A Santa Claus Chocolate Fish Pop (2001)

Small children can say the darnest things and every once in a while they’ll combine a couple of stories to make a real interesting one.

Amber had just finished watching a cartoon where a penguin who was going on a picnic, decided to pack some frozen “fish” pops.

I know it doesn’t sound very appetizing but to a penguin cartoon character it’s a real treat.
Anyway about the same time I remembered about the extra Santa Claus chocolate pop that I had bought for Amber and stuck it on the refrigerator.
When we went into the kitchen we discovered that it was gone. Obviously we had to point the finger at my eldest daughter.

I told Amber that she would have to ask her older sister about her missing Santa Claus chocolate pop.
A short time later with her hands on her hips she said to her sister, “Did you eat my Santa Claus chocolate fish pop?”
Of course my eldest daughter had never heard of such a thing and thought that it was disgusting, but in the end she learned what she was talking about.

Apparently she had enjoyed Amber’s Santa Claus chocolate pop and was certainly relieved that it had no fish ingredients in it.
Small children can say cute things. It makes us all smile every once in a while especially at Christmas time when all the little children around the world

should all be enjoying a Santa Claus chocolate pop. and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all this is reading this!

“It’s the childhood way- To have those cute things to say”

2001

Santa Claus’ Driving On The Road Suggestions (2002)

SANTA CLAUS IS GETTING READY AT THE NORTH POLE-
SO THAT THE WONDERS OF CHRISTMAS EVE CAN UNFOLD!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
AND WHILE HE PREPARES TO GET OUT ON THE ROAD-
THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT HE WANTS
TO SAY TO EASE UP HIS LOAD!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“DON’T EVEN FATHOM THE THOUGHT TO DRINK
AND DRIVE-
SO THAT ALL OF MY STOPS WILL INCLUDE
PATRONS THAT ARE SAFE AND ALIVE!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“EVERYONE ON THIS HOLIDAY SHOULD HAVE
LOTS OF FUN-
AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT IT CAN BE
UNSELFISHLY DONE!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“IF ONE FEELS THE DESIRE TO PARTY AND DRINK-
THEN ALL ONE HAS TO DO IS JUST SIT FOR A
MOMENT AND THINK!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“BE SURE TO HAVE A SAFE WAY HOME FOR ALL
CONCERNED-
THE LESSON NOT TO, HAS BEEN DONE AND
MANY HAVE BEEN BURNED!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“AND STOP AT THOSE RED LIGHTS IS WHAT I’D
ALSO LIKE TO SAY-
“FOR WHATEVER REASON YOU’RE IN SUCH A HURRY,
THAT ONE RED LIGHT ISN’T WORTH THE PAIN
CAUSED BY THE SCURRY!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“I HAVE MANY STOPS TO MAKE AND I PLAN
THEM WELL AHEAD-
I JUST DON’T JUMP IN MY SLEIGH, AND HURRY
DOWN THE ROAD DIRECTLY FROM MY BED!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
” AS FAR AS ROAD RAGE THERE IS NO
SOUND REASON-
“TO GET ALL BENT OUT OF SHAPE DURING
THIS MERRY HOLIDAY SEASON!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“RELAX, BREATHE DEEP, AND SIMMER DOWN-
FOR THERE IS MUCH TO SEE WITH ALL THE
HOLIDAY SIGHTS AND SOUNDS!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“I’VE ENJOYED ALL YOUR LETTERS, E-MAILS,
AND A FEW PHONE CALLS-
ALONG WITH MY EARLY VISITS WITH YOU AT THE
NEIGBORHOOD MALLS!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“BUT PLEASE WHEN YOU HAVE TO MAKE A PHONE
CALL FROM YOUR CELL-
DON’T MAKE IT WHILE DRIVING FOR I WISH YOU
STAY WELL!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
TOO MANY ACCIDENTS HAVE HAPPENED WITH PEOPLE
USING CELL PHONES WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY-
THOSE CONVERSATIONS SHOULD BE HANDLED AT
ANOTHER PLACE OR ANOTHER TIME IS WHAT I’D HAVE
TO SAY!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“WHATEVER YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT CAN WAIT SO
THAT YOU CAN KEEP YOUR EYES ON WHAT IS UP
AHEAD-
I HOPE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO WHAT
YOUR CONCERNED SANTA CLAUS HAS SAID!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“IT’S ALSO SILLY TO WATCH TV WHILE DRIVING
IN THE CAR-
WAIT UNTIL YOU GET HOME IN A COMFORTABLE
ENVIRONMENT WITH NO OTHER THOUGHT AT HAND
TO ADMIRE THAT SHINING STAR!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I SAY TO YOU TO DO
WHAT I DO BEFORE I HEAD ON OUT-
I ALWAYS BUCKLE UP FIRST BEFORE HEADING OUT
ON MY ROUTE!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“WITH ALL BUCKLED IN, THE RIDE IN MY SLEIGH,
OR IN YOUR CAR WILL BE AS IT SHOULD-
FOR SAFETY’S SAKE AS MUCH AS YOU COULD.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“HO! HO! HO! NOW THAT I’M FINISHED PREACHING
ON THE SUBECT OF YOUR SAFETY FOR THE HOLIDAY-
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GET READY FOR ME, FOR
I WILL BE SHORTLY ON MY WAY!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR INTO THE
YEAR 2003-
MAY WE ALL COUNT OUR BLESSINGS THAT WILL BE ACCIDENT
FREE!

