Tagged with Christmas …

Catching The Holiday Spirit (While Avoiding Holiday Pitfalls)

You know, it’s kind of hard to get excited about Christmas when money is tight.  My heart feels big and generous while my wallet keeps shrinking, and it doesn’t help that Amazon, LivingSocial, and Groupon (to name a few retailers) keep flooding my IN box with offers. Delete, delete, delete. I don’t even open those … Continue reading →

From Secret Santa: Dear Annette…

Recently I posted my letter to my Secret Santa on this blog (See Dear Secret Santa).  I had told my Secret Santa that the reason I was a little late in making my Christmas Wish List known was because, when it came down to it, I really didn’t want for anything; that I really had … Continue reading →

Dear Secret Santa

Dear Secret Santa, I’m sorry I’ve been so slow in getting my list of gift ideas to you, but you see, it’s the same problem I have every year: I really don’t want for anything. I know, there’s always something to want.  For example, world peace could be at the top of my list, alongside … Continue reading →

The Christmas Story Gets A Modern Twist

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to live in a previous time in history, like say, at the time of the birth of Jesus?  Maybe, like many, you’ve considered what your life would be like without the convenience and ease of modern invention, and you’ve thought, “You know. I’m kinda happy living … Continue reading →

Holiday Movie Favorites

One of my favorite holiday movies from childhood is Rudolph.  I loved the type of animation used, the characters, the music, and Burl Ives’ voice and likeness.  It was engaging in every way.  And who couldn’t see him/herself in Rudolph in some way?  Like many of us, he was the misunderstood, under-appreciated, awkward kid who … Continue reading →

‘Tis the Season to be Jolly? Getting Into the Holiday Spirit

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la! ‘Tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la!” …or, at least that’s how the song goes.  While the holidays are a time for celebration and socializing, gift-giving and indulging, for many of us they are a time for worry, anxiety, and depression.  There are pressures to … Continue reading →

‘Tis The Season for Socialist Santa!

Depending on where you are from, you have probably, at some time, participated in the holiday gift-giving tradition of “Secret Santa”, “Kris Kringle”, or “Pollyanna”, either at work or with a group of friends.  It’s that system of randomly (and secretly) selecting the name of a person in the group for whom to give a … Continue reading →

New Thanksgiving Day Traditions

Several years ago, my then-fiance/now-husband and I ventured to combine our family Thanksgiving Day dinners into what became the biggest celebration of Thanksgiving Day that either of us had ever been a part of, let alone host.  It was an amazing feat to accommodate 32 people, sitting together at what appeared to be one long, … Continue reading →