ce magazine December issue 2022

1

Somewhere on the Mountains, our Photographers , the Pierce Brothers and Sasha
have waited for Santa Claus to come out of the White Star and when he does a big
HO HO HO and a special one for Sasha, he yells Merry Christmas as they get their
magic photo dust!
Merry Christmas
2

Thanks to all who contributed to CE
Magazine. Have an article you would like
contribute? You can mail it to:
CE, P.O. Box 8619
Michigan City In 46360
Or E-Mail it to
computerease@juno.com
CE Magazine is part of OtherSide Ministries © all rights
reserved
Founder & Chief Editor
Peter Nadal
Editor
Pamela Kennoy
Art & Design
Peter Nadal
Our Writers
Rodrigo Esperanza
Nomar Shaw
Diane G
5
Michigan City, In
Vol 4 December 2022 issue 12
6 6 Hey Pete! Printing your ELF Stamp!
9 Biz Cards board!! Hey its free
10 CE MAGAZINE LINKS TABLET
11 Jerry’s New Life … Christmas Story
14 7 Safe Ways to Celebrate Christmas That
Have Nothing to Do With Zoom
18 Retailers need to stoke the Christmas
spirit to hit lofty holiday sales targets
23 December 7 th 1941
24 DAV Card
25 Christmas Card to our readers
Outside Sources On This Month issue
Santa Claus / Lisa Milbrand
Front Cover..
Picture by Oliver Pierce
“Waiting for Santa to come out of his star!”
Original Computer-Ease logo © product
Of Otherside Ministries
ELFS Books & Magazines
225 Rudolf lanes
North Pole
Vol 4 December 2022 issue 12
3

From Pete’s Desk
To our readers:
This has been a year and for some of
you getting your Christmas
decorations is plus for your home and
because of this it has put all of us in
a strong Christmas spirit, Santa and ELFS Books & Magazine
gave us the go ahead. My staff and I have put together a
Christmassy magazine and stories, from Santa Claus to make
this holiday a loved one. We got the permission from Santa
History Library, the story of “Jerry’s New Life” written about
1950’s!
This is our 4 th Santa and the staff decided to make the
magazine look like an old fashion book and the staff along with
Santa wants to keep this design!
We hope you enjoy this Christmas edition and like always we
hope we made your Christmas shopping easy.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Peter
4

Santa Claus made a stop somewhere in the World to give a present
only to learn that Joe gave his life for freedom. With tears in his
eyes he kneeled, and then he took off to drop off his presents. He
was amazed to see presents at veteran’s doors and to those who live
in tents, HoHoHo he let out a laugh and laid extra presents under
their Christmas tree for the love and kindness these people and
their children did!! Blessings to you and your family -- Have a
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Made Available by Elf’s Publishing Inc
5

Printing your ELF Stamp!
It is back again the most desirable
stamp this time of the year, an ELF
STAMP!
I found it some yrs ago and used on my
grandchildren‟s presents and it kept the miracle of Christmas alive for few
more yrs.
Press “PrtScn or Print Screen” on your keyboard then load “windows
paint” and paste it, with the select tool outline the whole ELF STAMP
then select crop then print it and use school paste (the blue one) with your
finger smear a very lightly amount… Works great especially on 13 yr
olds, have a very Merry Christmas
Or press Zazzle link to buy elf certified stamp stickers!
6

Some more of Santa elf‟s mailing dept…
7

8

9

CE MAGAZINE LINKS TABLET
By Nomar Shaw
The Legend of St. Nicholas: The Real Santa Claus
Where does Santa Claus live, where is Lapland and where
is the North Pole?
Real Santa Claus Images
Is Santa Claus Real?
10

