Our First Christmas Together 2011 Hallmark Ornament

After I got married in 2007 my husband and I started collecting Hallmark ornaments.  It all started with an adorable “Just Married” ornament I received from my sweet Mother-in-Law.  Since that time my husband and I have started giving each other special ornaments each year.

There was also the “Our First Home” ornament which we purchased in 2008.  It was an adorable Gold Key with the words “Our First Home” etched on it.  So lovely and pretty that I get excited to see it come out of its box every year.

A Christmas Story Leg Ornament

Hallmark also offers lots of ornaments from famous Christmas movies – our favorite being from A Christmas Story.  We have a couple different ones from that movie.  One is the leg lamp that lights up and the other is Ralphie dressed as the big pink bunny.  They’re too cute and we giggle every year as we open up our boxes of Christmas decorations and find them nestled away.

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The National Christmas Tree

Also, visit Christmas Town for a behind-the-scenes look at the 2006 National Tree.

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It may seem incredible, as Christmas is still a day plus some away, but next week is the end of the year. And what better way to spend New Year’s Day (while you’re undoubtedly packing away Christmas ornaments and dismantling the tree) than watching the 120th Tournament of Roses Parade?

Al Roker, the weatherman and feature reporter for NBC’s “Today,” and Nancy O’Dell, co-anchor of the daily entertainment news magazine show “Access Hollywood,” are reuniting for the eighth year to co-host NBC’s live, high-definition coverage of the “120th Tournament of Roses Parade” from Pasadena, California, on January 1 from 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET.

This will be Roker’s twelfth year hosting the popular annual event, and the tenth consecutive year for O’Dell.  NBC has been broadcasting the New Year’s Day parade for 82 years, beginning on radio in 1927 and then televising the event beginning in 1954.

With a 2009 theme of “Hats Off to Entertainment,” the parade will feature Emmy and Oscar-winning actress Cloris Leachman as this year’s Grand Marshal.  Leachman has been entertaining audiences for 60 years, most recently as a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars.” She is perhaps best known for her role as Phyllis on the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” and more recently, for her Emmy Award-winning role on “Malcolm in the Middle.” 

The most popular New Year’s Day celebration in the world, the parade will feature 46 lavish floral floats, 21 spectacular marching bands from as far away as England and Mexico, and 18 high-stepping equestrian teams. This year’s Rose Queen and her court will also appear, along with special guests on spectacular floats.

Float highlights this year include a 49-foot tall robot, a skateboarding bulldog, divers diving into a pool perched on top of a float, and beloved “Sesame Street” characters Big Bird, Elmo and Oscar as well as original “Sesame Street” cast member Bob McGrath, plus a float surrounded by 75 disco dancers and Alaska’s inaugural Rose Parade float celebrating the state’s 50-year anniversary.

The Pasadena police department estimates that at least 1 million spectators will line the five-and-a-half mile parade route.  Tens of millions of people worldwide watch the telecast every year.

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This is the last time President Bush and the First Lady will be celebrating the holiday season in the White House, and HGTV will be there to show how they are celebrating the holiday season before exiting the premises so the new tenants can move in.

“White House Christmas 2008,” HGTV’s new TV special, premiers on December 17 at 9 pm ET/PT, giving viewers one final “backstage pass” to the festivities of how the First Family celebrates the holiday season.

Hosted by Sabrina Soto (HGTV’s “Get It Sold” ), this HGTV special spotlights the creation of this year’s decorations, including the yards and yards of garland, hundreds of wreaths and nearly two dozen trees that will be decorated and put on display for the thousands of visitors expected to pass through the White House this holiday season.

Show highlights include:

· First Lady Laura Bush will explain the selection of this year’s patriotic holiday theme: “A Red, White &Blue Christmas”;
· Executive Pastry Chef will talk about his towering gingerbread house creation — a mouthwatering replica of the White House’s North Portico–made with more than 350 pounds of white chocolate and 125 pounds of gingerbread (officials estimate the house to weigh about 500 pounds total!);
· The Blue Room Christmas Tree will be on display, adorned with 369 hand-decorated ornaments from artists around the country; and
· Interviews with Chief Florist, along with various electricians, plumbers, and volunteers along the way who make it all happen.

