Joy of Christmas

Archive for November, 2005

Santa Claus is already getting started.

In the next month and a half, he’ll be traveling the world checking twice the billions of children on his list.

But Friday Santa opened his ear to the students at J.W. Arnold Elementary School in Jonesboro.

Santa admitted his job gets pretty tough during the next couple months. Fortunately, he said he had been conditioning for the rigorous schedule ahead. His preparation includes plenty of stair-climbing early in the year to strengthen his hips for all the weight they will have to support while he hears Christmas requests. Around October and November, he said he starts tapering off and kicks back so he can be at full strength for the big push leading up to Christmas.

“It’s tough,” he said. “But I get by.”

Daniel Inman, 7, of Jonesboro said he thinks he’ll still be on Santa’s good list despite some minor misbehavior.

“Sometimes I’m kind of bad to my niece because she’s always bothering me,” he said. “I hope I’m on his good list.”

Clayton and Henry counties alone presents a daunting task for Santa with about 90,000 young people.

To ensure he checks all of them, he has a packed schedule of public appearances starting Nov. 19.

To get to all those appearances, he’ll take a multitude of transportation modes.

To get to the elementary school Friday, he said he took a plane down from the north pole. Then from the airport took a car.

On Nov. 19, he’ll ride into Jonesboro for the city’s annual parade on a fire engine.

Closer to Christmas, the Clayton County Police Department will arrange a helicopter ride to Suder Elementary.

At Southlake Mall on Nov. 19 in Morrow, Santa will parade through the mall with children after a craft workshop.

An open umbrella hanging on a Christmas tree isn’t something you see everyday.

But at North Pole Adventures, the Christmas trees, with few exceptions, don’t follow what is considered “normal” protocol. The temporary Christmas decoration store at River Ridge mall features everything from the umbrella topped “Red Hat Lady” tree to a Western-themed tree complete with pictures of John Wayne.

“The good thing about Christmas is anything goes,” said Lauren Johnson, owner of the store.

And at the North Pole, anything does go. Johnson and her employees have each tree set up next to its accessories in order to help people match things up.

The plastic purple Christmas tree, known as “The Purple Tree,” stands next to purple and gold stockings hanging in a row. The fisherman tree is adorned with blue, yellow and red lights and has a net hanging behind it.

“If you can’t find anything you like, I will be surprised,” Johnson said.

Johnson said families should come up with a new Christmas tradition every year, and the store displays some ideas. One idea is adding a pickle ornament. The pickle ornament is a German tradition. Parents hide the pickle in the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve and the following morning the child who finds the pickle ornament gets an extra gift.

This isn’t the first year Johnson and her family opened up a Christmas decoration store. Last year, she helped her mother operate a similar store in Roanoke.

“We just love Christmas,” she said. “It was a whole lot of fun. We met a whole lot of good people.”

Johnson enjoyed the experience so much that she opened her gift store, Arbor Gate, also located in the mall.

Johnson said she thought about operating the Christmas store within Arbor Gate, but then she realized she didn’t have enough room.

Until after the holiday season, Johnson and her employees will be working at both stores.

“We still have a lot to do,” she said, looking around the store. “It took us about two weeks to get it opened.”

Volunteers from the Fort Hood Area Habitat for Humanity chapter will break ground Saturday for a “Home for Christmas” home.

The groundbreaking will be at 12 p.m. Saturday at 1909 Fleetwood in Killeen.

The home, which is being built for the Morgan family, is being funded with donations from the Fort Hood Area Realtor’s Association, United Way of the Greater Fort Hood Area, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Pershing Park, St Christopher’s, First United Methodist of Killeen, Cornerstone Baptist Church, St Andrew’s United Methodist and the City of Killeen HOME program.

But if you’re expecting a hearty “Merry Christmas” as you’re doing your shopping; you might be disappointed.

Usual holiday ads say things like Christmas, but you might want get used to hearing and seeing the term holiday. Because some stores are cutting Christmas out and putting a generic phrase in.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but don’t expect to hear someone say it.

“I love Christmas, so I don’t mind,” says Rebecca Reyes.

Wal-mart is one of many stores asking its employees to replace Christmas with “Happy Holidays”. The company says its trying not to offend anyone, by catering to one kind of celebration. However, some say it makes the season generic.

