Category: Christmas

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Funny and Creative Things Parents Did with Their ‘Elf on the Shelf’

You know there is no escape from the Elf on the Shelf if you have kids.

You little ones expect you to constantly up the ante and get that little, mischievous elf into unusual situations every morning. It can really stress mom and dad out!

Well, if you’re looking for some fresh ideas, these photos might inspire you.

1. Burnin’ down the house.

One of my mom’s "Elf on the Shelf" photos. from funny

2. Oh no!

We couldn’t find our Elf on the Shelf until this morning from pics

3. Trapped underwater.

My sister’s elf on a shelf from pics

4. That doesn’t look good.

This is what happens when my adult son comes over to house sit over the weekend

Posted by Diane Marie on Monday, December 8, 2014

5. Beetlejuice and Pee-Wee…how dare you?

Last known photo of The Elf on the Shelf. from pics

6. Climbing the walls.

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Elf climbing wall! #elfontheshelf

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7. Ladies man.

Elf on the shelf, you dirty bugger from pics

8. Arachnophobia.

9. This is the end.

What my little cousins think of their "elf on a shelf". from funny

10. What did you do?!?!

11. This is pretty creepy.

12. I get it!

13. Will he escape?

14. Walking the tightrope.

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Circus act #elfontheshelf

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15. You dirty, dirty boy.

16. Bob Ross-esque.

17. Snow angels.

18. Overdid it.

19. Pumping iron.

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#elfontheshelf

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20. Ridin’ the Roomba.

Do you have any cool or fun ideas for your Elf on the Shelf this holiday season?

Share them with us in the comments!

The post Funny and Creative Things Parents Did with Their ‘Elf on the Shelf’ appeared first on UberFacts.

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Here Are Some Funny Tweets About Decorating for the Holidays

Do you know what time it is: it’s time to decorate your home for the holidays while fighting about it with your partner and your children.

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?!?!

We feel your pain…but just remember, taking the decorations down and boxing them up will bring another round of pain and misery! Yay!

1. This stage takes multiple days.

2. Oops!

3. Makes a lot of sense.

4. Hey, it works.

5. Absolutely.

6. Well, that’s ruined…

7. Daughter wasn’t impressed.

8. I love that song!

9. An annual tradition.

10. And…we’re done!

11. Explain that one.

12. Gonna be a long month.

13. He might never come out.

14. Might want to take it down a notch.

15. A little of both?

Is your house or apartment all gussied up for the holiday season?

Let’s see some festive photos in the comments!

The post Here Are Some Funny Tweets About Decorating for the Holidays appeared first on UberFacts.

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15 Hilarious Tweets About Taking Your Kids to Meet Santa

Taking your little ones to meet Santa can go one of two ways: they either love it and enjoy telling the old man what they want for Christmas…or they have a meltdown because they can’t handle the trauma of being handed over to a stranger dressed in red and white.

And it’s basically a crapshoot which way it’ll go.

Parents took to Twitter to let off some steam about this dreaded interaction that they’re all forced to go through at some point…

1. I just need this one photo…

2. That’s a good way to look at it.

3. Intimidating the big man.

4. That’s pretty steep.

5. I need a favor.

6. Kinda weird when you think about it.

7. Alert the authorities.

8. A fake dude.

9. He belongs in the fiery depths.

10. Actually, I need two favors…

11. I’m sure he loved that.

12. Christmas is canceled!

13. That’s not good.

14. You’ve been very bad.

15. You don’t have to make it a big secret anymore.

Be honest with us…how’d it go when you took your kiddos to meet Santa?

Was it a disaster or were they happy about it? Share your stories in the comments.

The post 15 Hilarious Tweets About Taking Your Kids to Meet Santa appeared first on UberFacts.

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Enjoy These Funny Tweets About Secret Santas

Christmas is around the corner, so for a lot of people, that means the annual Secret Santa party (or maybe more).

It might be at your office or at your aunt’s house, but they’re all pretty much the same, right? Sometimes these parties are a lot of fun and other times…maybe not so much…

How about we Ha Ha Ha while we Ho Ho Ho?

Ready? Go!

1. Oh, great…

2. Works for everyone.

3. When did I do this?

4. No, not that kind…

5. Hmmmm…

6. The important stuff.

7. Believe in yourself.

8. That will be returned.

9. Have to think outside the box.

10. Wait, it’s not?

11. Gonna be a great Christmas.

12. The only three reactions.

13. Keep it to yourself.

14. Poor guy.

15. HELL YEAH.

Do you have any good Secret Santa stories that have happened to you?

If so, let’s see them in the comments!

