Katie Rose Phillips once sang that she saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus, but when I was a little girl I saw him cradling Auntie Cathy’s brand new baby.

The Christmas that falls on a child’s fifth year is special and mine was no exception, old enough to appreciate the rituals, young enough to be utterly suspended in its magic.

This particular season was set to be perfect, my whole family gathered, a little brother to show the ropes to and a bigger one to learn them from. Plus a thick layer of crunchy, snowman-ready snow.

My mother had dressed the house with festive abundance, holly branches draped over all the pictures and a large wreath with pinecones suspended from the front door by a luxurious red ribbon. Everywhere a knick-knack with a story, my brother’s wobbly pottery angel holding miniature candles in her hands, a bauble brought one Wintry day from at tiny shop in London.

Not forgetting the most enormous Christmas tree, that towered above me to the ceiling. It took my father the best part of a morning and (he was quick to add) an afternoon to recover from the exertion of getting it into the hose and ready for decorating. Even my tall Mother had to use a ladder to place the fairy on top.

I handed her the decorations with the care of the keeper of the Crown jewels and with just as much pride. The ceremonial turning on of the lights when the sun had gone down lit me from within too. I was ready for the games to begin.

And so they did. A friends-filled week of mulled wine and mince pies, tobogganing, carol singing and a memorable performance of Jack and the Beanstalk, when the giant pointed to Auntie Cathy’s large tummy in the front row and joked about her not having the baby until the end of the show. Which I couldn’t understand, knowing full well the baby wouldn’t be so silly: we wanted to enjoy Christmas first!

The shaking of the presents occupied every spare minute, whispering and guessing the contents with my brothers. As the ringleader, I was chosen for the task of colouring in my father’s Christmas Day Lunch menu, a tradition that was to continue for many years to come.

I hardly thought we would have room for turkey (with all the trimmings) and a flaming Christmas pudding after consuming all the nuts, Turkish delight and Christmas cake Mum had lain in little dishes on the table next to the log fire, ready for Christmas Day.

But what really intrigued me, the bit I coloured in with extra care in gold pencil, was the ‘Special Guest Appearance’ at the bottom of the menu. I hoped against hope it would be Father Christmas but my parents were giving nothing away; I would have to wait and see.

Luckily, Christmas Eve was so packed I hardly had to time to dwell on I it, with a morning walk in the crystal white fields near our house and a lovely Church service in the afternoon, completed by a tiny nativity scene and a noisy donkey.

Exhausted that night and overcome with the promise of the next day’s excitement I could barely stop my eyes from closing as my brothers and I left the reindeers their peanut snacks under the tree and Father Christmas his glass of sherry.

Of course, I could not unwrap my presents quick enough in the morning, racing downstairs to open the assorted goodies in my hand-sewn stocking before the fun of the day unraveled, all leading up to the moment I had imagined a dozen times already: the arrival of the special guest.

I saw him arrive at the door with his fluffy beard and sack of gifts, bellowing a deep ‘ho ho ho’, bending down to cuddle me in his bright red outfit. He was every bit as impressive as I had hoped, my only disappointment being that Uncle Bill had taken a Christmas gift to our old neighbours next door and was going to miss him!

But just as he was asking if we had been good girls and boys my Aunty Cathy let out a huge moan and there was a flurry of confusion. Suddenly the adults started rushing around and all the children were ushered away to watch ‘A Christmas Carol’ on the T.V.

A commotion filtered through from next door, while in our room my big cousins wanted to know if their Mum was going to be O.K. Eventually, a short silence fell followed by the first cries of a newborn baby.

My mother came to the T.V. room and told us we should come to meet somebody. And there was Father Christmas holding the newest addition to our large family.

‘Is it the baby Jesus?’ I asked, incredulous.

‘No,’ laughed my father. ‘But it is the special guest.’

Christmas is a wonderful time to remember the special people in all our lives; friends and family, near and far. Sending an Ecard is an excellent way to avoid the postal rush, not to mention the seeking out and writing of all those addresses!

At www.katiescards.com I have created a collection of Christmas ecards that are quick to preview and just as easy to send. It’s as straightforward as choosing your favourite E card, personalizing and emailing it, with a low-cost membership to the site that allows you to send Ecards on other occasions also, from birthday ecards to Easter ecards and every special day in-between.