“I really don’t care what people say to me. Merry Christmas, Merry Xmas, it’s all the same,” says Lorenzo Maxwell.

Other people want to boycott stores like Macy’s and Bloomingdales where they also say the same, cutting out Christmas and Hanukkah from sayings and banners.

“I think Happy Hanukkah is appropriate, if your gonna say Merry Christmas say Happy Hanukkah as well,” says Diane Sandy.

“That its so generic, not gonna offend anyone by saying Happy Holidays,” says El Pasoan Eric Morales.

Rabbi Stephen Leon says he personally isn’t offended by Merry Christmas, but believes corporations are just trying to please everyone, “one thing I’ve learned in life is you can’t please everyone.”

Some think the generic phrase is taking it too far and want to keep the season traditional and simple.

“I’m still gonna say it, that’s my basis, don’t think we should sweep it under the rug,” Sandy says.

“Trying to ban everything, so I think they just leave as is,” says Reyes.

The Catholic League for Religous and Civil rights had wanted a boycott against Wal-mart saying the store discriminated against Christmas. But called it off after the store apologized.

After thinking about it for a day, the Macerich Corporation reversed itself and said it will invite bell ringers back into the malls. The Santa Monica California based company says the whole thing was just a misunderstanding on internal policy.

“I just like the fact that corporate America can take a look and realize that the Salvation Army and Christmas kettles are an integral part of Christmas, particularly in Syracuse. I think they have that message ands that’s an important message. People want to be able to say I did something to help someone else. And I did that through the Salvation Army,” said Major John Morrison.

The Salvation Army says it collected over $32,000 from the ShoppingTown and Great Northern malls last year. But in spite of that amount overall donations were down, and community needs went up.”

“We are willing to work with the community in what works best for the community and how they can support us. And that has worked it has been very successful with the malls in this area. We love malls in Central New York because it’s cold at Christmastime and we think that’s a great place for people to be and it has worked,” said Executive Director Linda Wright.

The army says not only does it need the malls, but it also needs to find new ways to expand its annual drive.

“We don’t want to lose some of those really great things about our Christmas campaign that is our red kettles. At the same time we know we have to change as times change,” said Wright.

The kettle drive kick off at the malls starts Friday November 18th.

ShoppingTown and Great Northern Mall will match all public contributions to the kettles on kick off day.

The first sighting of Santa Claus took place Wednesday, when the top elf kicked off the 2005 Santa Claus Stocking Fund.

Santa worked the room, calling everyone by first name. Santa Claus Stocking Fund president Jacqueline Brooks addressed the crowd, launching the 94th edition of the fund campaign.

She said 98 per cent of donations directly benefit children in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

The individuals and businesses that support the Stocking Fund “send a message of hope to children whose families are in need,” said Ms Brooks.

Initially starting as a food basket program, it evolved into a gift basket and then financial support for families in need over the holidays.

By giving families money, it allows them to make choices, she said, and ease the worry of Christmas. The fund makes “a difference in a child’s experience of Christmas,” she said.

Last year, almost 700 children were helped by the Santa Claus Stocking Fund, which collected $19,493. To date, more than 2,100 children have benefitted from the program.

She urged individuals and businesses to “help fill a child’s stocking”

Wim Beekhuis of the Coach and Horses was at the launch, dropping a cheque into Santa’s stocking. Mr. Beekhuis, with help from Nesbitt’s Meat Markets, runs meat rolls at his establishment. So far this year, he’s donated $1,500 to the Santa Claus Stocking Fund.

Mr. Beekhuis says it takes very little effort all year long to support the fund.

This year, the Santa Claus Stocking Fund has picked Friday, Nov. 18 through Sunday, Nov. 20 as Santa Claus Stocking Day. Donations of $2 can be made at Canadian Tire, Loblaws, Giant Tiger and Valumart.

Donations can also be made at any bank or trust company in the City of Kawartha Lakes. Donations are tax deductible with receipts issued as requested.

Parents must apply with the Santa Claus Stocking Fund and the Kinsmen Toy Drive by calling Ontario Works at 324-9870 until Dec. 7. The children in the family must be under 16.

“We hope to continue this tradition of giving in the spirit it was intended,” said Ms Brooks of the fund that started in 1911.

A group of residents have offered to pay a neighbour to forgo a charity Christmas lights display which attracts hundreds of visitors.

