Designer of stuff. Blogger. Politically blue. Shoes pink.
Angel Flags are designed to enhance your Christmas and Hanukkah experience.
You can choose from a variety of angels dressed in the flags of various countries and causes.
Angel Flags shows your angel on a variety of products. Choose gift wrapping supplies, party supplies, and some gifts.
Designs on Angel Flags feature both Hanukkah and Christmas colors.
Check out https://www.zazzle.com/store/angelflags
Check out Angel Flags 2 at http://www.zazzle.com/store/angelflags2
Hot or bright pink is the most noticeable color in this design, showing in this collection of accessories with a feminine hard rock Christian theme. Because, who says Christians are stuffy?
First of all, the collection includes a tote bag, watch, and heart shaped compact. In addition you will find nail stickers, three different keychains, lapel pin, locket, necklace and a ring. Finally, see all the rest of products with this design at Pink Zig Zag Crosses at 100 Crosses
In creating the design, Auntie Shoe took a cross from a freeware font that the font maker allowed her to have. She colored it a hot or bright pink. Because it looked a little sparse, she placed in on a white, circular background that mimics a fractal-style. Surrounding the circle is a matching pink background of squiggly squares. What are squiggly squares? Squiggly squares is the name Auntie gave the background image because she didn’t know what else to call it.
Auntie Shoe loves pink. In her advancing age, she has stopped caring what people think of the color. Yes, there is a story here. Auntie’s daddy and his friend, Lars, who Auntie adored when she was nine, discussed favorite colors in front of her. They agreed that people that liked pink were a little dull. And, as young child Auntie mistakenly believed that her Uncle Lars would not love her anymore if she liked pink. Hey, she was nine. But, in her advancing years, Auntie realizes that this is silly and she can like pink if she wishes. She does. So she does.
Auntie Shoe placed this collection at Pinterest in a group board she posts in called Accessorize Your Life. You can see a lot of different items there with a ton of gift ideas for mom and your favorite grad. It is a great place to find birthday gifts for any lady in your life. Also, there are a lot of tote bags that are always handy for any occasion.
Also, you can follow Auntie Shoe at Pinterest by clicking here.
World Flag and Country Name Tees
by Auntie Shoe
She opened a free graphics website, using free web space available in great quantity at the time. Soon, however, Auntie’s work was so popular that visits to her site exceeded the bandwidth allowed for free space. Now she had to make a decision. Close it or pay for it. After all the work she’d put in, and the number of people who emailed to say how much they depended on it for their own work, Auntie was hesitant to close it. But paying for it would not be cheap.
She bought a domain, ameriyank.com. And some web space and continued as usual. But, in the meantime, she had also found a new business called CafePress. For no money out-of-pocket, Auntie could sell original design on t-shirts, mugs and other things.
“Hmmmmmm”, thought Auntie, “Maybe I can earn enough to pay for this web space.” So, she started drawing flags in her graphics program. It kind of took off. And, happily, she was able to pay for her web space.
But a series of unfortunate events left Auntie unable to continue in her real estate career. The first was that she was, simply put, not happy in the business. But more importantly, bone spurs, carpal tunnel and a bunch of other ailments, from a variety of causes made it impossible for her to continue in that career.
Luckily, Auntie had found some success in the print-on-demand (POD) world. Limited as it was, it could grow in a way that would allow her to support herself, over time. And, well, it beat doing nothing and sittin’ on her disabled keister watching daytime TV.
So, Auntie Shoe worked a lot more with the world flags, creating several different designs. Some were just the flags themselves, others were, like the examples above, flags with the name of the country below it. Then came the heart shaped flags. Just all kinds of world flags were at Auntie Shoe’s disposal for creating interesting ways for people to share their travels, heritages, ethnicities and favorite cultures.
Soon, other POD sites opened like Zazzle. And, Auntie opened shops there as well.
Now your virtual Auntie has shops all over the place, with designs of all kinds, using world flags as part of the motif. Recently, Auntie started drawing penguins, angels and roses inspired by flags. All are original ideas that come from her imagination.
You can find various world flags designs at the following shops:
zazzle.com/storefllagnation
spoonflower.com/profiles/auntieshoe
redbubble.com/people/auntieshoe/
Creating the designs and adding them to various shops is quite time consuming, but fun. Using social media to promote items is tedious work. But for the most part, as a graphics designer online using POD, you spend about 90% of your time promoting yourself via blogs, Twitter Facebook, and the like.
Auntie likes Pinterest the best because it lets you create boards of interest. She does not have to create tons of accounts with a different country in each one, she just creates a board with the country and all goes well. Her followers can follow one country or all, as they see fit. That way she does not bore them to death with countries they are not interested in.
