15 Signs You Might Be a Christmas Fanatic

December is here and, finally, we are fully free to let our Christmas fanatic freak flag fly!

We survived October and all the Facebook posts bemoaning the early stocking of store shelves.

We soared through November and the cries of: “It’s not even Thanksgiving yet!”

And now it’s December, the most wonderful time of the year.

Are you a Christmas fanatic?  Perhaps just a fan?

Here are 15 signs you might be a certifiable Christmas fanatic:

1.       You know your cookie sprinkles. 

2.       You’re annoyed when the stores wait so long to display Christmas product. 

3.       You give your storage boxes a “pat-pat” in the summertime and say:
“See you soon!” 

4.       Your Christmas cookies are too good to eat (you eat them anyway, of course).

5.       Your Christmas Pinterest boards have sub-boards. 

6.       You were secretly offended when someone decided Christmas sweaters were ugly.

7.       You love decorating for Halloween mostly because Christmas is soon to follow. 

8.       You know your blow mold from your blow-up. 

9.       You appreciate an occasional skinny Santa.

10.   Your favorite foods are candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup (and your favorite movie is “Elf.”)

11.   You’ve embraced colors beyond the red and green.

12.   You and the neighbors debate C9s versus C7s. 

13.   You’re nostalgic for melted popcorn decorations. 

14.   You take hot chocolate very seriously.

15.   You still feel a sense of excitement on Christmas Eve.  

Surely, I could list 100 more ways we Christmas fanatics celebrate the season. 

What’s the most over-the-top way you show off your Christmas spirit? 

Can You Prove You are You? 3 Ways to Protect Your Identity if Disaster Strikes

Imagine a fire, a flood, a tornado taking everything – your home and all of its contents. Imagine your laptop, smart phone, files and wallet - gone, too. Could you recreate your identity? Could you prove you are who you say you are?

Could you prove you are YOU?

Victims of Hurricane Katrina faced this complicated form of “identify theft” when flood waters washed away everything they ever owned, as described in this story.

·         Passports and birth certificates: gone

·         Keys to bank deposit boxes: gone

·         Driver’s licenses, utility bills, credit cards: gone

                             

      

September was National Preparedness Month and we heard an awful lot about emergency kits and safety plans. Indeed, I wrote about three different kinds of kits here. But perhaps the most important kit of all is the Identity Kit – a collection of all the data needed to rebuild one’s life – should disaster strike.

The Identity Kit

Like any emergency kit, it’s better to have some kind of Identify Kit versus no kind of Identity Kit. Here are three options for safeguarding your important information (a list of vital documents follows):

Old School: take TWO front and back copies of all important cards and documents. Keep one set in a safe location in your home. Make sure you remember where it is and that it’s accessible in an emergency. Secure the other set with a trusted person in another state or city.

Tech All the Way: use spreadsheets, inventory software, or password managers to track account numbers, usernames, and other important data. Upload pictures and photocopies, too. Store everything in the cloud for easy access anywhere.

Diversify: if Old School seems too limited, and Tech All the Way too risky, a combination of paper copies, electronic docs and cloud storage will cover all bases.

THE IDENTITY KIT
IDENTITY DOCUMENTS	Birth Certificates Marriage Certificate/Divorce Certificate Passports Social Security Cards Driver’s Licenses/State Issued ID Cards
FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS	Bank Accounts Credit Card Accounts Investment Accounts Securities & Trusts Last Tax Return Loan Documents Outstanding Debts Safe Deposit Box Key
PROPERTY	Mortgage Papers/Deed Other Properties (rentals, vacation homes) Car Title(s) Other Titles (boat, motorcycle, RV) Inventory of Home Contents
INSURANCE DOCUMENTS	Home Insurance Policy Car Insurance Policy Life Insurance Policy
MEDICAL DOCUMENTS	Health Insurance Cards Medical Records List of RX Medications
LEGAL DOCUMENTS	Wills Medical Directives Powers of Attorney Business Documents
DON’T FORGET	Phone Numbers (lots of people don’t know these anymore) Cash (small denominations) Complete List of Passwords & Logins

Richard Kline said:

Confidence is Preparation.

Everything else is beyond your control.

Emergency Preparedness brings peace of mind.

Build your Emergency Kits.

Make your Emergency Plans.

Everything else is beyond our control.

The following websites have loads of information about disaster preparedness:

The American Red Cross

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Ready.gov (a part of FEMA)

EmergencyKits.com

Survival Supply

Beyond Canned Food and Flashlights | 3 Things You Must Know about Disaster Preparedness

The Pacific Northwest flies under the radar as natural disasters go. We get the occasional wind storm or mudslide, and forest fires are certainly a summertime regular, but tornadoes and hurricanes or weeks of sub-zero temps mostly stay away.

Which is partly why the recent article in The New Yorker entitled The Really Big One by Karen Schulz shook Oregon and Washington residents to their collective core.

An earthquake of absolutely epic proportions is lying in wait just off the coast of the Pacific Northwest.

The Cascadia subduction zone, a fault line where the Juan de Fuca oceanic plate is slowly forcing its way under the North America tectonic plate, is part of the “ring of fire.” Lesser known than the famous San Andreas fault, the Cascadia subduction zone is becoming a household name on the west coast. When these dueling plates give way, and they will, the resulting earthquake could register an astounding 9.3. The tsunami that follows will destroy everything in its path.

