The Joys of Christmas Lights!

Contribution by Saul Martin

Well, here we are, less thn two weeks until Christmas, and the season is in full swing. It is a busy time of the year, between planning parties, shopping, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. One tradition, however, that must not be ignored during this most wonderful time of the year is going on the annual journey to view Christmas lights. After bundling up in warm clothes, making a thermos of hot coffee, and setting our trusty home alarm system (ADT Security Las VEgas monitoring), we pile into the car and head out.

My wife and I have a few local neighborhoods that we love to drive through because there is always a lot of creativity shown and you can tell that there is also an environment of friendly competition as to which home in the neighborhood can concoct the most spell-binding Christmas display. In our journey we see everything from the tacky (a yard literally FULL of oversized inflatable Santas, elves, and snowmen) to the breathtaking (a house tastefully covered in icicle lights, backlit in blue). We always conclude our Christmas decoration-viewing with one house in particular. The gentleman that owns the house is an electrical engineer who, every year, creates an automated light show synchronized to music broadcast from an FM transmitter. The show always is incredible and sets the tone for a magical Christmas season.

Christmas 2010

We spent our Christmas at the new house of my sister in-law in the city of Stamford, CT. We took a taxi going to my parent's in-law first, then they drove us. We had a wonderful time. The food was great too. The house is nice; it's like a vacation house in Cape Cod. We exchanged gifts and gave gifts to the little kids. Everything was pleasant. I ate too much, lol...

Our Family Trip to See Christmas Lights Downtown

The Author of this post is Cheryl Martinez

My family has a tradition of going to see the downtown Christmas lights and decorations every year after we go Black Friday shopping. This year, we were all really tired from having gotten up so early, but we were excited to go anyway. I'm glad we did, because it was one of the best displays and trips ever!

Before we left, we ate a hearty dinner that was fantastic after the long day of shopping. We packed up hot chocolate and coffee to go, set our home security alarm (site), and packed into one car. Then we drove downtown and somehow managed to get a spot right along the street. The lights were already on and it was one of the prettiest displays the city has ever put together. There were beautiful colors of lights that offset other decorations atop the buildings, ornaments, and even garlands.

As we walked around, it started to snow lightly -- the perfect kind of snowflakes that stick lightly to the ground and come down sort of softly. The snow and the lights together created one of those gorgeous winter scenes that can only put you even more in the holiday spirit. As we made our way to see the mayor's Christmas tree, we laughed and caroled along the street. It was one of the best trips to see Christmas lights.

Sugar Christmas cookies for the road

Guest post written by Sarah Brentley

Normally I just do the easiest thing and ride a bus or fly home for the holidays. But my boyfriend is coming home with me this year and he wants to drive there because we both have a week off of work. Besides, I guess I can stand riding for eight hours. So I've been planning for our trip and thought that it would be good if I fixed some cookies or some other kind of Christmas snack for us to have on our way to my hometown.

When I told my boyfriend that, he agreed, so I went online with my Clear tv bundle to try and find a really good recipe to fix for the ride. But then I also got the idea to make an extra batch to take home to my family because I wanted to come home with a little some extra besides presents and my boyfriend for the holidays.

I just settled on making some Christmas sugar cookies because they're so simple to make and everyone likes them. If I'm going to make so many of them, I knew that my treat would have to meet those criteria to make it worth my trouble.

Clan train trips in 2010

Family and clan train trips can be a good way to see the road and a good way to go on a trip and a good way to see the land and a good way to take some time to do the things you like to do when you go out on a family trip on the road and in the town where we like to stay and sit and smoke and talk and tell the kids to eat and sleep.

Family trinkets 2010 style

Family trips can be hard on the kids but we like to go to the sea and sit on the beach and look at the boats and talk with the folks who come to get some sun and wind and talk with the folks who are there. Then we go to town and look at shells and bells and glass mosaic tile to see if we wish to buy some for our shack on the hill and make it look nice and cool.

Family fun with note cards in 2010

Family fun is what we have in the Fall when we go to Maine and we look out the car back vent and the side vent and let the wind blow in our face and we write notes in our note pad to tell us what we did and how much fun we had. Then we use the save the date cards to keep in touch with friends and tell them what fun we had too.

