Share Christmas joy with Santa Clause! Send a magical card to the North Pole on behalf of a special child and Santa will send a personalized video back! Your child will be amazed by this personalized video! Watch their eyes light up when a photo of your child appears in a special pop-up card that Santa is holding and a picture of who it is from, YOU!

Click here to begin! Time is running out, Saturday is Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@1230amWDBZ). As always, keep up with us on BlackPlanet.

I’m sure we’ve all had this problem. Whether it’s a boss, a mother in law or even a distant cousin you’re just getting to know, sometimes you just don’t know what to get. Gift cards to a store or website that sells everything like Amazon.com, are a great choice. That way you won’t have to worry about getting something they wont like.

5 Easy Ways To NOT Gain Weight During The Holiday Season

Many people would prefer a gift card, over something that they may want to re-gift. When you buy a gift card for someone, they decide what they want, not you. By doing this, you’re giving the receiver the power to pick what they want. Isn’t this better than stressing over whether that pair of slippers will fit or if pink isn’t their favorite color? This works great especially when someone wants clothes or shoes. Places like the Gap, Old Navy, Macy’s and Payless, all sale gift cards.

One thing you must watch out for is the extra fees, that can be charge when you use these cards. Read the fine print before purchasing. A lot of times, gift cards can be purchase online. This saves you the trouble of going to a store and fighting with the rest of the people who forgot to buy gifts early.

5 Hot Do-It-Yourself Holiday Hairstyles! [PHOTOS]

But while technology can help consumers research potential purchases and find great bargains, it can also make them more vulnerable to identify theft and scams.

“Whether you are shopping online, in stores or with a mobile phone, it’s important for consumers to be vigilant to help protect themselves from identity fraud and scams. Unfortunately, no one is immune to these types of crimes and they can have a tremendous impact on your finances long after the holidays are over,” said Barbara Saylor, a spokesperson for Capital One. “The rush of the holiday season can make it a busy time for identity thieves but shoppers can take simple steps to help guard their personal information. And if you see any suspicious activity or feel you have become the victim of identity theft, report it as soon as possible.”

To protect consumers against fraud during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales and throughout the holiday shopping season, Capital One offers these simple tips.

When shopping online or via mobile phone:

•Use secure online shopping sites – To ensure that your information is protected when shopping online, look for an unbroken key or padlock at the bottom of your web browser when providing payment information. When you’re asked to provide payment information, the beginning of the Web site’s URL address should change from http to shttp or https, indicating that the purchase is encrypted or secured.
•Check out the seller – Look for online merchants who are members of a seal-of-approval program that sets voluntary guidelines for privacy-related practices, such as TRUSTe (www.truste.org), Verisign (www.verisign.com), or BBBonline (www.bbbonline.org). If it’s your first time on an unfamiliar site, call the seller’s phone number, so you know you can reach them if you need to. If you can’t find a working phone number, take your business elsewhere.
•Use caution with social media – Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are increasingly used by retailers to promote new deals and disseminate coupons. Unfortunately, scammers are also using these sites, often masquerading as a friend to deliver malicious links or downloads that can allow hackers to steal personal information. Keep this in mind when using social media tools and be particularly suspicious of messages or promotions you did not sign up to receive, even if they come from “friends.” Instead of following links, go directly to the store’s website and navigate to find the special sale item.
•Never give out your account information or social security number – Never respond to emails or instant messages that ask you to provide account information for “verification.” Don’t follow links to websites in such emails either. These are known as “phishing” scams and are used to collect account information that can then be used for fraudulent purchases.
•Consider how you’ll pay – Credit cards generally are a safe option because they allow buyers to seek a credit from the issuer if the product isn’t delivered or isn’t what was ordered. Don’t send cash or use a money-wiring service because you’ll have no recourse if something goes wrong.
•Keep your password private – Many e-commerce web sites require shoppers to log-in before viewing or placing an order. When selecting a password, do not use commonly known information, such as your name, birthdate, or numbers from your driver’s license or Social Security number. You should also refrain from reusing the same password for multiple sites.
•Choose security question answers that only you know – In addition to keeping your passwords private, also beware of security questions that help retrieve your password in the event that you forget it. Even the most trivial information – like your mother’s maiden name or first pet’s name – can be exploited by cybercriminals. Many of these details may seem unimportant, but they can serve as password recovery hints for email addresses or online banking accounts..
•Keep a paper trail – Print and save records of your online transactions, including the product description and price, the online receipt, and copies of any email you exchange with the seller. Read your credit card statements as soon as you get them to make sure there aren’t any unauthorized charges.
•Use a secure computer – When you’re away from home, do not save private information onto computers used by the public. If you’re accessing a private account at the library or another public place, be sure to log out completely from your accounts, and do not save login information (like your username or password) on these computers.
•Keep your web browsers and operating system up to date – Most software developers release updates of their software on a regular basis that provide fixes to known problems, improve performance, and provide new functionality. In general, it’s up to the user to decide if and when software should be updated or upgraded to a new release. Upgrading and keeping your software current can ensure that your system has the highest level of protection.

