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Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’

America has always been the place of dreams, and when you look at what the country has to offer to us as tourists you can’t really “nay say” it. You can’t go far wrong with starting a holiday discussion on the state of Florida. Florida is the place for families, well actually it is for everyone, anything for everyone ranging from Theme Parks right the way to crazy themed night clubs.

There is so much for us to indulge in, when we take a trip to America, Florida may give us the Theme Parks, and many of them it does have, but what is there for the adult community, that don’t like fast or scary rides. Next up for you adults, is well, in the West Coast, and your off to Nevada. This is probably the only state that can be mentioned, when you know for 100% what is going to be mentioned next, of course its Las Vegas. Vegas is where adults are in their prime, the ability to almost everything and anything you want in what a lot of people refer to as Sin City. This is the Casino industry, the most powerful part of Vegas is gambling, and it is the main reason why many of us flood here in our millions.

How about the good old Fly Drive holidays, renting a car once you land in the West or East Coast of America and drive right the way through route 66. Route 66 may be known as the greatest driving holiday in the world but there are other routes that you can take on your travels through America. What about the good old wine country in California, with some great locations to visit as well, including San Fransisco, for some truly amazing theatre shows as well.

Las Vegas holidays are a fun time for all, although not recommended for the younger of people (under 21), but Christmas holidays are upon us, have you decided what your going to do?

Approximatley 1,000 luminaries illuminate your path throughout Historic Augusta, MO the first two Friday nights of December from 5 to 10 PM.  The winter attraction has more than a 25 year heritage and has become a tradition for the Augusta community to sponsor.  A complimentary Trolley Shuttle will carry you across town to tour the many shopkeepers and vintage stores, wine producers and brewery, diners and food stands, discover unusual art including hand-blown glass, crafts, and jewelry, just a few of northeast Missouri tourism attractions.

The local churches can help move you into the holiday cheer with Christmas caroling and encourage you to sing along or simply listen in their church sanctuary with a large Christmas tree.  The town square Will boost your holiday cheer with a horse drawn sleigh ride around the heart of town, a warm bon fire with Chestnuts roasting and marshmallows toasting, and St. Nick waiting to hear you Christmas wish-list.

The season enthusiast will appreciate the challenge of our Holiday Scavenger Hunt with a Christmas challenge and an night awash with gathering items from all the shopkeepers.  You can turn your answers at our History Museum and enter for prizes from our area merchants.

Everyone can simply relax by appreciating our band at Mount Pleasant Winery sipping a glass of wine; enjoy the night at dinner accompanying friends at Café Bella, Augusta Brewing Company, Ashley’s Rose or Balducci’s; receive a therapeutic massage at Halcyon or they can shop till you drop at a number of specialty shops and antique stores.

Experience the holiday season in Augusta, Missouri on one of the first two Fridays of December with our annual Candlelight Christmas Walk.  The Greater Augusta Chamber of Commerce hosts this event annually and visitors will discover the Christmas spirit throughout the town.  We suggest you make your Bed & Breakfast reservations early, before all the rooms are taken. The festivities starts at 5 PM and continue until 10 PM with over one thousand luminaries illuminating your way through the village. 

A free Trolley shuttle is available to help you tour of all the wineries, brewery, and restaurants.  You will discover original artwork with paintings at Augusta Wood, unusual jewelry at Wine Road boutiques and hand-crafted glass by area craftsman Sam Stang at a studio in town.  Stoneledge antiques and the Augusta Emporium will take you back to yester years with their collection of antiquities and exciting items from the past.  Purely Provence sells home embellishments and holiday décor, while Good Life Goods has gift baskets inspired by faith, hope and love.  These are a few of the Missouri travel guide attractions you will discover

Mount Pleasant winery has a free concert and don’t miss the warm mulled-spiced vintage at Augusta Winery.  Our brewery includes a fantastic selection of micro-brews and dinner.  Halcyon spa provides free chair massage to relax you during the hustle and bustle of the season.  The restaurants and food stands will curb your hunger with specials and homemade delights.  Attactions include St. Nick, horse drawn sleigh rides, kids activites at the library, Christmas caroling with the Ebenezer United Church of Christ, the Town Historian, the History Museum, a Scavenger Hunt and many new businesses.