Jerry‟s New Life
Jerry‟s life crashed when the factory closed its doors some 5 yrs
ago and everything crumbled for him. His mother and father died
after an avalanche heading home and Grandpa died 3 yrs ago. The
house was good enough for using it as a work shop, so, he attached
the medium trailer to rebuild the portion of the house that
crumbled. Winter, when it hits these valleys gets you stuck in your
home from all the snow. So, in Jerry‟s life he builds toys, tools for
dads and knit tablecloths for moms and he takes them to town and
sells them before Christmas. So, there won‟t be any Christmas
from the blizzard. Jerry was snowed in so he could not come up
with a fix, his ideas faded away; he looked up in desperation and
said “Lord, What do I do now?” Then he heard a knock on the
cabin door, he went to the door opened it and was surprised on
what he saw.
FOOD, all kinds of food in the box, enough for him for the next 3
months, but, what got him there were no tracks of any kind in the
snow! “Well, (why he scratches his head) it has to be either Santa
Claus or the Lord”
He brought the big box of food inside and he spent 3 hrs putting
cans food in his arms, when he got done, he looked in the box and
was absolutely amazed how all this food could fit in it. So, he took
toys for kids, tools for Dads and tablecloths for wives. When got
done, he lifted the box up and to his surprise, it weighed hardly
anything and put it out side.
11

Jerry made a great dinner and it‟s been a long time since he had a
dinner like this, washed his pot and pans, his plate and silverware,
put on his bed clothes and went to sleep. The next morning Jerry
went to the door to see how much snow fell and he saw a smaller
box he picked it up and he closed the door. He put it on his bench,
opened it and what he saw made him sit on the bench chair.
Jerry pulled out the money and counted $3500 and there was a note
and it said:
Needless to say Jerry was jumping up and down celebrating
everything he can get ready for. Well folks, that is the story of
Jerry and Santa Claus, they met and through it all Santa took Jerry
and all of his stuff and he is tops with
making all sort of toys and stuff.
Be good always believe in God and Santa
Claus stuff. Claus
Merry Christmas
Elf History Library circa 1950’s loaned to CEoMC
12

REALSIMPLE
7 Safe Ways to Celebrate Christmas That Have
Nothing to Do With Zoom
Here‟s how to find joy this holiday season—even if coronavirus cases change your
traditions.
By Lisa Milbrand
site
Click on REALSIMPLE for the main site or Lisa’s
This Christmas, it may be hard not to feel a little Grinchy. But before you say,
“Bah, humbug,” and try to fast forward into the New Year, look for ways to find
some fun this holiday season. The coronavirus pandemic may mean your Christmas
won‟t look exactly the same as it usually does, but you can get creative and find
13

some new ways to celebrate—and some of your ideas may be so good you‟ll make
some new traditions along the way.
Here‟s how to make your Christmas special, even if concerns about COVID-19
mean you‟ll have to celebrate the holidays away from your friends and family.
1 Prioritize the traditions that matter most to you
“Think about what is the essence of the holiday for you, so you can try to preserve
it,” says happiness expert Gretchen Rubin, author of Happier at Home. “Even if
you‟re not doing everything you used to, you can set up the holiday decorations, if
that‟s really important, or make the special foods you love.”
RELATED: How to Put Lights on a Christmas Tree
2 Do your gift shopping and shipping early
Since more people will be shopping online to avoid the stores, shipping companies
will be inundated—so you‟ll want to shop and send gifts early to make sure they
arrive right on time. (Check the USPS holiday shipping deadlines to make sure
you‟re on track.)
14

