If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!Love Is the Meaning of Christmas. The Littlest Angel. The inscription inside the book reads: “To Bobbie and Carol, from Ken and Jeanne.” The book, “The Littlest Angel,” was copyrighted in 1946. I was born in 1947. Ken was my Dad’s college roommate and lifelong best friend. Since the book’s inscription did not include my younger brother, born just 13 months after me, I must have received it my first Christmas. It is now worn from many readings, many years, and many moves. What Was The Littlest... (Read More ...)

Georgia. Massachusetts. Thanksgiving. Who Wrote Jingle Bells? Jingle Bells Composed in Medford, Massachusetts Sources agree that James Lord Pierpont wrote Jingle Bells, one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. It was the first song sung in outer space, by astronauts Wally Shirra and Tom Stafford, on December 16, 1965. It is often the first Christmas song children learn. Where Was It Written? What is not agreed on is where Pierpont was when he wrote it, and why. Among his many business endeavors, he became the music director and organist in 1853 for the Unitarian Church in Savannah,... (Read More ...)

Coins. Oranges. Nuts. What Will Be in the Toe of Your Stocking? We didn’t have stockings at Christmas when I was growing up. I don’t know why we didn’t feel deprived.  I don’t remember what other families did, but I had the impression that some families did have stockings and some didn’t. For that matter, we never had a fireplace, either. By the time we got a woodstove, it was one of those contemporary 1950s-style, round woodstoves that, of course, had no mantle. But, my husband’s family was big into stockings. And, there were all sorts of traditions about what went into the stockings. A... (Read More ...)

Cookies. Family Tree. Holiday Letters. Homemade Gifts for Grandma. Cocoa Powder Here are six easy-to-make homemade gifts for Grandma. No-bake Cookies Children can easily make cookies for Grandma, even if they’re not old enough to cook. This is also a good project for older brothers and sisters to help the younger ones make a homemade gift for Grandma. Ingredients: 1 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy) 1 cup dry milk powder ½ cup honey Directions: Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Mix together well. Spoon out a teaspoon of mixture and roll into a ball. Put balls on cookie sheet. Put... (Read More ...)

Things for Kids to Make for Their Grandparents for Christmas.  Child Pushing Grandmother on Plastic Tricycle Do you remember making things for your parents at school? At Brownies or Girl Scouts? At church? Are you looking for unusual gifts your children could make for their grandparents this year? Here are some suggestions: Things for Kids to Make for Their Grandparents for Christmas   1. Photo puzzle. Mount a picture of the grandchildren with their grandparents, or doing something they love, or of the whole family by gluing it to a piece of construction paper or poster board. Cut it into puzzle... (Read More ...)