Happy Birthday 7-11 Free Slurpee Day!

 Wednesday, July 11th, 7-Eleven celebrates their 85th birthday by giving away FREE SLURPEES from 11am to 7pm.  Look for special flavors being released this month:  Fanta Strawberry Banana and Lemon Creme Flavor (both sugar free).  7-Eleven expects to give away around 7 million free slurpees this year.
 How many will you get?

THE GOAL:

10 free Slurpees!

That's 71.1 ounces of Slurpee per person!

THE RULES:

Only ONE Free Slurpee per 7-11
You must get a different flavor than the one before

(but may repeat flavors over the course of the event)
You must finish your Slurpee before we get to the next 7-11

And of course, obey all traffic laws!
And that leads us to

THE CHEER:
"Suck for your lives!"
Which you will find yourself yelling

as you chase other cars loads of kids

around town trying to get the last of

the FREE Slurpees cups
before they are all gone!

Join us to see how many

FREE SLURPEES
it takes to
FREEZE YOUR BRAIN!

Click to see previous

Free Slurpee Days

2010 and 2011

Epic FAIL! 

After waking up to a parade of ants in the kitchen and having an afternoon tea party with pest control and our contracter, there was no time to even stop at a 7-11 before I had to pick up baseball uniforms for 30 teams and be at the field to pass out uniforms AND coach our first scheduled game of the summer season.  The 7-11's around our house strictly stopped serving birthday slurpees at 7pm.  Sometimes life just gets in the way of scheduled fun! 

At least we got to participate in 2012's Summer Kick off in May!

Lego Star Wars That I Used To Know

A month ago I found this note in the family room. "Do Not Touch.  Lego Stop Animation In Progress! Do Not Touch! Caution!  Keep Out!"  And since then Awsumb has turned our family room into a LEGO stop animation film studio. He was mostly spoofing stupid commercials and blowing things up.

If any of you would have stopped by my house recently it looked like a Star Wars Lego BOMB went off in the family room.  And I admit I was getting a little paranoid about the amount of Lego tubs that were being opened and sifted through.   (Note:  all other themes are still compartmentalized in their own plastic buckets… because if they mix, that would be bad!) 

Now that school is out and we have a break from baseball Awsumb has been living it up - 10 year old style!  This has included: bikes rides all over the neighborhood on his new bike, hours of wiffle ball in the street, swimming in the rain (because we are sick of waiting for the sun to come out in the northwest), tons of Xbox and recently watching ALL the Star Wars movies.  Twice!

Then last week everyone started sharing and resharing Teddie Films spoof of Somebody I Used to Know by Gotye.  At some point I realized the guy singing the Darth vocals was a guy I knew in high school.  Israel Curtis also did the music.  You can download on iTunes here.

I showed Awsumb this video and he was instantly obsessed.  Next thing ya know we were put to work helping him dig for specific pieces and minifigs.  We helped him a bit with the timing.  It's basic... but remember - He's 10!  We realized we could have worked on the video day and night and done so much more.  But we have to get out and enjoy what little bit of summer the northwest provides!

Star Wars That I Used to Know by Israel Curtis

Awsumb's Lego Stop Animation Video

No minifigs were harmed in making of this video

2012 Brain Freeze Rally

 7-Eleven is kicking off summer early this year with

FREE SLURPEE DAY!

Wednesday, May 23rd

11am to 7pm

(at participating stores)

THE GOAL:

10 free Slurpees!

That's 71.1 ounces of Slurpee per person!

THE RULES:

Only ONE Free Slurpee per 7-11

You must get a different flavor than the one before

(but may repeat flavors over the course of the event)

You must finish your Slurpee before we get to the next 7-11

And of course, obey all traffic laws!

And that leads us to

THE CHEER:

"Suck for your lives!"

Which you will find yourself yelling

as you chase other cars loads of kids

around town trying to get the last of

the FREE Slurpees cups
before they are all gone!

Join us to see how many

FREE SLURPEES
it takes to
FREEZE YOUR BRAIN!