Family Xmas 2010

Family Xmas in 2010 is a fun trip we will take and it will bring us to the beach in Maine and then we will go to the shore of Maine and then we will go to France and we will go to Spain and we will come home and look at the poor notes we took on the trip and think why we did not take notes that were long and fine and nice to read when we got home.

Not Often Do We Get A Winter Wonderland

Authored by Raymond Whitney

Being in sunny southern California means that the chances of a white Christmas are few and far between. We jump for joy when we get a few hours of rain, much less a snowstorm. When the snow does decide to finally fall, we stop everything we are doing to take it all in.

The schools close, the roads shutdown, and the kids get to put on their snow clothes soon as the first flakes begin to land. Soon, every front yard is a maze of snowman and snowball forts. The kids seem to pour fourth from the houses with smiles on their faces. The stress of the season seems to melt away whenever we are blessed with a magical white landscape.

While I may have been the first in line for snow angels and sledding as a kid, my favorite pastime during these storms is building a big fire and catching up on my Satellite TV. I get to leave the frozen fingers and toes to the kids. A warm cup of coffee and my favorite show is just what I need to feel like the holidays have begun.

Stressful Week

This is the most stressful week ever for me. My daughter is sick and also my hubby too. They both have cold since last week. Plus, the holidays is around the corner. I didn't even start my Christmas shopping yet. I'm so busy taking care of them and I have to go early for my part-time job. In, short, I don't have time to shop. I'm just hoping that my daughter and hubby will get better before the Christmas Day.

That First Snowfall

The Author of this post is Herman Barry

The first snow of the winter actually just happened to me. About a week ago, I was sitting and writing on my computer when I noticed that it was unusually bright outside. I had made plans to drive my boyfriend to work, since he doesn't own a car. I got up and noticed that there was a plethora of snowflakes drifting down and covering everything in their path. My car was completely covered in snow and I wasn't sure how I was going to make the trek over to bring my boyfriend to work. It was fun to go out and let the snow fall on my tongue. Before I went outside, I bundled in lots of warm clothing and had my hat and mittens on.

My boyfriend and I had a blast throwing snowballs and playing with the falling snow. My dog was also joining in on the fun and was running all through the snow covered grass. In fact, it was one of the best times I've ever had with my boyfriend. After we were done playing out there, we came inside and warmed up. I made some hot cocoa and we sat and watched some satellite television I got after reviewing this Direct TV Comparison. After we were done relaxing, I made sure to bundle up again and I went out to start my car. It turns out, my boyfriend's company called him and told him he didn't have to come in. What a great ending to a day!

Christmas Loaves

Content by Sol Rosales

Have you ever had someone bake you a cake and it was just so delicious that you couldn't find the words to express what the experience was like? Well, that's how I feel when I get to bite into a Christmas Loave Stollen cake. It is so moist and packed with so many different flavors from dried fruits and nuts which I might add is generously proportioned all through the cake.

There are different types of Christmas loaves but this one is particularly my favorite. It is a German cake that our family always makes sure we have at least 6 of. You'd be amazed at how tasty this cake is. I fell in love with the flavor of this cake on my 14th Christmas. It was the first time we had ever had it and ever since then, our family is dedicated every year to making sure they don't forget to order them when they come available. I make sure of that.

The holidays just wouldn't feel right without them and if you love your cake with coffee, you'd really enjoy this cake with a nice hot cup. I always make sure we have extra after Christmas just so I can enjoy it with my coffee, and we usually do. In fact I saw an advertisement on my Direct TV offers today for one of these delicious cakes.

Family fire in the woods in 2010

Family good times start with a fire and a big meal, and then we go to the store and buy a high grade hog and cook him up and sit and listen to the fire make noises in the night and then we carve the hog and eat the hog off the sticks and lick our lips and tell tales of the time we had a hog for good food. The adirondack is on the side of the fire and the girl or boy who sits on it is close to the heat and can feel it all night when it gets cold too.
The way we sit around the fire makes us want to go home and use the stainless steel kitchen sink and the butcher block countertop that we know we have at home and that we have used when we were home to make our lives good and clean and neat. But that is the way things go when you are not home and are at a camp with a fire.

