Fictional Teddy Bears

I was reviewing pictures and came across a picture of my grandson with his favourite teddy bear, and it got me thinking about Teddy Bears. 

Fictional teddy bears have been around longer than any of us and have a very dear part in all of our memories. From our very own teddy bears to those fictional ones we watched every morning, there is always something we remember about them. There were many cartoons that were based on teddy bears from Winnie the Pooh to The Berenstein Bears.  

Teddy bears can create a lot of imagination, which is probably why author A. A. Milne was able to come up with the Winnie the Pooh stories. Winnie the Pooh was actually one of the teddy bears in his son, Christopher Robin’s room. However, the actual teddy bear was a girl named Winnipeg.  Even though the teddy bears that represent Winnie the Pooh are a bright yellow, that is nothing near what the original looked like, with stiff arms that moved up and down and didn’t wear a red shirt. 

Brer Bear lived in the forest as a farmer with his wife and children and he always had to chase away wolves. There aren’t too many teddy bears that resemble Brer Bear, however, if there were an I could picture that southern accent if they made him talk. The original storyteller, Uncle Remus had a very southern accent, so much that when he said, brother, it sounded like Bre’r. This bear dates all the way back to 1919 when he first made his debut in a cartoon. 

Do you recall the teddy bears that read stories out of a book to you? I remember one of my daughters Teddy Bears, dear old Teddy Ruxpin, he was the best out of all her teddy bears. Teddy Ruxpin was created back in the 80s and would be recreated four times before all the flaws were fixed, however, this wouldn’t stop kids from loving these fictional teddy bears. 

Paddington bear was a fictional teddy bear that always went on adventures and got himself in some sort of trouble. This teddy bear was originally bought by a couple that thought he needed a home, later he would be written into stories by the owner and become a big part of cartoons. Paddington teddy bears all wear a worn hat and carries around a suitcase for his travels. 

Berenstein Bears were a fictional bear family with a mother, father, brother and sister bear. They all lived in a tree house and storylines that related to real families, such as eating junk food, telling lies, bullies, the first day of school and many other issues that children could relate too. 

As you can see fictional teddy bears have been along for a while and will be here for many more years to come. Do you remember any fictional teddy bears that weren’t mentioned here? Think back to a time when everything was innocent and all about teddy bears and you’ll get that warm feeling once again, even if it is cold outside

Avoid Conflicts when you Travel for the Holidays

It can be great fun to spend the holidays with your family and friends, but there always seems to be a few people that you wish to avoid as well. Planning ahead can help you to avoid conflicts when you travel for the holidays. Remember that each person is entitled to their own thoughts and opinions. Agree to disagree on issues that pertain to politics and various types of controversial issues.

Everyone should take care of their own children during a gathering for the holidays. This is to prevent issues that arise when different parenting styles are in play. Make sure your children understand before you travel for the holidays that you expect them to follow the same rules they have at home regardless of what other children there will be allowed to do. This will help to prevent confusion and frustration for everyone involved in the gathering for the holidays.

In order to ensure everyone has a great time let those that will be in attendance help to place the events. Make sure someone is in charge of activities for the children to enjoy too. Take a look at the span of age groups that will be present at the event and either come up with activities for all of them to enjoy together or break them up into groups based on age. 

Make sure everyone gets to take on a role for the holiday gathering that they will enjoy. This way the overall event will be a success and everyone will look forward to attending. Don’t leave certain people to clean up from the dinner or the activities just because you assume that is what they want to do. Knowing what your role is before you travel for the holidays allows you to be prepared for it.

Food is a common part of any holiday gathering but it can be a problem for some people. Before you travel for the holidays make sure the host is aware of any special foods you will need to have or to avoid. They can even offer dishes without meat for those that are on a vegetarian diet. Some people have an allergy to peanut oil or other foods though that need to be taken into consideration. Don’t wait until you arrive to tell them as it can mean foods they spent time preparing will have to be thrown out. 

If you have an unresolved issue with someone that will be at the family gathering you should attempt to contact them prior to the event. This will help both of you to relieve the tension and anxiety over the situation. If it is something that can’t be resolved then ask them to agree to put your differences aside for the sake of everyone else that will be in attendance. 

It doesn’t mean you have to become best friends at the event but don’t waste your energy being in conflict with the individual. Focus on the good memories that you can create for your family during the holidays instead. Too many families end up with parties missing from the gathering because they don’t want to attend if someone else is. Taking the high road so that everyone can enjoy their holiday more is an amazing gift you can give to them. 

Ways to Save Money for Holiday Travel

Many people want to travel for the holidays but they don’t feel like they can because their budget doesn’t allow for it. Yet there are plenty of ways you can raise money to be able to do so. The sooner you start making a plan and determining how much money you will need the more successful you will be. Come up with as accurate of an amount as you can so you won't’ fall short. If you overestimate the amount of money you need for holiday travel then you can enjoy it later on.

