Cib 2013

celebrate Christmas in Berthoud 2013

Š Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

November 28, 2013

Celebrating Christmas in Berthoud • 2013

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

Index

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Q & A with Santa Claus ................................... 3 Holiday Giving Survival Guide ........................ 5 History of the Christmas ornament ................. 6&7 What is Christmas in Berthoud?...................... 8 Real, tangible Christmas card still has meaning ............................................................. 9 What to do over the holidays ............................ 10 A great holiday candy ....................................... 12 Its that time again ............................................ 14 Celebrating Christmas in Berthoud©2013 is published in Berthoud, Colo., by the Berthoud Weekly Surveyor. The publishers reserve 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 publishers 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.

Christmas at the movies ................................... 15

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Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

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Celebrating Christmas in Berthoud • 2013

Q & A with the man of the holiday — Santa Claus What is your favorite aspect of Christmas?

Bringing presents, smiles and laughter to people, young and old — plus getting cookies and milk. What a great day.

How is Mrs. Claus?

A little stressed.

Besides keeping track of Santa’s appearance schedule, parades, shopping malls, toy stores etc., she’s getting ready for all the company coming the day after Christmas.

Does she help with Christmas?

No comment.

How long do you sleep after you finish with Christmas?

Until St. Patrick’s Day. What do you do to prepare for the Christmas holiday? Do you exercise or do you just eat more cookies?

One of the real joys of the Holiday Season is the opportunity to wish you the very best for the new year. We would also like to thank you so much for your loyalty and business in 2013!

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Mrs. Claus has me on very strict diet, green salad, vinaigrette dressing, fruit and white meat.

That way I can eat more cookies. Golly, I’m hungry.

Were you affected by the government shutdown in October?

No, but I would’ve if it had lasted till Christmas. You know the issues with air travel.

What is the best way for kids to ensure their gift requests get to you in time?

The mail, remember the old saying, “nor dark of night, rain, sleet or snow...” Plus, the Postal Service needs all the letters it can get to be delivered. Please send to Christmas in Berthoud, Attn: Santa Claus, c/o Kim Land.

Is e-mail an option?

Not the best, the Wi-Fi at the North Pole is always iffy.

Do you have a Twitter account?

Yes, we are very accountable to our pet Paratweets. Mrs. Claus loves our birds.

How about facebook? Do you have a page we can like?

Yes I do, but there’s really no need, I’m friends with everybody.

Which is your favorite reindeer? Why? All are my favorites, but there’s a special place for Donner and Blitzen because I really like those names.

Which is your least favorite?

Well, Rudolph can be such a prima donna sometimes. “Oh, look at my nose ... Polish my nose ... It doesn’t look shiny enough ... ” on and on.

How do you really get along with the elves?

We really get along quite well, but we do have our issues with requested time off at Christmas.

I have to remind them that they work until midnight Christmas Eve. What do you want the little girls and boys of Berthoud to know this holiday season?

That giving is better than receiving — just like cookies and milk.

I’m looking forward to seeing all the children at the Christmas in Berthoud parade on Dec. 7 at 5 p.m. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

Celebrating Christmas in Berthoud • 2013

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Holiday giving survival guide

By Sharon Lipinski Special to the Surveyor

In the 33 days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, Americans will donate $100 billion. That’s $300 million every day. This means we receive stacks of junk mail with urgent donation requests, we get endless e-mails that tug at our heart strings, and we run a gauntlet of neighbors and co-workers asking us to chip in for their favorite cause. Everyone wants a piece of that $100 billion.

Your donation can change the world, but only if it goes to great charities doing great work. Unfortunately, not all charities are created equal. Some are amazing and squeeze the most impact from every penny. Others are dysfunctional, struggling with leadership, vision, and implementation. Some might work on programs that no one wants, don’t work, or might actually hurt the very people they’re trying to help. Some might be embezzling donations and funding their personal lifestyle with their donor’s hard earned money.

How do you know which organization is doing it right?

Relax. I’m here to help. Holiday donations just got easier.

Research, research, research Research is the golden rule of donating, but for a long time I didn’t know how to research a charity.