You can visit Auntie Shoe on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/auntieshoe/. Choose your boards and join the fun!
But, mostly, Auntie just likes to create the flags in her computer program and see how interesting and inspiring she can be. It is fun to see how the design turns out after Auntie has worked for hours to make it just right, and with variations to be sure it will look nice on the most amount of colors on T-shirts and other items.
While creating a flag design with the name of the country in a solid color works well for many, what Auntie especially enjoys doing is taking the extra step to make the name of the country or group match, as much as possible, the flag in question. It can take several hours, or days, in rare cases, to make it just right, but it is worth it to create something extra-special.
Auntie Shoe loves knowing she helps provide just the right gift for that special friend, husband, wife, friend or family member. Her work continues to be challenging and rewarding in its nature.
The work of the particular collection for this post is some of her best ideas. The designs are meant to help you promote your favorite culture, whether it is your own or just one that inspires you. Wear a shirt from Sweden, Denmark, Greece, or the United Kingdom.
So, if you enjoy different cultures, as Auntie Shoe does, you might find her work inspiring. If not, you probably will not care to participate further.
But your Auntie loves nearly everybody. What more could you ask for? Yeah, I know, a million dollars and some real cash!
Anyway, here is hoping you enjoy the collection and its aftermath.
This is a test to see if Auntie Shoe can use some particular code correctly. So far, looking good for Auntie.
For the test, Auntie Shoe chose to use code found on Zazzle for those who have shops there. Auntie Shoe only has about a gazillion shops. The newest one with any large amount of designs is Shamrock Flags found at www.zazzle.com/store/ShamrockFlags. It is pretty much what you would expect, shamrocks with flags in each leaf. Makes it easy for Irish Americans, who have more heritages than just Irish and American, to celebrate themselves.
All the designs in this series feature the flag of Ireland in the top leaf and the USA flag on the left leaf. The right leaf changes, depending on the country used.
In our test case here, it is the German flag that fills the leaf on the right. The product shown is a necklace watch for her. in this case, a sparkling golden one . It has white numbers that are easy to see and the German Shamrock tilts a bit to the right. Just for a bit of whimsical fun.
Now, just because this is a test, is no reason for you not to rush off and take a closer look at this great gift for mom.
And, folks, THEY AREN’T TERRIBLE. Really, they aren’t. This is an oatmeal raisin diabetic cookie recipe that actually tastes good.
Your Auntie Shoe is a diabetic. So, she has to watch her sugar intake. Also, diabetics need to be careful of fat and salt so we don’t end up in the emergency room with heart failure. In essence, we are like everybody else, just needing to be a bit more careful.
Your Auntie Shoe misses cookies. And cakes. And pies. And, well, anything that tastes good. That said, Auntie read some stuff here and there including an interview with a Greek cook who uses Greek yogurt in place of butter in baked goods. Measures it like for like, she does. So, Auntie thought this was good information for her own oatmeal raisin diabetic cookie recipe.
And, most importantly, your Auntie thought, “That I can remember”. Auntie Shoe likes stuff that is measured the same when substituted.
So, armed with this new information, Auntie Shoe went looking on the Internet for an oatmeal cookie recipe to alter. She wanted to get more carbs out of the recipe. This is hard because oatmeal and raisins have, naturally, a higher carb content than many other types of cookies.
Finally, your Auntie decided to use the recipe on the back of her aged oatmeal box, with some major alterations.
First, substitute the wheat flour for almond flour/meal. Auntie used Bob’s Red Mill. But next time she is going to use Trader Joe’s when she makes an oatmeal raisin diabetic cookie recipe.
Next, add some xanthan gum. 1/4 teaspoon for every cup of flour. That’s what it says on the package. Got that from Bob, too. You have to add this because flour has gluten and almond meal does not. Cookies look icky otherwise. Taste fine, just crumble to nothing and look stupid. So far, so good for Auntie Shoe’s oatmeal raisin diabetic cookie recipe.
Oh, yeah, remember the part about Auntie Shoe being a diabetic? Well, that means you substitute Monk Fruit for the sugar. Auntie used a brand name Monk Fruit in the Raw because it measures the same and Auntie didn’t have to do any fancy math, er, math at all, in her oatmeal raisin diabetic cookie recipe.
One thing is no one makes a substitute for brown sugar. Sooo, Auntie just used the monk fruit stuff. Tastes fine. Some think too sweet. Others not sweet enough. So, you decide.
Anyway….here is the list of ingredients you will need for the oatmeal raisin diabetic cookie recipe:
1 cup 2% Fat Greek Yogurt (Auntie used Trader Joe’s house brand. Make sure yours is 2% fat AND Greek, too.)
