The Safe Road to Santa's Workshop

Be Safe This Holiday Season - The Safe Road to Santa's Workshop

Where Does Your Holiday Spirit Come From?

Your Holiday Spirit Comes From Decorating the House

You are a very visual and creative person. You have a clear idea in your mind of what the holidays should look like. You enjoy using this time of year to express your artistry and impress your friends and family a bit. You are a comforting influence on those around you. You are the perfect person to host a holiday gathering. You are grateful for everything you have. More than grateful, you're downright delighted.

Where Does Your Holiday Spirit Come From?

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet

If  you know me, you know this is true.  I love decorating for the Christmas season.

Top 10 Christmas Lists

Top Ten is a generic term used to indicate the ten items that are best, worst, or otherwise notable according to some criteria. Enjoy the top ten lists about Christmas. Where do you find the world’s tallest Christmas tree? How do you nick an elf? Top 10 lists are good, fun, and decisive ways to get an overview of many Christmas topics. 365 Days of Christmas brings a selection of top 10 lists here (at the blog site). Click around, have some fun, and learn a bit more about Christmas. 

The Christmas Card Test

You Are Caring

You are an extremely stable and together person. You don't have a lot of chaos in your life. You're at a point where you can help others, and you do so happily and willingly. You are sympathetic and compassionate. You find it easy to place yourself in someone else's shoes. You are organized and responsible. You take care of yourself so that you're not a burden on others.

The Holiday Card Test

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

Christoper Radko Ornaments

It's Become a Well-Known Tale


A tree ladened with the Radko family's antique ornaments fell when a newly purchased Christmas tree stand broke. Christopher ruined Christmas for his family! So he decided to right that wrong and on a trip to Poland went about trying to find replacements for the ornaments. The first collection consisted of 65 ornaments in 1986.


The Making of an Ornament

Ornaments are produced in several European countries -- Poland, Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic. Each ornament is still made the old fashioned way and takes seven days to create. Over 10,000 different items have been created over the past twenty years.


The Different Radko Lines


Over the years the Radko name has grown to include numerous products that fall into three lines: mouth-blown glass ornaments, Home for the Holidays (tabletop/decorative accessories), and Shiny-Brite, retro looking ornaments and decorations. 


Much to the chagrin of long-time collectors several years ago Radko produced an exclusive line for Target. The Target line was limited and to the expert collector the difference was obvious, but many felt it hurt the brand name in the long run.


It's Easy to Get Overwhelmed


Christmas collectors can be easily overwhelmed when looking at the hundreds of different designs produced every year (1,100 in 2006). Sometimes it is best to focus in on a particular type of ornament or design and go from there. There are lots of choices including whimsical, traditional, or storybook styles, as well as ornaments supporting charities and groups. It would be hard to name an item, character, or culture which has not been represented by a Radko ornament.


Charity and Benefit Ornaments


Every year Christopher Radko has numerous ornaments designated to raise funds for various charities including AIDS, Breast Cancer, Pediatric Cancer, Animal Rights Organizations, Diabetes, Heart Disease, and The Christopher Radko Foundation for Children in Poland. 


Other exclusive ornaments are produced specifically for charities to offer for sale as a fund-raising option. These include St. Jude's, the Dave Thomas Foundation, and The M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.


Licensed and Exclusives


In addition to the extensive Radko open ornament line, many stores have the chance to offer exclusives only available at their store, as well as signing exclusives. These are ornaments available only at a Radko appearance. 


Over the years Radko has produced numerous licensed ornaments for companies as diverse as Disney, Warner Bros, and Harley Davidson.


Radko Values


The early years of Radko ornaments have risen in value and are difficult to find at a bargain. People usually know what they have! Secondary markets through newsletters, dealers, or Internet auctions are the way to find the older ornaments. Many stores will also have a few retired ornaments in stock, you'll have to let your fingers do the walking when trying to find something specific.


Resources

Author David Olsen has categorized the entire Radko line from the first year 1986 through 2000. The book will be very helpful when shopping the secondary market, plus it serves to whet the appetite for ornaments from the early years.

Christopher Radko Ornaments, Volume 1
A Chat with David Olsen
Christopher RadkoRadko Ornaments

Dear Mr. Santa Claus

Check out this adorable, fun animation for the whole family.  I think, it will easily become a Christmas classic. This animated song reminds of the ads and songs from my childhood.

Check out the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dicixW23rwo.

If you like, please help us spread the word!

'Tis the Season to Be Spendy

Best Selling Christmas Songs of All Time

When you talk about Christmas, you can’t ignore the Christmas music that can be heard everywhere in December. After all, music plays a significant role in creating the desired atmosphere. 

Best Selling Christmas Songs of All Time

1. Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas? - 1984, 1985, 2004 
2. Boney M  - Mary's Boy Child - 1978
3. Wham! - Last Christmas - 1984, 1985
4. Harry Belafonte - Mary's Boy Child - 1957
5. Slade - Merry Xmas Everybody  - 1973, 1981, 1983, 1998, 2006
6. Bing Crosby - White Christmas - 1942, 1977, 1998
7. Cliff Richard - The Millennium Prayer - 1999 
8. Johnny Mathis - When A Child Is Born - 1976
9. Gene Autry - Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer - 1999
10. Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock - 1957

"New Tradition"

I was introduced to a new holiday song that I want to share with you.  Hey Romeo, a country group from Edmonton, Alberta, released a new song yesterday titled "New Tradition."

The group Hey Romeo are the 2011 Canadian Country Music Awards "Group of the Year."

I've included a sound clip here for you to check them out: http://soundcloud.com/heyromeo/new-tradition-hey-romeo.

Christmas Countdown Giveaway

Happy December!  Only 24 days until Christmas.

In between the hustle and bustle of the holidays, let's have some fun.  If you like surprises and prizes, HostelBookers has a thing or two in their Santa sack this year, just for you.

In the spirit of a traditional advent calendar, HostelBookers is getting fun, merry, and festive by giving away fantastic prizes every day between 1st through 24th of December.

We can't promise everyone a white Christmas, but we can offer prizes including iPad2, free accommodations, Kindle, InterRail tickets, Round-The-Word Expert Flights and much more.

Come play - and win - with us...

1.  Go to HostelBookers Facebook page.
2. Like Hostelbookers.
3. Click on the 'Christmas Giveaway' tab and answer a question.

• A new question will be posted daily at midnight 00:01 GMT up to and including December 24th.
• Winners will be notified by email and announced on the blog once they claim their prize.
• Answers will be posted on the Facebook wall and on the blog.

HostelBookers is the leading budget accommodation website in the travel industry not to apply a service charge and is, on average, 8.7% cheaper than its nearest competitor. It features over 20,000 hostels, cheap hotels and budget properties on its website in over 3,500 destinations across the world. Follow us on Twitter @hostelbookers.