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!

Saturday in the Park – A Stroll Through the Blogosphere

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August McLaughlin, Debra Kristi, Kristen Lamb, Lisa Hall-Wilson, Mashup, Myndi Shafer, Static in the Airwaves, Susie Lindau, Tim L O'Brien

Happy Saturday everyone.  Join me for a 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:

Looking for a different take on Santa’s naughty or nice list?  Check out August McLaughlin’s Naughty & Nice: Confessions of a Relative Goody-Goody.  This “adult” version of Santa’s list is terrific fun.  August lists several outrageous and daring stunts that she may or may not have committed.  You, the reader are given the task to pick which are true and which are not.  This talented writer’s blog was a favorite this week.  August is a former model and some of her exploits are rather revealing.  Or are they?  On Tuesday she will reveal the truth.

Some of you may be aware that I took an on-line social networking class taught by the Jedi Master of all social networking guru’s – Kristen Lamb.  She is the best-selling author of two outstanding books: WE ARE NOT ALONE – The Writers Guide to Social Media and ARE YOU THERE Blog? It’s Me, Writer.  If you are searching for a little inspiration on this Saturday and if the stress of the holiday season is getting to you, read Kristen’s latest blog Great Expectations.  When the world has you waist deep in horse sh*t look for the pony!

Did your honeymoon goes as planned?  Was it everything you envisioned?  For one nervous woman’s tale read Lisa Hall-Wilson’s blog Ceiling Mirrors and Faux Fur.  Lisa’s blog will have you rolling in laughter as she recounts that memorable night.

If you’re in the holiday spirit and looking for a nice, heartwarming story then head over to Susie Lindau’s Wild Ride and read A Christmas Tail.  Everyone loves a story with a happy ending!

Are you a parent dealing with the when do I tell my children the truth about Santa?  Head over to Myndi Shafer’s blog and read the guest post written by Debra Kristi – The Time of Innocence Lost.  Debra does a wonderful job with her article and truly captures the spirit of Christmas and what all parent’s eventually go through.

There you have it, a sampling of the best of the best out there in the blogosphere.  I hope you click the links and read from these immensely talented writers.  If you like them well enough, and I think you will, click their follow icons and you won’t miss another blog!

Happy Saturday in the Park everybody.  Only 15 more days till Christmas.  I hope you have all your shopping done and aren’t spending the weekend in a mall parking lot!  Unfortunately, I still have a bit more to get, so if you see me out and about, and if I look a little disheveled, stop me and let’s go have a beer.

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.

Saturday in the Park – A Stroll Through the Blogosphere

Tags

Debra Kristi, Jenny Hansen, Jessica O'Neal, Karen McFarland, Mashup, Myndi Shafer, Sheila Seabrook, Static in the Airwaves, Tameri Etherton, Tim L O'Brien, Writers in the Storm

Welcome to my first attempt at a Mashup.  This is my Saturday 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:

Writers In The Storm – This site not only has the coolest picture on any blog I read, but a way cool and always a wonderful place to stop and read. The blog – Deserted Island Books – is what the title suggests.  If you were stranded on a deserted island, what ten books would you take with you?  Fun to think about, and harder to choose than you would think.  Can you choose ten?

Jenny Hansen’s Blog – Cowbell You Need More Of It – If you’re looking for laughs this is THE spot to visit.  Jenny is the Richard Pryor of bloggers.  She is consistently funny, her mind tends to veer to the gutter, but in a fun way.  Her blog this week 10 Creative Ways To Express Your “Inner F-Bomb” was one of my favorites. And, if reading only one of Jenny’s blogs has you begging for more, then get your fix with Can A Cup O’ Joe Make Your Man A ‘Ho’?  Follow the exploits of Married Maurice, a really great tool.

Another talented and creative blogger I love to read is Myndi Shafer – Blogging Barefoot.  For a quick giggle you have to check out Shopping For Idiots a hilarious shopping mall prank. Perfect for the Christmas season.

Have you ever eaten something only to find out later what it actually was?  In the talented Jessica O’Neal blog site she writes about that very thing, and you will not believe what she actually ate!  To find out more you need to read the hilarious (Mis) Adventures in Eating.  

Looking to make your next e-harmony video?  Do you love cats?  You need to watch the video in Tameri Etherton’s Blog – A Cup of Tea and Sorcery, because, well, this girl really loves cats!  Good stuff!

Looking for a great holiday baking idea?  Have you ever tried Poppycock?  No, that isn’t something from Jenny Hansen’s blog! but a recipe provided by Sheila Seabrook.  To read her warm recollections of her father and how to make this delicious sounding Christmas gift follow the recipe on her blog here.

When you were a child, did you ever promise not to grow up and be like your parents, only to find out, you did just that?  For an insightful look at this check out Debra Kristi’s Blog Sparks in the Fireand read her blog My Father I Am?

On a more serious note, you really need to stop by and visit Karen McFarland’s blog.  We all know how poor the economy is right now and our sympathies go out to all those without this Christmas season.  In a scene that is somewhat reminiscent to the mass exodus of Okies headed to California during the Dust Bowl days described in John Steinbeck’s novel, read what is going on in Williston, North Dakota.  You won’t believe the sacrifices people are making in order to earn a paycheck in her blog My Address is the Walmart Parking Lot.

There you have it, a sampling of the best of the best out there in the blogosphere.  I hope you click the links and read from these very talented writers.  If you like it well enough, and I think you will, click their follow icons and you won’t miss another blog!

Happy Saturday in the Park everybody.  I hope you are nowhere near a mall right now!