Search
Recommended Products
Related Links
ABBAWorld, How Can We Resist You?
The music of four small-town Swedes has endured for nearly 40 years. Now, a new theme park open in London extends the appeal of the 1970s supergroup to a new generation.

Comedian Russell Peters Capitalizes On Indian Roots
As a small South Asian kid with a big mouth, Russell Peters found himself the victim of race bullying. To coax his bullies from rage to laughter, he used self-deprecating comedy. Decades later, he is still poking fun at his own ethnic quirks to disarm audiences, and in the process, he is becoming one of the highest-earning comedians.



 

 

Informative Articles

Christmas in Budapest
Are you going to celebrate Christmas in Budapest with Hungarian friends? I tell you some essential information about opening hours, public transport and some interesting Hungarian Christmas traditions. In mid-November Budapest starts to prepare...

Christmas Parlour Games
Christmas parlour games are fun, relaxing, group-involving games played indoors in a cozy sitting room. They are competitive, yet scoring is rarely important. A hearty pat on the back for a game well played is usually the best reward. One of...

Ideal Christmas Gift - No Matter The Age Everyone Loves This
Want to put a smile on a loved one's face or hear the laughter ring out from the kiddies on Christmas day. Well the first move is to get it right when choosing their presents. How nice for you to hold an ear to ear grin all because this year you...

If Christmas is Rotten...
Once we are adults, we can point to some Christmases, where we were deeply disappointed. Or we went off to do our own thing, and now feel broken and ugly. Like we don't deserve any pleasant surprises or gifts, and this colours our attitude to...

The Christmas Gift (A Short Story)
The Christmas Gift by C. Bailey-Lloyd In a small, Southern town off the banks of the Edisto River lived a bright-eyed, skinny, brown-haired girl. Renee was a jovial child, filled with love and compassion. In everything, she managed to find some...

 
Schreiber, Johansson Build A 'Bridge' To A Classic
Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson are starring in a widely praised revival of Arthur Miller's <em>A View From The Bridge</em>. They tell reporter Jeff Lunden that as in all great tragedies, this one's clashes and catastrophes have something of the inevitable about them.

Stargazing At The Opera
The Hayden Planetarium in New York takes opera to the moon with a new production of <em>Il Mondo Della Luna.</em> Diane Paulus and Philip Bussmann talk about merging cosmos footage with music, how science can enhance the arts and the future of technology and theater.

Obama 'The Musical' Opens In Germany
A new theater production <em>Hope: The Obama Musical Story</em> opened this week in Frankfurt, Germany. It tells the story, in song and dance, of America's first black president. It is likely to be a big success in a country where President Obama is still immensely popular.





Christmas Countdown


The holidays bring back such wonderful memories for me. But it's not
the gifts I received that I remember so much, as the feelings of
anticipation and excitement I felt waiting for the glorious
day to arrive. Back then, I thought the presents under the
tree is what made Christmas so magical. Now I know otherwise.

As I think about this, I want to teach my children to understand and
recognize the true spirit of Christmas. I know they feel just as I
did as a child and I want to make sure they realize that if those feelings
of anticipation and wonderment are wrapped with love and service, they
will have a magical Christmas every year.

This year I've decided to make a Christmas Countdown calendar. Any
calendar will do: one that you are already using or a printed or hand-
made December calendar. Anything that you can hang on your wall or
even set on your Christmas tree will work.

I'm going to write fun ideas or scripture verses on each slip of paper
and stick it to the calendar. Each night after dinner,
I will have one of them choose the slip of paper for the day and
read what is on it. Then we as a family will do the suggested activity.
Here are a few ideas:

*Write a kind note for someone in your family and hide it for him or her
to find it.

*Show your love for a brother, sister or friend by helping him or her
in some way.

*Show your parents you love them by helping without being asked.

*Sing Christmas songs with your family.

*Write in your


In Broadway's 'Wit,' A Documentary Of Our Demise
Cynthia Nixon, best known for her glamorous role in <em>Sex and the City</em>, stars in a Broadway revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play <em>Wit</em>. Jeff Lunden talks with Nixon — and <em>Wit</em>'s playwright Margaret Edson — about depicting disease and pain with humor.




Christmas Recipes: Main Dishes. No.5 of 12 - Turkey Meatballs with Cranberry
Christmas recipe serves: 4 Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Calories per serving: 875 Suitable for freezing after step 3. Christmas recipe ingredients * Sherry or balsamic vinegar, 15 ml (1 tbsp) * Caster...






journal about how you feel about your family.

*Work with your family to do something nice for a neighbor.

*Ask your parents or grandparents to tell you about Christmases when
they were young.

*Write a note or draw a picture to thank someone who has helped you.

*Make a list of blessings that make you happy and hang it in your
bedroom.

*Make Christmas cookies and goodies.

*Deliver the goodies you made to friends, neighbors and elderly. If
you want to make it really fun, deliver them anonymously as a "secret
Santa."

*Go caroling with your family.


These are just a few ideas that can be used. You will probably come up
with more. Think of as many as you
can and start your Christmas countdown according to the number of
ideas you have (if you have ten ideas, start eleven days before
Christmas). Try to save a special activity for Christmas Eve if you
don't already have a traditional Christmas Eve activity planned.

Remember, the idea is to spend time as a family and teach your children the
true spirit of Christmas.


About the Author

Shannon Jarvies is a WAHM with four beautiful kids and a great husband. She is also "webmom" to a site that brings moms together to learn, laugh and enjoy! Visit now at http://www.amomsjoy.com. PLUS she has finally discovered the secret to supplementing her husband's income while staying at home with her kids. Find out how you can too at http://www.talkfreeamericainc.com/forprofit and contact her at kjarvies@amigo.net