e t a r Celeb C HRISTMAS D U O H T R E B N I
2016
© Berthoud Weekly Surveyor
November 24, 2016
Home for the holidays Special to the Surveyor Christmas carols and festive songs help make the holidays complete by setting the mood for the festivities to come. Songs resonate differently with people during the holiday season. For e ample some cele rants find certain holiday tunes or lyrics especially poignant. Those who might be missing home or planning on visiting friends and relatives who live far away during the holiday season often find the words to “(There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays,” are an accurate portrayal of the sentiments of holiday traveling. Composed by Robert Allen, with lyrics by Al Stillman, “(There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays” was published in 1954. The best-known recordings of the song are by Perry Como, who recorded it twice — once in 1954 and then again in 1959 with a different musical arrangement. The first version reached o. on the ill oard maga ine chart in the United States. The Carpenters recorded another popular version of the song for their al um n ld ashioned hristmas. Nora Jones and Cyndi Lauper also recorded a duet version of the song in 2011.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from all of us at the Surveyor
CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS IN BERTHOUD • 2016 Celebrating Christmas in Berthoud© 2016 is published in Berthoud, Colo., by the Berthoud Weekly Surveyor. The publisher reserves the right to edit, classify or reject any advertising or news copy. Liability for any newspaper error in an advertisement shall not exceed the cost of space occupied by error. The publishers assume no liability for any advertising which is not published for any cause. The publisher assume absolutely no obligation or responsibility for subject matter in copy placed by its advertisers or their agents. It is also understood that the advertiser and the agency placing such advertising jointly and severally agree to indemnify Berthoud Weekly Surveyor, LLC against all expense, loss or damage sustained by reason of printing such copy. Subscription rates are $32 per year to residents of the 80513 zip code, online subscribers, and $42 per year to zip codes other than 80513.
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Index Christmas in Berthoud ............................................... 3 What if Jesus had never been born? ......................4&5 Traditions behind holiday gifts .................................. 7 Holiday getways that won’t break the bank .........8&9 Celebrating Midnight Mass ..................................... 10 Christmas memories ..........................................10&12 2016 Unique Christmas gifts .............................12&13 Snowfest ..............................................................14&15 Keeping the magic of Santa alive .............................16 1st Annual Berthoud Snowfest .................................17
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Christmas in Berthoud By Katie Harris The Surveyor
The season of giving is well under way in Berthoud, where for the past eight years community fundraiser Christmas in Berthoud has helped bring joy to local families in need. This year the organization received a boost from Loveland-based business, Group Publishing. The ministry resource company doles out a portion of its profits each year in the form of grants. Christmas in Berthoud was one of 27 recipients awarded a total of $61,000 this past September. The local organization received $1,000 for the social services community-based category hich targets community ased nonprofits that help meet the needs of economically-disadvantaged community members. his is the first year e ve received this grant said im Land, president and recipient coordinator for Christmas in Berthoud. hat they honored erthoud out of nonprofits that applied as pretty nice. According to Land, Christmas in Berthoud depends on grant money to subsidize the community donations that provide for local families this time of year. Those community donations can take several forms. Through Dec. 5, donations can be made via giving-tables and trees, through coin drives at the local schools, and at businesses around town. Giving-trees can be found at Hays Market, Berthoud Library and New Freedom Church. Tags hanging from each tree contain
items from wish lists created by families in need. Anyone interested in purchasing one of the gifts can return it, along with the tag, to the same location to be delivered to the family on Dec. 10. Hays Market has set up a giving-table inside the store with tagged food bundles. Upon check-out, customers have the option of purchasing a food bundle along with their own groceries by taking a tag up to the check-out counter. Food bundles that are purchased will be delivered to families in need on Dec. 10. Berthoud Elementary, Ivy Stockwell Elementary and Turner Middle School are currently gathering funds from school families to help provide food gift cards to families on delivery day on Dec. 10. Cards will be provided in increments of $50/child or $100/family. Local businesses have set out coin cans to help collect donations for the organization. In addition, donations can be made online at www.christmasinberthoud.org. All funds collected will help purchase any items still needed prior to delivery day. Donations are tax deductible. In 2015 Christmas in Berthoud raised $12,000 and helped 124 kids and 19 Berthoud military members. The goal this year is to raise $15,000 between community donations and grants, 100 percent of which will go back to local families. According to Land, families selected to receive deliveries from the organization have been primarily nominated by local schools and must currently live in Berthoud. In addition to the grant from Group Publishing, Land said the Berthoud Community Fund has also provided a grant to the organization the past several years, typically around $2,000, and she hopes it will go through again this year to help the organization achieve its goal. “We are so grateful to everyone in the community who has come out to help us over the years she said. here are so many ays to get involved again this year to help families in need.
