“Santa’s Stuck Up In The Chimney” by Paul Evans is a great funny Christmas song that the whole family can enjoy. Kids will love this song.

Santa’s Stuck Up In The Chimney” Lyrics

It was the night before Christmas
Not a mouse was stirrin’
Not a sound heard anywhere
But the silence was broken
When these words were spoken
“Hey, get me outta here!”

Push!
Tug!
Pull!
Shove!

Santa’s stuck up in the chimney
(In the chimney)
We gotta
Push!
Tug!
Pull!
Shove!
There’ll be no Christmas
Till we set him free.

That’s when he started to diet
Through the summer
He stuck by it
But his appetite
Was fated to win
Because his wife started bakin’
And Christmas candy makin’
Now look at the shape he’s in.

We gotta
Push!
Tug!
Pull!
Shove!

Santa’s stuck up in the chimney
(In the chimney)
We gotta
Push!
Tug!
Pull!
Shove!
There’ll be no Christmas
Till we set him free.

This is becomin’ a disaster
If we don’t free faster
Day will dawn
And children everywhere will weep
The house is full of neighbours tryin’
Down to havin’ children cryin’
“Get him out of here
So I can get some sleep!”

We gotta
Push!
Tug!
Pull!
Shove!

Santa’s stuck up in the chimney
(In the chimney)
We gotta
Push!
Tug!
Pull!
Shove!

Push!
Tug!
Pull!
Shove!
There’ll be no Christmas
Till we set him free.

‘Cause Santa’s stuck up in the chimney!

When you were a kid, did you try to stay up late at night to catch Santa in your house? Millions of children have tried to catch the jolly old elf, but somehow his magic only seems to work when you’re asleep. But with today’s high technology, you’d think there would be a way to catch him at work. And, indeed, now there is.

You can get video proof of Santa’s visit to your very own house to show your kids. It’s easy. Just set up your video camera in the room where you want to catch St. Nick, send your kids off to bed…. and then sneak to the computer for a little Christmas magic at TheSantaVideo.com.

The Santa Video makes it easy for anyone to get a video of Santa in your house. All you need to do is upload a photo (not a video) of your living room, family room, or wherever Santa leaves presents in your home. Then select from one of 5 video clips of Santa at work. You’ll see him walk into your home, put down his bag of gifts and even enjoy some milk and cookies while he’s visiting. Once you choose the Santa video you prefer and indicate which of the songs (if any) you want to add as background music, you’ll be able to see a preview of your video showing Santa at work in your house. It’s so believable you might find yourself believing in Santa again, too!

The whole process of creating your video will take less than 5 minutes. And your kids will be amazed! Catching Santa has never been easier.

Are you dreaming of a green Christmas this year? If so, here are a few easy ideas to make your season greener.

1. Get a Live Christmas Tree
Artificial trees are convenient because don’t need to worry about falling needles and you only need to buy one and you’re ready for Christmas for years to come. But is a an artificial tree really better than a real one? If you don’t like the idea of cutting down a tree every year, look for a living Christmas tree that can be replanted after the holidays. Check your local nursery. Many offer living trees and some will even take the tree back after Christmas and donate them to the local parks department or another organization that will replant them. If you live in Los Angeles or Portland, Oregon, you can even rent a tree from LA’s Living Christmas company or Portland’s Original Living Christmas Tree Company.

2. Use LED Tree Lights and Automatic Timers
An easy way to save electricity during the holidays is to use eco-friendly LED lights on your tree and automatic timers for your outdoor lights. LED lights light just as well as traditional lights, but take less energy. For your outdoor lights, plug them into a timer that will turn the lights on and off at the times you specify so you don’t accidentally leave them on all night.

3. Select Eco-Friendly Christmas Gifts
Your friends and family don’t know to be eco geeks to enjoy eco Christmas gifts such as a recycled fleece jacket, bamboo kitchen utensils, or an iPhone charger that shuts off when the phone is charged. There are even eco-friendly toys for toddlers.

4. Send Recycled Christmas Cards and Letters
If you’re sending out cards for Christmas, choose recycled Christmas cards or a personalized ecard. Sites like Smilebox can help you create personalized electronic greetings with your own text and photos. For your Christmas letters, rather than buying packaged stationery, use a Christmas letter template. This way, you can print your letters on recycled paper and you won’t have extra sheets of paper that get wasted.

It’s easy to have an eco-friendly Christmas!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a classic holiday TV special that first aired in 1966. The timeless tale of the grouchy green Grinch who attempts to steal Christmas from the Whos down in Whoville has become a part of our common Christmas culture. Here are some of the great lines from that special.