RESULTS:
Free Slurpee Day
was totally trumped by baseball
 as we had a game scheduled. 
So I pulled my son out of school a bit early...
2 1/2 Hours, 2 ipod playlists,
probably more in gas than it was worth,
 to get two 10 year old boys 10 Slurpees
After which they had a baseball game...
yeah, sick tummies anyone?

Click to see previous

Free Slurpee Days

 2010 and 2011

Historical Halloween

Awsumb as Walt Disney

Historical Halloween 2010 - 3rd Grade

Each year Awsumb's school avoids typical Halloween madness  as the 1st through 3rd grade classes celebrate Historical Halloween.  During the month leading up to Halloween the kids select a historic figure that contributed to society in a positive way.  After doing some research the kids write up a notecard with basic facts.  Then on Halloween the kids dress up and present their selection. 

It's always such a fun day and the parents crowd in the tiny activity room to get a glimpse of their child.  Because it's so crowded and I am usually running back to the classroom to set up for the parties which follow the presentations I never get good video or a good picture of Awsumb.  The above gem was found in the school yearbook and I finally got a copy of it to share with you!

As you can see Awsumb selected Walt Disney.  I will have to dig up his little notecard, because I am sure I saved it. Awsumb was excited to share that Walt's imagination and hard work continues to inspire and entertained kids and families.  And doesn't he look so cute?

The preschool classes celebrate Storybook Halloween. Each child arrives at school dressed as their favorite storybook character.  What other non-traditional ways does your school celebrate Halloween?

One More Disney Day

What would you do with One More Disney Day?

Well this leap year Disney decided to leave the park open for 24 hours.  We had previous planned a trip to visit our favorite Auntie and Uncle in February and spend a few days in Disney, so we were super excited to be part of this event!


How was it?  Let's just say that after this fiasco Disney owes me ONE MORE DAY and all I got was this stupid t-shirt.  Ok, I didn't even really get a t-shirt, but Kenneth and Awsumb did and of course Awsumb's totally proud of his t-shirt.  And we earned that darn t-shirt the hard way, which you'll see in my review.

Yes, we did it, 24 hours at Disney! And we received our buttons to prove it!  So are you ready for the good, the bad and the ugly?
First I should say we typically visit the park during off season. We are used to a little bit of a crowd on our weekend days and very low weekday crowds. We live in the northwest, yet have been annual pass holders a few years in a row now. We love Disney and feel a type of ownership and respect regarding the park.

When the OMDD promo was announced we were sad because we had already purchased flights and planned a trip at that time and would be flying out that day, but thought we would at least go in at 6am and stay until afternoon when we needed to catch our flight... after a delay on our arrival we ended up changing out flights so we could attend the full event.

THE WEEKEND - I mention our previous days activities for background that we had already been in the parks for days and that we were having a great time. We checked into the Disneyland Hotel on Saturday. Our son was anxious to check out the new pool and water slides and we spend a few hours in the park until late. Sunday we took in a full day at Disneyland. Monday my Father and Aunt joined us and we park hopped giving them a tour of the new and the old. Monday and Tuesday crowds were light and with a combo of good planning and fast passes we didn't really wait for anything much longer than a few minutes. Tuesday we spent at DCA, ending our day early with room service for dinner so we could rest up for the 6am opening.

 THE BIG DAY - So Disney was set to open at 6am on February 29th and stay open until 6am March 1st. Disney promised special ears to the first so many people that entered the park. News reports said 1000 or more fans began lining up down the block by 10:30pm Febuary 28th.  I didn't sleep well Tuesday night anticipating the crowds and just not knowing what to expect. So we got up about 4:30 and but still didn't make into Disneyland until about 6:30, which turned out to be a good thing as we missed the masses that had waited out all night ... And we wouldn't have ended up with the special Mickey ears anyway.

First impression... LINES... MAJOR lines, lines for every character in main street over twice as long what we are used to, lines for photo pass in front of the One More Day sign, lines into gift shops, lockers, etc... just massive lines.