1 1/2 cups Monk Fruit in the Raw
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups almond flour or meal
3/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups oats NOT COOKED
1 Cup raisins
The Monk fruit sweetener is very, very, very light. When you mix it, it flies all over the place. Soooo, place the monk fruit in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, add the egg whites and vanilla. Stir a little bit. Add about half of the egg mixture to the monk fruit.
Stir SLOWLY. SERIOUSLY, VERY, VERY, VERY SLOOOOOOOWLY. See that big mess you have to clean up all over the counter because the monk fruit flew all over the place? Yeah, you didn’t do as your Auntie Shoe said, did you?
Add the rest and stir till blended. STILL, STIR SLOWLY.
Next, add the yogurt. Stir until fully blended. You can stir as fast as you like. Once the monk fruit is wet, it doesn’t fly all over your kitchen. And, you nevermind how Auntie Shoe got this information.
In another bowl, add the almond meal, xanthan gum, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix it.
Gradually add the almond meal mixture to the yogurt mixture. Next add the oats, one cup at a time. Lastly, mix in the raisins. Now the oatmeal raisin diabetic cookie recipe is ready to be baked.
Drop them in rounded teaspoon fulls on a cookie sheet. Auntie used baking parchment paper on the sheet, not anything greasy or sprayed. Nothing stuck. Worked great. You can use your own judgement. THERE IS NO BUTTER IN THESE, SO THEY WILL STICK UNLESS YOU DO SOMETHING.
When the first batch baked, Auntie Shoe discovered that they do not spread like normal oatmeal cookies. DUH! No butter…Sooooo, in subsequent batches, Auntie used a spoon or her fingers to spread the cookie dough out a bit. ‘Cause, honey, those suckers do NOT budge unless you help them. Just be helpful to your lovely little cookies and all will be well. They pretty much look like any normal oatmeal raisin cookie.
Auntie Shoe read that cookies made with almond meal need a lower temperature for baking, as well as a lower time. This includes her oatmeal raisin diabetic cookie recipe. Soooooo….
Oven at 335 degrees. Seriously, 335.
Baking time about 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies came out chewy and nice. Cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes before eating.
Even the person in the household that NEVER likes ANYTHING that is healthy, actually likes this oatmeal raisin diabetic cookie recipe.
Keep them in the refrigerator. They have yogurt in them, not butter. Yogurt spoils faster.
Makes about 40.
Carb count? About 6 per cookie. That’s what it averaged when Auntie divided the number of cookies created into the total carbs for the entire oatmeal raisin diabetic cookie recipe.
Calories? About 37 per cookie. Again, added up all the calories for all the ingredients and divided by the number of cookies baked.
Meantime, the blog has a nag feature for a picture. This is the best your poor old Auntie can do 
Now for all the disclosure stuff…Auntie Shoe makes her living from selling items with designs she creates at various print-on-demand sites all over the Internet. She does NOT receive any compensation from any of the people whose ingredients she purchased to make the oatmeal raisin diabetic cookie recipe. Not a dime. Honest. These tradespeople have no idea Auntie even exists. She just went to various markets and stores in her vicinity and bought stuff like a normal person.
If you feel you must compensate Auntie Shoe for her lovely recipe, visit any of her shops. Just look at the menu above for “Auntie Shoe’s POD Shops”. Or click here for her shops at Zazzle.
Zazzle has introduced fabric to its large array of product choices. That means, you can purchase fabric to match your favorite items, if the designer has chosen to add it to the design you love. COOL BEANS. Cool petunias, too.
(Note: If your designer hasn’t added fabric to your just-gotta-have-it design, use the ASK THE DESIGNER link and leave them a message.)
That said, what choices to you have?
Well, Zazzle lists seven fabric choices:
1) combed cotton
2) puma cotton
3) cotton twill
4) polyester poplin
5) polyester weave
6) ivory linen
7) natural linen
Just so you can compare, here is one design in combed cotton:
The above are Auntie Shoe’s creations. She is working hard to get all her shamrocks up on fabric as fast as she can. Please have patience. If your favorite country isn’t up yet, please use the ASK THE DESIGNER link, or add a comment to this blog post.
That said, what does this mean to the print-on-demand world? Well, your virtual Auntie (that would be Shoe, er, me), thinks it is a wonderful addition to Zazzle’s products.
There is another POD that does fabric. That’s Spoonflower. What makes Zazzle so great for designers is Spoonflower makes the designer purchase a swatch for approval before the design is allowed to sold. That is not unreasonable, considering the amount of money lost if the design doesn’t print well and is returned. But, for designers running a business on a very frayed shoestring, those few dollars keep them from adding to their shop.
