Category Archives: Holiday

Santa writes back! ~ Get a letter from the North Pole

03 Sunday Dec 2017

Posted by in Holiday, Writing

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Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa Claus!

The United States Postal Service can help you prove it too. Santa can reply to your child’s letter from his workshop, complete with a North Pole postmark.

North Pole Postmark

How to get a North Pole postmark

You can make Santa and his workshop real for your child with a personal reply to their letter that includes a North Pole postmark. Here’s how.

  1. Write a letter to your child and sign it From Santa.
  2. Put the letter in an envelope and address it to your child.
  3. Add the return address SANTA, NORTH POLE.
  4. Affix a First Class stamp to the envelope.
  5. Place the complete envelope in a larger envelope with the appropriate postage (to cover the extra weight), and address to:
    North Pole Postmark
    Postmaster
    4141 Postmark Dr.
    Anchorage, AK 99530-9998

If you want to know how writing letters to Santa became a thing, you can read Alex Palmer’s A Brief History of Sending a Letter to Santa in Smithsonian Magazine.

Miracle on 34th Street

The Magic of “Giving”

20 Tuesday Dec 2016

Posted by in Giving Back, Holiday, Inspiration, Uncategorized

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The holiday season sparkles with promise. A mystical quality tempts us to peerDisneyland fireworks, Rivers of America beyond the veil into a place brimming with never-ending happiness…like living at Disneyland.

As children we embraced that joy with our whole heart. But as we grew older and more jaded, we lost the connection with the magic, some turning into die-hard cynics because it never reappeared.

The good news is, the magic is still there any time you want it.

The bad news is, you’ve had the key all along and didn’t know it.

The Key to Happiness is Helping Others

Yeah, I know. It sounds like watered down fortune-cookie wisdom. Still, it happens to be true. I’m talking from personal experience too, not reciting something from a Fast-Pass-to-Enlightenment guide. Giving is the focus of many faiths at this time of year, and for good reason.

As a teenager, I was suffered the same angst and self-doubt as everyone else. I was a nerdy overachiever with a side of art-geek, who thought happiness lay in chasing a goal. Funny how when I finally got “there”, happiness had already left the building. Sadly, this delusion lasted for years.

opendoor2Finally, I had the good sense to volunteer at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, after moving to San Francisco. I thought it would be a good way to meet people with the same interests, which it was. But more important, the experience opened me up to the secret of happiness. There’s a wonderful energy that comes from giving selflessly. Our Sunday Night Crew signed in at 5:00 pm, and in an El Nino winter, we often didn’t leave until sunrise. And we had a GREAT time on our shift too! I’d get home in time to shower and head to work. Magically, the energy carried me through the day…with a smile on my face.

A QuickStart Guide to Giving

If you’re one of the many who don’t have time to volunteer for a non-profit organization on a regular basis, you can do something to “give” everyday. And you’ll be surprised by the happiness you receive in return.

  • Give gently used clothes to local shelters or non-profit organizations.
  • Give towels and bedding to local animal shelters and rescue organizations.
  • For more options for giving to local animal shelters, see my It’s Hard to Be a (Grumpy) Cat at Christmas post.
  • Smile and say something nice to the checkout person at the grocery store. Your kind words will make their day.
  • At the end of a conversation with a Customer Service representative, when they ask you if there’s anything else they can do for you? Say, “Yes. Have a Happy Holiday!” Or, “Have wonderful day!” depending on the season.
  • Perform random acts of kindness, helping strangers in unexpected ways.
  • Leave a copy of a favorite book on a table or bench with a “This is yours to enjoy!” note inside to whoever finds it. There’s a Teen Book Drop event called Rock the Drop I’ve participated in for several years now. Why not spread the reading love all year long?!
  • Use a special talent, such as calligraphy, design, or organizational skills to help a non-profit organization promote an event.

The truth is, the more you give the happier you are…and the more you realize you have to give…in ways you never thought possible. It costs so little and the reward is priceless.

Here’s to magically Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year too!

