Tuesday, December 25, 2012
There's not much better than a child's face when they run to the tree in the morning and start ripping into all the gifts Santa brought them. Share your moments of joy!
"Opening presents is like playing air hockey with God," is what Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal once wrote in trying to capture the joy of children opening gifts on Christmas morning. There's not much better than a child's face when they run to the tree in the morning and start ripping into all the gifts Santa brought them. Let's share those moments here and put a smile on everyone's face with a gallery of Beacon Hill children of all ages opening their gifts on Christmas morning. Click the "Upload Photos and Videos" button to add your photo or video to our gallery. Who knows, your kid might go viral like the Nintendo 64 kid (see attached video).
How much will we spend this year? And what's the best-selling Christmas song of all time? Find the answers below.
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Tuesday, December 25, 2012
We know that there were three Wise Men, 12 days of Christmas and that Santa delivers all his presents around the world in one night. But did you know... $23,439.38 How much it would cost to buy your "true love" all the gifts in the 12 Day of Christmas . 12.9 billion hours, $447 billion How many hours Americans were expected to spend shopping, wrapping and returning gifts last year. That was about 42 hours and $688.87 per person. Get your postman or postwoman a gift According to Hallmark, Christmas is the largest card-sending occasion . Nearly 1.5 billion cards are sent to friends and family every Christmas Season. (That's actually down 400 million cards since 2004.) $983 million The value of U.S. imports of Christmas tree ornaments …
Need a quick holiday cookie recipe? Make one of these for your parties this season.
One of the most important holiday questions to ask yourself is: What kind of cookies will you be baking for your get-togethers this season? From sweet to savory, holiday cookies come in all shapes and sizes. And what’s better than to top off a tray of cookies than a glass of homemade eggnog? You can also check out myrecipes.com to learn how to host a successful cookie swap and view more holiday cookie recipes. Eggnog In a saucepan over low heat combine milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cinnamon stick and clove. Bring to a slow boil (this will take between 5-7 mins). Once the milk mixture starts to boil remove from heat and leave cinnamon stick in for a couple of minutes, then remove. Put egg yolks and sugar into a bowl. Using a hand held …
Monday, December 24, 2012
The bell ringers will lead holiday caroling from 8 to 9 p.m.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command has a website that now offers a Santa tracker mobile app to follow the jolly man's magical flight.
They sent him their wish lists, sat on his lap, and left cookies and milk for his arrival. Now the only thing left for children to do is track Santa's progress as he delivers gifts around the world on Christmas Eve. Thanks to the folks behind the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) website, families worldwide can now follow Santa's Christmas journey in real time. The tradition started in 1955 after an advertisement for Sears Roebuck & Co. misprinted a telephone number for a special "Santa hotline." Instead of reaching Kris Kringle, the number put kids through to the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Commander-in-Chief’s operations, according to a description on the NORAD Tracks Santa Facebook page, which has more than …
Libraries, retail stores and most post offices are open for business Dec. 24.
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Monday, December 24, 2012
Here's a handy list of what's open (and closed) this weekend: Monday, Dec. 24: Tuesday, Dec. 25:
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Consumerism surrounds the holiday season: is greed inevitable, and how do you avoid it?
For those children who celebrate, Christmas' biggest connotation can be a pile of gifts under the tree. With this in mind, a panel of staff contributors at The Chicago Tribune tackled the question of whether it's inevitable to see greed in their kids around Christmastime. The parents weighed in on suggestions to remind kids of Christmas spirit. Among their suggestions? Help your kids round up some old toys to donate to charity before giving them new toys. Sign them up to participate in a community service project. The Tribune's advice got us thinking at Patch about how we were taught or are teaching our kids to be less greedy around the holidays. Some of our suggestions? Find a giving tree and let your child pick a name or two off of it, …
Friday, December 21, 2012
If the holidays leave you with little time to shop for gifts, try these stores on Beacon Hill for great last-minute gift ideas.
With all of the tree trimming, cookie baking and partygoing, there is so much to do during the holidays that it's easy to leave shopping for Christmas presents until the last minute. But by then, the malls and chain stores are usually chaotic and the mere thought of battling crowds is exhausting. Here are some ideas for easy gifts that can be bought locally and require little stress: Tell us: What are some of your own last-minute gift ideas? Share in the comments below.
Upload your photo here to share your cute getups with your Beacon Hill and Back Bay neighbors.
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Friday, December 21, 2012
Sure, Halloween offers a limitless variety of costume ideas for your dog or cat (or teacup pig?), but nothing that offers the cuteness of a Christmas tree, a Santa hat and a string of multi-colored lights. Did you make your pet sit, uncomfortable and annoyed for a few minutes while you took photos for a greeting card or just for fun? Share your photos here with the rest of Beacon Hill and Back Bay and comment below on your favorites.
ReadKiddoRead asked authors, athletes and celebrities to share their favorite books.
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Friday, December 21, 2012
Courtesy of the ReadKiddoRead Foundation Are you giving books to your kids as gifts? Which ones are you picking out for friends and family? ReadKiddoRead asked authors, athletes and celebrities to finish this sentence: The Best Gift I Ever Got Was a Book, and That Book Was _____. Pick up some of these favorites for the kids in your life, or browse through ReadKiddoRead.com for books that are sure to please any young person this holiday season. Mark Teixeira The best gift I ever got was a book; it was The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris. The book is The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, given to me by my friend and high school principal, Barry Fitzpatrick. While I can't single out any book as my favorite, this book stands out because …
