SUPPLIES:• Large popsicle sticks• Pompoms• Red, black and white paint• Q-tips• Cotton balls• Hot Glue Gun or glue stick • Ribbon

DIRECTIONS • First, you will need to paint ⅔ of your stick with red paint as well as the top portion for the hat.• Once the red paint is dry, add a white stripe at both red edges as well as a black stripe around the center of the popsicle stick. A Q-tip works well to make an even line.• Use the back of a paintbrush to add 2 black eyes.• Using the hot glue gun, add a white pompom to the hat and a yellow pom-pom on the black stripe for Santa’s belt.• Add a tiny red pompom for the nose.• For Santa’s beard, stretch out a cot-ton ball and glue it to the bottom of the face.• Glue a loop of red ribbon to the back of the popsicle stick.

The 28th Annual Christmas Festival and Parade of Lights – Downtown

Salina

This illuminated nighttime parade with lighted floats and Christmas festival with horse-drawn carriages, musical entertain-ment, food, children’s activities and more. The day will begin with the Frosty 5k Fun run at 9AM and end with the biggest pa-rade of the year at 6PM. Enjoy cookies with Mrs. Claus at Connected, pictures with Santa Claus, antique fire truck rides, horse drawn carriage rides and much more!

The 39th Annual Mayor’s Christmas Party – Tony’s Pizza Event CenterOn Sunday December 8th the Mayor’s Christmas Party will be held from 2:00PM to 3:30PM. This event is for the entire family

Office Closed: December 24, 25, 26, 2019 – ChristmasDecember 31, 2019 New Year’s Eve

2020:January 1 – New Year’s EveFebruary 17 – President DayApril 10 – Good FridayMay 25 – Memorial DayJuly 3 – Independence DaySeptember 7 – Labor DayOctober 12 – Columbus DayNovember 25, 26, 27 – ThanksgivingDecember 24, 25 – Christmas Eve & DayDecember 31 – New Year’s Eve

CHOICES VOICESDay & Residential HappeningsIssue 117– Dec 2019

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EDITOR - BRENT BESHEARS

December ProjectPopsicle Santas

DecemberBirthdays

Melissa J. 1stArsenio N. 2ndCaden W. 2ndDallas M. 2ndJoshua G. 2ndKyle W. 2ndCassandra E. 5thSkyler M. 5thCarlee S. 5thStarleena B. 6thJoshua S. 6thBetty A. 8thDarin S. 9thTanner B. 9thBrett W. 10thSunny H. 10thTyler L. 10thPamala S. 11thJoshlin H. 11thDoug L. 13thKirk C. 14thJames M. 14thCristofer L. 15thChad H. 16thMarcus F. 20thJosh S. 21stCaleb E. 22ndDaveon J. 23rdEvea W. 23rdDaniel C. 25thNyan J. 26thBlaine P. 26thNathan C. 27thCasey S. 27thEmily M. 29thMichael L. 29thKrista T. 30thBlayne F. 31st

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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Get The “Choices Voices” NewsletterSent To Your Email

If you would like to receive this newsletter by E-mail, please give your E-mail address to Choices Network, Inc. by con-tacting Jamie at (785) 820-8018 Ext. 23. This newsletter can also be accessed via our website at www.choicesnetwork.net, or you can follow us on “Facebook” by entering Choices Net-work, Inc. and tapping the “like”.

Choices Network, Inc. Lawnand Maintenance Crew

Our lawn mowing has come to an end;however, we are available for snow removal

should you need assistance.

Please contact Janny Vance at Choices Network Inc. office at 785-820-8018. We offer free estimates, and have very

competitive pricing.

Blood Drive

December 16th and February 11thAll dates are scheduled from9:00 am to 3:00 pmPlease sign up with Nicole Box.

Upcoming CPR Dates

Dec. 19th, from 2-5Jan. 16th, from 5-8,

If you have not renewed in the last 12 months, you must do so within the next 90 days.

Please RSVP to Nicole Box at (785) 820-8018.

CHRISTMAS WORD SEARCH

ANGEL BELLS BOWS CANDY CAROLS CHRISTMAS COLD ELVES GIFTS JOYHOLLY JESUS LIGHTS MANGER MISTLETOE REINDEER SANTA SLEIGH

SNOWFLAKES SNOWMAN STAR STOCKINGTOYS TREE WISEMEN WINTER

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Enjoy more Hidden Pictures athttp://www.highlightskids.com

Used by permission of Highlights for Children, Inc. Copyrighted material.