The householders in a private road in Sonning, Berkshire, have told police they will “pass a hat around” to halt Vic Moszcyznski’s “dramatic spectacle”.

More than 1,000 cars drove past the festive house every night for six weeks last Christmas, said police.

The lights have now been blamed for causing a “mini-crime wave”.

The spectators it draws have been blamed for vandalism, theft, violence and other forms of anti-social behaviour.

Thames Valley Police said more than 40 crimes committed in the area last year were “directly linked” to the lights.

Chief Inspector Lindsey Finch has denied threatening to impose an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (Asbo) on Mr Moszcyznski if he does not dim his display.

“It remains an option to explore, but Asbos can take months of work and are not tools we have in our back pocket to impose on people as and when we feel like it,” she said.

Mr Moszcyznski’s display raised £5,000 for Daisy’s Dream, a local charity working with bereaved children.

Ms Finch said residents had mooted the possibility of Mr Moszcynski staging a light show elsewhere or even passing around the hat themselves.

‘Reneged on agreement’

“They have offered to donate a sum of money – which was more than that usually raised by the event – to the charity,” she added.

“Although initially agreed by Mr Moszcynski, he has since reneged on the agreement and in fact asked for more money over an extended period of time to guarantee him not putting up the lights.”

Mr Moszcynski’s daughter Justine, 18, said: “The police said that they offered us money to get rid of the Christmas lights, but my dad told them it’s not about the money.

“The lights started even before the charity was mentioned, people used to come and look at our lights.

“The neighbours started telling us that the lights were bringing the wrong sort of people.

“We live in a private road, I see that as snobbery to be honest.”

As much of the Bay Area sleeps Tuesday night, a trailer holding an 80-foot tall white fir tree will rumble quietly across the Bay Bridge, bound for San Francisco’s Union Square.

The drive from Mount Shasta, where the tree was cut, will take only six hours. But the trip will actually let the tree fulfill a destiny mapped out 85 years ago, when it was planted with the intent of becoming a massive Christmas tree.

Until Saturday, the tree spent its eight decades on a steep mountain thousands of feet above sea level, but by Nov. 25, the fir will stand tall in Union Square, dazzling holiday shoppers with its 14,000 twinkling lights and 1,800 ornaments. The fir is Macy’s’ annual “gift to The City,” and for the third year, its lights will be sold to benefit UCSF’s Children’s Hospital.

But it’s a long and arduous task bringing the gigantic tree down a mountain and into the big city — one that takes the special touch of a family whose life, literally, revolves around the holiday season.

“Christmas trees are like people — they come in all different shapes and sizes,” explained James Carlton of Carlton Tree Farm, the family operation that has guaranteed San Francisco’s holiday fir for more than a decade. “This particular tree we have been preparing for 10 years.”

At around 8 a.m. on Saturday, James’ brother, Leslie Carlton, took his crew to the site of the Macy’s tree, about 6,500 feet up the 14,000-foot mountain. They first prepared the tree by hooking it up to a huge crane, then a worker set out cutting through the four-foot stump.

“The tree never touches the ground,” James Carlton explained. “We have to prepare moving it from vertical to horizontal, and it’s like threading a needle to put it in the trailer.”

The precision is necessary to preserve the tree’s pristine branches, which this year shoot out as far as 32 feet at the base of the fir. If the tree is not hooked up to the crane correctly, Carlton said, “it could shatter into 1,000 pieces” — a nightmare situation that has never come true, though once the family lost about 60 branches off a tree that slipped.

Once the tree is suspended in the trailer in a way that ensures its branches are not being smashed, it is driven down the steep slope and onto a main road, where it’s hooked onto a highway-safe tractor. Carlton must obtain special Caltrans permits to move the fir, which can legally be transported only after dark.

On Tuesday evening, three days after the cutting, Leslie Carlton will begin the six-hour, 280-mile drive down Interstate 5 to Interstate 505 south, and onto Interstate 80 west. Once the trailer reaches the Bay Bridge around 1 a.m., a California Highway Patrol escort will be waiting, and when the trailer exits on Fremont Street, a San Francisco Police Department escort will be on hand to follow it to a secret storage spot.

One day later, in the dead of night, Carlton and his family will shut down portions of Union Square and finally lift the tree to its resting place. Over the next two weeks, they will work to adorn it with thousands of lights and decorations.

