Debbie's Christmas Blog

2011-08-08T19:48:00.001-07:00

2010-12-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

17
Dec

Red Cross Bans Christmas

Christmas has been banned by the Red Cross from its 430 fund-raising shops.

Staff have been ordered to take down decorations and to remove any other signs of the Christian festival because they could offend Moslems.

The charity’s politically-correct move triggered an avalanche of criticism and mockery last night – from Christians and Moslems.

Christine Banks, a volunteer at a Red Cross shop in New Romney, Kent, said: ‘We put up a nativity scene in the window and were told to take it out. It seems we can’t have anything that means Christmas. We’re allowed to have some tinsel but that’s it.

‘When we send cards they have to say season’s greetings or best wishes. They must not be linked directly to Christmas.

‘When we asked we were told it is because we must not upset Moslems.’

Mrs Banks added: ‘ We have been instructed that we can’t say anything about Christmas and we certainly can’t have a Christmas tree.

‘ I think the policy is offensive to Moslems as well as to us. No reasonable person can object to Christians celebrating Christmas. But we are not supposed to show any sign of Christianity at all.’

Labour peer Lord Ahmed, one of the country’s most prominent Moslem politicians, said: ‘It is stupid to think Moslems would be offended.

‘The Moslem community has been talking to Christians for the past 1,400 years. The teachings from Islam are that you should respect other faiths.’

He added: ‘In my business all my staff celebrate Christmas and I celebrate with them. It is absolutely not the case that Christmas could damage the Red Cross reputation for neutrality – I think their people have gone a little bit over the top.’

The furore is a fresh blow to the image of what was once one of Britain’s most respected charities.

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About the Author

Jeff Westover has written 259 articles for Defend Christmas.

First Christmas Email

2010-12-04T14:04:00.001-08:00

T'was the Month before Christmas

Twas the month before Christmas

When all through our land,

Not a Christian was praying

Nor taking a stand.

See the PC Police had taken away

The reason for Christmas - no one could say.

The children were told by their schools not to sing

About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.

It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say

December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.

Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit

Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-Pod

Something was changing, something quite odd!

Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa

In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down

At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.

At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears

You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty

Are words that were used to intimidate me.

Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen

On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!

At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter

To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.

And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith

Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace

The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded

The reason for the season, stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'

Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say

Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,

not Happy Holiday!

Please, all Christians join together and

wish everyone you meet

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christ is The Reason for the Christ-mas Season!

I got this in an email (I just LOVE IT)!

2010-12-01T17:42:00.000-08:00

Subject: Please Jot This Address Down.
this is great

Pass this on to your church, co-workers, family, and friends. What do you have to lose but 44 cents, what do you have to gain ----------- more than you will ever know.

What a clever idea! Yes, Christmas cards. This is coming early so that you can get ready to include an important address to your list.

Want to have some fun this CHRISTMAS?

Send the ACLU a CHRISTMAS CARD this year.

As they are working so very hard to get rid of the CHRISTMAS part of this holiday, we should all send them a nice, card to brighten up their dark, sad,little world. Make sure it says "Merry Christmas" on it.

Here's the address, just don't be rude or crude:

ACLU
125 Broad Street , 18th Floor
New York , NY 10004

Two tons of Christmas cards would freeze their operations because they wouldn't know if any were regular mail containing contributions. So spend 44 cents and tell the ACLU to leave Christmas alone. Also tell them that there is no such thing as a" Holiday Tree". It's always been called a CHRISTMASTREE!

And pass this on to your email lists. We really want to communicate with the ACLU! They really DESERVE us!!

For those of you who aren't aware of them, the ACLU, (the American Civil Liberties Union) is the one suing the U.S. Government to take God, Christmas or anything religious away from us. They represent the atheists and others in this war. Help put Christ back in Christmas!

I LOVE THIS!

2010-11-16T18:27:00.000-08:00

How the holiday creep finally stole war on Christmas

By Mark Saal, Standard-Examiner staff

Game over.

Ordinarily, you'd be reading my annual "War on Christmas" column right about now. But frankly, my heart's just not in it anymore.

OK, technically, it hasn't been so much a war on Christmas that I've been waging as a war on early Christmas. I've spent the last dozen years or so fighting the good fight against the crazies who would have us hauling out the holly even before the last of the Halloween candy has been greedily consumed. I've decried the fact that many retail stores begin the not-so-subtle holiday push just after Labor Day (online companies start even earlier). And I've urged boycotts of radio stations that start in with their all-holiday-music-all-the-time format well before the first frost.