Family trial in Cannes

Family trials in Cannes can have a good deal to do with the way they wear their clothes when they come home from France since they can see how the folks in France wear their hair and their shirts and their pants and then they can do the same kind of style when they are back in the States. The way to use the nfl t shirts is to use them the same way they use them in France but to put your own spin on it.

Kate is Sick

My daughter Kate has been sick since last Friday. She has a cold. I feel sorry for her. She can't go to school this week because she's still coughing. Her teacher called today to find out how's she's doing. And she said that it's fine if Kate can't come to the school this week. She's hoping that Kate will get better by next Monday so that she can see Santa Claus in the school.

Man Crush On Superman?

Guest post written by my buddy Aldo Mays

Okay, check this out. I'm going to settle this argument once and for all. If you put Spiderman, Batman, and Superman in the same room and there is no kryptonite involved, Superman is going to win. He is called Superman for a reason - he has superhuman powers. How difficult is that to understand?

If Spiderman formed a web around Superman, Superman would laugh as he used the lasers from his eyes to detach the web. If Batman went to throw a punch at Superman, Batman's fist would melt into Superman's skull. Superman is the man. I knew this from the second I watched him race his schoolmates home. He was on foot and his friends were in a pick-up truck. Superman won. When Superman battled the ingenious Lex Luther, Superman won. When Superman battled three villains with similar powers all at once, Superman won. And when Superman battled for Louis Lane's love, Superman won. He knew to use a romantic flight over the city opposed to weaponry. This just proves Superman has brains as well as Braun.

When I saw Superman was going to be on satellite tv from http://www.bestchoicetv.com last Tuesday night, I cancelled my bowling plans and stayed home and watch my childhood hero. He lived up to my expectations as he saved the world once again. Superman is the ultimate hero. If you have a chance to check him out in action, please do so at your earliest convenience.

Black Friday Mall Trolling for Fun and Profit.

The Author of this post is Kory Dotson

One of the best parts of the holiday season for me is the money I can make from all of the massive discounts and sales that are around every corner. This is especially true for the Black Friday oriented sales at the mall.

This yea when I went to perform my Christmas and business shopping, I operate a thrift and consignment store, I chose to take a non-planned stop at the mall. Normally I hate the mall but this year I saw few advertisements out front for the local game shop. Everything was half off. Video games of all types are one of my best selling items.

Inside the place was a madhouse. There were people of all nationalities, body types, and budgets running around like the world was ending. A few fights nearly broke out in the men's clothing section of one of the attached department stores because two family matrons wanted the exact same pair of men's skinny jeans.

Security was tripled in the mall this year in anticipation of these blessed shopping extravaganza. I managed to slip through the crowds without being accosted and found the elusive games I sought. There were even a few left. Most were outdated sports games but I could not beat the price. After finding what I wanted I headed home to watch some much needed DIRECTV Specialswhile kicking back and relaxing away from the madness.

Family Boat Ride 2010

Family boat rides can be dull if they are in the night on a lake or a small pond but they can be fun if they are in the day and in the sea or in a big pond or a big lake or a big stream or a big pool or a mud slide place where the full clan can sing and watch the fun that they can have in the sun.

Family who travel to New York in 2010

The family was in the truck and they went to the store and then they went home. Then they went to the setai 5th ave and saw the way it was set up to work for them. They said they would like to go there a lot of times in the New Year if they had time and the good day to go. I think they will be there a lot in the next year since they said they would like to do that.

Family food in 2010

The family that eats is the family that has the most fun since to eat is to live and to live is to eat. But the diet pills are for the man who has a girl or a girl who has a man who is too much on the side of girth. By this time we all should be on a new diet and the way to do that is to eat and talk at the same time.If you eat and talk at the same time you could choke and you could find that you eat less since you are not too well. The diet pills can help you but if you choke it is hard to breathe and it is hard to sit still and wait for the next meal. The food we eat is a weight loss diet pills and we have the news that it is a way to eat that few can do since it is a new way to live a life of less food.

