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Merry Greetings!
Halloween is on my mind, folks! For the first year in many we get to spend Halloween at home as a family. And with kids aged 6 to 23 we're cooking up quite a party. I'm a big believer, however, that Halloween is just a warm up. It is just a beginning of what promises to be a great holiday season.
With that in mind, we have a variety of topics to explore in this edition of the Merry News:
In this issue:
-- Fall Fun
-- A Package from Santa!
-- Things You Can Do With Santa's Sleigh
-- We're Giving Away CDs -- Again!
-- Christmas in a Poor Economy
-- Santa Speaks 2008
-- What to Expect for Black Friday 2008
-- Think Your Holiday Recipes Are Special?
-- Men: What We Really Want for Christmas
-- Chat, Baby, Chat!
-- News of Christmas
-- Customs of Christmas
-- Reminders
The Merry News is brought to you by:
Fall Fun
First of all, I need some ideas and some inspiration! I am bound and determined to show my 16-year-old daughter -- who just loves Halloween -- that I can make it fun for her still. So this year, I have made a committment to her to build with her the "Tunnel of Doom", a short ten-foot portion of our walkway that all Trick or Treaters must walk of they want to get their treats from us on Halloween.
Got any ideas of what we can put in our spooky tunnel? I've got visions of smoke, screams and dripping blood. But aside from that I'm completely lacking in ideas. Help me! Click here to visit this forum topic area to provide your ideas.
Meanwhile, we have lots going on for Halloween online:
Real Halloween, our little website dedicated to Halloween is starting to fill up with recipes, projects, articles and associated Halloween fun. Stop by!
And before you break out the Christmas movies, what are your favorite movies for fall? We're talking about it on the Merry Forums. Fall is a great movie watching season! Join the discussion.
And don't forget we've got a Halloween contest photo contest we're sponsoring this year. Warm up your cameras and submit a favorite costume from yourself, your family or even your neighborhood. We want to celebrate Halloween into November so be prepared to share those photos with us.
A Deal from PackagefromSanta.com
You know my history with Santa Claus. I just adore the man. I have been defending Santa and honoring his memory for many years.
So you know that for us to take on a sponsor like Package From Santa.com that they would have to be something really special.
PackagefromSanta.com is not your garden variety Santa letter provider that you see proliferating so much online. These guys know Santa. They bring the magic of Santa right into your home. We have partnered with them as sponsors of our sites of the Merry Network because they meet the standards of honor, dignity and respect we demand of those representing Santa Claus.
We're excited to tell you of three great offers for you from PackagefromSanta.com --
Try the Official Santa Nice List Guide. It is FREE. Just put in your child's email and the top ten things he or she has to do to get a Santa Nice Certificate. As I said, it's fun and it is free.
Another great FREE resource is the Christmas Countdown Calendar. Trust me on this: kids love email from Santa. The countdown calendar is a great companion to the free fun they will have as we track down the days to Christmas at Santa Update.
And while you're there and you decide to order in some of PackagefromSanta.com's magic in the mail for later in December, do it with the coupon code Holiday20, a discount provided just for our newsletter subscribers and site users giving 20% off of list prices and FREE SHIPPING if you place your order before November 1st.
And, as always, thank you for supporting our fine sponsors who make the production of all our websites possible.
Things You Can Do with Santa's Sleigh
Speaking of Santa, did you know that this year we're providing two ways you can be intimately involved with Santa's sleigh? First of all, take a look at SantaUpdate.com, where we encourage kids of all ages to help Santa name his sleigh.
You didn't know that Santa names his sleigh?
Yes, it's true. Every year Santa uses a new sleigh (usually faster than the one he used the year before). And every year he names it. (The sleigh only has a girl's name...isn't that interesting?). Any way, all believers are encouraged to help Santa name the sleigh.
But wait...there's more you can do with Santa's sleigh -- you can help fill it!
This year we are working with all sites of the Merry Network in gathering funds to help one family in need. The good men and women at Clausnet.com who work selflessly all season working as professional Santas and Mrs. Claus' are heading up this effort. Through their work we have found a situation where we can help.
We are collecting money -- we hope to reach $1000 by December 1st -- that can be used to help a real Santa deliver Christmas this year to a family who can really use Santa's help.
Through the talented and loving members of the Santa community at Clausnet we are able to celebrate Christmas together in it's purest sense: by giving. So far, we're up to $275!!!
Please stop by Santa's Sleigh.org and read more about the details of this project and to make your secure online contribution to the cause.
We're Giving Away CDs Again
Jay and team at MCR are into playing Santa as well. No, ladies. You can't sit on Jay's lap (as much as he would like that...). But if you're not too naughty and really nice you just might win one of many Christmas CDs we're giving away from Merry Christmas Radio (now in year #2 of the Great CD Giveaway). Stop by here to join the fun.
And did you know that we're looking for a few good voices? RadioJonD is heading up an effort to get as many of our members as possible recording themselves reciting the classic Christmas verse "The Night Before Christmas".
After he gets enough of these he is going to splice them together into an audio montage for airing on MCR. How cool is that?
Stop by the forums here for more on this fun project...and who knows, you just might hit the airwaves and become a star this year. (I'm doing it with all my kids -- the whole fam damily).
Christmas in a Poor Economy
Hasn't the news been dreadful this fall? Between the rises and falls on Wall Street to the acrimony of a bitter campaign season we have heard more than our share of sorry news worldwide. The one lasting and universally agreeable thing we all see is that money is going to be tight this Christmas and for many it is going to be rough.
