Rexanne's Web Review
Web Sites & Insights

Issue #94 - December 1, 2005

Brought to You By: Rexanne.com

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Welcome all newcomers and faithful readers!

It's hustle bustle in our home with holiday crazies, fun, baking and general fanfare. Life without holidays isn't even imaginable.

I hope you are all taking it as easy as possible and that you're finding ways to reduce the added stress this time of year. Remember to take time for yourselves ... parents need to refresh, be adults once in a while and stay active with their own interests.

Personally, I'm doing most of my holiday shopping online. Considering the price of gas, the crowds fighting for parking spaces and elbow room at the malls ... I consider myself a big step ahead of the game. Take full advantage of my Christmas site to find kid's holiday activities, discover a new or favorite old recipe or holiday menu, visit some other terrific holiday sites and home pages and of course, shop at the very best places for gifts and holiday needs: Rexanne's Christmas

Wishing you, my online family, the very best of the holiday season. I hope love fills your hearts and homes and that life is kind to you throughout these inspired days. See you in the new year!

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Reader's Comments:

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Lorraine wrote:

"You amaze me with your talent, time and effort. We love you for it and gives us something to perk us up."

Lorraine, you give me just as much with your appreciation and friendship!

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Beverly wrote:

"after searching the internet for what seemed like forever, I finally found everything I ever needed on your site. Thank you so much for putting everything in one place! I've joined your newsletter, too, because I don't want to miss anything!"

Welcome to our newsletter family, Beverly and I'm happy to know my site is useful to you. Thanks for writing!
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OK, here's the scoop:

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Quote of the Month: When you get to be a certain age, you come to realize that the real Santa Claus is not the guy who comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve. The real spirit of Santa becomes what you can give rather than what you get. The magic comes from you when Santa lives in your heart. - Patty Hansen

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Supporting the sponsors and advertisers in Rexanne's Web Review keeps this newsletter alive and a portion of revenue is donated to various charities. Each advertiser has Rexanne's Seal of Approval. Please visit them today.

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This Month's Web Review Sponsored By: Letters from Santa

One of the most cherished memories and keepsakes from Christmas is a personalized letter from Santa, hand-addressed to your child from Santa himself, post marked from the North Pole. Children love Santa (for good reason!) and receiving a beautifully written and decorated letter from him is a highlight of the season. My children have saved each one they've received throughout the years and the memories as they read them a year or more later are priceless. Order your child's Santa letter today to ensure pre-Christmas delivery: Letters from Santa

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Parenting & Family Topic of the Month: The magic of Santa Claus
By Rexanne Mancini 

The magic of Santa Claus is still alive in our home ... Santa has done such a great job reinforcing his presence all these years, it's no wonder. :-)

I know this will most likely be one of the last years, if not the last year, my younger daughter still believes that Santa is a jolly old fellow with a bushy beard who somehow gets his big ol' self down the chimney each year without fail. And flying reindeer? Oh man ... my heart aches thinking this tradition will be short-lived in our home, although the spirit of Santa will continue to fill the stockings and leave special presents for as long as I'm around.

When my children were little, I actually had reservations about starting the Santa fantasy ... wondering if "lying" to my babies, who I swore I would always be honest with, would come back to haunt me. Somehow, this isn't the same as outright lying. It's creating holiday magic and reveling in the joy that fantasy brings to children. Santa is hope and love, Santa is joy and Santa is a big part of what makes Christmas special.

On the page of my Christmas site "Is Santa Real?", the author explains that Santa is, in fact, very real and encouraging our children to love and look forward to Santa's yearly visit is perfectly OK because what we are actually teaching them is the art of giving and that acts of kindness, good will and compassion are valuable characteristics to uphold and honor throughout their lives.

Parents will eventually have to come clean and acknowledge that there really isn't a big ol' jolly guy scraping himself raw by dragging presents in a sack down chimneys every year. When the time comes, try to remember what Santa Claus represents and let your child know that his spirit will continue every Christmas, no matter how old they become.