Read more about cyber monday scams here.

STEPHANIE ROBINSON SPEAKS

Weekly political commentator Stephanie Robinson checks in on the Tom Joyner Morning show with today’s special commentary about love and hope just in time for the holiday season.

Let us know what you think and in case you missed it, let us know if you want to hear more.

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1. During the holidays, creating a budget and knowing your spending limits are great ways to keep a clear sight on what you can or can not purchase.

2. Once you have made a budget for yourself, you can start your list and write down the items that you are looking to buy.

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3. If possible use cash, but we all know credit cards are designed to capture us and make us want to spend money! However, if you must use a credit card use one that offers rewards for your spending, like cash back or reward points.

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4. Check articles for any sales or coupons, like newspapers, magazines, or an online site. A great website for you to find offers, online codes and printable coupons is www.retailmenot.com. This website offers coupons for more than 100 retail stores.

Lanvin For H&M: Budget-Friendly & In Time For Black Friday [PHOTOS]

Mark your calendars for black friday, where stores open early and close late, so you can make the best of your day shopping.

via: Marilyn Ehle, thoughts-about-god.com

I am not a regular purchaser of magazines. But recently in a desire to make the coming holiday season truly enjoyable, I blew the budget. In one issue I read how to make beeswax candles and how to prepare Spiced Roast Turkey which only requires that I re-hydrate dried tomatoes, gather ingredients such as garlic, finely grated lemon rind, coriander and cumin and then finally, “using my fingers, spread tomato/herb mixture under the skin of the turkey breast and thighs.” Then “skewer the neck skin to the turkey back, tuck wing tips under shoulder joints and tie drumstick ends securely together with string.”

Recipes in another magazine highlighted Artichoke and Goat Cheese Bundles, Tequila Marinated Shrimp and Mushroom Paté. And I could add to my Christmas household decorations by preparing “A Chair with Flair”:

Romantic enough for a dinner for two and lovely enough for a party, billowy chair covers of shimmery fabric are surprisingly easy to create…Buy a sheer curtain panel and two yards of wired ribbon for each chair. Thread the ribbon through the channel at the top of the curtain.. Place the panel over the top of your chair with the ribbon edge of panel on the front side…”

Let’s see, I have eight dining room chairs…that’s eight sheer curtain panels and sixteen yards of wired ribbon….

But the magazine that really got me excited about the holiday season was Martha Stewart’s Living. According to Martha’s handy November calendar, I should have already potted my amaryllis and hyacinths for Christmas; drained all my outdoor spigots, pipes and sprinklers; ordered the turkeys; delivered my boat to the boatyard and put up the dinghy; wrapped my ferns and shrubs in burlap and mounded and wrapped the roses; raked and blown the leaves; cleaned out the gutters; cut back the perennial beds; groomed my dogs and cats; tested the snowplow; and shopped for Thanksgiving staples.

