* * * Enjoy Christmas * * *

The History of the Christmas Card

2008-01-27T21:04:00.000-08:00

by: Catherine Spelling

The Christmas card, as we know it, originated in England in the year 1843. An artist named John Calcott Horsley was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole, a wealthy and successful London businessman, to create a card that could be sent out to his friends and clients to wish them a merry Christmas.

Sir Henry Cole was very well known at the time, for a number of reasons. He had a helping hand in helping to modernize the British postal system. He played a prominent role in the creation of the Royal Albert Hall, and acted as the construction manager on this massive project. He also arranged for the Great Exhibition of 1851, and he oversaw the inauguration of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

One of Sir Henry Cole's greatest aspirations in life was to beautify the world around him. He owned and operated a wonderful art shop on Bond Street, which specialized in decorative objects for the home. His shop was hugely popular with the British upper class, and he earned a tidy sum from his business.

The Christmas card he commissioned was fashioned in the form of a triptych, which is a three-paneled design that allows for the two outer panels to be folded in towards the middle one. Each of the two side panels depicted a good deed. The first showed an image of people clothing the poor, and the other side panel showed an image of people feeding the hungry. The center piece had an image of a well-to-do family making a toast and surrounded by an enormous feast.

The inscription on the inside of the card read "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you." Of the one thousand cards printed for Sir Henry Cole, only twelve exist today in private collections. The printed card became highly fashionable in England during the years that followed. They also became very popular in Germany. It took quite a long time for the idea to catch on in America, then popularized by a German expatriate named Louis Prang in 1875. Today, more than 2 billion Christmas cards are exchanged each year. Merry Christmas, all!

Making Gifts A Pleasure

2008-01-27T20:52:00.000-08:00

by: Roy Thomsitt

As we reach the time of year when Christmas items start to appear in the stores, and thoughts of vacations start to wind down with the shortening daylight, it is a good time to think about gifts. Not only the gifts, though, but also the practise of giving.

Offering a gift can be a mutual pleasure; some might say it should be a pleasure for giver and recipient. A problem with a modern commercial Christmas, however, is that buying gifts can become a chore. Often it is a stress ridden chore in the dying days before Christmas Day, as everything gets left to the last minute.

A true gift, though, should bring with it no stress; it should come from the heart to be a true gift, and not be out of duty. If someone is resentful of having to spend time and money buying Christmas gifts, then the result is not a gift but a token of duty.

Why not make this next Christmas a time to make the choosing of individual gifts a pleasure for yourself, and for the recipient. Often in the last minute haste to buy gifts in time for Christmas Day, people become detached from not only the purpose, but the person to whom they are giving. Bought hastily in a crowded stress filled store, scarcely a thought may pass for the individual on the
receiving end, however close they may be to you.

Most of the year, if not all, can be filled with work, commuting, rushing here and there, stress, and self focus. How about time and attention for those who really matter in your life, whether spouse, offspring, other relatives, friends or colleagues? The choosing of a gift, and presentation of it, can be a silent way of giving each of them special attention, and then culminating with their pleasure at the receipt of the gift.

Behind every good present there is a person who worked hard to make the best choice. The secret to buying the perfect gift is to think about the message you want to send out, when the receiver opens it. If you think about his or her hobbies, to his or her vacation plans etc. It means you have really studied that person and you bought the present precisely for them, for that occasion; in this
case, Christmas.

Friendship and caring are themselves are a gift, so you can see that if you put some real selfless effort into choosing gifts, the value of the gift is magnified. That is something which will shine through the wrapping paper, and in the moment of giving the pleasure that you feel in making the gesture will radiate in the warmth of your expression. The choosing and the giving of a gift are inseparable.

With Christmas some way off, now is a good time to start thinking about the meaning of giving, so that by the time Christmas comes, there will be no thinking �oh, this Christmas gift business is a chore.

Instead of thinking about the physical aspects and 'inconvenience' of buying Christmas gifts, of the costs and effect on your credit card, think about the love, respect and caring that you feel for those to whom you will be giving. That way you will beat the stress before it surfaces, and enjoy the act of
giving as a true pleasure.

6 Family Christmas Vacation Tips You Must Know

2008-01-20T21:25:00.000-08:00

by: Rosie Fletcher

A family Christmas vacation can be a wonderful experience. It can fill you with wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. Christmas is a magical time to be surrounded by loved ones, friends and the spirit of the holidays. It's also one of the busiest traveling times of the year. But, not to worry - there are still plenty of ways to enjoy a family Christmas vacation. A few tips will make your trip a breeze.

Christmas Vacation Tip #1: Play Santa

If you're planning a Christmas vacation, be sure to wrap your gifts early if you are taking them for the trip. Always pack each gift carefully, especially if they are fragile, to avoid breakage or other damage. If you don't have the extra room to travel with a gift, ship it before you leave home. If you ship to the address that you will be arriving at, the gift(s) should arrive within several days and will save you from traveling with them.

Christmas Vacation Tip #2: Don't Forget

Make sure that you plan a trip that is enjoyable for everyone in the family. Before finalizing any details, sit down with your entire family and make sure they each person has something special to enjoy during the trip. Make sure that your trip is long enough so that everyone can enjoy their favorite activities.

Christmas Vacation Tip #3: Weather Planning

If you are planning outside activities, check ahead with the weather forecast. If you are going skiing, make sure to check with the local ski resort to inquire about their conditions.

Christmas Vacation Tip #4: Arrive Early

When making travel plans, always buy tickets as early as possible. Airlines and other forms of transportation, especially near the holidays, tend to fill up early. If you're flying, call to confirm that your flight is on time before you even leave home. Upon confirmation, make sure that you arrive at the airport early. The same is true if you are traveling by train. Always call ahead to make sure that everything is on schedule because you certainly don't want to be left standing in the cold.

Christmas Vacation Tip #5: Don't Forget The Chef

If you are having a family gathering, which may include Christmas dinner, always pitch in to help with the cooking or clean-up. Catering to an entire family is a real job and it requires a lot of work. Therefore, any extra help that you can provide to the family member, who is acting as chef for the day, will definitely be appreciated.

Christmas Vacation Tip #6: Santa Questions

One of the best ways to enjoy a family Christmas vacation is by simply being together. When your children start asking questions like "How will Santa find me if I'm away from home," have your responses ready and reply with reassurance that Santa is always watching. It's these little moments that will be treasured forever and nothing will ever take their place.

6 Great Online Christmas Shopping Tips

2008-01-17T19:38:00.001-08:00

6 Great Online Christmas Shopping Tips
by: Rosie Fletcher

Christmas shopping is no longer confined to the local mall or an annual catalog that happens to find it�s way into your mailbox. Thanks to advanced technology, there is literally a whole world of shopping at your fingertips. The internet has revolutionized the way people shop and, besides, what better way to do your Christmas shopping than from the comfort of your own home. No longer must we suit up and weather the harsh winter days in the hopes of checking a few names off of our Christmas list. The store aisles, as we know them, are crowded and hectic.

But now, many store aisles are becoming virtual, a shopping cart is something you fill with images of a product and a checkout is something that you click on to confirm your order. Things have changed a lot in the past years and I wonder how many of us couldn't even imagine what life would be like without the convenience of shopping on the internet. There are several tips for online Christmas shopping, which can make the experience a smooth and pleasant one.

Online Christmas Shopping Tip #1: Be prepared

It is a good idea to start your shopping with a complete list. This will save you both time and money with having to go back and place a separate order later on. With most online stores, you pay a flat shipping fee. In some cases, if you spend a certain amount of money on your order, the shipping and handling fee is waived. It's always best to get everything you want, all at once, to save on shipping. Before you commit to buying from one store, shop around and compare prices on both the product and shipping.