Family reunions only take place on special occasions, in my family at least. Usually on Christmas day, the entire family will get together at my grandparents house to open presents, play games, eat lots of food, and celebrate it together. This might sound like fun, for most of you, but if you knew my family, you’d hate it as much as I do. Christmas is really no time to celebrate, for me.

The political careers of nearly all my male family members don’t interest me at all, but this is all they ever talk about. I understand it’s their job, but at least on Christmas, they could talk about something else. There are my cousins around, with who I can talk, and even though I don’t have a lot of things in common with them, and they’re younger than me, it does mean I don’t have to listen to my relatives’ conversations, so it’s great.

After a couple of days, however, I ran out of things to talk to them about, and I started looking for something else to keep me occupied, while Christmas days slowly passed. Only Christmas shows and movies were on TV, and I had enough of them. Fortunately, I remembered a Christmas present I’d received several years ago and I hadn’t really used.

My iriver h10 20gb  really helped make time pass much quicker. I was finally free of having to listen to their boring conversations, and even though my parents were quite mad, because they said what I was doing was rude, I didn’t care. I was finally enjoying Christmas, thanks to my player.

When the time cam to move out of my parents house, I did, but my little player moved with me, and whenever our big family reunion is coming up, I start loading it with music, in preparation.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas - Story Video

As soon as Oprah claims a new favorite book, people hurry to the bookstore.  Many experts really try to get their ideas down in writing to share them with the rest of the world.  It is obvious that the written word holds great power for people, but we rarely use it to its full potential.  Reading short Christmas stories and books can be an important part of your own individual journey.

Many people will go purchase a book written by a well known author or that has gotten critical acclaim to find ways to improve themselves.  What works about reading these books is not that it made the best-seller list or that it was written by a celebrity.  What works is that the text offers insights you did not already have or it re-emphasizes those you did.  The wonderful thing about realizing this is that you don’t have to wait for the next fad book or hot author to reap benefits from reading Christmas stories.Individual accounts from the guy next door can be just as valuable!

As often as possible, remember to read through a collection of Christmas parables.  Each story will mean different things to different people at different times.  You may even re-read a story at a different point in your life and receive a completely different lesson or revelation.  Christmas writings also remind us how unified we all actually are as humans regardless of physical location, economic status, or even time we lived.  The ultimate universal truths are timeless, so you may find just as much worth in a story written by a no name author from 100 years ago as you will from one written by a peer recently.

The most profound wisdoms of the universe are not bound by time nor place.Allow yourself to stay open to the wisdom within Christmas stories as you read them.  Just because the author does not share your personal religious belief, or lack thereof, does not mean that they have not found an idea that is meaningful in your life.

There are a lot of wonderful benefits for people when they read a Christmas story to children and discuss the meanings of these Christmas stories with them. Both the one who reads and the one who is listening will gain in many ways from the shared experience. The children benefit from the lessons that they hear, and they also have the opportunity to ask questions and get feedback and insight from their elders. This guidance will enable them to discover their own inner truths, and also guide them towards a deeper understanding of their own abilities and personal worth.

When adults and teens share short Christmas stories with younger children by reading to them, they are bridging any kind of generational barrier and they are opening the eyes and minds of youngsters. Children are eager to learn, and invaluable lessons about humanity are a great way of sharing established ideas. Kids will also discover their own meanings within the Christmas stories. This type of relating also helps foster a deeper understanding between children and the people reading to them.

Anyone who is reading short Christmas stories to smaller children will have an impact on the lives of these younger ones. Ideally, this will affect them profoundly for their entire lives. One of the benefits that does not get credit many times is the fact that you are helping the children expand their minds and you are helping to introduce them to concepts that will serve them well in discovering who they are.

By taking the time to share and explore the wisdom contained within Christmas stories  with younger people, you are opening their eyes to all sorts of ideas and understanding and you will have the chance to answer many of their questions yourself. This will help you also discover and deepen your own understanding.

