Hello, Posse!
I hope this week has been wonderful and stress free for you. I know so many people who struggle this time of year because they have to deal with juggling the usual work and family but now have to add in finding time to shop, cook, spend time with friends and extended family and more. It can make this time of year which should be fun and uplifting and turn it into a giant stress fest.
Sometimes the best thing to do is less. Christmas and other major holidays celebrated this time of year started out as times of reflection and gratitude. A time to spend with family and rejoice over the wonderful things we received the past year and look forward to the possibilities that come with the new year. However, somewhere throughout the years the focus has become more on monetary gains and gifting.
The struggle to "Keep up with the Joneses" has put a lot of undo stress on many families. To combat this be sure to make time for quiet moments for just your family or even just you! Stop at that coffee shop before going home to a house full of people and have a hot cup of tea by yourself. Go get a massage or a mani/pedi while you are out buying gifts for the family. Take care of you first so you have the energy to take care of everyone else.
Another great way to de-stress is to laugh! Loud and often! While my usual "Dad Jokes" may not help with that, at least I hope they can uplift your spirits for a brief while. Just a thought, but reading a good book is often a great stress reliever/escape as well. Of course I am going to recommend my own Into the West Saga Serial books. I mean come on, tens of fans can't be wrong. (<-- yes, that is a joke. I have more than ten fans.) If you want to join that elete group, just go to www.StephenBurckardt.com/books and check out all of my books. If you read one, please consider dropping a positive review on Amazon or Goodreads. One day I just might hit double digits on those.
Speaking of gift giving, we have got a few for all of you!
If you are currently on my mailing list or you join now, you get to read the first chapter of Into the West: The Orphan Train for free. If you are currently on the list and did not get the link for that, just drop me an email at s.burckhardt@stephenburckhardt.com and it will be forwarded to you. It took a while to get that to work correctly.
But wait . . . there's more . . .
If you are currently on the mailing list or join before midnight CST on Dec. 22, 2021 you will get a free Christmas Companion book and a Free Family Fun book as well. It's filled with great puzzles, trivia, and more.
Just go to our subscribers page (<--- click here) and give us your name and email address. The mailing list is free to join, quit anytime, no strings attached . . . ever!
Enough about business, time for some jokes!
Have a great weekend, Posse!
Stephen
Q: Why wouldn't Rudolph leave the barn to go to school? A: Because he was stalling!
Q: Where do reindeer like to go for lattes? A: To Star-BUCKS!
Q: How much did Santa pay for his team of reindeer? A: Nothing. They were on the house!
Q: Why are reindeer so happy to live at the North Pole? A: Because they are on top of the World!
Q: Did you hear that Santa's reindeer all went to therapy after they flew into the mountain? A: They just couldn't get over it!
Q: Are there very many reindeer at the North Pole? A: Yup, that's what I HERD!
Q: Why did Santa take the reindeer to the dentist? A. Because they all had BUCK teeth!
Q: Why is Rudolph always wet? A: Because he's a "rain"-deer!
Q: Which reindeer has the cleanest antlers? A: Comet!
Q: Which reindeer is always on dating sites?
A: Vixen!
Q: Which reindeer was on Dancing with the Stars? A: Prancer!
Q: Who did Prancer lose to on Dancing with the Stars?
A: Dancer, of course!
Q: Which reindeer is the best sprinter?
A: Dasher
Q: Which reindeer is always matchmaking at the North Pole? A: Cupid!
Q: Which reindeer did the other reindeer never want to play against in the reindeer games? A: Donner! (Definition of "donner": Defeat an opponent utterly)
Q: Which reindeer has a drinking problem?
A: Blitzen!
and last but not least . . .
Q: Why did Santa always feed Rudolph a little more than the other reindeer before their Christmas run.
A: Because he was always lighter than the other reindeer!