Z is for...

It seems funny to be getting to the end of our Living Christmas alphabet, at a time when our company has just had a fabulous new start!! For those of you in the North Pole where there is no television reception, and those of you who well, just don't watch TV, our beloved Scotty Claus was on the show "Shark Tank". No, he wasn't wearing a wet suit, he didn't feed live sharks or (thankfully) get eaten by one. "Shark Tank" is a show where people with big ideas try and find people who believe in them. Hopefully those believers will be willing to invest a lot of money too.  Scotty Claus took a risk that the Shark Tank investors wouldn't just chew him up and spit him out. He pitched his Living Christmas idea and...Yay!! Mark Cuban decided to take a risk and invest in Scotty. You thought Scotty smiled a lot before? Hugs all around! All of the elves (including me) are so excited we can hardly keep our hats on.

Oh, but wait...before I forget why I was here in the first place...

Z is for Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z

This is what you are supposed to be doing on Christmas Eve when Santa comes. This is also what Scotty Claus has NOT been doing since...I think, September.  I'm thinking maybe after Christmas, or at least after the trees get picked up after Christmas, or maybe after they get picked up and resituated at the farm, then he'll catch some Zs. Possibly it will happen after the adoptions are all registered in February...
Sorry, Scotty. A Claus's work is never done. Sleep is over-rated anyway, right?

Take a nap. Relax and have a Merry Christmas!


Care'n Presents

Y? because it's Christmas time, silly!

Can you believe we have almost made it through the entire Living Christmas alphabet? Thanks to all of you who have been reading these posts. You have probably noticed that I've slowed down a bit, but what can I say? An elf has other priorities at this time of year! I am determined to finish this alphabet though so here goes. Just two letters left.

Y is for YOU!

...as in Be YOU tiful!

and YOU can make a difference, even it's in a small way. Of course I would LOVE for everyone to rent a Living Christmas tree, and so would Scotty Claus, but when it comes down to it, not everyone lives around here, and there are other various reasons why people can't rent a tree. We can all, however, make the world a better place to live in. We can do that by just picking up that trash on the ground (even if it's not ours) and by walking a little bit farther to the bin marked "Recyclables" instead of just tossing that soda can in the trash.  Scotty Claus does it with his Living Christmas trees, but he also makes the world better with his smiles and laughter and hugs.  We can do it by caring about people more than we do about getting that gift that is just going to collect dust on Aunt Josephine's dresser; or the tie that will be hung up in the closet and worn twice a year. We can do it by yeilding the right of way at the mall parking lot instead of zooming around like it's the Long Beach Grand Prix. Make the world a better place one baby step at a time or however big a way you can imagine. It's up to YOU.
YOU can. Really.

Hugs for Mr. Tree

Merry Christmas!


Care'n Presents

X is not for...

 X is for X-mas? Bite your tongue! No no no! Who says Meeeeeerrrrrrrryy X-mas? Seriously, it just doesn't work. Yes, one could argue that actually, the whole abbreviation started about a thousand years ago. The "X", sources says, is actually "Chi" the first letter of the name of Christ in Greek. Some people say that the X represents the cross, and a symbol of Jesus' sacrifice. Some people have no idea whatsoever, but figure that "X-mas" takes up less room when they are painting scenes on the glass outside of their businesses. Whatever reason one might have to use the term X-mas instead of Christmas, begs the question: how hard is it to say "Christmas"? Do you really want to hear children caroling ♪ "We wish you a Merry X-mas, we wish you a Merry X-mas..."♪ ?? Yeeeaah, no. Like I said before, it just doesn't work. X is not for X-mas.

So for lack of any other words that begin with X, I've decided that X should be for Xylophone, because (as Shel Silverstein says) "X is always for Xylophone!"*

Merry Christmas, and don't forget to play your xylophone when your Living Christmas tree comes to stay for the holidays! There's still time to order! X marks the spot at
http://livingchristmas.com/



Care'n Presents






Some informations from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4097755.stm
*Quote from "Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book" by Shel Silverstein
photo: aforangela.com

W is for...

I considered waiting on this one, because it may make more sense once we start delivering trees, but what the heck. It won't be long now anyway.

W is for...WATER YOUR TREE!!