Online Christmas Shopping Tip #2: The early bird gets the gift

If you want to get the best selection, begin your holiday shopping early. Internet stores generally carry large quantities of every item, but even they can sell out. As Christmas draws near, it becomes more difficult to find the exact item that you're looking for. There's nothing like finding the perfect item and seeing the words, "Sold Out" written under the price.

Online Christmas Shopping Tip #3: Shop Safe

When ordering anything online, check product reviews if available. Always shop secured websites because you will be entering your credit card, or banking information, for payment. You don't want your financial information accessed by anyone else, which is why all secured websites let you know how they protect your data.

Online Christmas Shopping Tip #4: Wrap it up

If you're like most, there's not a lot of extra time around the holidays. If you need to save some time on wrapping, most online stores offer a gift wrapping service for a small fee. At some point during the ordering process, you may be asked if you would like to add gift wrap or a name tag. It's as easy as the click of a button, which is much easier than trying to tie the perfect bow.

Online Christmas Shopping Tip #5: Check Delivery Dates

When placing your order, check to make sure that the item is in stock or will be delivered in time for Christmas. Many times, especially near the holidays, items will go on a backorder status. It�s not uncommon for an advanced order item to have a delivery date of January, so be sure to check the status of the items in your shopping cart, along with their expected delivery dates. Not only that, but it's also a good idea to check on the company's shipping policy and delivery time for in-stock items.

Online Christmas Shopping Tip #6: Christmas Cards?

With all the stuff going on in December it's easy to forget to send out Christmas cards to family and friends. But if you forget to send traditional Christmas cards in time all is not lost. In fact, there are some great sites and services online that will send your christmas cards out for you (saving you precious time). You can find services that are both free and paid, and services that send both digital and tradition paper Christmas cards.

How Christmas shopping online better your Christmas!

2008-01-17T19:16:00.000-08:00

How Christmas shopping online better your Christmas!
by: Ebe Heng

Christmas shopping online is not for you? If you are one of those that share this thought, you probably like to enjoy the atmosphere of physical shopping. Doing your Christmas shopping online despite all its convenience, lack the festive mood. The convenience of online shopping has reduced the shopping experience to a browse and click mode, no mood and very little atmosphere.

So, you might think that despite the staggering numbers that shows how many people are actually doing their Christmas shopping online, they are just a minority out of the entire Christmas shopping population. Well, while I do not have the statistics to back this up, this thinking is likely to be true

To ascertain the fact that the Christmas shopping online folks are really a sub-set of the Christmas shopping crowd, just visit Marcy�s, Barnes and Noble or one of the large departmental stores during the pre-Christmas period, and the crowd you see would highlight the fact that a very large proportion of shoppers are still doing their shopping offline.

And of course, it is this crowd that give rise to the Christmassy feelings. Never mind that you have to wait an hour to find a parking lot or half an hour to pay for your purchases, this feeling enhanced by the jingles that flood the stores is something that doing your Christmas shopping online would never be able to offer.

Having said so much about the value of shopping physically, are there any merits to doing your Christmas shopping online? Yes, from my own experience there are at least two major contributions that doing your Christmas shopping online can provide.

First, Christmas shopping online eliminates the hassle of browsing and deciding at absolutely ground zero on the spot. Imagine you are doing shopping with only a vague idea of what to buy for whom and your only reference is some scribbling on a post-it note.

Enter online Christmas shopping, and you are able to browse online and zero in on the category of items that you would like to get for your love ones. One of the biggest value of Internet is it allows you to conduct your research and craft a comprehensive list of items that you would like to get for your love ones. So that, when you are doing it physically, all you have to do is to choose from the different brands and decide on the ones that have the best value. Thus, saving time and allowing you to buy for more people in lesser trips.

The other contribution of online Christmas shopping is that it is able to take care of your �bulk purchases. What I mean is during this festive season of giving and sharing, there would be lots of gifts exchange, and gifts giving to acquaintances.

So, for this group of people, you would probably be getting something that is nice but would not invest too much thought into it, and then you would buy plenty of it to last through the season. Doing your Christmas shopping for these folks online frees out more time for you to choose something special for your love ones. It also takes care of the inconvenience of bringing a lot of stuff home (online shopping would have the purchase deliver right to your door steps).

There you have it! Online Christmas shopping allows you to do a thorough research on the gifts to get for your love ones and it also gives you more time in physically shopping for those gifts by allowing you to buy the generic stuff online. So, using technology allows you to enjoy the magic feeling of shopping under the thick Christmas atmosphere provides by shopping malls with lesser
things on your mind to worry about.

Having said all these, I hope you folks would integrate (what a word!) online shopping to brighten your overall Christmas shopping experience and enhances the joy and magic buying for those special ones.

Merry Christmas!!!

The history of Christmas

2008-01-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

The history of Christmas

In ancient pagan times, the last day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere was celebrated as the night that the Great Mother Goddess gives birth to the baby Sun God. It is also called Yule, the day a huge log is added to a bonfire, around which everyone would dance and sing to awaken the sun from its long winter sleep.

In Roman times, it became the celebrations honouring Saturnus (the harvest god) and Mithras (the ancient god of light), a form of sun worship that had come to Rome from Syria a century before with the cult of Sol Invictus. It announced that winter is not forever, that life continues, and an invitation to stay in good spirit.

The first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere occurs between the 20th and 22 December. The Roman celebrated Saturnalia between 17 and 24 December.

The early Christians

To avoid persecution during the Roman pagan festival, early Christians decked their homes with Saturnalia holly. As Christian numbers increased and their customs prevailed, the celebrations took on a Christian observance. But the early church actually did not celebrate the birth of Christ in December until Telesphorus, who was the second Bishop of Rome from 125 to 136AD, declared that Church services should be held during this time to celebrate "The Nativity of our Lord and Saviour." However, since no-one was quite sure in which month Christ was born, Nativity was often held in September, which was during the Jewish Feast of Trumpets (modern-day Rosh Hashanah). In fact, for more than 300 years, people observed the birth of Jesus on various dates.

In the year 274AD, solstice fell on 25th December. Roman Emperor Aurelian proclaimed the date as "Natalis Solis Invicti," the festival of the birth of the invincible sun. In 320 AD, Pope Julius I specified the 25th of December as the official date of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Christmas official, but not generally observed

In 325AD, Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor, introduced Christmas as an immovable feast on 25 December. He also introduced Sunday as a holy day in a new 7-day week, and introduced movable feasts (Easter). In 354AD, Bishop Liberius of Rome officially ordered his members to celebrate the birth of Jesus on 25 December.

However, even though Constantine officiated 25 December as the birthday of Christ, Christians, recognising the date as a pagan festival, did not share in the emperor's good meaning. Christmas failed to gain universal recognition among Christians until quite recently. In England, Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas festivities between 1649 and 1660 through the so-called Blue Laws, believing that Christmas should be a solemn day.

When many Protestants escaped persecution by fleeing to the colonies all over the world, interest in joyous Christmas Celebration was rekindled there. Still, Christmas was not even a legal holiday until the 1800s. And, keep in mind, there was no Father Christmas (Santa Claus) figure at that time.

Christmas becomes popular

The popularity of Christmas was spurred on in 1820 by Washington Irving's book The Keeping of Christmas at Bracebridge Hall. In 1834, Britain's Queen Victoria brought her German husband, Prince Albert, into Windsor Castle, introducing the tradition of the Christmas tree and carols that were held in Europe to the British Empire. A week before Christmas in 1834, Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol (in which he wrote that Scrooge required Cratchit to work, and that the US Congress met on Christmas Day). It was so popular that neither the churches nor the governments could not ignore the importance of Christmas celebrations. In 1836, Alabama became the first state in the US to declare Christmas a legal holiday. In 1837, T.H. Hervey's The Book of Christmas also became a best seller. In 1860, American illustrator Thomas Nast borrowed from the European stories about Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children, to create Father Christmas (Santa Claus). In 1907, Oklahoma became the last US state to declare Christmas a legal holiday. Year by year, countries all over the world started to recognise Christmas as the day for celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Have a merry Christmas

Today, many of the pagan uses are reflected in Christmas. Jesus was born in March, yet his birth is celebrated on 25 December, the time of solstice. The Christmas celebrations end the 12th day of Christmas (6 January), the same amount of days that the return of the sun was celebrated by ancient and Roman pagans. It thus is no surprise that Christian puritans - or even conservative Christians - often are upset that Christmas "is not as religious as it was meant to be," forgetting that Christmas was not celebrated at all until fairly recently.

