peskypippi.comBecause I have a lot to say…

It seems to me that a child ought to go to school to learn. To play. To socialize. To thrive.

And that a child shouldn’t fear for his life when he is adding, writing about his favorite family Holiday traditions, and playing kickball.

A child shouldn’t have to fear shootings and killings. While at school. Or at the mall, when visiting Santa.

Within one week, there have been two horrific happenings in my lovely U.S.A. A shooting in a mall. And a shooting in an elementary school. Folks, several Kindergartners are now dead.

All I can think is: Their parents sent them off to school to add, write about their favorite family Holiday traditions, and to play kickball. Their parents did not send them to school, only to have them killed and to never return. This is the saddest, most horrific thing.

I can only imagine what the families are going through.

We are amidst Hanukkah and counting down the days before Christmas. This is the time for love and family and kindness and peace.

“Peace must develop from inner peace.

Peace is not just mere absence of violence.

Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.”

– Dalai Lama XIV

The gift giving season is upon us. Here are 10 things retailers make you think your man wants.

However.

If I gifted any of the below to my guy, he might just punch me in the nose.

Ya might want to think twice before purchasing any of these things:

1. Cologne
2. Tie
3. Robe
4. Electric shaver
5. Wallet
6. Pajamas
7. Nose and ear hair trimmer
8. Christmas sweater
9. Anything monogrammed
10. Tire gauge*

*Thank you @Keeferdog for the brainstorming!

When it comes to Christmas, my mother-in-law rocks. She cares so much about making a fun family Christmas steeped in traditions and memories. Her heart is in the right place. As are her angel collections, nativity sets, and snowy villages.

I have known my mother-in-law for 24 years. When I first went to meet my boyfriend’s parents at Christmas (my now husband), I was welcomed wholeheartedly. She even bought me my own stocking and hung it alongside the rest of the family’s stockings.

Here are a few of my mother-in-law’s traditions that I have adopted and have passed along to my children:

• Adding Maraschino cherries to fruit salad with chopped apples, oranges, and pineapple. Perfectly yummy and festive for Christmas morning!
• Making “wreath cookies” out of Corn Flakes. They taste like Rice Krispies treats but better. Oh, and add lots of green food coloring.
• Buying each child a new ornament every year and writing the year on it. When they move from home, they’ll have their own start of an ornament collection. It’s a very special tradition.

Making others feel special. Now THAT’S a wonderful Christmas tradition to pass along.

You’d think I was raised in the Great Depression by looking at the contents of my stocking hung at the mantle  at Christmas. All I got in my stocking were oranges and whole walnuts.

Someone must’ve known I needed Vitamin C and heart-health Omega-3 fatty acids back then.

Maybe it was to counter all the sweets I enjoyed at Christmastime:

1. Divinity–the gooey white marshmallow-like candy
2. Peanut brittle
3. Cracking walnuts with a real nutcrackers and picks–ya really appreciate the nut when it takes like 5 minutes to eat just one.
4. Ribbon candy–remember the gorgeous colors? And when your aunt said to take “just one,” you actually took like 7 because they all stuck together?

Enjoy the simple things this Holidays. And take time to crack some nuts…or crack your tooth on a piece of ribbon candy.

There are five full weekends between now and Christmas. Ask yourself these three questions:

1. Do I want to spend those precious weekends stuffed in a stuffy, crowded store shopping (and sometimes shopping for people I don’t much care for)?
2. Is my “SHOULD do” list bigger than my “WANT to do” list?
3. Do I want to “survive” the Holidays? Or do I want to enjoy the season? (The season of sharing, joy, wonder, love, and cheer. Too gaggy? Sorry, but it’s one of my favorite times of the year. So SU (shut up).

I say Bah Humbug to those who say, “I’m just trying to survive Christmas.” Whoa. Drama Queen. Seriously? Get a grip. Seriously, there are people out there literally trying to survive. Open your eyes, don’t be so selfish, and tone down the drama.

Don’t be a victim! And don’t try to be an overachiever. This is from one overachiever to another. This is not the time for you to master a “SHOULD do” list.

Here are my six tips for how to simplify the Holiday season:

• Ditch the Holiday cards this year. Facebook or email a picture of you in your Santa hat; you and your Dog wearing reindeer antlers; you and your family with matching sweaters. Whatever. What are people supposed to do with paper cards anyway? Use them for bookmarks? Hello? Kindle. (Seriously, I gave up sending cards a few years ago. The hassle of gathering your list together, addressing, writing personalized notes, buying the fancy, snowy stamps, locating everyone’s physical address…yikes…too time consuming.) Oh, and please don’t bother writing a family letter detailing your annual highlights and happenings. Again, Facebook.
• Buy everyone the same thing and call it good. This year, it’s fart whistles for those on my list. If that is too inappropriate, there’s always warm, stripey socks. Or gift cards.

• Make memories by doing the little things. It’s the little things that make memories (I wrote about that here.) Baking cookies, cutting paper snowflakes, decorating a gingerbread house, watching Christmas movies, going for a brisk walk and admiring all the lights and wacky-but-totally-awesome-kitschy lawn decor. (I heart the inflatables with Santas riding Harleys and giant snow globes.) But don’t force these homespun tasks or feel like you SHOULD do every one. Pick and choose. Who cares?
• If you do do a cookie exchange, think bar cookie. When you swap five dozens of cookies with other lovely people, don’t make Martha Stewart-like sugar cookies or you’ll labor over those beauties for hours. Here are some recipes: http://www.bhg.com/recipes/desserts/cookies/bar-cookies/ Except, I took a peek and gag me on some of them. But, remember, you are giving these away and getting better ones, so don’t stress on making them perfect.
• Don’t waste precious weekend time in stuffy, crowded stores. Shop online. Most of the time, it’s free shipping. Even on fart whistles. But, if you must shop, pack the baby in her jammies, pop her into the stroller, and go the mall after 9:00 pm. No crowds.
• Take a step back and evaluate. Maybe you’ll realize that you’ve got a lot of good going on. And maybe you want to be just a teensy bit more thankful? And maybe you’ll want to add “sharing joy, wonder, love, and cheer to those less fortunate” to your “to do” list this year.