Where do I look? What do I look for?

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Level 1: 4 basic questions — to start, always ask the following four questions: 1. What does the charity do?

2. How do they do it?

3. How do they know they are making a difference?

4. Is that something I want to support? Why? For example, my Veteran’s Giving Circle recently made a donation to Give an Hour.

1. Give an Hour provides free and anonymous mental health services to veterans and their families.

2. They do it by finding mental health professionals who want to donate their time and matching them with veterans who need help.

3. They know they’re making a difference because their 6,700 licensed mental health professionals have given more than 94,000 hours of free services.

4. I want to support them because I love supporting our veterans.

On the other hand, I would not support a charity that provides free shoes to people in developing countries, because it fails question number four. I want to support poor people breaking the cycle of poverty, and free shoes can actually make poverty worse. Local shoe manufacturers and retailers cannot compete with free shoes and these small business owners may go out of business.

Donating as a family Your children learn about donating money by watching you, by hearing you talk about donating, and being involved in those discussions and activities with you.

This holiday sit down as a family to discuss donating.

How much will you donate? How will you choose where to donate?

Then give them the four questions above as homework.

Your children can report back to the family on the charities that they discover, and then you can choose where to donate together.

Create an annual giving plan While giving may be at the top of our minds during the holiday season, need exists all year.

The homeless need to eat on Jan. 2 as much as they needed to eat Dec. 25. Children need books and supplies when school starts in August. Families fall on hard times all throughout the year.

So, while you’re thinking about giving this season, think about how you can give throughout the year, too.

About the author: Sharon Lipinski is the Donation Defender and a Generosity Expert. She is a nationwide expert on Giving Circles, a speaker and a military wife. She founded Change Gangs: Virtual Giving Circles to close the gap between the size of your wallet and the size of the impact you can make on the causes you care about most.

Download her “Holiday Giving Survival Guide” which includes the complete Three Level Evaluation Guide and tips on canned food, toy, and clothing drives at www. changegangs.com/holiday-charitable-donation-survivalguide.

Celebrating Christmas in Berthoud • 2013

History of the Christmas ornament

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

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By Rudy Hemmann The Surveyor To say the origin of Christmas tree ornaments is disputed would be an understatement. The unusual aspect of the Christmas ornament narrative is that both have their roots among Germanic peoples.

One legend has it that, in the early-to-mid 1500s, the German priest Martin Luther came up with the idea of decorating evergreen trees with small candles after noting how the stars twinkled and shone through the needles of fir trees while on a trek through the woods on a cold Christmas Eve. It is assumed the hanging of the first ornaments — mostly fruits and nuts — followed soon thereafter.

An older, traditional narrative states an English monk, Saint Boniface, came to Germany in the late seventh or early eighth century to challenge the pagan religions of the day. He and his companions made many converts among the Germanic peoples of Hesse, Franconia and Bavaria. An important aspect of his teaching was that he brought the fir tree to the attention of the people and urged them to decorate it, claiming the triangular shape of the tree represented the Holy Trinity. The Germanic people, who were especially devout, immediately began decorating fir trees with small white candles.

During the 1400s the addition of various “ornaments” — such as dried flowers, apples and nuts — began in Germany, celebrating the winter solstice. Around 1510 the Latvian people decorated a fir tree with roses, dedicating it to Mary, Mother of Jesus.

This event is considered the beginning of the modern tradition of decorating Christmas trees, although still outside.

As an aside, it’s difficult for me, being a realist, to believe an enterprising druid of a much earlier time had not considered decorating the pine and boxwood boughs which hung in their dwellings during the winter months, with holly berries, pine cones or other natural items.

Around the year 1605 a tree in Strasbourg, a city situated on the Rhine River in Eastern France, was brought indoors and decorated with paper roses, wafers, nuts, sweets and lighted candles. This event is said to be the seminal moment in the history of Christmas tree decorating because it started the trend toward bringing the tree indoors to be decorated.

As can be seen from the story so far, much of what we consider to be important elements in the celebration of Christmas were contributed either by Germany itself or by German speaking people. Few of us can imagine a Christmas holiday without a Christmas tree (Germany) or hearing the carol “Silent Night” (Austria).

