Sunday Surf: Giftmas Edition

We started moving on Wednesday. Elmo has had a friend helping him along the way, but has also had Sasha underfoot while I've been gone 8+ hours per day. He and I finished emptying and cleaning the apartment Saturday evening. I did one last walk-through today and turned in the keys. Meanwhile, I have been going through the mountain of boxes here! Do not doubt, you will notice losing 250 square feet of space!! In a box, under many floppy diskettes I have now tossed, I found my CDIB card which has been missing for 5+ years! Why the hell did I still have floppies?? Without further ado, on to this week's links:

• Elmo and I have agreed not to lie about Santa. It seems strange even to me because I was so determined to "do the Santa thing" with Ronni. I think he may still believe at 12 years old! If you're still debating what you want to do in your own family, check out Why we decided not to "do Santa" at Adventures in Mommyhood. She includes a few links offering different perspectives, so she isn't just trying to sell you on her decision.
  
  
• Already decided to do the Santa thing? Well if you love Santa, North Pole.com is a great site to visit with your kids! Among other things, your child can use a form to send a letter to Santa. It has some multiple-choice options as well as a free-form space. Your child will actually have a response from Santa within a couple of days! My daughter still loves this and includes it as one of her traditions. The site has more than just fun stuff for kids. It offers a section of activities for parents, teachers & students, recipes, crafts, and more!
  
  
• Love elves, but not necessarily the North Pole variety? I'm talking fantasy here, folks. I discovered Elf Quest as a young adult and LOVE the series offered by the Pinis! I have many of their published works, but have been planning to sell them in my "downsizing." I never did complete my collection. However, I have Richard Pini on my FB friend list and just found that every known EQ tale to date, well over 6500 pages, is offered online - for free! O.M.G! I am in hog heaven. I have to limit myself, though, as I have SO much work to do away from my computer! I've read 1 issue, starting at the beginning, each night for the last 2 nights. I hope I'm able to keep up this new routine.
  

Speaking of how wonderful Elf Quest is, here is some amazing Family Bed artwork from them:

Art by Ron Hayman
Click on the image to go to the FB page and see the larger version!
(Artwork copyright 2010 Warp Graphics. All rights reserved.)