I've argued and reasoned, pleaded and begged, threatened and cajoled. But no more. I give up. I surrender. Uncle.

You win, all you crazy "Rudolph Day" women who sent me Christmas cards in October.

You win, Walmart and Target and Shopko and Best Buy; go ahead and set up your grossly premature seasonal displays.

You win, FM 100 and KOSY 106.5, with your holiday-music formats that begin just after Halloween.

You win, Mother Nature, with your stupid early November snowstorms.

There's a time to stand and fight, and a time to cut and run. And this seems like as good a time as any for a-cuttin' and a-runnin'.

I suppose we can chalk this one up as a learning experience. Turns out, there are plenty of things in life you can't fight:

* City hall

* Progress

* This feeling anymore (if, that is, we're to believe REO Speedwagon)

And you can add one more item to the short list of things you just can't fight. The holidays.

Or, more specifically, what's referred to as The Christmas Creep -- as each year the "reason for the season" creeps closer and closer toward Independence Day.

I envision a time, in the not-too-distant future, when the conventional autumnal advice will be: "Don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour, change the batteries in your smoke alarms AND set up the inflatable Santa in the front yard."

You know the old saying: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. ... That, or have 'em whacked." Well, I can't afford the hit man, so I guess I'll be joining them. Ergo:

* I've already been rummaging around in the basement, pulling out boxes of Christmas decorations and strategically placing nutcrackers around the house.

* Not only will I be getting up on the roof to hang lights in the next day or two, once they are up I'M GOING TO TURN THEM ON EVERY NIGHT!

* I even started listening to Christmas music this weekend -- although, truthfully, I'm already pretty sick of it. But I suppose it's an acquired taste that I'll eventually get used to. That, or it'll drive me and my high-powered rifle to find a bell tower somewhere.

See, I could have easily forgiven the retailers for their eagerness. After all, they're only out to make money, and if you believe the statistics, stores net something like 40 percent of their yearly take during the holidays. It only makes sense they'd want to extend the seasonal shopping frenzy as long as humanly possible.

And, I suppose, the radio stations figured they were just giving listeners what they wanted. Plus, it's a fairly simple thing to avoid these stations if you want to; that's why they make preset buttons on car radios.

But I couldn't forgive my fellow human beings, many of whom are already decking their halls in earnest.

It has become painfully obvious to me that the traditional line in the sand -- waiting until after Thanksgiving Day to start your Christmas celebrations -- no longer works for the majority of Americans. So what we really need is a new line.

And as much as I'd like to say "Hey, how about Veterans Day?" I know that isn't very realistic.

So here's the deal: I won't make fun of you people anymore, as long as you wait until after the porch lights go out on All Hallow's Eve. Do that, and I'm cool with it.

And sorry, Thanksgiving. Guess you just got gobbled up by the Christmas juggernaut.

Ho! Get it? Gobbled up?

I sleigh me.

Mark Saal sees your "fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la," and raises you a "pa-rum-pum-pum-pum."

2010-11-15T07:17:00.000-08:00

Christingles

Christingle actually means 'Christ Light' and celebrates the light of Jesus coming into the world: but no one is really sure how the Christingles came into being.

There are several stories told of how the custom was started. There is an ancient Welsh service called a 'Celenig' where Christingles are used and the Moravian Church (part of the Czech Republic) has held Christingle services for over 200 years. This is how some Czech people think the first Christingle might have been made:

Many years ago, children were asked to take a gift to put beside the crib in Church. One family had no money for gifts but were determined to take something. They found an orange which they felt would be okay, but were disappointed to find it was going moldy at the top. However, they thought they would scoop out the bad bits and put a candle in the top and turn it into a lantern. Thinking that it looked a bit ordinary, one of the girls took a red ribbon from her hair and tied it around the middle. They had difficulty getting it to stay in place, so fastened it with four small sticks, on the ends of which they put a few raisins. They took their lantern to church and were afraid of the reactions of the other children. However, the priest acknowledged their gift and told the congregation how special it was for the following reasons:

The orange is round like the world.
The candle stands tall and straight and gives light in the dark like the love of God.
The red ribbon goes all around the 'world' and is a symbol of the blood Jesus shed when he died for us.
The four sticks point in all directions and symbolise North, South, East and West - they also represent the four seasons.
The fruit and nuts (or sometimes sweets!) represent the fruits of the earth, nurtured by the sunshine and the rain.

