Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Saturday, December 29, 2007
My Angel
I have my very own Christmas angel. My daughter. She puts so much thought into what she gets people for Christmas. Nothing over the top, just something she heard they might like or need.
I've had the same watch for 10 years. It was a gift from my dad. I told him that I wanted a simple watch with a leather strap. Dad got me a Tigger watch with a leather strap. I have no idea why. Maybe I remind him of Tigger...who knows.
Anyway, the strap on my watch was starting to show some wear and I mentioned that maybe I'd go to Wal-Mart and get a new one after Christmas. I don't wear jewlery very often and I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a new watch. I'm not kind to watches and sunglasses. They don't last long with this chick. And, I've never been a slave to fashion. I just don't feel the need. I've never really followed fads or got caught up in building my wardrobe from just one store. Don't get me wrong, I like to look nice and appreciate "pretty" things as much as the next girl. So, really as long as it didn't have a cartoon character on the face or was the size of a Volkswagen, I was good.
My baby girl got me a watch for Christmas. A very simple silver watch. I squealed when I opened it and said, "It's a big girls watch!" (my mom always had a simple silver watch on her wrist. I always thought how grown up and feminine she looked wearing that watch. I guess that's where that statement came from).
It's beautiful and I love it. And, I promise to take care of it forever. It's not so much the watch that made this gift so special to me. But, the thought and care my daughter put in selecting it. She's beautiful and I love her, too.
Merry Christmas, baby.
I've had the same watch for 10 years. It was a gift from my dad. I told him that I wanted a simple watch with a leather strap. Dad got me a Tigger watch with a leather strap. I have no idea why. Maybe I remind him of Tigger...who knows.
Anyway, the strap on my watch was starting to show some wear and I mentioned that maybe I'd go to Wal-Mart and get a new one after Christmas. I don't wear jewlery very often and I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a new watch. I'm not kind to watches and sunglasses. They don't last long with this chick. And, I've never been a slave to fashion. I just don't feel the need. I've never really followed fads or got caught up in building my wardrobe from just one store. Don't get me wrong, I like to look nice and appreciate "pretty" things as much as the next girl. So, really as long as it didn't have a cartoon character on the face or was the size of a Volkswagen, I was good.
My baby girl got me a watch for Christmas. A very simple silver watch. I squealed when I opened it and said, "It's a big girls watch!" (my mom always had a simple silver watch on her wrist. I always thought how grown up and feminine she looked wearing that watch. I guess that's where that statement came from).
It's beautiful and I love it. And, I promise to take care of it forever. It's not so much the watch that made this gift so special to me. But, the thought and care my daughter put in selecting it. She's beautiful and I love her, too.
Merry Christmas, baby.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Hallelujah! Holy Shit! Where's the Tylenol?
Regardless of personal beliefs about Christmas, religon or Santa Claus, this is the season of perpetual hope and kindness. So, along that vein I challenge everyone who reads my blog to help. Whether you donate your time and money to a charity, secretly slip someone some money, feed someone who is hungry or just give someone you love that overdue hug and tell them how happy you are that they're in your life....just help. We're all in this together. Don't help because you're looking for something in return. Just help because you can.
Also, I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and it made you smile and laugh. If it didn't, watch Christmas Vacation, Elf or Love Actually. I promise you'll at least grimace. :-)
Happy Holidays!
Also, I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and it made you smile and laugh. If it didn't, watch Christmas Vacation, Elf or Love Actually. I promise you'll at least grimace. :-)
Happy Holidays!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Random Acts of Christmas Kindness
It warms my heart to read stories like this. I hope the random strangers who read this blog are inspired to join in this conspiracy of love...
Secret Santa rides again in Kansas City
By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER, Associated Press Writer 4 minutes ago
Susan Dahl had spent four months homeless in Colorado and just been on a harrowing 10-hour bus trip through sleet and snow. Hungry and broke, all she wanted to do was get back to family in Minnesota.
That's when a tall man in a red coat and red hat sat next to her at the downtown bus station, talked to her quietly and then slipped her $100 on that recent December afternoon.
The man was doing the work of Larry Stewart, Kansas City's original Secret Santa who anonymously wandered city streets doling out $100 bills to anyone who looked like they needed it. Stewart died of cancer at age 58 earlier this year, but his legacy lives on.
"He said `Here's a $100 bill ... and this is in memory of Larry Stewart,'" said Dahl, 56.
During about a quarter century, Stewart quietly gave out more than $1.3 million to people in laundromats, diners, bus stations, shelters and thrift stores, saying it was his way of giving back at Christmas for all the wealth and generosity he had received in his lifetime.
