31 Things in December: Do you collect anything Christmasy?

As part of an effort to use my blog more, I’ve decided to write at least a post a day regarding the holiday season. With the help of my friend Stephanie, who gave me 31 ideas to blog about, I hope to complete this event and share some of my love of the season with you.

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I’ve always had a love of train displays and miniature buildings. Add to that my love of Christmas and a quant New England village at winter comes alive underneath the family tree.

Since the early- to mid-90s, I’ve collected Lemax — and to a lesser extent some other brands — miniature buildings, scenery and figures.

But a village beneath our tree has been a tradition for as long as I can recall. In the early ’90s, I used to set up a train and rural/farm village. Many of the buildings dated back to when my uncle was young. Most were made of plastic. I even added some pieces from my Micro Machines collection.

There was a diner, a school, a store and a barn that served as a place for the townsfolk to celebrate Christmas.

Then, we began buying some pieces from Kmart, which sells the Lemax line. Our collection began even earlier than that with three houses from a Christmas Around the World collection.

The plastic farm village and train was retired and replaced with more Lemax pieces.

To date, I probably own between 20 and 30 buildings — I’ve purchased or been given at least one per year since the mid-90s.

The village tends to take on similar themes each year — the church usually serves as the focal point, shoppers leave Foley’s Pharmacy with last-minute goods, children build snowmen and others gather ’round the town tree singing carols.

In 2009, I added the Daily Gazette (imagine that), the town newspaper.

This year, a Lands’ End store shares the focal point with the church, sitting next to each other where the two main streets in town meet.

When I completed the village, my mom said there was an area I neglected placing figurines.

“I know,” I said. “I bought a parade.”

“You did what?” she said.

“I bought a parade,” I said.

As soon as my Sears/Kmart delivery arrives, I’ll have a parade, complete with a band and floats to add to Main Street. The parade will be the focal point of the village this year, which is why Lands’ End shares the spotlight.

Since I don’t have a department store (I’ve been searching high and low for a department store piece!), I’ve decided the Lands’ End Christmas Parade will march through town, right past the post office and continuing past the parade’s sponsor and down beyond Patty’s Pub.

There’s something about the quant village that attracts me to it. I am envious of those figurines who live there. The village represents a time when townspeople spent the day in a downtown business district, shopping, eating, enjoying the sights and sounds, then returning home with their packages.

My mom often tells me stories of shopping in Downtown Pittsburgh, when Kaufmann’s, not Costco, was king. Though Pittsburgh’s downtown center differs greatly from the village my town represents, it’s that small-town, neighborly feel of being waited on by shop owners or folks who appreciate the services and items they’re selling that mean so much.

Today, Christmas shopping for many means fighting angry mobs of shoppers all trying to catch the same mass-produced items, or being alone in a bedroom punching in credit card numbers on a website.

So what’s the name of my village? Well, it changes yearly as do many of the buildings displayed. Last year, I referred to it as “Christmastowne.” I wasn’t fond of that, and I’m really focused on creating a name and a story for the village. Lemax offers names of villages the company has themed various miniature buildings around, but I’d prefer a unique name and story.

My collection includes a ski lift, two lighthouses (it is, after all, a New England-based village), a forge, greenhouse, hotel, several residences and much more.

One piece I’ve yet to add is radio station KJOY, playing all of your favorite Christmas music. I haven’t purchased it yet, but know it’s next.

And I don’t just collect any village piece. Lemax is my No. 1 spot for village pieces, followed by the St. Nicholas Square village sold at Kohl’s. My least favorite mass-produced village is the one sold at Walmart. The pieces are noticeably different from Lemax, whereas, the village from Kohl’s blends perfectly.

Even though Lemax is my favorite, I still find that I’m extremely picky when it comes to what I’d like to add. For instance, Lemax offers an insurance company building. While it looks OK, it doesn’t fit my dream town.

One day, I’d love to add a train display and have an area to permanently display my village. Some day.

Until then, I’ll enjoy my small town for the five or six weeks each year it comes to life.

31 Things for December…

I asked my friend Stephanie if she knew of any writing prompts with a Christmas theme. So she created 31 things for December!

I’ve listed them below. This is my favorite time of the year, and I would really like to share my love of the holiday season with the few of you who read this. So please feel free to read my blog through December, and use this list.

My close personal friend Bobby asked me about writing prompts for the holidays. I told him I’d come up with some. Feel free to use these to do blog entries, status updates, whatever. They’ll tend toward being Christmas-centric. If your traditions follow another path, improvise 🙂

1. Favorite scene in a holiday movie

2. Favorite seasonal main dish

3. Are you a “Santa hat” kind of person?

4. When did you find out The Truth?

5. What was your favorite Santa-related tradition as a kid?

6. What makes you Grinchy?

7. Favorite seasonal story or book

8. Favorite seasonal dessert or treat (other than cookies)

9. Have you ever taken a Christmas trip?

10. Tradition you did/would put an end to

11. Ethnic traditions, celebrations, foods, etc.

12. Favorite Christmas cookies

13. Do you collect anything Christmasy (ornaments, Santas, snowmen, etc.)?

14. What’s your stance on SNOW? Love it? Hate it? It’s fine between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Never seen it?