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Jammin’ with Led Zeppelin!

Enjoying the day at the Pumpkin Patch!

Consumer Corner:

Fall clean up!

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and the winners are……

Halloween Costume Contest

Enjoying the sun and zoo before the cold!

SPOTLIGHT: Santa and the Traditions of Christmas This month’s Spotlight is on good old Santa……We were able to get a quick interview with him and obtained a lot of interesting facts. He did mention that he was keeping an eye on his friends at Choices Net-work, Inc. Santa also mentioned that he recommended everyone keep that in mind when we are asked to help out during this holiday season. The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is be-lieved that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. Over the course of many years, Nicholas’s popular-ity spread, and he became known as the protector of children and sailors.Saint Nicholas, also known as Santa Claus, was born in an unknown month so he would now be 1,749 years old. The date is most likely concealed in mystery to protect the Baby Claus from possible worldly attacks by wicked time travelers. The story of Father Christmas starts with Saint Nicholas, a bishop who lived in Asia Minor (Turkey) in the fourth century. Legend has it that Saint Nicholas dropped a bag of gold down the chimney of a poor man who could not afford his daughter’s dowry. In 1881, political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore’s poem to create the first likeness that match-es our modern image of Santa Claus. His cartoon, which appeared in Harper’s Weekly, depicted Santa as a round, cheerful man with a full, white beard, holding a sack filled with toys for lucky children. Prior to Nast’s work, Santa’s outfit was tan in color, and it was he that changed it to red, although he also drew Santa in a green suit. This change is often mistakenly credited to the work of Haddon Sundblom, who drew images of Santa in advertising for the Coca-Cola Company since 1931.

The history behind some Christmas traditions A tree in the living room, mince pies with our tea and Santa coming down the chimney: all are staples of the Christmas experience, yet we seldom stop to ask why.Discussion of the origins of such festive customs tend to stall with: “Wasn’t it all invented by the Victorians? Or the Germans? Or was it Coca-Cola?” In fact, many date back to ancient times and have been influenced along the way by everything from religion to pop culture. From stockings to mistletoe, here is how certain elements have become Christmas necessities.

Why do we have Christmas trees?Romans used fir trees to decorate their temples during Saturnalia, a feast in honour of Saturn, the god of agri-culture, and the predecessor to Christmas.In northern Europe, people planted cherry or hawthorn plants, or created pyramids of fruit or candles. Ever-green trees were thought to keep away evil spirits and illness, and were put up during the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, to remind them that the summer would return, and plants would grow again.In 16th century Germany and Latvia, trees were paraded around the streets and then set alight.Another, was the Paradise tree, a fir decorated with apples to represent the Garden of Eden on Adam and Eve’s day, which fell on December 24.It is thought the first person to bring a tree indoors was the German expert Martin Luther. Walking through a forest, he was so taken by the beauty of stars twinkling through the pines that he took a tree home and at-tached candles to each branch.Germans decorated their trees with edible goods and glass decorations. Tinsel was originally made in Ger-many from thin strips of silver. Electric lights were first created in 1895 by Ralph Morris, an American telephonist.Christmas trees made it to Britain in the 1830s, and in 1841, Prince Albert set up a tree in Windsor Castle. In 1846, the royal family was sketched standing around their Christmas tree, after which the practice became very fashionable.

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What’s the story behind Father Christmas, and why do we have stockings?The story of Father Christmas starts with Saint Nicholas, a bishop who lived in Asia Minor (Turkey) in the fourth century. He had a reputation for giving to the poor and being kind to children.Legend has it that Saint Nicholas dropped a bag of gold down the chimney of a poor man who could not afford his daughter’s dowry. The bag fell into a stocking that had been left by the fire to dry.He also dropped a bag of gold for the second daughter. The father tried to find out who this mystery benefactor was, and when he did, Saint Nicholas begged him not to reveal his identity.Word soon got out, and when anyone received a secret gift, it was always thought to be Saint Nicholas. Some European countries celebrate Saint Nicholas’ Day on 6th December, when they leave out clogs or shoes to be filled with presents and sweets. Later, his feast day became associated with December 25th.In A Visit from St. Nicholas, a poem written by Clement Moore in 1822, he flew from house to house in a sleigh drawn by eight reindeer, to fill stockings.Thomas Nash drew a series of cartoons of him living at the North Pole, with a workshop for building toys and a large book with the names of naughty and nice children.