We had thought it would be fun to do every single attraction in the park. Figuring there would be one or two reprieve's in crowds when we would really get through a group of things fast, gather fast passes and just use our knowledge about touring plans... And that we'd be done early.. have lazy dinner and people watch.. then use fast passes over night when we suspected it could be super crowded and full of young adults.

This was our first mistake. We should have looked at the day more of a hang out day, a people watching day, a day to graze through the parks with snacks and special food options. Instead we ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time ALL. DAY. LONG. We decided to start in Tomorrowland, Space Mountain was down so that really filled some of the other things up like Buzz and Star Tours. It felt like 3pm on a busy day. I hear other areas had walk on or short rides after opening, but we just somehow ended up always in some sort of mess, walking in circles. Our son did get picked for Jedi Training and we were having a good time for the most part.

Someone mentioned Modern Family was being filmed... I think there might have been three different things filmed that day and it seemed like we always ended up in some jam because of this.

At the beginning of the day I felt like the crowd was really excited to be there... lots of Disney fans, people were happy. Later in the day I felt like the crowd changed. it was more like grad night... Crowds were disrespectful, garbage was everywhere, cups and trash tossed into the scene on various attraction, left in vehicles, all through the lines, etc. Lines were being mismanaged by cast member. When they would decide to open things up and rearrange the chains in switchbacks or make two lines as in the Jungle Cruise line they rarely stayed to even things out before the merge, but just let about 30 or so people walk in front of us. People were cutting lines, major GAK abuse, just a mess... I felt like the cast members had no control over crowds... and by late evening became tired and oblivious to lines and were sometimes caught in their own little world gossiping and talking as lines of people were waiting to be seated on an attraction.

And the crowd control issues just weren't in attractions or in lines.. I usually praise Disney for their great planning around shows like parades and such. The way they keep people moving, discreetly take down ropes allowing people to easily exit an area after an event, etc. But it was just like we'd end up in a sea of not moving people over and over again. While waiting by the path in between Adventureland and Frontierland for my DH to meet us back with food he was getting from the BBQ place across from Indiana Jones he was pushed all the way to Main Street before he could return to us with cold food.

And I never really saw special characters... maybe just wrong place at wrong time, but even at 4:30 we tried to figure out the Mickey Pajama Party line and one girl who was still in line and looked like she had at least 30 min. to go said she's been waiting over an hour... by late evening all big rides were like 90 and small rides like 30 -45... just so unimaginable crazy..

Oh and the bathrooms were a just a mess. I didn't think it was funny at the time, but multiple times ended up waiting in a line for a sink, then having soapy hands and a faucet that either didn't spray enough or just stopped working altogether during my turn... so I waited in another line with dripping soapy hands just to rinse and another line as one one or two paper towel dispensers worked. And it was obvious there was not enough staff keeping stalls clean... I am a bit of a neat nick, so these things stress me out. (edited to add specifics like stalls with poo smeared all over the floor, etc.)

By the end of the night we still had a few more things do cross off our list to complete every attraction in the park. We almost gave up because it just wasn't fun anymore. The crowd had changed... But we pushed through and ended up leaving about 4:30 because people were starting to talk about getting out of the park being a nightmare and it sure felt like that was a possibility to us. We had our 10 year old with us and felt it was better to be safe than sorry.

When we left there were still lines of people trying to get in, they wouldn't even stamp our hand (which is our family's special tradition, because getting your hand stamp as you leave for the last time each trip means you can always come back)... And there were huge lines at the ticket booths... I can't imagine if they were still hoping to get in, getting tickets for tomorrow or what?

EDITED TO ADD - Oh and to really tell you how demoralized we were - we left with sets of Fast Passes to Space Mountain, Star Tours and Big Thunder Mountain... We had planned to do a second run through the big rides last thing before leaving the park... And honestly, we just couldn't convince ourselves it was worth pushing through the crowds to use them! Saving these as a keepsake of the day.


