This ukulele was my Christmas present, so my first song on it (ever!) is my holiday wishes to you:

Happy New Year, and have a wonderful 2012!

Feature photo credit: Tim Hamilton

The time-honored workplace traditions of Secret Santa and White Elephant gift exchanges have yielded at least a few disasters over the years. The Street has collected the best stories of the worst gifts, and here we share two of our favorites:

“I opened it up to find a pair of ‘booty pop’ shorts! These padded shorts are designed to add curvature to your otherwise ‘flat’ posterior. I was fortunate enough to receive the ‘midnight black’ edition. Still haven’t taken it out of the packaging. It’s somewhere around the office.”

“Last year I received a NASCAR-branded pocket knife that a criminal left in a colleague’s vehicle when he broke into it to steal some CDs and the radio.”

Other winners include a whole rotisserie chicken and a pair of live mice.

Have you ever received a tragic Secret Santa or White Elephant gift? Share it with us in the comments!

Photo Credit: Gin Soak

I asked my friend Brett Smith, Membership/Research Specialist in charge of donor relations at the Des Moines Civic Center to help me out with this dilemma. He had some interesting insights to share.

Brett suggests doing your homework before you give. “Most charitable organizations have websites that are loaded with information…What I would zero in on is if they have published their annual report. Take a close look at revenues, program expenditures, administrative overhead and fundraising costs. Does a reasonable amount of donated income actually make it into the actual service the charity performs? Also, take a look at their lists of donors. Who else is supporting them? That is usually a good indicator of the organization’s standing in the community.”

Still not sure or need more objective information? Brett says it’s easy to find.

“There are two wonderful websites that donors can check, Guidestar and Charity Navigator. Both of these sites are the absolute gold standard for researching charitable organizations. Here you can read about the organization’s mission, who their officers and board members are and most importantly, you can look at their annual 990 filings with the IRS. Every charity with a 501 (c)(3) or tax-exempt designation is required to file these annually. Guidestar will require you to register, but the main portion to access the 990 forms is free of charge.”

No time to check out the charity in question? Brett offers this advice:

“Never respond to telephone solicitations. Many times the person on the other end of the phone works for a third party that has been contracted by the charity to handle their solicitations. These companies will often pass along only pennies of your actual donation to the charity. If you still feel compelled to give, call the charity and arrange to make your gift directly to them. But…if you have never heard of the charity,(and) it doesn’t have a website or a physical presence in your community, beware!”

“Excepting the Salvation Army kettles, never give to street solicitors or people going door to door selling magazine subscriptions for charity or put money in a coffee can on the counter of the local gas station. All of these are well used ploys to bilk you out of your money.”

When should you be wary about giving?

“One of the chief things that sends up a red flag for me is multiple appeals for additional gifts after the initial gift is made. (B)eing asked for more and more without a reasonable amount of time in between feels 1) disrespectful of the donor 2) like the organization is not handling their cash flow responsibly. Ideally, the relationship between an organization and a donor really should progress and feel like a friendship.”

Brett’s thoughts on philanthropy are simple. “You don’t have to be Bill Gates or Warren Buffett to make a difference in the world, but give serious thought to what your ’cause(s)’ might be and then doing your homework…visit the charity of your choice to see the work they are doing…and get a feel for if it is the right fit for you. Maybe even volunteer as well…most charities are overjoyed when a new face comes through the door.”

Photo Credit: Microsoft Free Clipart

Glassdoor, the online career community that offers an insider’s look at companies, recently conducted a survey on the topic of holiday perks in which they found the following:

Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of employees said that a cash bonus would be among their top choices for employer-gifted holiday perks this year, followed by a salary raise (62 percent), paid time off (32 percent) and grocery gift cards (23 percent). Holiday parties – even with an open bar – are not a very popular perk (4 percent) and fell below the ability to work from home for a year (14 percent), company stock/shares (11 percent), health care subsidy (10 percent) and a gym membership (8 percent). A full breakdown of perk preferences is below.