Make a commitment not to touch the money you save for holiday travel under any circumstances. Place it in the bank or in a piggy bank that you have to break to get into. This way you won’t be tempted to remove any of the money for another purpose. The money you save for holiday travel will safely continue to grow until you are ready to travel. 

Everyone needs to remove clutter from their home now and then so get it done and have a yard sale. Price the items cheap so that you won’t have to haul it all back into your home again. Making some money off the items you no longer need is better than not making any at all. You may want to place some of the items on the various online auctions so that you can get a better price for them. Do your research to see what is selling on these sites so you can have a good chance of selling yours.

Take a close look at your income and think about how much of it you can reasonably put away for holiday travel. Even if it is only $10 a week you can start putting it away and it will add up quickly. If you get paid every two weeks there will be months when you get three paychecks. Make a plan to save at least ½ of those paychecks for your holiday travel plans.

You may find making some adjustments to your family’s budget can help you to save enough money for holiday travel as well. Instead of paying for a cup of coffee on the way to work each day make your own. Rather than going out to dinner and to a movie consider ordering a pizza and renting a movie. All the extra money that you save needs to go towards your holiday travel plans. 

Ask your boss about any additional shifts or overtime hours you can have in order to save money for holiday travel. This means you may have to give up some of your free time but it will be a worthwhile sacrifice. Let other people know you are for hire too so they can pay you to babysit, clean their house, or paint their garage. These little projects can be very fun and add up to some nice cash for the holiday travel plans you have. 

If you are travelling for the holidays to see your family or friends ask them about a no gift rule if you want to go for Christmas. Explain to them that you will be saving all your money towards coming to see them for the holidays. The amount of money you will save on gifts quickly adds up, and being able to spend time with your family and friends will be a gift you can’t put a price on. 

Look for excellent deals on holiday travel as well. It will be wonderful if you find a cheap flight or a discount on the train or bus. This means you will have less money to save up for your holiday travel. It may take some effort and some sacrifices but it will be well worth it when the holiday of your choice rolls around and you are able to go where you want to go. 

Save Money on Holiday Travel

The first day of February, and it may not be too early to think about travel for the Spring Break or the summer. So many people travel for important holidays that you may be quite disappointed with the cost of it. There are great ways you can save money though whether you are travelling by plane, train, or bus to get to your destination for the holidays. It is essential that you book your travel arrangements early. You don’t want to be stuck without a way to get where you want to be for the holidays due to everything being sold out. You also want to take your time to compare prices.

You will find some travel dates should simply be avoided around the holidays. This will allow you to avoid crowds which often equal substantial delays. You will also be able to get the same travel arrangements at a lower price just by carefully calculating the best times to travel. 

You may not think that Valentine’s Day is a top travel holiday but it is. It is very important for people to be able to spend this holiday together. Since Presidents Day is very close to Valentine’s Day many people are able to take a long weekend. Avoid travelling during this Monday holiday and you will save money. Instead fly out in the next few days and then stay for a couple of days after Valentine’s Day instead of before. 

Spring break takes place for about three weeks in March depending on which schools people are attending. If you plan to travel for spring break you need to plan it very carefully to maximize your time and to get good prices. Many colleges allow people to complete their final exams early. Try to do this and travel on a Wednesday or Thursday. Avoid peak days such as Friday and Saturday. You also want to come back on weekdays as they will be lower volume dates for travel. 

Many people fly to see their parents for Mother’s Day and for Father’s Day. These are important holidays that take place on a Sunday in May and then on a Sunday in June. Traveling on the actual day will save you money over flying out on the Friday or Saturday before. This way you can arrive on their special day and hang out for several days. Your return trip should be for one of the weekdays following the holiday instead of on the weekend. 

Thanksgiving is a common holiday that people travel for. Since it always falls on a Thursday, most people get an extended weekend so they can go visit for a few days or take a vacation. The peak of this vacation for travel takes place on the day before Thanksgiving. However, if you are willing to travel on Thanksgiving Day you can avoid the crowds. You will also find you save up to 50% of the price of getting there just by waiting less than 24 hours.

Most people return from their Thanksgiving vacation on the Sunday following the holiday. Try to avoid this day as well and return on the following Monday. Most employers want some people to be in the office on the Wednesday before so offer to do it in exchange for having the following Monday off. 

Christmas is another peak holiday travel occasion, and you will find the fares get much higher the closer it gets to the 25th of December. Try to travel before the 19th in order to take advantage of the best possible fares. If you won’t be able to stay through New Year’s that choose a day in the middle of the week after Christmas. These are often slower days than the weekends and you will get better prices.

Avoid travel on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day as they are two of the most popular travel dates of the year. Fares are often double what they normally would be so you will save yourself plenty of money and delays if you work around them when you travel for the holidays.