Fireworks hearts

The Making of Santa Claus

13 Sunday Dec 2015

Posted by in Fun Facts, History, Holiday

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Santa Claus, the cultural icon we know today, was made in America. I knew about the real Saint Nicholas, but was surprised to discover that the “jolly ol’ guy in the red suit” was an American literary creation and marketing manifestation.

Santa Claus dolls

Many faiths share the custom of gift giving around this time of year. Which is why it’s kind of amazing that the predominant icon for the season is a fictional character created in America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. [PC: Moi, taken at Filoli]

The Original St. Nick

St. Nicholas was a 4th-century Greek saint from an area that is now St. NicholasTurkey, who had a reputation for putting coins in the shoes that were left out for him. As the patron saint of children, he was most often associated with giving them gifts.

One of the many generous deeds attributed to Saint Nicholas was providing dowries for the daughters of three impoverished families, so the girls could wed. In those days, a woman without a dowry was unlikely to marry, and then her fate was often to be sold into slavery (read: prostitution).  [Public Domain: Saint Nicholas]

Santa Claus ~ Literary Creation

Early Dutch settlers brought Sinterklaas to America, and the name first appeared in print in 1773 as “St. A Claus.” However, it was not until the 19th century that the Americanized Santa Claus came into being.The Night Before Christmas, book cover

Washington Irving gave Americans the first detailed information about the man we would come to know as Santa Claus. In 1809, writing under the pen name Diedrich Knickerbocker, Irving described the St. Nick’s arrival on horseback each year on the Eve of Saint Nicholas (December 6th).

A few years later, Clement Clarke Moore created the Americanized Santa Claus in his 1823 poem A Visit From Saint Nicholas—today known as The Night Before Christmas. Moore gave Santa’s reindeer names, described Santa’s mannerisms, and even introduced his leaving your house by up the chimney.

Marketing Manifestation

The American image of Santa Claus came into focus with illustrator, Thomas Nast. Nast’s Santa Clause, Harper's Weeklydrawings for the Christmas issues of Harper’s magazine from the 1860s to the 1880s were of a rotund man with a white beard, wearing a red suit. Nast even added the details for Santa’s workshop at the North Pole and his list of good and bad children of the world. [Public Domain: Thomas Nast illustration of Santa Claus]

Norman Rockwell further popularized the American image of Santa Santa Claus, Norman RockwellClause with his many Santa themed covers for the Saturday Evening Post. Then in the 1930’s, Coca-Cola created illustrations for an advertising campaign that turned Santa’s red suit into the cultural icon it is today.

Rudolph (the ninth reindeer) with his red, shiny nose, was invented by an advertising writer for the Montgomery Ward Company in 1939. [Public Domain: Two covers for the Saturday Evening Post by Norman Rockwell]

Written Into Reality

With Santa Claus a predominant image in national media, children across America began Miracle on 34th Streetto write him letters. The letters to Santa piled up at post offices, where some postal workers took it upon themselves to answer the letters and even fulfilling the requests.

Hollywood played on this theme in the 1947 classic, Miracle on 34th Street, cementing the image of the jolly ol’ guy in the red suit as a “very real” holiday icon.

To make Santa and his workshop even more real, the USPS provides a service where you can get a North Pole cancellation stamp on a card or letter. I’m not kidding.

To obtain a North Pole cancellation stamp:

  1. Write a letter to your child and sign it From Santa.
  2. Put the letter in an envelope and address it to your child.
  3. Add the return address SANTA, NORTH POLE.
  4. Affix a First Class stamp to the envelope.
  5. Place the complete envelope in a larger envelope with the appropriate postage (to cover the extra weight), and address to:
  6. North Pole Postmark
    Postmaster
    4141 Postmark Dr.
    Anchorage, AK 99530-9998

For more about how writing letters to Santa became a standard practice, read Alex Palmer’s A Brief History of Sending a Letter to Santa in Smithsonian Magazine.

Grumpy Cat Helps #GiveFriskies to Cats in Need

02 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by in Animals, Cats, Holiday, Inspiration

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Grumpy … with a Heart of Gold

Once again, Grumpy Cat (Tardar Sauce) has stepped up to help cats who are far less fortunate than herself.  She’s championing a cause with Friskies to give 150,000 (!!) meals to cats in need, now through December 25th. Here’s how it works:

Each time you use the hashtag #GiveFriskies on Twitter or Instagram Friskies will donate a meal to cats in need across the nation.