One dictionary defines holiday as: a day fixed by law or custom on which ordinary business is suspended in commemoration of some event or person; any day of exemption from labor; a religious feast day; a holy day.

In a recent issue of our local newspaper, this full page ad appeared: “SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN! ‘Tis the season…come help us welcome Jolly Old St. Nick this Friday evening at 7:00 p.m…..” All this happening in mid-November!

I can bemoan the encroachment of materialism on the holidays. I can fault the merchants. I can even say “why does the church schedule so much during the holidays?”; but what I am ultimately and personally responsible for is my calendar.

The Christmas holidays look different for different people. For some there will be family…sometimes too much family. Some must cope with parents (two or more sets!) who will be hurt if you don’t celebrate with them. For others there will be no family— perhaps children are spending this holiday with the divorced mate and you face the prospect of an empty house. Perhaps you are single—of any age—without children, and the walls of your apartment will echo with aloneness.

Too many people or too few. Enough money but few to spend it on. Not enough money for even the basics. A calendar with every square crammed with activities or a calendar glaringly empty. But we return to those simple words: A HOLY DAY. How can we begin to truly savor the coming days and not merely survive them?

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year, but with four children, the holiday was frequently not simple. Many years ago, however, I chose to make it a holy day, both for myself and—as much as possible—for those around me. Experts do have a few good ideas, but let me share some thoughts that will perhaps help you turn the holidays into truly holy days.

Prepare yourself: “Be still and know that I am God.”
Be STILL?? How ridiculous when there is so much to do, yet I find this to be an absolute prerequisite for holy days. Just ten minutes of quiet before the house explodes in the morning (or perhaps, ten minutes at night when the house has stopped exploding) are absolute necessities.

During the days leading up to the holidays, I do this primarily by reading well-written books and listening to appropriate music. Our family had an unplanned contest to see who would turn on Handel’s Messiah the earliest. The record is held by our oldest son: October 25th! When the entire family joined us for Thanksgiving several years ago, no one was surprised to hear Messiah music during dinner clean up time.

Advent will find me re-reading the New Testament accounts of Jesus’ birth and life. Along with this I will choose poetry and prose from some of my favorite writers. I have no more time than any other working woman, but I find these daily few minutes of stillness are the essential foundation for all else that occurs during the holidays.

Now come the practical ideas. First, have a financial plan. It really isn’t necessary to go into debt during the holidays. Begin your shopping in January. While it’s too late to begin shopping the January sales for this Christmas, certainly keep it in mind for next year. “But I don’t know what I’ll want to buy for Joe or Susy or Mother” is the usual excuse. If we come to understand that it truly is merely an excuse, we can escape the trap of last minute shopping. Find a corner in a closet to store things—and label them!—for bargains you pick up throughout the year.

This year our family is choosing to give “nothing new” for adult gifts. Some of us will scour resale shops and stores run by charitable organizations to find that something special for each personality. Others may bake homemade cookies to give, while some may look through old photos to find that special smile of a child, brother or sister and include it with a warm note telling of special memories.

What about those hard-to-buy-for, never-quite-satisfied people on your list? I have them on my list too and a few years ago I found the perfect solution. We make a contribution in their name to a charity or mission project that seems to fit their personality or interests.

Next, make a food plan. Shop early and spread the food costs. Sometimes that means stopping on my way to work for the non-perishables. I begin buying those usually expensive holiday goodies as early as October. In the weeks prior to Christmas, several grocery stores in our area have turkeys on sale for $5.00. When I see a special sale I pick up bags of almonds for my special sugared orange nuts.

No time to bake those special rolls that mother always made? Frozen rolls served warm from the oven seem to satisfy any longings for the good old days. Christmas cookies? Kids love them but you hate the mess? Make up a batch of cookie dough, put Saturday Morning Mess on your calendar, give the kids your full attention and a pail and mop when the project is over.