Grinch Quotes

Grinch: Why, for fifty-three years I’ve put up with it now. I must stop Christmas from coming… but how?

Narrator: Then he got an idea. An awful idea. The Grinch got a wonderful, awful idea!

Grinch: I know just what to do!
Narrator: The Grinch laughed in his throat.
Grinch: I’ll make a quick Santy Claus hat and a coat.
Narrator: And he chuckled and clucked.
Grinch: What a great Grinchy trick. With this coat and this hat, I’ll look just like Saint Nick!

Grinch: How could it be so? It came without ribbons!… it came without tags!… it came without packages, boxes, or bags!

Narrator: He puzzled and puzzed till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. Maybe Christmas, he thought… doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps… means a little bit more!

Read more about the Grinch and Max the Dog on Squidoo.

“Frosty the Snowman” the animated TV special was based on the song by the same name written by Walter “Jack” Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950. The song came one year after Autry’s success with “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” but the TV special wasn’t created until 19 years later. Here are some more fun facts about the animated special starring everyone’s favorite snowman.

- Frosty was first brought to life in film in a three-minute 1954 UPA studio short that was filmed entirely in black and white.

- The Rankin-Bass special first aired in 1969.

- Voice actress June Foray was the voice of the teacher. She was also the actress who did the voice of Little Cindy Lou Who in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

- When Frosty is shown carrying Karen into the greenhouse, he says, “Besides, I’ve been needing to take off a little weight, anyway.” But his mouth doesn’t move when he talks.

- Jimmy Durante was the voice of the narrator. “Frosty the Snowman” was Durante’s last film. He did one short film appearance and documentaries after this, but never another movie.

- In the scene where Frosty comes to life and is trying to count to 10, he has five fingers on one hand and four on the other. After he is done counting, he has four fingers on both hands.

If you’re going to be sending your child’s Santa letter through the mail, you can make the envelope look even more authentic by adding a Santa postage stamp. These are actual USPS stamps that you can put on any holiday mail. Click any stamp to learn more about these designs and see thousands of others available at Zazzle.

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Kids love Christmas and almost everything about it – except, perhaps, waiting for the big day when Santa arrives. This wait can sometimes seem even longer when they’re out of school and have “nothing to do.” I’ve you’re starting to hear cries of “I’m bored!” here are some easy Christmas crafts to keep everyone busy and happy.

Christmas Placemats: Tear the backs off old Christmas cards (the part where where the writing is). You’ll need about three regular sized Christmas cards to make each placemat.

Have the kids glue the cards decoration-side up on colored construction paper. When the glue dries, cover the craft front and back with clear contact paper, making sure there are no open ends or gaps. Kids love setting the table with their own special Christmas place mat.

Santa Ornament: This makes a great little gift for kids to make and give their friends, family or teachers. You’ll need some large plastic ornaments, wooden balls and other materials that you can find at the local craft store. For the ornaments, get the kind that will allow you to open them up and place items inside. Now open the ornaments and fill them with peppermints, and then secure them closed again. Next, glue some googly eyes on a medium-size wooden ball. Once the eyes are set, glue the wooden ball onto the top the plastic ornament. Next, add cotton hair for the head, mustache and beard. Glue a red felt ‘hat’ on top of the hair. At the base of the ornament, glue a long piece of black felt for Santa’s belt. Glue the front bottom of the ornament to a thin wooden heart that’s been painted black. The curves in the heart will be Santa’s feet.

Christmas Countdown Chain: For this popular craft, you’ll need red and green construction paper cut into thin, even strips. The kids can decorate the paper strips with Christmas writing and glitter glue. Form the strips into connecting circles and glue each one closed. Once the glue is dry, hang the circle within easy reach of the child. Each day that passes until Christmas, the kids get to tear off one of the links of the chain.

Candy Cane Reindeer: This craft is an oldie, but is still a favorite among children. All you need are candy canes, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, mini pom-poms and glue. At the top of the candy cane, glue a pipe cleaner, twisting it into the shape of antlers. Glue googly eyes on either side of the reindeer ‘head’ and add the nose to the end of the candy cane.

Cookie Cutter Ornaments: To do this craft, you’ll need an assortment of cookie cutters in various holiday shapes. Snowmen, Santa, trees and bell shapes all work well. Place each cookie cutter on colored construction paper and trace around it, then cut it out. Have the kids decorate each cut out with glitter and mini pom-poms for Christmas balls on the tree.

