A happy face mug with a clown wig -- how can you NOT laugh? Photo credit: Microsoft ClipArt Gallery

I saw my friend Susan yesterday (thank you, Andrea, for accompanying me!) I thank Susan and her family for giving me some precious time with her at a time when there are only a few minutes each hour when she is up to sharing time with others. Hugs + Prayers + Love,  ALWAYS. 

Amy from Teach Mama is creating one beautiful @WhyMommy LoveFest  video after another.  Go see them!  Facebook page, Video 1, Video 2, I think more are coming.  Additionally, there are many others struggling with cancer in my prayers, including  Tim L., David B. and those in your lives you  have shared with me privately. One day there will be a cure and the world will rejoice. 

In the meantime, I need a few laughs and who doesn’t, so I’ve decided to link a few things that make me laugh.

20 Things to Share With Your High School and Middle School Student — oh how true.  #18 in particular for me! Who says I don’t give you (or at least link you to) highly valuable content?

Even though this post from Sarah and the Goon Squad is from two years ago, it still makes me laugh when I think about it. Especially because I’ve had so many similar incidents. What is it with women and our refusal to grasp our true new size when we lose weight? I once nearly lost my skirt at a Junior League conference because the waistband was too big an it just slipped right down. Because I’m classy that way. Another Junior League president pointed out my skirt had slid down to my hips so I was showing everyone at breakfast my underwear. I was trying to pass it off as the new gangsta League fashion.

Sometimes when I need a pick-me-up, I wander aimlessly around Pinterest and stumble across a board like this one! (Psst… note the new bright red “Follow me on Pinterest” button to the right there. I’m finding yet another way to be unfocused and to waste time, come join me! Umm, I meant, “I found yet another extremely valuable social media tool that allows us all to be connected and be thought leaders – sign up or you’ll be left behind forever.”) This is a great opportunity for me to give a shout-out to Dumb Mom and her Pinterest Challenge, it’s more fun than housework, paying bills, or any of those other productive things we are supposed to be doing with our time…

The Big Bang Theory always makes me laugh, so discovering that people have put together compilations of their favorite moments is like a fast-food version of one of my favorite shows. I really like from about 2:40 on in this particular clip. Plus it makes me feel really good about the fact that I CAN touch my toes!  <snark>

I hope you laughed, I know I did. Plus it made me forget I started the day by stepping in cat vomit. Now feel free to share some of your favorite things that made you laugh in comments, I always love hearing from you!

Teach Mama, Susan Niebur, myself, and Parentopia Devra at a MomzShare event that raised money for the American Cancer Society. I don't know who took this photo with my camera in order to give them credit.

I really wanted to call this “Cancer Sucks” — a button I’ve seen before, but I’m trying to remember that I expect my children to use better adjectives when they want to resort to colorful language. Forgive me if the parent — and mature adult in me — lapses from time to time during this post.

Cancer really is a thief who robs us — all of us — not only of friends and cherished family members but robs society of so many valuable people. I’m not going to make this a post about statistics. There are so many posts about statistics. I’m just going to say the numbers are way too high and it affects the very, very young, the kinda young, the middle-aged, the lived-some-but-not-enough, and yes, even those who have “lived a good live and are ready to go.” But it’s a terrible way to go. For anyone.

There are so many people I know who have been afflicted that I can’t even keep track of them all. A childhood friend of mine died from it so fast that she was dead before I knew she had cancer. Another friend posted a status on Facebook that she was cancer-free for a year and I didn’t know she had it. I have friends who have been in remission and have it yet again. And sadly, a friend who has chronicled and amazing journey of surviving cancer four times but is currently receiving hospice care as she fights metastatic breast cancer in her spine, neck, ribs, and hips.  If you read my blog or Facebook regularly at all, you know I am talking about my friend, Dr. Susan Niebur, a blogger, mother, and astrophysicist.

I cannot answer for you any questions about “what does this mean” that she is receiving hospice care.  She calls it regrouping. I have done my own share of mental gymnastics around the word hospice and you’ll have to do your own. Susan has done her share of miraculous rallying in the past. What I will say is that many of us are putting together photos into a video for Susan — for encouragement, laughter, and love and we invite anyone who has any way felt touched by Susan and her story (stories?) to contribute. Amy of TeachMama has already written it up and is putting it together so I will simply link to her post.  Just know that it doesn’t have to be fancy — a photo, with your caption added or emailed in or you holding a piece of paper in your photo is all you need.  The photo doesn’t even have to be of a person/face.  It can be a drawing, a piece of artwork.

With so many people coping with cancer, why does Susan garner so much love and attention?

Because she’s so inspirational in so many ways.

As a friend, Susan is “geographically undesirable.” I don’t get to see her very often, in fact, mostly at blogging conferences. And I’ve been a really terrible friend in terms of phone calls and emails because my own personal life has been a bit chaotic in recent months. And yet, Susan is ever-present in my life and always finding a way to touch and inspire me in some way — sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. I’m not the only one who says that — she has that effect on nearly everyone she meets. But what is more amazing is that she is so multi-faceted that she impacts you in more than one facet of your life.

As a Writer/Speaker/Media Superstar

Susan blogs as WhyMommy at her own blog, Toddler Planet.  Then she’s a regular contributor to the Women in Planetary Science blog where in 2010-2011 she conducted 40 of the planned 51 interviews of women in planetary science WHILE fighting cancer. And is one of the 20 women of the Mothers with Cancer blog. And spoke at Blogalicious 2011 despite being in the middle of chemo therapy. Throughout her battle with cancer she has continue to write numerous scientific papers, work on a book about her career with NASA, present scientific papers at conferences with lofty sounding names and is an active speaker on the social media circuit. She makes me feel lazy as a writer. She is inspirational without fighting cancer, but that she does it while fighting cancer just ratchets everything up by a factor of a million. (She might correct my math there.)

As a Mother

Yes, all mothers get tired. All mothers run out of ideas. All mothers sometimes just wish the kids would stop asking questions. But the way she cherishes her children recharges my maternal batteries and makes me go hug my kids, sometimes even when they are asleep, and makes me think that if Susan can be that good of a mother “even if…” (it’s been a bad day at chemo therapy for… the future seems uncertain, she’s in pain that day…) then certainly I can be a good mother no matter what challenges I face. And sometimes she also inspires me to work in a little more science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) into our day.

As an Advocate

I’ve always believed in volunteering.  But Susan has taught me so much about how to choose wisely with how you support an important cause. About “pinkwashing” and that you have to go far beyond “awareness” to actual action. That it is not just enough to TALK about breast cancer but to actually DO something, like she did when she brought partners together to make lymphedema sleeves available to those who could not afford them. And how Facebook memes can sometimes hurt the very people they were meant to help.

