Tag Archives: Christmas lights

How to Recycle After Christmas is Over

Many families enjoy decorating for Christmas. This includes both indoor and outdoor decorations. After Christmas, families begin storing their Christmas decorations. What can you do with items that cannot be re-used? It might be possible to recycle them! Real Christmas trees can be recycled. The first thing to do is call your local recycling center, or your local waste management authority. Ask if they will recycle Christmas trees before bringing your tree to the facility. Your local zoo may be collecting recycled Christmas trees to be used as treats for their animals. Before you go – be sure to remove … Continue reading →

Finding the Christmas Spirit

  Sitting on Santa’s lap is not the only way to get into the Christmas spirit.  There are dozens of affordable travel opportunities that will help you get into the holiday mood, including: Indiana:  Gather the kids and head to Santa Claus, Indiana.  The town celebrates Christmas all year long, but during the month of December things really hit a fever pitch.  In addition to snapping photos of your kids with St. Nick, your entire clan can tour a Santa Claus museum, shop at Santa’s Candy Castle or enroll in Santa Claus training workshops to learn the find art of … Continue reading →

Bright Lights, Empty Wallet

Have you seen the oh-so cute, fluffy-looking light-up pink Christmas flamingo that Target is selling in its seasonal section? You know; the one that all the kids are drooling over, including my 8-year-old. You know; the one that is not on sale. Yeah.  That one. What parent can rationalize paying nearly 50 bucks for a knee-high bird wearing a Santa hat?  Sure, he lights up, but so does the inflatable snowman at the Dollar Store… if I place a string of LEDs on him. Newsflash:  I did not win the Powerball jackpot. In other news:  My kid doesn’t care. She … Continue reading →

More Family-Friendly Christmas Displays

Who says you have to spend a ton of money or travel to the far ends of the planet to view fabulous holiday light shows? Christmas displays are a dime a dozen this time of year, and most don’t require draining your wallet to enjoy. Hundreds of communities from coast-to-coast erect awe-inspiring seasonal showcases to inspire Christmas goodness. The following festive displays are among the nation’s most popular: Atlanta: Macy’s Great Tree at Lenox Square Mall is a stunning piece of holiday craftsmanship. The towering tree is festooned with hundreds of lights and serves as the backdrop for many family … Continue reading →

Family-Friendly Christmas Displays

My neighbor’s 8-foot tall inflatable snowman didn’t survive last night’s blizzard. The nearly two feet of snow and 35 mph sustained winds that ripped through our rural Wisconsin neighborhood proved too much for Frosty to take. Such a shame. The snowman is just a small part of an elaborate Christmas display that our neighbor painstakingly erects each year. His holiday light show has all the pizzazz associated with professional displays put on by major cities, only on a slightly smaller scale. If you are looking to take in the sights and sounds of the season this month, consider visiting the … Continue reading →

Decorating for Christmas

Now I don’t know about you, but I’m appalled at some of the Christmas displays on homes. Where is a written that Christmas light displays or Christmas decorations have to be tacky? Am I the only person out there who doesn’t think that more is not always the best way to go? It often seems that when it comes to Christmas anything goes. There are Santas and elves, reindeer and snowmen and well you get the idea. Of source in a country like Australia where we have recently embarked in summer and where temperatures are hot, not cold, snowmen and … Continue reading →

When You Love Someone -Part 2

I’m back, continuing to tell you about our together day. While Mick and I were listening to the radio yesterday in the early evening, a caller rang in to pass on her Christmas message. She wanted to say Merry Christmas to her husband and said she ‘after 43 years married she loved him exactly as she did when she first met him.’ Later a man rang in. He’d been engaged 13 years. No, that’s not mistyped -13 years before he married his obviously patient woman. They’ve now been married 30 years. Then later a woman rang to say Merry Christmas … Continue reading →

Christmas Lights?

Last week at church the minister talked of why Christmas and Christmas lights always go together. I’d heard other reasons as to how they were connected but they often seemed rather tenuous. But I liked the way he linked them. It made the most sense to me. Right from the beginning Christmas has always been linked with light. He used as his reference the prophecy of Isaiah 60:1-3 and the light coming into the darkness. John 1:1-5 and John 1:9-18 also pick up on this theme, identifying Jesus as the fulfillment of that Isaiah prophecy and the light come into … Continue reading →

Marriage Christmas Traditions

Mick had his turn of looking after me, now it’s my turn to look after him. On Sunday night we went to carols at the beach. Despite the heat of the day and the fact it’s summer here in Australia, that evening turned quite cold and windy. Next thing, Mick’s come down with all the snuffles, aches and pains of flu symptoms. He’s an easy patient to look after though. He’s spent the last few days on medicine and sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. I wish I could sleep like that when I’m sick, but I never can. Thankfully I’m now armed … Continue reading →

More Ideas for Holiday Family Fun—Christmas Light Displays

My preschooler squealed with delight as we drove through our city’s downtown area yesterday. Crews were busy stringing lights, trimming trees and hoisting the gigantic Christmas angel above Main Street. The countdown to Christmas is on and my daughter couldn’t be happier. While most of us are still eating Halloween candy, there are some communities that are moving full steam ahead with their holiday light displays. While the vast majority of Christmas displays don’t start until December, there are a few places where you can take in the festive sights right now. The Oglebay Resort and Conference Center in Wheeling, … Continue reading →