Elk County Forum

Thought I would start this thread for Christmas odds and ends... Feel free to add anything you want as long as it is about Christmas.  ;D

Great video. Did you put it on facebook? if not would you. My friends there would enjoy it very much
HO HO HO HO

Great video  I put it on facebook

They were on PBS tonight. They've got another great song - a funny take on the 12 days of Christmas.

That was very cute.

This show is watched by my family every single Christmas day.. Haven't missed it for I don't know how many years..and we all laugh like its the first time we have seen it..  LOL

A Different Christmas Poem

My Christmas gift to you. This is a wonderful story. I was afraid if I put it in the religious section that some would not read it. Merry Christmas to all of you from me. God bless!

THE STORY OF RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER

I had never heard the story of where Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer came from.  Hard to believe the gesture Montgomery Wards made!
The story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Did you know the origin of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?  I had never heard this story.  Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!!

A guy named Bob May, depressed and brokenhearted, stared out his drafty apartment window into the chilling December night.  His 4-year-old daughter, Barbara, sat on his lap quietly sobbing.  Bobs wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer.  Little Barbara couldn't understand why her mommy could never come home.  Barbara looked up into her dads eyes and asked, "Why isn't Mommy just like everybody else's Mommy?" Bob's jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears.  Her question brought waves of grief, but also of anger.  It had been the story of Bob's life.  Life always had to be different for Bob.
Being small when he was a kid, Bob was often bullied by other boys.  He was too little at the time to compete in sports.  He was often called names he'd rather not remember.

From childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit in.  Bob did complete college, married his loving wife and was grateful to get his job as a copywriter at Montgomery Ward during the Great Depression.  Then he was blessed with his little girl.

But it was all short-lived.  Evelyn's bout with cancer stripped them of all their savings and now Bob and his daughter were forced to live in a two-room apartment in the Chicago slums.  Evelyn died just days before Christmas in 1938.  Bob struggled to give hope to his child, for whom he couldn't even afford to buy a Christmas gift.  But if he couldn't buy a gift, he was determined a make one - a storybook!

Bob had created an animal character in his own mind and told the animal's story to little Barbara to give her comfort and hope.  Again and again Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling.  Who was the character?  What was the story all about?  The story Bob May created was his own autobiography in fable form.  The character he created was a misfit outcast like he was.  The name of the character?  A little reindeer named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose.

Bob finished the book just in time to give it to his little girl on Christmas Day.  But the story doesn't end there.  The general manager of Montgomery Ward caught wind of the little storybook and offered Bob May a nominal fee to purchase the rights to print the book.  Wards went on to print Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and distribute it to children visiting Santa Claus in their stores.  By 1946 Wards had printed and distributed more than six million copies of Rudolph.  That same year, a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Wards to print an updated version of the book.  In an unprecedented gesture of kindness, the CEO of Wards returned all rights back to Bob May.  The book became a best seller.  Many toy and marketing deals followed and Bob May, now remarried with a growing family, became wealthy from the story he created to comfort his grieving daughter.

But the story doesn't end there either.  Bob's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to Rudolph.  Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore , it was recorded by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry.

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of "White Christmas." The gift of love that Bob May created for his daughter so long ago kept on returning to bless him again and again.  And Bob May learned the lesson, just like his dear friend Rudolph, that being different isn't so bad.  In fact, being different can be a blessing!

:angel:

Thanks for posting this.  I can still hear GEne Autrey sing that in my head.  I would have been 5 when that song came out.

7 Years Old..

        One particular Christmas season a long time ago, Santa was getting ready for his annual trip, but there were problems everywhere. Four of his elves got sick, and the trainee elves did not produce the toys as fast as the regular ones so Santa was beginning to feel the pressure of being behind schedule.

        Then Mrs. Claus told Santa that her mom was coming to visit. This stressed Santa even more.

        When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two had jumped the fence and were out, heaven knows where. More stress.
        Then when he began to load the sleigh one of the boards cracked, and the toy bag fell to the ground and scattered the toys.

        So, frustrated, Santa went into the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered that the elves had hidden the liquor, and there was nothing to drink. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider pot, and it broke into hundreds of  little pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found that mice had eaten the straw end of the broom. Just then the doorbell rang, and irritable Santa trudged to the door. He opened the door, and there was a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.