As a Christian

Despite “prayer” being in the name of my blog, I don’t discuss my faith much here, but I have a lot of it and yes, I am a Christian. Susan has shared thoughts about faith from time to time and one blog post in particular really struck me and I think about it often — about the life being unfair and yet God keeping his promises. One phrase people use to describe Susan repeatedly is “full of grace” and I think if you read this post, you’ll see why.

As a Friend

No matter what she is going through, Susan remembers to congratulate others on their achievements, reach out to those going through rough times, and share a hearty laugh.  Is she perfect, oh goodness, no — none of us are. Sure, I’ve seen the pain make her cross. (And she’ll probably wince if she ever sees that line – she doesn’t like to be cross.) But she’s awfully close to being perfect. She makes the rest of us strive to be better in so many ways. She forgives me when I go weeks without contact and welcomes my intrusions into her busy life when with all my loud Ariesness I come charging in with my overwhelming boisterous love trying not to crush her fragile body with a hug and my loud laughs. She encourages my clumsy attempts at science with my children. And she is responsive to her many, many, many readers everywhere she writes despite her need to conserve her energy.

Susan is one of the many, many people cancer is robbing this world of. I beg you, in her honor, please go sign up for Avon’s Army of Women today, or find another active way to participate in research or contribute to the funding of research for a cure to cancer. Susan’s cancer is inflammatory breast cancer — a kind that “kills without a lump” but if you choose to advocate about a different kind, that’s fine, too. It all needs to GO.

Clifford the Big Red Dog and his friends from Birdwell Island are at Baltimore’s Port Discovery as part of a traveling exhibit. If your kids are fans of this lovable canine and his adventures, I highly recommend visiting this well-planned exhibit as a lot of activities are packed into a small space.

The exhibit is set up with different “stations” to represent parts of the island. There is, of course, Clifford himself, with his tail converted to a small slide. He has a large dog dish with a conveyor belt and gigantic bones that need to be loaded onto the belt to feed him (have I ever mentioned how much the JavaKids LOVE conveyor belts?) There is a ferry to “take” you to the island, complete with life jackets. A town library full of books and cozy places to plop down and read. A “sandcastle” (hard resin) puzzle area at T-Bone’s beach. You can place your orders or become the cook at Samuel’s Fish and Chips Shack. Perform on stage with a variety of instruments while wearing dressed in costumes of the various Birdwell island dogs. Or — and this is what captivated the interest of my son whom I worried was too old for the Clifford section – deliver laminated mail to the various island residents from the Post Office to their individual mail boxes. There is even a writing station to write your own note to one of the characters. (I LOVE that — hooray for encouraging writing!)

So many children’s exhibits miss the mark, but this one really found a way to engage children with many different interests. JavaGirl blew past some things and then spent considerable time on other activities. There were opportunities for those who were more physical/active (the slide, sandcastle area, conveyor belt area), the musical/performing types, those who like pretend play, those who like to bring order to chaos, and those who simply like to hang out and read books. The fact that even JavaBoy, at that very touchy age of seven, could find a comfort zone made me realize just how well-planned this museum display was. It’s a shame that it will leave Port Discovery May 5.

However, don’t despair; if you are not already familiar with the children’s museum, there is plenty else to do — from a three-story high climbing structure (ropes, tunnels, slides), to a pretend grocery store, water works room, and a very cool exhibit about Egypt. Keeping busy is never a challenge! Since our last visit they have added an interactive section about nanotechnology, which JavaDad and I enjoyed immensely — unfortunately by the time we got to it, our resident scientist, JavaBoy was already exhausted, or else I think he would’ve been a little more receptive. JavaGirl found the “build a carbon atom tunnel” interesting but some of the grander real-life applications of nanotechnology wasn’t of interest to her yet.

Planning a visit?  Every third Friday of the month is Target $2 Family Fun Night where general admission is just $2 per person from 4 pm to 7 pm, if you want to save some money. See the Port Discovery web site for more information about hours and ticket prices, other discounts and special events. Prepare for your visit by letting your kids enjoy some of these online Clifford games at PBS Kids, color printables, learn about the production of the shows, or check out some of the Scholastic books written by Norman Bridwell from the library or buy them online or at your local bookstore.

Disclosures: Clifford the Big Red Dog is a trademark of Norman Bridwell. My family and I were invited guests to the opening of the Clifford exhibit of Port Discovery, writing about the exhibit was neither a requirement of attendance nor did it impact what I wrote – I always tell it like it is. I am an Amazon Affiliate and have linked to Amazon in this post.

Some posts are simply harder to write than others. They roll around in my brain until they are ready to be written.  The topic of drinking and driving is easy — in my reporter days that was standard fare for the holiday season. Gruesome as it is, I’ve covered so many drunk driving fatalities, I no longer remember the total body count. 

But drinking and motherhood, that’s an entirely different story.

Because drinking and motherhood is the dirty little secret of suburbia. Even though it’s not really a secret and generations of women have turned to alcohol and sedatives as a coping mechanism for the stresses and isolation of motherhood, it is still a topic that is tough to talk about.  Especially as a mother myself. 

Motherhood and Getting Drunk: A Bad Mix

So it made for a slightly uncomfortable brunch at the Sofitel in Washington DC when a group of women, some from The Century Council, an advocacy group funded by distillers to fight drunk driving and underage drinking, and some from the media, got together to listen to data about the 36% increase in arrests of female drunk drivers over the past decade and the personal journey of Baby on Bored blogger and Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom author Stephanie Wilder-Taylor as she shared her story of realizing that her nightly drinks went from “taking the edge off” to a drinking problem. Because all of us were mothers and and all of us were left to look inward and ask, “Have I ever crossed the line?” And if so, just how often?

Motherhood is hard. Yes, maybe I should say parenthood, but I know more about motherhood than fatherhood. It is the hardest job I’ve ever had. I was an on-air television reporter and anchor, and I feel more under a microscope as a mother than I did as an on-air personality. If a dad screws up (for example, when I went off to an early meeting, despite a closet full of clean, adorable clothes, my husband once sent our daughter to school dressed in a navy blue satin nightgown with strawberries, thinking it was a dress), he tends to get a forgiving chuckle and an “at least he was helping” atta boy.  If  a mother screws up, it feels like she’s a step away from being reported to Child Protective Services for the most minor of infractions. (Are you aware your daughter is wearing white socks with two different kinds of ribbing?  Your son was upset because you sent in a packed lunch and it was the Thanksgiving Feast in the cafeteria today.  Why haven’t you volunteered for everything we’ve asked you to? Don’t you CARE about your children?) 

