Giving is one of many powerful insights from Christmas.  Let’s reflect on three ways to give this Christmas-in-July:

1.  Think about how you can improve on giving to others.  We know that the happiest people on the planet are the people who give to others unconditionally with the expectation of nothing in return.  So if you want to increase your happiness as well as others, increase your giving!  One of the most potent ways to give, is to give of your time.  Start by giving time to the most important people around you.  Time can be given powerfully by simply allocating time to be with and listen to your spouse, child or friend without interruption.   If you diarize time you won’t feel flustered with lines of attention being drawn to other things you need to get done.  It will help you to be fully present and the one you are with to feel happy or content because you truly are ‘fully’ present.

2.  Another powerful way to give is to spend a day giving your total attention to others.  Do this once a week.  Don’t talk about yourself whatsoever for a whole day.  Don’t give any opinions or add your story to anything said.  Always acknowledge the other person after they have finished speaking.  Honour them by saying back to them pertinent points to show you have listened and ask them to expand more on the subject or ask them questions to get them to continue speaking.  If they ask you a question and it can be a simple yes or no that’s ok but don’t add your ‘stuff’ your story and move onto a question back to them.  And remember to be fully present by listening with positive body language and good eye contact too.  You’ll soon find that most people are not really interested in your story, they are more interested in themselves and what they have to say.  They will walk away from you feeling great and will think you are a wonderful person, simply because you gave them space to be truly heard. 

3.  Give acknowledgement to the ones you love.  Acknowledgement is craved by most people.  Without acknowledgement many will tend to retract and will not give again as they feel unappreciated.   For example, you go out of your way to do more than what was expected at work and your boss doesn’t acknowledge you.  Do you feel inspired to do more next time?  Probably not.  Your partner spent time making you a meal.  Do you take it for granted or do you acknowledge them with love for their time and care preparing the meal for you?  Every time you don’t acknowledge someone for what they have done or given to you, and you take it for granted, you erase a little of their love or respect for you.   Another example, your child puts his/her dishes in the sink – acknowledge them with positive comments.  When you acknowledge the small things, it can create a snowball effect of more good behaviour.  It won’t happen overnight but it will happen.  This practice can powerfully transform relationships.  It is a gift to increase happiness for you and others around you.

This Christmas-in-July spend some quiet time thinking about and planning ways that you can give.  By giving of your time and your acknowledgment, you expand and create a more generous loving heart while creating more happiness in the world for you and others.

The Negative Effects of Television

Television is one of the greatest inventions of all time. It allows us to watch whatever we want, whenever we want to. There are hundreds of channels, with thousands of shows on every day.  Although the television was a great invention, people are beginning to question if it promotes violence. I believe that television violence has a negative effect on society because many television programs show aggressive behaviour, it makes it difficult to understand what is real, or what is fake, as well as video games which contain a high level of violence.

First of all, many television shows have very aggressive behaviours.  In some shows, some characters get badly hurt, however they get back up and continue as if nothing ever happened. In an episode of Bugs Bunny, Bugs punched Elmer Fudd in the face, knocking him head first into an ice covered wall. This action would have normally killed any human being, but Elmer quickly gets up and goes after Bugs for revenge. Also, there are no consequences to characters who do bad things. After attacking Elmer Fudd, Bugs should have been arrested, however he continues to live his life without any form of discipline. Additionally, bad guys in television shows are not portrayed as being bad, for instance, Elmer Fudd was trying to capture Bugs, so he should be portrayed as bad, however he is a lovable and funny character. It is easy to see that most television shows promote aggressive behaviours among the characters.

Furthermore, the society, mostly young children, have trouble identifying what is fact or what is fiction in television programs. When watching cartoons, children do not realize that what the characters are doing can be harmful in real life. Nowadays there are many warnings on television to not repeat what is being watched because the reactions the characters have are unrealistic and it can be very easy to get hurt by emulating it. In addition, children believe in fictional characters. Characters such as Santa Claus are believed by many children, sometimes even teenagers and adults, even though Santa Claus is fictional. In other words, young children are very impressionable and need to be taught what is real and what is fake, so that they do not harm themselves by repeating certain actions.

