The Artist's Pub: Living Out Loud

The Story of Santa Claus...Sinterklaas...Kris Kringle...Ahhh...Father Christmas!

Download 09 The Christmas Song (Chestnuts)

Dec. 20th, 2010

Ahhhh.....

The Story of Santa....Keep reading it's going to get goood....

(the work of Thomas Nast circa 1880s)

The picture above of Santa Claus...a.k.a.....Father Christmas, was created by artist Thomas Nast.  Nast, along with the help of a friend, contributed knowingly...OR...unknowingly to the establishment of the Santa Claus we know and love today... jolly ol' Saint Nick...

Santa Claus...a man of mystery...

Who is this Kris Kringle, Sinterklaas, Pere Noel, Babbo Natale, Father Christmas....even China calls his name....Dun Che Lao Ren (loosely traslated...Old Man Christmas)...yep...

Does he live in the North or the South Pole?  I'm going with the North...

Is it 8 and sometimes 9 reindeer?  I suppose it depends on the weather conditions but since the weather is never exactly the same in any two places I'm gonna have to go with the magic number of..... 9.

Is he or is he not married?  I don't know?  Let's call him and ask him....

How many elves does he have working for him exactly and are they nicer then Gnomes?  Are Gnomes nice?  Hey...does anyone know if Gnomes are actually nice or not?  How about elves are they nice?  What dooooo we reeeally know about elves?  or Gnomes for that matter?  I know they're cute!

How old IS Santa and does he have any children...BESIDES the children of the world...(wise guy)...

When does he have to start up...never mind cuz you know what...I bet it never ends... ooooh... wouldn't that be wonderful to do nothing but create ALL DAY....and night if you like...creating whatever you like?  All the Artsy people say..."OH Yeahhhhh"...

Is his (Santa's) village really that cute...that beautiful?  Okay, fine...it was a dumb question...Of course it is...we all know it.  I guess this makes it a rhetorical question so never mind...

But...can we go visit it?  Say....certain people of a certain age who know how to keep a secret... Yes, this is when we all jump up and down with our hands in the air shouting..."ME ME ME!"

These are questions to ponder while you look at the many faces of Santa Claus...Enjoy!

 
(designed by Moi... www.resurrectionvintage.etsy.com)

 
Santa Claus in his Blue Suite...hmmmm

 
The Christmas Dance for St. Nick... 

 
 
Cutie Pa-tutie....

 
We Wish You a Merry Christmas...We Wish You a Merry Christmas...We Wish YOU a MERRY CHRISTMAAAAS!....and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL and To All a Good Night!

Blessings & Joy!  xoxo Alexia

 

The List...Yes....The Bucket List.....

12/18/10

Okay so I've always had little lists...on going little lists....they are in every possible place imaginable.

I never started off to be a list person...and I don't consider myself to be one now, (at least not before today)...the lists just evolve quite by accident...

It all starts when I need to remember to do something or be somewhere...yes......I am aware that, that is what datebooks and wall calendars are for, I actually have several...however, my "Real" datebooks/calendars usually consists of scraps of paper I find close at hand and jot things down on, it could be a napkin, back of a receipt, I've even been know to scribble a thing or two inside a gum wrapper....appointments, spontaneous brainstorms, lunch or dinner dates, girls nite out events, me time.....you get the idea....then I promptly stuff them....you guessed it....inside my datebook...yep.

These scraps evolve into lists soley because I am attempting to keep all my appointments, thoughts and ideas in one place...ergo...the lists....lists at the bottom of my purse, lists taped to the bookcase or computer, lists on the sunvisor of my car and so on....eventually finding their way to any number of my datebooks...sometimes I tape them to my wall calendar instead.

But there is one list I am considering making on purpose...one you are never to young or to old to make...AND....it can be infinitely looooooong...or short...whatever you Wish!

It's call the "Bucket List".....you know....a list of all things you'd like to do before you kick the bucket....

My life has blessed me with many wonderful opportunities and experiences...but I think it would be fun to actually have a list on purpose, full of FUN things ONLY to do....Mines leaning more toward a scroll, a very, very looooong scroll.

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you a few things I think I'll put on my Bucket List;

1. Take my grandchildren Ice Skating in Rockefeller Center
2. Attend the Rose Parade
3. Fly a Glider
4. Visit the Louvre
5. See a play in Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London
6. Rock Climbing Trip (I can't make up my mind where yet...it may be a series of several climbing trips.)
7. Make a gown for Marie Anoinette...(what I would design for her if she were still alive.)
8. See the Harlem Nutcracker...again.
9. Spend a Summer building Houses for Humanity
10. Paint a Mural on one wall of EVERY room in my house

Okay, so these are a few of the things that are officially on my "list"....

What would be on your list?  Pretend there are no limits....what would you do?  It doesn't have to be anything fancy....or....it can...Anything you want....Owning a Christmas Tree Farm...(okay, yes... that's on my list too)...

Dare to Dream....Dream, without limitation....Then Do...Dare to be Fearless, no matter how afraid you are...Live Life Abundantly!

Blessings & Joy, Alexia xoxo

 

 

 

Life....The Journey.....

12/17/10

Okay, so here I am as promised...actually I've been here for a minute...sitting here examining the computer screen...trying to decide where to begin...

I suppose I could begin at the begin....hmmmm...

I think I'll just jump right in...

Beside the usual Holiday Hulabuloo...which I absolutely LOVE by the way...I've been thinking...yes AGAIN...

Actually...it's something I think about alot...always have...The BIG Picture...I don't mean as in, "What do I want to be when I grow up", though it's a thought...I mean deeper life meanings, spiritual Truths...and....Ah No, I don't just get this way around the holidays...I pretty much contemplate this all the time...reading, seeking, listening to various teaching to see what rings true in my heart.

