One of the most popular animated Christmas specials each year is “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” More than 40 years after it was originally aired on CBS, it still remains one of almost everyone’s favorite family holiday movies. Based on the Peanuts characters created by cartoonist Charles Schulz, this animated Christmas special is light-hearted, yet touching. And the music is just as good as the story and animation. “Linus and Lucy” was written for this special and later became the signature theme for all Peanuts specials. Another popular original song from the special was “Christmas Time is Here.” Many people think of this as the “Charlie Brown Christmas song.” Here are the lyrics for that song.

Christmas Time is Here (The Charlie Brown Christmas Song) Lyrics
Christmas time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of the year

Snowflakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share

Sleigh bells in the air
Beauty everywhere
Yuletide by the fireside
And joyful memories there

Christmas time is here
We’ll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year…

Learn more about the history of the Charlie Brown Christmas song at HubPages.

What would happen if Santa Claus had an evil twin who decided to kidnap his brother on Christmas Eve and bring items such as mud pies and cat poop to children all over the world rather than the toys and presents they were expecting? In Dean Koontz’s world, the imposter would quickly be foiled by two little girls and Christmas would be saved. It’s not the usual happy-go-lucky storyline of most Christmas books, but this story does have a happy ending. And kids who love yuck and muck will love it.

Though Dean Koontz is best known for his bestselling horror and suspense books, this Christmas tale is pure fun for both children and adults. It’s a ryhming, rollicking look at the awful night Santa was kidnapped by his twin brother, Bob Claus, and locked in “a dismal, deep, dark, dank hole” at the North Pole. The twin then proceeds to get into mischief, such as this:

“In the front room, at one of the trees
the bad twin of Santa is on his knees,
giggling as he stuffs another gift box
with a few pairs of smelly old socks.
He snorts and he chortles with evil glee
and mutters, ‘No one will know it was me.’”

But the evil twin’s plans are foiled – and Santa Claus is saved – by two sisters who survive a pie in the face, a ray gun that shoots snow and other challenges. The story is colorfully illustrated by Phil Parks.

And if you enjoy the story of Santa’s Twin, you can follow the adventures of Santa and Bob Claus in the sequel, Robot Santa.

If you’ve Elf Yourself-ed too many times to find it funny anymore, grab your digital photos and head over to FunPunch.com to check out their “You’re the Star” ecards for the holidays and Santa yourself. They’ve got some great free ecards for the holidays that let you add your own photo. Put on a Santa costume and dance with the rocking reindeer (shown here) or don an elf outfit to dance by the fireplace. You can also check out some of the racier options, such as the Xmas stripper cards. (Don’t worry – the animated characters don’t bare it all.)

You’ll need an account to send your cards or post them on Facebook, but it’s free, so have fun!
They’re all free, so go have some fun!

The Elf on the Shelf Gift Set is a cute rhyming storybook with an accompanying Santa’s elf. The elf is a scout for Santa Claus, and every night he returns to the North Pole to report on who’s been naughty and who’s been nice. When the kids wake up, he’s hiding in a new place each morning. The book has been around for a few years, but I recently learned of it and bought the set based on positive reviews on Amazon.

One parent said, “After hearing from friends and reading reviews how great this was, we bit the bullet and got it. I cannot say enough about how cute this was for our two boys (age 6 and 3). They bolted downstairs every morning to find the elf, and the oldest cried when he touched it accidentally because he thought it would lose its magic. The story and elf was the sweetest thing. Note, however, that parents have to remember to move the elf around every night, or come up with creative excuses for why the elf decided to come back from the North Pole into the same spot! .”

Yes, indeed, if you buy the Elf on the Shelf gift set, be prepared to come up with a new hiding spot every night!! This has been my biggest challenge, as the holidays are a busy time already, and remembering to move the elf every night can be difficult if you don’t make a habit of it. But it’s definitely worth it if you want to bring a little Christmas magic into your house.