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What if Jesus had never been born?
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ne of the fun traditions of the Christmas season is watching classic movies. There are a handful we try to always watch at our home, one being “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Released in 1946, it has been nominated for five scars and voted Guest one of the 100 best American movColumnist ies ever made by the American Film Institute (#11 on the overall list, and #1 as most inspirational). Jimmy Stewart stars as George Bailey, a man who is always helping others — starting with saving his little brother from drowning. He gives up his dreams of traveling the world, going to college, and becoming an architect in order to keep the family savings and loan business going when his dad passes away and Pastor his brother has other opportunities. He is stuck in a job he doesn’t like — Clay Peck except he is able to help the working Grace Place poor get roofs over their heads and hopefully own their own homes. Bailey has one bad break after another until he is in despair on hristmas ve. e can t find a missing de posit and there is a warrant out for his arrest for bank fraud. All that’s left of value is his life-insurance policy. When he is told that he is “worth more dead than alive,” he makes his way to the bridge — preparing to jump and commit suicide. That’s when his guardian angel, Clarence, intervenes. The “second-class” angel, who is trying to earn his wings, gives Bailey a chance to see what his community would be like if he’d never been born. And what a different world it is. It is thought provoking to consider how different the world might e ithout the in uence of one life. his hristmas it is interesting to re ect on this uestion hat if esus had never been born?” How would the world be different? Think about it. First of all, there would be no Christmas. No gifts, no holiday traditions, no Santa Claus, no Christmas carols, no decorations or lights, no Christmas trees, no holly or mistletoe, no Charlie Brown Christmas specials, no Bing Crosby and White Christmas, no Jimmy Stewart and “It’s a Wonderful Life. Without Christmas, Dec. 25 would be a horrible, no-good, very bad day. If you were to ask any red-blooded American kid what they’d think of the most special day of the year being permanently postponed, I think you’d get mostly a blank stare and maybe then an expression that says, “What? Are you crazy?” To an American child the coming of winter is the sign Christmas is near. It’s the whole point. If Jesus was never born there would be no Christmas and, more importantly, there would be no historical Christian impact. The world would be far different than it is today — in ways you may never have imagined. For instance, when Jesus came, He taught His followers to love their neighbors as themselves. To live out this idea, His followers invented the idea of organized charity. The early Christianity communities stressed support for widows, orphans, the sick and disabled. They organized efforts to help those who were dying. Later, they built, staffed, and paid for the first hospitals. n recent times hrist s follo ers have founded virtually every charitable organization on earth, including the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, World Relief, World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse, Food for the Hungry, and Compassion International.