For the snowmen, use mini black pom-poms for his buttons. You can use googly eyes on the snowmen and Santa. Once each ornament is finished, use a hole puncher to punch a hole at the top. Thread thin ribbon through the hole and let the kids hang their special ornament from the tree.

Now sit back and enjoy all the wonderful crafts your kids have made!

Here’s a fun gag gift and easy Christmas craft for kids – reindeer poop! Don’t worry – it sounds terrible, but it’s really just candy in a bag with a cute poem to go with it. Relieved? Good. Now read on and learn how to make this fun little gift that kids absolutely love.

Reindeer Poop Recipe
1 Package of malted milk balls, Milk Duds, or other chocolate candy
1 plastic baggie
1 reindeer poop poem (see below)

Directions (So easy even a child can do it!)
Take the package of candy and pour into the plastic bag. Seal the bag. Print the reindeer poop poem and attach it to the bag with a piece of tape. That’s it!

Reindeer Poop Poem
I woke with such a fright when I heard Santa call…
“Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!”
I ran to the lawn and in the snowy white drifts,
those nasty reindeer had left “little gifts.”

I got an old shovel and started to scoop
neat little piles of reindeer poop!
But to throw them away seemed such a waste,
so I saved them, thinking-you might like a taste!

As I finished my task, which took quite awhile,
Old Santa passed by and he sheepishly smiled.
And I heard him exclaim as he sped off in the sky…
“Well they’re not potty trained, but at least they can fly!”

One of the joys of the holidays that many people enjoy is baking cookies. If you’re one of those people, here’s a tasty recipe that includes cinnamon and almonds for crunchy, cinnamony goodness.

New England Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
3/4 cup of melted shortening
3/4 cup of melted butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of white sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 cup of sliced blanched almonds
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon of salt
3 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of soda

Directions
Cream sugar and melted ingredients. Beat eggs and add to creamed mixture. Sift
together all dry ingredients and beat into dough. Stir in almonds. Form dough into
small rolls and wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate overnight. Slice thin and bake at 350
degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE.

I looked at the pile of gifts under the tree, frowning. With five different patterns of gift wrap, everything looked … wrong. Where was the festive mood I’d prepared for that Norman Rockwell backdrop? Something definitely didn’t ring right for that long-planned-for moment. It was the wrapping. Yawn!

Special moments need special preparation. With some time and inspiration, something as small as gift wrapping techniques can make a big difference.

When wrapping presents, simple can be elegant. Wrapping packages in plain brown shipping paper and topping with something extraordinary can be creatively beautiful. Try a small pine branch and pine cone, a touch of gold leaf, or red berries. No ribbon or bow needed – tie it off with a length of raffia.

White paper with metallic is also timeless. Paper may be left plain or sparingly leafed with gold, silver or bronze to match ribbons.

You can also dress up a package up as Santa Claus or Rudolph. For either character, wrap a rectangular or square package in plain, red wrapping paper.

For Rudolph, cut a triangle and teardrop-shaped ears from brown Kraft paper. The triangle should be large enough to reach top-to-bottom of the box. Using glue stick or double-sided tape, attach the triangle and ears to the front of the box. Decorate Rudy’s face with large googly-eyes, a mouth and, of course, his bright red pom-pom nose. Curl some chenille stems to make antlers.

For Santa’s suit, glue white faux fur trim around the top and bottom of the box, and straight down the middle. Glue 3-5 large, black buttons to one side of the trim.

Oatmeal boxes make great snowmen gift boxes for small presents. Spray paint white (don’t forget the inside!) and allow to dry. Glue on googly-eyes. For a snowman, texture-paint a carrot-nose and coal mouth. Glue buttons down his front and tie a scarf around his neck. Then pack your present inside!

Gift wrapping techniques are only limited by your imagination! Use clip-art, garage sale china and boxes, and paper punches to your advantage. Have fun!
-Deborah Dyess

Part of welcoming Baby into the family is the addition of a baby Christmas stocking. Placing it with the others on the mantle somehow solidifies the little one’s place in the household.

Picking the baby Christmas stocking used to be limited to choosing pink or blue, with the words “Baby’s First Christmas” embroidered on the front. But times have changed! Stockings can specialize in the family’s favorite sports teams, hobby or town or have photo inserts for that all-important first-year portrait.

If you’re a crafty mom, making a baby Christmas stocking is an enjoyable way to prepare for the holiday. The stocking will be unique and truly special. Begin with a plain stocking. Patterns are available in stores and online. (I like the clear directions and pattern at Craft and Fabric links). Here are two simple ideas to try.

