Merry Greetings!

Labor Day has passed us and the kids are back in school -- yet the heat of summer lingers! Hard to believe that Christmas is now only 100 days or so away. As the leaves begin their turn our hearts look to the shorter days ahead and some of us just can't wait for the merriment to begin. The world of Christmas is awakening in the news, as well. And there is much that is new to tell you about:

In this issue:
-- Customs of Christmas
-- New Christmas Music Releases
-- Site of the Week
-- 2007 Christmas Card Exchange
-- Place Your Ad for Free at Christmas Classifieds
-- Schools: Against Santa & Christmas?
-- Noggin'

The Merry News is brought to you by:

Customs of Christmas

We have a new member of our merry family -- Customs of Christmas -- joined the Merry Network last month. This festive little site is owned by our friend Tim Germain. It explores the greatest world-wide traditions and customs of the season, such as:
Christmas Seals
Nativity Scenes
Christmas Trees

Stop in frequently over the season (especially as the kids get homework in these and other Christmas-related topics) as Customs of Christmas is update frequently in the coming months.

New Christmas Music Releases

This is our favorite time of year for Christmas music. Not only do we revel in the classics played 24/7 at Merry Christmas Radio but we're flooded with news of upcoming releases.

(Perhaps the best thing about running a Christmas radio station is the email we get from new and upcoming artists just looking to get their Christmas stuff some airplay. We get free CDs in the mail and MP3s sent to us via email. And you know what? There is a lot of hidden talent out there and we're going to showcase them!) But make no mistake, we're not ignoring established artists either.

Here are just a few making music for Christmas 2007:
Sister Hazel (This stuff rocks.)
Toby Keith
Wynonna Judd
Dave Koz
Josh Groban
Twisted Sister
Jim Brickman
Dianna Krall
Mannheim Steamroller

Site of the Week

Christmas Finest looks to serve those who serve Christmas to us — whether it is with their websites, with their products, services, publications, artistry or compassionate spirit. We look to find them — and to recognize them.

We begin this endeavor by recognizing one great Christmas venue online each week. Our current honors belong to Hymns and Carols of Christmas, a comprehensive library of more than 2700 songs from way-back Christmas past.

See a great site out there we need to recognize? Let us know!

2007 Christmas Card Exchange

We're making a list and checking it twice! Last year, dozens of our friends from Christmas Talk.com, Clausnet.com, Talk Christmas.com, and the Merry Forums of My Merry Christmas joined together in sending out Christmas cards. It was fun to get lots of Christmas cards from all over the world!

This year we're doing it again -- and we're certain that our list will be bigger and better than ever. Fill your mailbox with lots of merry mail! (And get some unique additions to your home decorating for the season).

Click here to join this year's exchange

Place an Ad for Free at Christmas Classifieds

ChristmasClassifieds.com, the online holiday marketplace is a great place to buy, sell, trade or advertise your holiday related items. At ChristmasClassifieds.com it's all Christmas, all the time and now placing an ad or listing an item is free! All you need to do is register for free and there is no charge for the first ad you place or item you list. Categories include holiday decorations, Christmas trees, holiday jobs, holiday gifts and merchandise and much more! Also check out our new refer a friend feature. Visit ChristmasClassifieds.com today for more information!

Schools: Against Santa & Christmas?

The battles against Christmas are heating up once again and this year it looks like schools are the battleground:

In Colorado, a school teacher decided to teach 3rd graders that Santa Claus is a fictional character, upsetting parents in the process.

On Long Island, a school board randomly renamed the Christmas concert, a decades-old tradition at the school, causing an uproar in the community.

When it comes to Christmas in the schools, just what is permissible and what is not? Is there such a thing as a constitutional separation of Church and State? And is the secular recognition of Christmas necessarily a religious statement in our public schools? These and other questions of Christmas are explored at Defend Christmas.

Noggin

What is there about eggnog that just screams Christmas? It didn't start out as a Christmas tradition. But it sure sits as a holiday staple these days and we're just nuts about it. Here's a recipe for Eggnog Cheesecake:

10 servings

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup eggnog
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Directions:
Combine crumbs, sugar, nutmeg and margarine;press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Soften gelatin in water; stir over low heat until dissolved. Combine cream cheese and sugar at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Gradually add gelatin and eggnog, mixing until blended. Chill until slightly thickened; fold in whipped cream. Pour over crust; chill until firm.

VARIATION: Ingrease sugar to 1/3 c.
Substitute milk for eggnog.
Add 1 t vanilla and 3/4 t rum extract.
Continue as directed.

Have you ever wondered...?

...just how many other Christmas nuts like you that there are out there?

You might be surprised. We get emails by the hundreds from people who visit our sites year round. Recently, I got an email from a visitor who was desperately looking for the missing village piece from a lighted village set he purchased from Costco in 1991. He wrote like a mother begging for food for her children.

What makes us so obsessed with Christmas?

For all my years doing this I've decided it boils down to one thing: love. Christmas is a time when we all remember some of the best love we have ever felt in our lives. It doesn't necessarily come in the form of some gift -- in fact, it rarely ever comes that way at all. It comes not just in one day or one magical night either. It is an entire season of good will and feeling. And it is something we want to recapture again and again.

It is what drives us to randomly seek out the missing piece of a display. It is what compels us to set our homes aglow with lights in the cold. It is drives us to send cards to total strangers. When it comes to Christmas, it is okay to be nuts.

-- All the best,
Jeff