• 72% cash bonus
• 62% salary raise
• 32% paid time off that doesn’t count against vacation
• 23% grocery gift card
• 14% work from home for a year
• 11% company stock or shares
• 10% health care subsidy
• 8% gym membership
• 4% holiday party with an open bar
• 3% commuter subsidy
• 2% gold watch or other accessory
• 2% other

Surprised? What do you prefer? More importantly, what did you actually GET from your employer during the holidays? Weigh in by sharing your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

Photo Credit: Velo City

But here’s what we want to know: Have you—or any of your neighbors—actually gone totally geek and created an over-the-top home or yard display for the holidays? If so, we want to see pictures! After all, who doesn’t appreciate a glittery, glitzy, twinkly nativity scene? Who among us doesn’t love rooftop reindeer, singing Santas and animatronic snowmen? Give us what we want!

Single and sad on the holidays! Now what?

Bah. Humbug. The weather outside is frightful and so is the holiday season when you’re single, right?

Not necessarily.

When you’re decking the halls solo you can feel like decking every happy couple you see. The majority of singles, men and women, contacting me for advice say they plan on sitting out for the holidays.

So you want to take a rain check for the holidays and miss out on all of that eggnog? No way.

Pay attention. Here’s the Lifestyle Passionista’s Guide to having a Fab & Single Hip Holiday.

1. DO leave the house.

This is not the time of year to stay home miserable and moping. As a matter of fact, there should be no time in your glorious life for feeling sorry for yourself, period. Wallowing in misery only begets more wallowing.

If you’ve been recently dumped or have sad family associations with this time of year, then do permit yourself a short pity party. Then, it’s time to jump back into life. And yes, this means turning off the TV and leaving the living room.

2. DON’T hang with friends who will belittle you.

Remember the “smug marrieds” dinner party scene in “Bridget Jones’ Diary?” Bridget breaks bread with a group of coupled-up jerks who spend the entire evening berating her. You don’t need people in your life whose sole glee is to mock you or point out, “this is why you’re single.”

Make a point of spending time with positive and fun people who enjoy you as much as you enjoy them.

3. DO get out and date.

My friend James thought that if he hadn’t met someone by Halloween he really couldn’t start dating until January. He was nervous about all of the awkwardness around seeing a new person during the holidays so he was just going to stay home and be lonely.

Look, sometimes in life things are awkward. That is never a reason to put your life on hold. This is a great time to meet new people. Folks are visiting from out of town and there are celebrations everywhere. Jump in and meet someone new online.

Dating site OK Cupid has a great app that will let you know who’s in your vicinity and down to grab some tea. HowAboutWe.com and Meetup.com help you easily meet new people who are into the same refreshingly odd activities that you enjoy.

4. DO throw a party.

Not in a mood to go out? Invite the party to you. Have a small get together, dinner party or blowout bash to celebrate life. Hang some mistletoe and tell your friends to bring even more friends. Plan a Secret Santa-style gift exchange. Mazel!

5. DON’T neglect yourself.

Sometimes when we’re the single friend, auntie or uncle we feel the need to overcompensate by going all out for everyone else. That’s great but don’t forget to pamper yourself. This is a great time to indulge in a little extreme self-care.

Go get a mani-pedi and massage. Soak in the tub. Go on a cruise if you can afford it. Take good care of yourself. You’re the only you the world has.

6. DO celebrate being single.

Being single is not some disease that has to be cured. Embrace and enjoy your single status. The last thing you want to do is date before you’re ready. This is the perfect time to plan the next year of your life. Be grateful for what you do have rather than what you don’t have.

Annoyed by all of those grinning family holiday cards and “here’s what we did this year” newsletters? Create a fun solo holiday card and put together your own “My Year in Review” newsletter.

7. DO Remember the point of the holidays.

The holidays are not about bragging rights for who has the most gifts or love. This time of year is about genuine joy and authentic connections. Whether you go to church, a temple, masque, Kingdom Hall or the bowling alley, focus on the miraculous beauty of the every day.

Your life is waiting for you. Step out and live like you mean it.

