When I was a kid, which was way, way back in the last millennium, Christmas shopping wasn’t a “thing” in my family. There wasn’t much money, to begin with, and my dad had some Scroogelike tendencies going in. I knew even when the Sears Christmas catalog—the Wish Book—came in the mail that my Christmas was […]
Every year when I pull out my Christmas decorations, I get itchy to create something new. The problem is, I never know what I might feel like making or how much money to spend. So I decided to search for some ideas and share them with you, because that’s what the Christmas spirit is all […]
My mother-in-law loved me from the day we met, and she brought all kinds of joy into my life. We both loved her son and her grandchildren. We talked books and hiked over hill and dale, pretty much all over the continental US and Hawaii. And every time she visited, she asked me to make […]
Welcome to November. It’s the Knotty Elves: June, Odette and Prudence here with some breaking Christmas Town News. There’s a new hotline in town and Mrs. Claus will be answering the phone. If you need help with proper holiday attire, cantankerous family members, uninvited holiday guests and their fifty pound pets or the most tactful […]
Ruby Caldwell here, owner of Holiday Cheer, which puts on Santa School to train Santa and his Busy Elves! Have you ever wondered what it takes to be one of Santa’s Helpers? Take this quiz and see if you’d make a good Busy Elf! Do you have Christmas spirit year-round? Do you keep a little […]
Counting down the days till Christmas is almost as much fun as the holiday itself. Okay, maybe it’s not quite that good. But at least it helps ease a bit of that Holiday anticipation, especially for the little ones. History suggests that the “advent,” the celebration of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, has […]
As the holidays approach, I realize more and more how much I miss when my kids were young. Besides the fact that little ones tend to see the world with so much more wonder and excitement, I miss how easy they were to buy presents for. When my kids were little, it was a piece […]
These are always a favorite with my family. Apricot jam is pretty for a Thanksgiving cookie, and I like to use raspberry jam for Christmas. Pecans are my go-to nut, but almonds also work well. -Beth Jam Thumbprint Cookie Recipe: 2/3 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup sugar 2 egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 […]
When my husband and I first became parents, we realized we really didn’t have that many Christmas traditions. My family gets together for a dinner on Christmas Eve, but other than that, we really didn’t have any ready-made events to attend. We didn’t belong to a church, we didn’t have a lot of friends who […]
Welcome, welcome visitors new and old to Christmas Town, Maine! I’m sure by now you’ve realized Christmas Town is a bit different from other holiday locales and if you haven’t, you soon will. I know I certainly realized that pretty much the second I stomped on the brakes on the corner of Main Street. Okay, […]
I admit it. One of my favorite things about Christmas is the food. My husband has a saying. “Some people eat to live. Others live to eat.” Well, I’m definitely in the second group. All across social media, I see people singing praises to what seems to be the hands down favorite flavor of the […]
Christmas Town is a place where the holiday sweater is a staple, along with heavy coats, warm hats, and mittens that never get lost. In Pride and Presents, my stuffy hero is left with only a limited wardrobe and a pair of penguin socks, thanks to a prank played by his sister. His response? A […]