Artists Passion

‘Twas the third night of Chanukah and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Okay, my cats were probably stirring last night, just without me.

I was volunteering my time to an arts and crafts booth at a local holiday event. Not the selling variety of arts and crafts booth, but the children-do variety. I helped a bunch of children glue foam leaves to paper plates for three hours, scarfed down a cold hotdog and a flat soda, and wished the line for Santa wasn’t so long, so I could take a picture with him for my mom.

Why, in the name of all that is good and pure in the world, why would I subject myself to babysitting somewhere around 500 kids wielding bottles of glue and tiny red berries made out of what looked like lint?

The answer: I’m selfish.

The building we were in for the event was set up like a castle. Bubble “snow” fell from the ceiling. There were costumed characters, a small train set up for young passengers, games all over the place, and a store set up with toys and trinkets usually overpriced in the stores at the perfect prices for the little ones to buy with their allowance. In addition to the arts and crafts area I was in, there was a coloring book station, a scrapbooking station, and a cookie decorating station. The food was served in a huge, fairy tale ballroom where The Polar Express was playing on theater-sized screens. Everywhere I looked, faces were filled with wonder.

I highly recommend for everyone reading this to volunteer somewhere this holiday season. It’s a much better high than overeating or unwrapping an iPod. I always try to volunteer at an event with children, because they get the most out of the holidays. They still believe in the magic of the holidays, whether it be Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, or the secular Santa Day.

Unfortunately, I never did get that picture with Santa.

Here are some more holiday themed posts: with Chanukah almost half over, Christmas is just 18 days away. For the most part, my own Christmas-type presents are wrapped and ready to go. And, Cyndi at Bead Arts has listed some sites with suggestions for gifts that sparkle with creativity.

by: Liane Schmidt

Some Say I’m a Dreamer - but I’m not the only one.
IMAGINE: John Lennon

Today’s article is about what you can do today to make this world an even better, more beautiful place right this very moment.

Many charities ask for a small donation and even if it is only five dollars, it can wear on your pocket if you are living paycheck to paycheck as many of us are. (As a starving artist, I know this very well.)

And, even if we aren’t feeling the strain of cash flow, many of us find that we hardly have time in the day to remember to buy groceries, let alone the time to even begin to think about donating to a charity. It might be a fleeting thought after we see a commercial flash by or a street representative asking for our generousity, but then our minds are back to trying to remember what we just forgot.

Whatever the reason, life happens. We are all human, we all deep down inside want this world to be as beautiful as possible, no matter what position we are at in life.

Now, giving to charities has been made easier than ever and our pockets do not have to feel pained in the process.

The “One Click” charity organizations are exactly that. Just click once on their link and a donation will be made toward whatever given charity you clicked on! Some allow you to click once a day. It’s truly, a miracle.

Below I have listed some charites that you can begin supporting and clicking right this very moment. (I have also added a few that you can learn more about by simply visiting their sites, if interested.)

“Click and do some good today.”

“God bless us, everyone.”
-A Christmas Carol.

The original one click site:

Click candle and aids research receives a dollar.