Christmas-related stories

There were a few less presents under the trees in Florida foster homes last month, police in Tampa say, because someone tried to steal Christmas.

The Tampa Tribune reports police arrested Kristie Feliz Smith, 23, last week for allegedly using Walmart gift cards for herself instead of mailing them to foster families.

Smith worked for Hillsborough Kids, Inc. The organization oversees the care of approximately 2,800 children and teens in Tampa and Hillsborough County who are in state care because of abuse or neglect.

According to the Tribune, Smith's duties included mailing Walmart gift cards to foster parents so they could buy Christmas presents for children.

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Happy New Year, everyone! Sometimes things don't work out as planned, and that's what makes life fun and interesting.

The video clip shows what happened when the Duffy family went to cut down their Christmas tree and my husband, Sean -- who also happens to be a professional lumberjack competitor -- accidentally dumped out gasoline from the chainsaw on the way out to the woods. When we finally found a tree we could all agree on, the chainsaw died halfway through the cut leaving us to improvise! Hope you enjoy!

Thanksgiving is behind us, and since then many of us have been battling against potential repetitive motion injuries: Reaching for and plucking, again and again, hors d'oeuvres off of waiters' trays and holiday party buffet tables. Our kids, meanwhile, have been offered cookies and cakes at every turn. But the real gorge-fest hasn't even begun yet.

Get ready for the imminent Christmas and Kwanzaa feasts, and all the rich, fatty goodness they provide. But is it all bad? Are you and your kids doomed to suffer an empty-calorie, end-of-year bloat? Let's take a look at some of the traditional foods served during these holidays and see whether they're safe, or scary ...

Snow falling outside frosted windows, fire crackling, two girls curled in blankets on a cozy couch, surrounded by books. I'm seven years old and visiting my best friend who lives just down the street, and we are digging into a huge basket of seasonal picture books, specially chosen by her mother, stored all year, and only brought out for the month of December. We are absorbed, content, warmed by words and illustrations. There is magic in the air.

This favourite scene from my childhood is an experience I intend to re-create for my own children (minus the crackling flames, as we have no fireplace!). Here's what's going into our basket... What favourites would you add?

Cabin Fever's Basket of Holiday Books

Stella Queen of the Snow, by Marie-Louise Gay. Imaginative big-sister Stella leads her cautious little brother Sam on his first exploration of snow in this delightfully illustrated Canadian classic.

The Nativity, by Julie Vivas. Gorgeous watercolour paintings joyfully bring to life the traditional New Testament text of the nativity story.

Bella's Tree, by Janet Russell, with pictures by Jirina Marton. With a story both poignant and folksy, along with award-winning illustrations, this brand-new Christmas tale about a plucky Newfoundland girl who can knit a sweater and wield an axe is sure to become a Canadian classic.

Bear Noel, by Olivier Dunrea. Forest creatures await the arrival of "Bear Noel" in a serenely illustrated book that makes use of magically repetitive text.

Jan Brett's Christmas Treasury. Seven snowy stories by an illustrator whose detailed winter wonderland pictures never fail to charm. Brett's stories are based on traditional seasonal tales from around the world.

Why are we so obsessed with a Santa sack full of danger? Toys are not manufactured by evil trolls in the mountains of Mattel to explode on contact, or poison the pretties, or break off into chewable, chokeable chunks. And yet every Christmas since 1973, out comes the list from W.A.T.C.H. (that's World Against Toys Causing Harm): "The 10 Most Dangerous Toys."

Are these things really going to maim and kill our kids? Let's take a look.

One of the toys on this year's list -- reprinted everywhere from the Today Show website to the Huffington Post -- is the Dark Knight Batman Action Figure. While the thing's $39.98 price tag could easily give any parent a heart attack, the danger is supposedly to kids, thanks to the figure's inch-long ears of "pointed, rigid plastic."

"Toddlers may fall on these inflexible protrusions, with the potential for penetrating and blunt-force injuries," say the folks at W.A.T.C.H.

