Welcome to the Holiday Page of the MARC !
As we do each year at holiday time, the MARC website wishes you joy in your home and peace in your world during this holiday season. To help celebrate this season, we are pleased to bring you our annual Holiday Webpage with lot's of holiday inspiration and celebration. This year we've included everything from holiday music to food, festive lighting displays, gift ideas, screensavers to tracking Santa Claus himself with the help of NORAD. You'll also find links galore to other holiday sites. We hope you enjoy our holiday gift !!!
Did Someone Say Cookies ??
Holidays are about indulging in life's guilty pleasures especially cookies. Thanks to the clubs resident Holiday Baker Linda - K8MOO, she sent me a website containing a bunch of cookie recipe's. In fact 330 of them !
Here you'll find dozens of great selections from Amish Sugar Cookies to Will's Famous Apple Jack Cookies.
Thanks Linda for the great site and time to fire up those ovens !!!!
Click the cookie graphic to check out this site !.
Thanks to Northpole.com for this link !
Here are a couple of late additions to the Holiday Page sure to brighten your Holiday Spirit !
The first is called "Snow Dog", thanks to MARC member Ed Clinger, WA8DRT
Click on this link: http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=0212320003
Next is a great PowerPoint Presentation called "Christmas Blessings" thanks to member Ric, K8RIC. This one has beautiful graphics. Thanks Ric !
Click on this link: Christmas Blessings
Looking for a great list of holiday events going on in the greater Canton/Stark County area ? Click on the link below to see the events list on Canton's newest radio station, My 101.7.
The History Channel has a very interesting special that covers the history of our treasured holiday. Click on the link below to begin your journey !
Each year, during the month of December, millions of homes across America are decorated with Christmas trees and fairy lights.
But how much do you really know about this festive holiday? Explore our site to find out the true history!
Start: The
Real Story of Christmas
One of my very favorite parts of the Christmas Season are the many holiday light displays that decorate homes and businesses. But if you want to see some really fantastic light displays, two are located a short drive from our area and are described below.
Hartwood Acres - Eckerd Celebration
of Lights
From November 16 through January 13 just North of Pittsburgh, PA
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The Celebration of Lights, now in its eleventh year, helps raise money for The Salvation Army's Project Bundle-Up, which provides new coats, gloves and other cold-weather clothing to children and senior citizens. Suggested contributions by visitors also help to support the Children's Miracle Network, St. Joseph's House of Hospitality and local non-profit organizations. Where:
Hartwood Acres, Indiana Township, PA Click on the Graphic for a link to their website ! |
| Oglebay Winter Festival of Lights | |
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The Winter Festival of
Lights
November 5, 2008 - January 4, 2009
In 1985 a holiday tradition began at Oglebay and soon spread throughout the city
of Wheeling. That tradition is the Winter Festival of Lights/City of Lights
celebration. The first year, displays and landscape lighting covered 125 acres
over a three-mile drive throughout the resort.
Since then the show has grown into one of the nation's largest, covering more than three hundred acres over a six-mile drive throughout the resort. The Winter Festival of Lights has been listed on the American Bus Association's Top International Events, was named as a top 100 event by Eventcrazy.com and was recently listed as one of the top 200 events in the country by Discover America.
Looking for something a little closer to Stark County ? New this year from Blossom Music Center is the Blossom Holiday Lighting Festival from November 26 to January 4.
Admission is required to this brand new festival of lights, have a look at their website for all the details.
www.blossomholidaylighting.com
Welcome to Hollywood Christmas Movieland !
“Holly”wood Christmas Movieland features original props, costumes and memorabilia from the Christmas season’s most spectacular, heartwarming, and memorable movies. Hundreds of rare behind-the-scenes photos, Christmas Toys of yesteryear, are all provided under one roof - in a collection NEVER EVER seen before by the public. Located near Cleveland, this would be a great place to visit this Christmas season !