Allow kids the innocence of believing in Santa for as long as they will. And while they still believe, make Santa as magical and outrageously fantastical as you can. After all, the spirit of Santa is what parenting is all about: Is Santa Real?

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Rexanne Mancini is the mother of two daughters, Justice and Liberty. She is a novelist, freelance writer and maintains an extensive yet informal parenting and family web site, Rexanne.com – http://www.rexanne.com -Visit her site for good advice, award-winning Internet holiday pages and some humor to help you cope. Subscribe to her free newsletter, Rexanne’s Web Review, for a monthly dose of Rexanne: http://www.rexanne.com/rwr-archives.html

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This article is available for reprint at no charge providing the resource box with the writer's information is included and remains intact. 


Know of a good parenting or family site your fellow readers might enjoy or do you have a topic you'd like to see covered in this section? Please send your ideas in for possible publication in an upcoming issue: Parenting Site

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Food & Cooking Site of the Month: Cookies & Bars

The holidays are a good excuse to bake and eat sweet and wonderful cookies of all kinds. This site offers lots of cookie and bar cookie recipes, from old favorites to ones you might not have heard of but you'd like to try. Let the kids help and gather in the kitchen to bake batches of holiday cookies. It's a perfect bonding experience and will create memories and possibly a tradition for years to come. Go forth and bake.

If you'll be shipping some of your delicious home made cookies to loved ones out of town, be sure to read these tips for mailing cookies: Mailing Cookie Tips

Bon Appetit!

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Advertisement: Wow Imports

Handcrafted Christmas and all occasion gifts and stocking stuffers. Unique gifts for everyone on your list! Stock up for year around! Cool beaded animal figurines & motorcycles, funky flatware and serving pieces, beaded key chains, wacky piggy banks and really neat wall clocks from Dead sea stone or recycled aluminum.

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Kid's Site of the Month: Christmas for Kids

Everything a kid wants from the Internet for Christmas ... coloring pages, activities, crafts, games and all the best kid site links can be found on this page.

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Freebie of the Month: Christmas E-cards & Holiday Decor Inventory List

Send the best holiday e-cards to all your online buddies from the Card Fountain, where you'll find a perfect card for everyone you know, including the latest, state-of-the-art talking e-cards: Christmas Cards

While you're dragging all the holiday decorations out, start marking them and their location on this master list. You'll easily know what you have, where it's located and what you'll need to buy or replace for next year: Holiday Decor Inventory List

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Advertisement: Personalization Mall

A great gift is even better when it's personalized and the Personalization Mall has so many choices, you'll be sure to find perfect holiday presents for everyone on your list. Shop easily by recipient, occasion, price, etc.

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Tip or Trick of the Month: Get a Stuck Video From the VCR

Three cheers for Leader who defines this page as:

"When I found out just how easy it really is to get a jammed videotape back out of a VCR, I decided to write this page on how to get a stuck tape out of a VCR to blow holes in the curtain of nonsense that's out there on this particular subject."

Toddlers especially have a way of permanently lodging video tapes into VCRs and if this hasn't yet happened to you, you probably don't own a VCR. This page is one to book mark for future reference in case the need should arise.

Have a tip or trick your fellow readers would enjoy or could use? Please send it in for possible publication in one of the next issues: Tips

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Time Waster of the Month: Holiday Endurance Game

Your nutty relatives have shown up on your doorsteps. Sure it’s a time for giving, but they are so demanding. Give 'em what they want, when they want it and get 'em out of the house before Mother’s holiday dinner hits the table.

Feed the kids first ...

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Featured Site of the Month: Secret Santa

Find local toy drives and organizations that support children in need, volunteer your services and find information about toy drives in your area. They offer many ways to help make every child's Christmas special.

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Advertisement: Holiday Gift Baskets

Gift baskets are one of the joys of the season. Send a beautifully filled basket to your loved ones far from home to wish them the joys of the season or send a gift basket to anyone you'd like to honor with a special gift this year. Great Arrivals Gift Baskets does a super job creating and shipping your choice of holiday basket.

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