Why do we eat turkey on Christmas Day?While goose, boar and peacock have all been popular Christmas meats over the centuries, turkey reigns su-preme as the traditional Christmas Day meal in the UK.Legend has it King Henry VIII was the first English monarch to eat turkey on Christmas Day, making it popu-lar among the upper classes after the bird was imported from America. However, turkey, stuffing and pigs in blankets are not the norm for the rest of the world; most countries have different classic Christmas meals. The Swedes often eat pickled herring and meatballs, in Mexico they eat tamales and in Southern Italy they favour fried eel.

Why do we kiss under mistletoe?Religious leaders viewed it as a symbol of life as it grew even during the winter. It was consumed to increase fertility and used to decorate houses during summer and winter solstices. In Norse mythology mistletoe has connotations of love and friendship.It is unclear exactly where the link between Christmas and mistletoe arose, however. By the 18th century the practice of hanging mistletoe at Christmas began in Britain. It was bad luck if you refused to kiss someone under the mistletoe.Charles Dickens described in the Pickwick Papers how young women “screamed and struggled, and ran into corners, and did everything but leave the room, until … they all at once found it useless to resist any longer and submitted to be kissed with a good grace.”

Why do we eat mince pies?Mince pies were known as Christmas pies, or crib pies, as their oblong shape was meant to resemble a cradle. The pies were initially made of meat, usually mutton, and influenced by crusaders who came back from the Middle East with spices.Samuel Pepys wrote about them, but in his time, they were much more savoury than we are used to now. In the 18th century the pies became sweeter, with the import of sugar from plantations in the West Indies.

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Mall Walking Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 8:30-9:00am (Group meets at the food court)

Salina Arts Center 10:30 - 1st Friday of every month a special art project will be planned

by the art center!

Last Friday of every month is birthdaycelebration day!

Please make arrangements with Jamie Davis tobring your birthday treats to share with the group!

Every 2nd and 4th Monday from 12:00-1:00pm we will be going to The Alley arcade.

All games cost $1.00.

Thursdays

Exercising at YMCA 10:00

Lunch at the Mall

Fridays

Coffee Club and Bingo10:00AM-11:00AM at Choices Network, Inc.

Wednesdays

Lunch and Bowl at The Alley11:30PM to 1:45PM

There are 2 new prices for lunch and bowl that include a meal and your bowling.

$13 – bowling, cheeseburger, fries and drink, or bowling, pizza and drink

$11 – bowling, grilled cheese, fries and drink

Tuesdays

Sunset Billiards - Pool for $1.50 - 11AM-1PMBring sack lunch or can purchase lunch there.

Exercising at the YMCA at 10:45AM

(YMCA membership is required to participate. If you do not have a membership, we will help you with the application process.)

Mondays

Arts and crafts

Coffee on the town – surprise coffee venture each week (Cost will vary depending on location.)

10:00am

Weekly Activities

Ongoing Activities:

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Word Search & Hidden Picture Keys

ANGEL BELLS BOWS CANDY CAROLS CHRISTMAS COLD ELVES GIFTS JOY

HOLLY JESUS LIGHTS MANGERMISTLETOE REINDEER SANTA SLEIGH

SNOWFLAKES SNOWMAN STARSTOCKING TOYS TREE WISEMEN

WINTER

Recipe Corner

Cinnamon Sugar Chex Mix

Ingredients

8 cups Rice Chex Cereal½ cup butter½ cup brown sugar¼ cup granulated white sugar2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 275F. • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.• Mix together the white sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.• In a glass measuring cup, melt the butter in the microwave.

• Add the brown sugar, mix well, and return the microwave for another 20 to 30 seconds (watch to make sure it doesn’t bubble over).• Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.• Pour the Chex cereal into a large bowl, then drizzle the sauce over top.• Use a spatula to gently mix until the Chex is evenly coated.• Spread the Chex mix onto the parchment lined baking sheet.• Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix evenly over the Chex.• Bake at 275F for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes (lift and turn with a metal spatula).

Enjoy!