        The angel said, very cheerfully, "Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't it  a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you.  Where would you like me to stick it?"

        Thus began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

                          1.  Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a

holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Holiday spirit. In fact, if you see

carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

                          2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare..

You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up!   Who cares

that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into

an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me.

Have two. It's later than you think. It will soon be Christmas!

                          3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole

point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano

out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano.  Repeat.

                          4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made

with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying

a sports car with an automatic transmission.

                          5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an

effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party

is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

                          6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between

now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing

else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling

the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat
of eggnog.

                          7. If you come across something really good at a buffet

table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa,

position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can
before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of
shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

                          8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat.   Have a

slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one

pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one
dessert? Labor Day?

                          9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded

with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all  cost. I mean,

please, have some standards!

                          10. One final tip: Wear sweat pants/loose fitting clothing.

If you are leaving the party and you can walk without help from a construction

forklift,  "you haven't been paying attention, people!"   Re-read tips; start over,

but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Thank you

Column from Frank Giradot----Editor of the Pasadena Star-News---

I thought this was worth copying---------

NOT MUCH TIME LEFT TO FIND THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS PRESENT

I was looking at the SkyMall catalog in hopes of finding a unique Christmas gift or two as the big day gets closer.  But, after reading entries like "The Sinus Relief System, a device that "painlessly decongests sinus cavities .... without medication" and the Marshmellow shooter, a "clever pump-action device that shoots sweet edible miniature marshmallows over 30 feet," I began to realize there are too many choices.

Like the Canine Genealogy Kit.  "This kit analyzes your dog's DNA and identifies the breeds in its ancestry.  It provides scientific confirmation of the physical characteristics, behavior tendencies, personality traits and potential health risks your mixed-breed dog has inherited."

Look, I don't need to swab my dog's cheek to know that he's a mutt who is going to dig up my yard, eat any trash he can get his mouth around and chew up my sprinklers.  I have irrefutable evidence and don't need to spend the $59.95 to prove it.

Clearly SkyMall, available to Southwest Airline passengers, caters to the man or woman who has everything -- or almost.

Take the Dixon Earth "eco-friendly golf balls."  "These 100% recyclable golf balls and packaging are made from renewable materials."  Four sleeves sell for between $24.95 and $74.95.  Wow.  I get my recyclables on the first hole at Monterey Park Golf Course, commonly known as range balls, they cost nothing and are packaging free.  And, each has a pair of decorative stripes.

Among other products, I perused included a robotic tarantula; a framed trick photograph that makes it appear as if you were on the Green Bay Packers when they won that last NFL championship; popcorn makers, waffle irons, cell phone battery chargers, used seats from Yankee Stadium, pet sofas and flexible flashlights.

Then there is the creepy stuff like a GPS tracker that should have the headline "perfect for stalkers.  SkyMall also offers a full array of concealable video devices that would make James Bond proud and just about anyone else extremely nervous.

For just $41.98 you can play the guitar with just one finger with the "patented E- chord device that attaches to any guitar in just five minutes and gives you instant success."  Sorry, not hooking it up to my Martin.

Or, you can "astound and impress guests at your next Polynesian luau" with a 6-foot high replica Easter Island head.  Fortunately, the giant head, with its chiseled faux stone finish, weighs just 92 pounds and for the lucky owner, its manufacturer promises "curbside delivery."

Weapons are also available for a price.  You can buy a genuine handmade Irish shillelagh, "thought to have elongated into its form from its shorter fighting stick predecessor."  If you doubt that a stick can be a weapon, I've got a shillelagh, handed down by my 19th century Irish ancestors and let me tell you it could kill someone.

The perfect gift?  Yikes.

I began to get confused.  With 232 jam-packed pages of stuff, SkyMall became sensory overload.  3-D video glasses?  The essential Humphrey Bogart on DVD?  "Star Wars"- inspired light sabre chopsticks?

Ah, forget it.  This year, I'm buying gift cards at the grocery store.

_______________________________________________________

Larryj

Grandpa's Christmas Story


Grandpa decided that shopping for Christmas presents had become too difficult.  All his grandchildren had everything they needed, so he decided to send them each a check.

On each card he wrote:

'Happy Christmas..'
Grandpa
P.S. 'Buy your own present!'


