Saturday, November 29, 2008

Christmas Activities

Ok, so we've yet to make one star, BUT we did put up several decorations, and today we got some Christmas shopping done. So, tomorrow....stars! And hang the advent calendar, which i was supposed to do today.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Christmas Stars

My girlfriend Drew Llyn posted a video of how to make this neat origame stars.



Cool, right? Drew Llyn suggested I post the video here at A Merry Little Christmas incase anyone wanted to make some homemade decorations for their tree. So, here's the video. We will be making these later today. With paper cut to the size of a dollar bill, mind you. Decorating the tree with cash seems creepy. And let's be honest, who's got the spare cash anyway?




5 Dollar Origami Star - video powered by Metacafe

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Today's activity was...

Starting a nativity puzzle...



and listening to Christmas music.

Tomorrow, the tree goes up!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

***from The New York Sun, September 21, 1897***

We take pleasure in answering at once and thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that it's faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor:
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says "if you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O'Hanlon, 115 West 95th Street


Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virgina, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole truth and knowledge.


Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist; and you know that they abound and give to your life it's highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus? You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys in Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those things that neither children and men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's not proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders that are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside; but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man nor even the unites strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture that supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virgina, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus? Thank God he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, nay, ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

~ Francis P. Church

Friday, November 21, 2008

Old-School Christmas Music



..."with a voice as big as the sea..." I love that part!




Lame video, great song.



ohhhhh!! I love this one.



Gotta love Brenda Lee.



Blue, blue, blue Christmas in black leather. Who else could get away with that?




Yes, that's Jonny Mathis. I love him and I'm dang proud of it.
Here's another.



That was for my roommate Karen Farenheit.




Oh GOSH, I'm soooo LOVING THIS!!!!



Bing.


And let's end this properly, shall we?



Nat King "many-have-tried-but-I-still-own-this-song" Cole.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Christmas Memories

1.)The talking Christmas Tree at Woolworths.(right, Woolworths?)
2.)Hanging stockings on the cardboard fireplace. ( I LOVED that thing.)
3.)Beach Boys, Dean Martin, The Supremes, Brenda Lee, Andy Williams (i think) Robert Goulet, Elvis...all on black,shiny vinyl...those are still my favs.
4.)Silver and gold garland.
5.)Spray snow on the windows.
6.)Not being able to sleep Christmas Eve and can I just say I'm still the same way!!!
7.) Sears' Wishbook...I still have the teddy bear I picked out one year. His yellow ribbon has been replaced with a red bandana and is named Bruce.
8.)Opening a Disney Fairy Tales book. My sister claims this is a false memory because the book is and has always been hers. Mom backs her up. I know they're sooo tricking me.
9.)Welfare sending Santa to our house. He was black, we are not. I was the only child who sat on his lap, thank you very much. I believe we got Toss Across that year. I loved that game.
10.)Listening to "Do you Hear what I Hear" and wondering why they brought silver and gold to and "a child, a child, shivers in the cold"...why not a blanket?
11.) Christmas Night at my grandmother's. Big plastic candles (with "Noel" written on them) that stood on either side of the front door. Lots of cousins, my grandfather's LOUD laugh, french meat pie, a big wooden bowl of mixed nuts still in their shells. My grandmother always spent the entire night in the kitchen.
12.) Mincemeat pie...yum.
13.) Seeing those cookie crumbs on the plate on Christmas morning...oh yes! Santa had been here!
14.)The funky white chain garland with little red velvet sleighs and reindeer and sprigs of plastic mistletoe.
15.)Driving around town looking at Christmas lights.
16.) Christmas caroling. Yes, we really went once or twice. I remember the little book.
17.)Silver Christmas trees...No, we never had one and can you believe these things are back????
18.) Cardboard advent calendars with little Santas Clause shaped chocolates in them.
19.) Frosty, Rudoplh, the Grinch, and of course, Charlie Brown Christmas specials. The thrill I felt if I stumbled across one while changing the channels, and the sinking feeling I had when I went to school and found out I had missed one!
20.) Christmas at grade school...making paper chains and decorating the classroom. Christmas plays. Christmas Choruses where we sang Silent Night and nobody sued the school. Walking down the halls and seeing the words "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Channakuh" on the wall in construction paper letters. Playing dreidel and singing, "Dreidel, dreidel dreidel...I made it out of clay. And when it's dry and ready, than dreidel I shall play."...even though I'm not jewish.
21.) Painting ceramic Christmas ornaments. Mom's ceramic Christmas tree. Mom's ceramic nativity with only 2 wise men. I guess the 3rd went back to get a blanket.
22.) Little Christmas...which I believe is traditionally called Epiphany. But in New England in the 70s and 80s, it was called Little Christmas.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Christmas with the Kranks


Ok, y'all, if you haven't seen this movie, you need to check it out! We watched it last night and it was FUN-NY! Laugh out loud funny in a few places. First off, you just gotta love Jamie Lee Curtis. Any woman in Hollywood with a real body and isn't anorexic gets my vote. Plus she's really funny and has that GREAT horror movie scream. Tim Allen...botox scene. 'Nuff said. If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch the movie! Enjoy!

