P is for...

"Pine" comes to mind of course, but I thought that there was something of even more importance than your next Christmas tree. (Imagine that!)

Peace on Earth.

Frankly, I'd settle for peace at home, or even peace in my heart. We can all use a little peace, right? I know we technically haven't gotten even close to the holiday season, but it's never too early to start planning a little peace for yourself. Make a promise now, to take a break here and there. In between the shopping and the party planning and the gift wrapping, take a deep breath. Call a friend and go out for coffee. There's probably a Starbucks in the mall if you don't want to take too much time out.  It all gets too crazy and there is too much to do. It's easy to get stressed and agitated and before you turn green and furry, lashing out at all the little whos around you...find a little "piece" of quiet time.  Read a Christmas story to a child. Call your mom or dad. Spread a little peace instead of spreading more stress around, like fertilizer.
When you are planning all your events and activities, leave a few calender squares empty, but highlight them so you don't fill them with other stuff. These will be your "peace" days.
PLAN ON NOT PLANNING ANYTHING.  Really. Hundreds of years of being an elf means I have experience on this subject. How do you think we all do it year after year?

Start now. Take a deep breath...


Merry Christmas,

Care'n Presents


photo: William Salas

O is for...

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

I apologize for going for the obvious choice this time, but I couldn't resist. The cool thing though, is that when I looked up this song, I found out some really groovy things. This song started out as a German folk song, (OTannenbaum) and originally, it didn't have anything to do with Christmas. Tannenbaum just means "Fir Tree" and the song was about the fact that these trees were evergreen, and symbols of consistency and devotion. Re-written into "modern" lyrics in 1824 by Ernst Anschutz, verses were added which included a Christmas theme. 
This all got me to thinkin' about the idea of an evergreen tree being a symbol of faithfulness...something constant. This makes living Christmas trees make even more sense! The trees are meant to be evergreen, for forever or as long as possible anyway. Cut trees don't get to stay green. They dry out and die, which is why Scotty Claus started this whole Living Christmas Company in the first place. Our trees live on, like true love, or family memories, or that wine stain on your favorite throw rug. (Sorry, it was getting way too serious.) 

So lets all sing to our trees (when we get them) to thank them for being loyal, beautiful and green for another Christmas!

Merry Christmas! 

Care'n Presents




photo and information found:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Tannenbaum

N is for...

Naughty? or Nice?

As far as Scotty Claus is concerned, if you are renting or adopted a Living Christmas Tree, you are on the "Nice" list. Seriously, would a naughty person care about the environment? I think not. This is not to say that if you don't get one, you are on the naughty list or anything, it's more of a gold star, or brownie point kind of thing. We all should do something to make our planet a better place. As long as everyone does what they can, we'll see a better tomorrow. 

I tried to find a Christmas song for N and the only one I found was called "Nuttin' for Christmas" by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett.

I'm getting nuttin' for Christmas
Mommy and Daddy are mad
I'm getting nuttin' for Christmas
'Cause I ain't been nuttin' but bad.

Clearly, this kid is on the "Naughty" list.  Maybe he should get a Living Christmas tree, haha. Hopefully all of you out there are working on being nice. Christmas seems kind of far away, but I have a feeling it will be here before I know it. Being nice when we're all stressed out around the holidays can be tough, so practice now. We elves try to practice every day.

Merry Christmas!!


Care'n Presents

Photo:  kidzcoolzone.com
http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/c/christmas_songs/nuttin_for_christmas.html

M is for...

♪♫♪♫ "Mamacita, donde esta Santa Claus?" ♪♫♪♫

As I think I have mentioned, my boss, Scotty Claus is multi-lingual, so I couldn't very well get through this Living Christmas alphabet without a little international flair. If you've never heard this Christmas song, check it out on youtube (link below) it's really cute.  

M is also for Monterey Pine, another one of the types of trees you can rent from The Living Christmas Company. I tried to find out some fascinating backround story about these trees, but really the only thing I could find was that they were "first noted" by a guy named Thomas Coulter while he was in, yes, you guessed it! Monterey, California.  The scientific name for this tree is Pinus Radiata, which I think sounds like the name of a Christmas tree angel or something. Doesn't it?  I even looked up Thomas Coulter, and there wasn't a whole lot a fun stuff about him either. He was Irish, which earns points from me. He was known for his work in Mexico, which I suppose ties in the cute little Christmas song I picked out. 