It’s hard to be a cat at Christmas and all cats deserve a good meal. A couple of years ago Grumpy Cat, Oskar the Blind Cat, Nala Cat, Colonel Meow, and Hamilton the Hipster Cat starred in the following video that helped to feed over 500,000 homeless cats.

Grumpy Cat at Christmas

Kindness Comes in Many Flavors

Grumpy Cat and I both have a soft spot in our hearts for cats that have been left to fend for themselves under harsh conditions. If you don’t use Twitter or Instagram, you can help homeless animals in your community in lots of other ways. Here’s a few small things you can do that are not “small” at all:

  • Donate a bag of cat/dog food to your local Humane Society or animal shelter.
  • Give those old towels you were about to throw away to your local animal shelter. They always need towels and other types of bedding material.
  • Shelters always need disinfectant cleaners, bleach, newspapers, and paper towels. Next time you’re at Costco, buy extra and donate some to your local shelter.
  • Donate your time. Shelters need volunteers in all capacities.
  • Best of all, open your heart and home to a homeless or rescue animal. They will return the love one hundred-fold.

MJ Wright did a post on The Missing Spirit of Christmas that caused me to reflect on what the holiday season really means. For me, it’s kindness and generosity—but not the commercial-consumption kind—giving from the heart with random acts of inspired kindness. At the end of the day, true joy comes from helping one another…animals included.

It’s Hard to Be a Cat at Christmas…

No Tricks, All Treats ~ Movies That Put the “Happy!” in Halloween

30 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by in Holiday, Humor, Magic, Movies, Paranormal

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If you’re a die-hard (pun intended) fan of dark-and-scary, you might want to skip this post. I’ve seen my share of white-knuckle horror films, but I’m a happy-haunts kind of gal. Which is why I’m putting a light-hearted spin on a haunting holiday with the following movies…

ParaNorman

ParaNorman_posterThis hilarious stop-motion marvel is about a small town that comes under siege by zombies. The only person who has a ghost of a chance at saving the town, is a misunderstood boy named Norman. Norman isn’t the usual stuff heroes are made of. His only qualification for the hero job is that he can see and speak with the dead.

Unfortunately, zombies aren’t the only supernatural riffraff that Norman’s thrown up against. He also has to take on ghosts, witches and, worst of all… moronic grown-ups, to thwart a centuries-old curse. 

A la Joss Whedon, ParaNorman gets dark, scary, and then throws in the humor. At its core, ParaNorman is a heartfelt zombie comedy (ZomCom) with an added dash of macabre for spice. You can watch the trailer here.

Corpse Bride

Corpse Bride movie poster

Tim Burton’s quirky stop-motion tale about one wedding … two brides … and a grave misunderstanding.

Meet Victor, our accidental hero, who lives in a small European village in the 19th century. He’ been pledged to Victoria in a marriage arranged by his parents, and meets his bride-to-be for the first time the day before the wedding. Understandably nervous, Victor botches the wedding rehearsal on a nerdastic scale.

In hopes of improving his performance on his wedding day, Victor goes for a walk in the woods, practicing his vows along the way—not that it helps. When he reaches the part of ceremony where they exchange rings, Victor slips Victoria’s wedding band on what appears to be a tree branch, sealing his fate. You see, Victor unwittingly put the ring on the skeletal finger of the enchanted Corpse Bride, binding himself in matrimony to her for eternity.

To Victor’s shock and dismay, his new bride whisks him off to her dark and mysterious netherworld–the land of the dead. Terrified, Victor’s predicament goes from bad to wickedly worse as he realizes he actually loves the real-live fiancée he left behind. Victor’s desperate to return to the world of the living to be with his true love, but sinister forces stop at nothing to block his escape. 

This dark comedy comes full circle, delivering a well deserved happy ending that glows with compassion and redemption. You can watch the trailer here.

Practical Magic

“What’s Halloween without witches,” you ask?Practical Magic movie poster My point exactly for picking this classic tale of merry magic and spells gone deadly wrong.

