*Disclaimer:This giveaway is sponsored by Old Spice and is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or associated with Facebook. Giveaway will end on 12/19/2014 at 11:59 PM PST. You will have 24 hours to claim by replying to the announcement in our newsletter”the Giveaway Lounge” or replying back to your congratulation letter. A winner will be randomly chosen and will be announced in a blog post and newsletter. This Giveaway is open to USA . Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for prize shipment. click the link to subscribe to the giveaway lounge newsletter http://goo.gl/lWK2W5 If you are a business and would like a campaign created like the one above please email Kathy King @ me {at} mrskathyking {dot}com
The winter holidays are meant for kids. Santa Claus is real, snow falls solely for sledding and building snow families, and a baby (just like I used to be, they'll say) was born in the hay. When else do we let them bring trees in the house or bury them with brand new toys, shiny paper, and glittery ribbon? In the thick of it, they'll tell you every bit of it is magical. It's not until we get a little older that particular pieces of that holiday magic begin to plant themselves in a special part of our memory. For me, the enchantment was the Christmas tree.
Growing up in Iowa, the formula for the perfect Christmas tree involved waiting for a bitter cold day and swirling biting winds. The whole family piled out of the station wagon at the country Christmas tree farm, picked up a hacksaw and trudged acres and acres to the farthest, most un-harvested hill. The arguments then ensued as six girls poured out their hearts in defense of their " perfect" tree. Ultimately, Mom got the one she wanted, and the saw went to work chopping down her tree.
The adventure continued on as we dragged our enormous tree back across the snow-laden hills looking for a tractor and trailer willing to give us a ride back to our car. If we were lucky, the tree would fit in the baler-one year it would not-and a great big Christmas tree bundle got strapped to the top of the car. Piling back into the station wagon, we raced home to set up our tree.
The happy memories don't end there. Getting the tree home was only half the act. Enter Pa-pa and his voice of reason. "Dawn, that tree is too big. It won't fit in our house." He was right nearly every year. The tree's trunk always received a second round of shearing before taking it's place front and center in the living room window.
After the tree was decorated and lit, we enjoyed seeing more and more presents accumulate underneath. We would plug in the lights in the late afternoon and sometime before going to bed, Mom and Dad would unplug it again. Until Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve we all knew the twinkling lights stayed on all night. Early in the morning (or later in the morning depending on how old we were getting to be), six girls would tumble out of bed, shuffle into the living room and be greeted with the most breathtaking sight! The glow of the Christmas tree illuminated the room, shining off wrapping paper, and calling attention to a big bag from Santa. Spread out on the floor, in front of the tree, were six stuffed-to-the-brim stockings inviting us to come and partake. With the allure of new toys, the moment was over in the blink of an eye, but the living room aglow on Christmas morning is what Christmas time magical to me.
Imagine then, the struggle it's been with a husband who grew up a little bit differently. In a home that in all ways seemed even more frugal than my own, the electric bill at Christmas time apparently just went out the window. He wants the lights on all the time, day and night and any extra time in between. Last year we followed each other around, secretly plugging and unplugging. I was certain he was being obstinate only because he didn't like digging around for the loose cords to fit into the socket. There had to be a solution before we started our holiday celebrating again this year.
In come our kids. Even before talking about getting a tree, they tell us excitedly and assuredly that Christmas trees have lots of presents and candy canes. I have no idea where the candy canes came from, but they are certain and now our tree is covered in candy canes they can eat every day. The first night we had our tree up I heard our oldest telling his dad that if he couldn't sleep he would just come out and look at the tree. The second night we had our tree up, I found him sleeping on the couch and when he woke up the first thing he said was, "I just wanted to lay here and look at this beautiful tree."
A mom's heart melts. It's a struggle to walk by and see the lights on at all times of the day. I want my family to know joy the way I remember it as a child. At the same time, who am I to take away a three-year-old's joy? Children make the holidays!
There will be a total of 19 Winners!
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This event is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada who are 18+. Void where prohibited by law. Winners will be notified via email and will have 24 hours to respond. If no response is received, winner forfeits the prize and a new winner will be chosen. We are not responsible for late or misdirected email or email ending up in your spam folder. Please add Marie@dixielandsdeals.com to your safe list so the email will reach you if you win.
This event will begin at 11:59 pm eastern standard time on November 28th, 2014 and end at 11:59 pm eastern standard time on December 8th, 2014. All entries from all tools will be combined and then ran through Random.org to ensure a fair draw. Chances of winning varies depending on number of entries received. Approximate retail value of all prizes is $4440. Participating Bloggers are not responsible for shipment of prizes.
Grand Prize!!!
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I was selected to participate in the #Disneyside blog campaign
and received promotional items to use for free.
No additional compensation was received..
I count myself extremely privileged to have been able to participate in the recent "Show Your Disneyside" blog campaign. One look around the blogosphere, Pinterest, or social media and it would seem it wasn't a small group of people participating, but it was exciting to be chosen to be involved, nonetheless.
There was a huge build-up around the shipping of the party packages, and while there were no dream tickets to Disney World stuck in side, I was ecstatic when it all arrived in a brand new American Tourister carry-on roller bag! Without evening opening it up, I would have been happy. Mine is black with red interior, but they have so many fun colors designed with your favorite Disney characters in mind.
Inside the suitcase was EVERYTHING a person could imagine needing to throw a great Disney-theme party. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter you might remember me mentioning that we'd already scheduled a cousin's Valentine's day party for the week that my Grandmother died. What a blessing to have a cheerful reason to be together after many days of solemnity.
Here is a glimpse at how we celebrated our Disneyside:
We played a bunch of party games and had some dinner, but my favorite part were the Valentine's boxes! I was so disappointed to find out my son's school doesn't allow decorated boxes so each cousin was asked to bring their own Disney-themed box and Valentine's to hand out for everyone.
In the day and age of Pinterest, where any idea you didn't know you had is available at the click of a button, I was skeptical to try out a package of printables which costs money to access. But, after being asked to review them, I'm happy to say I was surprised at how much I can see there being real value there!
These are the two things that really amazed me:
Once you've paid and downloaded your Python Printable Games package, all the games/activities included are yours to keep and access for ever. No additional cost and no expiration date
There is a HUGE variety. Ranging from trivia to mad libs, religious to ridiculous, games to coloring pages, and more. Also, pages for kids, adults, families, office parties, and just for when you're bored.
Here is an example of what you'll find in your printable Christmas package:
A few of my favorite pages included Christmas Bible Trivia, several HILARIOUS variations on the classic white elephant gift exchange, a cute thank you for your kids to send out, and the all-important A Christmas Story movie trivia page.
What's important to know?
The package costs $19.95 (but remember the entire 60+ page package is yours to use forever)
These pages download straight to your computer and print in seconds
You will find a page to fit every person in your family, every situation you're in.
Ready to download your Python Printable Games Christmas package?
Click the picture below.
Not quite sure?
Check out these FREE printable games ezine with dozens of free downloads updated regularly.
I was a skeptic, and now I believe. Check them out. I'm pretty sure they'll have something to fill each of your holiday entertaining needs!
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com.
Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
All opinions provided at Freemples are my own and will never be influenced by an outside party. If I liked it, you'll know. If I didn't, I'll tell you that, too. Some links in posts are affiliate links wherein I may be minimally compensated if clicked upon. Those posts will indicate such. Buttons in sidebar may also be affiliate links with the same result.
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