The selection of 20 Christmas ecards includes the telling of the traditional nativity story as well as capturing the season’s mythical charms, with the elves or a magical snow scene, every e-card designed to be a heart-warming greeting to let a loved one know you remember them as they look forward to the New Year.

So why not extend some festive cheer and choose an uplifting Ecard to send to your nearest and dearest this Christmas season?

The over emphasis about who is going to heaven and who is not (as though anyone knew) is about as much a waste of time and arrogance as are the “ideas about heaven”. Of coruse on the otehr side of the coin driving people to heaven is the fear of hell. What ever happened to the love of God concept and living in the NOW? What about heaven and hell on earth (as it is in heaven)?

Unfortunately it has been the tradition of th church for thousands of years to make up a list of “qualifiers” that get one into heaven. It’s been akin to getting presents and gifts from Santa Claus. Santa (aka as God) is checking His list, and checking it twice, trying to make sure who has been naughty and who has been nice.

We brain-wash our church-trained children in Sunday School by teaching them that God loves little boys and girls who are GOOD! So, the first time a child does something on the “naughty list”, that child feels that God no longer loves them. And if they do enough bad things of coruse God has given up on them and to they give up on God as well.

What about teaching unconditonal love, mercy, and forgiveness?

Maybe even teach them that there’s going to one day be a NEW EARTH and maybe ALL (like in everyone) will one day be cleaned up and go to heaven. Follow the theory that heaven’s guardian gate is hell and we’ll ALL pass through on our way back to the Source of all life, and you don’t even have to worry about who is IN and who is OUT!

Why can’t we just leave the “punishment” stuff to the parents? The answer is because parnets have left training and disciplining to the church. And the church has been all to glad to step in and try to conform everyone to whatever “lists” of good and bad things ther are in life while skipping over the really good stuff. Oh yes and skipping over the embarrassing stuff like Matthew 21.

Have you been there recently?

Have you explained (maybe to yourself) what the author of Matthew meant when he said tax collectors (really bad people), and prostitutes (doubly bad people) will get to go to heaven before the religious leaders. So, who wants to be a pastor, minister, rabbi, or priest?

Why don’t we not waste time about who is and who isn’t going to heaven. Let’s just LOVE everyone, and judge NO ONE! Sounds to me like something Jesus did.

How many times have you been in a conversation about religious matters and referred to God as, “the man upstairs”? Maybe you’ve not had that description in your tote bag; however, many do and they subconsciously fall into the description with behavioral nuances that aren’t good.  

In this “man upstairs” paradigm we labor under the FEAR that we can be kicked out of the rental (can you say garden?) at any time we violate some aspect of the lease. And there’s the additional FEAR that our lease won’t be renewed when the term of the agreement expires. Fear, fear, fear! Without consciously being aware of it we fall into a VICTIM mentality.

God’s up there looking down over us, his eyes (see the anthropomorphic usage?) running to a fro, every checking on us.

And we wonder where we got the Santa Claus concept of being naughty and nice? If we’re good Santa will be good to us, but if we’ve been bad it stones and sticks: nothing is coming from modern day bricks-n-clicks if you get my drift. As Steve Bhaerman writes, “Many in the Western world worship a conditional God who bestows or withdraws love and approval based on whether we follow certain man-made religious dictates.” 

Ouch!

We need to move away from heaven being a DESTINATION PLACE and into the concept of heaven being a PRACTICE here and NOW. We need to ditch the “Cosmic Landlord” thinking and embrace the, I AM that is WITHIN, and that we truly ARE. We can’t be kicked out of the garden and there is no lease because we are JOINT HEIRS with the Owner (God).

How cool is that? 

Seasonal Holidays are opportunities to escape daily routine. That’s why it is important to plan their celebration ahead and do everything in our power to enjoy them to the fullest.

I remember one special Christmas morning, when dad and mother yawningly turned the Christmas tree lights on in the corner of the living room, illuminating all the wonders that Santa had brought the night before. This was before television and computers and well before video games.

