Celebrate

Come celebrate the New Year, namely Oshogatsu, the Japanese new year, this Sunday, January 4th at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM). In honor of the new year the museum is offering free admission all day and a free Oshogatsu Family Festival from 11am to 4pm. The festival is going to be one nice size family bash including a crafts area where kids can make their own

Moogsmum has posted a few links to some pretty crafty recycled paper Christmas crafts. Among the ideas listed is this super-smart gift bag tutorial made from your breakfast routine basics. With a few well chosen newspaper pages, a cereal box, string or ribbon and some glue you can put together a sturdy, environmentally friendly, virtually free gift bag. Oh how it hurts plopping down four bucks for a gift bag.

Hanukkah is just around the corner. Your house is lacking some major Hanukkah spirit. Amber of Kids Craft Weekly has provided a wonderful newletter dedicated to easy and simple hanukkah crafts suitable for school age kids and younger. Seriously, these crafts require minimal materials most of which are fairly accessible items you already have on hand. My 2 year old daughter and I are set today to craft up one of Amber's clever and cute macaroni menorahs.

Author/illustrator Jan Brett has made a huge name for herself in the kiddie book market. Her picture books are as interesting to look at as they are to read. And many of our preferred holiday reads come from her. She simply has a way with wintertime.

What the Dickens is happening this weekend in LA you say? Well, let me tell you. The Geffen Playhouse is hosting a special theater performance of Charles Dickens' holiday classic A Christmas Carol as part of their popular family theater Saturday Scene series. The show will be performed by Will and Company a theater group that specializes in educational outreach programs.

The Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center (SIJCC) whose mission it is to enrich "its community and foster a sense of belonging among Jews, mixed-faith families, and other interested people by providing educational, recreational, and social programs steeped in Jewish tradition, culture, and values" is holding a special fair in honor of Hanukkah. For $5 adults and children 6 and under free, families can enjoy holiday stories, games, music from LA's own awesome kiddie-folk band

The only outdoorsy thing you've been doing lately seems to be mad dashes from your car to mall entrances. The kids are on constant buzz mode which only seems to be growing in intensity with each passing day drawing you closer to winter break. The insane holiday kookiness is surly pounding you something wicked. Right now you could use a little break to center yourself and recharge before the main event pummels you into next year.

Right now Threadless is holding their pretty awesome Annual Holiday Sale. For a few bucks you can cloth the uber-cools in your life with oodles of artsy irony. The sale includes quite a few $5 tees as well as some for $10 and $15. And let's not forget their super sweet hoodsies, part hoodie part onesie all fun, starting at $10.

Tis the season for giving and giving thanks. And as we watch our children make their way through mountains of presents it's important for them to understand that along with the getting it's nice to be giving. An easy way to accomplish this is by checking out what a group of Army Corps Engineers in Iraq are doing. They're asking for people to send gently used stuffed toys to the children of Iraq for them to distribute to some very grateful children.

Earlier this year the OLPC Organization and Amazon announced their future collaboration regarding the organization's "Give one, Get one" program.