One thing I've learned is...a lot of people want a "fix all now" answer...they don't mind doing the work...usually...but, then they want it all taken care of and not have to deal with it again, ever...whatever "It" is....

Life doesn't really work that way....

I came to the conclusion some time ago of a particular certainty...and that is, that Life is a Journey...I mean, no one person can make another get up and walk a path...but it's a journey none the less...some people spend their whole life waiting for their life, their journey, to start....this is it...so get up and get movin'...

I don't know where...it's not my path...it's your's...I do know one thing though...if you start moving and look for it, not to hard, like don't strain your eyes or anything, otherwise you might miss it...but as you....me...we...embrace the experiences on the journey to finding the path, now that...that's the beginning...the path will just open it's self up...and before you know it...you're on it!

It's such a simple thing...yet the mind strives to make it complex...don't let it...Just take the Trip, so to speak...it doesn't mean a literal trip, (okay, it might for some)...what it does means is...Step out into this Grand Adventure called...Life.

Blessings & Joy....ALWAYS

xoxo Alexia

www.resurrectionvintage.etsy.com

www.theartistspub.typepad.com

 

Whoa to the Sad Little Contest.....and the Things I Learned....

Hey Kids!

Longtime no hear from right....I know I missed Ya!  Thank you for all the wonderful emails!

First things first...my sad little contest...Wow! Was that a learning experience....lol...

There was a winner and some confusion courtesy of Moi.  I started getting emails because people were not able to post on my blog...my blog is set so every post must be approved because of the random crazies out there...it happened to a friend of mine but that's a story for another time....anywwwwho, as it turned out there was an actually...problem...with posting on my blog...which I didn't discover until well after the contest...so I got LOTS of emails.

I went with the first email I received as the winner...it was a young lady in Chicago, Ill. and she asked if I had a certain one in pink...I did not...so I made her one.

Then I had to answer all the other emails to say there had been a winner...a couple people, okay 2, didn't believe me...at this point I just wanted to put the contest drama behind me.

...ya win some ....ya lose some...

Soon after I got an email from another blogger who was trying to win but found my contest too late...but she had a 100 questions...this made me pause...and...think....hhhhmmmmmm.  So, since she seemed to be an experienced blogger, I asked her 100 questions.  She was a BIG help...

Apparently she doesn't have a blog "per say", but she likes to look for contests on blogs.  Well, I could not believe my good fortune, what with her being a professional Blog Contest Finder and all...

She was very kind and PATIENT with me....so I made and sent her a Sugar Skull facinator for all her help.

This is what she taught me and I'm calling it...Contest Presentation 101...yep:

1. Inform fellow bloggers PRIOR to actually starting the contest, especially if you are new to blogging (that would be me), about the up and coming contest...
2. Give a starting and ending date of the contest.
3. Give blog updates about the contest.
4. Give additional information, such as..."Contests posts will be reviewed and then posted to blog daily."
5. and last but not least.....Let people know, (via the blog), when the contest has ended, yea.

So, I plan to have another contest at the beginning of February, for Valentine's Day....but I will post again about this after the New Year...The New Year! Can you Believe it?

I'll be posting later tonight, kinda give an update about what's been going on and where in the HECK have I been?

So Stay Tuned!

Blessing, Joy and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

www.resurrectionvintage.etsy.com

www.theartistspub.typepad.com

Whoa to the Sad Little Contest.....and the Things I Learned....

Hey Kids!

Longtime no hear from right....I know I missed Ya!  Thank you for all the wonderful emails!

First things first...my sad little contest...Wow! Was that a learning experience....lol...

There was a winner and some confusion courtesy of Moi.  I started getting emails because people were not able to post on my blog...my blog is set so every post must be approved because of the random crazies out there...it happened to a friend of mine but that's a story for another time....anywwwwho, as it turned out there was an actually...problem...with posting on my blog...which I didn't discover until well after the contest...so I got LOTS of emails.

I went with the first email I received as the winner...it was a young lady in Chicago, Ill. and she asked if I had a certain one in pink...I did not...so I made her one.

Then I had to answer all the other emails to say there had been a winner...a couple people, okay 2, didn't believe me...at this point I just wanted to put the contest drama behind me.

...ya win some ....ya lose some...

Soon after I got an email from another blogger who was trying to win but found my contest too late...but she had a 100 questions...this made me pause...and...think....hhhhmmmmmm.  So, since she seemed to be an experienced blogger, I asked her 100 questions.  She was a BIG help...

Apparently she doesn't have a blog "per say", but she likes to look for contests on blogs.  Well, I could not believe my good fortune, what with her being a professional Blog Contest Finder and all...

She was very kind and PATIENT with me....so I made and sent her a Sugar Skull facinator for all her help.

This is what she taught me and I'm calling it...Contest Presentation 101...yep:

1. Inform fellow bloggers PRIOR to actually starting the contest, especially if you are new to blogging (that would be me), about the up and coming contest...
2. Give a starting and ending date of the contest.
3. Give blog updates about the contest.
4. Give additional information, such as..."Contests posts will be reviewed and then posted to blog daily."
5. and last but not least.....Let people know, (via the blog), when the contest has ended, yea.

So, I plan to have another contest at the beginning of February, for Valentine's Day....but I will post again about this after the New Year...The New Year! Can you Believe it?

I'll be posting later tonight, kinda give an update about what's been going on and where in the HECK have I been?

So Stay Tuned!

Blessing, Joy and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

www.resurrectionvintage.etsy.com

www.theartistspub.typepad.com