As though it was yesterday, just as the morning light was seeping through the windows, I saw a red cowboy hat and a Roy Roger’s gun and holster set under the tree. On the other side of the tree there was a tan cowboy hat and pistol set. This one was for my younger brother.

As I recall, that was the extent of my Christmas gifts. By today’s standards it was sort of skimpy, but our family couldn’t have enjoyed the day more. In addition to our genuine cowboy outfits, Santa Claus brought mom a new hand bag while dad got another tie. It was a wonderful Christmas morning!

The day however, was just beginning. After my brother and I had chased off any outlaw or renegades that might have sneaked into our house during the night, we greedily ate some of the apples, oranges and nuts that Santa had scattered under the tree. Back then these fruits were a delicacy we only enjoyed on Christmas morning and rarely were there any left for the next day.

It may seem as if I’m painting a picture of a poverty stricken household, but on the contrary, we were somewhat more affluent than most of our neighbors. It was just a simpler and more innocent time with each gift important to us. Receiving only a few items at Christmas seemed to give make those gifts more precious, if you can call a Roy Rogers genuine cap gun and holster set precious.

When things began to settle down a little and the wrapping paper was packed up and stowed in trash cans, the ribbons carefully save in a box for next year, mom began Christmas dinner. In the south back then, lunch was dinner and dinner was supper. I still wonder why the terminology changed; must have been Yankee influence.

Even though Thanksgiving’s feast had only been a month before, Christmas dinner always was a little more spectacular, if only in the sweets department. There were no counting calories when I was a kid, especially on Christmas day. In addition to my mother’s contribution of sweets, my Aunts always came over and brought with them ridiculous amounts of sugary delights, all of which would be eaten.

By dinner time the house was full of the fragrances of ham, turkey, sweet potatoes and every kind of side dish you can imagine. Thanksgiving dinner had been just a warm up for the main event. Christmas was the when relatives you hadn’t seen since Aunt Bertha’s funeral showed up for dinner. That year was no exception!

Mom always made the coconut cake and fruitcake. It was her specialty and no one would even try to match her on either one of those. I’m not sure of the recipe, but she made her cake with real coconuts. I recall her cracking the hard shell with a hammer, draining the milk into a glass and then prying out the coconut, which she shredded. No packaged pre-shredded coconut for her!

An hour before the table was set, Aunt Vida arrived with two of her chocolate pies and enough fudge to feed Rhode Island. Aunt Helen balanced a real German Chocolate cake in one hand and a gallon of boiled custard in the other. These were in the center ring of our Christmas dinner circus.

While other folks brought food items, none were in the same class as my mother’s Coconut cake and my two aunts’ chocolate pie and German chocolate cake. Sometimes there was a little controversy as to whose boiled custard was the best. No one ever really won that argument!

While none of us can turn back the clock, this is a time for remembering special moments of the past. Maybe this year’s Christmas will be a great memory for one of our kids. It’s nice to think so.

In the bleak cold days of winter, Christmas comes alive with the jingling bells, twinkling lights and the handsome Christmas evergreen. Everything about this holiday bears the spirit of joy, hope and festivity—be it the Christmas planning, Christmas party, Christmas greetings or the Christmas decorations. It is a big celebration and justifiably so, demands big preparation. Just as the shopping and planning ensue right after Thanksgiving, decoration activities start at least a week in advance. With a wee bit of extra time and imagination, you can do wonders with your Christmas decoration. So it is always a wise thought to start decorating your home early.

How to get started? Well, it is always the Christmas tree which is the central element of the holiday and consequently, the starting point of decoration. The whole family is hooked on to adorning their fir with great enthusiasm all through the pre-Christmas days. The bells, stars, beads, garlands, angels, teddies, icicles, snowmen, cookies, nuts, stockings, gift boxes and other ornaments are scattered everywhere to be neatly arranged on the branches of the Christmas evergreen. The mind-boggling range of Christmas ornaments adds up to the holiday delights and is, therefore, a fun source of more Christmas decoration activities. There are little gingerbread men, crystal snowflakes, silver icicles, red hat ladies, colorful balls and bells, Christmas print ribbons, red berries, German glass ornaments, Santa caps, small toys, angels, and even handmade paper or cardboard ornaments to make the Christmas tree look stunningly gorgeous. The lights go in the last, spiraled around the cone-shaped fir and to sign it off in all its brilliance. Brightly colored gift boxes piled up at the base of the tree is again a traditional sight and brings back wonderful memories of Christmas. To render a cute touch, sometimes people even choose to snug the base with a bunch of plump teddies clad in Christmas gear. Why not try that this Christmas? It sure would be amusingly different.

