Christmas Traditions: DEAR SANTA . . .

Dear Santa...

When I was in middle school, all the girls were wearing "mod watches." They were neon colored with over-sized clock faces and wide bands, and I would do anything to have one. That Christmas, my sister and cousins started opening their presents from my aunt and I was excited to see mod watches in all their hands. I tore off the wrapping and opened my box to discover my very own...silver ID bracelet??! A very dainty bracelet with my name engraved on it. I put a brave smile on my face but inside I was devastated. 

Every decade, sometimes every year, there is always that one hot toy or item that one of your kids is bound to want when the holidays roll around. For mine, I can remember a mad scramble for Teddy Ruxpin for my son, while I scored a Tickle Me Elmo before Thanksgiving for my daughter. 

Here are just a few of the items at the top of most kids' lists to Santa Claus over the years:

Way back at the turn of the century (the 20th), kids wished most for  a rocking horse (when I became a mom, there was no way I was going to trust my child's life on one of those). By the time my sister was old enough to have one, it was stationary but rocked on springs. 

Can you believe that in the 1920's, Radio Flyer wagons made their debut? Practically every kid wanted one for Christmas (I wouldn't know, I wasn't born yet). Radio Flyer is still selling wagons today, and is a favorite for parents taking their kids to outings to the park, zoo and other all-day venues. Also popular was the Yo-yo.

Have you ever seen the movie Christmas Story? Young Ralphie tries to convince his parents to get him a Red Ryder BB Gun. But in the 1930's, it was the thing for every young boy to wish for Christmas. Also popular were Sock monkeys and those little green Army men.

I remember playing with a Slinkie when I was growing up, but I wasn't a child of the 1940's when it was at the top of every child's wish list. Back then it was made of metal, but it never worked as well as the TV commercials showed it, making it all the way down the stairs. Also popular on Santa's list were Lego's and the Magic 8 Ball (it really told your fortune).

Although I didn't get my first Barbie until the 1960's, Barbie and her friends were introduced to the world in the 1950's. Back then Ken had plastic hair and Barbie had a waist. Also popular were Fischer Price Little People and Mr. Potato Head (but all you got were the face pieces - you had to provide your own potato).

The next time someone asks for a text pad, show them what it looked like back in the 1960's. This Etch-a-Sketch was one of the most popular toy in stores back then. As a side note, GI Joe made its debut so that boys could play with action figures and Barbie could choose from a larger dating pool than just Ken & Alan. Also popular was the Easy Bake Oven.

While I desired that Mod Watch in the 1970's, others were fascinated by the Rubik's Cube. That is, until some genius figured out the cube could be solved mathematically, which took all the fun out of it. The Nerf Ball and Star Wars action figures were popular back then as well.

The 1980's introduced the Cabbage Patch Dolls. A parent was mighty lucky to snag an original from England, while most were able to make their children's wishes come true with those made in the U.S. Also popular were Teddy Ruxpin and Transformers.

Those familiar with Sesame Street recognize this popular Christmas toy of the 1990's - Tickle Me Elmo. With his infectious giggle, riddles and wiggle, he delighted children all year 'round. Also popular were Beanie Babies, Barney, Power Rangers and Tamagochi.

With the new century came higher Christmas budgets. Gaming systems replaced games, and XBox 360 competed with PlayStation 3, while the Wii offered everything from Yoga to race car driving, Disney adventures to TV game shows. Of course, dolls will never go out of style as Bratz Girlz were introduced in the 2000's as well.

Which pretty much takes us to modern day. While there is plenty of time for Christmas shopping, I am out of the loop when it comes to shopping for the kiddies and knowing what's hot and what's not. I have a 2 year old grandson who can't sit still. Any ideas out there?

By the way, my Mod watch story: the reason I didn't get a watch like all the other girls was because my godmother wanted to get something "special" for me, so she gave me the ID bracelet. Of course I was a young teenager and did NOT appreciate her gift until much later. Not one of those girls has their watches any longer, while I still have that bracelet.

Did you have a special one true wish that Santa would bring you? Did it come true? I'd love to hear about it.

Christmas Traditions - Holiday Superstitions

"He sees you when you're sleeping, He knows when you're awake; 

He knows if you've been bad or good So be good for goodness sake!" 

-from the song "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" by Frank Gillespie

Everyone has heard of countless superstitions, old wives' tales and myths, but I was surprised to find many holiday ones circulating around the globe. Just look above at the refrain from the popular Christmas song. Thousands of children looked behind them when they did something wrong, hoping that jolly old man didn't witness their crimes.

I grew up with a weather superstition: "If it snows by Thanksgiving, we'll have a white Christmas." My sisters and I would anxiously look out the window every day in November in hopes that there would be snow for Christmas. I found another weather myth at The Holiday Spot. "Snow on Christmas means Easter will be green."

I know better than to walk under a ladder or to cross a street after a black cat has crossed it, but some holiday myths threatening bad luck were new to me: 

"Singing Christmas carols outside of the festive season is unlucky."