Oh, and…Happy Holidays!

The post Enjoy These Funny Tweets About Secret Santas appeared first on UberFacts.

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NYPD Put Their Elf on the Shelf to Work, and Now He’s a Cop Named Pete

The holidays are a time of surveillance — even before the Elf on the Shelf, there was Santa Claus and his ever-present watchful eye, waiting to put you on the naughty list. So, it’s sort of a natural progression that there’s now an Elf on the Shelf who’s a literal cop, thanks to the NYPD.

The New York Police Department made a new Elf on the Shelf who is a member of the city’s 19th precinct. His name is, uh, Pete.

The department tweeted a photo of the Elf, and their caption might sound familiar.

“In the criminal justice system, candy cane assaults are considered especially heinous,” the tweet reads. “In New York City, the dedicated detective who investigates these vicious crimes is a member of an elite squad & is known as #PeteOnTheBeat. These are his stories. #DunDun.”

They also gave Pete his own backstory in other tweets. He joins the 19th precinct on temporary assignment “from the far North” for a “holiday pilot program—to determine if you’ve been bad or good.”

Pete even attended his first daily briefing of the naughty and nice list.

“#PeteOnTheBeat making a list to be checked twice,” they wrote.

In other photos, Pete accidentally scans himself with the scanner, helps decorate the precinct, and studies the naughty “Most Wanted” list. The list consists of such famous criminals as the Grinch and Oogie Boogie.

And there are so many more:

So if you find some candy canes crushed this holiday season, don’t worry – Pete is on the beat.

The post NYPD Put Their Elf on the Shelf to Work, and Now He’s a Cop Named Pete appeared first on UberFacts.

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Check out the History of the “Shiny Brite” Christmas Ornament

I bet that your grandmother had box-loads of these beautiful, brightly colored and extremely fragile ornaments. You can also find them in antique and vintage stores, and, if you’re lucky, thrift stores. They’re called Shiny Brite, and the story behind them is rooted, surprisingly, in war.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Shiny Brite originated with a German toymaker named Max Eckardt. Eckardt was born in 1890 in Oberlind, which was 20 miles away from the glass ornament hub of Lauscha. In 1926, he opened his first ornament company in Oberlind with his brother, Ernst. Presciently, they also opened an office in New York City, where Max emigrated in the late 20s.

In 1937, Eckardt foresaw a second world war on the horizon, and he feared he would no longer be able to import his glass ornaments from Germany. So he decided to open his own factory stateside. He called it the Shiny Brite Company because the insides of the balls were coated with silver nitrate, which kept them shiny and reflective.

That same year, Eckardt approached the Corning Glass Company. He told them Woolworth’s would buy a sizable amount of ornaments if their light bulb production machinery could be modified to make the glass balls. Corning was able to successfully produce the glass globes that Eckardt needed – and Woolworth’s very first order was for 235,0000.

Woolworth’s Five-and-Ten-Cent Stores started selling them in 1939 for up to ten cents each.

Eckerdt’s foresight paid off. By 1939, with Hitler in power and the British setting up blockades, glass ornaments from Germany were impossible to import.

Corning was making 300,000 Shiny Brite ornaments a day by 1940. They lined the balls with silver nitrate and coated them with lacquer before sending them out to the artists, including the ones at Eckerdt’s factory, for decorating. After the artists painted the silver balls in vibrant colors, they were packaged to be sold in their iconic brown and green boxes.

Over time, other designs emerged such as tops, bells and icicles.

While World War II waged overseas, Eckardt had to make some adjustments. Silver nitrate and lacquer became scarce, so the company had to paint directly onto clear glass. Metal caps and hooks were eliminated in favor of cardboard and yarn. And the tiny bits of tinsel inside some of the ornaments had to be taken out altogether.

Then, when the war finally ended, the U.S. government asked Eckhardt to go to West Germany and help rebuild the original ornament industry there.

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?”It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”? This is my favorite part of my Christmas decor, and this is part of my collection of vintage glass ornaments. I don’t always save it for last…it just worked out that way this year because I ordered a new flocked tree for these beauties to shine so brite. It arrived a few days ago, and I’ve been busy with other things ever since. But now is the time! See you in a couple of days! ???????????????????? * * * * * #shinybrite #vintage #vintageornaments #vintagechristmas #crazy4christmasdecor #tujloveschristmas #acottagegirlcrushes #fleamarket #fleamarketdecor #cottagesandbungalows #thrift #thriftstorefinds #familyheirloom #madeinpoland #madeingermany #madeinjapan #flockedtree #christmasdecor #christmaspast #vintagepackaging #retrochristmas #ourthriftstoredecor

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Here in the States, Eckardt’s business continued to boom, with thousands of machine-painted Shiny Brite ornaments flying out factory doors daily from four facilities throughout the 1950s.

