Merry Greetings!

Can you believe it? Thanksgiving Day means Christmas is only a month away! Where has this year gone? This week seems to be a good time to be looking back:

In this issue:
-- Celebrating 15 Years of Tracking Santa
-- Retailers Cautiously Experiment Saying "Merry Christmas"
-- Sissel to Guest Star at America's Largest Christmas Concert
-- Learning the Truth of the Magi
-- Decorating Contest -- Win a $50 Gift Card!
-- Christmas Movies for Thanksgiving Day
-- Links to Thanksgiving

The Merry News is brought to you by:

Fifteen Years of Santa Updates

Most of you know the story of how the Santa Updates morphed into the site you know now as My Merry Christmas. The Update from the North Pole was featured in the media this week as we celebrate our 15th year of publication. Our merry little tradition begins again on Thanksgiving Day.

Retailers Cautiously Experiment Saying "Merry Christmas"

The turkey won't even be cold yet this week before millions head out in the wee hours of Black Friday to begin their Christmas shopping. How many of you plan to say the words "Merry Christmas" in stores this year? If you say them, you might just get store personnel to return the greeting. More and more, the trend of avoiding "Merry Christmas" in the marketplace is reversing. Click here for the latest headlines of Christmas in the News.

Norwegian Superstar to Headline at America's Largest Christmas Concert

Living here in Salt Lake City allows me a chance to attend North America's most popular Christmas concert. "Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir" is attended by more than 80,000 people every December. The concert is recorded for broadcast on PBS and last year's version was the most popular Christmas special aired. Critically acclaimed artists such as Frederica Von Stade, Bryn Terfel, and Renee Flemming typically guest star with the Choir. This year's invited guest is Norwegian-born singing sensation Sissel, who has performed for international events ranging from the Olympics to the soundtrack from the movie "Titanic".

Tickets are distributed free to the public each year. In years past it was a tradition to wait in the hours-long line over night to obtain tickets. That tradition is now a thing of the past. All 80,000 tickets were distributed via the Internet in less than two hours on November 11th. For a review of last year's concert -- which will be featured prominently on PBS nationwide this holiday season, please see this link:

Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Learning the Truth of the Magi

Through our Christmas News section of the site we have detailed for more than a year the production of a new Christmas movie about to hit the scene -- "The Nativity Story". While recent news of the film shows it getting rave reviews from critics and clergy, we were a little saddened to hear some of the artistic liberties taken with story line. Reportedly, the Magi in the film are present at the manger scene, a misconception that has persisted for generations and one we feel will continue by inaccurate retelling of the Christmas story. While we plan to see the movie and may likely encourage others to do so as well, we do emphasize the need to accurately review and retell the story using the following resources:
Joseph, Mary and Jesus
The Nativity: The Story of Two Babies
The Magi

Decorating contest -- Win a $50 Gift Card!

You know you're going to do it. Every you you plaster the house with lights, scatter festive decorations all over the yards and deck the halls inside too. Why not show it off a little and get a chance to win a $50 gift card in the process? Our good friends at The Xmas Place are sponsoring a decorating contest. Come join the forums and get in on the fun!

Christmas Movies for Thanksgiving Day

While the turkey is in the oven many families skip the football game and get right to watching favorite Christmas movies. And no Christmas movie gets watched more on Thanksgiving Day than the 1947 version of Miracle on 34th Street. Maybe it is because the movie starts with Santa in Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Click this link for a fascinating look at the behind-the-scenes stories of the making of Miracle on 34th Street.

Celebrate Thanksgiving!

While we introduced our Thanksgiving features last week we feel it appropriate to share these links with you again this week:
Homemade Thanksgiving Decorations
How to Host Thanksgiving Dinner
The Bountiful Thanksgiving Centerpiece
How to Stick to Your Diet This Thanksgiving
The Stress-Free Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Activities for Children
Craft Ideas for Thanksgiving
Time-Saving Thanksgiving Tips

Parting Shot...

I've just completed six straight weeks of business travel. Oh, I wasn't gone every day during that time frame but every single week saw me hopping on a plane bound for somewhere. It is taxing on the spirit but, oh, what an appreciation you get for home!

This weekend my ten year old daughter asked me if I would be home for Thanksgiving. At first I was a little shocked because we always stuff the turkey together on Thanksgiving morning. It's a Daddy/Daughter tradition and I thought that maybe she didn't remember it.

It saddened me to think of how all my time away has affected my kids. As men, we tend to think they don't even notice us sometimes. We can't kiss the boo-boos like Mom can and sometimes it seems all we're good for is killing bugs and warming up the car. While it made me feel good to be missed I felt saddened for her by the thought that she worried that I would miss the day.

Isn't that what these holidays are all about -- being there for your family? I'll bow my head in gratitude for it this week, for sure. And I'll do so again as I head to the airport next week to start the next round.

-- All the best to you and yours for a Happy Thanksgiving,
Jeff