And by Nov. 25, it will be fully decorated and ready to light in front of thousands of beaming San Franciscans.

When James Carlton of Carlton Tree Farm tells you it’s a family affair, he means it.

Carlton’s now 78-year-old father, John, founded the Mount Shasta operation 50 years ago with the intent of selling small Christmas trees to families and businesses. About 12 years later, however, John Carlton saw an opportunity to move on to bigger and better things — bringing up to 100 feet of nature to cities, amusement parks and casinos.

The business now supplies up to 30 trees a year to clients ranging from Macy’s to the Bellagio in Las Vegas and the Alamo in Texas. It employs, literally, the entire family — including James Carlton’s wife, kids, brother and sister-in-law, as well as his father, who is still “going strong.”

“I’ve been working there since I was old enough to operate equipment,” said James Carlton, 50, as he hung decorations Sunday on Oakland’s annual tree.

The majority of the year, the Carltons spend their time prepping trees for the holiday season. That means watering, grooming and pruning the enormous white, red or silver tip firs that Carlton calls the “Cadillacs” of Christmas trees. Come November, however, it is time to start chopping.

The trees are chosen years ahead of time, Carlton said, but there are always alternates in the case that the firs are injured or too difficult to cut down.

Then, when the trees are all set up in city centers or casino lobbies, the real art begins: decorating the firs. Carlton’s sister-in-law and three other women are charged with powering and lighting the gigantic tree, then Carlton and his children and workers set out hanging up to 1,800 5- to 15-inch bulbs. The process can take up to two weeks.

Marks & Spencer has employed a troupe of showgirls in its bid to win over shoppers this Christmas, it revealed today.

In a break with tradition, the retailer’s festive advertising campaign has abandoned its usual celebrity line-up to feature a cast of dancing girls, men and children.

The advert, set in a theatre, will show the cast dressing up backstage and practising dance moves ahead of a performance.

M&S has typically relied on a series of well-known faces for its Christmas campaign, with previous years’ adverts featuring stars such as footballer David Beckham, actress Helen Mirren and singer Will Young.

But this year’s advert will see supermodel Erin O’Connor surrounded by a cast of unknown dancers.

Steven Sharp, head of marketing, e-commerce, store design and development, said the adverts would showcase ranges such as partywear, lingerie, children’s outfits and men’s suits.

He said: “We wanted to capture the fun and excitement of getting ready for a special occasion, so we chose to film our ad behind the scenes in a theatre.”

The lack of any Christmas lights last year prompted Purley Baptist Church to take action to ensure this December is a brighter festive season.

Due to a lack of funding Croydon Council was unable to provide Christmas lights for Purley last year, so the church has taken matters into its own hands to ensure Christmas 2005 will be a much brighter affair.

The church asked traders to put their hands in their pockets to raise around £1,700 in to pay for Christmas lights in Purley town centre and after months of fundraising the target has been met.

Pam Brian, a minister at the church, said: “We came up with the idea earlier in the year in order to put a little bit of life into Christmas. It was so sad that we didn’t have any lights last year so we said to ourselves what could we do for this year?’.

“At the end we have raised enough money and we are delighted.”

The official switch-on of the lights will be on November 21 outside Andrews estate agents in Brighton Road.

This inspired if slightly homely animated movie is accompanied by winning classical music to put you in the holiday spirit.

Though not necessarily slick, Crisp Christmas Screensaver’s visuals sidestep the monotony of most screensavers’ single-animated images.

All the holiday symbols make their appearance here: bells, candles, Santa Claus, and presents. Vivaldi’s music is a high point.

Crisp Christmas Screensaver offers a system tray icon, too, though volume control is its only option. Overall, this is a fine piece of free seasonal fare.

• In the season spirit, the free version does not time out.
• Absolutely NO Spyware or tracking software.
• Beautiful animations – NOT a slide show like other screen savers.
• NO Nag Screens to get you to upgrade.
• Music- the beautifully inspiring ‘In Excelsis Deo’ by Vivaldi, performed by the Choir of the English Concert.
• Sound Control via the Options panel.
• Easy Uninstall- go to Start, Programs, Crisp Xmas, Uninstall.

Download Site

The Free Christmas Screensaver displays 80 magnificent Christmas themed images accompanied by 20 minutes of beautiful, cd-quality Christmas music.

This free Christmas screensaver is perfect to help get you into the Christmas Spirit!