The wry, romantic comedy follows the Owens sisters, Sally and Gillian, as they struggle to use their innate mystical gifts to overcome the obstacles in finding and keeping true love.

The Owens sisters always knew they were different. After their parents’ deaths, they went to live with their two eccentric aunts who gave them chocolate cake for breakfast and taught them how to use their magical skills for practical purposes.

Not everything about their magic was good, however. The Owens’ mystical birthright came with a price—some called it a curse:

Any man an Owens woman falls in love with is doomed to an untimely death.

The sisters learned how real the curse is when Sally loses her husband and Gillian her lover. The sisters efforts to reverse the curse result in supernatural forces retaliating and threatening their lives. The quiet Sally and the fiery Gillian must use all of their wits and dig deep into their powers to ward off the evil bent on destroying them all.

This movie gets a little dark, but never scary. And there’s plenty of fun to swing the scale into delightful. For one, these witches know how to rock a happy haunt. Sneak a peak at their midnight margaritas dance party, if you don’t believe me…

Have a Happy Halloween everyone!

Sandra Bullock & Nicole Kidman, Practical Magic

What are your favorite Halloween movies (scary or not)?

‘Tis the Season of Miracles

12 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by in Holiday, Inspiration, Music

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The holiday season is one of my favorite times of year. A beautiful mystical quality shines through everything, tempting us to peer beyond the veil. There’s a reason why so many faiths have major celebrations at this time of year…

Central Park blanketed with snow

Music has the miraculous power to lift our spirits and transport us into higher realms of consciousness. Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and of course, Tchaikovsky. I hold a special place in my heart for Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D.

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, Joshua Bell, Violin

The energy Joshua Bell brings to his all performances is amazing, but in this piece he lifts the music to a transcendent level.

In the following video, Joshua Bell plays with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra at the Gala concert of the Nobel Prize 2010, with Sakari Oramo, conducting. This is the First Movement, of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D, Allegro Moderato (2:47).

To hear Joshua Bell play this piece in its entirety (36:29) with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America with Valery Gergiev conductoing at the London, Proms 2013, go here.

A Muppet Silly Christmas

24 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by in Holiday, Humor, Muppets

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Carol Bells Ringing with Silliness

XMAS_MuppetBellsChristmas just isn’t Christmas without a little Muppet zaniness. If you’ve seen “The Muppet Christmas Carol” you know what I mean! If you haven’t, check out the trailer below. You’re in for a laugh-out-loud treat.

Here’s the Muppettized rendition of Carol of the Bells.

Enjoy! And have a very merry day!

So NOT Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”

5 Get-In-The-Holiday-Mood Movies

21 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by in Holiday, Movies

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I don’t know about you, but there’s a set of movies I like to watch at time this year to help me get in the “holiday mood.”  Today I thought I’d share some of my not-so-typical holiday favorites, in case you’re looking for new sparkle to make the season bright.

1. “Last Holiday” with Queen Latifah

XMAS_LastHoliday_Right before Christmas, shy New Orleans cookware sales clerk Georgia Byrd (Oscar® nominee* Queen Latifah) receives the news from her doctor that she has less than a month to live. The reality forces Georgia to rebel against the timid life she’s lived, and jetting off on a dream vacation, living like there’s no tomorrow (because for her there isn’t). Georgia succeeds in shaking up a glamorous European resort spa with her new let-loose attitude, embracing a new look … new moves … and commanding the attention of senators and hotel staff alike! LL Cool J, Georgia’s handsome suitor in New Orleans, isn’t about to let Georgia slip away, and chases after to a surprise happy ending. Timothy Hutton, Gerard Depardieu, Alicia Witt and Giancarlo Esposito have rollicking roles in this comedy that’s deep with meaning and big with heart.

This movie delivers on the laughs, but it’s the lessons that keep me watching it again every year. It’s a great reminder about what’s important in life … especially how to live it well.

[This movie is available on Netflix, as well as on Amazon for a very reasonable price (under $10.00).]