3 Trim a tree outdoors
Since you might be entertaining outdoors more than you usually do this time of
year, this is the year to go overboard with decking out your deck or patio—and
adorning an outdoor-friendly tree (or even a live Christmas tree in a planter) with
LED lights and shatterproof ornaments is the way to go. (Tip: Use twist ties or
florist‟s wire to secure the ornaments to the tree, so they‟ll stay put even in a stiff
wind.)
Maybe Santa could even leave some of the best outdoorsy Christmas gifts of the
year, such as snowshoes, skis, or sleds, at the outdoor tree, too.
4 Make special memories
Yeah, you and your household members may be a little tired of each other right
now, but think of fun ways to help set the holiday season apart. Create a little
advent calendar with festive activities for each day, rather than a treat. Your
Christmas activities don‟t have to be elaborate—it could just be drinking hot cocoa
together wearing Santa hats or watching one of the best Christmas movies on
Netflix—but it‟ll help make the season brighter.
5 Find ways to make the most of your time with loved ones
To keep everyone as safe as possible, your best bet is following CDC
recommendations and avoiding indoor get-togethers. (An outbreak of COVID is the
Christmas gift that no one wished for.) And that means if you live in the northern
part of the country, your time together will probably need to be briefer (and chillier)
than you‟d probably like. Zoom fatigue is real, though: If you can, make events inperson
and outdoors, even if it means a quick chat while everyone‟s bundled up.
When gathering in person outdoors, consider keeping celebrations to the daytime
hours, when it might be a little bit warmer and more comfortable to spend time
outside. Look for outdoor activities that can be socially distanced and keep you
active, like sledding or snow-fort making. And don‟t forget to serve hot foods and
drinks to help keep everyone toasty. Do your Secret Santa or white elephant gift
exchange around an outdoor picnic table or fire pit; for ugly sweater competitions,
15

strategize layering options so you can show off your light-up sweater and stay warm
at the same time.
6 Spread some joy
If 2020 has taught us anything, it‟s how much the people in our lives mean to us, so
go ahead and spread some happiness where you can. Write down how much the
people you love mean to you and send it out to them. Make Christmas cookies and
leave some with your friends and neighbors—or drop off pizza or other treats at a
local nursing home, hospital, or fire department to brighten the lives of the people
there.
RELATED: 23 Amazing Gift Ideas That Don‟t Cost A Thing
7 Remember that what’s different may make this holiday more special
You may not remember exactly what happened at the holidays from year to year,
but when something this different happens, it‟ll stick out. “Things that go wrong
often make the best memories,” Rubin says. “This exceptional holiday season will
probably be more memorable because it‟s so different. We just have to find a way
to make the most of it.”
For more on this article and video click HERE
Click on REALSIMPLE for more great articles
16

Retail
Retailers need to stoke the Christmas spirit
to hit lofty holiday sales targets
Published Wed, Dec 1 2021 3:11 PM EST Updated Thu, Dec 2 2021 11:13 AM EST
Melissa Repko @melissa_repko
Lauren Thomas @laurenthomas
Key Points
Target, Walmart and other retailers hope to keep holiday sales going strong in
December, despite a wave of early holiday shopping, scarcer deals and new concerns
over the omicron variant.
The total number of shoppers and average spending dropped during the extended
Thanksgiving weekend compared with each of the past two years, according to the
National Retail Federation.
The trade group has reiterated its forecast for a record holiday season and
projected a total of between $843.4 billion and $859 billion of sales in November and
December.
17

Shoppers ascend and descend an escalator at the Willow Grove Park Mall in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, November 14,
2020.
Mark Makela | Reuters
Is it beginning to look a lot like Christmas? Perhaps not, this year.
With 24 days until the big holiday, retailers hope consumers will keep spending. Shoppers
started purchasing holiday gifts early this year, but the Thanksgiving weekend shopping events,
from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, weren‟t as strong as some had hoped.
Although analysts expect retail sales will hit lofty expectations, there is a lack of holiday buzz,
according to Deborah Weinswig, founder and CEO of Coresight Research.
“Typically, people are like „How‟s your holiday shopping going? What are you getting so-andso?,‟”
she said. “I feel like some of that we don‟t have this year — and I‟m not sure why it is.”
She said that could be due to consumers feeling distracted by the return of family gatherings
and bigger parties, disenchanted by inflated prices or more measured about their shopping
approach as they work ahead to avoid out-of-stocks and shipping delays.
And while she anticipates that retailers will put up a solid performance, she said it will be
interesting to see how much of that comes from inflation and more merchandise that is bought
at full price rather than an increase in volume sold.
‘Halftime’ instead of the kickoff
Retailers including Amazon, Walmart and Target blasted holiday deals and Black Friday-style
promotions as early as October. Consumers had other motivators this holiday season to buy
gifts early, too. Instead of chasing deep discounts or nabbing the hot, must-have gift, many had
fears of not finding anything worth buying because of supply chain woes. For months, shoppers
heard about temporarily shuttered factories, congested ports and a shortage of truck drivers.
That wave of early shopping may have stolen some of the thunder from major shopping
holidays, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The total number of shoppers and average
spending dropped during Thanksgiving weekend, which spans from Thursday to Cyber
Monday, according to the National Retail Federation. Nearly 180 million Americans shopped
during the five-day holiday weekend compared with about 186 million shoppers in 2020 and
about 190 million in 2019, the trade group said.
Average spending fell, too, with Thanksgiving weekend shoppers forking over an average of
$301.27 on holiday-related purchases versus $311.75 in 2020 and $361.90 in 2019, NRF said.
Consumers spent $10.7 billion on Cyber Monday, marking a 1.4% decrease from year-ago
levels, according to data released Tuesday by Adobe Analytics. That is the first time that Adobe
has tracked a slowdown in spending on major shopping days since it started reporting on e-
18