Overall.. it was just busy. Like Christmas Capacity Busy WITHOUT all the special decorations and Christmas Cheer. We didn't feel like it was all that special. All we walk away with is to be able to say we did it. But if I had to do it again... I wouldn't! If I had to do it again I might have just gone to DCA for the day and swam at the hotel and had a good night's sleep... then waking up on Thursday and going to the park for a few more hours with no crowds before it was time to catch our plane to fly home.

To top things off... as if we didn't already feel like we were hit by a truck, one our taxi ride to the airport we were in a multiple car pile up... and being the first car we felt every single slam into the pile... We are all ok... I think my neck is feeling a little weird and we are all going to go into see our doctor just in case... As the last car, which was a truck hit the pile he turned and came up along side of us, also hitting the cement barrier. I was worried he was going to push and turn us out into the other lane of oncoming traffic... where my son and I would be exposed... We were not and I realize it could have been so much worse!

Go give your little one's an extra squeeze tonight!

And if you read all that you probably feel like I owe you an hour of your life back! LOL!  You deserve a button!
This was a quick review I shared in the middle of the night after returning home…
I still need to post pictures of the rest of the week.  We really did have a nice Disney visit.  And because we hold season passes we are looking forward to more Disney Days before the year is up!

You also might be interested in reading this article LEAP STORY found on MOUSEAGE

Jeepers Creepers!

Sometime in the fall Kenneth and I noticed Awsumb wasn't reading as much.  Awsumb has been carrying books  tucked under his arms everywhere he goes since he was a tot.  But each time one of us pointed it out, the other one dismissed it saying, "Let him be, he's interested in a lot of things, he has a huge library of books... he'll come around."  And because we often READ ALOUD (click to read previous post) we let didn't let ourselves worry.

Then our families went in for our annual eye exams we were surprised to hear Awsumb needed glasses.  Awsumb was devastated.  I secretly was excited because I remember trying the little toddler glasses on him when he was a baby.  I kind of figured Awsumb would wear them because Kenneth is practically blind.  I also wear a low prescription. 

The good news is that Awsumb will hopefully grow out of his problem in a few years.  And he only needs to wear them for reading.  Which we have interpreted to mean that Awsumb should wear them most of the time, especially for reading, watching TV, any screen time, doing homework, even building legos.  It turns out the extra strain was making it harder to concentrate, which explains why Awsumb hadn't been such a bookworm the last few months.

To help Awsumb feel more comfortable I helped him select some classy IZOD frames, which are navy blue with a lighter blue on the inside. I think Awsumb looks so handsome!  Awsumb was still a little worried about his new look, so I decided he needed a special portrait session to mark the moment.  These books are ones that Awsumb is currently reading.  Awsumb read HOLES in 24 hours.  I read this one when it was released and have been dying for him to read it so we could watch the movie.  Which is a good interpretation of the book.  If you haven't read Holes by Louis Sachar to your kids they will LOVE IT and it's a great READ ALOUD book!

I keep meaning to make a new suggested reading list since it's been a while since I shared

some of my little bookworm's favorite my first chapter books! (click to read previous post)

Awsumb recently finished The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, which he is excited about because the movie comes out later this year.  And this one is such a classic. Make sure you add it to your child's library!
Awsumb also loves The Keepers of the School by Andrew Clements, one of his favorite Authors... remember Frindle?  Clements is perfect for 4th grade readers.

Any Disney fan should check out Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson about kids that solve mysteries in Disneyworld after hours!  Peter and the Star Catchers is also a fun new series.

Anything by Rick Riordan!  The Percy Jackson 6 book series especially appealed to Awsumb as the series weaves a modern world with Greek Mythology.  I think he is still in the middle of the Heroes of Olympus.  And don't forget the Kane Chronicles about Egyptian Mythology.

How could I forget Awsumb's favorite the Swindle Series by Gordon Korman!  Great for boys who love baseball or just a good adventure.  Follow Griffin as he gets mixed up with a con artist after finding his way into an abandoned warehouse and finds a rare baseball card.   Awsumb brought this one home from a book fair in 1st grade. I thought it looked too old for him, but he sure loved this series, which is probably best for 4th grade and up. 

