| There are less than 55 Days until Christmas! |
|
Merry Greetings and Happy Halloween! In my home, Halloween is a wildly creative event. For years we have lived in humble circumstances and the kids have had to "make do" with whatever we have around the house for making costumes. What was once a necessity has become tradition. I can't wait to see what they come up with this week! But part of what makes Halloween so fun is that we recognize it as the kick-off to the holiday season. We take each holiday in turn but one great holidays folds into another as it culminates with Christmas. And as with all great build-ups, there are many elements that make the season bright. This merry version of our newsletter shows how things are building up online, too! In this issue:  The Connection Between Halloween and Christmas Show us your goblins! Santa Speaks 2006 -- Our Annual Interview Merry Christmas Radio is now on the air!
 Annual Christmas Writing Contest How to Eat at Christmas Without Feeling Guilty Introducing Christmas Flick.com Parting Shot... For years I've done interviews on various Christmas topics on radio stations from all over but media coverage in our own backyard had been kind of scarce -- until last year when a local station had me on before the kids went to school. I got on the radio, talked about this and that having to do with Christmas and I didn't think a thing about it. But that night at home, to my kids at least, I was a rock star -- all because they heard me on the radio. You can imagine the runaway thoughts they were having about our own station. I have had plenty of youthful volunteers who want sing and announce on Merry Christmas Radio. I've promised them all a shot. So, while nursing a nasty cold this week, I worked feverishly converting files for play online and finally on Saturday the 28th we flipped the switch. My son ran upstairs and raced through the radio dial to find all the great stuff we were broadcasting from our own home. When I explained to him and the others that it is an Internet radio station all my son could say was "Great, Dad. What good is that to us? We can't listen to it because you're the one always on the computer!". A rock star one day, a bum the next.
 Copyright 2006 Merry Network LLC ~ All Rights Reserved To Unsubscribe click here |
|
Imagine a holiday where people dress up in costumes designed to disguise their true identity and then they go from houst-to-house playing out the roles their costumes portray. Sound familiar? No, it's not a Halloween tradition -- it is an ancient Christmas tradition known as Mumming. Mummer's plays come in large varieties but it is a noted Christmas tradition dating back centuries in Great Britain and Ireland. Mummers today find Halloween, Christmas and New Year's all appropriate for the working of their craft. A Mummer's play often depicts the death and resurrection of a hero - or sometimes just venture into the silly comedy of the season. For most of us in the United States, our humble version of Mumming -- known here as Halloween -- is usually a great kick-off to the Christmas season.
He's back! Like clockwork every autumn Santa stops by to chat with one singular member of the media for an interview. After last year's combative interview Santa nearly wanted to scrap the whole thing. But he agreed to meet with a younger journalist and the result is a delightful conversation about the State of Christmas in the world today. Oh, Santa is candid as usual. He speaks on everything from playing with Barbies to what to do about the Cubs. Come see what Santa had to say as it is archived now at 
For years my good friend Jinglebelle has operated 
For more than a year I have told the kids we were going to run our own Christmas radio station. This is a big deal to them because last year was the first time they ever heard me on the radio. Merry Christmas Radio is one of those "father's fables" that actually seems to be coming true. 
