laylaandpaz

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid.

I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" she snorted...."Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.
...
I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping.

For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.

I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!

I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it.

Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were -- ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.

Merry Christmas and may you always believe in the magic of Santa Claus!
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Tᕼᕮ ᑕᗩᑎᗩᗪIᗩᑎ ᑭᗩᑕIᖴIᑕ ᕼOᒪIᗪᗩY TᖇᗩIᑎ 2018

✴2018 Canadian Pacific Holiday Train celebrates 20 years of collecting food and raising funds for local food banks across Canada and the United States

✴The CP Holiday Train program launched in 1999 and has since raised more than $14.5 million and gathered 4.3 million pounds of food for communities along CP's routes in Canada and the United States

✴ "The role that CP plays goes beyond collecting food and raising funds, as they also help Food Banks Canada transport food across the country through our National Food Sharing System. For that we are truly grateful."...."Very heartwarming to see the generosity of the communities and all the many volunteers who graciously donated their times for the event."
...


✴Tᕼᕮ ᑕᑭ ᕼOᒪIᗪᗩY TᖇᗩIᑎ 2018
➤ www.youtube.com/watch?v=anVQbRnZ...
✴ᗩᒪᒪ ᗩᗷOᗩᖇᗪ Tᕼᕮ ᑕᑭ ᕼOᒪIᗪᗩY TᖇᗩIᑎ
➤ www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgilGmpr...


✴ᕼᗩᐯᕮ ᗩ ᗯOᑎᗪᕮᖇᖴᑌᒪ ᗯᕮᕮKᕮᑎᗪ......STᗩY Sᗩᖴᕮ
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Tracking the illusive trouser snake through the snow

Two Muslim mothers are comparing notes. The older of the Muslim mothers pulls out her bag and starts flipping through family photos and reminiscing. "This is my oldest son, Mohamed. He would have been 24 now." The other Mom replies, "I remember him as a baby." The first mother says, "He's a martyr now. "Oh, that's so sad, my dear." Then the first mother flips to another picture. "And this is my second son, Abdul. He would be 21. "Oh I remember him. He had such curly hair when he was born." The first mother sighs, "He's also a martyr. "Oh gracious me!", says the second mother. "And this is my third son ... my beautiful Ahmed! He would have been 18 this year." "Yes ...", says her friend enthusiastically, "I remember when he first started school." "He's also a martyr.", the first mother says. ... She sobs. Her eyes now fill with tears. After a pause and a deep sigh, the second Muslim mother looks wistfully at the photos, gently lays her hand on the first woman's shoulder and says,"They blow up so fast, don't they?"
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CGI Animated Christmas Musical Short........... "The Greatest Gift"

SᕼOᖇT ᕼᕮᗩᖇTᗯᗩᖇᗰIᑎG ᑕᕼᖇISTᗰᗩS STOᖇIᕮS.....


ᑕᗩTᑕᕼIᑎG SᗩᑎTᗩ ᑕᒪᗩᑌS
One Christmas morning my parents woke my siblings and I up and told us they had secretly videotaped Santa last night and we just HAD to see it. At this point we had started to question if Santa was real or not, but when we saw that video of Santa putting gifts under the tree and eating the cookies we left, any doubt we had was gone! Years later we found out that my parents had found a Santa suit at the store and stayed up all night recording the video. We still talk about that video every year at Christmas and it is definitely something I plan on doing with my kids!
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TOGᕮTᕼᕮᖇ ᖴOᖇ ᑕᕼᖇISTᗰᗩS
When my family was all able to get together for Christmas we always went to Christmas Eve mass. Although I don't really identify with any religion, Christmas Eve mass is beyond beautiful... the choir's voices were so lovely and strong that the whole building shook with song. My older brother wasn't going to be able to make it to Christmas because he lived too far away and it was just not the same Christmas Eve feeling as we stood there in our fancy holiday finest and sang carols...until my older brother walked in during "Angels We Have Heard on High." He had driven for 13 hours straight to make it in time for the holiday. My whole family was crying and I will never forget how it felt: like my own little Christmas miracle. For that reason I have always loved that song and it was so nice to have my Christmas wish come true.

Tᕼᕮ OᖇᗩᑎGᕮ
When I was 6 years old or so I received an orange from my great-grandmother. I didn't understand why someone had given me fruit for Christmas, until I learned many years later that this was my great-grandma's favorite gift when she was a kid in the 1910s… It was her tradition and her way to remind us that small things could make us happy. 🍊

✴Bing Crosby - Christmas Is A-Comin
➤ www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb-Cn_sT...

ᕼᗩᐯᕮ ᗩ Sᗩᖴᕮ ᗯᕮᕮKᕮᑎᗪ......ᗷᕮ ᗯᕮᒪᒪ ᗰY ᖴᖇIᕮᑎᗪ.
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The Most Dangerous Cake Recipe in the WORLD !

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using)
and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high).
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to
cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).
And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because
now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!
You are going to print this out straight away, aren't you ?

I use a tuperware bowl and plop it out on a plate when finished. Stripe it with chocolate
... syrup if I have any.
Don't tell anyone . It can serve two (bowl kind) if someone catches you.
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