More recently Awsumb also ready Gordon Kormans Titanic Series, which was Awsumb's first lesson in historic fiction. It took a while to convince him it wasn't a true story.  This led him to a study of many non-fiction books about kids in London and New York during the industrial revolution.  And of course to MY favorite author Charles Dickens!

Good for LDS kids:  The Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites by Christ Heimerdinger, which are about modern day kids who find a cave that take them back to Nephite time. There is a whole series available at Deseret Book.   Awsumb also has the Leven Thumps series, which he was yet to begin reading.

Don't forget to keep reading aloud to your kids.  Sometimes with new books Kenneth or I just read the 1st chapter and it's enough to get Awsumb interested and take over the book.  Other times we save certain titles to read together. And it's a great way to introduce books your child might not read alone. I wanted to do with at least the first Little House on the Prairie book, but never got around to it.   Peter Pan, James and the Giant Pach, The Indian in the Cupboard and The Hotel Under the Sand are great Read Aloud titles.  And don't forget books on tape from the library. Awsumb LOVES to listen to books on tape and will often listen to the same titles over and over again!

Kenneth and Awsumb are getting back into The Mysterious Benedict Society about a genius orphan invited to be part of a very mysterious society. And then I think they might get back into The Lemony Snicket Series.

I am so happy to see my little bookworm back in action working his way through stacks of books!  It's fun to see him go between easier reads, longer novels and non-fiction.

PSA - Get your kids eyes checked! 

What good children's books have you discovered recently?

Christmas Disney Surprise - TAKE TWO!

Here we go again!  O.K. You should all know by now Kenneth is obsessed, free 3-day park hoppers have been burning a hole in his pocket and he once again found killer flights and suggested we fly down for the weekend. Ready or not, here we come!



We managed to pull this off last year and the trip was a big success!  As seen in last years video, the big reveal was much slower as we woke Awsumb up telling him we were going to some crazy early morning sale and promised he would see Santa later that day.  I didn't even plan to video tape his reaction and wish I would have as I just ended up with a dark iPhone video  taken when Awsumb started asking why we seemed to be driving to the airport.

This year, as a "too cool for school" 10 year old he was a little more reserved and knowing I was video taping he didn't exactly give me the screaming and jumping for joy reaction I thought he would... but by the time we actually out our shoes on and started loaded up the suitcases in the car he was pretty hyper about our little adventure.

I am glad we were able to pull this off as a surprise because Kenneth was so excited he kept openly talking about it in front of our little guy!  ...  leaving me constantly scrambling to cover it up.

I sure hope he doesn't think we are doing this EVERY Christmas!

The first day was beautiful, and a little crowded.  The second day was POURING rain!  Which was fun for us because all the locals stayed home leaving no lines for us!  Check back for pictures from our rainy Christmas at Disneyland!

Crackers and Cheese

Why does Christmas music have to be so cheesy?

And I don't get some of them anyway...Let's start with Pine Cones and Holly Berries, which the elementary school choir teacher tortured us with every. single. year.  I still get this song stuck in my head today...



"Popcorn for you, apples for me"

Why can't they both have popcorn AND apples? Who is depriving these kids? Does one of them have braces? And if they do wouldn't apples be bad too?  These are the things I think about and it's just a downward spiral from there...

"Nutcracker handy"

Who wrote this song?  Meredith Wilson is who pops up on a quick internet search and apparently his parents were too poor to afford both popcorn AND apples.

And then there's Jingle Bells, which plaques me at all time of the year.  But at least it's a tune I can actually hmm or drum and get someone to recognize (remember, I'm tune deaf!)

Basically Christmas music can be an OCD nightmare... and not in a good way.   After all who wants to be stuck with some of these songs running through your head while your gardening IN JUNE?!

So in an effort to keep The Soundtrack of Kenneth's Life going he searches high and low to find me the very best NON cheesy Christmas music.  This year we give you....  CRACKERS AND CHEESE!

