note to Jolly Old St. Nicholas actually included words… written by someone other than me. What a difference a year makes. Instead of drawing pictures of the Christmas gifts she desired, this year my 4-year-old hand wrote her entire letter to the guy in the red suit. She even addressed the envelope: Santa, North Pole! (Parents with older children feel free to roll … 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 →

The Truth About Santa

I think this year will be the year Tyler learns the truth about Santa. I suspect that he already has some idea that I’m not being totally truthful anyway. I had hoped that I could keep the charade up for one more year but I don’t think I will be able to. I don’t think I have the energy. Plus he already knows what he’s getting- a TV and computer- and he knows that his father and I are buying it so it does not make sense that Santa would then bring it to him. I have a few other … 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 →

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

I started this blog earlier this afternoon, and my computer kept shutting down on me while I was writing. It was a shame, really, because this is truly a marvelous movie and the thought of not getting to share it with you had me all depressed. But my husband worked his marvelous magic and now we’re up and running again. Heather and Libby watch “Miracle on 34th Street” every year. Let’s take a closer look and discover why it continues to be such a holiday favorite year after year. Natalie Wood stars as Susan Walker, a young girl who has … Continue reading →

Santa Claus is Coming To Town

It’s a big day for you and your baby when you head to the mall for that first photograph with Santa Claus. Depending on the age of your baby, this can be a tremendously fun experience or it can be traumatic. Our kids love the idea of a jolly old man with his twinkling eyes and gentle manner. But not every mall Santa falls into this category and not every baby sees a genial old man who is going to provide a fun photograph for mom and dad’s scrapbooks. Santa is a Stranger Every baby goes through phases of stranger … Continue reading →

Have These Fictional Characters Influenced You?

There was a lively debate going on between the co-hosts of NBC’s “Today” show regarding the influence Santa Claus, the Loch Ness Monster, and Paul Bunyan had on modern society. After some chiding and a lot of elbowing the “Today” foursome concluded that characters influenced everything from how we look and act to the way we eat and speak—even though none of them are real. Later I found out that the source of the co-host’s “debate” was a list of “The 101 most influential people who never lived,” which is featured in a new book that was released Tuesday. So … Continue reading →