MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas greetings to everyone!

May the Christ child's gift of peace and love light the way in your New Year.

I share with you my poem, "Christmas Day."

MERRY CHRISTMAS

A Snowy Treat

Well, it is beginning to look a little more like Christmas here. We had a dusting of snow last night. In the spirit of the snowy season, here is a link to a recipe for SNOWMAN SOUP--a hot cocoa mix you and yours can make to enjoy or give as a gift.

Have fun and bundle up!

Holiday Dinosaurs

I visited New York City last week to hang out with my son Matt. We braved the wind and rain on Wednesday to visit some museums. Guess where we found a pair of evergreen dinosaurs?

At the Museum of Natural History. The dinosaurs smelled super fragrant and were very, very big!

So that started me thinking, what do dinosaurs do for the holidays? You, of course, know where to look for the answer to that question--picture books!

Here are some suggested titles to help discover all the dinos' holiday happenings:

DINOSAUR ON HANUKKAH by Diane Levin Rauchwerger

THE DINOSAURS NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS by Anne Muecke

HAPPY HOLIDAYSAURUS by Bernard Most

If you wrote a story about dinosaur happenings over the holidays, how would your holidaysaurus be celebrating?

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

As a special Christmas treat, click on this link to join illustrator, Kevin Collier, as he shows you how to draw a snowman.

BLESSINGS and JOY to all of you!

Have a HOLLY Jolly Christmas

My dog HOLLY couldn't wait to share her adventures with you.

Yes, as you can see from the photo on the right,

she's taken the Snowflake Express to the North Pole and joined Santa's elves. 

And she's not just any old elf. No. She is the Head Elf's Chief Executive Assistant. With her uncanny herding abilities and her very hard, cold nose, she pokes and prods any wayward

elves into action. Santa has to keep the toy assembly line going.

The countdown is on....only 7 more days until Christmas Eve.

I'm very proud of her, of course. But with a name like HOLLY, how could she not be a wonderful elf?

How to Make Gingerbread Houses Online

This is the perfect time of year to create a tasty gingerbread house. HIGHLIGHTSKIDS.COM has this cool online site. Now gingerbread house fans can make one without any of the mess.

 

Jan Brett also has an online GINGERBREAD BABY HOUSE. You can design your very own. And a GINGERBREAD BABY COLORING PAGE you can print. Then you'll want to find a copy of Ms. Brett's newest book, GINGERBREAD FRIENDS, and discover all the adventures the Gingerbread Boy has when he sets out to find some friends.

Or you might want to read some other gingerbread tales. For a new twist on the story, try THE GINGERBREAD COWBOY by Janet Squire. You can probably find a copy at your local library or bookstore.

But if you are ready to make a real gingerbread house, find a book like Jennifer A. Ericsson's GINGERBREAD HOUSES FOR KIDS and start creating.