Some Holiday Video's
Click Here to see NORAD's Special Video !
Every year, Santa's travels
are watched by the men and women of NORAD. This year will be no exception.
Starting early in the morning of Dec 24, 2008, we'll be tracking him. Based
on careful record keeping from years past, and highly skilled radar and
satellite technicians, we normally know exactly where Santa is throughout
Christmas Eve.
On Christmas Eve we'll post a map of the world on this Web site. Like the one shown here, it will pinpoint a few of the thousands of places Santa visits. We'll update the map throughout Christmas Eve, showing you where Santa is every moment, where he's been and where he's going. Clicking on that map will display SantaCam videos of his journey.
www.noradsanta.org
What would the holidays be without great food ! Check out the links below for some great ideas on holiday recipes.
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Enjoy Christmas Ideas, Cards, Gifts and lots of other Holiday Celebrations at these two popular Christmas Websites !
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Since 1848, Products as Unique as Our Name
To our customers, the name Hammacher Schlemmer, means many things. It means
shopping from one of the most unique and innovative collections of products
available anywhere in the world. It is an assurance of the highest
quality—always backed by our unconditional guarantee. It means customer
service—second to none—provided by dedicated professionals who are willing
to go that extra step.
Check out their online catalog for plenty of unique gifts for that special someone this year at Christmas !
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Send holiday Greetings to your family and friends with E-Cards. Choose from a wide range of card styles and customize your heartfelt message. Also, include any song on MP3.com with your e-Card and make your wishes extra special and sentiment truly unique ! Click on either graphics to begin ! |  |
Some of the greatest feel good music
occurs at Christmas Time. Check out the links below for some of the best Songs
of the Season !
Local Canton Radio Station My 101.7 is currently playing continuous holiday music that is available on your computer as streaming audio plus lots of additional holiday season ideas. Click the link above to check it all out !
Why not add a little holiday theme to you computer ? I've found a few places to download some free Christmas Screensavers !
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http://christmassavers.com
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How about checking out a few Christmas Craft Ideas ? We've found a few neat sites you should try out !
Check out these links for a great assortment of holiday this and that !
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http://www.christmasfreebies.com http://www.holidays.net/christmas http://www.merry-christmas.com http://hometown.aol.com/abell17848/Christmas.html http://www.santa.com http://www.christmas.com |
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How About A Few Great Holiday Video's To Put You In The Christmas Spirit !
The Polar Express is a great holiday movie and is now available is DVD for home viewing. The Movie Soundtrack also has lots of great holiday music.
If you would like to visit the official website go to: http://polarexpressmovie.warnerbros.com
Christmas
Eve and Other Stories is a great DVD that tells a holiday story on Christmas Eve
with the music of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
This is a great holiday music and the video is a best seller every year at holiday time.
Check out their website at http://www.trans-siberian.com
Click Here to hear a sample of Trans-Siberian Music in Windows Media Player format.
You
can practically feel like you're there with the visual and sound clarity of DVD.
Created using 2 dozen 35mm motion picture cameras, 6 tracks of original digital
sound and countless hours of editing. A platinum best seller worth sharing with
family and friends.
Mannheim Steamroller has sold more than 23 million Christmas albums. Now you can get these immensely popular Christmas albums in one spectacular gift, a perfect opportunity to discover that holiday magic that captivates so many people.
Click Here to visit their great website and check out their great Holiday Music.
The North Pole Network
In
the spirit of the holiday season, Amateur Radio (Ham) operators from across the
country have found a way to bring joy to hospitalized children. Thanks to the
world-wide range of Amateur Radio equipment, it's possible for hams to
communicate with other hams almost anywhere on earth, including the North Pole.
Fortunately, Santa Claus is able to take time from his busy gift production
duties to speak individually to the hospitalized kids.
Christmas is also about safety. Underwriters Laboratories Inc. offers safety tips each holiday season covering such topics as Home Safety, Holiday Lighting, Fire and Toy Safety.