Sometimes you have to be creative. 

Merry Christmas!


Care'n Presents

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3eAaxQVaHE

More information:
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_1/pinus/radiata.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Coulter

L is for...

Well...let me think...oh! I know!! 

L is for Living Christmas!!

Seriously, what did you think I was going to say?  Oh, I realize there are plenty of Christmas words that start with L, like Lights and Love and Ladies Dancing, but Living Christmas is pretty close to my heart, so there you have it. I've pretty much given you the basics of the company. We rent beautiful trees, drop them off, pick them up and take care of them all year. The trees stay alive which is good news for them. They smell wonderful and are safer because the are not dead and drying out in your living room causing a fire risk. This is good news for you. Did you know that plastic trees can give off chemicals into the air that are harmful to people? Something to think about anyway, right?


So if you haven't already, check us out at 
http://livingchristmas.com/index.php

Since we're not in full swing quite yet, I don't think you will be able to place an order, but if you can still get information and even see video clips of Scotty Claus in the News! 

Speaking of getting into full swing, I better get busy!  Merry Christmas!!

K is for...

"Kissin' by the mistletoe..."

You just gotta' love Aretha Franklin. I hadn't actually heard this song before, but I was searching for a Christmas song that started with K and there it was. 

So I started thinking about mistletoe, and why we like to kiss under it. I mean, I know why some of us like to kiss, well, in general, but how did the tradition start? I thought if I looked it up it would be a nice neat little story, but alas, no. The stories behind this plant go way back to Norse legend, ancient Greek times and Celtic Druids! At some point through all of that, people decided that this parasitic poisonous plant should be a symbol of peace, love and friendship during the Holidays. Go figure. Well, whatever the reason, I'll be waiting as always for a special kiss.

And while we're talking about peace, love and friendship, I thought of something else that starts with K:
Keep Christmas in your heart. Don't get caught up in the craziness. Keep the love, and try and find the peace. Pray that it will last all year long. Just my two cents there. :)


Merry Christmas!! 

Care'n Presents


Photo: statesymbolsusa.org (Did you know Mistletoe is the State Floral Emblem for Oklahoma?)

Want to know more about mistletoe? 
http://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/history/mistletoe.htm

Listen to Aretha!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1thcJL_qwbY

J is for...

"Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock..."

Ever notice how some Christmas songs make you want to get up and dance?  Granted, some of them are more likely to lull you to sleep, and some are merely cheerful, but there are some... They get your toes tappin' and your shoulders boppin'. If you never learned how to swing dance, somehow you find a way to fake it. I love those songs! Christmas can be a difficult time for people and even we elves can get stressed out. There's so much to do that it can become overwhelming. So here's what I think: In the middle of it all, take a deep breath, put on some music, and do the dance. Be goofy for a while! Embarrass your kids! Surprise your parents! Amuse your friends (and probably innocent by-standers). Believe me, I'm an elf; I know what I'm talking about. Everyone needs a break sometimes.

J is also for "Jolly Disposition".

This is a quality that Scotty Claus looks for, whenever he hires each elf, and he is the jolliest of them all.  With a twinkle in his eyes, and a smile on his face, he tosses that five foot long hat of his over his shoulder and hugs his trees. (We all think he's a bit off-kilter too, but really, what's the difference?)

So when you start to feel the pressure this holiday season, think "Jolly", set aside whatever you're doing and for a few minutes, hug a tree, smile at someone, wear a silly hat, or just dance up and down the department store aisles like a lunatic.  I'm not a psychiatrist; I haven't even played on on TV, but I am an elf, so take my advice: all those "have to's" can wait. Take time to remember that Christmas is supposed to be fun, and magical and a bit off-kilter. 

Merry Christmas!!

Care'n Presents



Photo: film.com 
- from one of my favorite Christmas movies: "Fred Claus"