Besides the Christmas tree, there is still much left to the decorations. Bet you cannot afford to miss decking up your halls and yards on Christmas. If you choose to go the Victorian way, you can stock up your stuffs with stockings or take the floral route to the big occasion. Flowers look elegant and fresh on Christmas, just as much as it goes with the Christmas wreath at the front door or the mistletoe hanging on the doorway. Then there are the holly and ivy to pretty up your halls and bring nature indoors. As eye-catching centerpieces, a big bowl stuffed with red apples, fresh oranges and grapes would be a winning idea anytime. You may reserve the Christmas figurines like the Nativity Scene or the Santa and his reindeers for outdoor decoration.

However, no matter how much or how little Christmas ornaments you use for your Christmas decorations, do not forget the lights. The festive decoration and the holiday spirit fall insipid without the splendor of the Christmas lights. So go ahead and light up your holidays.

Every year round the Christmas time, almost every one of us feels the financial crunch Christmas gifts put on our wallet.

A common philosophy, the more we have, the more we’re expected to spend on our Christmas shopping, and the fact of the matter is, some of us really don’t want to spend all that much. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want to give our family Christmas gifts — what it does mean that we want to do it within a reasonable budget.

Here I would like to share some secrets for getting more this Christmas, but spending a few less:

1) Don’t wait for the last minute to buy your Christmas gifts; you’re really not going to have time to shop for bargains. Because of this, start looking for Christmas gifts now so you can jump on the great deals the minute the stores list them.

2) We laugh at the people who get up at the crack of dawn on Black Friday to stand in line to get the hottest deals of the year. Those people who wait in lines are saving hundreds of dollars on their Christmas gifts. 18k gold bracelets for $39.99, toys for fifty percent off (and sometimes even free if you meet minimum purchase requirements). What more could you ask for?

3) Take the time to hunt down the deals. Every week between now and Christmas, visit the various forums on the Internet and check out what’s going on that particular day or week. You’ll be surprised at the great deals you can on Christmas gifts find by hunting for deals as part of a pack.

4) Outlet malls can be a great place to shop for Christmas gifts, but not too close to Christmas. Within the next week or so, go to your local outlet mall. Many of the stores will be in the process of marking down merchandise for the Christmas season. It’s the perfect opportunity for you to pick up some Christmas gifts at a great price.

5) Before Thanksgiving, thousands of websites put their items on clearance to get ready for Christmas. This means great savings for you. Don’t be surprised to find a number of online stores offering discounts of 70-percent or more and don’t forget to check out the overstock websites.

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The Christmas Day was coming. Before every year when the Christmas Day came, my parents always acted as the Santa Claus and sent me my favorite gift. Before the Christmas Day, I would write down what gift I wanted to receive. And my parents would satisfy all my desire. I am happy to have such good parents.

Now I have graduated from college and my parents have cared me for so many years, so I also want to send them the most useful and valuable gift. 

 Thinking for a long time, I could not put up with a good idea. So I went home and asked my parents indirectly what they wanted to receive. They all said that they just wanted that I could live happily and contently. They did not change at all. Their minds were still full of me and my happiness.

My parents had given their whole lives to me. I was fortunate because I happened to hear the talk between my parents. Recently my mom’s feet had chilblains. However I did not know anything about it. I blamed myself and I wanted to do something for my best mom. I did not have chilblains because I wore my UGG boots all the winter, so I could send one for my parents. She needed it more than me. I bought some medicine for my mom and two UGG boots for my mom that two for my dad.

It was the first time I acted as the Santa Claus and sent gifts for my parents. I wanted to make them happy. When I sang the Christmas song and opened the door, my parents were surprised. They never thought I would do this. I gave them the UGG hoping my mom could recover soon. My parents all said that I had become more and more considerate.