Finally, video games have a huge influence on aggressive behaviour in society.  Many video games such as Call of Duty teach younger children about guns and war way earlier than necessary. Clearly the rated “M” for mature label is not being enforced by parents.  For instance, a store salesman will not sell a rated “M” game to a minor, but many parents would not think twice about buying it for their child. Following this further, there are many children who swear and say very inappropriate words.  It is actually pretty sad when a five-year-old child kills a player in a Call of Duty match, then inappropriately moves up and down on the dead body until it disappears, while swearing over the internet with his or her headset on.  Besides that, many people get overly stressed by playing video games while trying desperately to pass certain levels successfully. Overall, videogames obviously cause many behavioural problems in today’s society.

In conclusion, television is probably the biggest cause for aggressive behaviour, especially in children. There are plenty of warnings within television programs and video games, however this obviously has not helped at all, as it is not being taken seriously. Television writers and video game designers are going to have to start making characters less aggressive if they want society to become less aggressive.  Either that, or parents have to play a bigger role with monitoring what their children do in their pastime.  Either way, I believe television will continue to have a negative effect on society for a long time ahead.

An anonymous Christian friend of mine who is a member of the same Internet forum I belong to in Dorchester County started a discussion on what we tell children in regard to Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and so on. At that time, we were able to take polls, so my friend posted the following question and options in a poll:

Do / Did you lie to your children about Santa, etc?

Yes. 

No.

I don’t consider it a lie.

The graphic right below this gives you the results.

Screen shot by author.

The results show two (8 percent) said yes, five (20 percent) said no, and an overwhelming 72 percent (18) said they did not consider it a lie. 

What I found alarming was not that two said yes, but the majority, eighteen, did not consider it a lie. I would think there is more hope for the two than the eighteen. The eighteen who enjoy falsehood have convinced themselves they have done no wrong. These deceivers have deceived themselves.

Deception is a dangerous poison that blurs the spiritual focus and discernment of those being deceived and the deceivers themselves.

Lying is bad enough, but when parents / guardians / teachers refuse to call a lie a lie, this type of thinking is passed downed to the children under them. I feel this adds to the fact that most people do not really surrender to Christ, and when some do, there are those who treat their belief the same way as they would as believing in The Tooth Fairy or Santa. I described what true belief is in a recent article titled, “Why I Use The Sinner’s Prayer.”

Though this was a very small poll, had millions been polled I would expect the same results. Given the fact that President Barack Obama did absolutely nothing to merit the Nobel Peace Prize, I think the world is getting ready to believe the lie (2 Thessalonians 2:11). This is no wonder when people have foolishly convinced themselves that telling a child Santa is real is not a lie even though it is not the truth. If it is not true, is it not a lie?

Let us make this determination (Proverbs 8:7): “For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.”

Notes:

God willing this article will be part of my Bible GemLight series as apatite002.

1. Rush Rush Santa 

Santa should have broken sled – he rides a scooter this year!
Play: http://www.games.co.id/permainan_/rush-rush-santa.html
How to Play:
Deliver gifts to the people on the street – the driver and some friends! Reach the target shown in the lower right corner to complete the level. Take extra coins and gifts while avoiding the traffic to score extra points!
Tags:Santa Games, Games Scooters
Category:
Racing, City Racing
Skill, Christmas Day

2. Santa Fartypants

Help Santa to send gifts through the chimney with his pants fart power
Play: http://www.games.co.id/permainan_/santa-fartypants.html
How to Play:
Arrow key up = use thrust
Arrow key left = move left
Arrow key right = move right
Ctrl = replenish stock / drop gifts.
Tags:
Fart Games, Food Games, Santa Games
Category:
Skill, Christmas Day

3. Winter Bistro

With the holiday season shoppers, cafe kids are busy all! Serve as soon as possible and make the guests happy!
Play: http://www.games.co.id/permainan_/winter-bistro.html
How to Play:
Pull the guests into the seat, and then invoke the menu. Serve them as quickly as possible. When they are ready to eat, bring your dirty dishes into the trash and take the money.
Tags:
Gaming Cafe, Game Crazy, Game Reviews, Game-Cold Season
Category:
Adventure, waiter restaurant
Skill, Christmas Day

