Stories for Dads and Moms who Need a Laugh

A wrapping station set up by Wife. You can see some of my finer work  in the background. Christmas Eve is here. It’s only a matter of hours before my children ask if we can exchange presents. Once again, we’ve done all we can to prepare for the big day of December 25th. We went shopping, sent Christmas cards, wrapped presents, checked our lists and made sure we had everything we needed to prepare for the festive season. Needing Time to Prepare Alas, we ran out of time. We had some unforeseen contingencies like we always do when there’s a plan. This year, I started a new job. That took some time out of the usual planning and preparation. Lucky for us, Lovie was able to step in and assume some of the Christmas duties.  One of my favorite things to do for Christmas is to send out cards. My Christmas card list is three pages long, and I’m always excited when I add another name to it. Unlike Bob Rivers , I actually enjoy sending them out every year, even to the ones I really don’t ...

The countdown to Christmas is on. Like you, I'm doing everything I can to make sure everything is ready for the big day. There's still plenty to do. I'm still working on sending my Christmas cards to friends and family. I sort of started my shopping. Wife and I are figuring out logistics when it comes to visiting family. There's lots to do, as usual. It's not Always Merry and Bright It's a busy time, and things get hectic. Everyone is running around making sure they have what they need for parties and gifts for loved ones. Buying things for people can be easier for some then for others. It's not easy raising a family. People do what they can to make sure spouses, significant others, and children have what they need. My family tries to do what we can to help people who are in need. There are many people like us who like to help people out. Help is more keenly felt during the Holiday season, and many people like to make sure everyone can have a Merry Christmas...

Taking a break during Holiday prep  is nice. My family likes to do puzzles. The year is winding down. My family is celebrating the Holiday Season with a slew of parties and festivities. As we count down the days to Christmas and, ultimately, the new year, I will be tending to a list of duties and responsibilities that will require my attention. This year will be a little more challenging since we hosted Thanksgiving. This meant a little extra prep around the house getting ready for dinner and cleaning up after the guests left. Turkey Day is over. Pots, pans, and dishes are washed and put away. Our whole family enjoyed some extra time off. Lovie, working retail, is about to witness the true joy of the Holiday Season. There are a little more than three precious weeks between now and December 25. There's a lot to do. Christmas Cards 'Tis the season to send Christmas cards. Christmas cards are an integral part of the season for me. My mailing list is pages long. For people like Bob...

There has been a lot of debate about “Die Hard”, and whether it is a Christmas movie. I personally think it is. The point of this post, however, is not to give my explanations why. Instead, I would like to highlight some other movies that could be debated just as fervently regarding their status as a Christmas movie. Batman Returns This installment of an earlier franchise depiction features Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader. This movie pits Batman against Catwoman, the Penguin, and a double-crossing industrialist. Throughout the movie, Bruce Wayne dates Selina Kyle while trying to keep Gotham City safe from this chapter's offering of villains as Batman. As the movie progresses, Wayne and Kyle find out who the other really is, complicating their relationship. Lethal Weapon I’m not sure I’ve heard arguments as intense as “Diehard”, and I surprised there hasn’t been the same debate. Everyone knows the story of the franchise’s maiden voyage. A veteran cop is partnered with a loose c...

Decorating the Christmas tree is an essential part of preparing for the most wonderful time of the year. In addition to the tree, there are plenty of other decorations to be put up around the house, and for some families, outside the house, to get into the Christmas Spirit. There have been plenty of decorations growing up that I remember more than others. There have been decorations to remind the family that Christmas was drawing close. Most of these were on the tree, but there were other decorations in my house as well as houses of relatives that have stood out over the years for me. Past Christmas Decorations Growing up, I remember a neighbor's house that was all decked out for the season. Lights on the bushes and two gigantic candles flanking the front steps of their home. Our house was on a one way street, so we always went by that house on our way home. When I was older, my room gave me a nice view of houses on the street behind us that had lights outside their homes on bushes...

Over the years, my family and I have exchanged Christmas gifts. Some gifts, and some Christmases, have stood out when it comes to the gift-giving tradition.   Christmas means a lot of different things to different people. Like a lot of people, I was excited when I was a child because Christmas meant I would wake up in the morning and there would be presents in the living room for me. All it cost me was a couple cookies, a glass of milk, and one measly carrot to be shared by eight reindeer. Not a bad deal. Electronics make Great Christmas Gifts I got my first Red Sox jacket for Christmas. As I got older, I was able to go out on my own and pick presents out for others. It was a nice feeling for me to be able to give someone a gift that I myself bought and paid for. Giving was nice. I'm not going to lie. Receiving may not be as holy, but it gives you a nice feeling as well. My brother and I were excited when we got Nintendo for Christmas. My brother had to be stopped before he could h...

There are three short weeks until Christmas. In that amount of time, like millions of other families, my family needs to get out Christmas cards, shop for various get-togethers, figure out the kids' Christmas lists, and send packages to family who live far away. Children Waiting for Santa Claus Things get different as you get older. As a little child, going to bed was the easy part. It was falling asleep that was hard. You wanted to fall asleep so it would be Christmas Morning faster, but you were too excited to fall asleep. My brother and I would give each other that uneasy look when one of us had to use the bathroom. Should we chance it? We did, and then ran back into our room and under the covers. Eyes closed like we had been in bed the whole time. My sister's bedroom was downstairs. She would sleep upstairs with us on Christmas Eve to be safe. You can't be too careful when Santa Claus is visiting. My brother and I had bedrooms downstairs when we were older, and we fell ...