More on the Elf on the Shelf Gift Set and Other Elf Toys and Books.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is one of the great classic animated TV specials, and part of its charm is the music. Dr. Seuss himself wrote the Grinch theme song, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” as well as the song the Whos sing on Christmas morning (Fahoo Forays). If you’ve always wanted to sing along as the Grinch is slithering through Whoville and throwing bags out the chimneys for poor Max to catch (well, try to catch), here are the lyrics.

The Grinch Theme Song: “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”

You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.
You really are a heel.
You’re as cuddly as a cactus,
You’re as charming as an eel.
Mr. Grinch.

You’re a bad banana
With a greasy black peel.

You’re a monster, Mr. Grinch.
Your heart’s an empty hole.
Your brain is full of spiders,
You’ve got garlic in your soul.
Mr. Grinch.

I wouldn’t touch you, with a
thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole.

You’re a vile one, Mr. Grinch.
You have termites in your smile.
You have all the tender sweetness
Of a seasick crocodile.
Mr. Grinch.

Given the choice between the two of you
I’d take the seasick crocodile.

You’re a foul one, Mr. Grinch.
You’re a nasty, wasty skunk.
Your heart is full of unwashed socks
Your soul is full of gunk.
Mr. Grinch.

The three words that best describe you,
are, and I quote: “Stink. Stank. Stunk.”

You’re a rotter, Mr. Grinch.
You’re the king of sinful sots.
Your heart’s a dead tomato splot
With moldy purple spots,
Mr. Grinch.

Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing
with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable
rubbish imaginable,
Mangled up in tangled up knots.

You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch.
With a nauseous super-naus.
You’re a crooked jerky jockey
And you drive a crooked horse.
Mr. Grinch.

You’re a three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich
With arsenic sauce.

Copyright © 1957, Dr. Seuss

Americans send about 2.1 billion cards during the holidays, and most of them end up in the trash after the holidays. Here are some ideas for reusing your old cards.

1. Bookmarks – This is an easy craft that’s great for readers. Simply cut your old cards into long strips about one to two inches wide and use them to keep your place in your favorite book.

2. Gift tags – Probably one of the most useful ideas, and it will save you money next holiday season. Just cut square or rectangle shapes from your old cards, and then fold them to use as gift tags.

3. Post cards – Cut off the picture side of the card and draw a line down the blank back to use it as a postcard. Write your message on the left and address on the right.

4. Dinner placecards – If you host the big family dinner every year, this is a great idea for table place cards. Cut off and discard the back portion of the cards and cut the picture on the front into a rectangle. Then fold that in half to create a placecard.

5. Christmas placemats – Kids will have fun with this one! Cut pictures from your cards into fun shapes and arrange them, collage-style, on a sheet of 11×17″ paper, then laminate.

6. Christmas tree ornaments – Cut a picture from one of your holiday cards, punch a hole in the top, put a string through it and use it as an ornament on the tree.

7. Christmas tree spiral ornament – First cut the card into a circle. Then turn it into a spiral by cutting from the outside of the circle and working your way in. Then pull the spiral apart slightly and put a hole and string in the top to hang it three-dimensionally on the tree.

8. Scrapbooking – No explanation really needed! Simply cut out pictures from your holiday cards and use for scrapbooking projects.

9. New cards – This is a fun way to reuse your cards the next year. Go to a crafts store and buy blank cards. Then cut out some pictures from the cards you receive this year and past them on the blank cards to create cards for the next year.

10. Jigsaw puzzle game – Cut 5 -6 cards into several pieces, mix them all together, and have the kids try to put them back together.

Craft ideas from Where to Buy Recycled Christmas Cards… and What to Do with the Old Ones on Squidoo

Kids love jokes, and the sillier, the better. Here are some clean Santa jokes you can share with your kids.