4. Pet Sledding

Valley of the slick for small animals: the more the diluncuri, the more prizes you receive.
Play: http://www.games.co.id/permainan_/pet-sledding.html
How to Play:
Take as much as possible gifts, and avoid large rocks and other obstacles.
Left / Right = Steer the sled.
Tags:
Christmas Games, Funny Games, Games Pets
Category:
Sports, Winter Sports
Skill, Christmas Day

5. Christmas Make Over

Give him a big change in Christmas!
Play: http://www.games.co.id/permainan_/christmas-make-over.html
How to Play:
Use the mouse to play this game
Tags:
Christmas Games, Game Mode, Game Improvement, Game TV
Category:
GIRL, dressed
Skill, Christmas Day

Source: games.co.id

(The Early Stages of the Santa Claus Tradition Here in America)

Briefly think for a moment. Just Elaborate. What would you call someone who is daunted by the mere mention or materialization of Santa Claus? A communist? An Atheistic? A Kringle-phobic? Perhaps, maybe — but not me – I say if you have an aversion to Santa Claus, then you are Claus-trophobic! Today, this is an all too real affliction in America. Across the country – many kids are deprived of the fable, the heritage – the tradition – of the very icon of Christmas spirit and gaiety, Santa Claus. For an innumerable amount of generations now, children have, by tradition  been taught that a plump, jolly fellow makes his list, checks it twice – and notes whose naughty and whose nice. But today this tradition is in danger, especially in America. In Minnesota, not long ago, there lived a paraprofessional, a collaborator of Santa. This man annually dawned the dress of the iconic figure himself, oft ,in succession, tarriancing away to the joy of those of a childish nature, hither and whither, at a private school, bringing with him holiday cheer, good-will, and most importantly, free candy! But one year, he was not allowed to return, not allowed to bring the holidays exuberance. Why, you might ask? Simple, Claustrophobia. A parent, afflicted by such an ailment, discovered this man, this surrogate of Kris Kringle and cringed at his annual visitation to the school, and sued – and won. My question is though: Why? Why would you and or anyone else sue over the appearance, presentation, or materialization of Santa Claus?
            Santa Claus has been a long standing tradition in America and the world even, dating back hundreds if not thousands of years to its source, Saint Nicholas of Myra. Without this tradition, what is Christmas? Without Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, or Father Christmas, what is it, not to us, but to children, our children? What could possibly replace Christmas? 

Food for thought. Respond in the comment section below with your thoughts. And I know its March but hey remember, Christmas in July  

(An old rendition of Santa Claus doing what he does best, making toys for the good little boys and girls)

Everyday, whether the family lives in a house or in an apartment, there should be an outing to the local park.

This is also a good way to meet other children.

Other outings

A visit to a mall: you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have fun at a mall.  Be wise as to what time and season you go to a mall.  Usually earlier in the day is quiter than later.  Usually August is better than Christmas.  But even the older children like a visit with Santa Claus.

Make it very clear as to what the children can spend and not spend.  Perhaps give them five or ten dollars right at the beginning and tell them that’s all they can spend.  Once they’re spent that money, that’s it.

Latino Children Play Swing (Photo credit: epSos.de)

But window shopping can be just as fun as shopping.

The Hallelujah Chorus is sung at both Christmas and at Easter often simply by a church organist and the church choir so it crosses the religious services lines. However, many of the popular Christmas music pieces have come by way of well loved movies or show tunes.

Music About White Christmas:

A white Christmas is one of the recurring themes of Christmas music. Some of the more famous Christmas songs about being white is the song ‘White Christmas’ written by Irving Berlin telling about an old fashioned Christmas. Bing Crosby sang the most famous version in 1949 and it has never been out of print since. A second white Christmas song is “Winter Wonderland’ which is a song about winter that is sung at Christmas. It was written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and in the more current children’s version it refers to building a snowman in the meadow.