Halloween in 2003

Orange and black is the color this month. the cool weather is upon us and before too long we will be experiencing those shorter days.

Fall festivals and/or halloweening is on the menu. kids just love to think about what they are going to wear and the fun that they will have.
I can remember as a child getting out of school and hardly being able to finish eating my dinner knowing that the night had come.

Surely I was going to get a bagful as I went house to house. we used to eat popcorn balls that were homemade. can you imagine that? We didn’t know what house they came from, but ate them anyway because back in those days no harm could come to us.

Of course we have to be more careful today, but the fun is still there. the makeup and the costumes let the children be whomever they want to be for the night.

Some are scary figures while many others are just downright fun. I’ve seen my grandchildren dress as the teletubbies and some Disney characters. one of my grandsons was a pirate one year and the way that his hat was made reminded me of Napoleon.

My husband used to dress real scary back in the old days but with the little ones we don’t want them to get scared so he has had to tone it down quite a bit.

One year I decided not to dress up at all and I still got a compliment. a lady came up to me and said, “that is amazing what you did with your hair!” I guess that my hair can get out of hand every once in a while. all I had done is brush it so you can go figure.
I see the candy corn and all the games that amber and my grandchildren are going to play. this is the season for the little ones and a lot of fun they do have.

I’m looking forward to seeing all the children around town as they sport their costumes. there is just no other holiday like this one.

“Fun is one thing
that does not lack-
In this exciting
season of orange and
black!”

Halloween in 2003

Orange and black is the color this month. the cool weather is upon us and before too long we will be experiencing those shorter days.

Fall festivals and/or halloweening is on the menu. kids just love to think about what they are going to wear and the fun that they will have.
I can remember as a child getting out of school and hardly being able to finish eating my dinner knowing that the night had come.

Surely I was going to get a bagful as I went house to house. we used to eat popcorn balls that were homemade. can you imagine that? We didn’t know what house they came from, but ate them anyway because back in those days no harm could come to us.

Of course we have to be more careful today, but the fun is still there. the makeup and the costumes let the children be whomever they want to be for the night.

Some are scary figures while many others are just downright fun. I’ve seen my grandchildren dress as the teletubbies and some Disney characters. one of my grandsons was a pirate one year and the way that his hat was made reminded me of Napoleon.

My husband used to dress real scary back in the old days but with the little ones we don’t want them to get scared so he has had to tone it down quite a bit.

One year I decided not to dress up at all and I still got a compliment. a lady came up to me and said, “that is amazing what you did with your hair!” I guess that my hair can get out of hand every once in a while. all I had done is brush it so you can go figure.
I see the candy corn and all the games that amber and my grandchildren are going to play. this is the season for the little ones and a lot of fun they do have.