Some children in the U.K. make their own Christingles and gather together to light them in a Church Services that raise money for children's charities. See More here

2010-04-10T14:43:00.001-07:00

2010-02-10T11:02:00.000-08:00

This year when I was packing up my Christmas stuff I decided to bind all of my Christmas cards together with my bind it all; so I made a cover for it also. This is the way it turned out.

2009-12-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the 12 days of Christmas starts on the 25 of December? yep that's right we have 10 more days of Christmas! How are you going to celebrate?
Why not start some of your own Christmas traditions this year.
And I would love to hear some suggestions.

2009-12-25T21:39:00.000-08:00

2009-12-24T12:53:00.000-08:00

This is my tree this year and the gifts all done in blue and silver

these are my new Santa's added to my collection; I had to start a new shelf for
them as the mantel over the fire place is full

This an ornament that my daughter Rebecca made for me several years ago.

Gift tags

2009-12-20T09:18:00.000-08:00

I have been making gift tags for all my gifts this year; since I finished all my gift buying early I am taking my time wrapping. I have been purchasing small package favors and wire ribbon to match my papers, that match my tree since October. and they all look so pretty under my white tree. I wrapped all my gifts in shades of blue, teal, and silver.

This one is funny

2009-12-19T11:02:00.000-08:00

2009-12-19T10:57:00.001-08:00

2009-12-16T11:08:00.001-08:00

A Different Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

'What are you doing?' I asked without fear,
'Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!'
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said 'Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night.'
'It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,'
Then he sighed, 'That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers.'
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.'

' So go back inside,' he said, 'harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right.'
'But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
'Give you money,' I asked, 'or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son.'

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
'Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.'

Up side down wreath

2009-12-16T10:13:00.000-08:00

I saw a upside down wreath at the
Schlitterbaln Christmas store it was so pretty; so I decided to try it
with my gingerbread men. It is not lit up yet and I need to rearange
the ornaments some but you get the ideal.

2009-12-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

This is my very favorite Christmas ornament; My son who is in his 30's made it for me when he was 6 years old.
Every year he looks at it and ask s me when I'm going to thow that old thing away, and I tell him never it's my favorite ornament.

2009-12-07T20:45:00.001-08:00

2009-12-07T14:54:00.000-08:00

It's not very often that I get a good shot of Chu Chu but I love this one of her under the tree; at least shes not tearing it up like last year LOL.

2009-12-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

I had vistors this morning in my back yard.

Jose

2009-12-07T09:13:00.000-08:00

Poor little guy just can't catch a break
mom keeps dressing him up

My sister and my daughter keep giving me gingerbread men I didn't realize how many I had; since I'm decorating my kitchen in gingerbread men, I decided to group them together in there this year. I am still trying to figure out how to display them, I'm not much of a decorator LOL.

2009-12-05T22:42:00.001-08:00

ChristStory Christmas Legends

The Legend of the Robin's Red Breast

A little brown bird shared Bethlehem's stable with the holy family. One night as the family lay sleeping, she noticed their fire was going out. So she flew down from the rafters and fanned the fire with her wings throughout the night in order to keep the baby Jesus warm. In the morning, she was rewarded with a red breast as a symbol of her love for the newborn king.

The Legend of the Christmas Rose

When she came to the manger to worship the baby Jesus, a little shepherdess began to cry because she had no gift for the king. As each tear fell to the ground a beautiful white rose sprang from it. Delighted, the shepherdess gathered the roses into a bouquet and presented them to the baby. When Jesus touched the roses, a beautiful pink tinge appeared on the petals.

The Legend of the Holly Wreath

A young orphan boy was living with the shepherds when the herald angels appeared announcing the glad tidings of Christ's birth. On the way to Bethlehem, the child wove a crown of holly branches for the newborn king. But when he lay it before Jesus, the crown looked so unworthy that the little shepherd became ashamed of his gift and began to cry. Then the Christ Child reached out, touched the crown, caused its leaves to sparkle shiny and green, and turned the orphan's tears into scarlet berries.