commerce transactions in 2012. However, it comes after last holiday season when spending on
the shopping holiday grew by 15.1% versus 2019.
The price point of shopping carts rose by nearly 14% on Cyber Monday — and 19% for the
holiday season overall — as some shoppers bought big-ticket items like furniture and others felt
the pang of inflation, Adobe said.
NRF CEO Matt Shay said early shopping has shaken up the role of peak sales days. Consumers
started buying gifts, decor and more in October a year ago to avoid crowds. This year, supply
chain concerns pushed up that timetable once again.
“The Thanksgiving weekend and Black Friday, in particular, are closer to halftime now than the
kickoff,” he said.
Shay said NRF stands by its forecast for a record holiday season. The trade group projected
spending in November and December will rise between 8.5% and 10.5%, for a total of between
$843.4 billion and $859 billion of sales.
Holiday retail sales have risen by 4.4% on average over the past five years, NRF said. Last year,
they hit an all-time high of $777.3 billion, which represented a 8.2% year over year jump.
Steve Sadove, former chairman and CEO of Saks and a current senior advisor for Mastercard,
said he expects a strong season for the retail industry. He points to pent-up demand among
consumers who have higher levels of savings.
Mastercard SpendingPulse forecasts U.S. retail sales, excluding autos and gas, to grow 7.4%
from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 from year-ago levels. It sees sales up 11.1% compared with 2019.
And Sadove reiterated that expectation even after some data showed Black Friday and Cyber
Monday demand tapering from each of the past two prior years. Mastercard sees particular
strength in the luxury space, jewelry and apparel, compared with 2020 and 2019 levels.
“Clearly, it‟s been a spread out season,” he said. “Retailers started their promotions early. Black
Friday wasn‟t about just that day.”
A new variant and scarce deals
To hit high expectations, retailers will have to overcome fears of the new strain of the
coronavirus, nudge shoppers to buy despite scarce deals and fight off a potential December lull.
News of the omicron variant broke just as Black Friday shoppers geared up for store visits.
Some shoppers have run into unavailable items. Out-of-stock messages surged by 169% in the
month of November compared to pre-pandemic levels in January 2020, according to data from
Adobe Analytics. They are more than triple (258%) the levels of November 2019.
19