Seeing Santa

This guest post from Lenny Mcknight

I remember when I was a little kid, my parents would always take me to see Santa. But I wasn't like your normal kid who wanted to sit on his lap and all. I actually couldn't stand going to see Santa. He was a bit of a menacing figure for me, mainly because I knew that he couldn't possibly be in every mall all around the country. I guess you could say I was a smart child. And as I got older and became a teenager, I stopped going all together. Some of my friends just wanted to go to see him so they could get a goofy picture. I guess it would be pretty funny to have a picture like that around.

Just recently, my boyfriend and I made a trip to the mall to go Christmas shopping. We set our home security alarm from www.inhomesecurity.net before leaving the house. I actually completely forgot that the mall is where Santa goes. I was amazed at how many little kids still held the tradition that I was once so familiar with. Some of the kids looked extremely excited to be sitting on Santa's lap and others looked like they were embarrassed and couldn't be bothered. I guess every kid is different. But what isn't different are the lines that accumulate to go and see Santa. Sometimes I can't believe people actually wait on them. But I guess that's all about the holiday spirit.

Family Trips to France in 2010

Family trips to France were fun but the way we went was by boat so we did not see the towns or the roads in the north of the place and we did not stop and stay at a bed place or a new place on the land, no, we had to stay on the boat all the time for the whole trip and we stayed on the boat so long we got a sick head and a sick foot and a sick arm and a lot of sick thoughts as we felt the boat go up and down.

Family Shop in 2010

Family looks are the thing we think we know but the look of a man and the look of a girl or a boy can change in the blink of an eye, which is why it is good to learn a few new things about the way to look good when you go out for a walk or a stroll in the place where you live and work. The new or the old jackets you can wear can be blue or black or tan or beige in the months that are cold and can be gold or red or tan or white in the months that are hot. The wardrobe you can wear can be a light or a dark shade as long as the fit is good and the coat looks good when you look at it in a glass or when you see the way it fits on you in the shop.

The clan than can shop all at once for their friends or their loved ones is a clan that knows how to shop well. The clothes they can find are all too soon used and they can say for sure that they are good at what they do when they shop since they know how to find what fits and what will look good on each one of them.

Family Trips to Shop in 2010

Family trips to shop can lead a clan to think they know all there is to know but they may be in for a new thing or two since they can learn at a trade show. The trade show displays can make them see how much they can earn if they show their wares off in a new way and if they learn from the folks who have used them in the past. The truss, for example, is one of the new things they can use to hold their wares up so a man or a group of men can see the things they want to sell in the store or in a trade show, too. Of course we like to see the clan sell all it had to sell, and we like to use the logo floor mats when we sell since they can look nice on the ground in front of your door or in front of your car in the front of the shop. Then we like to use the clan's new and strong exhibit booths to show all we have to the men and the groups of men who pass.

Family road trip in 2010

Family road trips can begin in the sun and end in the rain. The cheap car insurance quotes can help them when they go to the race. Then we can go on a trip in the Fall. We like to ride in the car and the bus. The fun we have can never be the same as a boat. That is the way we have a good day.

First Day of School

Kate's first day of school today. We got up at 7:00 a.m. to get her ready to go to school. We're so glad that her first day was wonderful, even though it was snowing a little bit early this morning. She didn't cry once all day. She was having fun with her new friends. She seems like she loves going to school. But she was exhausted because of her new schedule. In fact, as soon she finished eating lunch she went to sleep. Well, I understand since she just started today.

Family beach trips in Maine

Family car trips can be fun but we do not go on them too much in the Fall since we like to go on a boat in the Fall and then in the end of the year we will go to the car trip. The locking mailboxes are a fun thing to see when we go on a trip and we look out and we try to find them.

The fun part of the trip is the beach and the sun and the sand and the sea. Then we look for the one and the true locking mailbox and we sing a song when we pass it. We sing a song when we pass the lockable mailboxes since it is a fun thing for our clan to do. Then we go sit in the sun and talk a lot and eat and then we go for a swim in the sea and take a bath and go home to sleep.

Family grill in 2010

Family grill days were in May and June and the clan sat at a stool and said they would talk less and think more. They thought a lot and then they went for quite a walk. The walk was a way for them to think some more. More thought led to more thought till they all sat down and stopped their thoughts and said they would end it all right there in a family way.