If you are used to being a career woman and switch to being a stay-at-home mother, it can become extremely isolating in the early days and there is no way to prepare for the complete lifestyle shift no matter how many books you read. Add in some post-partum depression and no wonder so many women hit the bottle. Even though I’ve never been a big drinker at any point in my life, I, myself, have found that some days, I looked forward to my husband coming home so I could fix myself a mixed drink or go out for a celebratory drink with some girlfriends after a day of endless grilling with impossible-to-answer questions, being splattered with other people’s bodily fluids, and the general sense that perhaps the kids really would be better off being raised by PBS and Baby Einstein than by me (fortunately those days got fewer and further between the older they got). I think for women, part of it is the relaxing effect of alcohol, and part of it is the reminder of our younger, carefree days — a little bit of of Carrie from Sex in the City going out for Cosmos with the girls. For some, that occasional desire becomes a lifestyle.

Author and blogger Stephanie Wilder-Taylor stays behind to autograph books and talk to the audience after sharing a very personal account of her journey from drinking "to take the edge of" to realizing she drank under the influence to now not drinking.

That’s exactly what happened for Wilder-Taylor. “I noticed that as a new mom my drinking became more pronounced. It was how I dealt with stress.  It was how I dealt with the transition  from being a  fun career person who was on my own and independent and all of a sudden I had this new baby, it was a lot a lot of stress, a lot  of work, it was  very demanding and having a glass of wine at the end of the day was helpful to me and to a lot of my friends… Alcohol helped me take the edge off and unwind and I found that I was drinking more and more and that was one of the only coping skills I had, opening a bottle of wine at the end of the day…  It is kind of  isolating being a new mom, so sometimes the only social interaction we have is being with other moms, and we like to get together and have a little something to drink,” said Wilder-Taylor.

Drawing on her comedic skills, Wilder-Taylor turned her coping skills into a successful blog and then the book, Sippy Cups Are Not For Chardonnay (and later, three more books!)  But soon, her drinking became less funny.

“As time went on and I had two more kids and I had a lot more stresses and a lot more time at home I was drinking more and every single night… I was on a playdate with some friends and we were drinking martinis… I would’ve told you that I wasn’t drunk.  I would’ve sworn to you that I wasn’t drunk. I felt fine. I got in the car was with two of my kids, one was 16-months-old, one was four-years-old, and I drove home.  I’ll tell you why I drove home, because it  seemed more shameful to call my husband and tell him I was too drunk.  Thank God I got home alright. Thank God that was the wake up call I needed. And when I got home, my husband was appalled.  He was shocked and horrified and angry. And it took that to realize that if I couldn’t tell that if I couldn’t tell that I was too drunk, that I didn’t have a good gauge, to realize I had a problem. Most people don’t — most people are offended if you try to take their keys away… I tend to drink too much under stress,  and I now have learned other coping mechanisms, and no it’s not a bath with rose petals!” 

Thankfully, Wilder-Taylor’s wake-up call came before there were tragic consequences, but not everyone’s does. For example, the 2009 fiery crash of Diane Schuler, a mother who had her childre her children and three nieces with her while driving the wrong way on New York’s Taconic Parkway for two miles and then crashing into an SUV and killing eight people, is still an oft-cited example of an impaired mother driving. 

Traffic fatalities are ugly sights. Shattered glass, twisted metal, often the smell of spilled gasoline and other car fluids mixed with the distinctly acrid scent of burned rubber from skid marks. Aside from what human gore may remain, there are the eerie details that stay behind long after the ambulances or coroner have left that let you know someone was in the middle of their life and suddenly everything went horribly wrong. A sneaker in the middle of the road. Music still playing on the stereo. One accident I vividly remember, it was the fishing poles and tackle boxes, flung all over the trunk of the car, which had popped open in the crash. It is even more gut-wrenching when you see a child’s toy, an abandoned car seat, or the carcass of a car that had to be cut open with the jaws of life.  Walk to the other car and you will often see bottles or cans rolling about the floorboards, the stench of alcohol reeking even without the driver present. Sometimes the accidents are so bad, you can’t tell where one car ends and the other begins.

“Even worse than the scenes are being at the hospital and to make a notification to a family member,” said Assistant Chief Patric Burke, DC Metropolitan Police Department. “That’s the stuff that is etched in your brain.  To talk to a parent who has lost a child is just a horrific thing.”

I can tell you that to hear the screams of a parent who has lost a child is something you never forget. There is a guttural sound to pure agony that is like no other. I may not remember all the names of the car accidents I’ve covered, but I’ll never forget the screams. 

Profile of a Female Drunk Driver

Not all female drunk drivers are mothers, but as a society, we often pay more attention to those who are because the idea of driving drunk with a child in the backseat is more shocking; somehow, and unfairly, even more shocking than the idea of a man driving with a child in the back seat.  However, as Wilder-Taylor brought up, there is a very public “Mommy needs a drink” culture going on — wine at playdates, mothers drinking every night at home, tweets about coveting a cocktail while waiting for husbands to get home. Whether there is actually more drinking going on in this generation or it is just more publicly discussed is unclear. But many times, these alcohol-charged social outings involve someone getting in a car to get home, often a mother, and sometimes a mother with a kid in a carseat behind her.

The Century Council presented its commissioned report, State of Knowledge: Female Drunk Drivers, with literature review and research conducted by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF),  on Capitol Hill to the Congressional Stop DUI Caucus and media last month.  According to the report, women were “most likely to be diagnosed with a primary problem with sedatives or opiates” as opposed to their male counterparts who were more likely to have a primary issue with alcohol or marijuana.  This goes hand in hand with the finding that “diagnoses of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder are common among female drunk driving offenders.”  Apparently significantly more so than compared to the male profile. So we’re not just talking about drunk women, we’re talking about drunk and drugged up women driving.

What needs to be done? It’s a complex issue, according to The Century Council. It involves looking at why women drink, why they drink and drive, and how they are treated once they are convicted so they get the kind of treatment they need to deal with mental health and substance abuse issues, and also have support systems in place including transportation and child care to get the treatment they need.  In other words, there is a lot more research that needs to be done to gain a better understanding of the issue of female impaired drivers.

“A lot of people who don’t look like they have a drinking problem and don’t look like they drive drunk are, and they may need help and that doesn’t mean they are a bad person or a bad mother, so we need to make it less shameful for them,” said Wilder-Taylor.  She does her part via speaking engagements and her Don’t Get Drunk Friday feature on her blog.

Why Are the Numbers Increasing?

