Free Letters from Santa

Free customizable letters from Santa Claus for free http://www.freelettersfromsantaclaus.com/free_printable_letters_from_santa.asp
http://blog.christmaslettertips.com/2009/04/29/free-printable-santa-letters/
http://www.santas-workshop.ws/ This is where I got mine last year

Of course there are plenty more. All you have to do is google free letter from Santa
For special effect print a personalized Santa letter, place it in a stamped envelope addressed to the child you want to receive it.
Write "Santa, North Pole, Alaska" as the return address in the upper left corner of the envelope.
Then follow these instructions given by USPS. There are also instructions on how you can be one of Santa's helpers this year.

In case you couldn't link, these are the instructions directly from the USPS website:
The Postal Service is helping create holiday memories for children. Parents, guardians and other Santa’s helpers can craft a response from Santa and mail it in a second envelope to the Fairbanks, AK, Post Office. Postal elves at the nearby North Pole Post Office will open the envelopes, postmark Santa's reply letters and mail them back to the children they are addressed to.After writing Santa's response letter, place it in a stamped envelope addressed to the intended recipient. “Santa, North Pole, Alaska,” should be included as the return address in the upper left corner of the envelope. This envelope should then be placed into a larger, properly stamped First-Class Mail or Priority Mail envelope with your correct return address and mailed to:North Pole Christmas Cancellation Postmaster 5400 Mail Trail Fairbanks AK 99709-9998 North Pole postmark requests must arrive in Fairbanks, AK, before Dec. 15, 2007. Please mail your request by Dec. 10.
Customers interested in obtaining the North Pole Postmark on greeting cards should mail them to the address above, following the same directions. Please make sure that the stamped envelopes are sealed and contain cards or other inserts (empty envelopes can be damaged by high-speed sorting equipment)

When to Wrap

I always want to wrap the Christmas presents as soon as I buy them. However, I know, for me, that's not a good idea as I'll be unwrapping them to remember what I put in there. I would label them but then if the children find them they'll also know what's in there. I would try a numbering system but I'm constantly losing my list.
My gift wrap is in my craft room but I don't do my wrapping in there. I usually end up wrapping all my gifts on Christmas Eve. My children are allowed to open anything in their stockings in exchange, they are not to wake up mom or dad. I am usually up around 7 or 8am on Christmas morning so they really don't have to wait that long. They haven't complained yet.

Wrapping Center

In order to keep my sanity while getting things organized and ready for Christmas, I set up a small wrapping center. Its just a place to keep wrapping supplies together. I have one of the under-the-bed boxes. I put wrapping paper, tape, scissors, ribbon and curling ribbon in that box. Because that box isn't very big, I have other box in the same area where I put gift bags, gift boxes and tissue paper. I wish I had a dedicated spot like my mother-in-law. My father-in-law built her some cabinets in her laundry room. Under one of the cabinets he put a small counter. In it she has all her wrapping gear like what I have in mine but much better organized. How do you stay organized for the holiday season?

Christmas is Coming

And very quickly I might add. I was just over at I'm An Organizing Junkie where she had this post about her gift closet. I have a box for each child for Christmas. Its just a plain old apple box. I also have an extra one for my son because his birthday is very close to Christmas. Although Imay not be very good at it, I do love an organized house. All my presents for my children are currently in the half bath just off my bedroom. I would love to use that room again. I do not have a closet I can use. My husband no longer needs his home office so I was cleaning it out to use as my sewing room. It has a great closet. I was planning on banning my children from the room so I could work on and store their Christmas and birthday presents in the room.

My two girls share a room and its becoming more than their father and I can handle as they always seem to be arguing about everything. So, we asked our son if he would be willing to move downstairs. He said he would so when I can get the room cleaned out, he will have the old office. I don't mind losing the office to him but I wish my sewing room has a closet. Its a small room with little storage and no closet. I have put up shelves and have bins of fabric but really no room to move around and sew so I don't do much sewing. Wish I could right now. I have 3 children that I would like to have in matching pajamas for Christmas. Point was, I need a gift closet that I know the children will stay out of. I suppose they will stay in the half bath for now.

Pumpkin Allergy

I think my son has developed a pumpkin allergy. He got itchy, watery eyes when I burned a pumpkin spice candle and said he was itchy all over. He carved a pumpkin at school and his hands got itchy. We made pumpkin cupcakes last night. I let him taste the batter and his throat got itchey. The odors made his eyes itchy just like the candle. I'm so sad. His favorite part of the holidays is the pumpkin pies. He also loves pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I feel really sad for him. He was crying last night because he is sad he won't be ableto have any pumpkin pie. That is the only reason he eats Thanksgiving dinner-I won't let him have any pie until he eats something good. Poor kid.

Halloween Party

I promised my children to that I would throw them a Halloween Party. Problem was, up until last night I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I made pumpkin cupcakes last night. Today I made spiced apple juice and chocolate chip cookies.
We made pizzas first and played games while they were cooking. The first game we played was Witch's Brew. We cut out things that might go in a witch's cauldron; 10 red ants, 1 green toad, 10 shark's teeth, etc. We had 5 children come so there were 5 of each item. 1 was given to the person the rest were taped to his back. The idea is to get one of each item from the other player's back while protecting your own. The first person to collect them all and put them in the cauldron was the winner.
We also played Halloween bingo I had bought when my daughter was in kindergarten and I was room mom.
The last game we played was lots of fun but I'm not sure what it's called. We put 20 random items in a bag. Each child closed their eyes and picked one item out of the bag. Then we started the story. "One night I went to our deep, dark cellar . . . " The children had to continue the story using whatever they had picked from the bag. They picked 3-4 times before they ended the story.
I had goodie bags but didn't get the chance to fill them before the party so I made that a party game too. The children really seemed to enjoy that. It was kinda like trick-or-treating.

Fall Activities

This last weekend was so fun. Friday night we went to the Enchanted Woods in Ogden, Utah. It is $6.00 per child but the adults get in free. We helped Little Bo Peep find her sheep. We heard stories from Pecos Bill, Puss in Boots, Beauty from Beauty and the Beast, the Frog Princess (the princess who dropped her golden ball down and well which was retreived by a frog who was actually a prince), Charlotte from Charlotte's Web, the One Little Pig (semi-original story) Jack from Jack and the Magic Beanstalk and others. At each stop, the childen got little treats, a mask, a flute, a sucker, etc. I think my son is too old for this now. I don't think he had much fun. I don't think you are allowed after you're 11 anyway and he will be 11 in December.

We also went to the George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park in Ogden. They have people stationed around the park for the children to trick or treat at. This year, they even had pie samples. It was okay but we will probably go earlier next year. We got there later than normal this year and they were running out of treats for the night. We paid for 2 adults and one child and it was $25.00. They did accept coupons we had for buy one adult ticket and get one child's free.

On Saturday, we went to Boo at the Zoo. Its fun to trick or treat there. I'm not sure the price to visit the zoo but they don't raise the price to go to Boo at the Zoo like they do at Eccles Dinosaur Park and This is the Place. The children were also excited to see the baby giraffe, tiger cubs and the new baby elephant, first one in this zoo for 90 years. The babies were so cute!

After the zoo, we went to This is the Place. (Its a Utah thing.) We rode a train, went trick or treating a bit, did a couple crafts and rode on a pony!