Family shop in Maine in 2010

Our family shop on the coast of Maine is a place we stay and a play we like to eat and drink all Fall long since it is a cool place and one that we do not have to pay for since we own it. Then the thing we do is look for the real point of purchase displays that we can say our clan saw when they went in a shop on the coast where we live in the Fall. It is fun to see too.

Family game we play in 2010

Family fun can be had when you go to a game and see a man fight a man, and one man will win and one man will lose and the crowd will road when they see the match. The high school wrestling is a game that we can see and our clan can see it on TV or in a show where we go see it live too.

Childhood family 2010

I was kind of busy today for my daughter's requirements at school. I went shopping to get her school uniforms, shoes, socks, a backpack and more. Actually, we're not that ready because we just received the notice from the school the other day that she can start to go school this coming Monday. So, we are both thinking about others who are in a panic because the school uniforms are not available in the store anymore. In short, we ran out of it. I tried to look online but the size is limited.

Christmas Tree Shopping

Thanks for the guest post by Laura Mitchell
For my family, getting the Christmas tree is always a huge production. My husband and I will wake our two daughters up early the day after Thanksgiving. We'll all enjoy a large homemade breakfast in our pajamas, then we'll hurry and get dressed to start our adventure. After setting the home security alarm from http://www.SecurityChoice.com/, we load ourselves in the truck and head out to the Christmas Tree Farm. That really is the name of it! It's a farm on the outskirts of town that has different things for each holiday. For Christmas, they allow families to explore the acres of Christmas trees to find the perfect one. We always let the girls pick out the tree while we take pictures of the beautiful scenery. Once they locate it, the workers will cut it down for us and load it in our truck. While they are doing that, we spend a few hours in the many barns since the Christmas Tree Farm has so many activities for families. We can visit Santa's workshop, see where the reindeer live, and even take a sled ride through a mock Victorian town. Though there is a charge for the tree, the rest is offered free of charge. The owners have a large kettle where people can leave donations for charity, but it is not necessary. We always leave several twenty dollar bills, because we want our children to understand the true meaning of the season.

Schooling for child

Kate will start going to school next week. We are both excited for her. It's a big step for all of us. The only problem is she gets up late every day. So, this week I'm going to train her to get up early. Her school starts at 8:30 a.m. and goes to 2:30 p.m.. I know it's tough for her since she's not used to it. I'm just hoping that she will enjoy it, then everything will be easier for us.

Family trades

Family trades can be in a side show or they can be in a clan show but the trades should be in a show or the trades will not be good trades. We like the trades to be in a day or on a day when the sun is hot and the sky is blue. That is why we trade in the day and not in the night. We trade in the day and not the night since that is how we like to trade too.

Family car trip in 2010

Family car trips are fun when you can go to a place that you have not gone to in the past but when you have gone there in the past then it is like you are on the same trip and it is not as much fun. That is why Auto Insurance Select can help when you go a long way on a car trip. We like to go to a new place when we go on a clan trip and we like to stay in a place where we have not stayed in the past.

This is the way we like to plan our trips and we like to stay at the beach when we go or we like to stay at the shore and we like to read in the car and nap in the car and eat in the car too. That is a clan trip for us. We like trips like this. Then we go to the sea and we swim and we have fun in the sea and then we go to eat and then we go to the car or to the beach and take a nap in the sun. At times we stay out all night. Once we went to a place that we had not gone to in the past and we slept out all night and the moon light made us laugh and sing and feel good. That is how we like our clan trip to be and that is the best trip for us too.

Family game fun in 2010

Family trips to games can be fun for the boys and girls who go to see the plays and the games. That is why the ticketamerica.com can help to get to a place like, say, Yankee Stadium or even to Target Center or a place where kids can have fun.

The games we like are at a place called Palace Of Auburn Hills and a place they call FedEx Forum and a place they named American Airlines Arena -FL. We go and sit and eat dogs and see the sights and look and laugh all day. Then we go home and watch the game on TV and laugh some more since we were there in the first place and we saw the game live. That is one of the most fun things to do. That is why we go to the game with our clan and sit and watch the game live since we like to see it first and see it when it is live too.