There are still other traditions which we use to “make our spirits bright” during the Christmas holiday that have their roots in Germanic Europe.

In the late 1500s the people of the German town of Lauscha became famous in the region for their glass-blowing expertise.

Christoph Müller and Hans Greiner established the town’s first glassworks in 1597. Others soon sprang up. By 1835 the Lauscha glassworks produced flasks, fine glass bowls, glass beads, shiny glass baubles (balls) and many other items.

In the first few decades of the 1800s Christmas tree decorations were simple and, except for the apples and nuts, mostly hand made. In German homes it was not uncommon to see a tree decorated with gingerbread or other hard cookies that had been made in various shapes such as stars, bells, angels or hearts. In the United States strings of popcorn or cranberries were made to decorate the tree. In England ornaments made of lace, paper or other items which displayed the creativity of the

maker were used. Small scraps of newspaper folded intricately and magazine illustrations were also used as decorations, along with small gifts or small handcrafted baskets which contained gifts and carefully placed in the crook of a limb or simply suspended with a little thread or yarn.

In 1847 Hans Greiner, a direct descendent of the Hans Greiner who established the first glassworks in Lauscha, started producing glass ornaments in the shapes of fruits and nuts.

These “glaskugeln” (glass balls) were manufactured using a hand-blown process in combination with clay molds. The inside of the ornaments were made to appear silvery, at first, by applying lead or mercury to the inside surfaces, and later by using a mixture of silver nitrate and sugar water.

At about the same time manufacturing companies from the Dresden region of Germany took note of the success of the

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Celebrating Christmas in Berthoud • 2013

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Lauscha glass-blowers. They wished to capitalize on that success and began making small ornaments from lead, tin and stiff papers.

By 1870 ornaments made in Lauscha were being exported to most European countries as well as England, where a resurgence in the celebration of Christmas was about to take place.

It was during the reign of Queen Victoria of England that an illustration of her family gathered around their sumptuously decorated Christmas tree appeared in the December 1860 issue of “Godey’s Lady’s Book.” The Christmas tree in the illustration was a nod to the Queen’s husband, Prince Albert, who was German. This one illustration inspired the people of England to embrace the Christmas celebrations with renewed fervor. Festivity, feasting, the singing of carols and, of course, Christmas trees and tree decorations were all very much in favor again.

It must be noted here that the illustration mentioned above gave Christmas celebrations on this side of the Atlantic Ocean a shot in the arm as well.

In the 1880s dime-store magnate F.W. Woolworth, while on a trip in Germany, spotted the glass ornaments made in Lauscha and knew they would be a hit back home. He began importing the Lauscha ornaments and, over the next 10 to 20 years, made a fortune in the process.

In this country, Christmas tree decorations, especially in the western frontier areas, were mainly of the handcrafted, homemade variety. The only “factory made” ornaments available on the market were the ones made in Germany. By the 1880s the demand for glass-blown ornaments of all shapes had reached the point that other glassworks in the area decided to enter the ornament market and soon began making glass balls (baubles), animal, saint and angel figures of glass, and releasing them to the market. It was not long before every family in the Lauscha area was involved in some aspect of the ornament trade. Germany had

captured the world market in fine glass Christmas ornaments.

The history of German ornaments would be incomplete if the items made in Dresden were not mentioned. Craftsmen of Dresden manufactured ornaments that resembled brightly colored fish, birds, and other exotic animals out of heavy papers which had been pressed and embossed. These items fit in nicely as Christmas ornaments, but were also appropriate for use at other celebrations such as weddings, birthday parties, etc. Other ornament-type items were made of thin colored foil and handpainted tin. All of these items also became popular but generally took a back seat to the fine glass ornaments manufactured by the Lauscha artisans. Tinsel is also probably a German “invention” during the 1600s. It was originally made of pure silver. Later it was made of thin lead strips or of foil cut into thin strips.

