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Christmas Decoration Ideas for Kids

This article offers unique insight into some of today's most relevant and exciting do-it-yourself home improvement topics.

This article is an easy, short read that Kindle users will find very rewarding and worth the price of the article many times over.

This article offers unique insight into some of today's most relevant and exciting do-it-yourself home improvement topics.

This article is an easy, short read that Kindle users will find very rewarding and worth the price of the article many times over.

STOP! Before you read the following I want you to know that in all honesty I have friends of every colour (Canuck spelling), faith, nationality, gender and yes...even sexual persuasion. I mean it. If you have read my posts the past few months...you will have hopefully deduced this and the fact that I believe in principles of equality, inalienable freedoms and mutual respect. One of those ultimate freedoms...is the right to believe in the God of your choice.

My parents will tell you that I brought friends of every background to my home. In fact, I am certain at some point in their lives, they suspected that I was a Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations and not a student. I blame my dad. He taught me that one can learn from ALL people and that one should judge a man by his character and his capacity to do good. My dad was...and is...a very wise man.

I do not pretend to be God. The last time I tried to walk on water...I did not defy gravity. In fact, I got wet...very wet. I have no idea as to God's Master Plan...but I pray and hope that he has room for good people of every denomination. I especially hope that he has lots of room for sinners like me.

I do not throw bibles at people nor will I attack your religious or non-religious beliefs. However, I expect MY faith (Roman Catholic if you wish to know) to be equally respected. So...in all honesty...I ask all of you...What on earth have they done to CHRISTmas?

Christmas is sacred to me...and to hundreds of millions of Christians. Yet...it has been hijacked by the gods of crass commercialism and excessive political correctness. When I was a child, granted BEFORE the real St. Nicholas, Christmas decorations and ads started popping up in December. A few years ago, I noticed the ads were appearing November 1st...the day after Halloween. But this year, I saw Christmas trees already assembled in our local suburban mall in mid-October. I realize it is the goal of marketers and retailers to plan ahead...but at this rate, in a few years, we will have Christmas ads in January.

I know 'tis the season to give. I'm all for that..and I am as guilty as any parent of our Consumer Generation in that I wish my children to have far more than I ever had...BUT...at what point does the insanity stop? When is enough...enough? When is it just...too much? I recently saw a documentary that claimed approximately 99% of what we buy will be in the garbage or not used by us within 6 months (hmmm...I think that includes my gym membership...sigh). The point is...do the Matteazzi's really need 5 computers for 5 people? I wish that was a joke. I won't even mention IPads, IPhones, MP3s (long obsolete), PS3's, PS2's, PS1's, Wii's, Gamecubes...DVD's, Blurays (I'm the guilty one there), etc. etc.

Compounding the fact that we are being bludgeoned with ads of what we MUST buy...is the fact that you cannot go through Christmas without hearing stories of dancing snowmen, flying reindeer and grinches who try to steal Christmas. What on earth does any of this have to do with celebrating the birth of Christ? You're right....NOTHING. The true meaning of Christmas...celebrating the birth of Christ, has sadly been replaced in the minds of many by the legend of a jolly fat man in a red suit who breaks into homes and leaves gifts. Sadly, the only jolly fat man leaving me anything these days is our mailman who keeps sending me invoices from VISA.

Even more unsettling are ads that tell us to celebrate XMas. STOP! What happened to the word "Christ"? If Christmas is about Christ...why has His name been removed from the name of His holiday? I'm far too skeptical to accept the notion that this is only an abbreviation.

As if this wasn't enough...the god of Excessive Political Correctness has also raised its ugly head in an assault against Christmas. About 10 years ago I was representing a mother against Catholic Children's Aid Society. My respect for counsel representing Catholic Children's Aid Society leaped immeasurably when she (a Muslim) told me she was furious that the CATHOLIC CAS was NOT having a Christmas party. They did not wish to offend anyone so they renamed it the "Very, Merry, Berry Party". What the F***! Has the world gone mad? What is wrong with our society when a CATHOLIC agency fears naming a Christmas party a Christmas party...because of the word Christ?