It’s not as easy of a question to answer as one might think.  Several theories from research review indicate it can be because women are on the road more than they used to be, more women are in law enforcement so the laws are more evenly enforced to both genders, and that lowering the blood alcohol content limit to .08 had an impact.  At a pre-briefing brunch in a casual conversation, several bloggers and representatives from The Century Council also discussed the recent trend of drunkorexia — a practice of eating less in order to “save” calories for drinking alcohol, though this was not covered in the report.  I, for one, have been at a Weight Watchers meeting where the idea of saving up calories to enjoy drinks while on vacation was discussed by several women. It’s not just college girls who are counting up how many calories are in a margarita!

Does Mommy Really Need a Drink?

Though Wilder-Taylor made a few jokes about the new coping skills she learned to deal with the stresses of parenting, ultimately it all boiled down to learning how to make time for herself. Exercising, getting out of the house (not so easy when she had one child and then twins), and learning how to cut herself some slack. Drinking and sedatives often become the shortcuts women take to allow themselves to keep pushing themselves harder and further, thinking no one really notices. Heart-breakingly, it is often the children who notice, but they don’t have the words to say so. Friends either don’t know what to say or may be in the same boat. Spouses often turn a blind eye, hoping there is really not a problem. If you’ve found yourself moving from the occasional drink to not being able to cope without a drink, take the time today to open up to someone you trust about it, before it turns into a tragedy.

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Disclosures:   As part of the media I was given a complimentary copy of Wilder-Taylor’s book.  There is a link to Wilder-Taylor’s book to Amazon and I am an Amazon Associate, if you purchase the book through this link, I may receive a teeny-tiny percentage – one day I hope being an Amazon Associate will buy me a cup of coffee. In three years of being one, it hasn’t.  Photo credits:  Photo of woman with a wine glass from Microsoft clip art gallery.  Photo of Stephanie Wilder-Taylor is my own.

The famous sword fight between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King! Photo credit: Christopher Piper.

The Nutcracker with puppets? A purist at heart, I couldn’t quite fathom it. After all, the Nutcracker I grew up with was performed by the Miami Ballet Company, one of the few licensed to perform George Balanchine’s version of The Nutcracker™. 

But the JavaKids’ first exposure to a live version of this classic tale was yesterday at The Puppet Company in Glen Echo Park in Wheaton, MD and though it is very much a departure from the ballet performance I grew up with, it was absolutely appropriate for their ages and a great introduction. This was also our first visit to the puppet theater and we are already looking forward to attending another show.

JavaGirl had many questions after the performance about how this puppet floated and how the magic tricks worked. Photo credit: Christopher Piper

The theater has mostly floor seating, though there are some plush banquettes on the sides and very back.  Children who are willing to sit apart from their parents may sit at the very front, close to the stage. For this particular show, some of the puppets were actually actors in costumes with gigantic puppet heads, while others were marionettes and a few were hand puppets.  Though the basic story remained the same (Clara receives a Nutcracker and a magical journey ensues), the scenes in the land of sugar plums are different, including characters from Mother Goose, a donkey from Spain carrying chocolate, a black-light Arabian magician on a flying carpet and more.

We had never seen "puppets" quite like these before. Photo credit: Christopher Piper

Since JavaGirl had specifically requested a Mouse King nutcracker for Christmas, she carried it with her to the show and it was wonderful to watch her expressions throughout the performance.  She cringed during the famous sword fight between the Nutcracker and Mouse King and was a bit afraid of Drosselmeyer.  Dancing flowers and flying fairies were quite delightful. Even seven-year-old JavaBoy found himself wrapped up in the 50-minutes of fantasy. JavaDad and I also enjoyed this new interpretation of a family favorite – we marveled at how expressive the gigantic heads could be even without moving features.

There is one more day of performances – Saturday, December 31 11:30 am and at 1 pm.  However, if you miss those, I highly recommend making a trip out to see a future show at The Puppet Company.  We’re already talking about trying to catch a performance of Peter and the Wolf!  Note that there are special Tiny Tots performances for younger kids as well as an American Sign Language version for the hearing impaired.  See The Puppet Company’s web site for ticket and performance information.

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Disclosure:  Though I am often offered complimentary tickets for performances at many venues, in this case, my family purchased our own tickets.  All photos provided by The Puppet Company and are credited to Christopher Piper.

Nothing like Sesame Street characters doing jazz hands!

Motherhood is an endless “To Do” list and taking my kids to Sesame Place has been on my list. Summer 2011, however, became The Summer That Swim Team Took Over Our Lives, so we never made it. Luckily, Sesame Place has opened its doors with a winter offering, “A Very Furry Christmas.”

Riding the Vapor Trail with JavaBoy -- just the right-sized thrill for him at this age.

The theme park has a holiday-themed makeover and while water rides are shut down, there are still many popular rides open including Elmo’s Flyin’ Fish, Blast Off, the Vapor Trail, Peek a Bug, Grover’s World Twirl and more.  There is an entire jungle gym type of area with climbing challenges for kids of all ages from the very small to much older kids (think cargo nets and a slippery Cookie Monster’s Mountain).

There are multiple shows throughout the day that emphasize the values of sharing and giving in the holiday spirit (Christmas is the holiday that is most emphasized, though mostly in a secular sense).  You can find a description of the shows here. 

JavaBoy got called up on stage to join in the fun!

Having never been in the summertime, I cannot compare the experience to a summer visit.  What I can tell you is that the JavaKids thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  I worried whether JavaBoy, age 7, would be too old for the experience, but he enjoyed the rides, especially Blast Off.  Ever the ham, he got called up on stage to dance with Cookie Monster in one of the shows, which also made his day.  The climbing area was a huge hit and let them burn off a lot of steam.  JavaGirl is at the perfect age to take in the wonder of it all.  Our children are not theme park veterans, so if your kids have graduated to serious thrill rides this park may not be for them.  But what made Sesame Place and in particular, A Very Furry Christmas, nice for us as a family was that it was a miniaturized version of a Disney experience — you had characters, shows, rides, a parade and a big tree lighting, but weren’t completely overwhelmed.  We went on opening day and the lines were quick.  Everyone we encountered was polite.

For my children, seeing the characters in the shows was enough of an up-close experience, they didn’t even feel the need to wait in line to see hug them and get a photo.  However, if you choose, there is a character dining experience option available.  I peeked into the restaurant where it occurs and it isn’t particularly glamorous, though the kids looked happy.  Think of a large elementary school cafeteria with Abby Cadabby running around.

There is, of course, an option to get a photo with Santa and this was one of the few places we encountered a line.  Given that we were in jeans, we decided not to get a photo, but it had a lovely set to do so.