For years, Stewart did not want his name known or want thanks or applause, but last December he acknowledged who he was and used his last few months while battling cancer to press his message of kindness toward others. He even trained some friends in the ways of Secret Santa.
This Christmas, a friend who told Stewart in the hospital that he would carry on for him is out on the streets, handing out $100 bills, each one stamped with "Larry Stewart, Secret Santa."
Between Kansas City and several other cities this Christmas, the new Secret Santa will give away $75,000 of his own money, mostly in $100 bills.
"I didn't want to be a Secret Santa," said the man, a business consultant who lives in the Kansas City area. "I wanted to give Larry money. But last year, he said I had to hand it out myself. So I did, and I got hooked."
This new Secret Santa talks about Larry Stewart to just about everyone he encounters. "Have you ever heard of a man named Larry Stewart?" he asks before handing out $100 or more.
Depending on who he's talking to, the new Secret Santa might say Stewart was a man who believed in making people happy by giving them money they didn't have to ask for, apply for or wait in line for.
"There was this fella named Larry Stewart," he tells a man in the bus station. "He was an old friend of mine. He was called Secret Santa, and every year he would find a few people who might need a little money and he would ask that you pass on the kindness."
People respond differently to the gesture. Some cry. Some scream. A rare few even say "No thanks."
Others take the money and offer their own gifts. like Robert Young, who was homeless and had only 20 cents in his pocket. When Secret Santa gave him $200, Young, 50, took out an old notebook and ripped out a song he had written.
"It's yours now," he told Secret Santa, who thanked Young, and carefully tucked the pages into his pocket.
The new Secret Santa has also started a Web site, and is trying to recruit other Secret Santas across the country. "Larry's dream was for a Secret Santa in every city," Kansas City's Santa said.
There are now a couple apprentices, with more candidates turning up all the time. But, he says, you don't have to be willing to hand out money to be a Secret Santa.
"Anyone can be a Secret Santa," he says. "You don't have to give away $100. You can give away kindnes. Help someone."
___
On the Net:
http://www.secretsantaworld.net/
Secret Santa rides again in Kansas City
By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER, Associated Press Writer 4 minutes ago
Susan Dahl had spent four months homeless in Colorado and just been on a harrowing 10-hour bus trip through sleet and snow. Hungry and broke, all she wanted to do was get back to family in Minnesota.
That's when a tall man in a red coat and red hat sat next to her at the downtown bus station, talked to her quietly and then slipped her $100 on that recent December afternoon.
The man was doing the work of Larry Stewart, Kansas City's original Secret Santa who anonymously wandered city streets doling out $100 bills to anyone who looked like they needed it. Stewart died of cancer at age 58 earlier this year, but his legacy lives on.
"He said `Here's a $100 bill ... and this is in memory of Larry Stewart,'" said Dahl, 56.
During about a quarter century, Stewart quietly gave out more than $1.3 million to people in laundromats, diners, bus stations, shelters and thrift stores, saying it was his way of giving back at Christmas for all the wealth and generosity he had received in his lifetime.
For years, Stewart did not want his name known or want thanks or applause, but last December he acknowledged who he was and used his last few months while battling cancer to press his message of kindness toward others. He even trained some friends in the ways of Secret Santa.
This Christmas, a friend who told Stewart in the hospital that he would carry on for him is out on the streets, handing out $100 bills, each one stamped with "Larry Stewart, Secret Santa."
Between Kansas City and several other cities this Christmas, the new Secret Santa will give away $75,000 of his own money, mostly in $100 bills.
"I didn't want to be a Secret Santa," said the man, a business consultant who lives in the Kansas City area. "I wanted to give Larry money. But last year, he said I had to hand it out myself. So I did, and I got hooked."
This new Secret Santa talks about Larry Stewart to just about everyone he encounters. "Have you ever heard of a man named Larry Stewart?" he asks before handing out $100 or more.
Depending on who he's talking to, the new Secret Santa might say Stewart was a man who believed in making people happy by giving them money they didn't have to ask for, apply for or wait in line for.
"There was this fella named Larry Stewart," he tells a man in the bus station. "He was an old friend of mine. He was called Secret Santa, and every year he would find a few people who might need a little money and he would ask that you pass on the kindness."
People respond differently to the gesture. Some cry. Some scream. A rare few even say "No thanks."
Others take the money and offer their own gifts. like Robert Young, who was homeless and had only 20 cents in his pocket. When Secret Santa gave him $200, Young, 50, took out an old notebook and ripped out a song he had written.
"It's yours now," he told Secret Santa, who thanked Young, and carefully tucked the pages into his pocket.