With the beginning of the last century Christmas celebrations grew larger and more opulent, and the glassmakers of Lauscha benefitted greatly until World War I. During, and for several years after, the war there was disdain for anything made in Germany. The German monopoly of the glass ornament market was effectively broken when Japan entered the glass ornament market in 1925. The Japanese brought newer and more colorful designs to the fray and took a big chunk out of the traditionally German market. A few years later the Czech Republic also entered the competition.

World War II brought about the total collapse of Germany’s ornament-making industry. Lauscha ended up in East Germany after the war and the manufacturing capacity in the region was redirected to other products.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union some glass making, even the manufacture of fine Christmas ornaments, has returned to Lauscha and the surrounding area. However, it is very doubtful that the town will be able to regain its former prominence in the glass Christmas ornament market.

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Celebrating Christmas in Berthoud • 2013

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

Christmas in Berthoud, what it is

By Kim Land Special to the Surveyor

As the banner was hung in the park and posters and collection cans began to show up around town, one might ask, “What is Christmas in Berthoud all about?”

It all began in 2004 when some Grace Place Church ladies decided to lavishly decorate Christmas trees and auction them off to provide funds and food baskets to needy Berthoud families. The decorators went throughout Berthoud businesses asking them to sponsor trees that would be auctioned in their name. Thousands of dollars were donated to help provide joy to families that were nominated by local schools, churches and friends.

Seeing the enthusiasm grow through the businesses, Grace Place decided to partner with the Berthoud Area Chamber of Commerce to create a weekend of activity to help raise more funds for the families.

Doc Fickel had a true Christmas spirit and purchased the first LED lights for the trees in Fickel Park for a

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grand finale of the parade with a Tree Lighting Ceremony.

Many businesses have helped make Berthoud a destination spot for the first weekend in December by the various activities they offer.

In 2012, Christmas in Berthoud became its own 501c3 and 191 children were Christmas in Berthoud recipients.

They received wrapped gifts from giving trees, cash for the parents to buy specific gifts, groceries, a Hays Market grocery card, a ham, milk, coats, scarves, mittens, and even Christmas stockings.

Our Berthoud military kids received a care package to be reminded Berthoud appreciates all they do to keep us safe, and a children’s home was included as well.

Thanks to the Berthoud community for supporting all of the various activities, these families were given a glimmer of hope and kindness. Please visit www.christmasinberthoud.org to find out how you can participate this year.

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

Celebrating Christmas in Berthoud • 2013

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Real, tangible Christmas card still has meaning Ok

, I admit it, I still send Christmas cards through the mail. Actually, my wife sends out the holiday greetings from both of us. Our list has narrowed over the years, as we mainly send to out-of-state friends and relatives.

I know it is the 21st century, and we have all kinds of electronic methods of communicating but this is how we grew up.

Everyone bought, signed, stamped, sealed and mailed cards.

We inherited this trait from our parents and grandparents. Time will tell if future generations find other ways to give out holiday wishes.

We had two levels of cards. Like most people, we sent family Christmas cards, but my dad also sent Bob some for his job.

McDonnell My dad worked for a large electronics company in Iowa. For years he was obligated to send Christmas cards to all his employees. My old brain can’t recall how many people reported to him, but I know there were stacks and stacks of sealed envelopes on the kitchen counter.

Dad only signed the cards. He left the remainder of the task to my mother. I wonder if he even knew who

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some of his subordinates were?

Another part of the process at our house involved licking the stamps and the envelope flaps. My mom recruited me to assist her when it came to this part of the tradition. This job left a bad taste in my mouth — both literally and figuratively.

Aside from my dad’s business aspect of Christmas card dispensing, my family loved to get and give Christmas cards.

Our modest, Midwest living room became a showcase for all the incoming cards. A wall full of built-in bookcases displayed this colorful array, all carefully taped to the shelves and the spines of books.

I have another interesting memory of those times dealing with Christmas cards while growing up. My mother kept a tally of which friends and relatives reciprocated by sending cards to us. At some point in my teens, keeping these records fell to me.

A special address book contained a line of blank spaces where we noted if the person listed in the book sent us cards over the years. A quick glance showed if some slacker got our card but didn’t send one back.

