Photoblog 12-10-06
Dec 11, 2006 Uncategorized
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Every year, my friends coordinate and take part in a program called Faith, Hope, and Love. My friend Coats used to work and an abused-teens center in LaGrange. At this center there are about 7 teenage boys whose parents have basically abandoned them, and so they live at this home. This also means that at Christmas time, there is no one to get them any presents. Well, that is where we come in.
We have the kids make a “Christmas Wish List”, with about $250 worth of things they really want on there. Then, we find people to sponsor them by either just donating money, or actually going out to buy the gifts.
Once that is all done, we set a date to drive down to LaGrange and physically deliver the presents and cook a massive feast for the kids. That is such an awesome thing because we get to have dinner with them, and then actually see their expressions when they open the presents. They are so grateful, even for the smallest things, and it does a great job of putting things in perspective for me.
So, that being said, my Sunday School class sponsored one of the kids. So today (actually, yesterday from when I am typing this), we went shopping for the kid. In the picture, we are at Old Navy getting some polo shirts that were on his list. We also scoured the Gwinnett area looking for Nike Air Force One shoes. We found them, and then scratched out heads at how these shoes could be $80, but whatever. They are not for us.
Merry Christmas!
Photoblog 12-9-2006
Dec 11, 2006 Uncategorized
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Saturday night, we had a company Christmas party at the house of one of the employees. As you can see from the picture, my friend Audra came with me (I mean, who wants to go alone to a party, right?). Anyways, Jerry, who was the host, gave us the tour of his house. His wife had spent a month and a half decorating the house, and you could seriously tell by how beautiful it was.
A quick note about Jerry- he is an amazing guy. He sent an email out to the entire company a few months back listing the remaining holidays for 2006. Next to December 25, he did not put Christmas. Instead, he put “Christ’s birthday”. That is so awesome! Anyways, back to the party…
The food was amazing. Jerry’s wife is Italian, and she loves to cook. Well, she seriously went all out. She prepared enough food for 50 people, and it was all fresh and hand-made. I had mostly sweets (I could not resist), to the point where I felt a little sick.
It was a great night with great company, and it really got me in the Christmas mood.
iPod or Fruitcake?
Dec 1, 2006 Uncategorized
from TUAW:
iPod? or Fruitcake? Let the facts speak for themselves.
10 Reasons why iPods beat Fruitcakes as Holiday Gifts
- You can’t play your music on a fruitcake.
- Inserting earbuds into your fruitcake? Makes them all sticky and gooey.
- iPods come in many colors and flavors. Fruitcakes are…brown.
- You can’t play video games on a fruitcake. (Or a Zune.)
- Fruitcakes do not support smart playlists.
- You can’t really accessorize a fruitcake. Belkin doesn’t offer a “fruitcake” section in its online store.
- You can’t watch the latest episode of Battlestar on a fruitcake.
- Fruitcakes don’t fit into your pocket.
- Fruitcakes are unsuitable items to bring along with you to your workouts.
- iPods? No crumbs.
10 Reasons why Fruitcakes beat iPods as Holiday Gifts
- iPod price $249. Fruitcake price $21.99.
- Fruitcakes need no frivolous accessories. They’re usable exactly as produced.
- You’re less likely to waste your spending money at iTunes with a fruitcake.
- Walk around wearing an iPod and everyone yawns. Walk around wearing a fruitcake and you’re a trendsetter.
- iPod: 2.5-inch color display. Fruitcake: 10-inch multifaceted-crystalized-fruit display.
- You can’t use an iPod as a football. Or a door stop.
- Fruitcakes have no batteries to replace.
- iPod: 7,500 songs. Fruitcake: the song in your heart, and the antacids in your medicine cabinet.
- You can’t call your enemy “nutty as an iPod”. Well, you can. But nobody’s going to understand you.
- In all likelihood, your fruitcake will still be usable three years from now.
Chicago officials don’t want ads for ‘The Nativity Story’ at Christmas fest
Nov 28, 2006 Uncategorized
Reading the previous post, now this one… I am going crazy here from all of the idiots making decisions!
City officials in Chicago have sent a message to a movie studio that hoped to help sponsor a Christmas festival with ads for “The Nativity Story” — There’s no room for you.
Worried that ads for the film about Jesus’ birth would offend non-Christians browsing at a traditional German Christmas festival, the city has asked the German American Chamber of Commerce to reconsider New Line Cinema as a sponsor.
A spokesman for the Willow Creek Association of churches, based in the Chicago suburbs, objects that barring “The Nativity Story” from a Christmas festival is like “celebrating Lincoln’s birthday without talking about Abraham Lincoln.”
But a spokeswoman for the mayor of Chicago’s Office of Special Events says the city does not want to appear to endorse one religion over another.
Tags: christmas
The Art of Re-Gifting
Nov 21, 2006 Uncategorized
With Christmas coming up, some of you cheap-o’s out there will surely be considering “re-gifting”, the art of giving someone a gift that was previously given to you, but unwanted. Sure, you could have sold it on eBay, but why, when you can save yourself the expense of having to buy a gift for someone else. So, here are some guidelines for regifting:
Is the gift regiftable? Never regift handmade or one-of-a-kind items. Signed books and monogrammed items are off-limits. Do you have to be told not to regift free promotional items? Some gifts that are good candidates for regifting include good (unopened!) bottles of wine, new household items and inexpensive jewelry.
How is the condition? Only new, unopened gifts in good condition should be considered for regifting. Never give partially used gift cards. Don’t give items that you have owned for a long time. A general rule of thumb: if you have to dust it off, it is not regiftable.
Is this going to work? Successful regifters use common sense. If you are going to regift, be sure you know who gave you the item, so you don’t return something to the original giver. Only regift items to people who are not likely to see the original giver.
Do you have good intentions? Don’t just give a gift to give a gift. Be sure that the recipient will appreciate the item. Remember, if you feel that an item is undesirable, the recipient probably will too. If you are regifting simply because you ran out of time, gift cards are simple to obtain and always well received.
How does it look? When it comes to gift-giving, go for show! While gift bags in good condition can be reused, wrapping paper is a one-time thing. Always spring for a new card or gift tag.
Can you handle it? If you don’t plan to announce the gift as a regift, ask yourself if you can keep the secret. Never feel guilty about regifting once you’ve done it.
Have you considered your options? An unwanted gift could be a welcome donation to a charitable organization. It is also an option to suck it up and keep an unwanted gift—after all, it was a gift.
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from Regiftable.com
Wal-Mart: We’re not afraid to say Merry Christmas
Nov 9, 2006 Uncategorized
Good for Wal Mart. I don’t know if this is only to boost sales, but I think it says a lot about a company of that size to stick to what is right. By the way, how is it that you can go to Wal-Mart not needing ANYTHING, but always find something to buy? Anyways, from the article:
Wal-Mart has told its employees that it’s OK to once again greet shoppers by saying “Merry Christmas” this holiday season instead of the generic “Happy Holidays.”
CNN confirmed that Wal-Mart will announce Thursday that it plans to use the phrase “Merry Christmas” in products and around its stores this holiday season.