2. “The Family Man” with Nicholas Cage

XMAS_TheFamilyMan_Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage) is king of the Wall Street sharks, scoring killer deals by day and cavorting with escorts by night. He “thinks” he’s happy, but his life of empty luxuries is turned inside out on a lonely Christmas Eve when a gun-packing punk (Don Cheadle)–an angel in disguise–responds to Jack’s altruistic gesture by giving him “a real-life glimpse” of the life he could have had. That is, if he’d married the girlfriend (Téa Leoni) he abandoned 13 years earlier, raised two adorable kids with her, worked in his father-in-law’s retail tire outlet, and lived in suburban New Jersey. Living this “glimpse” of the path not taken—Jack is an Armani-man in a Sears-special world—wondering if he’ll ever get back to luxurious life of callous wealth, or if he even wants to.

This story pulls back the covers on a high-rolling materialistic lifestyle and compares its emptiness with the fulfillment of an average working-class family. Without being preachy, this story conveys what really matters in life.

[This movie is available on Netflix, as well as on Amazon for a reasonable price.]

3. “The Bishop’s Wife” with Cary Grant

XMAS_TheBishopsWife_It’s Christmas, and the Yuletide spirit has yet to warm Bishop Henry Brougham’s (David Niven) Victorian home. Struggling to raise funds for a new cathedral, the preoccupied clergyman neglects his loving wife Julia (Loretta Young) until divine intervention is the only thing that can save their failing marriage. But the handsome and powerful angel (Cary Grant) that is sent in answer to the clergyman’s prayers has a mind of his own, and teaching mortal Henry an immortal lesson in romance isn’t the only surprise he’s got up his wing!

This is a true classic, with enough magic and charm to warm the Grinchiest heart. The recent remake, “The Preachers Wife” doesn’t come close to touching the original! The fact that I’ve had a life-long crush on Cary Grant has nothing to do with my avid recommendation of this movie either.

[This movie is available on Netflix, as well as on Amazon for a reasonable price.]

4. “Annabelle’s Wish”

XMAS_AnnabellesWish_When Annabelle the calf is born on Christmas Eve, Santa comes and gives all the barn animals a special gift: they can talk on Christmas Day! Annabelle is good all year long and decides to ask Santa for a special wish the next year — to fly with his reindeer! But when Billy needs her, she postpones asking for her special favor … at least for a while.

This touching story has many lessons, the best of which is the beauty of unconditional love.

[This movie might be hard to find. It’s not available on Netflix, and the price on Amazon is totally insane. If it comes on TV, record it. If you know someone who has an old copy of this DVD, ask them if you can come over and watch it with them.]

5. “Eloise at Christmastime” with Julie Andrews

XMAS_EloiseatChristmastimeYes, that Eloise, and of course…The Plaza. This delightful story is set just before Christmas, when Eloise learns that Rachel, the daughter of Plaza owner Mr. Peabody, is returning after a long absence to marry mystery man Brooks Oliver. Eloise insists on helping with the Yuletide nuptials, all the while scheming to get Rachel, the true love of her best pal Bill (a free-spirited hotel waiter), together instead. Through all her shenanigans, Eloise infuses everyone with holiday spirit, especially her beloved Nanny, played “rawther” marvelously by Julie Andrews.

Seeing The Plaza resplendent in its holiday finest never fails to get me in a festive mood. Add zany Eloise and her wacky Nanny on top of a pull-at-the-heart-strings love story, and any bah-humbugging vanishes instantly.

[This movie isn’t available on Netflix either, but it is available on Amazon for a very reasonable price (under $10.00).]

What’s your favorite holiday-mood movie?

Inspirational Mashup: Carol of the Bells & Pirates of the Caribbean

11 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by in Holiday, Music

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Since so many recent posts in the blogosphere have been focused on getting our writing mojo back on track, I thought some inspirational music was in order.

Sometimes two things seem so incompatible nobody in their right mind would put them together, unless the outcome was totally awesome. Kind of like Coca-Cola in chocolate cake. Well… this is the musical version of that, only better…

Carol of the Bells & Pirates of the Caribbean

More of a traditionalist? Check out the following version Carol of the Bells.

Rocking Traditional Carol of the Bells for 12 Cellos