How do you make merry without money?
This first in a series of articles for Christmas 2008 takes on the topic of gifting on a budget and proves that, yes, as Dr. Seuss taught us, Christmas doesn't come from a store.
Santa Speaks 2008
Even Santa has an opinion on the economy. And the Chicago Cubs. Yes, it is that time of year where once again Santa talks about life, the universe and all things Santa with a member of the media.
In our 8th consecutive year of interviewing the Big Guy Santa not only talks about the modern Christmas but he tells a few jokes as well. Always a great conversation that no adult will want to miss.
If you'd like to read all of Santa's past interviews, we have them archived here.
What to Expect for Black Friday 2008
How low will it go? That will be the mantra of Black Friday anticipation 2008.
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, a one time benchmark in retailing that supposedly determined when shop owners went from operating in the red to running in the black for the year. (No longer is that true, by a long shot).
In a down economy with fortunes on all sides on the line this Black Friday looks to be quite interesting. Will retailers hold back and play it safe, conserving the meager profits already banked? Or will they stack it deep and sell it cheap in order to cash in on the holiday spirit?
This article explores the quickly changing dynamics of Black Friday strategies on both sides of the cash register.
Think Your Holiday Recipes Are Special?
My sweet wife tortures herself over her pie crust. It is one of the things I just adore about her.
Every year early in October she begins baking. Pie crust is a vexing issue in a high altitude and dry climate like what we have where we live. She works for weeks trying to perfect it each year before the big, important pies of Thanksgiving.
And that means I get lots of apple pies, chicken pot pies, pumpkin pies and more between now and Thanksgiving every year as she practices. She is so "Type A" when it comes to her baking. In fact, I know something is going to be really, really good when she apologizes to me as she hands me her latest piece of perfection.
She is particular. Fussy, in a yummy kind of way. And she has her favorite recipes, too.
What about you? We're asking as many as possible to stop by the recipe section at the Merry Forums to give us your very best. We're not looking for cook-book variety stuff. The Internet is full of the ordinary. We want the good stuff. The deep family secrets. Real recipes.
It's ok. You can share. We won't tell anyone your recipe secrets.
Men: What We Really Want for Christmas
Guys: are you ready to have your say? Are you sick of getting Christmas presents only your grandfather would appreciate? Are you ready to stand up for your Christmas rights? Have you had it with ties, tools and tickets?
Ok, let's stop sugar coating it. Christmas for men can really, really suck. We don't complain. We're used to being up all night on Christmas putting together bikes and appearing to be totally happy about it. And we love setting up toy trains. But we're ready for Santa to return to our lives too.
So this year we're talking about it. Openly. Without shame, hesitation or fear of repraisal. Stop by this thread on the Merry Forums, men, and spill your Christmas guts: what do you want for Christmas?
Ladies, are you listening? Kids, can you hear? (And don't worry, Ladies, we have a section for you, too. It is just like the guy's section except it uses smaller words, brighter colors and lots of really big pictures).
Chat, Baby, Chat
We're so lucky to have some creative and talkative talent with us from around the world on the forums. Sometimes we think "Wouldn't it be great if we can just sit around and talk?"
You can -- just by using the chat features at My Merry Christmas. Here are some great events we've got planned over the next couple of weeks:
Cooking for Christmas -- October 26th, 9 p.m. GMT, Maureen the Great, Mistress of Chat and Queen of Plaid, hosts.
News of Christmas
Christmas is a year round event and there is always breaking news. We remind you that you can catch up on all the news of Christmas at our news site, ChristmasNewswire.com.
From headlines about the season to news about trends in movies, music and society ChristmasNewswire.com covers it year round.
New at Customs of Christmas
Our good friend Tim at Customs of Christmas.com has had a busy summer season making updates to the site.
Be sure to visit the fabulous new Santa page that gives a great summary of the history of the REAL Santa.
There is also a comprehensive recipe section of the site as well as a categorized gift ideas page you'll want to check out!
Tim is a great example of what an awesome thing of what Christmas can be on the Internet. He's a good friend and I hope you all take the time to explore the Christmas spirit he offers at Customs of Christmas.com.
Reminders!
Ok, I hate to be a nag. But it is that time of the year and doggone we're having fun here. You don't want to miss a thing:
-- For those of you who signed up for the Ornamaent Exchange, thank you! More than 80 of us are involved. Don't forget to take a photo of your ornament before you send it off and, if you're sending internationally, send it out as soon as you can. Also, once you receive your ornament, post a picture of it on your tree!
-- The Christmas Card Exchange is now closed and the list is in distribution as we speak. If you haven't received your copy yet of the list, please PM me at the Forums.
-- In need of resources to make your computer a little more Christmasy? Jinglebelle has an assortment of free and merry downloads at JBJ.
-- Put yourself in the Christmas spirit by testing your Christmas knowledge. We have had many attempt to pass the quizzes at Christmasology but few passed tests. It's a merry challenge!
Stacking Firewood
We had our firewood delivered a couple of days before our first fleeting snowflakes of the season a week or so ago. As the kids labored to get it all stacked I couldn't help but wonder about all the great fires ahead of us this year.
Seeing the season come together like this on all the websites is like stacking firewood. The ladies and gentlemen of the Merry Network have worked hard all year. And it looks like we're going to have a Merry Christmas indeed online. I hope you get a chance to drop by.
-- All the best,
Jeff
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