For more information, click here.

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Woodstock, VT, photo courtesy of HGTV.

In case you missed the one-hour special, “Top 10 Christmas Towns”, which premiered on HGTV December 7, never fear. Not only will the show be reairing all month (check your local listing for air times in your area), but also you can find clips right here.

Also, learn how to create down home holiday craft projects and recipes, including corn shuck angels, cowboy Christmas decorations, wassail and German spiced wine.

Below is a list of the towns, along with highlights.

Check out a slideshow with breathtaking photos here.

1.) NEW ORLEANS, LA – French Quarter Christmas
This city mixes spirit and spirituality during this time of year, shaped by the bayou, blues and Creole Christmas tradition. Traditions include fancy cornucopias filled with candy and flowers, like those used in olden days by gentlemen to woo women. Snow machines give youngsters a fun winter wonderland. Finally, some 2,000 locals gather to see candles in front of the St. Louis cathedral in Jackson Square to pray for those lost during Hurricane Katrina and other hardships over the years.

2.) KENNEBUNKPORT, MAINE – Christmas by the Sea
Residents incorporate seashells into most of their decorations, especially wreaths. They eat lobster for Christmas dinner, rather than turkey – also Santa comes in a lobster boat every year and Christmas trees are made entirely of lobster traps.

3.) MOUNTAIN VIEW, ARKANSAS – Ozarks Christmas
The locals pay tribute to their centuries-long musical heritage by caroling in the caves, in a huge amphitheater located in Blanchard Spring Caverns, where the sound is incredible! Also they make corn shuck angels (made out of corn husks and string) that hold various musical instruments like fiddle banjos and dulcimers, and a guy whittles spools into ornaments.

4.) NORTH POLE, ALASKA – Alaskan Christmas
Just outside of Anchorage, this town celebrates with a stunning ice-carving competition, when artists have 29 hours to create their work using drills, chisels, hot water and heat. With sculptures ranging from a Santa on a rooftop to snowmen to a girl playing a harp while standing on a chair, this event consistently wows the crowds.

5.) ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA – Scottish Christmas
Residents celebrate the town’s rich Scottish heritage, with an annual Christmas parade complete with bagpipes, dogs and a sea of kilts and tartans. The celebration culminates with the elaborate Holiday Boat Parade and a dazzling light show along the Potomac.

6.) MACKINAC ISLAND, MICHIGAN – Vintage Christmas
Just a frozen 20 minute ferry ride from the northern tip of Michigan, this town of only 500 people celebrate Christmas like they did a century ago — people travel only on horse and buggy, since cars have been banned for 100 years. Among the town’s traditions, Santa visits every child to hear their Christmas wish, they have an annual island Christmas bazaar where they sell unique crafts and their decorations are full of lots of green, red and lilacs, which is a special local color.

7.) DURANGO, COLORADO – Old West Christmas
Families use found items from the Old West for ornaments and trimmings, including cowboy boots as stockings, chaps as table runners or bridle bits as garland to wrap around stairwells or railings. They also have a Polar Express which has been around since the late 1880s, where kids show up in PJ’s, and they hop on a locomotive train which rides 30 minutes out of town to the “North Pole,” where Santa is waiting and gives them a little bell.

8.) WOODSTOCK, VERMONT- Medieval-style Christmas
Traditions stem from pagan days, including “wassail weekend” (where they drink apple cider-based drink, with fruits and spices, and alcohol) and a huge Yule Log fire on the village green. The entire town is decked with traditional wreaths and pine garlands throughout.

9.) SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS- Southwestern Christmas
Residents pull out all the stops to make this Christmas memorable, from piñatas and mariachis to riverboats and twinkling trees. Instead of turkey, they make tamales. Some of the traditional Mexican decorations include figurines made from cornhusks wearing colorful dresses. Finally, they stage an annual spirtual and spirited procession, “La Gran Posada,” a moving reenactment of the first Christmas eve.

10.) LEAVENWORTH, WASHINGTON – Bavarian Village
This former mining and logging town was transformed into an over-the-top Bavarian village 40 years ago, complete with Old World traditions for kids and grown-ups and redesigned architecture. There, they sip traditional Gluvine-spiced wine drinks and kids lead a lantern parade every weekend. During the holidays, this 2,200-person town swells to 50,000. The town even has a gingerbread factory that specializes in high-end holiday houses that they ship all over the world.

