Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Grandpa plans to leave the room when kids ask if Santa is real
I hope to survive another Christmas without being confronted with questions about the existence of Santa Claus. With nine grandchildren, I have lived in mortal fear that one of them would ask with wide-eyed innocence, "Grandpop, my friend told me there is no Santa Claus; is that true?” The simple way around this is to vehemently deny the friend’s hard-hearted revelation, but I have made a promise: Never lie to my grandchildren. "You’re not really lying,” says my wife, Marie, but I disagree. "But it’s a lie for a good cause,” she counters. Teaching a course in Communication Ethics, I am constantly prodding my students to think about lying as a form of unethical behavior. We have frequently discussed whether the so-called "little white lies…
Monday, December 24, 2012
With Aerospace Defense Command's help, you can track St. Nick's flight
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, December 24, 2012
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is charged with keeping the United States and Canada safe from dangers originating in the sky or space. Tonight, however, the Colorado-based government agency adds one more important task to its daily list of duties. The agency will again provide its Official Santa Tracker (http://www.noradsanta.org/) that marks The Big Man's every move as he makes his way throughout both hemispheres. Included on the site is a countdown and activity page (http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html) and a flight tracking system (http://www.noradsanta.org/en/track3d.html) Kids and adults can enjoy this very entertaining site that will have sugar plums dancing through everyone's head before retiring.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
It's hard not to get caught up in the spirit of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and Day.
We used to watch for him. As children, we'd look out our windows up into the northern sky on Christmas Eve and seek out Santa Claus and his sleigh. Back in those days, the 1970s, there were no Santa trackers on the Internet. (There was also no Internet and smart phones or much technology.) We did things the old-fashioned way back then, putting out a plate of cookies and milk for Saint Nick, listening to old records as Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis and the Carpenters filled our hearts and minds with holiday cheer. Hopefully, by that point of the season, we may have already sat on Santa's lap and offered our wish list or received a letter from him from the North Pole. Going to parties on Christmas Eve held by family and friends was…
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The NORAD Santa Tracker website is counting down the seconds to Santa Claus's impending arrival.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
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Thursday, December 20, 2012
It's almost Santa time. It's getting colder and that means more time indoors for kids, which means some parents could probably use help keeping the little ones under control--especially when they start to ask, "When's Santa coming?" Well, here's a link to a website that could help keep them occupied in the weeks to come. The NORAD Santa Tracker isn't monitoring Kris Kringle's every move just yet, but it does feature a countdown clock that keeps track of the seconds until his departure. So here's the countdown to Christmas clock to share with everyone in your household who still believes. Happy counting down!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Send a loved one - child or adult - a free personalized video from Santa via www.portablenorthpole.com
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Santa is keeping up with the times and technology - and he's even offering free personalized video messages for kids and adults from a website called www.portablenorthpole.com (PNP). A basic message is free and includes the recipient's name and some of his or her characteristics. There's an option for placing photos of the recipient in Santa's book, which shows events from the past year and determines if someone has been nice or naughty. You can pay a fee for a more elaborate package. The video will be e-mailed to the recipient. Since its launch in 2008, PNP has generated more than 60 million videos viewed worldwide by children and young-at-heart adults. The PNP also features an e-store stocked with unique personalized products from Santa…
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
People of many different faiths and even people of no religion celebrate Christmas. Tell us why you do.
In my opinion, the Christmas season is a beautiful time of year. I grew up in a strong Christian home where, when asked, we knew that Christmas was about Jesus’ birth. Whether or not it was exactly on Dec. 25 is debatable, but this is the day on which we celebrate. Yes, Santa made his appearance, and it was always terrific to get those fun toys and candy canes. But ultimately, it’s a religious holiday that holds strong meaning for many who share the Christian faith. It's a time of hope. But as I’ve broadened my relationships with people of different religious upbringings, and some with no belief in a “god,” I’ve become more aware of something. There are many non-Christians who also celebrate Christmas. They look forward to the holiday …
Monday, December 17, 2012
Send a loved one - child or adult - a free personalized video from Santa via www.portablenorthpole.com
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
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Monday, December 17, 2012
Santa is keeping up with the times and technology - and he's even offering free personalized video messages for kids and adults from a website called www.portablenorthpole.com (PNP). A basic message is free and includes the recipient's name and some of his or her characteristics. There's an option for placing photos of the recipient in Santa's book, which shows events from the past year and determines if someone has been nice or naughty. You can pay a fee for a more elaborate package. The video will be e-mailed to the recipient. Since its launch in 2008, PNP has generated more than 60 million videos viewed worldwide by children and young-at-heart adults. The PNP also features an e-store stocked with unique personalized products from Santa…
Sunday, December 16, 2012
A Patch blogger asks Santa for something very special to help ease the painful grieving in Newtown, Connecticut.
- OPINION
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Sunday, December 16, 2012
This letter to Santa is unusual. A Patch blogger asks that, this year, his presents be turned into hugs and sent to the people of Newtown, Conn. You can read the entire leter here and then share your comments below.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Here's some advice for getting your pet's photo taken with Santa Claus
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- On Patch
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Saturday, December 15, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Thanks to a very special U.S. Postal Service program, "Santa" will reply to children who mail him their Christmas wish lists this holiday season.
- HOLIDAY GUIDE
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Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Every year, millions of children sit down to make a wish list for Santa, hoping he will make all of their Christmas dreams come true. But what if Santa actually wrote back? The United States Postal Service is now accepting "Letters From Santa," a program that allows any person to play Santa by sending a letter signed by Saint Nick to any child. According to a postal service news release, "The 'Letters From Santa' program helps parents fulfill the dreams of their own children." Instructions to send a letter from Santa: LOCALIZE: In Forks Township, letters to Santa can be dropped off at the post office location in the Ace Hardware Store on Sullivan Trail. TELL US: Do your children or children in your family plan on writing a letter to Santa …
Anonymous Poster
10:48 pm on Monday, March 18, 2013
I've never been able to justify, in my mind, the act of keeping up a myth of a character that was invented to sell gifts. Of course, I know that Kris Kringle was around before the widespread commercialization of Christmas, but unfortunately, that is what he has come to represent. No matter what, honesty is the best policy. And with the exception of extreme circumstances, parents should be honest … more ›