LilSugar

Lil Treasures: Letter From Santa

LilSugar — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 06:00:23 PST

Children barely get a chance to be kids. So I'm a proponent of nearly anything that keeps that childhood sense of awe intact. And, since this is the season when youngsters mail their wish-lists off to the North Pole, what better way to keep the spirit of Christmas alive than with a reply sent straight from Santa?

Since 1952, The Miller Family of the North Pole have been sending Santa letters to boys and girls around the world. For $7.50, parents can order them from Santa Claus House. Each letter is personalized with the recipient's name and has the option for customized text. Postmarked from the North Pole, it has "Santa's Official Mail" seal, a jumbo "Santa's Good List" sticker and a photo of Santa and Mrs. Claus enclosed. Best of all, the letters are available in several formats so siblings can receive different versions and of course, the correspondence arrives just in time for Christmas.

Guerrilla Guide to the Holidays: Holiday Etiquette

LearnVest — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:15:17 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

As the holidays approach (just seven weeks away!), you’re only getting more prepared.

If you’ve been following our weekly Guerrilla Guide to the Holidays, you’ve already made your travel plans and selected the perfect gifts for everyone on your list.

And it’s only the first week of November.

Since you definitely don’t want to quit while you’re ahead, the next thing we’ll help you cross off your to-do list is . . . mastering holiday etiquette.

While it’s certainly a time of year to express appreciation, all those family visits and rites of gift-giving, whether with friends or coworkers, can also mean frayed nerves, stepped-on toes or general awkwardness.

But guess what? With a little preparation - and our guide to holiday etiquette - you can navigate the next few weeks with nothing but grace, gratitude and good cheer.

Handling Awkward Money Situations

Family and Money:

It’s the Murphy’s Law of Relationships: The people who love us most also have the greatest power to hurt our feelings. Combine the general sensitivity surrounding money issues with the kinds of probing questions that family members have a knack for asking, add a dose of holiday stress, and anyone can end up in an explosive situation.

But you can ward off fights with this simple, disarming tip: When someone inevitably asks, “When are you going to get a bigger house?” or “Why did you buy such an expensive purse?”, simply respond, “Thanks for your concern about my personal finances. You’ll be happy to know that I budget carefully and am in good control of my money, which is why I’m waiting to buy a bigger place/I was able to get this purse.” Then go back to eating your cookie.

Old Friends and Finances:

You come back home and want to see all of your best friends from high school-only now one makes three times what you do, while you know another just lost her job.

Here’s how to catch up with each, without letting money come between you.

Santa Rita Hills: A New Wine Region to Try

Katie Sweeney — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:28:23 PDT

One of my favorite things about wine is that there's so much to learn about it! There's always a new varietal to taste or an exciting region to try. Recently I went to a tasting that featured wines from the Santa Rita Hills. This small, relatively young wine region is located in Central California and was named an official appellation in 2001. Thanks to its close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, this foggy district is perfect for growing Pinot Noir grapes. A cool coastal breeze and naturally rocky terrain only enhances its grape-growing qualities. Other varietals the area is known for are Chardonnay and Syrah. To see which wines from the province, which were featured in the film Sideways, I recommend, keep reading.