At Zazzle, we can add whatever we like at no cost to us. At Spoonflower, every design added means an outgo of cash. It is not expensive, unless you have 1000 designs. Then it is astronomically expensive and out of the question.
This is why consumers, that would most probably be you, the reader, will most likely find a larger choice of fabric designs at Zazzle.com/fabric.
Another advantage at Zazzle is the ability to customize your own fabric. For example, say you just LOVE the Australian shamrocks shown above. But you want to add a name to the fabric to make it personal and very special. At Zazzle, you can do it yourself, no worries. Just click the CUSTOMIZE IT button and do your thing, hunny.
But if all that techy stuff scares you, just use the ASK THE DESIGNER links and tell your designer what you want. See, you have to tell us because most of us are very unpsychic. We just can’t read minds. So, you gotta speak up!
AND….drumroll….For a limited time, and to introduce fabric, Zazzle is having a 15% off sale. Just add the PROMO Code INTRO2FABRIC , at checkout time. So, save a bit of money and get some custom-made fabric at the same time. How cool are those beans? The petunias are pretty cool, too.
Toksie Turbie, Santa, Zanta, The Mrs. Clauses, Waldorf and your Auntie Shoe wish you a
Merry Christmas
Happy Chanukah
Happy Kwanzaa
Happy Holidays
Merry Meet
Or whatever you celebrate, celebrate with love and peace in your heart. Take joy in your celebrations!
“WOW”, thought Toksie Turbie as she put away the last of her Christmas presents, “Christmas is very cool thing!”
This had been eight-year-old Toksie’s very first Christmas experience and it happened at the North Pole. Santa himself gave Toksie the first Christmas present she ever received. It was a doll. But, it was a very special doll, because just like Toksie, the doll could change colors. Her hair, teeth, skin, eyes, EVERYTHING about her could change color. And patterns, too. Toksie could have stripes and polka dots and paisleys and, OMGosh, just about anything. And, so could the doll that Santa gave her. It was pretty cool, indeed.
Christmas at the North Pole is a very laid back affair. Everyone is tired after Santa’s big ride. And the circus that Toksie now lived with, well, all those people were tired from performing for the elves all night while Santa delivered presents. So, about 6:00 PM everyone gathers in the Great Hall for dinner and a gift exchange. That’s because they have been sleeping all day.
Most of the elves and the circus people attend church beforehand. But everyone arrives in the Great Hall at six o’clock. They all dress in their best clothes, not tuxes and gowns, but very nicely dressed. Suits and ties for gents and fancy (not fancy-schmancy, just fancy) for the ladies.
The circus people were helping Toksie get a wardrobe that wasn’t all beige. They found her a lovely red pants suit and a green blouse to wear. She had new gold shoes and silver socks, too. Not real gold and silver, just the colors. She sure looked Christmassy. And, that was the idea.
Almost everyone was dressed in greens, reds, silvers, and golds. There was some white. A couple of people wore blue. And, lots of other things as well.
And EVERYONE had a present for Toksie. Some people had two or three presents for her. Every elf and every circus performer has something for Toksie. Everyone had gone to very special trouble to be sure Toksie’s first Christmas was memorable.
And it was. She was NEVER going to have to wear beige again, that was for sure. There were sweaters and pants and blouses and dresses and shoes and boots and necklaces and rings and bracelets and lockets and t-shirts and watches and sweatshirts and hoodies and OMGosh! There was so much stuff to open it wasn’t even funny.
And the TOYS! WOWSIE-ZOWIE COOL! Toksie had never seen toys before she got to the North Pole, they were illegal in Crudville. She had never played before. That was illegal, too. Children, as soon as they were old enough to understand, went right to work at something to bring in money. That’s it. Straight to work, no school. Nobody could read anyway. That was illegal in Crudville, too.
Still Toksie liked these toys. She got a yo-yo, a deck of cards, some balls of all different sizes and shapes, a tennis racket (with lessons, too), lots of dolls, some furniture for the dolls, a train set (WAY COOL!), drawing paper and pencils, some paints, video games (with LOTS and LOTS of batteries), a doll house, building blocks, building logs, plastic thingies to build stuff with, and just about every toy that anybody could have ever wanted to have.
And, she got a magical toy chest. “Magical?” you ask, “How?”
Well, that toy chest was just a normal looking sized storage place. Just big enough for an eight-year-old to carry. BUT EVERYTHING fit. YES, E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!!!! It was not bigger than a suitcase, but it fit all these toys. Honest. Really. It did. AND, it was LIGHT, too. All those toys should have been really heavy, but Toksie had no trouble picking it all up.