Christmas tree

It is true that Christmas Day receives the greatest amount of focus, especially by those who capitalize on the commerce of Christmas. On the other hand, for a great number of people from various cultures, Christmas Eve is the time that is considered to be the most treasured and special to them.

Of course, Christmas Eve is December 24th, the day before Santa’s Day. In other words, it is the eve of the birth of Jesus Christ. Many families have distinct and significant traditions that help them make it unique to their family.

For some families, there is no better time to set up and adorn the Christmas tree than on its Eve. Many families make this activity a grand event with invited guests and music and special treats. For other families, it is a more quiet and personal time.

But there are many others who like to enjoy their Christmas tree throughout the season and for them, waiting until Christmas Eve to put it up would be almost like torture. The fact is, in the United States most people start their Christmas decorating around the beginning of December.

Nowadays, nearly all of the Christian countries have shortened business hours on Christmas Eve to give their employees the time to prepare for this special Day. They may take this time to participate in special family or church observances or to take care of their very last minute shopping.

In the western world, most of the Christian churches have some type of service for the day on the eve of the birth of Jesus Christ. The faithful gather to focus their thoughts on the advent of the birth of Jesus Christ and to set the spiritual tone for their celebrations.

Christmas caroling is another tradition for families and church congregations that is often enjoyed on its Eve, to spread good wishes and cheer to friends and neighbors. Often, the carolers will make special efforts to share their music and song with people in retirement centers and nursing homes, brightening their holidays considerably.

Not all of the Eve traditions or celebrations are of a spiritual nature and Santa Claus is a fun, cultural tradition for most families, especially for those with young children.

Christmas Eve is the time when young children have trouble getting to sleep as they anticipate the arrival of Santa with his bagful of gifts. Before bedtime, eager children carefully hang their stockings with care and leave treats of cookies and milk for Santa, as well as a few carrots for his magical reindeer.

In some countries, such as Germany and the Scandinavian lands, it is the traditional time to open the presents on the Eve. But in the United States and Canada, most families wait until the special day. With the sun barely over the horizon, children enthusiastically pull their parents from their beds to start the unwrapping. In most of Latin America, people stay awake with fireworks and celebrations until midnight and then they gather to open their gifts.

No matter what the favored Christmas Eve traditions are in your family, either during the day or evening, taking the time to savor the experiences that you share with your loved ones nearby, is what makes this day so special. The time and the activities you enjoy on this day will often become those treasured memories you will talk about for years to come.

They say that everyone has to experience the Christmas blues at least once in their lifetime.I always thought that it was impossible.Christmas is my favorite. Every year I look forward to Christmas more than any other holiday. But they’re right. I’ve got the Christmas blues. I am officially experiencing Christmas stress. I can’t even bring myself to hang the holiday garland.

I cant think of what has gotten into me. I am wiped out recently. I was planning on getting presents for all my list this week, but if I’m not in the right mood I just can’t go shopping.  It’s my personal Christmas shopping principle to have “the right kind of cheer” whenever you shop because it will reflect a great deal with the gifts you choose. To make matters worse, Jim just told me that their boss liked the dinner party we gave a few months ago so much that they “sort of” invited themselves again tonight.It must have slipped my husbands mind to tell me again yesterday. 

So aside from the gifts I still have to buy and the Christmas stress I have to get out of, I have to prepare a dinner party that will top the one I gave before. I’d like to switch the toggle to turn myself into Superwoman. There’s nothing going on. I’m just too tired. With my luck I’m going to come down with a cold.  It’ll be a blow for the kids. People have come to expect the happy cheerful me at Christmas time. I don’t want to bring down the party.

Ugh. I really, really don’t feel so good.  Excuse me…. WHAT!? My Christmas stress is officially over. 

I just found out that Jim and I are having a baby! Bring on the festivities! I guess the christmas garland might get hung this year.

