Christmas Countdown

We did it! Time to look ahead to holidays' end.

Today, we hang a wreath on the door to open the season. At month's end, a post-holiday debriefing will set the stage for an organized Christmas in 2010!

today's message ...

For the past six weeks, we've been preparing for Christmas together. We've assembled a Christmas holiday planner, corralled gifts and giving, and caught up in the kitchen. Each day, we've pondered new innovations and old traditions, moving ever closer to our goal: a serene, joyous holiday season.

This is not to say that we're all ready! I'd venture that 98% of us still have more to do. Not only is this no surprise, but it's normal. That's why the Countdown ends where it does. There's still time to complete holiday preparation, and nearly all of us will need it.

At the same time, look how far we've come! If you've been trying, you should be well ahead of the Christmas game. Better, the notes, forms and records you've assembled will be next year's road map to an even easier season.

By the season's end, we'll be ready to tackle new challenges at home. But first, the Christmas Countdown includes a special Holiday Debriefing, to allow you to record the season's high points, stresses and memories. To be completed after the holidays, debriefing this year's holiday will help point you toward an even better 2010.

So open the door! Even if only metaphorically speaking, hang a wreath on the front door and welcome the holiday season. You've earned it!

Will your family celebrate the new year with a party?

It's an occasion that can fluster the most experienced hostess--and if you're new to the art form, you can experience a royal case of the jitters. We've got some printable forms that will get you started, but throwing a party is a learning experience.

That's why I want to tell you about my birthday party a couple of years ago. It was a surprise, cooked up by my sweet but not domestic husband.

A few days before, we'd been talking, idly, about birthdays. I realized aloud that I'd not had a birthday party since I was 15, not to mention a birthday cake. Over the years, I'd become the party giver, not the guest of honor.

Doctor Steve decided to fix things. First, he did something smart: he went to see Joyce, our area's premier party diva. She advised him to have a little dessert party. A cake, some cheese, keep it simple, she said.

I'm not sure she realized how literally he would take her words.

Today's guest editor, Cub Reporter Perry Bear, takes on a ticklish parenting dilemma. How do you teach children to give during a holiday focused on receiving?

today's message ...

Dear Countdown friends:

It's me, Perry Bear Ewer. I'm Miss Cynthia's teddy bear; you may also know me from my Web site for kids, Perry Bear's Fun Page

It can be very hard for children to think about others during the holiday season. Everywhere they go, people ask, "And what do you want for Christmas?"

We have to help children learn to give, not just receive. Miss Cynthia has some ideas in the essay below.

I have an idea, too. Unless you're Santa Claus, just change the holiday question! Not, "What do you want for Christmas?", but "What are you giving this year for Christmas?"

The answers will surprise you!

Your bear friend,
Perry Bear Ewer

We're in the home stretch! It's Celebrate! Week at the Christmas Countdown, a time to tidy up our preparations and shift gears into full holiday mode.

Take stock today! Find and tie up those loose ends. This week, we'll complete and mail Christmas cards, finalize gift-buying and gift-making, and plan any holiday parties. We'll finish holiday decorating, inside and out. We'll focus on family, bringing all family members into the holiday preparations. We'll consider the children, and find ways to teach about giving, not just about getting.

Most of all, we'll rejoice. While the holiday season means many things to many families, for all, it's a season of joy and celebration.

You're ready ... for Celebrate! Week. Merry Christmas!

Who says holiday traditions have to be "sweet"? Thinking about Christmas trees, I can't help but laugh at my childhood memories.

An Episcopalian home, our family kept a good Advent. While we observed special Advent customs and decorations, no Christmas tree entered our home until December 24, the first day of the liturgical Christmas season. The tree then stayed up until Twelfth Night, and we'd make a little family party as we took it down on January 5th.

"Awwww!", I hear you say. Well, there was just one tiny little problem: our family lived in hot, dry Las Vegas, Nevada. Buying a once-fresh tree on December 24 was an ever-changing adventure!