Eckardt died in 1961, right as plastic ornaments began to get popular. Glass ornaments slowly fell out of favor, and their production eventually stopped.

Then, in the late 90s, designer Christopher Radko obtained the Shiny Brite name and began making and selling replicas.

But keep an eye out for boxes of the original Shiny Brite ornaments – if you spot one, you’ll get to hang a little vintage luxe in your tree.

The post Check out the History of the “Shiny Brite” Christmas Ornament appeared first on UberFacts.

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This Dad Bought a Christmas Tree and Trolled His Wife with Photoshopped Pics

This turned out to be quite a combination: a dad left on his own to shop without his wife and a dad who knew how to use Photoshop to mess with that wife.

The dad I’m talking about went to buy a Christmas tree without his wife because she was too busy and so he decided to mess with her a little bit using Photoshop to convince her that he bought an enormous tree.

Take a look at the whole conversation, which was posted on Imgur.

Part One

Photo Credit: Imgur

Part Two

Photo Credit: Imgur

Part Three

Photo Credit: Imgur

Part Four

Photo Credit: Imgur

Part Five

Photo Credit: Imgur

Part Six

Photo Credit: Imgur

LOL. Yeah, he got her pretty good! This guy gets an A+ for expert trolling. Well done sir!

What did you think? Let us know in the comments!

Oh… and happy holidays! Enjoy your time with your family…even if they do drive you crazy sometimes.

The post This Dad Bought a Christmas Tree and Trolled His Wife with Photoshopped Pics appeared first on UberFacts.

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Study Finds That Poorly Wrapped Gifts Make People Happier Than Perfect Ones

Are you stressed out about getting your gifts perfectly wrapped for the holidays? A new study says: don’t be.

Researchers at the University of Nevada found that poorly wrapped presents make people happier than perfectly wrapped ones. This is because, in part, perfect-looking presents look so great on the outside that whatever’s inside may not live up to expectations. If a gift looks sloppy, though, the recipient is likely to be pleasantly surprised by the actual gift. They also appreciate the effort that was made. The gratitude and surprise leaves them feeling happy and joyful.

Photo Credit: iStock

One of the study’s co-authors, Jessica Rixom, Ph.D., got her idea for the study from her time working at a chocolate shop. She explained,

“They offered a wrapping service, so I learned how to wrap very neatly with crisp edges, just the right amount of paper, etc. I started wrapping my own gifts that way and many years later, when wrapping presents with a friend, I noticed that all of the gifts in my pile were neat while all of theirs were messy, even though they were trying. This made us wonder whether the way the gift was wrapped would have any influence on how the gifts themselves were perceived and that’s how it started.”

The study tested what Rixom and the other researchers call “expectation disconfirmation theory.”

Photo Credit: iStock

“Based on participants’ answers to various questions, it suggested that the reason why this happens is because the neat wrapping sets higher expectations for the gift inside, which makes it harder for the gifts to live up to those expectations. When the gifts are unwrapped, the recipient is a bit disappointed whereas when it’s wrapped sloppily, expectations are lower so the gift is more of a pleasant surprise.”

So, don’t worry at all if your gifts look like they were wrapped by a five-year-old. It doesn’t take away from the power of the gift—it might even make it stronger.

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People Share the Weirdest Gifts They’ve Ever Received

It’s officially the holiday season! Lots of gifts, including really odd gifts from your family, most notably your Uncle Al who likes to give really weird presents every year.

Do you have someone in your family who gives odd gifts for holidays and birthdays?

These AskReddit users certainly do…

1. Thanks, Mom…

“One year I came home for Christmas and my mom had been asking me what I wanted for Christmas and I told her I didn’t want anything, I had everything I need and not to get me anything.

Well, come Christmas morning there were a number of gifts with my name on them.. we always hand out all the gifts first and we each had a pretty decent pile..

We always start with the youngest and go up so I was like 3rd or 4th in line, and everyone had pretty normal gifts.. gloves, PJs, usual winter gift stuff.

My turn comes up, I probably have maybe 8 or 9 small packages to open. I open the first one and it’s a box of hamburger helper.. I laughed and was like, uh thanks Mom..and then I continue.. after 3 boxes of hamburger/tuna helper there’s a couple cans of chef boyardee and spaghettios and I’m like.. do you think I’m not eating or something, or are you trying to kill me? What’s with all the random food?

