A few years back while shopping in a small, antique style canal town here in Indiana, I happened on this figurine. The instant I saw it I got chills, the piece is such an amazing and powerful statement.

Some of my favorite holiday pieces are crafted by Jim Shore.

Do you have a favorite decoration or ornament you look forward to bringing out every year?

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Every year, I hear more about this “packaged for purchase” Christmas tradition I obviously believe is a brilliant idea!

In a way I wish someone in our family had patented the idea after our own tradition began way back in 1967.

I had thought about trying to patent and market The Elf that Came to Our House, very briefly! Instead, Instead I chose to create a bit of a legacy surrounding my brother Tony, his story; how the original Elf came about, and share how other families can create their own magical family tradition.

With the help of social media, I become aware of new traditions that have formed around the story of Tony and The Elf that Came to Our House.

I’ve written about our family tradition many times (won Blog Herald’s Christmas Blogging Awards in 2005).

Today, the best place to get to know Tony and all about "Elf" in a way that carries on a much more heartwarming tradition than a manufactured version could can be found here: http://www.bullyconfessions.com/?s=Tony

Earlier today, my cousin George wrote about the elf that came to their house a few years ago when his own kids were tiny. Reading his comments made me smile.

The whispers that trickle through the World Wide Web have become a large part of my own Christmas magic. Since I began writing about Tony and our elf back in 2004, the joy of watching just how far Tony’s story travels keeps my brother as much a part of my Christmas as he was until he passed in 1977.

There’s such comfort in knowing and learning how my brother is making holidays a little more magical.

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My Comment Commitment: If you leave an approved comment on any of my posts, I will visit your blog and “share it” in some way whether on StumbleUpon, Twitter or Facebook depending on if I can find a nice fit.

I’m not sure if it’s seasonal defective disorder or the simple fact that my babies will BOTH be graduating high school in just about 6 months that’s causing me to feel a little blue some days. When I do have those days, the very fact that I have two kids dependant on me as a parent has been my driving force for the last 13 years.

Sure, I know the kids will always need their mama; at least I hope so – but as I look to the future, I wonder what changes are in store for me. Will my motivation shift? Will I have to discover new inspiration?

As I ponder the future and reflect on the past, I thought it might be fun to learn what inspires and motivates my friends around the blogosphere, Facebook and Twitter.

My question to you is this:

What do you really depend on to keep pushing you forward even on those days where the sofa, a snugly dog, a cup of hot chocolate and the remote are what you long for most?

Please share your response in the comment section below – on Twitter or Facebook

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My Comment Commitment: If you leave an approved comment on any of my posts, I will visit your blog and “share it” in some way whether on StumbleUpon, Twitter or Facebook depending on if I can find a nice fit.