1. Mark Twain wrote a charming letter to his young daughter, Susie, in the guise of Santa Claus. You can read it here. I especially like when he tells her that a little girl named Snow Flake needed a certain present more than she.
2. Catch and make your own snowflake at SnowDays. It’s fun, it’s easy, and you can send happy greetings to people all over the world when they click on your snowflake. We play here every Christmas. Close to 9,000,000 flakes have been created.
3. Tommy’s 8th birthday is in 10 days. His fervent birthday wish? A hamburger from Dairy Queen. That’s doable. I find it interesting that he loves his December birthday because of its proximity to Christmas. I’d think a December birthday would be a bit of a bummer because all the gifts come in one burst. My June birthday ensures I get gifted every six months.
4. Alton Brown’s hot cocoa mix recipe makes an easy, yummy gift—especially if you use high quality Dutch-process cocoa. Put it in a cool jar, print out instructions on cute paper. We did this one year for teacher’s gifts.
5. This song strongly reminds me of childhood Christmases spent with my dad’s side of the family (German Catholic Minnesotans). I love it. Beware, though. It causes a sudden desire to polka, eat tongue in tomato sauce, and clink mugs of foamy stuff. An additional beware: It’s BOB DYLAN! I think this video is responsible for Sam’s desire for a accordion for Christmas.