Without the birth of Christ, education would be very different today. Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, and almost every one of the first merican colleges and universities were founded by Christians — they were originally Christian
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schools. If Christ never came, America would not exist as the nation it is. The fundamental ideas of the Constitution were drawn from Biblical principles ... that the Creator God has given certain inalienable rights and that freedom is deserved by all. We could talk about the historical impact of Christianity on science. Some people today might tell you Christianity has always been at odds with science, but that is not true. The scientific age gre out of a hristian orldvie . cientific thinking would never have originated in animist cultures. Or Buddist. Or Hindu. Christians teach there is a rational God who made a rational world — therefore there are laws and principles that may be deduced. Christians believe God commanded his creatures to rule over the world and subdue it and take care of it; and that He has revealed himself in two books: the Bible and Nature. The earliest scientists were all devout Christians. What about art? More poems, stories, pictures and songs have een inspired y esus than any other figure in history. That’s because those who know Him, love Him; and out of deep appreciation for His grace, they seek ways to creatively express their devotion. Visit any national art gallery in a western nation and notice how bare the walls would be if you removed every picture with a Biblical theme. And how about music? Johann Sebastian Bach is considered the greatest musician to ever live. On his manuscripts he wrote S.D.G (Latin for Soli Deo Gloria—“solely to the glory of God”). He said every note he composed was in honor of hrist. e as the ma or in uence on eethoven o art hopin and rahms and his in uence continues to this day in music theory. Someone said: “Bach is to music what
Shakespeare is to literature. They were both the greatest.” And both were Christians. What about literature? Along with Shakespeare, many of the most in uential riters ere committed hristians unyan, Milton, Dickens, or more recently — C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. Lewis tried hard to be an atheist, but since he was such a voracious reader, he found God waiting around every bend in the philosophical road. He wrote, “A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere … ‘millions of surprises,’ God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous.” So many more examples could be given. We even date time on our calendars based on Christ’s birth. Dec. 25, 2016, A.D. (“AD” — is the Latin abbreviation for “year of our Lord”). If Jesus had never been born, so much of the good in this world would be missing. What’s more, if Jesus had never been born there would be no hope for a better world. The Bible teaches there is no future hope apart from Christ. If Jesus never came then there would be nothing to look forward to but an unending winter of the soul, ending in despair and death. The Apostle Paul tells his readers that before they believed in Jesus there was no hope: “At that time you were separate from Christ… without hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12) If Christ was never born then we are all without hope. Our future is not just uncertain; it is a meaningless black hole. But, thank God, Jesus did come. And so we celebrate Christmas, and the world is a better place because of his birth. Furthermore, eternal hope is offered to all who receive the gift grace in Christ Jesus.
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Traditions behind holiday gifts Special to the Surveyor
The holiday season is a time to celebrate with friends and family. Several holidays are celebrated in this relatively short time period, making this one of the most festive times of the year. Many holiday celebrations focus on the exchange of presents, which may be exchanged with relatives, friends and even coworkers. But are you familiar with the origins of exchanging gifts? Gift exchanges trace their origins to both religious and secular traditions, each of which has helped shape the holidays into what they are today. Christmas — People exchange gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day all over the world. For Christians, Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe was a gift from the Creator. From a religious standpoint, gifting others around Christmas time can be traced back to the stories of the Three Kings (also referred to as the “Three Wise Men”) who visited Jesus after his birth. Frankincense, a fragrance involved in worship; gold; and myrrh, an incense associated with funerals, was presented. These gifts symbolized worship in Christ, that He would be the King of Kings, and that suffering and death would come to Him. Another giver of gifts is part of many Christmas celebrations. t. icholas a fourth century saint is a eloved figure
across the globe who has a reputation for giving gifts in secret and helping the needy. he figure of anta laus is ased on St. Nicholas, and the blending of the two has evolved as history has mixed with folklore and personal traditions. Hanukkah — Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish celebration that commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. The word “hanukkah” actually means “dedication” in Hebrew. The Jews, including Judah Maccabee, helped drive the Syrians out of Jerusalem. In one of Judaism’s most central texts, Maccabee and others witnessed a miracle at the temple. Even though there was only enough oil to keep a menorah’s candles burning for one day the ames continued for eight nights. Traditionally, gelt, or money, was given as a Hanukkah gift. Many Hanukkah gift givers aim to give gifts that are thoughtful and sweet. Money is not exchanged as much today, with other gifts taking its place. Kwanzaa — Kwanzaa is an American holiday that pays homage to traditions and cultural in uences from frica. The holiday was developed in 1966 by Maulana Ndabezitha Karenga. The focus of Kwanzaa is on family and the harvest as well as certain principles, such as unity and faith. Gifts make up one of the seven symbols of Kwanzaa celebrations. However, gift-sharing is not the central part of this special holiday. Gifts are symbolic of the labor and love of parents and the commitments made and kept by their children. Gifts are exchanged in abundance this time of year. The traditions behind the giving of presents is far-reaching and based in religious, secular and cultural traditions.
