North Pole Elves Fight Off Postal Grinches

In a small Alaska town called North Pole, volunteers gather every year to send out thousands of letters from Santa to kids throughout the country. They’ve been doing this every Christmas for the past 54 years. It’s a tradition that’s brought joy to countless little kids.

Apparently this year the U.S. Postal Service is staffed by Grinches. Continue reading »

Want a Green Xmas? You Should Probably Start Now

Look, I know Halloween is not even a week behind us, but if I’ve learned one thing as a parent it’s this: it’s really hard to put off Christmas shopping and not (1) overspend (2) disappoint and (3) feel just really awful about child labor/carbon footprints/wrecking the environment. So, theoretically, I’m starting to plan for the holidays now.

How exactly? Well, I’m not sure, but I’m after a bit of research, here’s what I’ve come up with so far. Continue reading »

Schools Take the Scary Out of Halloween Costumes

Last night we took our kids to a trick-or-treat event at a nearby historical village.  Riding with other similarly dressed little girls (read: princesses) on an ancient amusement ride under a red light while watching witches, monsters, and football players running by us in the dark, I was struck by what a magical holiday Halloween is for kids.

Magical, yes, but often scary, too.  There were a lot of princesses and superheros there last night, but there were also costumes that made my kids cringe and hide behind my legs, too.

In the last few years, schools have been making a real effort to include Halloween fun in the curriculum, while at the same time asking parents to limit the blood and gore.
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What Your Trick-or-Treaters Won’t Tell You

Trick-or-treating starts in a little more than 24 hours — are you ready?

Whether you’re a new parent trick-or-treating with your little monster for the first time ever, or you’ve got a veteran kid looking to improve their technique, Reader’s Digest has some tips in their 13 Things Your Trick-or-Treaters Won’t Tell You.
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Do You Know all the Words to “This is Halloween…”

Please help me celebrate the bestest Halloween movie ever!

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Halloween Candy That May Scare You

When I was a kid a neighbor we nicknamed the “Banana King” would hand out bananas every year on Halloween.  Bananas?  On Halloween?  Was he out of his mind?

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Bump in the Night - Should You Visit a Haunted House When You’re Pregnant?

My four-year-old carries around our local haunted house guide — basically a newspaper insert that advertises all the local scary spots.  She’s loves everything Halloween, but can’t bring herself to actually look inside.  Too scary!

Little ones are far too young to visit the scariest haunted houses, though their parents might find it fun.  But if you’re pregnant and carrying around your own little pumpkin, should you go inside?

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Malia Obama’s Another Holiday Baby

I’ve got to say Malia Obama’s got it rough. Having a holiday birthday is one of those things little kids usually moan about, but being a July 4 baby as the president’s daughter?

I’ll concur with a commenter on Jezebel’s coverage of the presidential birthday celebration for Malia: “that blows.” Continue reading »

No Fear: Prep The Kids for Fourth Fireworks

There used to be a resort around the corner from my house with a sadistic pyromaniac at the helm. At least that’s what I started calling him after the fireworks started - on totally random nights. Often mid-week, well after my daughter was fast asleep.

Blasted out of bed, my daughter was terrified of fireworks. So we’re approaching the fourth with some trepidation in this household. I figure we’re not the only ones, so I’ve pulled together some of the best tips for keeping them fear-free on the fourth. Continue reading »