Merry Mazel Kwanzaa-kah Navidad!

Photo Credit: Damali Abrams

The lyrics, found on sing365, are as follows:

This year at Christmas, everybody’s feeling funny
No one’s making joyful sounds
Cranberry sauce ain’t staying down
The lineups at the bathroom are longer than at the mall
Everybody’s meeting Vincent
The Christmas Virus

Vincent the Christmas Virus
He’s the one that’ll keep you up all night
He’s the festive parasite
Vincent the Christmas Virus
He’s the gift that keeps on giving all night long

Vincent the Christmas Virus ain’t killed by penicillin
Doesn’t notice Aspirin
Don’t matter if you’re fit and trim
But Vincent’s not immune to the effects of alcohol
So get real drunk on Christmas Day
Let’s all toast to Vincent (Yay!)

 

I’ve just discovered one of the most magical Christmas treats of all time! It’s called Portable North Pole and it’s guaranteed to create that festive sense of wonder in children of all ages.

Here’s how it works:

In four simple steps, you can create a fully customized video message from the big man himself!

First, you choose whether or not you want Santa’s video message to go to a naughty or nice adult or child (Yes, the fun starts right away!).

You input some basic information about the person (their name, age, gender and so forth) and your relationship to him or her.

Then, you choose the message you want Santa to send (from a preset list). The options are pretty cute—things like: “You want Santa to remind her that he’s watching and she should behave herself” or “You think she’s the best and Santa should not forget her.”

You also get to explain WHY the person has been naught or nice, again from a preset list that’s age appropriate (the adult ones are super funny!).

Finally—the best part, really—you can upload a few photos of the individual who is receiving the message. This makes it even MORE magical for the recipient, watching Santa flip through a photo album with your face in it!

Best of all, the whole thing is free! Though, of course, you can buy a copy if you so desire. You can even email the video to friends and family, or share it on Facebook for no charge. It’s probably one of the coolest things I’ve seen this holiday season.

Have you seen a video message like this? If not, go make one now or put it on your calendar for next year to spread the spirit of the season!

Photo Credit: Etolane

There are not many Christmas stories for middle school children. Most of the books published are picture books, perfect for small children and families. Many of the Christmas books published for older children are classics like A Christmas Carol by Dickens or The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. These books are lovely and should be read by everyone, but they are not books that modern kids can relate to. So what else is there? Well, to fill the gap Cornelia Funke, author of Inkheart, Dragon Rider, and many other popular books, has given us a Christmas tale perfect for the kids of today.

Ben is having a hard time this Christmas. He never knows the right thing to say, he is doing badly in math, he is teased by the other kids, and his parents are convinced they all need to go somewhere sunny for Christmas. Ben just wants to be alone. That is until he takes a dare and knocks on the door of a broken down caravan. When a young man opens up Ben sees a very small person in his pocket. The young man is Niklas, a Santa, and the very small person is one of his Christmas elves. There are also two angels, Matilda and Emmanuel. Together they are trying to give Christmas to the people while avoiding the nutcrackers, bad Santas, and the Great Christmas Council. If they get caught then the true meaning of Christmas will be lost and Niklas will be turned into a chocolate Santa.

Ben and his new friend Charlotte want to help save Christmas and get Niklas back to flying, but to do so they have to find the missing reindeer, Twinklestar. He is invisible. How will they find an invisible reindeer? And what will happen when the nutcrackers find them all? This is an exciting book with a lovely message about Christmas and family. You will believe in Santa all over again after you read this.

Why not start a Christmas tradition and read this book to the whole family? It will sure to become a new classic.

For more news on Cornelia’s books check out www.corneliafunkefans.com/en.

This creative holiday homeowner upped the ante on festive front yard décor by bringing a Calvin & Hobbes comic strip to life.

According to Gizmodo: Found in front of a house in Rocklin California, the display is a protest against the unfair practices of Calvin’s dad.

Is this the best holiday yard display ever? Have you seen better? Share a pic or tell us about it in the comments!