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The holidays of
winter bring warm memories of family gatherings, vast spreads of
delectable meals, and the light in a child's eye during the traditional
gift exchanges. Whether you're unpacking the Christmas decorations,
preparing your feast for Eid, polishing the family Menorah, or setting
the Kwanzaa table, we have some tips to help you keep your family and
home safe.
Our best wishes for a happy, and safe, holiday season! Click on the Graphic for a link to their website !
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A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A JOYOUS NEW YEAR
FROM
THE MASSILLON AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
A HAMS NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Twas the night before Christmas,
And all through two-meters,
Not a signal was keying up
Any repeaters.
The antennas reached up
From the tower, quite high,
To catch the weak signals
That bounced from the sky.
The children, Tech-Pluses,
Took their HT's to bed,
And dreamed of the day
They'd be Extras, instead.
Mom put on her headphones,
I plugged in the key,
And we tuned 40 meters
For that rare ZK3.
When the meter was pegged
by a signal with power.
It smoked a small diode,
and, I swear, shook the tower.
Mom yanked off her phones,
And with all she could muster
Logged a spot of the signal
On the DX PacketCluster,
While I ran to the window
And peered up at the sky,
To see what could generate
RF that high.
It was way in the distance,
But the moon made it gleam -
A flying sleigh, with an
Eight element beam,
And a little old driver
who looked slightly mean.
So I thought for a moment,
That it might be Wayne Green.
But no, it was Santa,
The Santa of Hams.
On a mission, this Christmas,
To clean up the bands.
He circled the tower,
Then stopped in his track,
And he slid down the coax
Right into the shack.
While Mom and I hid
Behind stacks of CQ,
This Santa of hamming
Knew just what to do.
He cleared off the shack desk
Of paper and parts,
And filled out all my late QSLs
For a start.
He ran copper braid,
Took a steel rod and pounded
It into the earth, till
The station was grounded.
He tightened loose fittings,
Resoldered connections,
Cranked down modulation,
Installed lightning protection.
He neutralized tubes
In my linear amp...
(Never worked right before-
Now it works like a champ).
A new, low-pass filter
Cleaned up the TV.
He corrected the settings
In my TNC.
He repaired the computer
That would not compute,
And he backed up the hard drive
And got it to boot.
Then, he reached really deep
In the bag that he brought,
And he pulled out a big box.
A new rig? I thought!
A new Kenwood? An Icom?
A Yaesu, for me?!
(If he thought I'd been bad
It might be QRP!)
Yes! The Ultimate Station!
How could I deserve this?
Could it be all those hours
that I worked Public Service?
He hooked it all up
And in record time, quickly
Worked 100 countries,
All down on 160.
I should have been happy,
It was my call he sent.
But the cards and the postage
Will cost two month's rent!
He made final adjustments,
And left a card by the key:
"To Gary, from Santa Claus.
Seventy-Three."
Then he grabbed his HT,
Looked me straight in the eye,
Punched a code on the pad,
And was gone - no good-bye.
I ran back to the station,
And the pile-up was big,
But a card from St. Nick
Would be worth my new rig.
Oh, too late, for his final
came over the air.
It was copied all over.
It was heard everywhere.
The Ham's Santa exclaimed
What a ham might expect,
"Merry Christmas to all,
And to all, good DX."
The following version of Twas The Night Before Christmas was provided by club member Denny - N8UDL
As you read it, pause a moment and say a short prayer for our many men and women serving in the armed forces who will not be spending the holiday's with family and friends, but in a hostile land far from home.
Christmas
TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.
I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.
I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.
NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.
WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.
FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.
THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.
THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.
WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.
SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.
THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.
I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.
THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.
THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;
I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."
THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.
I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.
I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.
THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."
ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."
This poem was written by a Marine.
Counter Courtesy of Digits.com