We enjoyed the park from the moment it opened until closing.

The drive to get to Sesame Place was not bad from Northern Virginia and while it is possible to get there and back in a day, given the late hour of finishing up, we opted to get a hotel room and then check something else off my list — visit the Please Touch Museum.  If you haven’t been to Sesame Place before, be forewarned that though there are signs marking the highway exit, the last turn is not well marked, we nearly missed it!

Another hint — line up early for the parade, look for the dots on the edge of main street and that is where you are allowed to line up.  It may be worthwhile to pack a small towel or blanket to sit on while you wait, though the gift shop will be more than willing to sell you one!  Seating for most shows begin half an hour before showtime and it is worth it to get a good seat.  Lockers are available to store the various gear families invariably bring, no outside food allowed in.  Lesson learned the hard way — they do not sell camcorder supplies in their gift shops (oops) and I don’t remember seeing SD cards either.

My final take:  Definitely worth the trip if you live in the Metro DC area or closer, a family fun experience that will probably be one of those “remember when” memories forever, and it makes me even more determined to return in Summer 2012 to see what it’s like to visit in shorts!  For more information on ticket prices and other questions, visit this site.

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Disclosure: My family was invited to attend as media for opening day and received complimentary tickets.  I was not required to write about it nor did this impact my opinion of the event.

Experienced gamers enjoyed the Star Shuttle game.

The Nintendo Wii joined our family two years ago in time for Christmas and we’ve enjoyed it ever since.  In an ever-competitive gaming landscape, Nintendo has upped the  ante by bringing out the Motion concept — games and remotes that are far more sensitive than the original ones and allow for a new dimension of play.

In terms of remotes you can either buy the Wii Remote Plus controllers or you can buy a Wii MotionPlus adaptor that plugs into the bottom of your existing controller.  Then an entire suite of games utilizing this technology has come out (and will continue to come out), which you can find at http://www.nintendo.com/wii/console/accessories/wiimotionplus.  To test this technology out, Nintendo’s PR company asked me to host a party and try out their Wii Play Motion Game which is a series of 12 mini games with their Wii Remote Plus controllers.

One of the mini-games (Cone Zone)  involves balancing giant scoops of ice cream on a cone, so you hold the controller upright just like an ice cream cone and as the scoops become more unwieldy you have to tilt the controller to counteract the weight.  This game led to the party theme of ice cream sundaes, and the PR team did an adorable job with a pre-made sundae kit with Mason jars of toppings and a gift card to Cold Stone Creamery — how could I possibly fail as a hostess — games and ice cream!

Apologies for not taking more/better photos -- that was a lot of people/kids to manage!

Well, one thing I did was underestimate my RSVPs — and quickly I realized I needed to borrow another Wii and another copy of the game (thanks Julie and Michele) so we could rotate people through the games quickly enough as we had 27 people in attendance!

Since my kids are 5 and 7, the kid base of the invitees were of similar age with a few younger siblings in the mix and of both genders.  Some kids had much more gaming experience than my kids.  All of them owned a Wii.  Only one family already owned the Remote Plus controller.

Gotcha! Someone grabbed a ghost in Spooky Search!

I nervously gave a quick intro and then released the controllers into the hands of the anxious children who quickly split up into the two rooms.  Surprisingly, few arguments ensued!  It was interesting to watch who preferred which games.  More experienced gamers really liked the Star Shuttle game, which involves very fine control to dock various pieces of equipment very precisely onto a space station.  I, personally, have yet to successfully complete a mission on this.  Spooky Search, which turns you into a ghost hunter and involves listening and watching for clues for ghosts and sucking them into a ghost-eradicating machine, is a bit difficult and yet my 5-year-old LOVES it.  Trigger Twist, which allows you to work as a team to shoot various targets (dinosaurs, aliens, ninjas) is an all around favorite, even with the adults as is Veggie Gaurdin (think of the original Whack-A-Mole).  Jump Park and Wind Runner brought out peals of laughter.  Some games require more time to master, such as Flutter Fly and Skip Skimmer.  I am convinced married couples should not play Treasure Twirl together (you work together to raise treasure from the sea and most coordinate your maneuvers or risk stings from jellyfish, dropping treasure or other hazards).

The ice cream break allowed the parents to wrest control of the remotes from the children and get some play time in themselves and then to convince some tired and sticky children that eventually the party had to end, but it seemed that by the end of it, most were convinced that this was an item they wanted to add to their wish list for the holidays.  If you already have a Wii, upgrading your remotes and trying out the Wii Play: Motion suite is way to extend your investment.  If you are thinking of buying a Wii this season, I highly recommend going for one of the packages that already includes the Remote Plus Controllers so you may take advantage of the new direction Wii is going in.

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Disclosure:  Nintendo’s PR company sent me a copy of Wii Play: Motion and three Wii Remote Plus controllers to test as well as supplies for an ice cream party.  They also sent a copy of Wii Play: Motion which included a Wii Remote Plus controller to give away at the party.  I was not required to post about this experience nor did it affect the opinions expressed — I always tell it like it is.  I’ve included product links to Amazon and I’m an Amazon Affiliate. Should you buy any products through Amazon via one of these links, I might actually make enough money to buy a day’s worth of caffeine, for which I would profusely thank you. Wii, Wii Play Motion, Wii Remote, and MotionPlus are trademarks of Nintendo.

5,000 blocks of ice, each weighing nearly 400 pounds, are hand-carved to make the dazzling display which is comprised of ten different colors and more than 1, 500 specially designed light tubes that are frozen within the ice.

Yes, we have terrible traffic,  high gas prices and a housing market I never seem to be on the right side of, but when it comes to celebrating the holiday season, the Metro DC area knows how to do it right! Having spent the first two-thirds of my life celebrating Christmas in sunny Florida and California, those wintery holiday scenes in TV Christmas movies were quite foreign to me.  So you can understand why I may have been the most excited member of the JavaFamily when MomzShare invited me to see Gaylord National’s ICE! at National Harbor.

If you live locally, you’ve been pelted with commercials and fliers about it, but nothing does it justice like seeing it in person.  I had stayed at the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center a few weeks earlier for the Blogalicious conference and even I was amazed by the transformation.  The first thing to understand is that ICE! is part of an entire set of Christmas on the Potomac activities.  It is indeed the centerpiece, but there is so much more!

Another thing to know is that previously you had to stay at the hotel to access many of the activities, but this year, the Gaylord National has changed the package pricing so members of the general public may join in the fun of meeting characters and decorating gingerbread houses.  Because there are so many components, I will break down the events and the pricing as I explain our experience — keep in mind if you like more than one activity, you may want to look into a package.