I’m looking forward to seeing all the children around town as they sport their costumes. there is just no other holiday like this one.

“Fun is one thing
that does not lack-
In this exciting
season of orange and
black!”

Halloween in 2003

Orange and black is the color this month. the cool weather is upon us and before too long we will be experiencing those shorter days.

Fall festivals and/or halloweening is on the menu. kids just love to think about what they are going to wear and the fun that they will have.
I can remember as a child getting out of school and hardly being able to finish eating my dinner knowing that the night had come.

Surely I was going to get a bagful as I went house to house. we used to eat popcorn balls that were homemade. can you imagine that? We didn’t know what house they came from, but ate them anyway because back in those days no harm could come to us.

Of course we have to be more careful today, but the fun is still there. the makeup and the costumes let the children be whomever they want to be for the night.

Some are scary figures while many others are just downright fun. I’ve seen my grandchildren dress as the teletubbies and some Disney characters. one of my grandsons was a pirate one year and the way that his hat was made reminded me of Napoleon.

My husband used to dress real scary back in the old days but with the little ones we don’t want them to get scared so he has had to tone it down quite a bit.

One year I decided not to dress up at all and I still got a compliment. a lady came up to me and said, “that is amazing what you did with your hair!” I guess that my hair can get out of hand every once in a while. all I had done is brush it so you can go figure.
I see the candy corn and all the games that amber and my grandchildren are going to play. this is the season for the little ones and a lot of fun they do have.

I’m looking forward to seeing all the children around town as they sport their costumes. there is just no other holiday like this one.

“Fun is one thing
that does not lack-
In this exciting
season of orange and
black!”

The Pink Blue And Yellow Mice (2007)

The work place is one in which you spend so much time in, that if anything is moved, you will notice it.
The plants are in place, as are the pictures on the wall, along with the co-worker’s knick-knacks. One
day I happened to notice three cute little toy mice, hanging from a picture frame that had been on my
co-workers’ desk for quite a while.
One was pink, one was blue, and one was yellow.

They were precious, and I found out that they were actually made for a cat to play with, but my
co-worker had thought that they were so cute, that she just had to buy them and hang them in the
office, with the picture frame of her children, being the chosen spot.

Well, I got used to looking at the cute mice, until one day, two of them happened to disappear. I looked
again, and the only one left was the pink one. Surely they did not walk away by themselves. The mystery
was quickly solved when I found out that my co-worker’s two children had come by to visit during my
lunch break. Obviously they had thought they were cute too, and each one had taken a mouse home.

Another example of how a mother shares with her children. Always one more way to give. I’d like to replace
the two mice to put back on the picture frame, but then it would spoil the story. The two empty spots
remind me of the love that my co-worker and her children share.

“Some things unseen-
Make for a pleasant scene.”

The Old Man’s Christmas (2003)

I once knew an elderly man whose eyes shined when he looked back on his  childhood holiday memories. I know that I’ve written about him before but it has  been a long time and I think that it is well worth repeating.

The man was born in the early 1900’s and the holiday season was not as  commercial as it is nowadays. there were no video games or cd’s to be wished for  as they were items that had not been dreamed up yet.

But dreams did exist back in those days although they were on a more simple  basis. As the boy lay in his bed he pictured Santa Claus bringing him a bag  filled with fruit and candy. it was what he had gotten the year before and the  year before that. Nothing else could possibly come to his mind except  the  wonderful treats that he had come to expect.

The best part of the holiday really was his mothers’ cooking. She’d cook  for just about the whole week before the holiday arrived. Cookies, candies, and  pies would be on the menu and throughout the whole house the smell would give  away the idea that the holiday was on the way.

Back in those days the out of town relatives would come to the boys’ house  and the amount of food would be enormous as everyone would make sure that there  was plenty.

The relatives brought their favorite foods to add to what his mother made.  The boy ended up with one huge feast and the best family gathering each and  every year.

That is the part that he remembered and missed the most. The treat bag with  the fruit, which included apples, oranges, and candy was just the icing on the  cake.