The new Secret Santa has also started a Web site, and is trying to recruit other Secret Santas across the country. "Larry's dream was for a Secret Santa in every city," Kansas City's Santa said.
There are now a couple apprentices, with more candidates turning up all the time. But, he says, you don't have to be willing to hand out money to be a Secret Santa.
"Anyone can be a Secret Santa," he says. "You don't have to give away $100. You can give away kindnes. Help someone."
___
On the Net:
http://www.secretsantaworld.net/
Thursday, November 15, 2007
We Wish You a Merry Grinch-Mas!
Okay, this is too much. Some holier-than-thou idiot actually thought that Santa's laugh might be offensive to women. They belived in this theory so much, they convinced a company that provides Santas to malls, etc. to make it a company policy to have their "Santa's" not say "ho, ho, ho." Seriously? What woman would think that when Old St. Nick was laughing he was actually calling her a "ho"? What' s Jolly Old St. Nick supposed to say? "Ha, Ha, Ha"? That's dumb as hell.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm sure that the phrase "ho, ho, ho" has been used to describe women during the holidays in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way. But aren't kids going to wonder why Santa isn't laughing like he used to? Did the college educated dork that came up with this stop to consider that now parents will be put in the position of having to explain this to their children? I don't know about y'all but I would not have taken kindly to having to explain to my young child what a "ho" is and why Santa couldn't say it anymore.
Come to think of it...the people playing the part of Santa during the holidays are, in a retail sort of way, paying homage to a saint. So, if this company is trying to censor what the Santa's say, aren't they indirectly trying to censor a saint? Should the Catholic church get involved in this heated social issue? What is to become of our society if we *gasp* keep our heads firmly planted up our collective asses?
This was a stupid thing for this company to bring up as a policy or even a suggestion. I truly hope the CEO grows a brain and rescinds the Grinch Policy. And for the record, chicks with brains won't be offended by the seasonal "ho, ho, ho" because we know that we are, in fact, not one. We also don't get offended by the occassional name calling...being comfortable in our own skin and all.
And lastly, this ho loves her some Santa. Can't wait to sit on your lap Santa Baby and tell you just how naughty I've been. ;-)
Santas warned 'ho ho ho' offensive to women
Wed Nov 14, 11:04 PM ET
SYDNEY (AFP) - Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.
Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say "ha ha ha" instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.
One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use "ho ho ho" because it could frighten children and was too close to "ho", a US slang term for prostitute.
"Gimme a break," said Julie Gale, who runs the campaign against sexualising children called Kids Free 2B Kids.
"We are talking about little kids who do not understand that "ho, ho, ho" has any other connotation and nor should they," she told the Telegraph.
"Leave Santa alone."
A local spokesman for the US-based Westaff recruitment firm said it was "misleading" to say the company had banned Santa's traditional greeting and it was being left up to the discretion of the individual Santa himself.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm sure that the phrase "ho, ho, ho" has been used to describe women during the holidays in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way. But aren't kids going to wonder why Santa isn't laughing like he used to? Did the college educated dork that came up with this stop to consider that now parents will be put in the position of having to explain this to their children? I don't know about y'all but I would not have taken kindly to having to explain to my young child what a "ho" is and why Santa couldn't say it anymore.
Come to think of it...the people playing the part of Santa during the holidays are, in a retail sort of way, paying homage to a saint. So, if this company is trying to censor what the Santa's say, aren't they indirectly trying to censor a saint? Should the Catholic church get involved in this heated social issue? What is to become of our society if we *gasp* keep our heads firmly planted up our collective asses?
This was a stupid thing for this company to bring up as a policy or even a suggestion. I truly hope the CEO grows a brain and rescinds the Grinch Policy. And for the record, chicks with brains won't be offended by the seasonal "ho, ho, ho" because we know that we are, in fact, not one. We also don't get offended by the occassional name calling...being comfortable in our own skin and all.
And lastly, this ho loves her some Santa. Can't wait to sit on your lap Santa Baby and tell you just how naughty I've been. ;-)
Santas warned 'ho ho ho' offensive to women
Wed Nov 14, 11:04 PM ET
SYDNEY (AFP) - Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.
Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say "ha ha ha" instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.
One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use "ho ho ho" because it could frighten children and was too close to "ho", a US slang term for prostitute.
"Gimme a break," said Julie Gale, who runs the campaign against sexualising children called Kids Free 2B Kids.
"We are talking about little kids who do not understand that "ho, ho, ho" has any other connotation and nor should they," she told the Telegraph.
"Leave Santa alone."
A local spokesman for the US-based Westaff recruitment firm said it was "misleading" to say the company had banned Santa's traditional greeting and it was being left up to the discretion of the individual Santa himself.
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