Instead of filling the menu with every imaginable goody, concentrate on one thing everyone loves. In our family, cinnamon rolls made a week before December 25th, frozen, then thawed and baked while gifts are opened spell (and smell!) “Christmas.”

Have an activity plan.
Prioritize. Sit down, alone or with your family, and decide what’s truly important. Here are a few ideas:

• Make an Advent wreath, light candles each Sunday of Advent, read the appropriate scripture, and decide on a practical application of the topic. (This can be done as a single person or as a family.) If the subject is hope, ask what you and the family can do to bring hope to someone this week. Have a practical plan. This is an excellent way to distract children from the pull of commercialism. Teens may seem uninterested—that’s because they’re teens–do it anyway!
• Plan one special event for the family. Maybe it’s the church concert, a Nutcracker Suite performance, ice skating, leaving cookies on a doorstep, inviting someone for a special meal. Learn to say a resounding—but polite!—NO when tempted to overindulge in activity.
• Include others in your holiday plans. A wonderful way to teach our children generosity is to include others in a family celebration.
• A word for singles: self-pity creeps in to the single life during the holidays but be on your guard. If family is not nearby, don’t wait for others to invite you. Plan the holiday in your home. Take the initiative. If you absolutely can’t find anyone else with whom to celebrate, volunteer at an assisted living residence, hospice, etc. Be creative.

You may wish to try solitude for part of Christmas Day. One year our daughter living in New York City enjoyed a quiet morning of tea and homemade scones, then went to Central Park to make snow angels.

A humble Jewish girl sang a song of praise even though her circumstances were difficult (and about to get more difficult), her family would not understand her and she had no idea of the stark reality of her future. I’ve paraphrased part of Mary’s song for me; you can do it for yourself.

“My soul chooses to glorify the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He is always mindful of me and my situation…

The Mighty One has done great things for me…holy is His name.
His mercy extends to all those who fear him,

From all past generations, to me and to all those to come.

He has performed mighty deeds even for me…
He continues to fill my hungry soul with good things.
He has helped me, His servant; He remains merciful to me even as he promised.”
Therefore today—and all through this coming season of holy days,

I stand quiet before Him,
I stand still;
I know that He is God.”

“If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”
-Psalm 139:8-10

VIA: Rick Cowles, ArticlesBase.com

Although holiday season is considered a time of joy and love, but for a number of folks, it is also a time of loneliness. Those without someone special in their life often find themselves full of anxiety and loneliness during this time of year. There are also people who are spending holidays alone for the first time after the death of someone close or a divorce. The lost of loved ones and relationship break-up can intensify the feeling of loneliness especially during holidays. If you’re experiencing loneliness that adds to your anxiety and sadness during the holiday season, here are some suggestions to help you out.

1. Understand it is ok to feel lonely and sad sometimes. Know that you are not alone and there are many people who find themselves isolated during the holidays, wishing they could be with family and friends.

2. Appreciate your time alone and look at it as a time of solitude and reflection. Use this time to indulge yourself in something you enjoy doing but couldn’t find the time.

3. Think positively and learn to build confidence in yourself by accepting who you are, whether you are single or alone.

3. Examine your feelings and express them creatively through Dance, Write, Paint, Rest and Play.

4. Go out and get yourself involved in some activities. Volunteer in community services or just spend time at the book stores or coffee shops, talking to people.

5. Get in touch with friends and family, invite others to come to your house and celebrate holidays together.

6. Take a walk in the park or surround yourself in nature. Relax and leave all your worries behind.

7. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you are living alone, you may want to find out from your community agencies if they offer special services or programs for people who live alone, such as a telephone reassurance program, etc.

8. Get a pet. Pets can be great companion to help beat loneliness.

9. Read some books and listen to music that will encourage you in a healthy and positive outlook.

10. Take action. Nothing is going to change if you just sit there. Put it into practice what you have learned here.

If loneliness is robbing you of your joy during the holiday season, it’s time to fight back to regain your confidence and contentment. Overcoming loneliness is not easy and takes time, but with courage and determination, you can definitely triumph over your loneliness.