Where does Santa Claus stay when he’s on vacation?
At a ho, ho, ho-tel

Why did Santa take his tree to the dentist?
To get a root canal

Who delivers Christmas gifts to pets?
Santa Paws

What goes oh, oh, oh?
Santa walking backwards

What does Santa like to have for breakfast?
Mistle-toast

How does Santa take photos?
With his North Pole-aroid camera

What kind of motorcycle would Santa Claus ride?
A “Holly” Davidson

What does Santa Claus do in his garden?
Hoe, hoe, hoe

What’s red and white and falls down the chimney?
Santa Klutz

What would you call Santa if he became a detective?
Santa Clues

What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?
Claus-trophobic

What did Santa Claus say to all the toys on Christmas Eve?
Ok, gang, time to hit the sack!

It’s fun during the holidays to pick out just the right Christmas cards or create your own holiday photo cards. But once you stick these carefully selected greetings in an envelope, all cards pretty much look the same – like boring rectangles of paper.

The US Postal Service found a way to liven up our holiday mail years again when they issued the first Christmas stamp, and today you can still count on the USPS to release holiday-themed postage every winter. But now you no longer have to wait for the post office to get festive postage for your mail.

Today you can create your own personalized USPS stamps or buy some of the many designs available on sites such as Zazzle. This North Pole stamp is a great example of what’s available.

This stamp shows Santa’s workshop at the North Pole surrounded by snow and trees. Use it to liven up your Christmas cards and letters or add another touch of magic to a Santa letter.

You can add even more fun by getting an official North Pole postmark from North Pole, AK.

Santa Claus loves to get mail, and every year he gets letters from children all around the globe. If you’d like to encourage your kids to write to old St. Nick, here’s a free printable Dear Santa letter template you can print out. This Santa letter template is a .jpg image that measures 8 x 10.5 inches so it can be printed out on standard letter-size paper with a margin. Simply click on the image, which will open in a new page, and print it or save it.

For tips on helping your kids write a letter to Santa, try How to Write a Letter to Santa at HowToDoThings.com.

More Letter to Santa Templates:
Christmas Letter Tips.com offers a free lined Dear Santa Letter template that includes an image of Santa and a North Pole sign.

Disney’s FamilyFun offers a letter to Santa postcard with a cute red design with Santa Claus and some toys.

One of the busiest U.S. post offices during the holidays is the one in Santa Claus, Indiana. The only post office in the world named after Santa Claus post helps keep ol’ Kris Kringle’s magic alive by offering special “picture postmarks” during December.

The city has been offering a picture postmark every year since 1983. Each year’s unique postmark is designed by a local high school art student as part of an annual contest.

“The holiday postmark has become one of the most popular in the nation over the past two decades,” said Santa Claus Postmaster Marian Balbach in a 2008 USPS press release. “Postal patrons world-wide request the picture postmark. Also, many customers traditionally drive hundreds of miles to personally obtain the cancellation on their holiday mail.”

In 2008, the Santa Claus post office expected half a million pieces of mail to come through the office between November 15 and December 20. During the rest of the year, the post office processes only about 13,000 pieces of mail per month.

The postmaster offers these guidelines for individuals interested in getting a Santa postmark:

- Allow at least a two-inch by four-inch space in the stamp area for the picture postmark;
- Have postage applied to cards or letters before bringing or mailing them to the post office;
- The picture postmark is only available during the month of December;
- In order to ensure a good postmark imprint please do not enclose large or bulky items in your holiday mail (i.e.; reindeer food, snow flakes, glitter, stickers, etc.);
- There is no charge for postmarking—however there is a limit of 50 picture postmarks (hand cancellations) per person per day.

Customers who wish to have the Santa Claus Post Office mail Christmas cards should package them—with postage stamps affixed—in a sturdy envelope or box, and mail to:

Santa Claus Postmark
Postmaster
Santa Claus Station
Santa Claus, IN 47579-9998

Make sure you send your envelopes early. The post office should receive them no later than December 15 to ensure delivery to your recipients by Christmas.