Her response? “No, I just felt bad that you didn’t have anything to open on Christmas! You can go put those back in the cabinet when you’re done.”

Thanks, mom. ?”

2. What a gift!

“A co-worker of mine won a radio show contest where people were invited to describe the crappiest office gift they ever got. My friend was the secretary of an IT company and her boss gave her a plastic bowl for Christmas. And it wasn’t even a nice plastic bowl. The first time she put it in the microwave, it melted. She won the contest and got a $100 gift card to Outback Steak House. Her boss insisted she take him since it was his crappy gift that caused her to win the contest.”

3. There’s always an uncle like this…

“My uncle is notoriously cheap. One year he gave me a magazine that had Ichiro Suzuki on the cover. It was a free magazine (as it stated on the bottom of the cover). Another year he also gave me a free t-shirt he had gotten for running a race. Possibly the best, was the birthday gift he gave my dad one year- a McDonalds Happy Meal toy.:

4. Can’t talk trash because he’s the boss.

“Maybe not the most WTF, but at my old company, we had a secret Santa gift exchange. The manager drew my name, and gifted me a very clearly used zoodler. He proceeded to explain, in front of everyone, that he though I would have more use for it, as he only ate “real noodles”.

I don’t work there anymore.”

5. What are you talking about, Granny?

“I got a 3 foot tall stuffed Mr. Peanut doll from my 89 year old Grandma for Christmas…when I was 23.

She said “I know how you like to collect things like this.” Not sure what she was talking about.

I did kind of love it though and still have it 12 years later.”

6. Mocked mercilessly.

“An Egyptian pharaoh pen when i was in middle school. It was all gold colored, and the pen barrel stuck out between his legs. Needless to say i was mocked mercilessly by my classmates for having this massive Egyptian dong pen.”

7. Give it away, now.

“I have been disabled my entire life. It affects the footwear choices in my life. My mom has bought me dozens of pairs of slippers that I cannot wear. Sometimes multiple pairs per year. I have given up at this point. I just give them away.

When I was a teen, before I moved out she also had given me embroidered dish towels with weird sayings.

She also refuses to actually get my damn size and just holds clothes in the air and looks at them to decide if it looks like it should fit.”

8. An empty box.

“A cheese and champagne gift set that had the champagne and most of the other goodies taken out of it. So cheese in a mostly empty box.”

9. Thanks?

“When I was a kid (6 or 7) I had surgery on nearly all of the fingers on my dominant hand (the other hand came later!), scary surgery for a kid though pretty simple, mostly boring and a few weeks of pain, my aunt (who I love) sent me a coloring book in the hospital as a “cheer-up” / “pass the time” gift.

If it’s the thought that counts, I like to say, we should think hard ….”

10. Actually…

“I randomly went to some extended family Christmas event and they gave me a woven basket. Within ten minutes, they had asked for the basket back. It “meant something” to them?? I didn’t really care, I thought it was odd and funny.”

11. Dammit, Mom!

“A lavender gift set (eye mask, cream, perfume) from my mother in law. I am severely allergic to lavender, and she knows this.”

12. Sharing and caring.

“Christmas, 1993. I was eleven.

My grandma gave me one half of a pool cue.

She gifted the other half to my then-8-year-old brother.

Grandma: “See? You can only use it if you two cooperate and share!”

We did not own a pool table.”

13. WTF?

“When I was accepted into my business college they sent me a single sock.”

14. A great Christmas.

“I was once given some yeast, a cucumber and a pack of Toblerone for a secret Santa.”

15. I need that DVD in my life.

“My little brother bought me a “How to become a Male Model” DVD. Got drunk with my buddy and his girlfriend. We were laughing the whole time. Then she wanted to watch it again and they had a fight over it.”

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People Share Their Funny #ChristmasBreakupExcuses

A lot of people get dumped around the holidays for one reason or another. The pressure, the fighting, family issues. There are a lot of potential excuses for doing the deed.

These folks shared funny, punny, probably-not-real-but-who-can-say #ChristmasBreakupExcuses for all of us to enjoy. Ho Ho Ho!

1. I see what you did there.

2. I knew this one was coming.

3. Not a good thing to hear.

4. Zing!

5. That’s pretty good.

6. Oh, no!

7. It’s hard to explain.

8. Sounds likely.

9. This is legit.

10. Fun with words! Oh, and we’re done.

11. It’s Opposite Day.

12. Showed her.

13. Classy move.

14. That’s harsh.

15. This is a good one to finish with.

They’re Grinches! All of ’em, I tell ya!

Have you ever been on the giving or receiving end of a holiday breakup? Tell us about it in the comments.

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