VISIT THE NORTH POLE THIS CHRISTMAS

It’s time again for my annual reminder to check out http://www.northpole.com

This site is pure magic for little kids and everyone.  All kinds of activities, stories, and games to delight all ages.  Recipes from Mrs. Claus’s kitchen for moms and dads.  Toys and gift ideas, crafts, write to Santa, visit Santa’s reindeer, watch NORAD track Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.  Your little ones will be entertained for hours.

Read Full Post »

The North Pole

It’s that time of year I like to remind everyone about the North Pole…

http://www.northpole.com/

This site is fun and fantastic.  Your kids will love it…stories, games, visit the reindeer, write a letter to Santa.  There is enough to keep them busy for hours.  For big kids, there are recipes, shopping and fun information.  Check Santa’s route on Christmas Eve.  I’ve been visiting it for years.

Put on your desk top over the holiday season.

Read Full Post »

The North Pole

If you have kids or grandkids or you just love Santa Claus, you need to visit www.northpole.com

I found this site years ago.  Every Christmas it pops into my head and I can’t resist.  I have to go there.  Then I share it with old friends and new .  They are always as thrilled as me to learn of such a great site they feel good about their kids exploring.

Your kids will be enthralled, but there is much to keep an adult occupied as well.  Mrs. Claus has hundreds of wonderful recipes in her kitchen just waiting for you to stop by and find something special.  You and your kids can find gifts in the toy shop.  In the reindeer barn, the kids can find stories to read, or have them read to them…how great is that?  They can even print out the stories along with pages they can color.  The kids can write to Santa, ask questions, check out the weather at the North Pole and track Santa’s journey Christmas Eve with the help of NORAD.

There is so much on this site to keep little ones busy, and there are options for parents and teachers as well.  I’m a big kid, and I love it.  Let’s go see what the elves are doing right now!

Read Full Post »

Christmas Tree or Holiday Tree?

I have one other suggestions to the fairly new question.  Let’s call it the Thanksgiving Tree – because that is when people now seem to put them up.  When I was young, my family was thought odd because we put our tree up one week before Christmas.  That was because my Pappy liked to putz and had an elaborate train set up.  This in itself took longer than the actual erection and decorating of our tree.  It was fairly common back then to bring the tree into the house a day or two before Christmas and often not decorate it until Christmas Eve…seriously people!  Doesn’t anyone else remember this?  It was a very festive evening.  Christmas Eve was not reserved for last-minute shopping, cleaning, wrapping, cooking, etc.  It was for fun alone – stringing popcorn, imbibing alcohol and party time with the extended family.

By bringing in the tree on or even before Thanksgiving, we have theoretically left so much more time for ourselves to do these extraneous Christmas-related chores, yet we remain like chickens with our little heads cut off right up until the last-minute.  Why is that?  Maybe Martha Stuart ruined Christmas with her over-acheiving ideas for the perfect home, baked goods, decor and gifts? Maybe we really don’t need twelve different kinds of Christmas cookies decorated to the max?  Maybe just chocolate chip and sand tarts would do?  Maybe a few meaningful presents would suffice instead of dozens which look professionally wrapped?  Maybe, just maybe we could remember what we’re celebrating.

It is November 29, and no tree has yet been purchased by me.  I don’t feel bad about that.  There is still a great deal of time left, and I have a plan.  I have made minor concessions since my youth; I normally bring in my tree and decorate about two weeks before Christmas instead of the one week I was accustomed to for so long.  This works perfectly, as the greens still actually smell good on December 25, and bonus – I can then keep it up until at least February.

Well, I do look forward to putzing around very soon.

Important Note:  To the Pennsylvania Dutch, putz and putzing refer to Christmas decorations and decorating…not, I repeat not, a euphemism for a man’s body part which I believe has an ‘e’ on the end, as in putze.  Suddenly felt I should clarify this.

Now that I think again, that could be fun as well.

Read Full Post »