The 25th of December is celebrated as the birth date of Jesus Christ. The Bible does not mention Christmas, and early Christians did not observe the birthday of Christ. Christmas as we know it became widely popular only in the 19th Century.

Christmas starts on 25 December and ends 12 days later on 6 January with the Feast of Epiphany also called "The Adoration of the Magi" or "The Manifestation of God."

The concept of "Peace and Joy" over the Christmas season originates from the pagan believe in the magical powers of mistletoe. Enemies meeting under a mistletoe had to call truce until the following day.

In Finland and Sweden an old tradition prevails, where the twelve days of Christmas are declared to be time of civil peace by law. It used to be that a person committing crimes during this time would be liable to more stiff sentence than normal.

An early Christmas card

During the Middle Ages, many churches were built in honour of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children. Wearing his red and white bishop's robes, he would ride on a donkey to deliver gifts to children. In 1860, illustrator Thomas Nast introduced Santa Claus in the fashion we now know him.

Music for the Christmas Holidays

2008-01-15T18:22:00.000-08:00

Music for the Christmas Holidays
by: Tony Wiseman

In our multi-cultural societies today the run up to Christmas is experienced in many different ways. The commercial version pioneered by Coca Cola's magazine advertisements which established the red suited Santa Claus image, washes over us all through the TV advertisements and the decorations in the High Streets and shopping Malls. They built on and reinforced the Victorian version of Christmas celebrations which was dramatized by Charles Dickens in 'A Christmas Carol' which established many of the associated food and garland rituals in the public imagination - and helped Coca Cola promote their winter beverage sales. Much of this is accompanied by 'seasonal' music in the form of carols and hymns - often coral arrangements but sometimes instrumental - especially brass bands and the dreaded sentimental Christmas pop songs.

Music is often a subtle way of getting under the radar and evoking emotional responses from our subconscious. The commercial focus on Christmas seeks to convert these feelings into purchases - sometimes in crude direct appeals to consume but often in a more indirect atmospheric ways. While the committed Christians concentrate on re-telling the Christmas story through as many media as possible, including music - using the Advent season to recharge their spiritual batteries and encourage others to join them. Their tunes and some times even the words are often hijacked by those who wish to evoke a warm hearted relaxed atmosphere for the sale of their particular goods.

Much of this activity assumes a common Christian heritage and must strike those who do not share that background very oddly, not to mention the truly seasonal issues for those in the Southern Hemisphere who celebrate Christmas in mid summer rather than the deep mid winter. There is also the rival celebration of New Year which is a predominantly secular affair with a very limited musical repertoire - mostly of Scottish origin for some reason and this eclipses Christmas in many countries. Christians adopted the pagan Winter Solstice celebrations as part of their missionary progress but those ties were loosened by the reformation and the French, American and Russian Revolutions amongst others.

The seasonal hit is Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite with its Sugar Plum Fairy which fits neatly into the Victorian Christmas story telling context. While Debussy's Children's Corner with it's 'The Snow is Dancing' (Northern Hemisphere Christmas/Mid Winter associations) is another favorite and forms the backbone of our Children's Classics Collection which includes several of our shorter and lower priced recordings. Other beneficiaries include our instrumental versions of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah and Gounod's Ave Maria

Recordings like these are an ideal way to personalize those iPod or MP3 player gifts for a few dollars more - perhaps introducing children to the classics in an accessible, amusing and memorable way.

True Meaning of Christmas

2008-01-15T18:10:00.000-08:00

True Meaning of Christmas

Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened. I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out next to the fireplace.

"What are you doing?" I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat and I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know. He then answered me with a simple statement . . .

"TEACH THE CHILDREN!" I was puzzled. What did he mean? He anticipated my question and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree. As I stood bewildered, Santa said, "Teach the children!

Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that now-a-days Christmas has forgotten. "Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it before the mantle. "Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind, all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven."

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. "Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of His promise."

He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE. "Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness."

Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree. "Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection."

He then pulled from his bag an ORNAMENT of himself. "Teach the children that I, Santa Claus, symbolize the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December."

He then brought out a HOLLY LEAF. "Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly berries represent the blood shed by Him.

Next he pulled from his bag a GIFT and said, "Teach the children that God so loved the world that he gave his begotten son." Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree. "Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherds' crook. The crook on the staff helps to bring back strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother's keeper."

He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL. "Teach the children that it was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior's birth. The angels sang Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace and good will toward men."

Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a BELL,. "Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring mankind to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return.

Santa looked back and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said, "Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One that is, and I bow down to worship him, our LORD, our GOD."

Food & Beverage for Christmas and New Year

2007-12-24T20:16:00.000-08:00

Delicious Food for Christmas and New Year

Enjoy these wonderful foods with your friends and family on these special holidays of the year. Let's share these good time and delicious food & drink together.

Dessert & beverage for Christmas and New Year

Early Start Essential For Corporate Christmas Card Success

2007-12-24T01:19:00.000-08:00

Early Start Essential For Corporate Christmas Card Success by Tim Christopoulos

The Christmas holiday shopping season seems to start earlier every year. According to the National Retail Federation, some 40 percent of U.S. consumers will begin Christmas shopping before the end of October. While many people may question the appropriateness of planning for Christmas as the fall leaves are still turning, there are many reasons for businesses to think ahead one more season and start picking their corporate Christmas cards.

Choosing corporate Christmas cards is like any other business decision that requires evaluation, approval and implementation. Each step takes time, and the more people who are involved, the greater the chance that there will be delays in the process. Ordering cards is often the responsibility of the office manager, but other key executives are typically involved in making sure the card has the right look, message and image for their company.

Waiting too long limits the time available to choose and send holiday cards. With more organizations reducing hours during the holidays and people taking time off, cards should be mailed in early December so that customers and clients are still at work to receive them.

Sending cards on time is important so the cards don't seem like an afterthought. Too often, companies intend to do the right thing - such as circulating cards for personal signatures and hand addressing - but they fail to allow enough time. Then they find their greetings being delivered to an empty desk in late December, limiting the effectiveness of the cards.

Used properly, high-quality holiday cards form a valuable component of a company's overall customer relationship strategy. There are several ways companies gain value from sending holiday cards:

*Cards reinforce company name recognition in a more personal way than advertising or other communications *Cards can be customized with special messages or hand-written personal notes *Cards show that a business appreciates the relationship with customers, suppliers and other important groups

Although e-cards may be suitable for some occasions, the quality, beauty and permanence of paper Christmas cards help companies make a positive impression during the holidays. The very act of signing and mailing cards indicates that you value your customers by putting time and thought into what you send them, while sending e-cards may often look like a last-minute substitute.

There are several potential delivery issues with e-cards that also make traditional paper cards a better choice. E-cards that are sent with attachments or as part of a mass mailing risk being blocked by corporate firewalls or spam filters. Even if they are received, there is a chance an e-card will be overlooked or not opened given the volume of e-mail most executives receive every day. In fact, printed cards may stand out more than ever as the volume of regular business mail declines.

Holiday cards provide a distinctive personal touch that's often lacking in an increasingly frenetic world. A study by the Greeting Card Association indicated that nine out of 10 Americans look forward to receiving personal letters and greeting cards because cards make them feel they are important to someone else. Don't waste this goodwill by sending cards late.