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I really don’t understand what gets into people that they act all crazy. Yes, I understand that we’re in a recession and it’s stressful, but that’s really no excuse to act like this:

Griswald or grinch?
A 51-year-old woman in Manchester, Md., allegedly stole her neighbors’ (plural) Christmas decorations of their lawns and PUT THEM UP ON HER HOUSE. 

Christmas tree–or weapon?
A 37-year-old guy in Florida who lives with his parents was charged with attacking his father with a three-foot Christmas tree AND its metal stand. Because the tree was attached, I suppose. 

Candy cane, or cuffs?
In my hometown, Sacramento, Ca., a 49-year-old man got drunk and crashed a party waving a knife and trying to cut people. Someone subdued him with a two-foot plastic candy cane lawn ornament until police arrived. No comment on where the candy cane was placed…

I think there are at least a few people getting lumps of coal in their stockings this year!

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Tune in to NBC tonight, December 3, from 8-9 p.m. ET/PT for a dazzling display of musical talent and the lighting of the world’s most famous Christmas tree during the 11th annual “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” telecast.

Hosted by Al Roker (“Today”), the star-studded annual tree lighting extravaganza features Beyoncé, Tony Bennett, Neil Boyd, Jonas Brothers, Harry Connick Jr., David Cook, Rosie O’Donnell and The Broadway Kids, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts, and Solange Knowles performing current hits and holiday classics from Rockefeller Center in New York City.

NBC’s New York flagship station WNBC, and the NBC Hartford station WVIT, will both broadcast an additional live hour of the special locally from 7-8 p.m. prior to the start of the network broadcast.

The tradition of the Rockefeller Christmas tree dates back to the Great Depression in 1933, when the first tree was decked with 700 lights and placed in front of the then eight-month-old RCA Building, now the GE Building. The Christmas tree gathering was enhanced in 1936 with the opening of the Rockefeller Plaza outdoor ice-skating pond. NBC-TV televised the first tree lighting in 1951 on “The Kate Smith Show” and as part of the nationwide “Howdy Doody” television show from 1953-55.

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HGTV’s “Home For The Holidays” is a new one-hour holiday special premiering on Sunday, November 30, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV.

Here’s what the show has in store for viewers:

· Monica Pedersen (from HGTV’s “Designed to Sell” series) has been building and decorating gingerbread houses with her mom since she was a little girl in Chicago and this year, she creates a one-of-a-kind edible architectural masterpiece that looks like the charming English Tudor inn that her husband’s family runs nearby and where she and her family spend almost every Christmas Eve. This themed gingerbread house has Kit-Kats as logs, red and green Gummy wreaths and English toffee as siding on the house.

· Lisa LaPorta (“Designed to Sell”) surprises her mom with a winter wonderland–in Los Angeles–complete with 15 tons of snow and 10,000 lights strung on the lawn and house – they’re both from Chicago, so both haven’t seen snow in years. Lisa dupes her mom into leaving the house and then completely transforms the exterior in a heart-pumping race against the clock. The results are dazzling.

· Steve Watson (“Don’t Sweat It”) and his girlfriend go on a high-octane motorcycle hunt through the woods in Pasadena, where they hunt for the perfect pine (which they chop down and then plant two new trees in its place). He then hosts a tree-trimming party where his guests bring in ornaments to help deck his house.

· Vern Yip (“Deserving Design”), pictured above, really goes all-out every year, decking the halls of his elegant Atlanta home with two huge Christmas trees in a red, silver, clear and white color scheme and entertaining for eight close friends by creating an incredibly lovely dining room tablescape, complete with centerpiece created from simple square glass vases filled with luscious red cranberries, winter roses and winterberries — and unique personalized placemat tags. The unique and tasteful furniture and accessories and cohesive design plan will make Vern’s house the envy of viewers, but also show them how to achieve these looks themselves.

· Angelo Surmelis (“Rate My Space”) hosts his annual Cookie Exchange party, where he has 100 guests bringing in 12 cookies each and taking 12 cookies home.