The Legend of the Lamb's Woolly Coat

A lamb named BaBa lived in the stable at Bethlehem. One night as the holy family slept, BaBa crept up to the manger to watch the baby sleep. While she watched, BaBa noticed how thin the infant's blanket was and that he was shivering from the cold. Filled with love for the child, BaBa warmed him with her own body throughout the night. When Jesus touched her rough, shaggy coat, it was transformed into a beautiful soft wool coat.

The Legend of the Donkey's Bray

After hiding in Egypt for some years, Joseph decided to move his family back to Nazareth. During the night they camped along the side of the road. One night while they slept, their donkey heard the soldiers' horses coming from afar. Afraid that the soldiers were coming to kill Jesus, the donkey neighed to wake Joseph. He neighed and neighed, again and again, but his voice was just too soft to wake the sleepers. Finally, as the soldiers approached, the donkey prayed for a loud voice to wake the family. When he neighed again, he was rewarded with the loud bray such as donkeys have had ever since.

The Legend of the Rosemary

When Jesus was born, the rosemary was just a plain green plant without fragrance or blossom. One day as the holy family traveled to Egypt, Mary stopped to wash some of the baby's clothes in a stream. Looking about for something to hang the little garments on to dry, Mary chose the rosemary bush and hung Jesus' clothes upon it. As Mary gathered the dry clothes together, she blessed the rosemary with blue flowers to match the color of her own cloak and a spicy fragrance as a remembrance of Christ's garments.

The Legend of the Camel's Hump

In order to visit the newborn king, the three wise men traveled with a caravan across many miles of desert. Traveling as quickly as they could, to reach the baby before the star departed, they neglected to carry enough water for both man and beast. The wise men asked the camels to travel without water until the end of their journey so they might reach the baby in time. The camels were agreeable and raced across the desert without rest or water. When they finally reached the stable, the camels worshipped the baby and thanked God for giving them the strength for their waterless journey. Drinking their fill from the stable's trough, the camels were rewarded with humps to keep them from thirsting in the desert.

The Legend of the Christmas Bell

The shepherds gathered quite a throng in Bethlehem as they journeyed to meet the newborn king. A little blind boy sat along the side of the town's road and, hearing rumors of the angel's announcement, he begged the traveler's to lead him to the Christ child. No one would take the time. After the crowd passed and the streets grew silent, the boy heard the faint tinkling of a cow's bell in the distance. He thought to himself, "Perhaps that cow is in the very stable where Christ lies," and followed the bell to the stable. There, the cow led the boy to the infant Jesus.

The Legends of la Bafana and Babushka

The legend is told of a grandmotherly old woman (la Bafana in Italy) (Babushka in Russia) who refused to go out into the cold night with the shepherds to visit the baby Jesus. In the morning, she prepared a basket of gifts for the child and visited the stable only to find it empty. Since that day, she has traveled the world, peering into each child's face seeking to find the Christ. At Christmas time she leaves gifts for every child always hoping one of them will be the Christ.

The Legend of the Poinsettia

In one village in Mexico it was customary for each person to place a gift on the altar of the church for the baby Jesus on Christmas Eve. One Christmas an angel told a small child to take some dried up weeds he'd found along the road to the church for the baby. When the child placed the weeds on the altar, they turned into the first poinsettia. Since then the flower has been called "The Flower of the Holy Night" or "Flor de la Noche Buena".

The Legend of the Holly Bush

One night as the holy family was fleeing to Egypt, Joseph heard the soldiers riding behind them. Since there were no rocks or caves to hide in, the family hid beneath the branches of a holly bush. Normally, the bush would not have offered much shelter since it had lost all its leaves in the fall. But that night the holly miraculously pushed forth its leaves and grew sharp thorns to hide the family. Since then the holly has borne leaves all year long.

Another legends states that the holly used to have white berries. But when the crown of thorns was woven of holly branches and placed on Christ's head, the blood which trickled onto the crown turned the berries red.

The Legend of the Christmas Balls

A little street boy in Bethlehem had no gift for the newborn king so he juggled for the baby and made him laugh. That is why we hang balls on the Christmas tree - to remember the laughter of God.

The Legend of the Cobwebs

One Christmas Eve when the Christ child came to bless the Christmas trees, he noticed that the tree in one home was covered with cobwebs, drawn by curious spiders. When he blessed the tree, Jesus turned the cobwebs into beautiful strands of gold and silver garland.

The Legends of the Christmas Tree

Several legends claim the fir is one of the trees from the garden of Eden. One says the fir is the Tree of Life whose leaves shrank into tiny needles when Eve plucked the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Tree of Life did not bloom again until the night Christ was born.