She got something Mrs. Claus called a “travelling closet”. It was the size of a HUGE closet. I mean, you never in your life saw a closet this big. Which was a good thing, because Toksie received a LOT of clothes. Of course, everything fit. But she wondered how she would ever get all this back to her room. The closet seemed bigger than the room, too.
But then, Mrs. Claus told Toksie about her secret password. And, she showed Toksie where to whisper the secret password into the closet. Toksie did it and you will NEVER believe what happened. The closet shrunk. Down to almost nothing. Toksie could put the travelling closet in her pocket! All her clothes and shoes and jewelry and hats and caps and OMGosh EVERYTHING fit in her pocket.
So, now Toksie Turbie had a magic travelling closet and a magic toy chest. And then the really cool stuff started to come in. THE MAGIC STUFF.
Elves can do magic, and some of the circus people, they could, too. All of them wanted to make sure that a little girl like Toksie would be safe in the world because she was all on her own. The magic things they gave her were their way of making sure she was looked after, without her knowing it.
She got a hat that would give her three wishes. She got a jar of pills that would never get smaller but made her invisible when she took one. She got THREE magic wands, each had a different trick that would protect her if she was ever in danger. She got so many magical things for this that and the other thing, it is impossible to list it all. Most of them came with instructions, too. Some came with lessons (to be had later).
And, she got another magical storage crate for all her magical stuff. Everything fit. Then she said a magic word and it shrunk to fit in her other pocket.
Toksie couldn’t read. Never learned in Crudville. No school. Reading was illegal, so why have school?
But, a lovely grey elf named Waldorf had a very, very special gift for her. He gave her a book. When she protested that she couldn’t yet read (but really wanted to learn), Santa and Waldorf and all the other elves, told her to just open the book. So, she did as she was told. And Waldorf threw some special magic dust on her and low and behold…Toksie could read. She could read all the words in the magic book. She could read all the books she got for presents, too.
And, yes, she also got a magical library for all her books. It was small, but everything fit. Just like the travelling closet and the magic toy chest and the magical crate.
After all that, Morty and Santa brought out some furniture for her. Just the stuff little girls love. Frills and stuff. A dresser with a mirror for her to dress at, and a bed with a canopy.
But the bed had special instructions. It came with a BOOK to read about how to use it. AND, it had a console in the headboard with a voice-activated computer in it. AND, are you ready for this? Are you sitting down? Can you take it? THE BED COULD FLY!
Yes, the bed could fly anywhere in the world, even beyond. It could go to the moon and the stars and other planets. Or, it could go down into the oceans and seas. It was the coolest bed you ever saw.
Morty explained how it worked. It was kind of like Santa’s sleigh. But where it was different it was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay different. First, you could have as many people on it as you wanted. And, like the travelling closet and the toy chest and the magical library, whatever you put in it, fit. It just did.
Adults could not go on the bed. Well, they could. But something happened to them when they did. They became 12-years-old again. No one older than twelve was ever on the bed. As soon as they put a foot in, the foot became twelve. And, the rest of them followed as they went on the bed.
It was an amazing sight to see.
Toksie had a TERRIFIC first Christmas!
The flying bed was one of the greatest gifts Toksie got that first Christmas. Morty suggested that some of them take a ride on it, (just to try it out, of course), to the South Pole Village. Santa has a twin brother named Zanta. Every New Year’s most of the elves and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, take a trip to the South Pole Village to see the South Pole elves and Mr. and Mrs. Zanta Claus.
So, on New Year’s Day, everyone got ready to spend a week or so with the Zanta Clauses and their friends. Some people travelled by sleigh, with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Other people went via the flying bed with Toksie, Morty, Waldorf and a few other people.
Watch this space for the details of Toksie Turbie’s exciting trip to the South Pole.
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Just feeding the SEO Monster here. It wants a link, so this time we have the web site for my Zazzle shop for Talking Penguin.
Toksie Turbie was told that every year there is a special dinner with Santa for all the people in circus and the elves. Each year it changes, just for fun. Sometimes, it is a big, formal affair with tuxedos and long gowns and much ado about everything, including a special fork or spoon for each course in the meal.
Other times, it was very, very casual with boxed dinners and sitting on the floor in jeans and T-shirts. And at other times it was something in between.
Mrs. Claus always decided how the dinner would be served and what would be eaten and all the other important details that go into a big, huge dinner like this. She usually decided how fancy it would be by figuring out how busy everyone was, getting ready for Santa’s yearly ride around the world to deliver presents.
If they were ahead of schedule, the fancy-schmancy dinner with tux and gowns would occur. If they were waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay behind schedule, it was the boxed dinners eaten a bit quickly, but fun, nonetheless. And, so on.