Lots of people think that the stress of the Holidays comes from the Christmas rush, or that people stress out from the pressure of the season, like decoration, the Christmas turkey or ham, or picking out the perfect present to make family members happy. For some of us we aren’t so lucky as for our main source of stress to be what goes under the pre lit christmas tree, but a lot of other considerations. But for us doctors, Christmas stress never ends when the clock strikes twelve, and the 26th of December was marked on the calendar. Physicians are subject to Christmas like stress all year long, be it a holiday or not.

The holidays are about hope and giving life. Doctors like me are changing lives everyday, when we deal with our patients. We make them happy, especially if we can detect hope for their illness. We also make them happy, even if treatment for their diseases is impossible, as long as they know we are doing our best in helping them adjust to their illness situation, and eventually help them accept death.

That is what makes everyday of our life a Christmas celebration, and it is stressful enough in our part, especially is we will be witnessing the last breath of our clients. It gets really hard some times to be tough in front of someone who is dying, and all that you can really do is be sympathetic, or most of the time just letting them be with family is best. This is the reason why being a doctor can overload one with stress. Indeed, Christmas stress is different when you are in a medical profession, because you cannot get away from it, instead you need to learn to accept it as a normal part of your life. So this year when you’re sitting around the lighted christmas wreath just relax and think it could be worse.

I’ve never been one to ask for a normal gift under my LED christmas treeEvery year around Christmas time I start wishing for something special that no one else has. {Believe it or not|You may not think what I say is true}, every year Santa comes to my house and gives me exactly what I want, whom until now I believe exists.

As an example, there was a time that I wished for two gentlemen to court me on Valentine’s Day, and it happened. The smirk was beautifully carved on my face, because I was thinking Santa made it happened. I thought I would try my luck again the next year, I again wished for something extraordinary, which is I would meet a man on a train when I go to Berlin. During my trip, only two days before Christmas day, when I was traveling by train going to Berlin, I was sitting beside a man who I talked to for the entire ride. Six months later I married that man and he is now my Husband of many years. Now that is a great gift no one gets under their LED xmas tree.

This year, I am already through of wishing something for my self. this year I’d like to use my Christmas wish for one of my patients who has a bad case of diabetes. She is scheduled to have an amputation on the 28th of December, after she acquired a diabetic foot . She is the mother of three children and a Russian immigrant; her youngest daughter is only three and her oldest in nine. Her husband died of myocardial infarction two years ago. I can’t imagine how life will be for her family, since I don’t even know how she will make money if she can’t continue to work at the grocery store if she ha no foot.

If I can decide what I really wanted this Christmas season, it would be that I will be able to perform the operation very well, and I can give the best advice to her family so that other complications of diabetes will be prevented. A less realistic wish is that people in powerful positions like government would care more about disadvantaged groups.

I recently started asking myself a few questions when I found I no longer enjoyed my job. Why do I work, and more importantly why do I work a job that I don’t like? It’s just not worth it to pursue a cearrer you don’t enjoy, and I think I need a new path. That just leads to more questions like what job would I like.

My primary question to myself was why I even work at all. People work hard all year long looking forward to when they can wake up to the sound of their cheerful children shaking presents under the {christmas wreath}. I know that’s what keeps me going. The business world is not a gentle nice place, nor is it fun, and when I start to think of it as a means to a bi-weekly check then I come to the conclusion that it just isn’t worthwhile.

Second, I figured I should think of stuff I do enjoy doing. Running is fun. I don’t think being a runner is exactly bread into me at 5 foot 7 inches. Starting at my age also doesn’t seem like a great idea. Then I thought that I like coaching my son’s football team. Maybe I could be a teacher. That actually would be a good job apart from the drawback of going back to school.

No I guess when I really think about it I’m stuck in my job for a few more years. Retirement is close enough that I really guess I can cope. My jobs not that bad anyway. It’s working my way up the corporate ladder that bothers me. There, that’s my solution! I’ll just stop working so hard. I’ll no longer take my cell home during my off hours, or update spreadsheets in front of the TV. My boss can’t can me. Even if he did my severance package would take me well into retirement.
Now I can just sit back and slack, hang a decorated christmas wreath with the kids, and make some real memories. Well there that alone gives me a year to look forward to. A merry Christmas, and a new years resolution to do less work. That’s one I may actually keep.