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Holiday getaways that won’t break the bank
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raveling around the holidays can be an expensive proposition especially if you plan to y or ook a holiday escape at a ski resort ut there are ays to en oy an afforda le geta ay. ou ust have to kno here to look. uray olo. is a charming ocky ountain to n that s een Surveyor compared to a iss village. Columnist hile you might think a stay in this delightful place might e e pensive you d e rong. ou can find a room at the centrally located uray halet nn in mid ecem er for per night. hile the uray ot prings Pool is closed for renovations this inter there are other places for the pu lic to soak includ ing ies aden ot prings and Heidi odging in Peaks odge and Kerr-Schlaefer ot prings seasonal closure ovem er to ec. and rvis ot prings in idge ay ust minutes from uray. o anyon odge and ot prings is open to guests only. earn more a out visiting this area at uray olo rado.com.
yurt is a fun and afforda le ay to e perience a intry geta ay in olorado. nd hile many not all of olorado s yurts are located in ackcountry. ever ummer ordic has three yurts near ameron Pass orth Park urts that are drive up and dog friendly. hese yurts rent for a out per night cheaper on the eekdays and are each fully furnished ith ueen eds furniture and cots for e tra visitors. here s a private t o track ski trail on the property Continued on page 9
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so be sure to pack your cross-country skis and snowshoes. For a list of available yurts to rent in Colorado and beyond, check out this fantastic list online at coloradoyurt.com/yurts/show-me-your-yurts/. t may not e the first place you think of hen con sidering a winter getaway, but the San Luis Valley has a lot to offer year-round, including Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, and one of my favorite discoveries of 2016, Sand Dunes Swimming Pool and Hot Springs. Located 26 minutes from Alamosa and 35 minutes from Great Sand Dunes National Park, this property features swimming, soaking, a cafe, RV hook-
ups and campsites, as well as cabins. There’s a large hot-springs-fed outdoor swimming pool and an indoor, adults-only 10,000-square-foot grotto with multiple hot-spring pools, beautiful landscaping and a bar. It’s a true oasis in the world’s largest alpine valley — the San Luis Valley. Alamosa is an affordable town with lots of good Mexican food restaurants and the can’t-be-missed San Luis Brewing Co. Learn more at SandDunesPool.com.
Photos by Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer
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Celebrating Midnight Mass Special to the Surveyor
Many families have their own unique holiday traditions, but one tradition that unites millions of Christians all over the world is the celebration of Midnight Mass. In many parishes, Midnight Mass is the first cele ration of hristmas Mass. The origins of Midnight Mass are not exactly known. However, certain monks and nuns attended liturgical services at midnight every day in ancient times, and the Christmas Midnight Mass very well may have been adopted from these practices. Regardless of the basis behind the celebration, it can be a breathtaking and emotional service thanks to the memorable passages read and the inclusion of church choirs. Many Midnight Mass celebrants feel the Mass serves as an impressive reminder as to the true meaning of Christmas.
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Unique Christmas gifts — 2016 version L et’s start the 2016 version of unique Christmas gifts with one the whole family will enjoy and use. It’s the charge hub — a universal electronic charging station. Presumably, the 2017 family has Surveyor an abundance of Columnist cell phones, tablets, laptops and cameras that need charging. This round device from www. thegrommet. com will charge up to seven devices at one time with just one plug. It also eliminates the need for cords, cables and power strips. Bob The price for the charge McDonnell hub 49.95. Remember, the family that charges together stays together. Decidedly more low-tech, one might consider a personalized doormat as a gift. A variety of designs are available, all featuring your family name. My favorite is the “grandma’s deers” version. The mat measures 27 inches by 17 inches. The personalization includes the word Mom, Grandma, Nana, etc., along
with up to 15 deer, including their names. Oh, dear — this mat is marked down to $18.74 at www.personalcreations.com. Have a Star Wars fan on your shopping list? r an utfitters has something to help them enjoy their morning coffee a little bit more. It’s a 24-ounce ceramic coffee mug, and it comes in the characters of R2D2, the droid BB-8 and, of course Darth Vader. These colorful mugs cost $24 each. Everyone likes chocolate, right? Well, Tabasco, the company that makes hot sauce, has a product that combines velvety smooth dark chocolate and some hotness. A tin of eight wedges weighs in at 1.75 ounces or 50 grams. According to Amazon, that works out to about $5.14 per ounce. Eat it slowly. Moving on to the person on your gift list with too much time on their hands, there is an origami sticky-note pad. An instruction sheet included with the three-inch by three-inch yellow pad of paper tells how to fold each sheet origamistyle. With a little patience, it is possible to create a sticky note pig penguin oat utter y s uirrel. water lily, water bomb, and the ever-popular crane. The 100-note pads sell for $5.22 and can be found on Amazon.com. Happy folding. Here is a gift that comes under the category of “I didn’t