Every year, while addressing Christmas card envelopes, my mother checked this ledger to see if someone was worthy of getting our card. I think she imposed the “three strike” rule. A blank in three prior years’ columns in the address book meant the person no longer earned the right of a card from the McDonnell family.

Imagine her surprise and joy if my mother still lived.

She could automate most of these Christmas card tasks.

First, all the addresses would be in a spreadsheet. No more pencil erasures or ink marks through a name. With computers, the drudgery of addressing all those envelopes disappears, too.

I imagine her awe as a computer spits out printed labels for application to the envelopes.

Something tells me mom would still want to keep track — maybe via spreadsheet — of who stopped sending us cards.

I feel she would still say a real, tangible Christmas card has meaning — that’s our way.

Celebrating Christmas in Berthoud • 2013

What to do during the holidays Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

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Surveyor staff

If you are thinking of doing something different during the Christmas season we have a few ideas that you might consider for family togetherness.

Denver As part of Downtown Denver’s Winter in the City program, at 6 p.m. on Nov. 29, 2013, Downtown Denver’s Grand Illumination event will light up downtown from Denver Union Station to the City and County Building. Following a countdown shortly after 6:30 p.m., Denver Union Station will be ablaze with brightly colored floodlights illuminating the historic structure in the heart of Lower Downtown and its lighted tree in front.

The light exhibition runs through the end of December.

Take a stroll through Denver Zoo’s Zoo Lights and you’ll “oooh” and “ahhh” over ther 38 brilliantly-illuminated acres of lights and more than 150 animated animal sculptures. Enjoy entertainment throughout the night while you beat the cold by enjoying some warm treats from one of the many warming stations. It’s the perfect way to light up your holiday spirit.

The sky will once again sparkle over the 16th Street Mall this New Year’s Eve with the New Year’s Eve Fireworks Downtown, presented by the Downtown Denver Partnership.

Co-sponsors of the display are Visit Denver and the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District. As part of the partnership’s Winter in the City program, the two spectacular fireworks shows will occur at 9 p.m. and midnight. It is recommended that viewers stand along the 16th Street Mall for optimal viewing.

Denver’s Authentic German Christkindl Market — Relive a centuries-old German tradition at the 13th annual Denver Christkindl Market in the heart of downtown Denver. This German Christmas market again brings the sights, sounds and flavors of the holiday season with its music, food, holiday lights and old-world vendors to Skyline Park, right across from the Daniels & Fisher Clock Tower on the 16th Street Mall. The event is open to the public and provides an authentic atmosphere of the German holiday season, reminiscent of the times families spend at the Christmas markets throughout Europe.

The event will open on Friday, Nov. 22 and goes through Saturday, Dec. 21 – Sunday through Thursday, from 11a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information go to the website at http://denverchristkindlmarket.com.

Fort Collins Under the direction of Glenn Shull, the Foothills Pops Band welcomes the Holiday Season with “Cranberry Pops.” The band will feature seasonal selections to warm the heart and the hearth on Sunday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Center Magnolia Theatre in Fort Collins. For more information visit the website at www.foothillspopsband.org Join us for an evening of merriment and holiday cheer. The Dickens Carolers of the Larimer Chorale, dressed in authentic Victorian costumes, will sing many of the favorite carols to help you ring in the holiday season, Dec. 11 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Council Tree Library 2733 Council Tree Ave., Ft. Collins.

Loveland “The Nutcracker,” presented by Canyon Concert Ballet will be on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. at the Rialto Theater Center, 228 E. Fourth St. Enjoy the excitement as Clara dreams that her gift, a handsome Nutcracker doll, vanquishes the evil Rat King and they continue on a magical adventure. This cherished holiday tradition showcases the talents of Canyon Concert Ballet’s Company dancers, as well as a cast of students from Canyon Concert Dance Center. Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at

Denver’s Authentic German Christkindl Market.

970-962-2120, or in person at the Rialto Theater Center box office.

The Rialto Theater Center kicks off the holiday season in Downtown Loveland with a special screening of “Holiday Inn” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4. This classic holiday film tells the tale of a crooner and a hoofer who vie for the affections of a beautiful up-and-coming performer. Tickets are $7 and may be purchased online, by phone at 970-962-2120, or in person at the Rialto Theater Center box office.

