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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2008
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DID YOU KNOW?
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(MS) - While the most widely
known American version of Santa
Claus is often credited to the 1823
Clement Clarke Moore poem “The
Night Before Christmas,” Santa
as we currently know him can
be traced back even further, with
origins dating as far back as the
4th century. An early Dutch de
piction is based on legend of Sin
ter Klaas, which was brought by
Dutch natives when they settled
in New York in the 17th century.
In “History of New York,” famed
author Washington Irving, writing
under the pseudonym Diedrick
Knickerbocker, provided detailed
information about the Dutch ver
sion of Saint Nicholas. This Saint
Nicholas would arrive on horse
back every year on the Eve of St.
Nicholas. The Christian-era Santa
Claus owes much of its origins to
Bishop Nicholas of Smyrna (now
Turkey). Rich and generous, Bish
op Nicholas was said bring joy to
poor children by throwing gifts
in their windows. The legendary
Santa Claus has evolved over the
years, and it should come as no
surprise that hecontinues to en
chant children no matter the era.
HH| (MS) - With the holidays
HH| upon us, the return of
holiday traditions is upon
us as well. Thanksgiving
Hi: football games, Christmas
mornings spent opening
?|Hk gifts, and New Year’s par-
Jiß ties are a few of the more
81l standard traditions most
families partake in this
|j|jl time of year.
Another tradition of the
holiday season is decorat
ing. Houses adorned with
colorful lights and halls
decked out with holiday de
cor are a common element
in households across the
country during the holiday
season. However, too often
decorations and the various
other traditions of the holiday
season are less than environ
mentally friendly. . Fortunate
ly, there are ways to make this
holiday season both festive and
friendly to the environment.
• Alter your party plans: Par
ties are a big part of the holiday
season, whether they’re office
parties, gatherings with family,
or simply friends getting together
n . V J® %
(MS) - Today’s kids have scores
of technological games and gad
gets from which to choose for their
holiday wish list. How much do
to enjoy some good times. Though
paper napkins and plates offer con
venience, they aren’t exactly benefi
cial to the environment. Sustainable
items such as cloth napkins and
reusable plates, are an easy way to
make a holiday party environmen
tally friendly. There are even com
panies that specialize in organic and
sustainable linens.
• Give more responsibly: Gift giv
ing is arguably the most common
of all holiday traditions. But the
pageantry associated with gift giv
ing often has a negative impact on
the environment. Tissue paper and
ribbons cannot be recycled. In lieu
of such items, consider wrapping
gifts in the Sunday comics, posters
or go the easy (and reusable) route
by placing gifts in gift bags instead
of wrapping paper, tissue paper and
ribbon.
• Decorate with natural scents
and oils: Natural scents and oils can
create the ambience many people
want around their home during the
holidays. On the positive side, these
natural scents and oils don’t provide
the downside that aerosol sprays
and even some scented candles do.
Such items can be harmful to the
#/
they differ from the toys children
requested just 10 to 20 years ago?
Here’s a look at some of the pop
ular toys of the 1980 s and 19905.
Optimus Prime, of the Transformers toy
line, of today (left) looks a whole lot
different from the original of the 1980 s
(right).
1980 s
If you were a kid growing up dur
ing the age of excess you were a
part of the mass hysteria explo
sion for new toys. Most memorable
during the ‘Bos was the shortage
of Cabbage Patch Dolls that co
incided with Christmas shopping
season. This led to fights at area
environment, while natural scents
and oils pack the same punch with
out the negative impact.
• Grow your own trees: If you have
the room on your property, growing
your own evergreen could be a good
way to go this season. While plant
ing won’t pay immediate decorating
dividends, it will pay off in the long
run, and save you money as well. If
you can plant an evergreen, as that
tree begins to grow, you can trim
its branches to use for decorating
around the home. Once it’s grown to
an adequate size, you can then use
that as your Christmas tree. This
process can keep repeating itself so
long as you have the room to plant
the tree.
• Do your shopping from home:
One of the more stressful aspects of
the holiday season is holiday shop
ping. Eliminating that stress is not
only healthy, but helpful to the en
vironment as well. Rather than driv
ing to the nearby mall or shopping
district throughout the holiday sea
son, consider shopping online. When
shopping online, you aren’t wasting
any fuel, nor are you sitting idly in
traffic and contributing to air pollu
tion.
II II
stores and bidding wars over the
dolls.
Boys in the ‘Bos were enthralled
by the action figure craze sparked
SEE GIFTS OF YESTERYEAR,
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