Gaylord National’s ICE!

No doubt the sparkling gem of the Christmas on the Potomac experience, this ranked high with all members of the family.  Each year 2 million pounds of ice, some clear, some colored, is carved to recreate scenes of a popular movie — this year it is Merry Madagascar.  But what we didn’t know until visiting the web site beforehand is that the ice carvers are 40 artisans from Harbin, China, sharing knowledge from an old tradition of ice lantern festivals.  There is a lot of science involved in how the ice is made — the differences between the processes for making the very clear ice, the cloudier white ice, and the colored ice.  For example, clear ice is made using deionized, highly filtered water that is slowly frozen whereas white ice is quickly frozen. I highly recommend watching the videos available online beforehand so the kids can better appreciate the work that goes into building the scenes and know what to expect.  Although it was not busy the day we were there, as part of their “crowd control” you will get a chance to see a video before entering ICE! but it still helps to read/watch video on the web site ahead of time.  I think this made the difference between the kids just running through it and saying “oh yeah, neat” and us really talking about what was done, looking at the details, discussing  the science involved, appreciating the hard work of each part of the process and truly enjoying the artistry.

It is truly cold, 9 degrees Fahrenheit in the ICE! Pavilion, which is a tent across the street from the Gaylord National.  You will be required to wear one of their large, blue parkas (yes, ALL of you), because these are also what are used to slide down the main attraction — the lit ice slides.  They had the parkas in all sizes, even for me as a plus-sized person.  I recommend wearing long underwear under warm clothes, and bring your own gloves/mittens and hats. While we did have jackets and coats that fit under the parkas, you may find that you want fleeces instead to minimize your bulkiness, and scarves may help you keep your faces warm — a friend who had gone previously brought ski bibs for her kids, that would’ve been overkill for my family, you will have to figure out what your family’s comfort level is and I recommend a backpack so you can add and subtract layers as needed. Warm, comfortable walking shoes (no heels allowed on slides) are essential. Try to minimize how much you need to bring in with you. Keep in mind your camera may fog/freeze in that temperature. They will take a souvenir photo of your family in front of a green screen (and lay in a nice backdrop digitally) just before you enter, which is then for available for you to purchase ($20-30) in the large gift shop you pass through on the way out should you choose. Since we knew the kids did not get a decent photo of the two of us inside, we opted to buy the photo.

When it comes to the slides, it’s really simple — sit with the long, slick parka tucked under you, feet ahead (no high heels!) and whoosh off you go!  JavaGirl was frightened at first, but once she got going, she didn’t want to stop.  This was, of course, for the kids, their favorite part of the ICE! event. If I felt a little more graceful at the top and the bottom of the slide, I would’ve made more trips myself!  This also seemed to be the coldest, so be prepared to either go up and down the stairs with them a lot (the slides aren’t that tall) or to stand at the bottom of the slides, taking lots of photos and perhaps getting  little red in the cheeks from the chill.

In my opinion, one of the prettiest parts of the display was the crystal ice nativity scene with a quick narration and dramatic lighting to give an overview of the birth of Jesus.  It was breathtaking and frankly, put me in the Christmas spirit.  It is the last room of the ICE! display so if you have objections to the religious meaning, as I overheard one visitor exclaiming, you can quickly scoot out.  Upon exiting, workers will help you return your parka and oh-so-conveniently hot chocolate and snacks are for sale.  You can then exit or go on to ice skating, visiting the Madagascar Penguins or riding the train (extra charges apply).

For many families, this is an “investment” event — is it worth it?  I would say yes, but that it is up to you to maximize the value.  Spend the time before your visit to look at what is involved in creating ICE!  Walk over to the conference center to take advantage of the additional beautiful decorations and some of the free activities I’ll mention below.  Take time to talk about the event afterwards and discuss as a family what you saw, what was your favorite, how do you think they made the different characters, how fast do you think you went on the slides, or whatever other extension activities you can think of.  A week later my family is still talking about it and that to me means it was family time well spent.

Details:  Hours and prices for individual tickets vary by the day so check web site for details but Adult prices range from $35-25, Seniors from $24-19, Kids (4-12) $30-20, Military Adult with ID $32-22, Military Child $27-17, younger Kids (3 and under) are free.  There are also package prices that allow you to save by bundling other events with the ICE! tickets. Self parking is $10 for up to three hours with purchase of an ICE! ticket.  You can buy a VIP Pass to bypass the line and get a cup of hot chocolate and a meet and greet with the Penguins of Madagascar for an additional $15, conditions apply. There are a variety of public transportation options including the National Harbor-Washington DC Shuttle, Alexandria-National Harbor Water Taxi, and NH-1 Metrobus from the Branch Avenue Metro Station Green Line.

Ice Skating, Potomac Express Train

While still inside the ICE! Pavilion, you can buy tickets to skate at the (smallish) indoor rink. $10 for overnight guests, $12 otherwise, includes skate rentals.  This was the first ice skating experience for the JavaKids and the rink was probably just the right size for them. There are no lockers (or none we saw) so again, travel light. There were no buckets or gliders for new skaters (or that I saw) so it was the old-fashioned hang-on-to-the-rail-honey method as I tried to teach JavaGirl how to skate. It was towards the end of our day and we were rushing to get to the tree lighting so we didn’t spend much time here, but it was just enough for us to let the kids get the taste of ice skating, I am not sure how packed it gets on a busy day. In the same space is the Potomac Express Train,  a small train similar to the types that run through many local malls, $3 per ride, or three rides for $5. Here you will see the Madagascar Penguins — as they were on break while we were there, I wasn’t clear whether you had to have the character pass to see them or not.

Activities Inside the Resort

Obviously you could spend plenty of time just inside the tent, but maximize your day and maybe even wear out your little ones (you will definitely be worn out by the end of your visit!) by heading across the street to the resort. If you really want to splurge, book a package for an overnight stay at the hotel so you can spread out the fun — the view of the harbor is truly gorgeous and the resort has 300 acres.  But even if you don’t stay overnight, it is worth it to walk over to enjoy the decor and shows.

Several activities are free while others require tickets. 

