Enjoy A Charlie Brown Christmas!

Hulu is playing many Christmas themed movies right now and this is definitely one of my favorite Christmas movies, so here's the link for you to enjoy it too:



A Charlie Brown Christmas

Or you can watch it here:

Fa, la, la, la, laaa - la-la - la-la!

Slow down and listen to this (again!)

There's a lot of versions of this song, but I enjoy Natalie Cole's voice the best! Listening to the words just makes me cry. (in a good way!)



NOTE: David Foster wrote the music for this song, but Linda Thompson Jenner wrote the lyrics for it in 1990, and they had Natalie Cole sing it for them on a recorded track for one of David Foster's albums, which was a non-holiday album called "River of Love" .

My December Giveaway - 2nd Advent - St. Nikolaustag und Christkindlsmarkt

While I'm feeling the Christmas spirit, listening to Christmas music, wrapping my packages and writing Christmas cards, it occurs to me that I should post my December Giveaway now, so that the winners (yes, winnerS) have a better chance at receiving their prizes by Christmas (hopefully, providing the USPS cooperates!)

I love you guys, and would love to send you all something for Christmas, I hope you know that, but due to financial constraints I can't, BUT this time I will offer 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes for the lucky winners. 

This is what I am offering for my December/Christmas Giveaway. The three winners will chose their prize, first winner choses first, etc. Here we go:

(A) Crocheted towel topper with matching Christmas towel and a metal Christmas cookie cutter set

 - 

(picture of the full design of this towel - perfect for the bird lover in you!)

(B) Crocheted candle (non-flammable and very safe!) and a Lace Ornament cross stitch kit

(C) Set of three metallic Christmas scrubbies (for your dishes) and two children's books for your little ones

How to enter:

1. Leave a comment here on this post (again, if you are a follower you get 2 entries and if you link back to this post from your blog or facebook, you get 3 entries - be sure and lell me that you did this to receive your additional entries!)

2. Tell me your first, second and third choice (A, B, C) to safe time. Be sure I have a way of contacting you and check my blog on Thursday, 12/16/10, for the winners. If you are one of them, please give me your mailing address. You can reach me here: honeybeecrochet@live.com

Everyone is invited to enter (no exclusions!)



IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION: Please chose not only what you want, but what you want first, second and third because if I wait till the winners are drawn and then have to wait to find out who wants what in which order, time will slip away and I won't get it mailed out in time.

If you just want to comment and not be entered, that's ok, but please say that you are only commenting, but you don't want to be included in the Giveaway. Thank you very much. Since Christmas is upon us, I will make this contest quick so that I can mail the gifts the next day!

LAST DAY TO ENTER IS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15H - (Winners will be announced on Thursday, 12/16/10 and prizes will be mailed Friday 12/17/10 and the rest is up to the US Mail!)



GOOD LUCK!



For all of us who celebrate Advent, tomorrow (Sunday, December 5th) we light two candles on our Advent wreath:

(photo from Google Images; sadly those adorable girls are not my grandkids)

If you missed my Advent post earlier, you can read about this custom and how we celebrate it in Germany where I was born and raised.



Also, some of us will be celebrating Nikolaustag on Monday, December 6th. (That's where the American custom of hanging stockings on the mantel came from.)

This is another fun- yet useful - tradition that I have talked about last year and instead of being repetitious, I'll just give you the link. I highly recommend reading this very interesting and informative post about St. Nikolaus and how he and his assistant (Knecht Ruprecht) help make children mind. American parents may want to consider adopting this custom. It worked for me!

Saint Nikolaus and his Ruprechts coming down the mountain to talk to all the good and bad little boys and girls. I call it "Tough Religion!" We could use some of that here (no?)

Also, the Nuernberger Christkindlsmarkt opened on November 26th and continues till Christmas Eve, December 24th. This is another reason I miss being in Germany during the holidays. There's always something wonderful to experience and I'm glad I had the chance to do so while living in Bavaria for the first 18 years of my life. I'm glad to be able to share these memories with my American friends today.

I have written a very detailed and wonderfully illustrated post about "the little town of wood and cloth" (the Nuremberg Christkindl Market) last year and I think you will not be disappointed reading about it at your leisure. (don't laugh! you can read it after Christmas!)

Let me make you smile!

Just a quick post to share some Gizzy photos (of course! - what else?) I've got lots to tell you, but have major packing and mailing to do and Christmas cards to write, so I'll catch up with you all later!

Here's litte Gizzy and his big cousins (don't ask!)

(look at his silly expression, like he's stuffed too)

Festive Gizzy!

Wind-blown Gizzy!

(squinting in the sun)

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!