This year they were not ahead of schedule, nor were they behind. So, Mrs. Claus planned a lovely, semi-casual dinner. A buffet. Serve yourself and no fuss, but not very hurried. Everyone was told to dress nicely, but not too fancy.
Toksie had never been to a dinner party of any kind. Crudville really didn’t do parties. So, she was looking forward to finding out what this was all about. And, she was wondering what Santa was going to say about Christmas, because she sure was curious about all this fuss and bother. It seemed like a lot of fun and she wanted to know what it was all about.
Toksie Turbie really loved her new red pants with the green top. She had new blue shoes, too. She decided to wear those. And, for fun, she decided to make her hair, skin and teeth match the red and green striped wallpaper in her room.
Toksie Turbie looked at herself in the mirror and was sooooooo glad not to be wearing beige and normal people colors she laughed out loud. This is what the mirror saw when Toksie looked at it:
All ready, Ms. Toksie Turbie put on her pink parka and walked to the dining hall. There was Santa to greet her at the door. He had a big smile on his green face that looked like this:
Santa was greeting all his guests, so he didn’t have time just then to explain Christmas to Toksie. So she wondered over to the buffet table to see what a buffet actually was. OH, MY GOODNESS!!! Toksie had never seen such a lovely bunch of things to eat in her life. There was ham, turkey, roast goose, beef brisket, almond chicken, egg rolls, lumpia, dolmades, rice pilaf, lasagne, baked bree, tamales, hummus, fresh veggies and so much more she didn’t know where she would begin. And she hadn’t even seen the dessert table yet.
OOOOOOOOH, MYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY GOOOOOOOOOODNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS! The dessert table!!!!!!! It had chocolate cake and angel food cake and strawberry cake and cinnamon cake and whipped cream cake and lots and lots of every kind of cake you could ever imagine. And pies, oooooooooooh, the pies, pumpkin and apple and cherry and blueberry and blackberry and apricot and peach and pecan and chocolate and lemon meringue and all the pies you ever wanted to taste in your life.
Then there was the ice cream table. A special frozen table with chocolate, strawberry, vanilla (who let vanilla into this fun group?), peppermint, chocolate chip, licorice, and every ice cream you ever loved in your life.
And pastries, OMG, pastries, chocolate eclairs and cream puffs and napoleans, and so many more scrumptious things you’d never know where to put it all in your tummy.
Toksie Turbie was really looking forward to this meal!
Morty found her looking a the desserts and suggested they sit together at the big, huge dining table. Toksie thought that was just a perfect idea and the two of them went off and found some seats. Soon after, Mrs. Claus announced that it was time to eat. So everyone lined up at the first table and got their turkey, egg rolls and whatever else they wanted from there.
When everyone was seated, again, Mrs. Claus asked Santa to say a prayer. Everyone bowed their heads and Santa gave thanks for what they were about to eat. He asked for a blessing on everyone present and that all the circus people would be safe in their performance and all the children of the world would get their presents without a hitch. Then Santa said “AMEN” and everyone else did, too.
After they had eaten their main courses, but before everyone visited the dessert tables, Santa asked each elf and circus member to say a few words about what Christmas meant to them. The first elf said that Christmas was a time to bring children joy. The lion tamer mentioned that Christmas made him joyful because it had an opportunity to bring fun to the elves. Each one at the table mentioned something that had to do with giving of themselves and how it made them joyful.
Then it was Toksie’s turn. Morty smiled at her, knowing she hadn’t the foggiest idea what Christmas was, and recalling his first visit to North Pole Village and how Santa had explained things to him. Morty thought he knew what was about to happen.
Toksie hemmed and hawed and stuttered and sputtered till Santa said, “Toksie, have you ever celebrated Christmas?”
“No”, she said.
“Well”, Santa said softly, “come sit up here on my lap and we will all explain things.”
So, Ms. Toksie Turbie in her green and red striped body, hair and teeth, wearing her new red pants and green shirt, walked and walked and walked from her spot at the loooooooooong table to Santa. She sat on his lap. Mrs. Claus smiled and softly said, “Santa, don’t be too hard on her.”
Santa smiling back at his wife, whispered, “Don’t worry, dear”.
With Toksie safely settled in Santa’s big lap, he began, “Two thousand years ago, a man was born in Bethlehem. His name was Jesus. Christmas is His birthday.”
“What’s a birthday, Santa”, asked Toksie.
“That darned Crudville”, said Santa, under his breath.
“What?” asked Toksie.
“Nothing”, replied Santa, “A birthday is the day you were born. On that day, your friends and family celebrate it and, lots of times, you get some presents.”
“I never had a birthday”, Toksie said.