I was at the Orange County Farmer's Market over the weekend, and a few people asked me. What happens if my rented Christmas tree dies while I have it?  Well, just like any living thing, the goal would be...not to kill it. On the upside, our trees are fairly easy to take care of. Mainly, you have put it somewhere away from heaters or fireplaces, water it (not too much of course) and occasionally say nice things to it and give it a (gentle) hug. Consider it part of the family, but one who requires a lot less maintenance than say...a teenager, or a two year old. For more details on how to care for your Living Christmas tree check out:  http://livingchristmas.com/info/tree/care.php Of course you'll need to order one first, haha.


Merry Christmas!!

Care'n Presents

 

 

 

photo: thegreenhead.com

V is for...

Sometimes I wonder if the alphabet was put into the order it is, because of the average usage of each letter. I mean, did someone decide that the letter A is used the most so it should be first?  These are the things that fill an elf's mind...along with the song "You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why..."

So here we are at "V".


Since I had a rather serious/scientific-y post the last time, I thought, I need to get one that's a little more uupbeat. So my V word is:

VERY

As in, a VERY Merry Christmas!                          
A VERY beautiful Christmas tree!
A VERY lovely time will be had by all. 

I wish you many VERY wonderful things this season.


Merry Christmas
(a Very Merry Christmas that is.)


Care'n Presents


photo: missionviejolife.org

U is for...

♪♫ Up on the housetop reindeer pause,
out jumps good ol'  Scotty Claus! ♫♪

When I was growing up, we never had a fireplace. Of course I still expected to hear Santa's reindeer on the roof even though we didn't have a fireplace for him to come in. So how did he bring all those gifts to my elfling siblings and me? Obviously he came in through the mail slot in the front door, duh. 
Christmas is all about believing. Sometimes it's not easy to believe in things that other people look on as a "dream".  Scotty Claus wanted to make Christmas more Earth friendly, more tree friendly, and more environmentally friendly. Let's face it, he's a friendly guy. One of the things he does is to replant the trees once they've become too big or just not suitable to be Christmas trees. He lets them "retire" and at the same time, adds some greenery in places that need it.

Urban Infill and Urban Forestry  (our official U words for today)

In the off seasons our trees live in their cozy little pots on brownfields (unused industrial lands) where they suck up carbon and produce lots of oxygen. This improves air quality and combats global warming (how cool is that?).  Our retired trees also help with storm water run-off, and of course add beauty to well, wherever they are planted. Some things are just nicer to look at than others, don't you think?


Merry Christmas!!

Care'n Presents

Imagine 1000 Living Christmas trees instead of just brown.

photo: njtpa.org

T is for...

Wow, it's been awhile since my last post I think. We've been getting busy at the workshop! Orders are beginning to come in. Yes I know it's only October, but our trees are special. Once you go Living Christmas, there is just no substitute! I know you may be thinking:  T is for TREES, but when have you known me to go for the obvious? Well, okay besides that time, and the time before and...you're missing the point!

So what pray tell, am I offering you as my T word? Easy. TIME.
There are things so much more important about Christmas that you won't see just anywhere. Forget about what to buy your Aunt Bessie or your second-cousin Joe. Yes, we all know people who need things: a young couple with a baby could use baby clothes or maybe a friend lost their job and could use a dress shirt for interviews. For the most part though, there are a lot of people out there that have more than enough. What they don't have is time. Unfortunately this is not something you can buy. I'll tell you a secret though...are you listening very carefully? (or reading, that would be more accurate.) You can make time. It's not always easy, but it is possible. The funny thing is that when you make time, other people seem to be able to make time too. I suppose it's contagious in a way. Okay, for those of you who think that yes, Care'n has gone off the deep end, I'll explain.
Have you ever noticed that when someone you care about bumps into you at the store or some place random, when you leave you say something like "Hey, we need to get together!" This hardly ever happens. On the other hand, if you call someone out of the blue and say "Hey, what are you doing right now? Let's do coffee!!" They might hesitate, and start to say, "Gosh I'm really busy." After a moment thought it's likely they will say "You know, I think I can squeeze some time away!" You made the time, and they found the time they thought wasn't there.
So take some time, make some time, and definitely give some time. It all goes by way too fast, and those people you want to get together with, may some day not be there, and then there is no time at all.
Today, I'm giving you a mission: call someone and don't say "Let's get together sometime," but instead say "Let's get together now. Right now."


Merry Christmas!!


Care'n Presents



photo:  artdoms.com