This free Christmas screensaver features six beautiful, full-length, CD-quality musical compositions.

Download site

What would old St. Nicholas say?

This small northern Idaho town has been asked to change its name to SecretSanta.com for a year to promote a new Web site.

It’s the latest advertising ploy by Philadelphia consultant Mark Hughes, who five years ago persuaded the town of Halfway, Ore., to change its name to half.com to promote used books, movies and CDs.

Halfway got $145,000 for the stunt. But Hughes isn’t offering Santa cash. He plans to make a documentary, including a segment on the town’s lone Elvis impersonator, and split the proceeds if it sells.

“The movie will be called Santa’s Little Secrets,” Hughes said. “Every small town has its secrets and special stories.”

What makes the town attractive to marketers is obvious: Every year, the local post office gets hundreds of letters addressed to “Santa,” said Gidget McQueen, the clerk of the water and sewer district.

Since Santa isn’t incorporated, the district is the closest entity to local government, and its board on Wednesday will meet to discuss the name change.

“It’s a lovely little town,” Freda Ferguson, a 38-year Santa resident, told The Spokesman-Review. “There’s a post office, a resort and a beauty salon.”

Hughes’ deal with Halfway led to the sale of the half.com Web site to eBay for $300 million after The New York Times and the “Today” show carried the story, along with papers in China and Australia.

When the money started flowing, some Halfway residents wondered if the town should have charged more, said Mayor Gordon Kaesemeyer.

For his Santa deal, Hughes, the author of “Buzzmarketing: How to Get People to Talk About Your Stuff,” estimated the planned film could bring in between $10,000 and $500,000.

The Web site SecretSanta.com is a small company started by two New York brothers to arrange family and office gift drawings, Hughes said. SecretSanta.com generates income through a “wish-list” area, where coupons and advertising related to the requested items appear.

If Santa turns him down, Hughes said he’ll ask the commissioners of Benewah County, where Santa is located, to create a town for him.

“There’s lots of empty space around here,” Hughes said.

It took minutes for chain saws to cut through its 26-inch trunk, but it will be three weeks and a trip across the country before the 80-foot Engelmann spruce takes its place in Washington, D.C., as the Capitol Holiday tree.

A 20-member crew cut the tree in the Santa Fe National Forest in northern New Mexico on Monday, and it was a delicate process, said forest spokeswoman Dolores Maese.

A team of climbers made their way up the tree and secured rigging from two cranes to stabilize the 13,000-pound spruce. It was then cut and slowly laid onto a flat bed truck.

“We were holding our breath, clapping, oohing and aahing,” Maese said. “But it went off without a hitch. Oh, it’s a beautiful tree.”

Steve Romero, district ranger and leader of the Capitol Holiday tree project, said the tree will remain on the mountain for a couple days while crews work to trim and secure branches to make transport easier.

Once off the mountain, a wooden frame will be built to secure the tree and a watering sock will be fitted on the base to deliver 50 gallons daily to keep the tree fresh, Romero said.

School children and civic groups statewide crafted about 20,000 handmade ornaments for the tree, with designs ranging from chili ristras to Zia symbols and even small quirky ornaments emulating New Mexico license plates.

“The students and other groups in New Mexico really pulled through (on this project). There a lot of really cool ornaments, lots of different designs are represented,” Romero said.

In addition to the Capitol tree, 65 smaller trees provided by private landowners and nurseries in the state will be trucked to the Capitol for display in government offices.

The spruce will be hauled to Washington in a 90-foot trailer. It will be unveiled in a Dec. 8 ceremony.

• See also: Horse-drawn wagon starts Christmas season at White House

It’s hard to put a new spin on holiday classics like “Jingle Bells” or “Silent Night.” Yet every year, several artists try, hoping their rendition may stand out from the crowd and become part of the Christmas musical canon.

A few notable albums from this year’s hopefuls:

Anita Baker, Christmas Fantasy — The husky-voiced R&B diva brings her sensual tone to classics ranging from “O Come All Ye Faithful” to “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”

Brian Wilson, What I Really Want for Christmas — One of the most melodic rockers takes on melodies including “Silent Night” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”

Jane Monheit, The Season — The jazz siren with the lush pipes covers traditional songs like “Have a Merry Little Christmas” and “This Christmas.”

Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Living Music: Classical Favorites for the Holidays — Can she get any more overexposed? The recently freed felon, who seems to be making up for lost time with two TV talk shows and a host of new products, puts out this three-disc box set. Thankfully, she doesn’t sing. Instead, she selects the best holiday music for your soiree, from traditional pop to jazz to classical. And of course, there are recipes and tips to make your own decorations.

Diana Krall, Christmas Songs — Just the cover, which features Krall leaning back in a sexy pose, gives you an idea of the mood the album inspires. Seductive and sassy, Krall is joined here by the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.

The LeeVees, Hanukkah Rocks — Plenty of humor, with tracks like “Jewish Girls (at the Matzoh Ball)” and “At the Timeshare.”

Various Artists, A John Waters Christmas — Anyone who picks up a Christmas album with an “explicit lyrics” tag on it probably isn’t worried about offending anyone. In fact, that may be the goal. If so, this Christmas CD from director John Waters will more than deliver, with songs like “Happy Birthday Jesus,” “Santa Claus Is a Black Man,” and “Little Mary Christmas.”

Yourself, “U Sing It Christmas” — Hey, why should those “American Idol” kids have all the fun? This album lets you sing Christmas classics and have an instant karaoke party. Pop it into your computer, sing and e-mail it to the universe for a laugh — or to become the next Nat King Cole.

A decision to call Christmas lights “Winter Lights” in south London has been condemned as showing a “total lack of respect” for Christians.

Advertisements for the switch-on of the lights in multi-cultural Lambeth have renamed them, apparently for fear of offending other faiths.

Tory councillor Bernard Gentry told the BBC: “Christmas appears to have been cancelled in our borough”.

A spokesman said it was an error by a junior official and not council policy.

In three of Lambeth’s main town centres, the lights were referred to as “Winter Lights”, while in a fourth they were called “Celebrity Lights”.

The council spokeswoman said an official was concerned about people from other religions.

She said: “It was a junior-level decision and it happened to go into print which was an error basically.

“I think it was certainly not a council policy that we should call the lights winter lights.”

But it has led to a series of headlines such as “Christmas is banned” and “The PC [politically correct] lights show” and led some members of other faiths to call it “ridiculous”.

And Mr Gentry, a Conservative member of the joint Lib Dem-Tory controlled borough, told the BBC it went against efforts to promote respect for all faiths.

“It just seems totally against everything that we as members of the council have said, when officers try to airbrush out one of the main festivals of what is still the biggest religion in Lambeth.”

“The idea that, in some way, the religious festival of Christmas is offensive to others is just daft – I have never heard a single person who’s said that.”

The advert appeared in Lambeth Life – a newspaper distributed by the council – and on posters.

Kids are fed up with Santa’s traditional image and want him to get a bling-style makeover before he comes down their chimneys this Christmas, a survey shows.

According to a survey of over 350 children between three and 13, Santa Claus should trade in his old fashioned pointed hat and dona trendy beanie to keep his ears warm.

They also suggested he trim his long white beard into a stylish goatee before hopping into combats and a big red puffa jacket, leaving his fake fur in Lapland.

Kids were worried his famous red cape would not be warm enough for a man of his age on a cold winter’s night.

Santa’s sensible also has to go, being replaced with a bling-style belt with ‘Santa’ emblazoned across the buckle. Finally, he was told to invest in a pair of cool trainers and leave his smelly black boots at home.

But the news that their children have urged Father Christmas to ditch his red and white outfit has stunned parents.

A second survey of over 350 adults shows they would rather keep Santa dressed as he always has been to preserve the magic of Christmas.

As a result, Santa Claus will be appearing at Santa Land, the UK’s biggest-ever Christmas themed event, in his good old-fashioned guise. The event is at London’s Earls Court from December 3-23.

Mark Rodol, of Santa Land and who conducted the survey, said: “We have spent a lot of time thinking about and shaping Santa Land as an experience that kids will love. Part of this process involved speaking to kids up and down the country about their attitudes towards Christmas.

