Posts Tagged ‘holidays’

The Internet Christmas Tree

Sunday, December 5th, 2010

I remember, from my childhood, going out into the woods with my parents, finding the perfect tree, and cutting it down to bring home.  We did that once.  That was far too rough and rugged for my parents — their idea of roughing it was Opera in the Park.  So they bought a plastic tree with little plastic bunches of green pine needles that kept falling off the brown plastic branches and we never had a real tree again.

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The Christmas Tree As Family Art Project

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

Remember way back when, when kids actually made ornaments to decorate the tree this time of year?  In my day, we strung popcorn on thread and made chains of brightly colored paper rings.  There were the clay ornaments brought home from school shaped and colored by each child’s hand along with cut-out and colored paper snowflakes and macaroni-and-too-much-glue works of art.  Perhaps it is, once again, time to restore crafts and art to das tannenbaum.  After seeing this tree, I think I’m sold.

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Zero-Maintenance Pets

Sunday, November 21st, 2010

While we were on holiday this past summer, I noticed an advert playing in heavy rotation on whatever kids’ television station they had on in the dining room of the hotel where they served the free breakfast each morning.  At the time, it seemed like one of those annoying, over-priced, “as seen on TV” products that we’re all used to being disappointed by, should we be foolish enough to purchase one.  Fast forward to the advent of the year-end begging-for-toys season and I’m dreaming of the relative peace of blaring television ads.  Yes, my kids want Pillow Pets.

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Toddlers Versus The TSA

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

By now, I’m sure just about everyone has heard about the three-year-old that was “hand-searched” by TSA agents after she got upset about having her teddy bear taken away.  It turned out that the girl’s father was a TV reporter; he pulled out his cellphone and recorded the search.  (The video has since been removed from YouTube due to copyright infringement.)

As you might expect, the opinions on this are all over the place, ranging from “this is sexual molestation of children!” to “if we don’t search children, the terrorists will put bombs in their diapers!”  I think reality is somewhere in the middle — I suspect the parents could have done better job of preparing their child for the process but I also think the TSA is probably ill-prepared and poorly-trained to handle such situations.

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Happy Fourth of July!

Sunday, July 4th, 2010

Today is the anniversary of the signing of one of the most incredible documents ever composed in all of man’s history.  It formed what was to become, despite its problems, one of the greatest nations ever seen.  If you’ve got a moment, here are a couple of videos to remind you what this country is all about and, perhaps, bring a smile to your face.

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Happy Father’s Day 2010!

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

Being a father is truly the greatest adventure one can take.  Nothing else can instill such fear, excitement, and joy into a man’s heart as a child.  From seeing them take their first steps to watching them walk across a university stage to collect their diploma, it is a roller coaster ride like no other.  It truly takes a hero’s courage to make the journey from birth to adulthood alongside their child or children.

If you’re a dad, take a moment on this day set aside to honor all dads and consider where this journey has taken you and where you might yet still travel.  Take a break from watching out for possible danger and instead reflect on the fact that you’ve made it this far and your kids are still alive and kicking.  That’s quite an accomplishment right there.

If you’ve got a dad (or dads), take a moment to ponder the sacrifices he made for you, from something as simple skipping candle-lit dinners and movies to spend time with you to the tens of thousands of dollars spent on piano lessons, dance classes, summer camps, emergency room visits, auto insurance premiums, and so on.  It’s not that you should feel guilty or that you owe your dad anything, but just a way of understanding a fraction of how much your dad really cares for you.  Not every dad has it in them to say “I love you” in words but most do it everyday through their actions.

And if you’re a dad and you have a dad, watch out because they’re almost certainly working together and plotting against you.

Whatever the case, have a wonderful father’s day!

The New Tap Dance Kid

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Today is National Tap Dance Day.  Bet you didn’t know that.  Every May 25th — Bill “Bojangles” Robinson’s birthday — is set aside to honor the art form that gets everyone’s toes tapping.  And so, here’s an amazing video of a young tap dancer strutting his stuff.  Sit back and prepare to be amazed.
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