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know I needed that.” It’s the unique metal Bill of Rights bottle opener. Who doesn’t want to familiarize themselves with their right as an American as they open a cold bottle of whatever. e sure to ip the opener over since not all the rights fit on one side of the opener. Pick up this item for $13.95 at www.medalsofamerica.com. Personally think they missed out y not pricing it at $17.76. To better ensure you will get your desired gift ne t year ask for a ishing all. he e site www.uncommongoods.com offers a handblown glass all to hold your eekly ishes or thoughts of gratitude for a year. he appro imately four-inch ball comes with 52 tiny strips of paper. ach eek after you rite on a slip insert it in a tiny hole at the base of the wishing ball. These dreams then become a permanent part of the display. ishing all costs or less than half a buck per wish. s al ays happy shopping.ng your family name. My favorite is the “grandma’s deers” version. The mat measures 27 inches by 17 inches. The personali ation includes the ord om randma ana etc. along ith up to deer including their names. h dear this mat is marked down to $18.74 at www.personalcreations.com. ave a tar ars fan on your shopping list r an utfitters has something to help them enjoy their morning coffee a little it more. t s a ounce ceramic coffee mug and it comes in the characters of the droid and of course arth Vader. These colorful mugs cost $24 each. veryone likes chocolate right ell a asco the company that makes hot sauce has a product that com ines velvety smooth dark chocolate and some hotness. A tin of eight wedges
weighs in at 1.75 ounces or 50 grams. According to ma on that orks out to a out . per ounce. Eat it slowly. Moving on to the person on your gift list with too much time on their hands there is an origami sticky-note pad. An instruction sheet included with the three-inch by three-inch yellow pad of paper tells how to fold each sheet origami-style. ith a little patience it is possi le to create a sticky note pig penguin oat utter y s uirrel. ater lily ater om and the ever popular crane. The 100-note pads sell for $5.22 and can be found on Amazon.com. Happy folding. Here is a gift that comes under the categaory of “I didn’t know I needed that.” It’s the unique metal Bill of Rights bottle opener. Who doesn’t want to familiarize themselves with their right as an American as they open a cold bottle of hatever. e sure to ip the opener over since not all the rights fit on one side of the opener. Pick up this item for . at www.medalsofamerica.com. Personally think they missed out by not pricing it at $17.76. o etter ensure you ill get your desired gift ne t year ask for a wishing ball. The website www.uncommongoods.com offers a hand lo n glass all to hold your eekly ishes or thoughts of gratitude for a year. he appro imately four inch all comes ith tiny strips of paper. ach eek after you rite on a slip insert it in a tiny hole at the ase of the wishing ball. These dreams then become a permanent part of the display. ishing all costs or less than half a uck per wish. s al ays happy shopping.
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Snowfest combines old holiday favorites with new snow-filled events By Katie Harris The Surveyor Berthoud is upping the ante this December with its biggest holiday event yet. The Berthoud Area Chamber of Commerce has joined forces with Grace Place Church to create Berthoud Snowfest — an event that combines the traditional Christmas in Berthoud fundraiser and Parade of Lights with a snow-sculpting competition and several new activities for the community to take part in. The majority of this year’s Snowfest events will take place Wednesday, Dec. 14, through Saturday, Dec. 17, with the Christmas in Berthoud fundraising portion running throughout November and early December. The change to this year’s event stemmed from Berthoud’s acquisition of the sanctioned Colorado Snow Sculpting competition, an event previously known as Loveland’s Snow Sculpture in the Dark. Cofounders of the competition, Steve Mercia and Kerry Ertman, were looking for a new location to host their event this year, and said they were “snow” excited to bring the event to Berthoud. Deanne Mulvihill, executive director for the Ber-
thoud chamber, said she’d been searching for just such as event to spruce up the town’s holiday line-up. “We look for events that will bring business to Berthoud,” said Mulvihill. “We have the opportunity to bring wholesome Christmas excitement to Mountain Avenue and Fickel Park this year.” The snow sculpting competition is just one of the sno filled events ne to erthoud this year. he chamber has made an additional competition out of the snow preparation itself, by asking teams to sign up to stomp snow into forms for the sculptors to carve. The sculpting teams will draw numbers to choose the bestpacked snow blocks, and the stomping team chosen first ill in a pri e. Kids will have the chance to take part in the snow festivities as well this year, with their own sculpting competition. Teams of three can sign up to carve bucketsful of snow using nothing but a car snow scraper. “We want to include the whole community,” said Mulvihill. “We’ll form groups of local judges and try to keep things relaxed and fun.” In addition to the snow-packed events taking place Continued on page 15