“It came as a bit of a surprise that kids were so keen to update Santa, but we believe that in this instance, parents really do know best and that Santa should keep his traditional look to ensure the magic of Santa Claus and Christmas last for generations to come. ”

With the holidays just around the corner, the selectmen are thinking back to last year’s controversy over placement of a menorah on town-owned property and trying to decide what to do this year.
To deal with the issue, they are drafting a policy that will be discussed next week.
It makes sense to have something in writing. The lack of a written policy made resolution of the issue much more difficult last year.
What doesn’t make sense is selectman David Himmelberger’s suggestion that it might be better to eliminate holiday symbols altogether, with the exception of white lights.
Anyone who attended the lighting of the menorah last year – the first for the town – will remember that despite the bitter cold temperatures, it generated a warmth within the community.
The same is true for the lights, the garlands, and even Santa Claus. Sure the Town Hall and its lawn could end up looking a little garish, but in the darkest part of the year, they lighten the heart.
Is it really so hard for Wellesley – which despite its relative proximity to a great urban center, is still a small town – to accept a variety of traditions without worrying whether one seasonal symbol is exactly balanced against another one?
The town needs a policy that meets legal standards, not one that crushes everyone’s holiday spirit.

More than 1,000 needy children will receive gifts thanks to generosity

It started 26 years ago when Gene Birk “lost” a dice game to some friends.

They had each pitched in $10 to help out a family that had lost everything in a fire at their South Tracy home around Christmas time. By virtue of losing, Birk was elected to deliver the gifts.

His life, and Christmas, was never the same.

“I gave the little girl a doll, and I can still remember the huge grin she had on her face,” Birk said. “She came over, hugged my leg and I was standing there blubbering.”

Birk said he was so moved he helped collect three more truck loads of things from around his house and his friends houses to donate to the family.

The next year, Brighter Christmas was born when Birk decided to help a few more families in need. And he’s been helping more families every year.

In 2004, more than 300 volunteers banded together to assist hundreds of Tracy families with upwards of 600 baskets of food and toys for 1,200 children. Birk, modestly, hopes to get close to last year’s record numbers. “The goal is to make sure every child gets a toy for Christmas,” Birk said.

The first two volunteer meetings for the Brighter Christmasfrom Valley 1

Hundreds of volunteers will join forces to repair homes in the Gulf Coast region before the arrival of Christmas.

On Dec. 10-18, five hundred contractors, builders, remodelers, painters and volunteer assistant will repair Hurricane Katrina damaged homes in Gulfport, Miss. The project, called “8 Days of Hope,” was initiated by Steve Tybor Jr and his son Steve Tybor III.

“It broke my heart, seeing all the damage on the Coast,” said the younger Tybor to AgapePress. “I wanted to go down there and physically make a difference. I wanted to go down and encourage people. I wanted to smile, to love them.”

“8 Days of Hope” is a “hands-on” building project that will repair damaged homes rather than rebuild them. The project will repair damaged drywall and pull up carpet among other tasks.

Tybor III is vice president of sales for Jancor, Inc, a company that owns four building material manufacturers with two based in Mississippi. Similarly, Tybor Jr. also works in a building material company called Niagara Aluminum as a sales manager.

The father and son team’s goal is not only to simply repair the homes in Gulfport, but ultimately to bring hope into the region.

“The goal is to bring hope.” said Tybor III to AgapePress as he explains that members from local churches and ministries will join in the repair efforts or have donated funds towards this project.

Tybor III explained that Gulfport was chosen among the affected cities because it was smaller, had less national attention and would benefit the greatest from the help. “8 Days of Hope” will direct its aid to the neediest people who at that time have not received help yet.

Currently, Tybor III says there are 100 volunteers committed to this project including two buses of Amish volunteers from Ohio. Steve is urging construction professionals to join the efforts. He hopes that professional carpenters, remodelers, contractors and painters will volunteer and lead the volunteers without experience in repairing homes.

The project, scheduled to end on Dec. 18, is exactly a week before Christmas. A Buffalo, N.Y. radio station has donated a trailer full of new toys for the children in the area.

“We’re going to ask women’s ministries, Scout troops and churches to wrap these toys,” Tybor III said to AgapePress. “The last day in Gulfport, we’re going to put up Christmas trees in the homes we’ve worked on, put toys under the trees and leave Bibles.”

“It’s amazing how God’s people showed up at the right time at the right place and with the right stuff,” said Frank Scott, founder and president of New Creation Ministries in Mississippi, recalling the time he’s already spent in the area.

“These are two men of God who go the extra mile to demonstrate the love of Christ,” said Kevin Mangum, associate pastor at First Evangelical Church. “And they’re men who do well at whatever they undertake. I’m sure 8 Days of Hope will be a powerful ministry.”

