Talk of the Town

Don't forget the batteries!

Looking back, back to my childhood I seem to remember Christmas day was far too short of a day. We opened a present from Santa on Christmas Eve and a gift from our grandparents too, however Christmas morning we received the gift of time.  There were gifts in the stockings and a present or two from our parents to open, but overall we spent all Christmas morning playing with the toys we had been given.  The joy was short-lived however, because we had to get going to the next family celebration for the noon-time meal.  (That of course was Christmas dinner and we would have Christmas supper in the evening because even during a holiday we were farmers!)

Now that I'm the mom, I am beyond excited for Christmas day.  Gifts are wrapped, stockings are hung and I have been fine tuning my "Sleepy Mom" character.  Those kids are going to have to work hard to wake me up to see what Santa has left for them!

We are sticking around our place this year and thus will have plenty of time to play with the new toys.  Let's just say all this snow is going to go well with what I suspect Santa will be bringing in his sleigh.  The Christmas Story/Elf double header will be watched and popcorn and cocoa will be enjoyed too.  I can't wait!

"I love this Christmasy time of year!"

What are your plans or traditions for Christmas morning? 

McDouble-take

I can't believe what I'm about to write.  I'm going to have to side with McDonald's on this one.

Have you heard the story about the California Mom who announced she is going to sue McDonald's in an effort to get them to remove toys from Happy Meals?  The first time I heard about it, I thought, "Yeah, go get 'em, McDonald's is all this is wrong with childhood nutrition."

Then I heard - as Paul Harvey would say- the REST of the story.

The lawsuit has been brought by the Center for Science in the Public Interest on behalf of the mother.  CSPI says "By choosing to thwart parental rights, McDonald's is engaged in a deliberate and deceptive attack on children.  When it comes to undermining parental authority by targeting children directly, McDonald's is the worst of the worst.  Their business model is based on getting kids to pester their parents as often as possible."

The quote I heard from the California mother of two who is bringing the suit made my skin bristle as I drove along this morning.  She was complaining about how hard it is to deal with her six year old daughter who won't stop asking for Happy Meal toys.

Good Lord....

It makes me wonder, who is driving the car to McDonald's?  Who is taking out the money and paying for the Happy Meal?  Isn't getting pestered by my kid part of the "Mom" job description? 

My responsibility as a parent is to be able to handle the Happy Meals of life.  I HATE being the person to complain about parental abdication on this issue, but how in the heck is that Mom going to stand a chance with a 16 year old when she can't handle a 6 year olds pestering.

Good luck McDonald's...

 

A different gift this year

Every year I look at the calendar and realize, "there are less than two weeks til Christmas!"  That means its time for shoppers to start getting serious.  Just as Black Friday customers relish the one-day thrill of finding the great deals, there are some who like to wait until there are a precious few days left and then race through their list.

Not me.  I plod along buying one or two gifts at a time as the month of December flies by.  I figure I need to keep my options open in case some last minute gift ideas pop onto a Christmas list.  (In fact, my son has replaced his number one 'wish' just in the past few days!)

Yesterday I heard a clever idea I wanted to comment on.  The Red Cross has a Store Of Hope at the Apache Mall this year.  This offers you the opportunity to 'buy' a unique gift of hope for someone on your gift list.  The Red Cross gets the donation and you get a card you give as the gift. 

Of course there are loads of charities and organizations that would LOVE a Christmas gift donation from you.  In last weekends Post Bulletin there was a list of charities that need your help.  If you MUST give a physical gift to someone, you could package it with a donation.  For instance- at the Public Library you can donate the financial equivalent of a book, a CD or a video and then package that with a real book the gift recipient gets to open as a gift. 

Just a thought to consider as you wrap up your shopping for the season.  Maybe add a new twist to the traditional pile of gifts.

Do you have any gifts that give back?  Please share!

Now THAT'S a storm!

My sister just pointed out that eight days ago the Rochester area had not a flake of snow.  I'd say we're making up for that in a BIG way!

Dangerous travel conditions aside, I LOVE a good blizzard.  This is not just a winter storm or snow event happening here.  We're talking a businesses-are-closed, it'll-be-treacherous-to-get-where-you-want-to-go, and imagine-all-you-can-get-done-at-home kind of day.  Of course, if you wanted to do absolutely nothing today, then you had a built in excuse! 

Snow days feel give me the feeling that I'm playing hooky from my life.  What a delicious luxury!

The blizzard has also given me a good excuse to play the Hugh Hefner card. Wearing pajamas all day is usually reserved for the type of day when a flu wave has swept over the home, so hanging out at home without gripping an ice cream bucket or a fever is a wonderful indulgence.

I've been busy cooking, cleaning, wrapping gifts and preparing mug after mug of cocoa (lots of marshmallows!) today, so it's just about time to get to the lazy part of my day.

How about you?  I know you've got lots of time on your hands!  What did you do with your hooky day?

Three cheers for Burkely!!

Just when you think the youth of the day only care about getting as many presents as Santa can carry, I happen upon Burkely Ravenhorst.  A few weeks ago, seven year old Burkely asked his parents for a $25 video game, but they said he'd have to find the money on his own.  When selling paperclips to his little sister didn't go over as he'd hoped, he started making Christmas tree ornaments.  Burkley's mom Gwen posted the 30 to 40 ornaments on her facebook page, which were quickly snapped up by family and friends.  All in all a successful venture.

However, Burkely decided to put his video game on hold and tried his hand at philanthropy instead.  His parents asked him to consider finding someone he might help with his new 'business.'  But who to help?  When his parents mentioned possibly helping people with cancer he asked, "What's cancer?"  Mom Gwen said "Burkely was devasted to learn about a disease that hurts kids or adults alike." 

From that point on, Burkely was an ornament making machine!  A cousin came to visit and not one to pass up free help, Burkely put him to work on ornament production.  To this point he has sold 100 ornaments and raised over $400!  He is planning to stop by the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge to hand off the money he raised and visit some of the cancer patients who are staying there.

He's selling ornaments at various community events, but his mom is planning to post a facebook page with more info on where they can be found.

What a kid!  Kudos to his parents for igniting the spark of giving!

The must-have gift

Has every Christmas had its "must have" gift of the season?  Some reign larger than others I suppose.  The Tickle Me Elmo, Cabbage Patch Kids and Wii stick out in my memory as some of the biggest of the big.  These gifts seem almost more important to the parent who acquires it than to the child who will open it on Christmas morning.  But then isn't that what Christmas is all about!?  Finding the most popular gift in stock and grabbing it before someone else does?  Wait...no.  That is NOT what Christmas is about, but that is a different topic for a different blog.

Tonight I was thinking about what I consider to be the must-have gift of the season for adults.  To come up with this popular item I considered the number of times I've seen it displayed in stores and the number of times this same item shows up in advertising circulars.  It's that Keurig coffee maker. 

Now maybe the fact that I've got a crush on the Keurig is bringing them to my attention no matter where I see them, but I'm not imagining it; these lovely little coffee machines are everywhere!

You may make a good argument that the I Pad is at the top of many a list, but when it comes to the price point, I think K-cups are what the elves should focus on during these remaining weeks.

What do you think the most popular gift is?  What's at the top of YOUR list this Christmas?