Music About Santa Claus:

Santa Claus related Christmas music also is a strong theme for music played at Christmas. One of these popular songs is ‘Here Comes Santa Claus’ written by Gene Autry who may be America’s favorite singing cowboy with the music by Oakley Haldeman. Autry came up with the song because he rode his horse in LA in 1946 in a parade and the watchers apparently kept yelling here comes Santa Claus. A second Santa related song is ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ which was first sung on Eddie Cantor’s show on the radio in 1934 and then was a TV special starring Fred Astaire.

Music About Bells And A Reindeer:

One of the favorite bells songs is ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ originally sung in the rockabilly style and written by Joel Beal who was in public relations. A famous ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ song was actually a coloring book for Montgomery Ward in 1939. The creator’s brother-in-law set it to music. It was recorded as a song by Gene Autry in 1949. The story is owned by The Rudolph Company and is not generally available for public use.

The early Christians seeing that the Saturnalia was a very common festivity, tried to tap in to the festivity by allowing the festival be celebrated by the followers of their faith. They however introduced a cache to the story. On the last day of the Saturnalia, December 25, the birth of Jesus would be celebrated. This was aimed at discouraging these pagans from murdering a person on this day but to instead celebrate the birth of a savior. The response to this was slow but started to pick with time.

To the modern day, Christmas is celebrated through a common symbol the Christmas tree. The source of this also comes from pagan belief. Most of the pagans worshipped trees and to convince them to join the Christian faith. They had to allow them to use some of their beliefs in celebrating a festival like this. These pagans therefore brought the trees into their homes during the week long festivities so as to decorate their houses.

Coming to Christmas presents, this practice was borrowed form a culture that was employed during the saturnalia which required the citizens to offer offerings to their emperors in the period starting from the 25th of December to the 1st of January. The Catholic Church then used this culture and started it off as a custom of gift giving of Saint Nicholas, a catholic Bishop who lived in Turkey and loved children. Following his death, some staunch Christians idolized him and started offering each other gifts, especially to children.  This culture spread slowly from Turkey to Germany where the myth of Nicholas and the flying deer’s started. It is here that Santa Claus was born.

Through time, the myth of Santa Claus flying across the world to deliver gifts to children around the world has been repeated by many writers, poets and actors and this has led to a heavier belief that Santa Claus actually exists, especially to little children. The popularity of Santa Claus in recent times has been helped by his use in adverts showing him drinking a coca cola soda. This gave the birth of a commercial Santa and the commercialization of Christmas

Through this short account of the history of Christmas, it is expected that you have had the basic information of the most celebrated holiday across the world. It is also important to note that a lot of good has come from Christmas, a largely pagan practice to the biggest holiday in the year. 

The Blarney Stone is a historical stone, or actually part of the Blarney Castle in Ireland where it was believed that kissing the stone can grant you the gift of gab. Yeah, it seems strange in this day and age, but who are we to question tradition? It’s not like I’m saying that Santa Claus doesn’t exist (OOPS!).

There is so much to know about conversation that anyone, even I, could ever realize. You can go though watching talk shows; radio programs; clubs dedicated to public speaking; ordinary conversations; certain rules still apply when it comes to interaction through words. It may sound tedious, I know, but even though it’s your mouth that’s doing the work, your brain works twice as hard to churn out a lot of things you know. So what better way to start learning to be an effective communication is to know the very person closest to you: yourself.

1. What you know.

Education is all about learning the basics, but to be an effective speaker is to practice what you’ve learned. My stint as guest at every Toastmasters’ meeting I go to taught me that we all have our limitations, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn to keep up and share what we know.

2. Listening.

It’s just as important as asking questions. Sometimes listening to the sound of our own voice can teach us to be a little bit confident with ourselves and to say the things we believe in with conviction.

3. Humility

We all make mistakes, and sometimes we tend to slur our words, stutter, and probably mispronounce certain words even though we know what it means, but rarely use it only to impress listeners. So in a group, don’t be afraid to ask if you’re saying the right word properly and if they’re unsure about it then make a joke out of it. I promise you it’ll make everyone laugh and you can get away with it as well.