A Fun Look At Christmas Greeting Card Trivia

2007-12-24T01:17:00.000-08:00

A Fun Look At Christmas Greeting Card Trivia by John Oberhauser

As the holidays approach, I felt that looking into the history of greeting cards would be fun. I discovered a delightful mix of history, statistics, and fun trivia. Sit back and relax for a moment. Escape the stress of the season, and take a little time to learn some things about the Christmas Card.

- Sending greeting cards can be associated with the ancient Chinese. They absolutely loved to send celebratory good will messages to mark the coming of the new year. The early Egyptians used papyrus scrolls to express their greetings. As early as 1400, the Germans were printing their New Year's greetings.

- Christmas cards are an English innovation. They were originally penned by boys who were practicing their writing skills. The parents would receive these delightful handmade cards from their sons.

- Sir Henry Cole commissioned the first commercial Christmas cards in London, in 1843. That year, Sir Henry was to busy to write unique letters for everybody. The card contained the words "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You". John Callcott Horsley created the picture on the card, which was of a family hugging and raising their glasses in a toast. The card's design was condemned by critics for promoting drunkenness.

- Commercial Christmas Cards, which first appeared in America, are attributed to Louis Prang. A German immigrant, he opened a small lithographic shop outside of Boston in 1856. Most people agree that he began the US greeting card industry. He was producing more than five million cards a year by 1881. Throughout the 1890's, his cards continued to gain popularity. By this time, Prang was forced to abandon his greeting card production due to the cheap imports, which began storming the market.

- President Eisenhower issued the first official White House Christmas card in 1953. By the year 1961, the White House was sending out 2000 cards. By 2005, that number had risen to over 1.4 million.

- Current holiday cards can be purchased either in box form or individually. Use the boxed cards to satisfy your mailing list for Christmas, and use individual cards for people that are special to you. 9 out of 10 holiday cards are sold in boxes.

- In 2006, cards were exchanged by 2 billion Americans.

- Cards were sent by 85% of Americans in 2006.

- For every 3 holiday cards purchased and sent, one has a religious message.

- 30% of greeting card sales annually, can be attributed to the holiday season.

- Christmas cards are the most popular of all the seasonal cards. They comprise 60% of the total sales. Valentine's Day, at 25%, is a distant second.

- In the United States there is an estimated 3,000 publishers of greeting cards.

- "Merry Christmas" is the greeting preferred by 53% of Americans 21% of people like "Happy Holidays" and only 12% like "Season's Greetings".

- When considering which boxed cards to purchase, 56% of us consider the variety of cards offered while 63% base our decision on price. If you use an online distributor you should be able to satisfy both conditions: variety and price. They can put more kinds of cards on display than the average store can, as they have space management issues.

I hope that this was an enjoyable trip into Christmas Card history. Perhaps it explains our obsession with this particular holiday ritual.

Creating A Homemade Christmas Card - Cards They Will Love

2007-12-24T01:08:00.000-08:00

Creating A Homemade Christmas Card - Cards They Will Love by Ron King

Christmas Cards: Unique Ways

The Christmas card is part of the folklore. If you are one of the masses who send and receive them, you know how special it can be to receive a homemade Christmas card from a friend you haven't heard from. You put them up in treasured places in your home to think about those individuals throughout the holiday season.

But we are busy people and it gets difficult and time consuming to find the time to get everything on the cards we send out. Yet there are some things you can do to offer a personalized message to your treasured friends. Here are some views for you.

Family Christmas Cards - Portrait

This is a great way to provide a personal touch for your special ones. Your recipients will relish this photo of you and your family for years to come.

You don't have to dress up and head to the trained photographer, either. You can simply send a candid shot that will show more of you than any professionally positioned one. Not only do photos provide a peek at what you have been up to, but they provide a lasting vision that you are sharing.

You can easily make copies of many of your cherished photos and distribute them to anyone on your list.

Create A Collage

If you have some time, a collage can be a wonderful way to use old cards that you have stashed away. Cut up the cards and reassemble them to create new ones. You can make beautiful patterns and, to finish these cards off, add photographs or even a charm inside.

You can find a fat enough envelope so that you can make them virtually any size or shape that you would like. These cards will stand out when you give them away. Let your imagination go and find a memorable way to use these old cards to bring more meaning to them.

Inside Counts In Addition

You should make sure that the inside of your card is just as personalized. You should tailor your dedication to the individual.

Write what you feel, not necessarily the usual Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Allow your sense of humor and persona to come through.

Have your family work with you to make an even better card. It may take a little longer, but it is well worth it. Maybe you can even get a ritual going when you send them out and next year you receive the same type of card back from your family and friends.

Instead of skipping through the department store this year looking at the large selection of canned Christmas cards that all seem to be the same, create something new and completely exclusive.

You can create and personalize a card without much exertion or you can go all out. This is a great way to personalize an old tradition.

About the Author

For more holliday shopping advice, visit Homemade Christmas Card. Also check out Family Christmas Card.

For Ron's website, visit .Holiday Gifts.

Christmas pictures

2007-11-15T22:20:00.000-08:00

Some Christmas pictures about activities before Christmas, Christmas ornaments, Christmas decorations, Christmas gift, etc.

Christmas time - the best time of the year. Come and join Christmas with your friends and family.

Wish you all a merry christmas and a happy new year !!!

Santa Claus preparing Christmas gifts for children

Dinner table at Christmas

a boy mailing Christmas wish list

a little boy sitting around his Christmas gifts

Christmas ornament on snow-covered tree

Christmas decorations

Christmas gifts under Christmas tree

Christmas songs - Playlist 3

2007-11-15T01:27:00.000-08:00

Enjoy Christmas songs with this Playlist 3

"I Don't Wanna Spend One More Christmas Without You" - N' SYNC

This is the time of year, that we learn to give
And the greatest gift is learning to forgive
We will have the best that time we ever knew
If you forgive me and I forgive you

I don't want to light a fire
Unless it will warm your heart
I'm playin no holiday songs
I need you to sing your part
And baby if I could have just one wish come true
I don't wanna spend one more Christmas without you

It's so hard to believe
We're staring at the end
When all we think about is starting up again
Whatever we lost, when we were apart
We'll find it all alone in the dark

I don't wanna light a fire
Unless it will warm your heart
I'm playin no holiday songs
I need you to sing your part
And baby if I could have just one wish come true
I don't wanna spend one more Christmas without you

There's nothing more that I want from you
Then to lie here together
And stay here forever with you
There's no one I ever knew
That I wanted to spend Christmas with, more than you....

I don't want to light a fire
Unless it will warm your heart
I'm playin no holiday songs
I need you to sing your part
And baby if I could have just one wish come true
I don't wanna spend one more Christmas without you

I don't want to light a fire
Unless it will warm your heart
I'm playin no holiday songs
I need you to sing your part
And baby if I could have just one wish come true
I don't wanna spend one more Christmas
I don't wanna spend one more Christmas
I don't wanna spend one more Christmas without you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Jingle Bell Rock"

Jingle bell, jingle bell
Jingle bell rock
Jingle bell swing
And jingle bells ring
Snowin' and blowin'
Up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begun

Jingle bell, jingle bell
Jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in
Jingle bell time
Dancin' and prancin'
In jingle bell square
In the frosty air

What a bright time
It's the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell, time
Is a swell time
To go glidin' in a
one horse sleigh

Giddy-up, jingle horse
Pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and mingle
In a jinglin' beat
That's the jingle bell rock

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best CD for Christmas

Christmas songs - Playlist 2

2007-11-15T01:17:00.000-08:00

Enjoy Christmas songs with this Playlist 2

Last Christmas
Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special

Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special

Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance
But you still catch my eye
Tell me baby
Do you recognize me?
Well
If it's been a year
It doesn't surprise me
"Happy Christmas"
I wrapped it up and sent it
With a note saying "I love you"
I meant it
Now I know what a fool I've been
But if you kissed me now
I know you'd fool me again

Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special

Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special

ooooo
oh oh baby

A crowded room
Friends with tired eyes
I'm hiding from you
And your soul of ice
My god I thought you were
Someone to rely on
Me?
I guess I was a shoulder to cry on

A face on a lover with a fire in his heart
A man under cover but you tore me apart
oh oh
Now I've found a real love you'll never fool me again

Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special

Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special

SPECIALLLLLL

A face on a lover with a fire in his heart ( Gave you my heart)
A man under cover but you tore me apart
Next year I'll give it to someone
I'll give it to someone special.
special
someone someone
I'll give it to someone,I'll give it to someone special
who'll give something in return
I'll give it to someone
hold my heart and watch it burn
I'll give me to someone,I'll give it to someone special
I've got you here to stay
I can love you for a day
I thought you were someone special
gave you my heart
I'll give it to someone,I'll give it to someone
last christmas i gave you my heart
you gave it away
I'll give it to someone,I'll give it to someone

Best CD for Christmas

Christmas songs - Playlist 1

2007-11-14T00:56:00.000-08:00

Enjoy Christmas songs with this Playlist

All I want for Christmas is you - Vince Vance & Valiants
Take back the holly and mistletoe
Silver bells on string
If I wrote a letter to Santa Claus
I would ask for just one thing
I don't need sleigh rides in the snow
Don't want a Christmas that's blue
Take back the tinsel, stockings, and bows
'Cuz all I want for Christmas is you
I don't need expensive things
They don't matter to me
All that I want, can't be found
Underneath the Christmas tree
You are the angel atop my tree
You are my dream come true
Santa can't bring me what I need
'Cuz all I want for Christmas is you
I don't need expensive things
They don't matter to me
All that I want, can't be found
Underneath the Christmas tree
You are the angel atop my tree
You are my dream come true (dream come true)
Santa can't bring me what I need
'Cuz all I want for Christmas is you
'Cuz all I want for Christmas is you
'Cuz all I want for Christmas is you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

I don't want a lot for Christmas
There's just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is...
You

I don't want a lot for Christmas
There's just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I don't need to hang my stocking
There upon the fireplace
Santa Claus won't make me happy
With a toy on Christmas day
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you
You baby

I won't ask for much this Christmas
I don't even wish for snow
I'm just gonna keep on waiting
Underneath the mistletoe
I won't make a list and send it
To the North Pole for Saint Nick
I won't even stay awake to
Hear those magic reindeers click
'Cause I just want you here tonight
Holding on to me so tight
What more can I do
Baby all I want for Christmas is you
Ooh baby
All the lights are shining
So brightly everywhere
And the sound of children's
Laughter fills the air
And everyone is singing
I hear those sleigh bells ringing
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need
Won't you please bring my baby to me...

Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas
This is all I'm asking for
I just want to see my baby
Standing right outside my door
Oh I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
Baby all I want for Christmas is...
You

All I want for Christmas is you... baby (repeat and fade)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Grown Up Christmas List

Do you remember me
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you
With childhood fantasies

Well, I'm all grown up now
And still need help somehow
I'm not a child
But my heart still can dream

So here's my lifelong wish
My grown up christmas list
Not for myself
But for a world in need

No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
and wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown up christmas list

As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree

Well heaven only knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal
A hurting human soul

No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown up christmas list

What is this illusion called the innocence of youth
Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth
(there'd be)

No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end, oh
This is my grown up christmas list

This is my grown up christmas list

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Silent night

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

White Christmas

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten,
and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best CD for Christmas

Christmas is Home

2007-11-14T00:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas is so many things;

it's snow falling,
the warmth of the holiday lights.
It's blue silent nights,
with a zillion stars so bright.
It's a celebration of living,
and a time of giving,
a time of sharing,
and a time of caring.
It's a time to sing,
for the many reasons to be thankful
for the joy life brings.
But most of all,
Christmas is home.
It's a time to be with
family and friends,
and a time to send
some hope and goodwill
to all of those you love,
in the way of Jesus above.

Merry Christmas.
May your home be alive with love
this holiday season.

"Christmas is Home," written by Bobette Bryan, 2000

Christmas Wishes

2007-11-14T00:35:00.000-08:00

As Santa is packing up his bags

and readying his sleigh,
I'll be sending you some good wishes
for a merry Christmas day.

I hope you and yours receive
many blessings and more.
May hope, warmth, and happiness
find the way to your door.

In my prayers I'll ask for
many blessings for you
in hopes that your Christmas
dreams will come true.

Merry Christmas!

"Wonderful Holiday," written by Bobette Bryan, 2000

Christmas Miracle...

2007-11-14T00:33:00.000-08:00

An angel appeared

on a cold, stark night
to share with the world
God's wonderous light.
The angel had an important
message for man--
for away in a humble manger
a miracle was taking place,
the beginning of God's
greatest and most glorious plan.
The angel blew a horn,
and in the sky all could see a great star
whose brillance drew shepherds from afar.
As the shepherds came forth,
the angel said,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to the people on earth.
A blessing has been sent from heaven
for to man God's son is given.
With the savior's birth
man shall perish never,
and goodwill and joy shall rule forever."

Merry Christmas!
May your holiday season be filled with
the joy and spirit of the greatest
miracle of all.

A Special Dream

2007-11-14T00:30:00.000-08:00

Let's dream a special dream this winter
of gentle falling snow and frosted trees aglow
that fills our hearts and souls with the
spirit of giving.
Let's hope that peace and goodwill
are alive and well in the world
and that children everywhere
are warm, safe and snug,
not only with visions of sugar plums
in their heads,
but also with love in their hearts.
Let's pray that our friends and family
have a wonderful and spiritual holiday season
that will live long in their memory.
And as we anticipate the new year,
let's believe that anything is possible
as long as we have faith in ourselves,
God, and in those we love.

Merry Christmas.
You'll be in my thoughts and prayers
this holiday season.

"A Special Dream," written by Bobette Bryan, 2000

Christmas Angel

2007-11-14T00:16:00.000-08:00

Oh, to be a Christmas angel

to soar with delicate wings
that sparkle like snow;
to spread goodwill and peace
to every soul on earth below.
As the stars spill silver,
I'd take a yuletide flight
to warm each heart and soul
on a cold winter's night.
I'd bring peace and comfort to
all of those who cry
and let heaven's light
lift their spirit high.
I'd spread the spirit of Christmas
through every path I trod,
so all hearts would celebrate
the love of God.

"Christmas Angel," written and designed by Bobette Bryan, 2001

First Christmas Gift

2007-11-14T00:12:00.000-08:00

When you hear the bells ringing

on Christmas day,
remember that Christ's love
is never far away.
Think about the time
that he was here on earth
when a single star appeared
to herald his birth.
He came to give us comfort,
and wisdom for each day.
He came to share his heart
and heavenly ways.
He said that God loves us
and hears our every prayer,
and he swore than until
the end of time,
he'd always be there.
We need only seek him
with a heartfelt prayer
to feel the warmth of
of his loving care.
So rejoice this Christmas,
and remember his birth,
the first Christmas gift
sent to every soul on earth.

"First Christmas Gift," written and designed by Bobette Bryan, 2001

Christmas Smiles...

2007-11-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm reaching out
across the miles
to fill your stocking
with many reasons to smile.

There's not a single reason
for you to be sad,
when Christmas is here
to make your heart glad.

You can easily ward off
the winter's chill
if you smile and share
the spirit of warmth and goodwill.

All you have to do is smile
and remember your many
blessings this holiday,
and all traces of sadness
will fade away.

Smile and let the
spirit of Christmas thrive.
Just focus on the gifts within
and let hope keep your dreams alive.

Smile, it's not so hard to do,
because your future is bright,
and you have so much
going for you.

Smile and no ghosts
of Christmas past
will haunt you...

because the light
of Christmas present
will shine through!

Merry Christmas!