“Yes, I know, you fell out of the sky and no one knows who your parents are or when you were born. But, you do have a birthday. We just do not know when it is. We will pick a day to celebrate yours, just so we have an excuse to eat ice cream and cake and give you presents. But, that is not Christmas. You shall have another day for your birthday.”
Santa continued, “Now, back to Christmas. Jesus was a special person. There are lots of different things that people believe about Him. Some believe He was God. Some believe He was just a good man. Others believe that He was a prophet. But in spite of what people believe about Jesus, almost everyone agrees that His birthday is worth celebrating. So, people of all walks of life and different religions, sometimes come together to celebrate His birth.”
Santa went on to say, “In each person’s home or church, they will celebrate what they believe about Jesus. Prophet, man, reincarnated god, God the Son, and many other things that are too complicated for you, Toksie, to understand right now at your young age. But when people come together at work, clubs, or anyplace else where people of all walks of life gather, they celebrate together the fact that a good person, a holy person was born. And that is what Christmas is all about. It is a birthday party.”
“So”, asked Toksie, “you bring presents to everyone on their birthday?”
“No”, laughed Santa, “I bring presents to children on Jesus’ birthday.”
“If it is Jesus’ birthday, and people get presents on their birthday, the why doesn’t Jesus get His presents?” Toksie was thinking that Jesus was getting gypped on this deal.
“HO! HO! HO!” laughed Santa, “I never thought of it that way. But, you see, Jesus is in heaven. So, He can’t accept presents. Toksie, a Christmas present is a very special thing. You see, Jesus isn’t here to accept it, so we give to each other. People want to give Jesus a gift, so they give one to someone they care about. That person accepts it for Jesus. When you choose a Christmas gift for someone, it is your gift to Jesus. And, they should accept it on behalf of Him. That is why each gift should be carefully chosen and graciously accepted. Especially by those who believe that Jesus is both God and man.”
Santa continues, “Someday, you will learn about all the different religions in the world and what they believe. Tonight, you are learning how all religions can celebrate Jesus’ birth together.”
“OK”, said Toksie, “But Santa, how come you give presents to all the children in the world?”
“Because”, Santa said, “Jesus loves all the children of the world. And, I honor Him by giving them each a gift. I like to think I give it to them from Him. That one special thing they want most, or need most. I choose each gift carefully for each child. I have lots of help, though.”
With that, Santa announced that it was time for dessert. Everyone has a great time at the remainder of the dinner party . And everyone was ready for Christmas in their hearts, too.
Picture of Toksie on the wall by Auntie Shoe.
Picture of Santa from a purchased font and colored by Auntie Shoe, with permission.
(C) 2013 Auntie Shoe. All Rights Reserved.
Morty was quick to find a place for Toksie to sleep in the circus. She had her own room in one of the trailers. It was not beige. It was pink, just for her. Well, when they painted it pink they didn’t know she was coming, but it fit her just the same.
Morty explained that her part in the circus would have to be worked out after Christmas. This was because every year this particular circus went to the North Pole Village and entertained the elves while Santa delivered presents to all the children in the world. It was already December 20th. The circus only had four days to get to the North Pole and get the show all set up.
OH, MY GOODNESS! You never in your life saw so many people move so fast to get somewhere. They left directly from Crudville. Packed all the trucks with costumes and scenery and tents and assorted circus stuff.
When they reached the farthest point in Alaska, there was a special train waiting. It was the train to the North Pole Village. They had to unload all the costumes and scenery and tents and assorted circus stuff. Then, they had to re-load it in the proper place on the train.
All the animals had to be moved from the trucks to the train, and placed in special cars. All the trainers had to be sure the animals had whatever they needed. Then, the train left the farthest point in Alaska for the North Pole Village.
When they arrived, all the elves and Santa took a break from making toys, wrapping them, and loading them into Santa’s sleigh and watched the parade.
Yes, every year, when the circus arrived at the North Pole Village there was a parade. A very short one, I might add, because elephants and camels and tigers and horses can get very cold, very fast at the North Pole. Not to mention people.
But, they still had a big parade. The elves, Santa, and Mrs. Claus lined the streets of the North Pole Village to watch.
The elephants came first, with the lovely ladies in blue tutus riding on the top. STANDING even. The lovely ladies in the blue tutus stood very tall atop their elephants. The ladies were very cold in their scant tutus, but since it was all for the entertainment of the elves, it was a short parade, and it was once a year only, so the ladies were happy to do it.
Next came the camels. They were not used to the cold weather. The camels walked with men riding them with great safari hats on. The men, not the camels. The elves liked the camels best. The camels knew it and they smiled as big as a camel can smile, even though they were FREEEEEEEEEEEEEZING. If the ladies in the blue tutus knew that the elves liked the camels best, you can bet your bottom dollar those ladies would have been wearing proper fake fur coats. Yes, indeed!