Nightly Tree Lighting Ceremony Featuring the DreamWorks Characters

There is a beautiful fountain in the atrium and suspended above it is a 60-foot Tree of Light made of synthetic “candy” glass. Although gorgeous by day as it sits in front of a large window and radiates from the sun, at night the tree is lit by single light source, one of the world’s brightest light bulbs. In a theme-park-worthy show, DreamWorks characters such as Shrek, Fiona, Alex the Lion, and others come out while the fountains behind them dance to music and change color leading up to a dramatic lighting of the tree. Though the lighting ceremony is at 6:30, my advice is to either get a seat in the atrium (there are a limited number of seats there) or pull a chair up to the glass railing at the Belvedere Lobby Bar one floor above the atrium to get the best view by 5:45 or 6:00 pm and as this is prime kid dinner time, either have snacks handy or order something from one of the many hotel restaurants and bring it with you. The production pulls out all the stops — including indoor snow! Apparently by the end of the season, an average 15 inches of snow will have fallen INDOORS at the Gaylord! This is FREE.  If you do only one free show with your kids, this is the one and getting prime seating is key for maximum enjoyment. 

Brightest Star Fountain Show

At the same fountain, the water “dances” while you listen to a narration of the classic Christmas story.  We happened to be sitting at the National Pastime Sports Bar and Grill while this went on and saw/heard part of it from the patio, but I can’t really tell you how crowded the atrium was. I suspect any place that gives you a nice view of the atrium would be sufficient for this show, which begins at 9:30 pm, and that you don’t have to secure a spot as early as you need to for the tree lighting.  This is FREE.

Northern Lights

When the sun goes down, the 19-story atrium sparkles from 6:00 pm to midnight as more than two million lights illuminate the atrium and garden. If you put all the strings of lights in a row, they would equal 12.27 miles! Walking around the hotel and enjoying the ambiance is FREE.

DreamWorks Character Passport

Meow! Even mommies like Puss In Boots!

Buy your tickets and cross into a tiny village where you can meet your favorite characters from Madagascar, Puss In boots, Kung Fu Panda, and Shrek.  In addition to meeting characters in six locations, children get a keepsake passport stamped at each location and can participate in the Puss in Boots and the Quest for the Magic Beans Scavenger Hunt, which takes you throughout the indoor gardens on an interactive scavenger hunt (warning, lots of counting involved!)  My kids thoroughly enjoyed the scavenger hunt and were thrilled with their prize.  Check web site for dates and times as there are some blackout dates.  Tickets are $35 for ages 4 and up BUT one complimentary guardian or parent is allowed per paying child.  Professional photographers will take photos of your kids and you may buy them online (they give you a card with a barcode on them) but you are also allowed to take your own photos.  Note that not all characters are available for all meet and greets at all times — read all the fine print and make sure you are comfortable with it before booking. I’ll note here that my kids are very wishy-washy about meeting characters – sometimes they’ll run up to, say, the Easter Bunny, but they didn’t care to wait in line to see a character at Disney, perfectly content to watch from afar.  Yet they thoroughly enjoyed this particular experience and are still talking about it days later (my 5-year-old mostly).  So you will have to gauge for yourself whether this is worth your time and money or not.

Gingy’s Gingerbread Decorating

Decorate either a gingerbread family or a gingerbread house at Gingy’s workshop and then meet Gingy!  Prices start at $29.95 (plus tax) and are based on the item you decorate rather than by the number of people doing the decorating.  We did not have time to try this out, but plenty of families looked like they were having fun when we quickly walked through this area.

Santa Souvenir Photo

Although we did not take our photos there, several of our friends did and were thrilled with the results.  A very jolly old elf indeed has taken up residence at the Gaylord National and with photo packages starting at $20, quite competitive with the rising prices of pictures with Santa at the mall. A photo purchase is required in order to gain audience with this Santa, but I’m told he’s quite a good listener. 

There are many, many more activities, including a Brunch with Santa, a ShrekFeast, and spa treatments I would kill for! 

Final Impressions

My husband and I are customer service fanatics. Nothing infuriates us more than rude service and nothing catches our attention faster than excellent service. Every single employee, literally every one of them we came in contact with at the Gaylord National, was polite, friendly, and attentive. Down to details such as noticing that my parka was snug and insisting on getting me a different size, seeing upon exiting the ICE! exhibit that the warm air made my daughter’s nose start running and bringing her a tissue, packing up a Diet Coke in a to go cup for me for the ride home at a restaurant and so on. Wherever we were in our day, each employee asked us if we were enjoying our stay, even the parking attendant as we left asked if we had a good time. The kind of customer service that is rare these days. But imagine my surprise when the next day I discovered I had left my wallet at the Gaylord and didn’t know where after traipsing all over the 470,000 square foot center, the customer service continued at the same level. I was certain there was no hope and yet within hours, they found it for me, all contents intact, and had it at the bell hop desk waiting for me. It is perhaps for this reason the most that I think my family found it quite fun and relaxing to spend many hours at the Gaylord National — we felt truly cared for and away from the hustle and bustle for a while and could focus on just having fun as a family, and have built priceless memories we’ll cherish forever. It was a great reminder that for those of us lucky enough to live in the Metro DC area, you don’t have to travel far to give your family a special experience they’ll remember for years.

The entire Christmas on the Potomac event runs from now through January 8 and you can find more details at www.ChristmasOnThePotomac.com or by calling 301-965-4000.  If you are doing multiple events, packages such as the Freeze and Fun Day are the way to go.  Look online to see if they are running special web deals at the time you want to go.

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Disclosure:  My family and I were provided with complimentary tickets to the Gaylord National’s ICE!, character passports, ice skating and parking as part of a MomzShare media event.  This did not impact my opinion of the event or what I wrote about it (I always tell it like it is), but it did give me an opportunity to share a local event with you with firsthand knowledge.  Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and all related characters and properties © 2011 DreamWorks Animation L.L.C. Merry Madagascar © 2011 DreamWorks Animation L.L.C.  All photos are mine.

Combine the best of the holiday season — the magic of a winter wonderland and the spirit of giving back to our community — by taking your family to the Junior League of Northern Virginia’s 11th Annual The Enchanted Forest this weekend!

This event is a tradition not only for the JavaFamily, but for many Metro-DC families.   Begin by walking through a forest of theme-decorated trees and handmade gingerbread homes (all available for silent auction), meet celebrity chef Lorraine Wallace, have Georgetown Cupcakes & Cocoa with the Snow Fairy Princess or Breakfast and a Photo with Santa.  The Junior League of Northern Virginia (JLNV) presents an entire weekend of celebration, featuring the Children’s Science Center and Kids in the Holiday Kitchen with entertainment, cooking demonstrations and themed crafts for children, as well as gift and holiday decorations for sale, and a silent auction and evening gala for the adults.

Sounds fun, but what does this have to do with giving back?  The JLNV is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.  To date, the JLNV has invested more than $2.7 million dollars in our mission-based programs.  Funds raised from the event go towards this mission and The Enchanted Forest highlights two key community initiatives of the JLNV.  Kids in the Kitchen works with children in the community to stem the tide of childhood obesity through awareness of the benefits of making sound nutrition choices and moving your body.  The JLNV has pledged and provided $250,000 of funding to the Children’s Science Center in an effort to bring a science-focused children’s museum to Northern Virginia and provides “Museum Without Walls” events at area festivals and schools to excite children about science, technology, engineering and mathematics as well as to raise awareness about the need for such a museum right in our own backyard.

