Friday in the Park – A Christmas Stroll Through the Blogosphere 12/23/11

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August McLaughlin, blogging, Christmas, Debra Kristi, Jessica O'Neal, Julie Hedlund, Louise Behiel, Mashup, Myndi Shafer, Static in the Airwaves, Susie Lindau, Tim L O'Brien, Tim O'Brien

As we near the big day I decided to move my Saturday post up a day.  So welcome to my Friday stroll through the park, a collection of blogs from the past week that created static in my airwaves.  My mashup is a buffet of sorts from some of the best blogs and most talented bloggers I follow.  In honor of the Christmas season the following blogs are all holiday theme oriented.

Are you looking to create the ultimate Christmas card to send to family and friends?  You will be amazed at the talents of Susie Lindau in her blog titled  Cutting Up at Christmas.

Searching for the holiday spirit?  Has the overcrowded malls, long lines, and full parking lots have you down?  Check our Louise Behiel’s blog this week  Christmas Music Past and Present.  After watching these videos you will have a smile on your face and regained your Christmas magic!

Are you lost in the commercialization of Christmas?  Have you forgotten the true meaning behind it all?  Leave it to Linus in the Charlie Brown Christmas to remind us all in Myndi Shafer’s   The Reason We Celebrate.

Are you or someone close to you struggling to cope during the holidays? Read Debra Kristi’s excellent blog The Elephant in the Room: Dealing With Grief at the Holidays.

Do you still recall the magic of Christmas from your childhood?  Do those feeling come back to you year after year, or have you lost that Christmas feeling?  Check out Jessica O’Neal’s blog this week   Is Christmas Really Just Meant For Children?

Have you ever tried to rewrite a Christmas classic?  Well, that just what Julie Hedlund did!  To see what an amazing job she did, read her blog  ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas: Holiday Contest

No holiday recap is complete without a great holiday baking recipe.  The multi talented writer and healthy baking blogger, August McLaughlin shares with us her delicious ideas in Cinnabon’s Healthy Cousins.

Happy Friday everyone and may the joys of this season find you and your family!

I Caught Santa Claus Part II

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Believing in Santa Claus, Blogs, Christmas, Debra Kristi, I Caught Santa Claus, Myndi Shafer, Static in the Airwaves, Tim L O'Brien

In Tuesday’s blog, we discussed Trying to Catch Santa Claus.  As a child, year after year I tried to catch Santa and failed every time. Today I unveil the mystery and show how you can catch the elusive bearded man, as well. 

But, first things first. As parents, we all have either gone through this or will have to someday soon.  For me, that day is coming again very soon.  That dreaded day that you either inform your child that Santa is not real, or the day you must confess, that yes indeed, you are Santa Claus.  That sad and dreaded day of the innocence lost, forever.  For a great blog about this timely subject, please read Debra Kristi’s blog, The Time of Innocence Lost, as she appeared as a guest blogger on Myndi Shafer’s blog Blogging Barefoot. 

The Christmas countdown clock is on.  Panic begins to set in.  The shopping list is nowhere near complete, and most of the items are out of stock.  Your child’s most desired item on his or her list may or may not be available before Christmas.  You begin to curse the whole process.  You curse the companies that have no clue about the laws of supply and demand.  You ignore the bell ringers outside every store.  You look at the long lines of kids in the mall waiting for a chance to sit on Santa’s lap and just want to scream…”HE’S NOT REAL KIDDIES”…Slowly you begin to turn into that green, hairy creature – The Grinch!  Your pocketbook and budget are stretched to their limits.  You begin to look for that dreaded fruitcake and promise yourself that this year you are going to send one to your in-laws.

As you drive home, empty-handed, and darkness has come to soon (damn Daylight Savings time) you begin to take in the lights of your neighborhood.  The radio is playing non-stop holiday music.  You see all the hard work your neighbors have put into decorating their houses and the magic begins to return.  Christmas is not about you.  It’s about the children.  If they still believe, well then, I still believe.

Your children are getting to the age that their little minds are starting to put two and two together.  The gifts from Santa last year bore a resemble to mom or dad’s handwriting.  There is no way this fat guy can fit down our chimney, and there is no way possible he could deliver presents to every boy and girl around the world.  They realize there is no naughty or nice list.  How else are they to explain why the older brother/sister received any presents last year?