Kenneth's comments regarding our selections:

"This Time of Year", The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.  On the surface this track might sound a little anti-Christmas and some of you might like that about this song.  For me this song is opposed to many of the consumer-oriented customs of Christmas - massive consumer indulgence and Griswold-style Christmas lights - while emphasizing the feeling that "gets me and never lets me act like I don't care" and remembering that Christmas is special "cause all of us get together."

"Happy XMas (War is Over)", Sense Field.  Originally recorded by John Lennon, this Christmas song was intended as a call for peace.  At the end of the year, "what have you done" to help the "weak and the strong", the "rich and the poor ones" and everyone else have a "very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year?"  Someone else asked those questions a couple thousand years ago.

"One Silent Night", Ffh.  This track takes the spirit, setting and even snippets of the traditional Silent Night and wraps it all up in a mid-tempo pop anthem.  It's a really pretty version.

"The Lights and the Buzz", Jack's Mannequin.  This is the time of year when Awsumb always wants it to snow.  He says, "if it's going to be this cold anyway, we could at least have some snow!"  Sometimes the stress of life can keep us from feeling like it's Christmas.  Even if "life has been no holiday", the Christmas break can "remove the splinters" and remind us that "it's good to be alive."

"I Hope That it Snows", Madi Diaz.

"Forget You, Santa! (Cee-Lo Greeen vs. Jackson 5)", Voicedude.  Didn't get what you wanted from Santa this year?  I love a mashup and this song humorously mashes up the Jackson 5's Santa Claus with "Forget You" (the friendly version of the big 2010 hit song from Cee-Lo Green) and for good measure overlays some lines from great Christmas specials and movies.

"We Three Kings", Greg Simpson.  Now pretty hard to find, but it sounds like the Three Kings are driving across the desert, "following yonder star" with their gifts secured in the back.  You know, with their hands out the window riding the wind...

 "A Cradle in Bethlehem", The Beautiful Mistake.

"Rudolph (You Don't Have to Put On the Red Light)", mojochronic.  Another great holiday mash-up combining The Police's Roxanne with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - and sound clips from the classic animated show.  You will never hear another Rudolph like this!

"I'll Be Home for Christmas", Matchbook Romance.

 "Maybe This Christmas", Ron Sexsmith.  Another beautiful Christmas wish that we can find peace on earth, in our own families as well as in the world.  "Maybe this Christmas will find us at last in heavenly peace, grateful, at least, for the love we've been shown in the past..."

"Leaving Heaven (feat. Vince Gill)", Matthew West.

"(It Must've Been Ol') Santa Claus", Harry Connick, Jr.  This song captures the excitement of a child on Christmas Eve.  He's old enough to have doubts about Santa, but young enough to imagine amazing things.  

"Hey Santa!", Straight No Chaser.

"Elf's Lament (feat. Michael Buble)", Barenaked Ladies.  "Girls and boys, before you wish for what you wish for...  consider the price to an Elf."  Christmas is the time of year to think about others.  This is the theme song of "Occupy North Pole."

 "Angel (Holiday)," Jack Johnson.  Christmas is good because it reminds us to think about how much we care about those we love.  I am lucky to have someone who lights up Christmas for me and makes our home a beautiful place to be, especially at this time of year.  "I've got an angel...  She give me presents with her presence alone, She gives me every thing I wish for, gives me kisses... just for coming home..." (Anyone who's groaning right now better stop, because we warned you!  This mix is called Crackers and Cheese, right?)

"Do You Hear What I Hear", Sawyer Brown.

"To Be Alone With You", Sufjan Stevens.  This unique artist is known for making independent "chamber pop" and has a seriously great Christmas album (four discs!) that sounds like no other Christmas album you'll hear.  This song is not from that album, but is sweet and powerful and reminds us what the Savior did for us, and is a great way to close this mix.

Previous blogs regarding Christmas music you may be interested in: Mixed Christmas and The Sounds of Christmas

What Christmas music is on your playlist this year?