4. Eye Contact

There’s a lot to say when it comes to directing your attention to your audience with an eye-catching gaze. It’s important that you keep your focus when talking to a large group in a meeting or a gathering, even though he or she may be gorgeous.

5. Kidding around

A little bit of humor can do wonders to lift the tension, or worse boredom when making your speech. That way, you’ll get the attention of the majority of the crowd and they’ll feel that you’re just as approachable, and as human to those who listen.

6. Be like the rest of them

Interaction is all about mingling with other people. You’ll get a lot of ideas, as well as knowing what people make them as they are.

7. Me, Myself, and I

Admit it, there are times you sing to yourself in the shower. I know I do! Listening to the sound of your own voice while you practice your speech in front of a mirror can help correct the stress areas of your pitch. And while you’re at it you can spruce up as well.

8. With a smile

A smile says it all much like eye contact. There’s no point on grimacing or frowning in a meeting or a gathering, unless it’s a wake. You can better express what you’re saying when you smile.

9. A Role Model

There must be at least one or two people in your life you have listened to when they’re at a public gathering or maybe at church. Sure they read their lines, but taking a mental note of how they emphasize what they say can help you once you take center stage.

10. Preparation

Make the best out of preparation rather than just scribbling notes and often in a hurried panic. Some people like to write things down on index cards, while other resort to being a little more silly as they look at their notes written on the palm of their hand (not for clammy hands, please). Just be comfortable with what you know since you enjoy your work.

And that about wraps it up. These suggestions are rather amateurish in edgewise, but I’ve learned to empower myself when it comes to public or private speaking and it never hurts to be with people to listen how they make conversations and meetings far more enjoyable as well as educational.

Lying to Children

A lot of parents lie to their children who are rather naive.  They tell them that Santa Claus is real.  Threaten that they are not going to have toys if they do not believe.  Some children become afraid and whether they believe or not decide to accept what their parents have to say for fear that they will be unloved.

The same thing is true when children are told about the tooth fairy.  They are encouraged to put their tooth under a pillow before they go to bed at night and during the night, a fairy will come.  The tooth fairy generally brings them money while a parent replaces the tooth.

Many parents think nothing about lying and will go to any length to trick their kids by telling them these fibs.  They are other instances through which parents may try to protect and defend their children.  Parents may lie to their kids concerning how they can handle situations like problems on the school playground and dealing with the class bully’s  challenge that is scaring them out of their mind.

Saving a Friend from Embarrassment

Hypothetically speaking, some people might have done things for which they are not proud.  A person might have served time in jail.  It could have been in Memphis and moved to another city.  The only thing wrong with this is, that Iowa City to which he moved to put down roots, he has encountered a friend who is familiar with his case.

This friend will do anything to protect Tom and even lie to do so.  He may not volunteer information that Alberto was incarcerated for the manslaughter of his wife.  They are friends with a secret to hide.  Nevertheless, a similar incident occurs in Iowa City and Tom is forced to blow his friend’s cover.  Now, the whole community is up in arms and wonder how they were unable to see through Alberto’s dark secret.  The new manslaughter charge of an innocent woman was quite a blow to the community.

Building Oneself Up

There are those that like to brag.  They boast about all the things that they have done.  The only thing is that those things were false.  These individuals are insecure and they feel they have to do this to make themselves feel better.  By so doing, they hope that somehow they will look good in the eyes of those that listen to their lies.

When such persons are found out through their untruths, they feel humiliated, and may confess that their behavior was inappropriate.  They never intended to do what they did.  From then on, many of these persons become untrustworthy.

Lying in Court

Lying at a trial in court is considered perjury.  Such a person is seen as trying to obstruct justice.  It is a serious offense and offenders may be sentenced to serve time in jail.  Persons under oath always have the responsibility when testifying to tell the truth.  Although this is expected, still some persons on trial fudge the truth.

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Consciously and unconsciously, we all lie.  Some of us do so by omission to protect ourselves, while others are more deliberate with their lying.  Such deception can have little or major consequences.  Lying can be very destructive for it could cause some persons their lives or a long prison sentence.

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