He never really thought to ask for anything for the Christmas holiday  because he was always afforded just exactly what he needed.

A wonderful Christmas holiday that left him with a lifetime of wonderful  memories. it made his eyes shine back then and kept them shining as an old man  everytime he recollected the story of his childhood.

“A wonderful childhood is the reason-

The old mans’ eyes shined during the holiday season!”

The Old Man’s Christmas (2003)

I once knew an elderly man whose eyes shined when he looked back on his  childhood holiday memories. I know that I’ve written about him before but it has  been a long time and I think that it is well worth repeating.

The man was born in the early 1900’s and the holiday season was not as  commercial as it is nowadays. there were no video games or cd’s to be wished for  as they were items that had not been dreamed up yet.

But dreams did exist back in those days although they were on a more simple  basis. As the boy lay in his bed he pictured Santa Claus bringing him a bag  filled with fruit and candy. it was what he had gotten the year before and the  year before that. Nothing else could possibly come to his mind except  the  wonderful treats that he had come to expect.

The best part of the holiday really was his mothers’ cooking. She’d cook  for just about the whole week before the holiday arrived. Cookies, candies, and  pies would be on the menu and throughout the whole house the smell would give  away the idea that the holiday was on the way.

Back in those days the out of town relatives would come to the boys’ house  and the amount of food would be enormous as everyone would make sure that there  was plenty.

The relatives brought their favorite foods to add to what his mother made.  The boy ended up with one huge feast and the best family gathering each and  every year.

That is the part that he remembered and missed the most. The treat bag with  the fruit, which included apples, oranges, and candy was just the icing on the  cake.

He never really thought to ask for anything for the Christmas holiday  because he was always afforded just exactly what he needed.

A wonderful Christmas holiday that left him with a lifetime of wonderful  memories. it made his eyes shine back then and kept them shining as an old man  everytime he recollected the story of his childhood.

“A wonderful childhood is the reason-

The old mans’ eyes shined during the holiday season!”

The Pink Blue And Yellow Mice (2007)

The work place is one in which you spend so much time in, that if anything is moved, you will notice it.
The plants are in place, as are the pictures on the wall, along with the co-worker’s knick-knacks. One
day I happened to notice three cute little toy mice, hanging from a picture frame that had been on my
co-workers’ desk for quite a while.
One was pink, one was blue, and one was yellow.

They were precious, and I found out that they were actually made for a cat to play with, but my
co-worker had thought that they were so cute, that she just had to buy them and hang them in the
office, with the picture frame of her children, being the chosen spot.

Well, I got used to looking at the cute mice, until one day, two of them happened to disappear. I looked
again, and the only one left was the pink one. Surely they did not walk away by themselves. The mystery
was quickly solved when I found out that my co-worker’s two children had come by to visit during my
lunch break. Obviously they had thought they were cute too, and each one had taken a mouse home.

Another example of how a mother shares with her children. Always one more way to give. I’d like to replace
the two mice to put back on the picture frame, but then it would spoil the story. The two empty spots
remind me of the love that my co-worker and her children share.

“Some things unseen-
Make for a pleasant scene.”

Plenty of Candy Canes On The Tree (2009)

A friend put up her Christmas tree and decorated it heavily with candy canes. I use the word heavily, because it’s funny how the candy canes begin to disappear from the tree as soon as they’re put on there.

Surely it’s not some little magical elves taking them off, but her own grandchildren. Experience from past years has brought her to the conclusion that if there are to be any candy canes left for christmas day, then she must line them heavily on the tree!

I love candy canes. It used to be that they were only red and white striped, but now they come in a variety of colors and flavors. A friend at work happened to mention the chocolate ones. I haven’t seen any, but it sounds good to me.

Originally, my friend used the canes to help keep the kids quiet at home, but after doling out a few to my own grandchildren I find that they’ll keep kids quiet for a few, no matter where they are.

I think I’ll put a few on my tree. Make that more than a few, for as my friend has taught..a few does not travel very far.

“Candy canes on the tree-
A delight for all the kids to eat and see!”

-2009-