Another legend claims that Adam carried a twig of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil with him from the garden. This twig later became the fir which was used for the Christmas tree and the Holy Cross.

2009-12-05T22:37:00.000-08:00

Subject: Reindeer Facts

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year (the only members of the deer family, Cervidae, to have females do so), male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid December. Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring.

Therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, every single one of them, from Rudolf to Blitzen ... had to be a female.

We should've known this when they were able to find their way.

2009-12-05T22:29:00.001-08:00

Is the "X" in X-mas an atheist attempt to take Christ out of the holiday?

Nope. No conspiracy here. The "X" in X-mas actually stands for Christ. In Greek, the word Christ begins with the Greek letter Chi (or "X"). For centuries the letter X has been an abbreviation for Jesus Christ.

Christmas Lore Christmas cards

2009-12-05T22:21:00.000-08:00

Christmas cards are wonderful greeting cards that people use to wish friends, family, business associates, and even acquaintances Happy Holidays, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Christmas cards have a special way of putting a smile on someone’s face when they open them. Many people save their Christmas cards from year to year and look at them often.

Laura Legend looks into the history and tradition of Christmas cards...

Christmas cards originated from an idea that Sir Henry Cole had in the early to mid 1800s. He was the founder and director of the South Kensington Museum (now known as the Victoria and Albert Museum) in London, England.

Sir Henry was in the habit of hand writing a Christmas letter to friends, family and acquaintances to wish them holiday greetings. His desire that prompted the development of Christmas cards was to send a large number of Christmas letters and he was simply too busy to hand write so many.

So, to solve Sir Henry’s problem, he called upon John Calcott Horsley and asked him to design some Christmas cards to be printed with his Christmas greeting on them.

Thus, the first Christmas cards were printed with a Merry Christmas/Happy New Year greeting and were then colored by hand. Almost immediately the tradition of sending Christmas cards began and become widespread.

2009-11-30T22:41:00.000-08:00

this is the new Christmas wreath I made for the front door

This is the new wreath I made for my kitchen door

and this is Jose's new sweater I got for him at the Renaissance festival

The twelve days of Christmas on the Faith Sisters web site

2009-11-06T21:47:00.000-08:00

2009-09-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

The story goes that some time ago a mother punished her 5 year old daughter for wasting a roll of expensive gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and she became even more upset when the child used the gold
paper to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.
Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift box to her mother the
next morning and said, 'This is for you, Momma.' The mother was embarrassed by her earlier over reaction, but her
anger flared again when she opened the box and found it was empty. She
spoke to her daughter in a harsh manner. 'Don't you know, young lady,
when you give someone a present there's supposed to be something
inside the package?'
She had tears in her eyes and said, 'Oh, Momma, it's not empty! I blew
kisses into it until it was full.'

The mother was crushed. She fell on her knees and put her arms around
her little girl, and she begged her ;forgiveness for her thoughtless anger.

An accident took the life of the child only a short time later, and
it is told that the mother kept that gold box by her bed for all the
years of her life. Whenever she was discouraged or faced difficult problems
she would open the box and take out an imaginary kiss and remember
the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each of us, as human beings, have been given a golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our
children, family, friends and GOD. There is no more precious possession anyone
could hold.

2009-09-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

I am haveing a ball with my Digatal scrap book artist!

From an email

2009-07-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her. On the way, 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. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

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 world-famous 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 thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby 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, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it. Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby 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 Bobby'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 door 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 Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby 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. I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95. May you always have LOVE to share, HEALTH to spare and FRIENDS that care...And may you always believe in the magic of Santa Claus!

2009-07-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a very small part of my back yard; this is where I will be having my Halloween Party. there are more pictures on my hobbie blog. listed in the side column under "More of my stuff"

2009-06-08T09:05:00.001-07:00

TWAS 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 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.
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. Have them matter as much to you as you and
your
safety matter to them.
Bless all our service men and women overseas