· Eric Stromer (“Over Your Head”) gets a little help from his adorable young kids in building a Swedish tradition, a unique three-tiered miniature carousel powered by candles — a tradition passed on from generation to generation. Lots of laughs ensue when the family also jams to some rockin’ Christmas carols, with Eric on guitar and vocals, accompanied by his son banging on the drum kit.

· Kim Myles (“Myles of Style”) keeps a lifelong tradition of checking out fabulous holiday displays with her husband by strapping a homemade holiday wreath to the grill of the car and hopping into a convertible to drive around LA’s famed Candy Cane Lane, an eight-block stretch of Woodland Hills, where dozens of families go all-out on Christmas with hundreds of thousands of lights and decorations.

The fun continues here where people can upload and rate holiday decorations, as well as articles, photo galleries and video from the special.

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As the holidays fast approach, it’s easy to forget our pets in the hustle and bustle.

But the holidays pose hazards for our furry friends. Luckily, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA) wants everyone to be aware of potential issues, so they have some tips to help everyone make it through the holidays unscathed. 

1. Diet: While we humans may overindulge, it’s important to keep our pets on a normal diet. Any change of diet, even for one meal, can give your dog or cat severe indigestion and diarrhea. Also, don’t give pets holiday leftovers, and do keep them out of the garbage.

2. Watch the alcohol: Be sure to place unattended alcoholic drinks where pets cannot reach them. If ingested, the animal could become very sick and weak and may go into a coma, possibly resulting in death from respiratory failure.
 
3. Skip sweets: Candies containing the sweetener xylitol can be poisonous to dogs–even small amounts of xylitol can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, which leads to depression, lack of coordination, seizures and even liver failure in certain cases. Also chocolate, especially baker’s and dark chocolate, can also be potentially poisonous to animals, especially dogs. Symptoms of significant chocolate ingestion may include vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity and increased thirst and urination, as well as abnormal heart rate/rhythm and even seizures. Cats also love to play with candy wrappers, but ingesting aluminum foil or cellophane can pose a choking hazard or cause intestinal blockage.
 
4. Forgo Flowers: Lilies (all varieties, including Tiger, Asian, Japanese Show, Stargazer and Casa Blanca) can cause kidney failure in cats. In addition, common Yuletide plants such as mistletoe and holly berries can be potentially toxic to pets. Should a cat or dog eat mistletoe, they could possibly suffer gastrointestinal upset and in rare cases, cardiovascular problems. Holly can cause vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy if ingested.
 
5. Watch Tree Water: Christmas tree water may contain fertilizers that, if ingested, can cause stomach upset. Stagnant tree water can also act as a breeding ground for bacteria, and if ingested a pet could end up with abdominal discomfort, vomiting and diarrhea.
 
6. Dangerous Decorations: Traditional decorations such as ribbons or tinsel, if ingested, can become lodged in the intestines and cause intestinal obstruction (a common problem, particularly with cats). Also watch access to glass ornaments, wires and cords from holiday decorations. If chewed, such ornaments can damage your pet’s mouth from shards of glass or plastic, while a wire can deliver a potentially lethal electrical shock.
 
7. Careful With Candles: Animals can easily knock over holiday candles and start a fire, and curious kittens are particularly at risk of getting burned by candle flames.

These tips should help ensure you and your pets have a happy holiday season.

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If you’re concerned about the environment and want to stop sending the message that trees are disposable, this year why not try another type?

Bad
For those who insist on having a tree to decorate and admire year after year, a fake Christmas tree is an option. However, fake trees are made from non-renewable, polluting materials.

Better
A Rosemary bush, which can be found in most home-improvement stores and nurseries, offers the look and feel of a traditional Christmas tree, on a smaller scale. When the holidays are over, you can keep it and enjoy the Rosemary all year long.

Best
A live tree in a pot (or an existing tree in your yard) is the best option. After the holidays, you can plant the tree or keep it in a large pot and decorate it again next year.

If you have to go with a traditional Christmas tree, at least recycle it after you’re done. Chop it into small pieces for burning, or get it mulched and use it around your garden. Some charities such as the Boy Scouts Of America even collect them. Find tree recyclers in your area here.

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