Conclusion:
Now, while Grandpa enjoyed the family festivities, he thought that his grandchildren were just slightly distant.  It preyed on his mind into the New Year.  Then one day he was sorting out his study and under a pile of magazines, he found a little pile of checks for his grandchildren.  He had completely forgotten to put them in with the Christmas cards.
;D

Merry Christmas (To My Female Friends)!                                                                                 
If I were old' Santa, you know what I'd do?
I'd dump silly gifts that are given to you
And deliver some things just inside your front door
Things you have lost, but treasured before.
I'd give you back all your maidenly vigour,
And to go along with it, a neat tiny figure.
Then restore the old color that once graced your hair
Before rinses and bleaches took residence there.
I'd bring back the shape with which you were gifted
So things now suspended need not be uplifted.
I'd draw in your tummy and smooth down your back
Till you'd be a dream in those tight fitting slacks.
I'd remove all your wrinkles and leave only one chin
So you wouldn't spend hours rubbing grease on your skin.
You'd never have flashes or queer dizzy spells,
And you wouldn't hear noises like ringing of bells.
No sore aching feet and no corns on your toes,
No searching for spectacles when they're right on your nose.
Not a shot would you take in your arm, hip or fanny,
From a doctor who thinks you're a stubborn old granny.
You'd never have a headache, so no pills would you take.
And no heating pad needed since your muscles won't ache.
Yes, if I were Santa, you'd never seem stupid,
You'd be a cute little chick with the romance of a cupid.
I'd give a lift to your heart when those wolves start to whistle,
And the joys of your heart would be light as a thistle.
But alas! I'm not Santa. I'm simply just me,
The matronest of matrons you ever did see.
I wish I could tell you all the symptoms I've got,
But I'm due at my doctor's for an estrogen shot!
Even though we've grown older, this wish is sincere,
Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year!!!
                           
:angel:

You all will get a kick out of this..
My boys have watched A Christmas Story every single Christmas for all of their 31 and 37 years..and they just howl  laughing at it every single time..  ::) Derek knows every word to the show and he and Danny are always throwing bits and pieces at each other from it.   ( They also do it with "The Big Lebowski"  ::) but that's another story....

so I made this for them..  I used Derek and Danny and Mason and Mark and I.. LOL
They loved it..

(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/marshalette/Rudolph.jpg)


A man named Bob May, depressed and brokenhearted, stared out his drafty apartment window into the chilling December night.

His 4-year-old daughter Barbara sat on his lap quietly sobbing. Bob 's wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer Little Barbara couldn't understand why her mommy could never come home. Barbara looked up into her dad's eyes and asked, "Why isn't Mommy just like everybody else's Mommy?" Bob 's jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears. Her question brought waves of grief, but also of anger. It had been the story of Bob 's life. Life always had to be different for Bob .

Small when he was a kid, Bob was often bullied by other boys. He was too little at the time to compete in sports. He was often called names he'd rather not remember. From childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit in. Bob did complete college, married his loving wife and was grateful to get his job as a copywriter at Montgomery Ward during the Great Depression. Then he was blessed with his little girl. But it was all short-lived. Evelyn's bout with cancer stripped them of all their savings and now Bob and his daughter were forced to live in a two-room apartment in the Chicago slums. Evelyn died just days before Christmas in 1938.

Bob struggled to give hope to his child, for whom he couldn't even afford to buy a Christmas gift. But if he couldn't buy a gift, he was determined to make one - a storybook! Bob had created an animal character in his own mind and told the animal's story to little Barbara to give her comfort and hope. Again and again Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling. Who was the character? What was the story all about? The story Bob May created was his own autobiography in fable form. The character he created was a misfit outcast like he was. The name of the character? A little reindeer named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose. Bob finished the book just in time to give it to his little girl on Christmas Day. But the story doesn't end there.

The general manager of Montgomery Ward caught wind of the little storybook and offered Bob May a nominal fee to purchase the rights to print the book. Wards went on to print,_ Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ and distribute it to children visiting Santa Claus in their stores. By 1946 Wards had printed and distributed more than six million copies of Rudolph. That same year, a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Wards to print an updated version of the book.

In an unprecedented gesture of kindness, the CEO of Wards returned all rights back to Bob May. The book became a best seller. Many toy and marketing deals followed and Bob May, now remarried with a growing family, became wealthy from the story he created to comfort his grieving daughter. But the story doesn't end there either.