2009-05-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

My Santa Collection

This one also came from an email

2009-05-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

'The Tale of Three Trees'
.
Three little trees stood high upon a mountain discussing their dreams for the future. The first little tree looked up at the dazzling night sky and said, "I want to carry the treasure of kings and queens. I want to be beautiful. I want to be filled with all the riches in the world."
The nearby stream caught the second little tree's eye. "I want to be a mighty sailing vessel," he said. "I want to sail in the roaring oceans, roam the high seas, and deliver kings and queens safely to their destinations. "
The third little tree loved the mountaintop. "I want to stay right here and grow and grow and grow," she said. "I want the people that pass by to look at me touching heaven and think of God."
One day, many years later, three lumberjacks came to help the three trees with the next season of their lives.
The first tree, now beautiful, was cut down. "I will become the most beautiful treasure chest," he thought. "I will get to hold all of the world's riches."
The mighty second tree was cut down. "I will now sail the roaring oceans," thought the second tree. "I will be the mightiest of all sailing vessels."
The third tree, with her branches stretched toward heaven, was also cut down. Together with the other two trees, she was taken down the lovely hillside.
The first tree arrived at a carpenter's shop. The beautiful tree was aglow with excitement. But he wasn't made into a treasure chest. The skillful carpenter made the beautiful tree into an ordinary feeding trough.
The second tree was brought to a shipyard. The mighty second tree thought, "Now I will be the most vigorous of vessels." But the strong second tree was made into a simple little fishing boat.
The third tree was brought to a lumberyard. There she was made into beams and put aside. "Why did this happen?" thought the third tree. "All I ever wanted was to touch heaven."
As the weeks passed, their dreams began to fade from memory. However, one magical night brought the first tree's dream to life. A young mother put her newborn into the trough. "This manger is perfect," said the mother to her husband. And the first tree knew he was cradling the most important treasure ever.
One night the fishing boat was used by a tired traveler and his friends. They quickly fell asleep, and the small boat floated out to sea. The sea became rough, and a thunderstorm was brewing. This frightened the second tree. If only he were a mighty vessel and could withstand the force of the storm! The traveler was awakened by the storm, and he stretched out his arms and said, "Peace." The sea became calm and the thunderstorm vanished. It was then that the second tree realized he was carrying the Almighty King.
On a Friday morning, the third tree was taken by soldiers and carried through a hostile mob. She trembled with fear and distaste as a man's hands were nailed to her. But the following Sunday the sun rose. The earth was full of joy. She realized that everything had changed because of God's love.
The first tree was made beautiful.
The second tree was made mighty.
The third tree made people think of God

I recived this in an email; sorry I don't know who the author was

2009-05-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

YOU CAN'T STEAL MY CHRISTMAS
I don't know who they are
Saying I can't greet the crowd
The way that I want to
Can't say CHRISTMAS out loud.
I walk into a business place
See things that I’d rather not see
But dare I not say CHRISTMAS
And ask for a 'holiday' tree.
What happened to freedom of speech
And living in the land of the free
They can take my CHRISTMAS money
But can't say MERRY CHRISTMAS to me.
Men and women have given their lives
So we could still go free
I wonder how they would feel
At saying ' HOLIDAY ' TREE.
Come on AMERICA let's wake up
Don't let our freedom escape
If they get by with doing this
What else will they take.
This is starting to get out of hand,
And I've begun to keep track
Well I've just about had enough
I'M TAKING CHRISTMAS BACK.
So MERRY CHRISTMAS AMERICA
I hope this gets all over the net
If we all stand united and take freedom back
'Twill be our best CHRISTMAS YET!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY
and a Happy Bah Humbug to All the Rest

Christmas wishes do come true! 2008

2009-05-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

I have a very disorganized mind and have really hard time getting anything together; That being said I decided to make myself a Christmas wish list this year of things that would make my Christmas special.
And turned it over to the lord to decide what I needed.

* first on all my Christmas list is I wished it would Snow {I live in Texas and it does not snow here}

* I wanted a white Christmas tree {which I did not have the money for}

* I wanted to hear from the Social Security office that they would set a date for my hearing. {my disability has been turned down 3 times and I had to get a lawyer we have been waiting for a date for 4 months}
so I made my list and totally forgot about it {I left it in my day runner} The week before Christmas this year it snowed! there wasn't much of it in town; But at my house there was a ton of it I got some Fabulous pictures [see my blog}
I took my pictures to the shop no one could believe that was my house it seems to have snowed more where I live than any where else in the county.
The tree I got about 3 weeks before Christmas I got a little extra money and found a 6 1/2 foot pre lighted tree at Wally world for 35.00
2 weeks before Christmas I got a letter from social security that said I they reviewed my case again and that it would not be necessary for me to go to court. That they agreed that I am fully disabled.