I personally think this warning should be extended to the month of November. In Chicago we have a radio station that starts playing Christmas Carols on Thanksgiving Day - and that's all they play until Christmas Day! 

I think this next one came from a disgruntled child:

"Never give shoes to someone you love during Christmas 

or they can walk out of your life in future."

In Greece, some people burn their old shoes at Christmas time to prevent bad luck in the coming year. I know someone who lives in Greece, so I'll have to ask her about this.

I don't know how kissing under the mistletoe originated, but somebody must have been refused that holiday kiss because one myth is that "If someone avoids the kiss under the mistletoe they will have bad luck." Again, my personal opinion is that you could have bad luck even when you kiss the guy, so beware!

Here are just a few more superstitions and old wives' tales that might remind you of your childhood, tickle your fancy or raise the hairs on your arm:

"A blowing wind can bring good luck during Christmas." 

"The dog who screams on Christmas Eve 

will go mad by the end of the year." ???

"If a rooster crows at midnight on Christmas Eve, it's a good omen" 

"If Christmas Day on a Sunday fall

A troublesome Winter we shall have all."

"The doors of a home should be flung open at midnight on Christmas Eve to let out any trapped evil spirits. You can also use a broom first thing on Christmas morning to sweep out any trouble."

Who would have known how many superstitions hover over the holidays. I hope they have made you giggle and get into the holiday spirit.  Do you have any interesting myths, old wives' tales or superstitions you grew up with (or are starting with your children LOL) that you can share with us? Wherever you are in the world, holidays are special times and sure to bring us cheer.

Christmas Traditions Old & New - Let the Games Begin!

The month of December can bring busy days and filled weekends. Whether you're shopping, decorating, mailing, cooking or creating handmade gifts, December can be a non-stop, fun-filled schedule. This includes parties--lots of parties! Besides the company of good friends and family, as well as the delicious food, parties often offer holiday games. Let's take a peek at some of these fun and funny ways to celebrate the season. 

First, the Christmas Gifting games:

Dirty Santa - This is a popular grab bag game (called many different names) in which party-goers are asked to bring a wrapped gift of a certain value. All gifts are placed together and guests take a gift one by one, unwrapping and showing his or her treasure to all guests. The next person can either choose another gift, or steal the one opened first. If a gift is stolen, the victim chooses another. The fun really kicks up when there are more gifts already identified than are wrapped. Many times there is a limit to how many times a specific gift can be stolen. And to make things fair, the first person to open a gift gets to steal from any of the gifts.

Rolling Snowball - This game has party guests sit in a circle. A ball of plastic wrap is passed from one person to the next. Inside of this "snowball" are small prizes. 

You can include candy, gum, lottery tickets, coins, gift cards, whatever your guests may be interested in. Once a guest receives the snowball, he or she must unwrap it to free the prizes. Oh, yes, there is a time limit to each person's turn, say ten seconds, so the faster they unwrap, the more prizes they gather. If the snowball still holds goodies after everyone's had a turn, the play continues until there is nothing left of it. (Photo credit : Facebook – Missie Bickel)

Lefty-Righty Game - This game takes more thought and preparation by the host, and also uses grab bag gifts. Guests sit or stand in a circle with the host in the middle, holding the grab bag gifts they brought. The host reads a story or poem, and every time the word RIGHT is said, guests pass their gifts to the right. When the word LEFT is uttered, gifts are passed to the left. Of course, the host will have written a story or poem ahead of time. You can click HERE for several different ones that you can personalize to fit your guests. When the story or poem is finished, guests can open what they hold. 

Christmas Lottery - 

This game uses several different ways to allow guests to attain their holiday gifts. My favorite is to use "coupons" that have guests trade the gifts in their hands with someone else, as in "Trade your gift with someone shorter than you." Check HERE for free printables.

Now we offer some Fun-4-Fun's-Sake games:

Besides the popular games like "Pin the Nose on Rudolph," and Christmas BINGO or Charades, you could try  a Snowman Wrap Relay with toilet paper (Photo credit: Party Wishes). For something a little less active, play Silver Bells, a matching game using Hershey's Kisses with small circular labels of Christmas symbols attached to the bottoms. 
In Snowman Bowling, ten 1 or 2 liter plastic bottles are painted as snowmen, and rolled up socks can be used to bowl the snowmen down.
For small gatherings, a game of Roll a Snowman can be played around the table, with each number of a die (1-6) representing a part of a snowman. To play, the die is tossed and draws that part of the snowman. That player continues rolling the die until they roll a number already rolled. Play is passed to the next person. To win, the player who rolls the last item needed to complete the snowman wins. So a person can roll five items for the snowman, but lose to another's lucky roll! More game details can be found HERE.
However you celebrate Christmas at your parties, games can break the ice, dole out grab bag gifts and create tons of merry memories. Let us know if you have a favorite game you'd like to share with us. We'd love to hear from you!