My favorite places to shop for Christmas gifts

  I have found out that I really like to do my Christmas shopping online. I can have my coffee, or my wine, depending on what time of day it is, or I can be in my p.j.'s in the comfort of my own home and not be standing in long lines or being in overcrowded stores, or trying to carry to many bags around while I shop. My feet won't hurt or my back. Technology, isn't it wonderful!


Before I check out, I always look for coupon codes for discounts or free shipping on the item I want to purchase. I type in coupon codes for ebags, the place I'm visiting, or coupon codes for handbags or whatever the item might be that I'm interested in purchasing. There are a lot of coupon code sources out there. Two I usually try are:http://www.couponcabin.com/, or http://www.promotionalcodes.com/?gclid=CNGzjvP4kaACFdx05QodLzqmeA. I love when I can get a deal! Now I don't think you can use coupon codes for QVC, which is one of my favorite places to shop, but the prices there are quite good and you have thirty days to return your product, no questions asked. If the product is defective you don't pay to ship it back. I also trust them with my information...they don't give it out to anyone. http://www.iqvc.com/ In July, on the 25th, they do their Christmas in July all day.

 I have ordered wreaths, garlands, 4ft. trees to put in urns outside my front door from the Bethlehem Lights people at QVC, and the quality is great. The lights are made to last a long time before needing to replace them. They also make battery operated wreaths and garlands that have a timer on them if that's the way you choose to use them. If you turn it on at 6:00 p.m., it will stay lit for six hours, shut off, and turn back on at the same time the next night. They actually last clear through the holiday season. I put mine up on Thanksgiving weekend and they stay working to the New Year. Wonderful!

Some of my other favorite places to shop are:
http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=honeysuckle&origkw=honeysuckle&sr=1, I always get my two grandchildren something from here every year. They love it.

http://www.nutsonline.com/, all sorts of nuts, dried fruits, chocolates, coffee, teas, seeds, snacks, gift baskets, tins, etc. You can pick your delivery date and it gets there fast!

http://secure.ebags.com:0/handbags/department/index.cfm?sub_site_id=14, Here they have any kind of bag you can think of: handbags, wallets, luggage, laptop bags, duffel bags, backpacks, etc. They have a lot of sales and you can return your item free if you're not satisfied. Love this website.

http://www.amazon.com/, You can get a lot of free shipping items here if you spend $25.00 or more and we all know this is easy to do at Christmas.

http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=HOME&cid=20205&fp=f, Shipping is always $2.95 on your entire order, but sometimes it's only a dollar and sometimes it's free. Big selection of items.

http://www.zappos.com/?gclid=CJ_hq5aDkqACFQ1N5QodyBzCfA, Shoes & Clothing with free shipping both ways.

http://www.ulta.com/ulta/index.jsp?s_kwcid=ulta|974910690, for cosmetics and fragrances, etc.

https://www.thecountryhouse.com/Default.asp, If you're into the country decorating, this is the place to shop.

So that's it. It's always a good idea to check out the return policies for any place you shop so there will be no surprises. Another good idea is if you set up an account at places you shop, to frequently change your password to keep your information safe. Each credit card company has different ways for you to keep your identity safe for shopping online, and don't forget those coupon codes.

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Amazing Grace Christmas Light Show

This is truly the best light show I have ever seen! Enjoy.

The Amazing Grace Christmas House. Designed and programmed by Richard Holdman in Pleasant Grove, Utah.

You can find out more information about this display at http://www.holdman.com/
The display has 50,000 lights and is computer controlled by 180 channels.

The Little Matchgirl

On a cold New Year’s Eve, a poor girl tries to sell matches in the street. She is freezing badly, but she is afraid to go home because her father will beat her for not selling any matches. She takes shelter in a nook and lights the matches to warm herself. In their glow, she sees several lovely visions including a Christmas tree and a holiday feast. The girl looks skyward, sees a shooting star, and remembers her deceased grandmother saying that such a falling star means someone died and is going into Heaven. As she lights her next match, she sees a vision of her grandmother, the only person to have treated her with love and kindness. She strikes one match after another to keep the vision of her grandmother nearby for as long as she can. The child dies and her grandmother carries her soul to Heaven. The next morning, passers-by find the dead child in the nook, with rosy red cheeks and a smile on her face. They express sadness at her death and the burnt-out matches she must have used to warm herself, but they cannot know the wonderful visions she saw in her final moments or how gloriously she is celebrating the New Year with her grandmother.




Another favorite of mine, but so sad.

Legend of the Candy Cane

Many years ago, a candy maker wanted to make a candy at Christmas time that would serve as a witness to his Christian faith. He wanted to incorporate several symbols for the birth, ministry and death of Jesus. He began with a stick of pure white hard candy; white to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus; hard to symbolize the solid rock, the foundation of the Church; firmness to represent the promise of God. The candymaker made the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior. He thought it could also represent the staff of the Good Shepherd, with which he reached down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray.
Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received, by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life. Unfortunately, the candy became known as a candy cane - a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time. But the true meaning is still there for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.

There are several stories about the candy cane, and this is just one of them which I happened to enjoy. I found it at: http://home.att.net/~scorh3/CandyCane.html

Christmas "2008"

Christmas "2009" Slideshow

Family & friends pictures.

Location of Santa's Workplace

In 1879, Thomas Nast, revealed to the world in a series of drawings that Santa's Workshop is at the North Pole. However, it is less clear which North Pole Thomas Nast was referring to. The two commonly referred to North Pole's for Santa's workshop are the Geographic North Pole and the Magnetic North Pole. However, one can deduce from film and pictures the aurora borealis centres on Santa's Workshop, indicating the workshop is at the Magnetic North Pole in Northern Canada. Once a year a train, the Polar Express travels to the Santa's Workshop. It is doubtful train tracks could be rebuilt on polar ice each winter. In 1994, United States Air Force pilots reported they have seen no signs of a workshop at the Geographic North Pole in the physical realm.  In the same year, Canada Post issued Santa's Workshop it's own postal code H0 H0 H0. In 2004 nuclear submarines surfaced at the North Pole, proving once and for all Santa Workshop is not at the Geographic North Pole.

From Wikipedia