Rock and Roll Saved My Soul

A Christmas Tree A Short Christmas Story by Charles Dickens I have been looking on, this evening, at a merry company of children assembled round that pretty German toy, a Christmas Tree. The tree was planted in the middle of a great round table, and towered high above their heads. It was brilliantly lighted by a multitude of little tapers; and everywhere sparkled and glittered with bright objects. There were rosy-cheeked dolls, hiding behind the green leaves; and there were real watches (with movable hands, at least, and an endless capacity of being wound up) dangling from innumerable twigs; there were French-polished tables, chairs, bedsteads, wardrobes, eight-day clocks, and various other articles of domestic furniture (wonderfully made, in tin, at Wolverhampton), perched among the boughs, as if in preparation for some fairy housekeeping; there were jolly, broad-faced little men, much more agreeable in appearance than many real men, and no wonder, for their heads took off...

Christmas Crack! Saltine crackers coated with caramel and chocolate. A salty, crunchy holiday treat. What's not to love? I don’t know if this is called “crack” because of the way it breaks into big, wonderful pieces, because it’s made with crackers, or because it’s so darn addictive. Regardless, I’m a fan. With this classic Christmas treat, Saltine crackers get a double dunking: first in caramel and then in chocolate. Prep time: 10 minutes  Cook time: 15 minutes  Yield: About 35 pieces Feel free to add 1/2 cup of chopped nuts or coconut flakes on top once you’ve poured the melted chocolate. You can use darker chocolate with higher percentages of cacao, but these chocolates sometimes become brittle and separate from the cracker layer. We recommend cooling this candy overnight in the fridge since cooling in the freezer can cause the chocolate layer and the cracker layer to separate when you "crack" the candy. If you need to freeze, let the crackers...

51 Festive Christmas Songs to Get You in the Holiday Spirit 1. White Christmas - Bing Crosby 2. I'll Be Home For Christmas - Bing Crosby 3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland 4. The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole  5. Frosty the Snowman - Gene Autry 6. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Frank Sinatra 7. Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt 8. Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley 9. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee 10. Sleigh Ride - Johnny Mathis 11. Jingle Bells - Ella Fitzgerald 12. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams 13. Christmas, Baby Please Come Home - Darlene Love 14. A Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives 15. Winter Wonderland - Dean Martin 16. Merry Christmas, Baby - Otis Redding 17. Christmastime Is Here Again - The Flirtations 18. Feliz Navidad - Jose Feliciano 19. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jackson 5 20. This Christmas - Donny Hathaway 21. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - Joh...

Top tips for looking after your mental health at Christmas: 1. Talk about your feelings It's hard to admit that at such an exciting time of year you don't actually feel that great. But talking about your feelings can improve your mood and make it easier to deal with the tough times. It's part of taking charge or 'self managing' your mental well-being and doing what you can to stay healthy. It's important to create space for these conversations and also worth identifying who you can speak to if you are concerned about your well-being. 2. Do something you are good at What do you love doing? What activities can you lose yourself in? Enjoying yourself helps beat stress. As busy as the holiday season gets, try and keep up the activities and hobbies you enjoy all year round. You could turn these into festive activities, like making gifts, cooking mince pies or playing your musical instruments to Christmas songs! 3. Ask for help Donning a Christ...

Here’s how to support mental health sufferers this Christmas:   1. Know when something is wrong Experts say symptoms of mental health conditions can vary, which often makes it difficult to recognise when someone might be struggling. Sometimes, a small change in behaviour or temperament could indicate an individual is suffering from a condition such as depression, as Kelly Feehan, service director at wellbeing charity CABA, explains.  "Depression isn't a one-size-fits-all disorder, which means recognising it isn't always straightforward," she tells The Independent. Evidence points to the value of friends and family educating themselves about the signs and symptoms of different mental illnesses. According to Here to Help, one review found that when the family was educated about the illness, the rates of relapse in their loved ones were reduced by half in the first year. “Take the time to educate yourself,” says Natasha Devon, mental heal...

Supplies:  - pine cone (any size) - paint - green, white, glitter  - pom poms or anything you want for decorations - hot glue  - base for tree to sit on  Step One:  Paint pine cone green. We did two coats of paint. Step Two:  Paint the ends white to look like snow. Step Three:  Paint glitter over the white paint (optional) Step Four:  Use hot glue to put the pom poms on the tree, or any other decorations you wish. Size based on the size of the tree. You can use any color you want. And add any decoration you wish to the top of the tree. Step Five:  Glue tree to the base. You can use whatever you have available for the base of the tree. We used a slice of wood. Can use a small clay pot or wine cork also. 

Jen: lefse!! Colleen: preparing the holiday meal and spending time with family Sandy: I love that Santa brings my family a movie for each of us every year. Santa always wraps his presents in santa paper along with the stocking stuffer stuff he brings everyone. Last 3-4 years i have wrapped my presents for each person with certain paper. So everyone knows what presents our theirs. Santa writes whose are whose from him. Michaelle: Holiday goodies! Baking, sharing, and of course, eating! Gina: The past two years, since my nephew was born I’ve been going to see him on Christmas Eve and spend time with him and open presents, eat, this year we’re going to decorate gingerbread houses. Heather: Open presents in the morning Radeyah: Around Christmas time my mom and I drink hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies. Lori: My brother and his fiance and I always go to our dad's for Christmas and I always buy my brother and I lifesavers story books as well...

Family and food. -Jimmy R. Baking Christmas cookies with my grandmother from an old family recipe. -Shauna Y.

Baking cookies -Katy R. Driving around the nice neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights and of course the light festivals -Kathy C. Making and then eating lefse. -Joseph R. Chasing my uncle around the house because he stole the whipped cream. -Liz P. We don't do it every year, but we make gingerbread houses from scratch some years at my dad's house! -Vanessa R.