And discounting has been lackluster — even on shopping holidays. On Cyber Monday, for
instance, discount levels for electronics were 12% off versus 27% last year, TVs were 13% off
versus 18% last year and appliances were 8% off versus 20% last year, according to Adobe.
Those discounts are expected to fade even more and settle into the 5% to 10% range in the
weeks ahead, the company predicted.
NRF‟s Shay said the omicron variant could actually lead to more sales for retailers. He said
some consumers who had planned to book a trip, buy theater tickets or give another experiential
gift may opt for goods instead.
And even as public health officials and consumers learn more about the variant, he said “there‟s
no need to panic.” He said the backdrop looks very different this holiday season, thanks to the
majority of Americans being fully vaccinated.
“We remain confident that we will continue to have a very positive trajectory in the overall
economy and specifically, the retail industry, for this holiday season,” he said.
Fighting December lull
A wave of early shopping could increase the risk of a December lull, said Craig Johnson,
founder of the consumer research firm CGP.
The December lull in the retail industry refers to those few weeks after Black Friday and Cyber
Monday and before the final days leading up to Christmas Eve when consumers may feel
shopped out and decide to put their wallets aside for a pause in spending.
Johnson said he has tracked the lull for more than a decade. As retailers pull promotions earlier
and earlier into the season, they can steal sales from later in the season without increasing
overall demand, he said.
“People are either de-energized or they‟re taking a breather,” he said.
According to his company‟s estimates, U.S. retail sales online and in stores on Black Friday
totaled a record $34.9 billion, up 18% from a year earlier and up 12% from 2019. It is
forecasting sales for the entire holiday season, including November and December, to be up
6.7% year over year.
He said two wildcards — the omicron variant and the rise of smash-and-grab crimes — could
spook customers from returning to stores. In recent weeks, Best Buy, Nordstrom and Louis
Vuitton have all been targets of organized retail crime.
“That puts a damper on everything,” Johnson said. “There could be an exacerbated December
lull if that activity keeps popping.”
20

NRF‟s Shay said shoppers still have plenty of gifts to buy. About 84% of shoppers said they
have already started holiday purchases, according to a survey of nearly 6,000 consumers in late
November by the trade group. On average, they said they have completed about 52% of their
holiday purchases, the survey found — meaning they have a little under half of their purchases
still to make.
Extended discounts, shoppable events and new merchandise are among the ways that retailers
aim to grab attention and sustain momentum.
The day after Cyber Monday, Rent the Runway sent an email to potential customers saying its
one-day-only sale had been extended for another day. Fashion retailer Rebecca Minkoff‟s
marketing email blasted out on Tuesday read: “Surprise! It‟s Cyber Tuesday!” Athletic apparel
maker Bandier extended its deals. Department store chain Saks Fifth Avenue also had a twoday
Cyber Monday promotion, similar to previous years.
Target will debut a limited-time collection of nearly 300 Lego-themed items in early December
on its website and in stores. It will include colorful clothing, home goods, pet accessories and
more. The big-box retailer has a long history of using short-term collaborations with brands,
such as Hunter, Lilly Pulitzer and more, as a way to drive foot traffic and web traffic.
And Walmart will have more than 30 livestreaming events over the holidays to point out
products people may want to add to the gift list.
Delayed shipments: A blessing or a curse
Delayed shipments could be a blessing in disguise for some retailers, if they receive inventory
in the next week or two that could freshen up store displays and fill up emptying shelves,
Johnson said.
“There may be a silver lining that alleviates some of the early December lull issues,” he said.
“But I think the risk is still more to the downside than the upside.”
Retailers could lure some people back to spend more money if they clearly communicate about
new inventory or new deals, said Adam Pressman, a partner at the multi-industry consulting
firm AlixPartners. Not everyone will have the flexibility to expand their budgets, he said, but
some consumers do.
“Customers who were buying in early October versus potentially the end of November might be
open to additional purchases or other things that are coming back into stock,” he said.
Mastercard‟s Sadove said the biggest challenges could come after the holidays. Retailers may
receive a delayed shipments of inventory that is out of season, and wind up with a glut of items.
That would trigger a higher level of markdowns.
21

“The supply chain could mess things up quite a bit,” he said. “Let‟s say you‟re a retailer that has
Christmas trim that comes in February.
Click on the Link : holiday sales targets for more information
As American and Veteran I will never forget all those who served and
perished. For those who are still here you’re not alone, enjoy your
grandchildren and great grandchildren. At 11:48 am central times (7:48 am
Hawaii) give a toast to their memory, with tears in my eyes, to all the
brothers and sisters that gave it all, salute!
22

23

From my family and staff to your family, have a
Merry Christmas and May Peace dwell in your home.
From:
Peter Nadal, Pam Kennoy, Rodrigo Esperanza,
Nomar Shaw, Diane G and Big Poppa
And
The Nanomites
24