15. Strangest holiday get-together

16. Who’s the weird relative who comes around for the holidays? (If you don’t have answer, it may be you)

17. What’s your shopping list like? What’s your shopping approach?

18. Favorite year-end donations/charities

19. What’s the tangible gift you’d love to get?

20. Who would you like to celebrate New Year’s Eve with?

21. Favorite Christmas decoration?

22. Tree trimming approach?

23. Weirdest gift? Best gift?

24. If you could give someone the gift of an experience, what would it be and who would get it?

25. What’s the holiday TV special you most look forward to seeing?

26. Boxing day: what’s your tradition, if any?

27. Why is Santa such a jerk in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?”

28.Something you associate with Christmas that other people may not

29. Sum up 2010 in five words or less.

30. Lamest New Year’s Eve? Best New Year’s Eve?

31. Create a motto for 2011.

 

More to holiday season than December

I realize Thanksgiving is in less than a week, but that doesn’t mean my Christmas spirit has to wait until the last slice of turkey is devoured.

Every year around this time, folks try to squash my Christmas spirit:

“It’s too early to put up the tree.”

“Can’t we enjoy Thanksgiving first?”

“The thought of Christmas makes me stressful.”

“Bah humbug.”

After they’ve completed their Christmas rant, I stare them in the face and say, “You Grinch!”

For many, the mention of Christmas brings visions of crowded malls and stressful holiday meals.

But for me, the holiday season means making memories with family and friends, enjoying unique holiday-themed events, reminiscing about the year that was and looking forward to the year ahead.

Rather than enjoy the holiday season, though, it seems many people get lost in the abundance of Black Friday fliers and Christmas commercials that take away from the holiday season.

The sight of twinkling lights and animated figures singing holiday songs throughout the store seem to sicken some.

Not me.

I can’t imagine squeezing Christmas into a few days of celebration.

All of the work putting up the trees, decorations, outdoor displays and all of the time spent purchasing that special gift and then wrapping it shouldn’t be something we hold off with until the last minute.

The holidays are a special time of year that are meant to be drawn out and enjoyed, not rushed through like a burden.

Christmas isn’t about buying gifts and creating perfect meals.

It’s the hustle and bustle of the season that forces some to act like a Grinch.

But, as we know, even the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.

“‘Maybe Christmas’ he thought, ‘doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more!'”

Pink out: Is breast cancer awareness over the top?

It’s October and that means one thing — it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

By now, you’ve seen it all, heard it all and read it all.

The color pink and the overabundance of breast cancer awareness messages seem to have some people seeing red.

You can’t stroll down the grocery store aisle without seeing at least three products with a sliver of pink on the packaging — pretzels, drinks, bread and, apparently, even Mike’s Hard Lemonade.

But, how much of that money is going toward breast cancer research?

Check out this 2009 article from AOL’s Daily Finance. In it, the writer uncovers some pretty startling information:

So how does purchasing a pink Swiffer help the cause? It’s unclear from the label, because it contains no information about how its purchase will help support breast-cancer causes. And, according to a Procter & Gamble spokeswoman, the company will only make a two-cent donation to the National Breast Cancer Foundation if a consumer uses a coupon from Procter & Gamble’s brand saver coupon book, which was distributed in newspapers on Sept. 27. Without the coupon, the limited-edition pink packaging on the Swiffer is simply designed to draw awareness to the cause.

The article also mentioned Herr’s products, where a cap was in place on donations.

Money-hungry corporations have latched onto the pink bandwagon, not to help make a difference, but to make a profit.

And think about it… it’s pretty difficult to not consider breast cancer a major problem, especially because it attacks the women in our lives — mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters, etc.

And these are the folks who are targeted in a majority of advertising anyway. So a company who has repackaged its items for October might not be in the market to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer, but knows that since mom is doing the shopping, she’s more likely to pick up a pink packaged product to join in the fight.

But what about groups that are legitimately helping to fundraise for breast cancer research?

As a longtime volunteer for the American Cancer Society, it sickens me to see other organizations practically whore themselves (and survivors) out just to market their cause. The Susan G. Komen Foundation has its name on a multitude of products, and, while the money is at least going to an organization dedicated to fighting breast cancer, the cost to market the foundation’s name on household products is taking away a lot of money that could be used for research.

I’m not sure of the deal inked between the American Cancer Society and the NFL for the promotion of the organization’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer events. However, the American Cancer Society has, for a very long time, depended on grassroots, community efforts to get its message across, while Komen has bolted right to Corporate America.

The American Cancer Society and its network of local offices and volunteers works to connect the community with information, thus, keeping marketing costs to a minimum. In fact, it’s only been in the last few years or so that the American Cancer Society has really pushed its mission across a national audience — with its birthday commercials, etc.

I do understand the frustration of too much pink. But, at the same time I argue that without it, millions of lives could have been lost, and still could be lost if we don’t continue to push that message. Imagine how many children might not have a living mother today if it weren’t for the color pink being everywhere?

Some bloggers and newspaper columnists I’ve read throughout the month have argued that other diseases are just as important and should be given the attention.

And they are correct. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. Women still are dying of lung cancer. Obesity also is a factor for women.

The American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association are two very important organizations whose messages, sadly, are not as loud as those from the breast cancer awareness groups.

But my focus is on fighting cancer (not just breast cancer, but all cancer). I’ve given my life to help make somebody’s life a little better after hearing those words, “You have cancer.”

I recognize that other diseases are important, and there are (or should be) people out there helping to make a difference with those causes.

I’ve chosen to fight cancer. What is it that you lend a hand to?