Leslie Bricusse’s spectacular musical extravaganza “Scrooge” is a heart-warming family story based on Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol,” featuring the Oscar-nominated hit “Thank You Very Much.” Packed with memorable songs and classic characters, “Scrooge” is pure hit family entertainment from overture to final curtain. For more information visit the website at www.coloradocandlelight.com.

Celebrating Christmas in Berthoud • 2013

A great holiday candy

T

his is a great holiday recipe for gifting. First of all, it’s so easy to make. Just add the ingredients to a slow cooker, set a timer for about three hours and put your feet up.

After three or four hours simply mix and spoon into cupcake liners.

Allow a couple of hours to cool and you are done.

The recipe comes to us via facebook. In a brief description the originator stated she had forgotten a batch, leaving it in the slow cooker for five hours with no ill effects.

I am afraid you will have to take her word for it — I have not tried Rudy going much beyond three hours as Hemmann the recipe specifies.

The regular readers of this column are aware that I like to give treats to friends and neighbors during the Christmas holidays. You can bet they will all find a few of these in their goody bags.

Holiday Candies 2 lbs. lightly salted dry roasted peanuts 3 cups chocolate chips 1 (4 oz.) package German sweet chocolate 1 (24 oz.) package almond bark Items for “garnish,” if desired. See notes below.

Place the first four items in a slow cooker set to low heat. Let the ingredients melt together for 3 hours. Mix, spoon into cupcake liners, filling each from ½ to ¾ full, and allow to cool.

This recipe will make three to four dozen candies.

Notes: As you may have noticed from the picture, I added miniature marshmallows and mini pretzels as “garnish” to the tops of some of the candies before they had a chance to cool. We had these items in the house; they needed to be used and the items did make the candies look a bit festive. You can also use M&Ms. I used milk chocolate chips — but could have used semi-sweet chips as well It might also be interesting to try substituting chopped pecans for the peanuts. Something resembling turtles comes to mind.

If you are unable to find precisely 2 lbs. of peanuts

Give the gift of information.

Call 970-532-2252 to order today.

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

12

at your favorite grocer and do not have a kitchen scale, here is a handy measuring tip. Two level cups of peanuts equals about eight ounces. To make a full batch use eight cups of peanuts.

I do not advise trying to fill cupcake liners without placing them in a muffin tin. The liners alone are just not sturdy enough.

Enjoy.

Celebrating Christmas in Berthoud •2013

It’s that time again

By Bob McDonnell The Surveyor

Is it that time again?

It seems as if I just wrote last year’s list of unusual Christmas gifts.

In searching for offbeat presents, this year’s findings did not disappoint.

Here are a few suggestions of gifts for those hard-to-shop-for friends and relatives.

There must be someone on your list who craves more than the one fortune cookie they received at the end of a meal.

Consider the Sunbeam fortune cookie maker.

Unfortunately — pun intended — the cookie maker found at amazon.com only makes two cookies at a time. It does allow the creative types to design new cookie shapes.

What do you want for $30?

Everyone seems to be into “green” products. The website uncommongoods.com contains a recycled guitar pick.

No, this is not an old pick. It is a new one made from old material.

In this case, in the pick’s former life, it was a cymbal.

A metal pick appears to change the tone of a guitar in a good way.

I guess it is not surprising that the picks come from Nashville, Tenn.

If you want a more traditional pick with a new twist, try gifts.com. It’s possible to purchase personalized plastic picks there. By personalized, I mean your picture, or theirs, on the pick, along with three lines of text.

Want to go big with a Christmas gift?

Give someone a piece of Ireland. For a mere $50, buyireland.com allows you to own real estate in Ireland.

Before you start designing your home for this land, realize that your purchased area is one square foot.

That’s slightly larger than a sheet of computer paper.

Do you know someone who is too busy to go to the local convenience store, but craves a Slurpee?

The home Slurpee maker is your answer. This $20 gift at amazon.com looks to be child-oriented. Operation is by a hand crank — no batteries necessary.

