Saremy, the owner and designer behind Chicken Boots and creator of the two largest bags (the Double Double, and a specially created for JBW slightly larger version) we are featuring in our 2013 Holiday Collection shared with us her holiday traditions story below. She and her family try not to travel during the holidays so that they can spend the day in the comfort of their home. We love her traditions, and how cute are her chickens!?!?!

"There is always something special about the time between November and January-whether you celebrate Christmas, another holiday or none. My family is quite small with only me, my husband and our daughter, Cricket, who is 11. We tend to stay at home during Christmas. Occasionally we have ventured to see our families but typically we always try and wake up at home Christmas morning. I do love lights and we usually have big paper star lanterns in all our front windows each season and a live tree in the house decorated only with homemade ornaments. The only other decorations are our stockings-my favorite part- and a gingerbread house or two. We don’t actually let our chickens eat them though!

 Our tradition is to open one gift on Christmas eve (usually nice jammies-which was instigated by mom when I was young because she always wanted us to wake up in something nice that could we could be photographed in while opening our presents). We always put out snacks for reindeer and Santa, track him on the Norad Santa tracker (http://www.noradsanta.org/) and then when we wake up Cricket is allowed to open anything that was set out in the night by Santa including our stockings. We do not actually go to extremes in gift giving and really try and only get what someone wants or has requested. But it is nice to have at least one thing you get to ‘play’ with or figure out the rest of the day. And of course I knit and drink mulled wine-but not usually at the same time.

We eat a splendid meal of local items-the past few years included chickens we raised and even a turkey once. My husband loves to cook! And I LOVE that he cooks! It’s win-win. Our daughter is vegetarian so we always have multiple entrees at each meal. Cricket is also quite passionate about helping houseless or less fortunate people and we will go to great lengths especially during this time of year to help where we can-but it’s a year-round interest for her.

I am excited this year because my parents have moved closer to us! This will be our first year in a very long time that they will be with us on Christmas day- that probably means homemade donuts! Another of my mom’s traditions! It’s a good one. Happy holidays!

Saremy

Beers, brats, badgers and basements? It’s Christmas in Wisconsin! For the last 15 years, Doug and I have spent every other Christmas at Doug’s parents’ house in Middleton, Wisconsin. And for the last 15 years, I’ve had to remember to pack a bundle of rubber bands in my suitcase. You see, after a few days of drinking beer, eating brats, and watching the Badgers play hockey on the basement TV, I have to call upon these rubber bands to help keep my pants up. (Remember the pregnancy trick? Yeah, well, only in this case, my “expanding belly” isn’t the result of a growing baby… it’s the result of blissful gluttony!) Oh – and did I mention that Doug’s mom is famous for her Christmas baking? She makes hundreds (yes hundreds!) of cookies each season. Sigh. I’m drooling (and happily expanding!) already!!

But the cookies and the beers aren’t my favorite part about our trips to Wisconsin. No, my favorite part is simply being there. It’s watching Huck have the time of his life with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It’s walking with Doug past the elementary school that he attended; listening to stories about him and his childhood friends. My favorite part is being able to see – and to feel – just a wee part of Doug’s life when he was a kid. Call me sentimental (yes, I am in fact crying a bit writing this), but being able to sleep and eat in the house where Doug grew up (and being to watch Huck enjoy the same house) is one of the most special things in the world for me! And now it’s a tradition. (As is knitting on the plane to Wisconsin and knitting in the basement while the Badgers play!)

Beans for Brains has come and gone for this year, but we are still reeling from the excitement of our 4th year of giving scholarships to creative students! That's why, when Ashley from The Learning House contacted us to let us know that one of the Universities she consults for had written a blog about us and asked if she could be a guest on our blog, we said yes! She has tons of knowledge on the importance of scholarships for students these days, and we thought the data was pretty interesting and wanted to share it with you. Here is what Ashley had to say about the true value of scholarships: 

The True Value of Scholarships

As the cost for attending a college or university continues to rise students seek help to pay for these high expenses outside their and their families means. Scholarships are one area to look and are extremely beneficial because, simply put, the funds don't have to be repaid. To receive a scholarship, a student will need to meet certain criteria, which traditionally were granted based on an athletic or academic merit, however, there are unique college scholarships for students with other talents like the winners for the Beans for Brains scholarship.

With the growth in the number of scholarships available, it is important to remember to not get discouraged. There are numerous scholarships out there for students whether their talent is sewing or writing greeting cards, there are scholarships for both and many in between. Almost every student in America can find some type of scholarship they quality for. The hard part is winning them.

A study by the National Post-secondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) shows just how competitive scholarships are because they found that in the '07 to '08 school year, 5.5% of undergraduate students received a private scholarship averaging $2,523. However, this number encompasses a large group including students pursuing a 2-year degree. When you look at just students in 4-year colleges, the number rises to 10.6% with scholarships averaging $2,815! That means that, on average, one in ten students enrolled in a 4-year institution is receiving a scholarship.

It’s also comforting for students to know that there are scholarship and financial aid opportunities provided directly from their university. Higher-end universities tend to offer more financial aid than lower-cost schools but both provide financial assistance so students have additional areas to look for scholarships outside of their own research. On average, schools that cost $6,000 or less to attend per semester will provide 7.2 percent of its students with some type of financial aid. This percentage jumps to a whopping 43.2 percent for schools that cost more than $19,000 a semester to attend.

In addition to the financial benefits accompanied with receiving a scholarship, there are others as well. For starters, a scholarship adds prestige to the academic transcript of the recipient. Furthermore, it will be a great addition to the recipient's resume when applying for jobs. It brings a boost to a student’s self-confidence and encourages them to excel. For those receiving the Beans for Brains scholarship, for instance, they’re featured on the website and can potentially make connections with professionals. Therefore the true value of a scholarship goes beyond monetary incentives. It’s something to be proud of, be thankful for, and continue to pursue.

Congratulations to the winners!

By: Ashley Dunlap - Online Marketing Specialist for The Learning House and works with several universities including Shorter University Online.