Holy frivolous lawsuit, Batman! A child could fall directly upon the ears of this toy and end up, er, penetrated by the Dark Knight? Wouldn't the action figure have to be standing straight up for that to happen? How likely is it to remain standing straight up if a kid bellyflopped onto it from, I don't know, a bunkbed? Isn't this scenario just a little far-fetched?

Kids whose lives have been consumed with chemotherapy and hospitals got a break from the trauma of their illnesses and had a chance to visit a magical land of Christmas wishes and wonder recently, thanks to a Florida hospital and a national airline.

The Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disease at the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute and Continental Airlines took 70 pediatric cancer patients on a flight of fancy. The kids and their families boarded a plane at Orlando International Airport and taxied to a hanger filled with volunteer elves, dancing sugar-plum fairies and the true spirit of the holidays, according to a story in the Orlando Sentinel.

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What's a proper Biblical name for your Christmas baby?

Bible names are a core part of English naming tradition. John and Mary alone once accounted for a quarter of all babies born in England. Yet there's one key name that English baby naming tradition never touched: Jesus.

Swine flu is definitely not on Santa's Christmas list this year, and actors who play the jolly old elf in malls across the country are asking for priority when it comes to getting the H1N1 vaccination.

The Boston Herald reports that Ernest Berger of the group Santa America is pushing heath authorities to give Santas first dibs on the sought-after and rationed vaccination not only because they are exposed to a large group of children, but also because research suggests that obesity is a risk factor for swine flu. Berger asserts that many of the men who play St. Nick are at least 100 pounds overweight.

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Christmas is a great time for families to have fun together by playing holiday-themed games. Though there are many games that can be be fun for your family, some stand out.

Give scavenger hunts a holiday twist by having kids find Santa's reindeer. Hide at least eight reindeer toy reindeer, or nine reindeer, which would include Rudolph. The person to find the most reindeer wins, and whoever finds Rudolph can win a special prize.

Santa's Christmas Puzzle Mystery, another treasure hunt, is based on the idea that Santa misplaced the presents he's supposed to give on Christmas morning. Children get clues that lead to their presents. Once they find their presents they can open them. Or, if you're playing on or they may place them under the tree to be opened in the morning.

Families that enjoy singing Christmas carols might enjoy Christmas Carol Pictionary Relay. In this game, children and adults get a Christmas carol clue and are asked to draw that carol. Their teammates try to guess which carol is being drawn. Once the carol has been correctly identified the person who is drawing the carol must sing the tune.

Young children can be kept entertained the Christmas Stocking Guessing Game. In this imagination-inspiring activity, parents put different holiday items -- like scotch tape, pine cones, holly or misletoe -- in a stocking. Children are then asked to feel the outside of the stocking to see if they can determine what is inside.

Find more Toys and Games for any occasion on ParentDish.

The Grinch, Dr. Seuss' star character in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!", was created in 1957.

The Grinch lives on snowy Mount Crumpit, a mountain north of friendly Whoville. The Grinch keeps to himself, living only with his dog, Max. Characterized as having a heart "two sizes too small," the Grinch becomes annoyed by and later jealous of the Whos, who are busy preparing for Christmas.

In an attempt to ruin the Whos' Christmas and their cheery mood, the Grinch steals all of the presents and decorations the Whos have painstakingly prepared. The Grinch is shocked when, even after the presents disappear, the Whos are excited to celebrate Christmas.

By the story's end, he's discovered the true meaning of Christmas and returned all of the presents. As a result, his heart has grown three sizes bigger.

The popularity of the book led to its adaptation to an animated film in 1966 which is still shown on television during Christmas season. Over the years, the Grinch has become synonymous with the Charles Dickens' character, Scrooge, as a word to describe someone who dislikes Christmas.

While the Grinch may be grouchy, that hasn't slowed his adoration by the American public.

