December 2017 - Valerie Archual

Santa Claus: The Interview

December 15, 2017 Valerie Archual Comments 8 comments

The Man. The Myth. The Legend. Aside from the birthday boy Jesus Himself, he’s the white bearded image that represents the picture of Christmas as we all know it. Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, Pere Noel (Belgium and France), Weihnachtsmann (“Christmas man,” Germany), Kanakaloka (Hawaii), Hoteiosho (Japan), Ded Moroz (“Grandfather Frost,” Russia), as well as the many other names he’s known by, children around the world look forward all year long to his December 24th visits! During a recent…

The Ultimate Christmas Gift

December 8, 2017 Valerie Archual Comments 0 Comment

We can all probably remember that one sought-after toy that failed to show up on Christmas morning… It was the one toy at the top of our Santa list that we would fantasize for weeks about seeing glistening under the tree lights. For me, it was the 1970’s “Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman” action figure doll by Mego. I remember I wanted that doll so bad I could taste it! I still recall writing that Santa letter and…

Being “Ralphie”

December 1, 2017 Valerie Archual Comments 4 comments

With December approaching, our family has already started one of our favorite traditions, and that’s watching our collection of Christmas movies! Ranking in our top two favs, is “A Christmas Story,” the hilarious movie adaptation of Jean Shepherd’s anecdotes from his books, “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash” and “Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories.” Yea, nothing quite rings in the holidays like the phrase “Oh, Fudge” (and I don’t mean the kind Aunt Edna makes), the barking…