Parents, this holiday season snuggle up with your children and read these 20 festive stories about Santa Claus, the elves, and the reindeer up at the North Pole.
Teachers, incorporate these merry tales into your lessons during the month of December. With 20 stories to choose from, students can read a new story every day until Christmas.
Written with young children in mind, these stories are perfect for kiddos who are learning to read or already know how to read. Each story includes 3 options for reading:
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Read by Myself
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Read to Me (includes professional narration)
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Auto Play (includes narration and automatic page flip)
Both parents and teachers will appreciate that these stories are fun for kids to read but also contain messages about sharing, teamwork, patience, kindness, cooperation, generosity, and much more.
Download the North Pole Christmas Stories app for iPad and iPhone today for only $2.99!
Get North Pole Christmas Stories App
This morning I told you about my and Raymond’s adventure wandering around and cycling in Chicago. In honour of that fun afternoon, I’m highlighting this cute Chicago flag Christmas card. In this clever design, the famous six-pointed stars have become the stars atop four Christmas trees. Printed on 100% recycled card stock, the card is blank on the inside and comes with a recycled kraft paper envelope.
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So far this year we’ve told you about Raymond seeing the North American eclipse and exploring Chattanooga, TN. This past spring I had to travel down to Chicago for a conference, and since he had such a blast last time, Raymond asked if he could come with me. Most of the week was extremely busy because of the conference, but on our last afternoon in town, Raymond and I were able to get out and savour the beautiful weather.
Itching to leave the hotel and explore
As we tend to do in Chicago, we walked A LOT. Raymond and I had such a lovely time, enjoying each other’s company and the awesome Chicago architecture. It seems that everywhere you turn, there is another interesting building!
Walking along Michigan Avenue
Looking up again & again to take in the architecture
After we wandered for a bit, we grabbed lunch at Le Pain Quotidien where we had a delicious avocado tartine. Then, given the mild temperature and bountiful sunshine, we decided to head over Lakefront Trail via Maggie Daley Park.
Crossing over Columbus Drive on the pedestrian bridge to Maggie Daley Park
Looking back at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Prudential Plaza, and Crain Communications Building
Maggie Daley Park contains picnic groves, a play garden, tennis courts, a climbing wall, and lots more—some of which we saw as we made our way towards Lake Michigan.
Checking out the funky light structures in Maggie Daley Park
Double-checking where we were on the map
During our walk, Raymond and I kept seeing kiosks where you could rent a bicycle. As we neared Lake Michigan, we determined that it would be a lot of fun to ride along Lakefront Trail, so we rented one of the bright blue bikes.
Raymond is ready to ride
And off we went along Lakefront Trail!
DuSable Harbour made for a nice photo backdrop
Raymond wanted to steer, but I suggested that he just hang on and enjoy the ride. [Plus—if I’m honest—I didn’t trust his cycling skills, and I didn’t want to end up in the lake!]
Raymond holding onto our loaf of bread from Le Pain Quotidien for security
Peering across the water at Navy Pier, which we visited last time
We finished up our ride by going down the Chicago Riverwalk, which is next to the river down below the streets. It was peaceful there, and we saw gorgeous blooms on various types of trees.
About to turn onto Chicago Riverwalk
Watching the kayaks and boat make their way down the Chicago River
P.S. Do you love Raymond as much as we do? Then download the Raymond the Reindeer Stickers for iMessage today!
Love it or hate it, fruitcake is a holiday staple. I’m not one for the overly dense, mass-produced fruitcakes with the waxy neon red and green “fruit” inside, but I do enjoy a nice homemade fruitcake that contains real dried fruit. Mrs. Claus has few recipes in her Cookbook, such as Applesauce Fruitcake, Old Fashioned Light Fruitcake, and Mini Christmas Puddings. For more information about this famous [or perhaps infamous] holiday treat, along with some fruitcake fun facts, check out the infographic below!
Click on the image for a closer look! Infographic via Lemonly
If you and your significant other are both Potterheads, send them this greeting card this Christmas. It will help confirm your love, as—despite Luna Lovegood’s warnings that mistletoe is full of nargles—you are willing to brave them to smooch your sweetie. The card is A7 [5" x 7"] and comes with a red envelope.
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