The U.S. Forest Service’s great Christmas tree conundrum is apparently over.

That’s good news for the thousands of Wyoming people who cut their own holiday greenery every year.

Bighorn National Forest spokesman Chris Thomas said Friday that forest offices across Wyoming and the nation have been told it’s OK to begin selling Christmas tree permits this season, even if the offices had already opened public comment periods on the activity.

“This is about as apple pie and motherhood as you can get,” Thomas said. “We’re talking about Grandma’s Christmas tree.”

Availability of Christmas tree permits this season on some forests had been in limbo after local forest workers, responding to a directive from regional and national agency officials, said a federal court ruling required public comment periods on all tree-cutting programs. Negative public comments could have brought about 45-day review periods, making Christmas tree permits unavailable this season.

But after the federal judge in California clarified this week that activities such as firewood and Christmas tree cutting should continue without National Environmental Policy Act scrutiny, the Forest Service changed its position. And national forest offices that had already formally opened public comment periods, like the Bighorn, were allowed to decide individually whether to honor those periods.

In the Bighorn’s case, the forest will continue to accept public comments for 30 days while still selling Christmas tree permits, Thomas said. If there are negative comments, forest officials plan to seek resolution of any concerns.

“This forest decided that because we already spent the quarter, we might as well take the ride,” said Thomas, who doesn’t expect negative comments on an activity that has “a very minor impact” on the forest.

He said some 2,000 to 3,000 Christmas tree permits are sold by the Bighorn National Forest alone each year.

“It’s a great activity,” he said. “My whole family usually goes up and enjoys it.”

Want to cut your own tree?

Information about Christmas tree permits is available from individual Forest Service offices. Prices and rules vary.

Congress will get its Christmas tree this year after all.

U.S. District Judge James Singleton has clarified an earlier ruling that the U.S. Forest Service said had prevented it from cutting down the tree selected as the Christmas tree for the U.S. Capitol building.

In his clarification, Singleton said his initial ruling applied to major forest projects and that the Forest Service’s sweeping interpretation of the ruling was misguided.

In response to the initial ruling, U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth suspended nearly 1,500 activities in national forests and stopped issuing permits for hunting guides, mushroom pickers and firewood collectors.

Bosworth also pulled the permit to harvest the so-called Capitol holiday tree, an 80-foot (24-metre) tall Engelmann spruce in the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico.

Singleton’s clarification clears the way for the cutting of the tree on Nov. 7.

“The Capitol holiday tree is going to be cut on schedule,” Forest Service spokeswoman Heidi Valetkevitch said.

LONDON: It’s the Santa Clause and its aim is to root out sub-standard Santas.

Jolly, bearded Father Christmas has been ordered to clean up his act or be forced to hang up his trademark red suit.

“We are trying to eradicate shoddy Santas,” James Lovell of the Ministry of Fun agency said the day after a secret summit of Santas drew up guidelines for girth, beard length, attire, footwear and general demeanor.

“Santa is a magical and cuddly man, not a fat, smelly slob,” said Lovell, whose agency fills 500 Santa positions a year. “I even saw a Santa last year wearing (sneakers).”

From this December Santas – who only substitute for the real thing when he is busy elsewhere – must be neatly presented, have a bushy white beard no more than six inches long and a girth of no greater than 122 inches and no less than 117cm.

“He must not smell of drink or body odor and his ‘Ho! Ho! Ho!’ must resonate deeply,” Lovell added.

Fox, Postal Service team up to make wishes come true for selected writers.

Thanks to the Fox network, some letters to Santa Claus are sure to be answered this year.

“Dear Santa,” a special where some of the wishes expressed in letters to Santa Claus are granted for a television audience, will air Dec. 9, Fox and the U.S. Postal Service announced Monday.

Compelling letters received by the postal service from children and families asking for Santa’s help will be selected for the special. The postal service will promote the show with displays in most of its 38,000 post offices.

In conjunction with the special, an album is being produced that will include both original Christmas songs and what Fox says are four of the 10 most-played holiday classics, including Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” and Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” The album will be sold at more than 20,000 post offices.

“Dear Santa” will be in good company. Reality series such as “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and “Three Wishes” — which strike a positive, inspirational tone — have become one of television’s hottest trends.