Bob's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore , it was recorded by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry.  "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of "White Christmas."
The gift of love that Bob May created for his daughter so long ago kept on returning back to bless him again and again. And Bob May learned the lesson, just like his dear friend Rudolph, that being different isn't so bad. In fact, being different can be a blessing.  

Consequences of Facebook entries


(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/marshalette/xmasfb.gif)

Here's a great Christmas story.

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma.
I was just a kid.
I remember tearing across town on my bike
to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb:

'There is no Santa Claus,' she jeered.
'Even dummies know that!'

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been.
I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me.
I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always
went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her
world-famous cinnamon buns.

I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so.
It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm, between bites,
I told her everything. She was ready for me.
'No Santa Claus!' she snorted. 'Ridiculous! Don't believe it.
That rumor has been going around for years,
and it makes me mad, plain mad.
Now, put on your coat, and let's go.'
'Go? Go where, Grandma?' I asked.
I hadn't even finished my second world-famous, cinnamon bun.

'Where' turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town
that had a little bit of just about everything.
As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars.
That was a bundle in those days.
'Take this money,' she said, 'and buy something for someone who needs it.
I'll wait for you in the car.' Then she turned
and walked out of Kerby's.
I was only eight years old.
I'd often gone shopping with my mother,
but never had I shopped for anything all by myself.
The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling
to finish their Christmas shopping.
For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill,
wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.
I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids
at school, the people who went to my church.
I was just about thought out,
when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker.
He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right
behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class.

Bobby Decker didn't have a coat.
I knew that because he never went outside for recess during the winter.
His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a
cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough,
and he didn't have a coat.
I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement.
I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!
I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it.
It looked real warm, and he would like that.
'Is this a Christmas present for someone?'
the lady behind the counter
asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.
'Yes,' I replied shyly. 'It's .... for Bobby.' The nice lady smiled at me.
I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and
wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and
ribbons(a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible)
and wrote, 'To Bobby, From Santa Claus' on it --
Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy.
Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went
that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers.
Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house,and she and I
crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk.
Then Grandma gave me a nudge.
'All right, Santa Claus,' she whispered, 'get going.'
I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down
on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the
safety of the bushes and Grandma.
Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open.
Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering,
beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes.
That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus
were just what Grandma said they were:
ridiculous.
Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

In Grandma's Bible I also discovered that
we were on Another One's team,
A Bigger ONE, One who died to give me new life.
One who my Grandma knew about.

These truths have changed my life.
Since then, as Christmas approaches & all year through,
I keep my eye peeled for the Bobby Decker's of life.

I still have my Grandma's Bible,
I still read from my Grandma's Bible
and inside it is still the tag from
Bobby Decker's coat, it reads: $19.95.

Keep Your Eye Out for a Bobby Decker in your life
Your Christmas will be Merrier!


"He who has no Christmas in his heart will never find Christmas under a tree."

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I had one of those "I wish I had a camera or I wish my phone wasn't dead" moments last night on Christmas Eve.  My wife and I went out to do some last minute shopping and were on the way home when we stopped at a convenience store.  I parked next to a 2005 Black Harley Davidson.  The thing was so shiny it almost hurt your eyes to look at it.  The closet dirt to that bike was on my car.  My wife went into the store and immediately came back out with a man dressed as Santa Claus.  He had 12 year old daughter with him.  It was his bike.  Once my wife got his "life history" (another term for "talks too much") he fired the bike up and the most amazing chrystal clear Christmas music came flowing out like you were next to a gang banger with a car full of amps in the trunk blasting his music.  I didn't hear what his story was or where he was going or what he was going to do, but seeing him lifted my seasonal spirits somewhat.  As they were standing there talking, I thought to myself, what with the economy and all the woes of the world today, here was a man to dressed up like Santa and drove a really neat Harley.  He could have only been going to do something good, probably for some kids somewhere.  All I can say is God bless him.

This is not something I read and retyped for the forum.  This actually did happen last night.  I wanted to share.

Larryj

You made me smile this Christmas morning; Merry Christmas Larry! And Merry Christmas to all!  :D

Thanks Larry, I really needed that. Big Christmas hugs to you.

So, Larry, Santa Claus does exist?

I know he does.  I have been reading these stories from people that have been the recipients of kind deeds from strangers.  You just never know what Santa Claus will look like when you see him.