Not to be outdone, a couple of years ago, a judge in Toronto thought it was judicious (bad pun) to stop a Christmas tree from being put up in the Courthouse lobby. She claimed it was because all religions are equal, the court is secular and Christianity should not be favoured. I am pleased to say that the vocal complaints of many of my colleagues (including many non-Christians) made her back down. I appreciate the division of Church and State (thank you St. Augustine) and the Court should never favour 1 faith over another, but I have a real problem with the Court refus

"Christmas is a time when I get homesick - even when I'm home." -Carol Nelson

Greetings my friends - this story got to be a bit long so if you don't make it thru let me wish you a beautiful season filled with delight and happy (and nostalgic) memories. Your pal. -Mark

Dad loved Christmas. He made the coolest decorations for our house and, each year, our tree was a thing of beauty. I have many fond memories about our Christmas trees, I will try to be kind and only bore you with one: I was around eight or so, and for about four years running, Dad got it in his head that flocked trees were the only way to go! But he was also a do-it-yourself sorta guy so we could NEVER even think about buying a tree that someone else has flocked ("much too expensive, and besides, we could do it ourselves and think of all the money we'd save!") So it was off to the mountains where, for a $5 permit, we cut our own tree in the National Forest. We'd all trudge an hour thru the snow to find the perfect tree, cut it down and back to the car. Then, with a bit of twine, the slamming of doors, and the sound of the wind whistling through the car windows that never-quite-sealed-completely, we were home.

The tree is balanced in the stand and now the lights. Dad had definite notions about how the lights were supposed to look - lights only, no cords or wires were allowed. So before the flocking, Dad would very carefully put the lights on - making sure the wires were hidden in the branches of the tree. He had this way of weaving the cords around the branches so that only the lights were visible - it looked great but what a royal pain it was to put them up (and to take them down again). Now these were the days when Christmas lights each had a small screw-bulb and a mating socket so after the lights were all on the tree (here is where us kids got to participate) he would have my brother, my sister, any myself carefully take ALL the lights out of EVERY socket and then seal the open end of the socket with a small piece of masking tape - can you say "anal". After all the lights were gone and sockets sealed, he brought out the flocker....

He'd buy some sort of kit that hooked up to the vacuum cleaner - it was a delightful contraption that would spit out this sticky 'snow' that would go everywhere. Usually, he'd spray it outside, but I remember one year when the rains just wouldn't stop, Dad built this plastic covered tent in the workshop and sprayed the tree indoors - in spite of the clear plastic wrap and miles of masking tape, we had fake snow in that shop for years and years after. In fact, I would bet that even today, if we were to wander in there, we could find some very dirty and very dried-up bits of almost-snow. The stuff would shoot out of the end of the vacuum hose and onto the tree. It was loud, it was messy, it was very cool.

The next morning, us kids were up again. The white stuff covered the branches, needles, wires, and sockets with its slightly sticky texture and faint chemical smell (it hadn't completely dried but that was OK) - and it was us three kids job to now find all those tape-covered-sockets in this all-white tree and gently pull off the tape and carefully screw the bulbs back in place ("you kids be careful - don't knock any of the flock off or the wires will show.... no, here, I'll show you.... gently hold just the socket, try not to touch the wire, and slowly peel the tape... see?"). (now I wonder where my perfectionism might have come from?). Then we'd move the tree in-doors and the boxes of balls and decorations would be liberated from the attic and all five of us would set to work on the really fun part...

Anyway, it was a study in nit-picking but those trees were amazingly beautiful.

It's been fourteen years now and not a Christmas has gone by that I don't think of him, his decorations and his enthusiasm. It is a time of joy and sweet sadness - truly a gentle collision when I witness the delight of those around me and remember others. May it be with you as well. Hugs to you, my friends. With much appreciation. -M


(This shot was taken a few weeks ago when the three of us were downtown Seattle shopping and enjoying a day together. I told them I had this idea for a Christmas shot so we split for a time so I could grab some images at the Four Season's hotel. I used, of course, my infrared camera but this time with an ND filter (I finally found something that works in the IR) and took a 15 sec exposure (I wanted to keep the people downstairs blurred and soft - that's also why I'm looking a bit stiff - I was holding as still as I could as I counted down the exposure :)). - about an hour later, we met back for lunch. The 'ghost' was taken back home a few days later. Fairly straight-forward PS work and there you go. your pal. )