The Nightmare Before Christmas

2007-11-13T22:32:00.000-08:00

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Director: Henry Selick
Cast: voices of: Chris Sarandon (Jack Skellington), Catherine O'Hara (Sally), Danny Elfman (Jack's singing voice), William Hickey (Dr. Finklestein)
(Touchstone Pictures, 2000)

Loveable Freak

When The Nightmare Before Christmas was first released in 1993, I recall a reviewer saying, "This is the kind of story Dr. Seuss would have written if he had grown up on heavy metal and horror films." I must say that I agree. I'm not exactly sure what music Tim Burton (who authored the story on which this stop-and-go animated musical feature is based) grew up on, but I know that he is a huge fan of horror film actor Vincent Price. I think it's pretty safe to assume that the many Price films Burton watched as a child helped shape his macabre sensibilities and laid the groundwork for Nightmare. The movie tells the story of a loveable freak named Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king and the brains behind the holiday we know as Halloween.

Burton knows a thing or two about loveable freaks — his movies are full of them. From Batman to Edward Scissorhands, his films are populated with folks trying to live in a world that can neither understand nor accept their quirks. Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, is the poor little rich boy who lives in seclusion following the brutal murder of his parents. Night after night, he dons a rubber suit and enacts his own brand of non-lethal vigilantism against the evils of society. Edward Scissorhands, the oddball creation of an eccentric scientist (played by none other than Vincent Price), stumbles into an initially welcoming suburbia, but is eventually cast out when the neighbors begin to view his obvious difference from them as harmful. The rest of Burton's characters follow suit — James (of Giant Peach fame), enters a fantasy world of talking bugs and one enormous piece of fruit in order to escape the verbal abuse he suffers at home. And of course, Pee Wee Herman is the nerdy man/boy who travels cross-country to recover his stolen bike (in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure) — and discovers that the outside world is much stranger than he is.

Jack Skellington fits nicely into Burton's stable of misunderstood protagonists, though his situation differs from that of Batman and Edward Scissorhands. Jack resides in Halloween Town, where it is the sole purpose of every citizen — witch, vampire, zombie, or werewolf — to deliver Halloween every year. Jack is in charge of the festivities, but has grown tired of all the same old scares, which he makes clear in a musical lament: "I would give it all up if I only could." But Jack knows it is his duty to create terror and mayhem every October, again and again, and again. He doesn't have a choice in the matter.

Jack's restlessness initiates a chain of events that leads to his discovery of Christmas Town, as well as his eventual kidnapping of Santa Claus and attempt to take his place. The results are predictably disastrous, as the horrors of Halloween are mixed unevenly with the joys of Christmas: Jack, as Santa, delivers shrunken heads, large snakes, goblins, and other frightful things to the children of the world, and is eventually shot down (in his coffin-sleigh) by the military. The real Santa is left to fix Christmas, as Jack realizes that all he really wants and needs to be is the best pumpkin king in the world.

Jack's ultimate epiphany is in keeping with the themes that usually apply to Burton's benevolent losers. We feel sorry for Jack, sympathize with his plight, and gain a better understanding of his personality, but we inevitably realize that there's nothing that can be done to change who he is or how the world looks at him, just as Jack realizes this. It might sound like a defeatist philosophy to suggest that Jack is something of a victim, powerless to affect his destiny, but Burton's fables are typically bittersweet like this. Like Edward and Ed Wood (played by Johnny Depp in Burton's Ed Wood), Jack Skellington comes to terms with who he is and learns to accept his freakish fate.

One Day After Christmas

2007-11-13T22:30:00.000-08:00

One Day After Christmas
Author Unknown

It's one day after Christmas
I'm crabby and I'm broke.
I'm so full of ham and fruitcake
I think I'm gonna croak.

It's nice to see the relatives
I wonder when they'll leave.
They've been camping in my bathroom
since early Christmas Eve.

They're eating everything in sight
and sleeping in my bed.
I been sacked out in the basement
with my beagle, Fred.

The relatives have all gone out
and left their screaming brats.
The toilet bowl is all plugged up
and I can't find the cat.

It's Christmastime at my house,
the relatives are here.
They eat me out of house and home.
and drink up all my beer.

I love the decorations,
and the sleigh bells in the snow
But I wish those pesky relatives
would take their kids and go.

Those cookie crunchers fed the dog
a twenty pound rib roast.
His feet are sticking in the air
like skinny old fence posts.

Now they're in a free-for-all,
the girls against the boys.
They're fighting over boxes
'cause they're bored with all their toys

My mother-in-law is snoring
in my favorite TV chair.
Those kids are stringing lights on her
and tinseling her hair

I oughta wake her up
before the fireworks begin.
But I wanna see those blue sparks fly
when they plug her in.

Author Unknown

Best Christmas Poem

The Night Before Jesus Came

2007-11-13T22:28:00.000-08:00

'Twas The Night Before Jesus Came
Author Unknown

'Twas the night before Jesus came
And all through the house
Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.
Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care,
In hopes that Jesus would not come there.

The children were dressing to crawl into bed,
not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap,
Was watching The Late Show while I took a nap.

When out of the East there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!

When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray,
I knew in a moment that this must be The Day.

The light of His face made me cover my head;
It was Jesus! Returning just like he said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.

In the Book of Life which He held in His hand
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name,
When He said "It's not here" my head hung in shame.

The people whose names had been written with love
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He rose without a sound
While all the rest were left standing around.

I fell to my knees, but it was too late;
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and cried as they rose out of sight;
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.

In the words of this poem the meaning is clear;
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There's only one life and when comes the last call,
We'll find that the Bible was true after all!

Author Unknown

Best Christmas Poem

T'was The Night Before Christmas

2007-11-13T22:21:00.000-08:00

T'was The Night Before Christmas
Not a Sign of Baby Jesus

T'was the night before Christmas
and all through the town
Not a sign of Baby Jesus
was anywhere to be found.

The people were all busy
with Christmas time chores
Like decorating, and baking,
and shopping in stores.

No one sang "Away in a manger,
no crib for a bed".
Instead, they sang of Santa
dressed-up in bright red.

Mama watched Martha Stewart,
Papa drank beer from a tap.
As hour upon hour
the presents they'd wrap

When what from the TV
did they suddenly hear?
'Cept an ad.. which told
of a big sale at Sears.

So away to the mall
they all flew like a flash
Buying things on credit
and others with cash!

And, as they made their way home
From their trip to the mall,
Did they think about Jesus?
Oh, no... not at all.

Their lives were so busy
with their Christmas time things
No time to remember
Christ Jesus, the King.

There were presents to wrap
and cookies to bake.
How could they stop and remember
who died for their sake?

To pray to the Savior
they had no time to stop.
Because they needed more time
to "Shop til they dropped!"

On Wal-mart! On K-mart!
On Target! On Penney's!
On Hallmark! On Zales!
A quick lunch at Denny's

From the big stores downtown
to the stores at the mall
They would dash away, dash away,
and visit them all!

And up on the roof,
there arose such a clatter
As grandpa hung icicle lights
up on his brand new step ladder.

He hung lights that would flash.
He hung lights that would twirl.
Yet, he never once prayed to Jesus...
Light of the World.

Christ's eyes... how they twinkle!
Christ's Spirit... how merry!
Christ's love... how enormous!
All our burdens... He'll carry!

So instead of being busy,
overworked, and uptight
Let's put Christ back in
Christmas and enjoy
some good nights!

Merry Christmas, my friends!