Friday, November 14, 2008

Christmas with a capital "C"

If you tell my husband, "Happy Holidays!" you're likely to hear him say, "What holiday? 4th of July? Labor Day?"

It's Christmas! Say it! You know you want to!

Anyway, my girlfriend Shannon sent to this to me so I could share it here on my CHRISTMAS blog. It get's the point across, and I think the comedian is pretty funny!

.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Baby Clothes


Today's christmas activity was shopping online for Baby Alive clothes and accessories. I received a Baby Alive doll in a big bag of hand-me-downs for Lizzie. I was pretty pumped because Baby Alive cost about $30.OO and this one was big fat FREE! And in Like New condition. And naked. So, today we purchased some must haves for dear little BA, and Abby's Christmas shopping is done! NEXT!

Friday, November 7, 2008

All I Really Want for Christmas...




"In the U.S. alone, 127,000 kids go to sleep at night dreaming of the day when they might be adopted....although that is a big number, it's important to note that more than 300,000 churches grace this country. Think about it---that's less than one child for every two churches."

From, Why I'm For Orphans By Jim Daly, President, Focus on The Family.
For more info., check out www.icareaboutorphans.org

And....

Friday's Christmassy activity is serving my kids hot apple cider in Christmas tea cups. Kids who don't want hot apple cider, so I will just have to drink it myself!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Today's Christmassy activity was...

...buying a little baby christmas pj set!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

O Holy Night

"O Holy Night" is by far my very most favorite Christmas song ever. I grew up hearing it by Johnny Mathis and I loved it. There are new versions of it every year, and I like to listen to them all and critique them, as if I could do any better. Today, I listened to a variety of O Holy Night performances and came up with my newest favorite. But before I share it, let me list a few of the artists I listened to.

John Berry....Celine Dion....Avril Lavigne...Aretha Franklin and Billy Preston...Carrie Underwood....Pavarotti....Aled Jones....CiCi Wynans...Mariah Carey...Kelly Clarkson....Whitney Houston....Josh Groban....Nsync...Sarah Brightman...The Corrs...Martin McBride...and(God forgive me)Jessica Simpson.

I liked the Corrs, but felt like the lead singer was trying to be sexy. Yes, while singing O Holy Night. I liked John Berry and Johs Groban because they sang more than the first verse. I liked and Nsync. As for Jessica Simpson, I just need to ask: "Really? Really Jessica? Cleavage and seduction while singing about 'Our dear Saviour's birth' ?" uh-uh uh.

Anyway, my favs were Martina McBride and Kelly Clarkson. I couldn't embed Martina's performance, however. You'll need to check it out on You Tube. But here is Kelly Clarkson...Enjoy!



P.S. Ok I just heard the live Kelly Clarkson version and Martina wins hands down.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

The Big 50!!!

Only FIFTY days until Christmas. Today, I will begin my quest to do something Christmassy every day until THE DAY! Today's Christmas activity was having peppermint mocha creamer in my coffee. And to listen to "Let it Snow."

Monday, November 3, 2008

Christmas Lists

Everyday I am overwhelmed with lists of "I want..." and "Oh, Mommy, could I have..." or "I wish I had...". It doesn't stop. Until someone asks "What would you like for Christmas?" Or better yet, they ask me, "What should I get the kids for Christmas?" My mind, of course, goes blank. For this reason, I have posted Christmas lists for each of the kids in my sidebar. I will also be posting a "Please DO NOT buy" list for things to which we are opposed. Stuff like, "Million Marble Playset", anything related to bathroom humor, books on how to cast spells, and stuff like that. (No, we have never received anything like that in the past. I'm exaggerating.)
Anyway, I hope this helps.

Baby Steps

Today was my first small step towards Christmas shopping! Well, technically I took my first steps about a week and a half ago. I ordered some stuff from Vision Forum's Clearance catalog. Today, the stuff arrived! Heeheehee!!!! Now all I have to do is NOT give the stuf to my children early. Sounds much easier than it is. 51 DAYS TO GO!!!!