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Dec. 14-17, the annual Parade of Lights will be back that Saturday, and everyone’s invited to participate. “The parade is a tradition now,” said Mulvihill. “It’s the only lighted parade that Berthoud’s ever had.” She advised participants to start gathering battery- or generator- powered lights early. “You don’t need to have a business to walk, bike, horseack ride or ring a oat to the parade,” said Mulvihill. “All you need is some form of light, and you can join in on the fun.” After the parade the show will move to Fickel Park for the lighting of the Christmas trees and caroling performances by local churches. Throughout the weekend holiday vendors from previous years at Grace Place will be set up at Berthoud Community Center at 248 Welch Ave., and some new participants are expected to join in as well this year. Additionally, snow sculptors will be making special appearances at local restaurants throughout Snow-
fest, mingling with the crowd and signing autographs. Their locations will be announced on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ events/1808415212739286/ as the event nears. Home and storefront decorating competitions are also in the works, and hay rides will be available on Dec. 17. Mulvihill encouraged guests to take a ride downtown and support local restaurants and vendors. Registration is now available for the snow-stomping competition, kids’ snow-sculpting contest, and home and storefront decorating competitions by contacting the chamber at 532-4200. To sign up to be a vendor, for parade entries, or to attend the kick-off event (details TBD) and meet the sculptors, visit www.berthoudcolorado.com/ berthoud-snowfest. Details, including dates and times, as well as updates can be found on the event website or Facebook page above.
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Keeping the magic of Santa alive Special to the Surveyor
He had a broad face and a little round belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf. And I laughed when I saw him in spite of myself. — “A Visit From St. Nicholas” Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without Santa Claus. Santa will forever be ingrained in the holiday season, serving as an endearing symbol of the season regardless of your religious affiliation. Parents typically go to great lengths to ensure their children enjoy the holiday season. By keeping the magic of Santa alive, parents can add a special touch to the holiday season for their youngsters. Children may become more skeptical of Santa around the time they turn 10, but there are plenty of ways to encourage this spirit to live on year after year. • Read an uplifting story — The holidays are ripe with stories that tug at the heartstrings. Parents can take their children to the library and rent a Christmas tale or take home a book of holiday stories, reading a different one before bed each night. Encourage children to write their own positive stories of what the holidays mean to them and read them aloud to family and friends. The book “101 Ways to Keep the Spirit of Santa
Alive: For “Kids” From 1 to 92” by John Hagerman is a great way to get everyone in the house enthusiastic about Santa. • Keep the magic flowing — Children who believe in Santa for an extra year or two often come from families that keep the magic of Santa alive. In addition to the standard traditions of leaving cookies and milk out for the jolly old man, come up with new ways to evoke the essence of Santa. Spray peppermint air freshener around the tree and other places Santa is sure to visit. Use a large boot to make a footprint in a plush rug. Find a way to trigger noise on the roof to give kids the impression that Mr. Claus himself has arrived. Extra measures to keep Santa alive can help everyone enjoy the holiday that much more. • Take advantage of opportunities to spend time with Santa — Parents and children alike have many opportunities to spend time with Santa during the holiday season, including photo opportunities at the mall and personalized videos sent directly to youngsters’ email accounts. Elf dolls and breakfast with Santa at a nearby restaurant are other opportunities to spread the magic. Make the most of these opportunities over the course of the holiday season. • Spread some Christmas cheer — Santa’s job is to bring presents to the world’s children. Channel the notion that giving is better than receiving and spend time giving back to others as a family. Schedule a day when you can distribute gifts at a senior center or arrange to bring gifts to a foster child. Bake cookies and deliver cellophane-wrapped dishes to all of your neighbors. These activities put the emphasis on giving. Keeping the tradition of Santa Claus alive can help adults and children alike enjoy a more festive holiday season.