The Slurpee connoisseur uses his or her own juice or soda to brew up the at-home frozen treat.

Some of you may need to shop for a fisherman on your Christmas list. Why not order a custom fisherman bobble head for him or her?

The approximately seven-inch tall $80 bobble head looks like the person, because you provide

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

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rockbobblehead.com with a photo of the person along with hair and eye color and complexion.

Gifts for the entire family are nice. If you know someone whose home has no fireplace, here is an idea.

Thanks to modern technology, a high definition DVD of fires can fill that gap.

The ambient fire DVD allows the homeowner to view nine different types of fires. The video is 90 minutes long and can be looped for continuous playing.

It’s hard to go wrong with jewelry as a gift for a woman.

In this year’s gift search, I found a tiny kaleidoscope necklace. By tiny, I mean it is one inch long and a quarter inch in diameter The shaft of the kaleidoscope is sterling silver with little grains of sea glass, recycled glass and mineral gems inside.

Two websites offer these — uncommongoods.com and kaleidoscopestoyou.com.

Until next Christmas, happy shopping!

Berthoud Weekly Surveyor

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Christmas at the movies

C

hristmas is a popular time for movie releases and to visit the movie theater, especially with family. Every year the studios release a slew of family-oriented films and this year is no exception, although they have tucked in one or two adult comedies as well.

One of the most anticipated films of this holiday season is a blockbuster of epic proportions. “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” hits theaters on Dec. 13 and is the second movie in the Hobbit’s three-part movie trilogy.

In this film the dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug, the dragon.

Dedicated fans of the book have been skeptical of this franchise that has taken Heidi relatively short book and turned the Kerr-Schlaefer astory into three feature- length films.

Instead of leaving things out, which is usually the case when books are turned into movies, this film has had to add things in; something purists aren’t too happy about. However, the movie is expected to do well despite the skepticism of some longtime Hobbit enthusiasts.

It’s been nine years since “Anchorman” was in theaters, and this Christmas “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” will premiere on Dec. 20. The same cast, albeit nine years older, will appear in the film including; Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy, Christina Applegate as Veronica Corningstone, Steve Carell as Brick Tamland, Paul Rudd as Brian Fantana and David Koechner as Champ Kind.

Celebrating Christmas in Berthoud • 2013 Will this team of comedians be able to strike comedy gold twice? The first movie set the bar high, so only time will tell.

“Saving Mr. Banks” should be a good one for lovers of all things Disney. This film is centered on the production of the 1964 Walt Disney Studios film, “Mary Poppins.” Emma Thompson plays the role of P.L. Tavers, the English author of the children’s book, “Mary Poppins.” The movie focuses on the two weeks Tavers spent in Los Angeles while Walt Disney, played by Tom Hanks, tried to obtain the screen rights to her novel.

Hopes are high for this film, in part because in 2011 the screenplay was listed in film executive Franklin Leonard’s Black List, as one of the best screenplays that was not in production (as voted by producers). The film is in theaters nationwide on Dec. 20.

A primarily male-oriented film, “Grudge Match,” opens on Christmas Day and stars Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro as washed-up ex-professional boxers. The two men, who hate one another, are coaxed out of retirement to have one last grudge match to determine the champ once and for all. This movie falls in line with a collection of comedies starring older actors such as “Last Las Vegas.”

For the younger kiddos, “Frozen” is sure to be a hit. This is Disney’s latest animated film and was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale, “The Snow Queen.”

As usual, some famous actors have lent their voices to this film, including Kristen Bell. The story involves two princesses; one with a very special power that she has kept hidden. She can make ice, but during her coronation her powers get out of control. The distraught princess goes into hiding, but her sister embarks on an adventure to find her and to save their Kingdom from eternal winter.

This one comes out early, Nov. 27, giving children the opportunity to see it multiple times throughout the holiday season.

BERTHOUD LIVING CENTER

“Your neighborhood skilled nursing and rehab center” 970.532.2683 855 Franklin Ave. Berthoud, Colorado

Our family at the Surveyor wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Becky Hemmann Rudy Hemmann John Gardner Diane Wells Jo Buckridge

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