Why fake fur? Because it is very rude to wear a tiger skin coat in front of a tiger. You might accidently be wearing the tiger’s relative. And that simply will not do, now, will it!
After that, the tigers went past in their cages, with their trainers walking in the front and back of the cage. It just isn’t wise to let a tiger out of its cage in the North Pole Village with all the little elves about.
Then came the horses. the riders were wearing silks and satins and lots of cool hats with ribbons and all kinds of cool colors. Every color you like best, Mr. or Ms. Reader, was present and accounted for, honest. All your favorites. Every one.
Santa had a special building just for the circus. Special places for the animals to be safe and warm during their stay. Each member of the circus had their own room in the building. There was even a room for Toksie.
Toksie Turbie loved the room Mrs. Claus had made ready for her. Lots of color it had. Not one of them was beige. Not a speck of beige could be found in her room. The wallpaper was red and green striped, just for Christmas. It looked like this:
You see, even though she didn’t know it, this was to be Toksie Turbie’s first Christmas. Can you imagine having your FIRST Christmas when you were eight-years-old? She was eight whole Christmases behind already!
Remember all the rules Crudville had against anything frivolous? Well, you got it right, Christmas was one of them. Birthdays, too, but that’s for another story. Anyway, Christmas was outlawed in Crudville. Toksie didn’t know anything about it.
She wondered what the big deal was about concerning the green man and woman in the red suits with all the white fake fur. She’d never seen anyone green before, other than herself. Everyone called them Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Sometimes, they called the man “Santa”. She wondered about all the elves and why they were working so hard building little things of all kinds that people were calling “toys”.
After she was all settled into her room, Toksie put on her new red pants, green sweater and beautiful pink parka (the circus helped her get some clothes that weren’t beige). Then, she went for a walk around the North Pole Village. She visited all the shops with all the candy. She visited all the elves making the toys Santa would deliver. And, after she was done walking all about she bumped right into Santa, himself.
“HO! HO! HO!” laughed Santa, while Toksie was apologizing for bumping into him. “Not to worry”, he said, “it was an accident and no big deal.”
Then he asked, “Why do you have such a puzzled look on your face?”
“Because”, said Toksie, “I’ve never seen anyone that was green before. Except for me, when I play with my colors.”
Santa was so surprised that Toksie could see his green self, he didn’t even notice what she said about playing with her colors.
“Toksie”, Santa said, “You are a very special person. Very few people can see Mrs. Claus and myself in our true color. They see what they want to see.”
“Huh?” mumbled a puzzled Toksie.
“Well”, Santa went on to explain, “I have to go all over the world into lots of different homes with lots of different expectations. And most people would freak if they saw someone in a color other than normal people colors.”
“Don’t I know that!” said Toksie, remembering all her troubles in Crudville.
Santa continued, “So, I use a continuous magic spray. It is sprayed all across the towns and cities and villages I visit on Christmas Eve. It is sprayed from the back of the sleigh. That way, people see me the way they want to see me. And, I don’t scare them. But some might see me as Caucasian. Others as an African. More still might like my Asian self. It all depends on what they wish me to be. Here, in North Pole Village, it is sprayed when the circus comes to town in the special building. It is harmless. But, you see me as I am in spite of the magic spray. That puzzles me.”
Santa thought for a minute and, then, he cried, “OH, you are TOksie Turbie from Crudville! THAT’S why you see me as I really am. I bet you’ve never even heard of Christmas and you are scared to ask what it is all about. Right?”
“Yes, to everything you just said”, exclaimed Toksie.
“The reason you see me as I really am is that you don’t know anything about Christmas and you have no expectations of what I should look like. So, no magic powder will work on you. And, we will talk about Christmas at the banquet day after tomorrow”, said Santa.
Watch this space for the continuing adventures of Toksie Turbie at the North Pole Village.
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Now, to feed the SEO NAG MONSTER. It wants a link. So, this time, Auntie Shoe made some designs, just like the pictures of Toksie’s wallpaper and bed linens. Just for something to link to so the Nag Monster can be fed.
You do not need to buy anything. And, children DO NOT nag your parents for anything. If mom or dad says, “NO” then Auntie Shoe wants you to be good and accept that. But, if mom or dad feels like making a purchase, Auntie surely will not mind.
Products from CafePress, design by Auntie Shoe with the red and green striped walllpaper in her room at the North Pole can be found here, or click on the picture below.
Toksie Turbie’s Shop:
www.zazzle.com/toksieturbie
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