From the article: “Our operating assumption is that everything west of Interstate 5 will be toast,” says Kenneth Murphy, who directs FEMA’s Region X, the division responsible for Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska.

 

FEMA projects:

 

     ·         13000 deaths

     ·         27000 injuries

     ·         1M displaced people needing shelter

     ·         2.5 M people needing food and water

Survivors will face months if not years of rebuilding.

Planning for this sort of devastation is so overwhelming it seems almost pointless,

and that might be one of the reasons most of us have neither an emergency kit nor an emergency plan.

September is National Preparedness Month and this is the third in a four part series of posts on Emergency Kits. Thus far we’ve talked about the Car Kit and the Under Bed Kit. This week we will focus on the Stay at Home Kit.

 The Stay at Home Kit

We must understand these THREE ESSENTIALS when building our Stay at Home Emergency Kits.

 

1.       You're On Your Own

When disaster hits, police, fire and medical go to the hardest hit, most highly populated areas. Folks in the suburbs and rural areas may not see emergency help for days.

 

Be prepared to:

          ·         Dress your own wounds
          ·         Turn off your own gas and water (if necessary)
          ·         Repair your own residence
          ·         Share equipment with neighbors (generators, fire extinguishers,
                    ladders)
          ·         Care for children and elderly

2.       It Could Last a Long Time

Utilities, city services, roads and bridges will be restored and repaired in due time, but be prepared to live without creature comforts for more than the standard 72 hours.

The following will serve you well:

               ·         Camping equipment
               ·         Water purification systems
               ·         Solar powered devices
               ·         Dehydrated foods
               ·         Non-local communication contact

3.       Any Kit is Better than No Kit

It’s easy to become overwhelmed with all this planning, but experts assure us any action is better than no action. Start by stashing emergency supplies in one central location, a little at a time. Eventually you will have a well-stocked Stay at Home Kit. Click on the links below for more information about certain items.

THE STAY AT HOME KIT
Container	Large Sturdy Bin (wheels are a plus)   Large Trash Can with Lid (wheels are   a plus)   Assorted Bins for Smaller Items   with Labels
First Aid	Advanced First Aid Kit   Sunscreen   Bug Repellant   Prescription Medications   Anti-Diarrheal   Pain Relief/Fever Reducer   Antihistamine
Shelter & Warmth	Generator    Tent/Tarp     Extra Blankets/Sleeping Bags     Space Blankets     Stocking Hat     Warm Gloves       Warm Coat/Rain Coat     Complete Change of Clothes       Shoes & Socks     Warming Packets     Sunglasses
Hands/Feet/Head Protection	Sturdy Shoes     Work Gloves     Hard Hat
Water	Bottled Water      (1 gallon/person/day)     Water Filter System     Water Containment System     Bleach/Eyedropper       Hot Water Heater     Pool/Hot Tub Water (ok for bathing    or flushing)
Food	Non-perishable Dry Goods     Canned Goods     Dry Milk     Peanut Butter     Nuts/Bars     Instant Coffee/Tea     Powdered Energy Drinks     Emergency Supply of Food
Important Docs	ID Documents     Cash (small denominations)
Tools	All Purpose Tool Kit    Leatherman Tool/ Pocket    Knife/Utility Knife     Wrench (to turn off natural gas)     Duct Tape     Rope     Dust Masks     Goggles     Crowbar
Communication	Radio (solar, crank or battery)    Hard Line Phone    Mobile Phones    Whistles
Lighting	Head-mounted Flashlights    Flashlights (solar, crank or battery)    Lanterns (solar, crank, battery    or propane)    Candles (contained)    Lighter/Waterproof Matches    Glow Sticks
Power	Generator    Batteries    Solar Chargers    Extension Cords
Fire Safety	Fire Extinguishers    Kitchen    Garage    Each Floor
Food Prep	Camping Stove & Fuel    BBQ Grill & Fuel or Charcoal    Cooking Pot(s)    Cooking Utensils    Can Opener    Knives    Corkscrew    Plastic Plates, Cups & Eating Utensils
Hygiene &   Sanitation	Wet Wipes    Hand Sanitizer    Antibacterial Dish Soap    Laundry Soap    Unscented Bleach    Sponge    Towels    Paper Towels    Garbage Bags
Toiletries/Personal Items	Glasses    Contact Case & Saline    Hearing Aid Batteries    Toilet Paper    Toothbrush, Toothpaste and Floss    Tissues    Cotton Balls & Swabs    Shampoo & Conditioner    Body Wash or Soap    Wash Cloths & Towels    Deodorant    Lotion    Razor & Shaving Cream    Nail File    Feminine Products
Baby/Children	Formula & Bottles    Baby Food    Kid Food/Snacks    Diapers & Wipes    Change of Clothes    Blanket(s)    Comfort Item    Crayons/Markers    Books/Activity Books
Pets (have your pet microchipped, if possible)	Collar with Tags   Leash   Food & Treats   Kennel/Cage   Toy/Chew Toy
Entertainment/Misc.	Playing Cards   Pen & Paper   Scissors   Prayer Items   Books & Puzzle Books   Toys & Games   Crafts & Projects

 It’s impossible to prepare for every sort of disaster, but it IS possible to do something today.

 Talk to your family.

Start making a plan.

Start building your kit. 

Remember: doing something is better than doing nothing!

Come back next week for our final kit: the IDENTITY KIT

By the way, the following websites have loads of information about disaster preparedness:

The American Red Cross

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Ready.gov (a part of FEMA)

EmergencyKits.com

Survival Supply