Author Unknown
Submitted by Pete

Best Christmas Poem

Baby's First Christmas

2007-11-13T22:19:00.000-08:00

A Christmas Poem by Alice E. Chase

You have to hold him up to see
The angel on the Christmas tree.
And even though he's still too small
To know the meaning of it all
You watch his eyes reflect the glow
Of colored lights that come and go
And feel him quiver with delight
At every new and wondrous sight.
There's Santa with his jolly face
Beaming from the fireplace.
And from the stocking hanging there
Peeks a cuddly teddy bear.
Bright ornaments and candy canes --
Musical toy and wooden trains --
There's just no end to the delights
Spread out for him this night of nights!
He points and grins from ear to ear
And then he yawns - his bedtime's near!
Dad gives him a kiss and you tuck him away
To rest up for the fun of his first Christmas Day!

Best Christmas Poem

The Christmas Envelope

2007-11-13T22:16:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Envelope
From Sowing Seeds Ministry

It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas---oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it-overspending...the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma -- the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.

As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.

Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them." Mike loved kids-all kids-and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.

On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.

For each Christmas, I followed the tradition---one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on. The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.

As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there.

You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope.

Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.

May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always.

Best Christmas Story

The Gift

2007-11-13T21:51:00.000-08:00

The Gift

T'WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND SOON DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

This poem was written by a Marine stationed in Okinawa Japan. The following is his request. I think it is reasonable.....

PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S. service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities.

Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed.

Best Christmas Story

The Big Wheel

2007-11-13T21:47:00.000-08:00

The Big Wheel

Author Unknown

In September 1960, I woke up one morning with six hungry babies and just 75 cents in my pocket. Their father was gone.

The boys ranged from three months to seven years; their sister was two. Their Dad had never been much more than a presence they feared. Whenever they heard his tires crunch on the gravel driveway they would scramble to hide under their beds. He did manage to leave $15 a week to buy groceries.

Now that he had decided to leave, there would be no more beatings, but no food either. If there was a welfare system in effect in southern Indiana at that time, I certainly knew nothing about it.

I scrubbed the kids until they looked brand new and then put on my best homemade dress. I loaded them into the rusty old 51 Chevy and drove off to find a job.

The seven of us went to every factory, store and restaurant in our small town. No luck. The kids stayed, crammed into the car and tried to be quiet while I tried to convince whomever would listen that I was willing to learn or do anything. I had to have a job. Still no luck. The last place we went to, just a few miles out of town, was an old Root Beer Barrel drive-in that had been converted to a truck stop. It was called The Big Wheel. An old lady named Granny owned the place and she peeked out of the window from time to time at all those kids. She needed someone on the graveyard shift, 11 at night until seven in the morning. She paid 65 cents an hour and I could start that night. I raced home and called the teenager down the street that baby-sat for people. I bargained with her to come and sleep on my sofa for a dollar a night. She could arrive with her pajamas on and the kids would already be asleep. This seemed like a good arrangement to her, so we made a deal.

That night when the little ones and I knelt to say our prayers we all thanked God for finding Mommy a job.

And so I started at The Big Wheel. When I got home in the mornings I woke the baby-sitter up and sent her home with one dollar of my tip money -- fully half of what I averaged every night.

As the weeks went by, heating bills added another strain to my meager wage. The tires on the old Chevy had the consistency of penny balloons and began to leak. I had to fill them with air on the way to work and again every morning before I could go home. One bleak fall morning, I dragged myself to the car to go home and found four tires in the back seat. New tires! There was no note, no nothing, just those beautiful brand new tires. Had angels taken up residence in Indiana? I wondered. I made a deal with the owner of the local service station. In exchange for his mounting the new tires, I would clean up his office. I remember it took me a lot longer to scrub his floor than it did for him to do the tires.

I was now working six nights instead of five and it still wasn't enough. Christmas was coming and I knew there would be no money for toys for the kids. I found a can of red paint and started repairing and painting some old toys. Then I hid them in the basement so there would be something for Santa to deliver on Christmas morning. Clothes were a worry too. I was sewing patches on top of patches on the boys pants and soon they would be too far gone to repair.

On Christmas Eve the usual customers were drinking coffee in The Big Wheel. These were the truckers, Les, Frank, and Jim, and a state trooper named Joe. A few musicians were hanging around after a gig at the Legion and were dropping nickels in the pinball machine. The regulars all just sat around and talked through the wee hours of the morning and then left to get home before the sun came up.

When it was time for me to go home at seven o'clock on Christmas morning I hurried to the car. I was hoping the kids wouldn't wake up before I managed to get home and get the presents from the basement and place them under the tree. (We had cut down a small cedar tree by the side of the road down by the dump.) It was still dark and I couldn't see much, but there appeared to be some dark shadows in the car -- or was that just a trick of the night? Something certainly looked different, but it was hard to tell what. When I reached the car I peered warily into one of the side windows.

Then my jaw dropped in amazement. My old battered Chevy was filled full to the top with boxes of all shapes and sizes. I quickly opened the driver's side door, scrambled inside and kneeled in the front facing the back seat. Reaching back, I pulled off the lid of the top box. Inside was a whole case of little blue jeans, sizes 2-10! I looked inside another box: It was full of shirts to go with the jeans. Then I peeked inside some of the other boxes: There were candy and nuts and bananas and bags of groceries. There was an enormous ham for baking, and canned vegetables and potatoes. There was pudding and Jell-O and cookies, pie filling and flour. There was a whole bag of laundry supplies and cleaning items. And there were five toy trucks and one beautiful little doll. As I drove back through empty streets as the sun slowly rose on the most amazing Christmas Day of my life, I was sobbing with gratitude. And I will never forget the joy on the faces of my little ones that precious morning.

Yes, there were angels in Indiana that long-ago December. And they all hung out at The Big Wheel truck stop.

Author Unknown

Best Christmas Story

The Rifle by Rian B. Anderson

2007-11-13T21:37:00.000-08:00

"The Rifle"

by Rian B. Anderson

posted as "The Best Christmas Ever.

Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.

It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted so bad that year for Christmas.
We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible. So after supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible, instead he bundled up and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.

Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight."

I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what.

Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up the big sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy.

When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me."

The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high sideboards on.
When we had exchanged the sideboards Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood -- the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?"

"You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked.

The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what?

"Yeah," I said. "Why?"

"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt."

That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him.

We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. "What's in the little sack?" I asked.

"Shoes. They're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."

We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us. It shouldn't have been our concern.

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?"

"Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt. Could we come in for a bit?"

Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.

"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children -- sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out.

"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said, then he turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring enough in to last for awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up."

I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and, much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks and so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak. My heart swelled within me and a joy filled my soul that I'd never known before. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord himself has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us."

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.
Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.

Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.

At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two older brothers and two older sisters were all married and had moved away.

Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, "'May the Lord bless you,' I know for certain that He will."

Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square.
Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that. But on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. So, Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand."

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Just then the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children. For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.

Best Christmas Story

The Geese In The Storm

2007-11-13T21:36:00.001-08:00

There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays, like Christmas. His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments.

One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to a Christmas Eve service in the farm community in which they lived. She asked him to come, but he refused.

"That story is nonsense!" he said. "Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That's ridiculous!"

So she and the children left, and he stayed home.

A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening.

Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. Then another thump. He looked out, but couldn't see more than a few feet. When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window. In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese.

Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.

The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them.

The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them and they moved further away.

He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a breadcrumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on.

Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe. Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?"

He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human. "If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud.

Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese. He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn--and one by one the other geese followed it to safety.

He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!" Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. "Why would God want to be like us? That's ridiculous!"

Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese--blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us. That was the meaning of Christmas, he realized.

As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood what Christmas was all about, why Christ had come.

Years of doubt and disbelief vanished like the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer: "Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!"

no author

Best Christmas Story

Santa Is Alive & Well - And We Are On His Team

2007-11-13T21:32:00.000-08:00

I remember my first Christmas party with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns.
Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus!" she snorted. "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go."
"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything.
As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days.
"Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.
I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping.
For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill , wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church. I was just about though, when I suddenly thought of Bobbie Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's second grade class.
Bobbie Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobbie Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobbie Decker a coat. I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.
"Yes," I replied shyly. "It's ... for Bobbie." The nice lady smiled at me. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas. That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons, and write, "To Bobbie, From Santa Claus" on it -- Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobbie Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers.
Grandma parked down the street from Bobbie's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."
I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobbie.
Forty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my grandma, in Bobbie Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

Author Unknown

Best Christmas Story

One of the best Christmas Stories

2007-11-13T21:23:00.000-08:00

Looking back on the holidays, we bring you one of the best Christmas stories you never heard.