The UGG boots were not only warming my parents’ feet but also their heart. They said that the Christmas Day was their happiest day.

Some time late my mom’s feet recovered. So I could set my mind at ease. UGG boots helped me a lot.

Wow! The allurement of Christmas Holiday Gift can indeed drive you crazy, especially when you know that you are sure to get some splendid gift; it may be from your father, mother, sister, friend or anyone in this world. Well, for children, Santa Claus stands as an epitome of universal gift-giver. Well, honestly speaking, gifts can range from small to large sized objects, blessings, cards as memento and love.

*        Candles: Advent candles crafted with love and care can happen to be the greatest Christmas Holiday gift for a religious minded person.

*        Biblical cross is an outstanding Christmas Holiday gift to show personal admiration to a family member, your church or a clergy member.

*        Jesus on the cross epitomizes Christianity and the true Christian spirit that reminds us to pardon even those folks who do not know what sins they have committed. A Sunday school teacher or a buddy or kin would truly appreciate such a gift.

*        The Bible makes a perfect Christmas Holiday gift for most people. It comes in many forms, it can turn out to be a best gift for a traveler or a apprentice or even the lost agnostic.

*        Statue of Mother Mary is another Christmas Holiday gift that would be esteemed by all believers. It sends a memorandum of hope, faith and forbearance and would make an crucial gift for most people.

*        Inspirational Christmas card packs also make very useful gifts for people on the move who would like to communicate but never seem to find that further time to be able to do so.

*        Nativity pins, Christmas icons (like Raphael’s classic Mother and Child) and Christmas calendars are some other Nativity and sacred Christmas Holiday gifts that can be given to the devoted.

Apart from all the above, you can bless your children with Christmas flowers, cakes, and beauty and wellness gifts. For the relatives or friends, watch, luggage, food, electronics, clothing, shoes, pets, and books can be some of the best Christmas Holiday Gifts.

Every holiday season can be marked or made special by a specific t shirt design based on that theme. You can have a tee shirt design for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Father’s day or Mother’s day, Halloween or even T shirt designs that proclaim your patriotism; Independence Day t shirts for instance! Christmas t shirt designs are extremely popular and designers go all out to be really creative for the season of good cheer to all mankind. How about this one: a cheery bear is dressed up as Santa Claus with his bag full of gifts and with the words ‘Have a beary merry Christmas’. Sure to coax a smile from the Scroogiest of people! Then there is the more risque Christmas related tee shirt design such as this one: The illustration is that off a distinctly worse for wear Santa who seems to have passed out from rather too much indulgence of good cheer, bottle clutched in hand indicative of exactly what kind of good cheer; and the caption underneath reads, ‘Santa Went to Town’! And then here is a very adult letter to Santa made into a t shirt design: ‘Dear Santa, What I want for Christmas is all the girl’s phone numbers off the naughty list’. One simply says, ‘Kiss-mas’, to indicate the season of love and brotherhood. A Christmas themed t shirt design is a very popular choice for the holiday season, both as something to wear to enter into the holiday spirit as well as to give to friends and family as a gift. You can proclaim a child-like belief in the spirit of Christmas with a t shirt design such as this one: the archetypal cheery Santa’s face beams up at you, with the simple message thereof: ‘I believe’. Then again the t shirt design does not even have to have any words to convey the message of good tidings for the season. A cheerful snowman in his trademark striped muffler aptly conveys a message. Children are perhaps those that enjoy Christmas the most and enter in to the spirit of the holidays with the most gusto! The thrill of anticipation of Father Christmas’s arrival is something that a child would love wear in the form of a t shirt. A tshirt design that says quite simply but pithily, ‘Dear Santa, I can explain…..’ or one that is also addressed to the jolly old man and says, ‘Dear Santa, Define Good!’ would be a great choice for a naughty preschooler who is hoping that he or she was good enough to get lots of presents! And if everyone is decked up in Christmas finery, why would your dog be left behind? ‘Deck the Halls with Balls’ says one t shirt designed specifically for your furry friend of the canine variety. Then again Christmas T shirts don’t necessarily mean t shirts with holiday themes, it may simply mean that you get a good big discount for the holiday season! So the holidays may be a good time to be t shirt shopping.