A Christmas Card

This year we are reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, who also happens to be one of my favorite authors.  The first time I was introduced to this story was by Donald Duck and his little Nephews in Mickey's Christmas Carol.  Some say Dickens wrote it to revive Christmas traditions which seemed to be dying out.  And of course to remind man to forget about himself and give to those less fortunate.

Although some have called A Christmas Carol a secular story, it’s clear to whoever reads it carefully that without Christ, the "mighty Founder" of Christmas, there is no reason to celebrate. As Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, explains, nothing about Christmas can be separate from "the veneration due to its sacred name and origin." This is what gives meaning to Scrooge’s resolution at the end of the story: "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."

It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, “God Bless Us, Every One!

If there’s hope for mean old Scrooge, Dickens is saying, there must be hope for each of us. And there is hope for each of us, through the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Charles Dickens left his children with his own testimony of Christ and requested it not be published, but that it should be kept in the family. After the last of his children died, the family decided to share the book with the world and published The Life of Our Lord by Charles Dickens.  The book begins...

"My Dear Children, I am very anxious that you should know something about the History of Jesus Christ. For everybody ought to know about Him. No one ever lived who was so good, so kind, so gentle, and so sorry for all people who did wrong, or were in any way ill or miserable, as He was."

I can't think of a more beautiful gift, than your own testimony.

Making Christmas, Making Christmas!

December 1st and so it begins... To some it truly is The Nightmare Before Christmas.  Last year at this time I was putting together 150 Christmas boxes at the office.  Shredded cardboard was all over the conference room and crinkle cut stuffing was flying about as red and green dust began to fill the air!  It was the job nobody wanted to do, but still the office felt obligated to do up special Christmas boxes each year.  Although they could have done something as simple as gift cards or a small bonus, they insisted on these frilly boxes and I totally loved every minute of it!  Because I cared about sharing something with these people to thank them for a job well done and wish them a Merry Christmas.  What's so bad about spending a few hours making mountains move (seriously, I was lost in mountains of gift boxes!) and listening to my favorite Christmas music?  This was totally my theme song!
Making Christmas - Nightmare Revisited

Rise Against
Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite movies and I have to watch it every year.  Jack, the King of Halloween grows restless, looking for something  more.  One day while wandering in the woods he finds Christmas land.  Curious about the joy and wonder he finds he brings all sort of things home trying to get down to the bottom of this thing called Christmas.  Why was it so magical?  What was it all about?  After kidnapping Santa and making a complete nightmare out of Christmas, Jack never really understands the meaning of Christmas because he spent all his time analyzing the "things of Christmas."

The Corner Critic's review of the movie said, "It is a carefully crafted satire against the blandness of traditional holidays, about how their meanings become diluted to the point of nonexistence."

Tim Burton was inspired to write this story after finding himself in a holiday display at a department store. "Christmas decorations were being combined with Halloween decorations – that was the genesis of the whole concept. So routine are our holidays that department stores almost cannot wait to decorate for them."

And don't forget the Christmas Music! Our family gets a kick out of Straight No Chaser's hit song The Christmas Can Can... because after just a few errands, you've heard them all! And just as Tim Burton discovered the typical store really can become The Nightmare Before Christmas!

The movie is a commentary on how our culture robs symbols of their meaning and mixes them together until they serve a different purpose all together.  And every year I notice more and more traditions that just clutter up Christmas and are really more about fueling consumerism.
 
And it's those things that create holiday stress make the season a nightmare to some people. Maybe Jack and The Grinch need to get together. Jack could never figure out what all the Christmas stuff meant... But Christmas doesn't need to be saved... because as the Grinch knows, even without all the stuff, Christmas comes anyway!

Adults who are asked to remember Christmases when their parents didn't have much, often have fond memories about what they did do or get that year.  Kids are more likely to remember a small or special thing than a lot of meaningless things.

What are your plans to create a simple and more meaningful Christmas for your family?

Previous blogs you may like to read:

Don't Let the Grinch Steal Your Christmas!

The Gift of Nothing

The Present