Your parenting skills are put to the utmost test.  You have to think on your feet and quick.  How do I make little Johnny or Susie believe, if not for just one more year?

The answer lies here: icaughtsanta.com

In just three easy steps, you can produce a photo (for $9.99) of Santa in your living room, next to the fireplace, by the Christmas tree, or by the stockings.  All you have to do is take a picture and upload it to the site.  You then have 20 Santa poses to choose from.  Choose your ideal pose and place it on the photo.  You can size Santa to make him proportionately correct and even adjust the color of his red suit.  Then order the photo.

On Christmas day, you have the story of all stories to tell your children.

You Caught Santa Claus!!

Look into your children’s eyes as they stare at the photo of Santa standing by their very own tree, maybe just maybe, you can picture yourself at the same age, when you still believed.

Trying to Catch Santa Claus – Part 1

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Blogs, Christmas, Santa Claus, Static in the Airwaves, Tim L O'Brien, Trying to Catch Santa Claus

“The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The Children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads…”

Um, the kids are not nestled snug in their beds.  Not on the night before Christmas.

Children from all around the world are huddled in their rooms, planning and plotting as you read this.  This year they plan to finally catch jolly ol’ St. Nick in the act of delivering presents under the tree.  Past attempts were met with good intentions, but always failed.

You did your best to stay up late into the night, flashlights were hidden under each pillow, listening for the sounds of sleigh bells and reindeer.  You waited.  The only sounds that came that night were the sounds you heard every night from your parents bedroom down the hall.  There was no mistaking the sounds of dad snoring.

By the time you willed your eyes to open it was always too late.  With flashlight in hand, you and your siblings crept down the stairs or down the hallway as quietly as you could, trying your best to keep the beam of light in front of you and not pointed at mom and dad’s room.  You peered around the corner and spotted the Christmas tree.  Your eyes rolled over each and every present.  The excitement grew, the anticipation was too much.  You moved closer to the tree.  You marveled at the brightly colored new presents all wrapped and placed perfectly under the tree.  The large box with your name on the tag held your curiosity.  But so did the mysterious and elusive Santa Claus.  Once again, he got away.

Have you ever wondered how many kids around the world have tried to catch Santa Claus?  I bet the number is well into the millions.  Over one million attempts and over one million failures.

Not to shabby for an overweight older man.

I remember my own attempts of catching a glimpse of the jolly one.  One year I decided to tie a string around my big toe and have the line run into the living room.  The other end of the string was fastened to a spot on the wall.  Santa would have to walk past the taut line which would then pull and tug at my toe.  Didn’t work.  At some point in the night, the pain coming from my foot was too much,  forcing me to untie the string.  My toe had swollen and had begun to turn an unnatural color.  Yep, the string was way too tight.  Once again, the elusive one remained out of my grasps.

Several days ago while watching television with my children my youngest daughter, aged nine, out of nowhere blurted out to all in the living room, that she knows that Santa Claus is real.  No one was discussing Christmas or Santa.  I was interested in why her little mind decided that now was the time to make such a proclamation.  I asked her how she knows this.  With the confidence of a child much older and showing off a pride at her discovery, she explained her logic.  “We always leave a big glass of milk out for Santa.  Well I know Dad doesn’t like to drink milk.  I know Mama K doesn’t like milk either.  So it has to be Santa drinking the milk.”

There you have it.  The logic of a nine-year old child.  Taking such a complex mystery and whittling it down to the most basic element.  Who is drinking the milk?

I guess it’s a good thing we don’t leave a can of cold beer or a glass of wine for Santa.

So what clever attempts did you make as a child to catch Santa Claus?  Have you caught your kids planning or plotting yet?  I would love for you to share any hijinks from  your childhood memories.  I find it interesting and immensely amusing the way a child’s mind works and to what lengths they will go to capture a glimpse of the most elusive St. Nick.

Part II of Trying to Catch Santa Claus will appear on Thursday.  Who knows, maybe a comment or two could work its way into the blog.  But I will reveal the one sure-fire, honest-to-goodness way to catch Santa Claus.  Stay tuned for this stunning revelation!!