Then I found the list in my Planner

Yes Virginia there is a Santa Clause
And there is a Heavenly Father that remembers you and all your wishes

Debbie Gallagher

May Roudolf Day 2009

2009-05-08T23:01:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited My son is putting all new wood laminate floors down for me this week and they look great! he also put in new metal entry doors front and side and they are beautiful. I think he's going to do some other stuff also. Like a nice big privacy fence between me and my nosy neighbor LOL! So I've bought a new bench swing and some nice lawn furniture, and a new bird bath. I'll take some pictures this week and post them. I'm also making 6 Handmade Christmas cards every Ruddy day until Christmas so I'll have them all done by Christmas.
I am also working on some afghans for my sons for Christmas gifts this year.

Ramocki

2009-05-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

This is the best appetizer I've had in years; a friend made them at Easter.
1 can water chestnuts
soy sauce
brown sugar
bacon strips
toothpicks
dip chestnuts in soy sauce then roll in brown sugar, then wrap with a piece of beacon and secure with tooth pick. bake in oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

2009-04-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

Well what will you be doing for Rudolf day this month?
I will be finishing 5 more Christmas cards; and working on a felt toilet seat cover.
i have wanted one for a while now and haven't been able to find one; I saw the felt on sale at Joannes and the light bulb when on over my head. So i think I'll go with green with poinsettias on it.

2009-04-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

My mom always loved to do ceramics; every year she would make gifts for all of our teachers when we were in elementary school she would make the Mr. and Mrs. Santa salt and pepper shakers for them. My older sister remembers one teacher at the beginning of the year when she saw who was in her class telling her; oh goodie I'll get the salt and pepper shakers for Christmas this year.This is the only set left. and I have it. I'm sorry I couldnt get a better picture of it.

2009-04-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

This is my advent wreath that I put on my kitchen table; I have had it for many years, I may redo it this year any ideals?

2009-04-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

I am posting these pictures in memory of Mr. Cooper who passed away not long ago. He was a resident at the nursing home where I do hair. Every year he would put his Christmas collection on display for every one to enjoy outside the door to the beauty shop. He took great pleasure in pidding around with it; and making sure evry thing was perfect. He and it will be missed

2009-04-19T14:10:00.001-07:00

2009-04-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

This is the tree skirt I crocheted for my white tree. I wanted to use some silver sparkly thread with it but I could not find any . If I find some later i will probably make another one.

2009-04-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

This is the other reason the fiberfill didn't work out. this is Jose My Christmas gift from a friend of mine and that is as big as he will get. He also helped Chu Chu unwrap all off the grand kids presents before they got them.

2009-04-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

I used to put fiberfill under the tree at the shop, and it looked like it was sitting on a cloud. It was very pretty. But due to my new birthday gift ChuChu the fiber fill is no longer practical. So I just made a new tree skirt from a wonderful ripple pattern I found at crochetville. I will post a picture as soon as I find it.

2009-04-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

After looking at my Practical white walls for 50 + years I decided that I needed some more color in my life. So I decided to paint my living room Lime green. After doing one wall I could see that this was not a good ideal. So I started looking through my paper scraps (yes that is where I get my best paint colors) and I found green galore from Stamping Up and had a quart mixed up. When I first applied it I did not like it at all but after looking at it for a few days I realized that it went with every thing I had in there; so I went ahead and painted it all. I had purchased some wall paper border several years ago that I never got around to putting up, and ran across it while cleaning and held it up to the wall and liked it; so up it went. I just loved it. Now it may not be your taste but since I'm the only one who's ever here it doesn't matter that much now does it?
Any way it was screaming out for a white Christmas Tree so I bought one and this is it.

I don't really like the pink ornaments so they are coming off it looks pretty bare right now but the stuff was all from a tree I had in my beauty shop; and it was a much smaller tree. I have a huge green tree but I think this one goes better in the Living room. This year I plan on putting the green one in my dinning room if I get it done by Christmas (no green walls there it has maple paneling) but the floors need to be redone I am hoping to get some wood laminate floors down soon. But since I have to do this myself and I have a bad back I have to do it very slowly.

First post

2009-04-18T17:58:00.000-07:00

OK I'll break down and do a Christmas blog; but I refuse to call it a holiday blog it is a CHRISTMAS as in CHRIST JESUS! Blog so if you don't like it well bless you!
Love Debbie