Encouraged by fans, Dr. Seuss wrote "Halloween is Grinch Night," a 1977 TV special that describes Halloween as the Grinch's favorite night of the year because he is can terrorize Whoville residents once the "Sour-Sweet Wind" rolls in. Dr. Seuss also produced "The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat," uniting two of his most loved characters -- the Cat in the Hat and the Grinch. In this film, the Cat in the Hat persuades the Grinch to act kindly by reminding the Grinch that his mother would have wanted him to be nice to others.

Jim Carrey starred as The Grinch in a live-action film adaptation of the original book, "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas," which was released in 2000 and was d directed by Ron Howard.

Check out ParentDish for more great kids' books.

This Christmas Eve, though, the kids are with your ex. After all, you have to take turns. Now it's just you, the TV and those classic Christmas movies, which remind you that you're alone. You always loved watching "Miracle on 34th Street" before. It was part of your family holiday tradition. This year, the characters makes you weep, but not in a good way. There is no joy, just painful memories.

Being a noncustodial parent hurts. Being one during the holidays can be even worse.

When I heard about the latest version of "A Christmas Carol," which opens today and stars Jim Carrey in multiple roles (he's Scrooge, and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future), I went in with low expectations for this motion-capture-animated flick.

I'll admit this right up front: I'm not a huge fan of the motion-capture method of animation. If you're not familiar with that term, think "Polar Express." It was the first major movie created with motion-capture technology, and to me, it was a little creepy, and gave the characters a sort of soulless, dead-eyed look.

The next major film to use the technology was "Beowulf," starring Ray Winstone, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, John Malkovich and more big-name, respected actors. The creepiness factor didn't bother me so much with this one because it wasn't a movie that was meant to be a heartwarming holiday tale; it was a grown-up take on a literary classic -- a violent, monster-filled fable.

Toys for Tots is a program run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve that collects new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year. The toys get distributed as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.

The program began in 1947 in Los Angeles where Marine Reservists collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children. Over the past 62 years, Toys for Tots has distributed more than 400 million toys to more than 188 million needy children. Toys for Tots has been named "America's Best Children's Charity" by Reader's Digest and has made Forbes's "Gold Star List" of charities.

Check out ParentDish for more updates and information on charities:

Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Alba Auction Baby Items for Charity

Nicole Richie's Online Charity

Evangeline Lilly Auctions Lingerie for Kid's Charity

Plus, for Seasonal Updates and Your Kids' Wish-List Must-Haves Check out ParentDish's Holdiays Coverage.

Because Christmas fell on a Thursday this year and because Christmas Eve has always been a day off, the superintendent and the school board in Howard County, Maryland decided to add two days to the beginning of winter vacation and give students the entire Christmas week off. Now, you'd think that would be a good thing -- two extra days of vacation and, because Chanukah started on the 21st at sundown, students didn't have to worry about going to school the next day. The school district saved money too by not having to fire up the heaters for what surely would have been two days of very little learning and a whole lot of holiday excitement.

As the vacation winds to a close, however, some parents are not thrilled about the extension. "This has been a long one," said Janet Constantino, a mother of two. "Do you feel those extra days? You'd better believe it." The county's main library in Columbia has been feeling the effects of the extra two days as well, with the parking lot filling up and higher-than-expected noise levels inside.

On the one hand, when I was in school, I would have taken any excuse for a day off. On the other hand, however, as a parent who has to scramble to find someone to watch my kids during vacations and on holidays, I can certainly understand parents' being disconcerted by two days of vacation they hadn't planned for. And on the other hand (doesn't every parent have three hands?), if I were a stay-at-home parent, I would definitely welcome the opportunity to spend more time with my kids.

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Just when you think it's safe to say you don't want anymore babies, someone goes and does something adorable with a newborn.

When it comes to cute, not much tops a cuddly newborn baby ... except maybe cuddly newborn babies in Christmas stockings. Every holiday season, volunteers bring handmade stockings to St. Joseph's Hospital and wrap the newborn babies in them. Santa comes too, making these babies the youngest kids ever to put in a request with the big guy.

These babies really are their parents favorite Christmas gift, so it seems only fitting they be wrapped up appropriately. Check out the cuteness in the video below.

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