It started last Christmas, when Bennett and Vivian Levin were overwhelmed by sadness while listening to radio reports of injured American troops. "We have to let them know we care," Vivian told Bennett. So they organized a trip to bring soldiers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital to the annual Army-Navy football game in Philly, on Dec. 3. The cool part is, they created their own train line to do it.

Yes, there are people in this country who actually own real trains. Bennett Levin - native Philly guy, self-made millionaire and irascible former L&I commish - is one of them. He has three luxury rail cars. Think mahogany paneling, plush seating and white-linen dining areas. He also has two locomotives, which he stores at his Juniata Park train yard. One car, the elegant Pennsylvania, carried John F. Kennedy to the Army-Navy game in 1961 and '62. Later, it carried his brother Bobby's body to D.C. for burial. "That's a lot of history for one car," says Bennett. He and Vivian wanted to revive a tradition that endured from 1936 to 1975, during which trains carried Army-Navy spectators from around the country directly to the stadium where the annual game is played. The Levins could think of no better passengers to reinstate the ceremonial ride than the wounded men and women recovering at Walter Reed in D.C.and Bethesda, in Maryland. "We wanted to give them a first-class experience," says Bennett. "Gourmet meals on board, private transportation from the train to the stadium, perfect seats - real hero treatment." Through the Army War College Foundation, of which he is a trustee, Bennett met with Walter Reed's Commanding General, who loved the idea. But Bennett had some ground rules first, all designed to keep the focus on the troops alone: No press on the trip, lest the soldiers' day of pampering devolve into a media circus. No politicians either, because, says Bennett, "I didn't want some idiot making this trip into a campaign photo op." And no Pentagon suits on-board, otherwise the soldiers would be too busy saluting superiors to relax. The general agreed to the conditions, and Bennett realized he had a problem on his hands. "I had to actually make this thing happen," he laughs. Over the next months, he recruited owners of 15 other sumptuous rail cars from around the country - these people tend to know each other - into lending their vehicles for the day. The name of their temporary train? The Liberty Limited. Amtrak volunteered to transport the cars to D.C. - where they'd be coupled together for the round-trip ride to Philly - then back to their owners later. Conrail offered to service the Liberty while it was in Philly. And SEPTA drivers would bus the disabled soldiers 200 yards from the train to Lincoln Financial Field, for the game. A benefactor from the War College ponied up 100 seats to the game - on the 50-yard line - and lunch in a hospitality suite. And corporate donors filled, for free and without asking for publicity, goodie bags for attendees: From Woolrich, stadium blankets. From Wal-Mart, digital cameras. From Nikon, field glasses. From GEAR, down jackets. There was booty not just for the soldiers, but for their guests, too, since each was allowed to bring a friend or family member. The Marines, though, declined the offer. "They voted not to take guests with them, so they could take more Marines," says Levin, choking up at the memory. Bennett's an emotional guy, so he was worried about how he'd react to meeting the 88 troops and guests at D.C.'s Union Station, where the trip originated. Some GI’s were missing limbs. Others were wheelchair-bound or accompanied by medical personnel for the day. "They made it easy to be with them," he says. "They were all smiles on the ride to Philly. Not an ounce of self-pity from any of them. They're so full of life and determination." At the stadium, the troops reveled in the game, recalls Bennett. Not even Army's lopsided loss to Navy could deflate the group's rollicking mood. Afterward, it was back to the train and yet another gourmet meal - heroes get hungry, says Levin - before returning to Walter Reed and Bethesda. "The day was spectacular," says Levin. "It was all about these kids. It was awesome to be part of it." The most poignant moment for the Levins was when 11 Marines hugged them goodbye, then sang them the Marine Hymn on the platform at Union Station. "One of the guys was blind, but he said, 'I can't see you, but man, you must be f---ing beautiful!' “says Bennett.”I got a lump so big in my throat, I couldn't even answer him." It's been three weeks, but the Levins and their guests are still feeling the day's love. "My Christmas came early," says Levin, who is Jewish and who loves the Christmas season. "I can't describe the feeling in the air." Maybe it was hope. As one guest wrote in a thank-you note to Bennett and Vivian, "The fond memories generated last Saturday will sustain us all - whatever the future may bring."

God bless the Levins. And bless the troops, every one.

Best Christmas Story

The Last Christmas Tree

2007-11-13T20:53:00.000-08:00

I saw a truck of Christmas trees
And each one had a tale,
The driver stood them in a row
And put them up for sale.

He strung some twinkly lights
And hung a sign up with a nail;
"FRESH CHRISTMAS TREES"
It said in red
"FRESH CHRISTMAS TREES FOR SALE."
He poured himself hot cocoa
In a steaming thermos cup,
And snowflakes started falling
As a family car pulled up.
A mom, a dad, and one small boy
Who looked no more than three
Jumped out and started searching
For the perfect Christmas tree.
The boy marched up and down the rows,
His nose high in the air;
"It smells like Christmas, mom!
"It smells like Christmas everywhere!"
"Let's get the biggest tree we can!
"A tree that's ten miles high!
"A tree to go right through our roof!
"A tree to touch the sky!"
"A tree SO big
"That Santa Claus
"Will stop and stare and say,
"'Now, THAT'S the finest Christmas tree
"'I've seen this Christmas Day!'"
It seemed they looked at every tree
At least three million times;
Dad shook them, pinched them, turned them 'round
To find the perfect pine.
"I've found it, mom!
"The Christmas tree I like the best of all!
"It's got a little bare spot,
"But we'll turn that to the wall!"
"We'll put great-grandma's angel
"On top the highest bough!
"Oh, can we buy it?
"Please, mom, PLEASE?!
"Oh, can we buy it NOW?"
"How 'bout some nice hot cocoa?"
Asked the man who owned the lot.
He twisted off the thermos top,
"Now, THIS will hit the spot!"
He poured the steaming chocolate
In three tiny paper cups.
They toasted,
"Here's to Christmas!"
And they drank the cocoa up.
"Is this your choice?"
The tree man asked,
"This pine's the best one here!"
The boy seemed sad---
"My daddy says
"The price is just too dear."
"Then, Merry Christmas!"
Said the man, who wrapped the tree in twine,
"It's yours for just one promise
"You must keep at Christmas time!"
"On Christmas Eve at bedtime
"As you fold your hands to pray,
"Promise in your heart
"To keep the joy of Christmas Day!"
"Now hurry home!
This freezy wind
"Is turning your cheeks pink!
"And ask your dad
"To trim that trunk and give that tree a drink!"
And so it went on
All that blustery eve
As the tree man gave
Tree upon tree upon tree
To every last person
Who came to the lot---
Who toasted with cocoa
In small paper cups,
Who promised the promise
Of joy in their hearts---
And singing out carols,
Drove off in the dark.
And when it was over
One tree stood alone;
But no one was left there
To give it a home.
The tree man put on his
Red parka and hood
And dragged the last Christmas tree
Out to the woods.
He left the pine right by a stream
In the cold,
So the wood's homeless creatures
Could make it their home.
He smiled as he brushed off
Some snow from his beard,
When out of the thicket
A reindeer appeared.
He scratched that huge reindeer
On top his huge head---
"It looks like we've
"Started up Christmas again!"
"There are miles more to travel,
"And much more to do!
"Let's go home, my friend,
"And get started anew!"
He looked to the sky
And heard jingle bells sound---
And then,
In a twinkling,

That tree man was gone!

Best Christmas Story