Handprint Christmas Tree Stocking
Make a Christmas tree from your baby’s hand and footprints. Start with the trunk of the tree. Using brown paint, footprint your child. Carefully press the tiny foot to the stocking, positioning it correctly. Green handprints make boughs of the Christmas tree. Make a handprint stamp by transferring your baby’s handprint to thick FunFoam. Cut it out and use it to create the tree. This prevents accidents caused by wiggling little fingers! Use 3-5 near the bottom of the tree and decrease by one until the top is created. Fingers should point out for the lower branches, and up for the top. The number of handprints will vary, depending on the size of the stocking. Allow the painted tree to dry, then adorn with beads, sequins, buttons, etc. Tiny charms can be used as miniature ornaments, and a locket can hold a photo of Baby.

Photo Insert Stockings
Photo insert stockings are easily made. Purchase fabric needed, plus a small square of thin vinyl (available in many fabric sections). Before sewing the front and back stocking pieces together, position the vinyl on front of the stocking and sew in place on three sides. Once the photo is inside, close the opening and sew the stocking as directed. Cover stitching with decorations or trim. Several photo inserts can be placed on the stocking to show baby’s growth during the first year or Baby with different family members.

However you choose to make your baby Christmas stocking, enjoy! This is a great Christmas for you and your family.

- Debora Dyess

Poinsettias, with their bright red leaves, are popular holiday decorations. Also known as the Christmas Star, the poinsettia is a subtropical plant best known for its striking red color. It’s often used as a floral Christmas decoration because of its bright colors. The plants are native to southern Mexico and Central America and in the United States can be found growing wild in Hawaii.

They are named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Minister (a predecessor to ambassadors) to Mexico, who introduced the plant in the U.S. in 1825. Poinsett was so impressed with the brilliant red color of the plant that he sent some home from Mexico to South Carolina, where they thrived in his greenhouse.

Mexican legend tells how the poinsettia came to be a Christmas symbol. The story states that a child who could not afford a gift to offer to Christ on Christmas Eve picked some weeds from the side of a road. The child was told that a humble gift, if given in love, would be acceptable in God’s eyes. When the child brought the weeds to the church they bloomed into red and green flowers and the congregation felt they had witnessed a Christmas miracle. Franciscan friars in Mexico started including the plants, known as Flor de Buena Noche, or Christmas Eve Flower, in Christmas celebrations in the 17th century.

Today it’s easy to find and buy poinsettias during the winter months and they’re so popular they even have their own national day – Congress has declared December 12 to be National Poinsettia Day.

More: The History of Poinsettia

Christmas stockings are as as much a part of the holidays as reindeer, Santa and gifts under the tree. But why do we hang stockings?

There are no written records to document the origins of Christmas stockings, but there are some legends associated with the tradition.

Many people have heard the story of how an act of kindness performed by Saint Nicholas led to the practice of hanging Christmas stockings. According to this legend , a nobleman whose wife had died had become poverty stricken and unable to afford the dowry for his three daughters. Without a dowry, the girls would not be able to marry. On Christmas, Saint Nicholas saw the girls’ stockings hanging by the fireplace and filled them with gold. In some variations, St. Nick throws gold coins down the chimney.

Some say the re-telling of this story led children to hang their stockings by the fireplace, hoping that they might also receive gifts from Saint Nicholas.

But there may be an even earlier origin of the Christmas stocking tradition. Author Phyllis Siefker in her book, “Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The Origins and Evolution of Saint Nicholas, Spanning 50,000 Years,” traces the tradition back to the the Norse God Odin and the winter Yule festival . The author says that during the Yule festival, children would place their boots, filled with carrots, straw or sugar near the chimney for Odin’s flying horse. In exchange for this kindness, Odin would then reward the kids by leaving gifts or candy.

This practice, the author says, survived in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium after Christianity was introduced and later became associated with St. Nick.

Many cultures now have traditions that involve leaving stockings out to be filled at Christmas, but there is a wide variation in the practice. In some countries – like Italy and France – children leave shoes instead of stockings, and in Italy, the gifts are left on January 6, the last day of Christmas . And since many modern homes don’t have chimneys, in many families the tradition is now to use Christmas stocking holders.

Even though the origins of Christmas stocking history will never be known for sure, it’s clear that hanging stockings on Christmas Eve is a tradition that will continue to be practiced each year at the holidays.

Reprinted with permission from