Event information:

The Westin Tysons Corner
7801 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22043

Saturday, November 19, 2011
10 am – 5 pm

Sunday, November 20, 2011
10 am – 1pm

General admission: $11
Call 703-442-4163 or visit www.jlnv.org or email tef@jlnv.org to purchase advance tickets.
Premium event ticket (Breakfast with Santa, Gala, Georgetown Cupcakes & Cocoa) pricing varies and subject to availability.

Giveaway Rules and All the Fine Print:

This event is so fun that words and even pictures do not do it justice.  So I’m giving away one two-pack of tickets to a lucky winner for general admission tickets. 

To enter:

• Simply comment below about what you love about the holidays, about the Junior League, or about giving back to the community, you must include your email (won’t be visible to the public) so I may contact you  between now and 9 am Eastern Friday, November 18, 2011. 
• Additional OPTIONAL entries may be earned by:
• Tweeting about this contest with a link back to this page (feel free to use this link: http://caffeineandaprayer.com/?p=2515) and the hashtag #jlnvtef (please then comment here with a link to your tweet — if you let me know your twitter handle, I’ll look for you to follow you!)
• By liking the Caffeine and a Prayer Facebook page and commenting here that you have done so
• Or if you are already a fan of the Caffeine and a Prayer Facebook page, simply commenting with a separate comment to let me know so. 
• NOTE: In order to comply with the spirit of the Facebook rules, please remember that it is not the act of liking the page that is the additional optional entry, it is the act of then commenting here, you are not automatically entered.  Please do not feel compelled to like the page if you are not interested in receiving Facebook updates from Caffeine and a Prayer.  I try my best to be a good blogging citizen and keep up with the ever-changing rules.
• Winner will be notified via email Friday and you must respond by Friday or I have to move on to the next winner as this is a quick turnaround and tickets are only good Saturday or Sunday.  I will need your name so I may add you to the Will Call list.

What you will win:

• Two general admission tickets valid for one day only either Nov. 19, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. or Nov. 20, 2011, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.  A general admission ticket includes access to The Enchanted Forest of Trees, Holiday Gift Boutique, Holiday Entertainment on Center Stage, Kids in the Holiday Kitchen, National Capital Trackers Model Trains Display, Pictures with Santa, and the Children’s Science Museum exhibits.
• Tickets will be made available through Will Call.
• Ticket recipients should bring valid picture ID.
• Premium events and gala tickets are available for separate purchase.
• Event information and additional ticket purchase: http://www.jlnv.org/jlnv/npo.jsp?pg=support9

Whether you win the tickets or not, I highly recommend going, it’s a fun, fun time and a great cause!

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Disclosures: I am the immediate Past President of the JLNV.  The JLNV has provided these tickets for the giveaway.

We are not the McPhersons - but this is the kind of chic photo I wish I had of us to use in a Christmas card photo instead of trying to choose between a series of photos where invariably one of us has our eyes closed, one of us is talking, another is looking away and so forth. Photo by Tiny Prints.

I did not come from a “Christmas card family.”  There are two types of families — those who send Christmas cards and those who don’t.  (Well, okay, obviously there are three — those who don’t send them because they don’t celebrate Christmas…) Sending cards was just not one of my mother’s interests.  My Great-Grandma Herbert, who lived to be 103, was a Christmas card sender and in return received literally hundreds of them and I used to marvel at the stacks and stacks of cards she would receive. When my friends reached their mid-twenties, I was surprised to start receiving Christmas cards myself. As they married and had kids, I started receiving photos of their children and wondered, “What am I supposed to do with these?”  I had zero Christmas card savvy.

I made a couple of clumsy attempts to send Christmas cards but didn’t become an official card sender until 2001.  JavaDad and I were engaged and about to move cross-country in January and it seemed like a good time to establish a family tradition — I decided that since we had a combined address list of all of our friends (the wedding invitation list) we would write a family newsletter, enclose a small card with our new address, and establish ourselves as a Christmas card sending family. In typical Type A style, I thoroughly researched this – created a list with a column for cards sent and cards received and learned that typically one crosses someone off the list after two years of not receiving a reciprocal Christmas card (I make a lot of exceptions, and goodness, thank you to all those friends who didn’t cross me off their lists all those years!) 

We live far away from our hometown and our friends have scattered far and wide, so there are many friends we haven’t seen for years and whose children we’ve never met.  For the longest time I never really understood the appeal of receiving photos of children we didn’t know, until we had kids of our own — now I get it. I enjoy seeing how much other people’s children have grown over the years and foist photos of our kids on our friends — perhaps our childless friends also say, “Why do they keep sending me photos of kids I don’t know?”  I am going to pretend I don’t know that photos of our children end up in trash cans (I, by the way, can never bear to throw away a photo!)

Some people get a full newsletter from us.  Some, particularly if they live close by and know all our news, get just a photo card like these adorable ones from Tiny Prints. But in this day and age of Facebook, email, and text messaging, I find that our annual Christmas card is a way to reach out in a slightly more personal way and touch base with friends.  Yes, I’ll admit, I use mail merge and printed labels.  I rarely have time to include a handwritten note and my penmanship is so awful that most people couldn’t read it anyway. Yet I still think there is something to that physical card that is more personal, more meaningful, more individual than an electronic card – we all enjoy getting mail from loved ones.  Every year JavaDad and I review the list, add and delete, fold newsletters or carefully stuff photo cards, apply labels, affix return address labels and stamp the cards and take them to the post office. Sometimes we barely get them out before Christmas, and yes, sometimes we’ve even been late. But we always try to make that connection and I know that I feel more connected when I receive a card from someone – there is something about the knowledge that they have in some way produced it, touched it, and intentionally sent it to ME.

We make bets as to who will send us a card first (the Paynes win every year!) We display the cards in a French memo board in our family room and enjoy watching it become overstuffed with cards. And then in January I take the cards and put them into a special Christmas card scrapbook, which allows us to keep all those photos of kids and compare how they’ve grown over the years, re-read family newsletters, and sometimes, treasure cards from friends and family members who are no longer with us.

Whether it is Christmas, Hannukah, Thanksgiving or New Year’s (I’ve even seen some people shift it to other holidays such as Valentine’s Day or Halloween!) are you a holiday card sender?  What are your traditions or tips?

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Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by Tiny Prints.