Nothing says Christmas like an...elephant?

Image credit: Ugly Christmas Lights
Read original article on AOL.

"Nothing says Christmas like an elephant," said Matt Phillips, creator of uglychristmaslights.com

I don't know about you, but I love seeing the extravagant, creative and sometimes over-the-top and tacky light displays that come out at Christmas.

My boyfriend and I sat in the car with the windows down, watching a Christmas display of lights that flashed in rhythm with Christmas songs that played from their backyard. My boyfriend felt awkward sitting in front of their house -- while I argued, "That's what the light display is for! So people can see them!"

If you're not afraid to be a stalker this one time of year and admire the outside of people's house, I would encourage you to go on the "Tacky Light Show." This website creates a fun opportunity for you and your family or friends to do some weekend night during the next couple weeks. If you type in your zip code on the website, it'll show you a map of all the light displays decorated with at least 10,000 lights within 25 miles of your zip code so you can go on a tour of all the extravagant light displays.

NFL Game Moved to Detroit - by Kristy

It's not every day Monday Night Football is played in Detroit. It's not every day that a team's home field will be dismantled and used for another team's home game. It's also not every day that a blizzard causes a football team's arena's roof to completely collapse.
This has been the case for the Minnesota Vikings. They were scheduled to host the New York Giants, however Mother Nature had different plans. Due to the arena's roof collapsing, the game was cancelled and rescheduled for Monday night at Detroit's Ford Field.
While this is clearly inconvenient for Minnesota and New York fans who were planning on going to the game in Minnesota, it's a unique gift to residents of the Detroit area. The game tonight was free and open to anyone who wanted to come. Since that announcement of free tickets was made yesterday, they have given them all away. Of course Minnesota and New York fans who had tickets for the game get first priority seating.
While this story might not fit in the ballpark of "inspiring" it is certainly unique and can be thought of as a positive for the Detroit football fan base.

In case you missed it: here's the video that captured the whole incident.

Be proud to be a geek - by Monica

Image credit: Thisnext. Read Katie's mom's blog here or read original articles on To Write Love On Her Arms or CNN.com

Today is "Proud to Be Me Day."

The day is hosted by 7-year-old Katie Goldman's school in Illinois in order to raise awareness of bullying. I couldn't believe all the support for this one girl who was made fun of in school. It's so inspiring that so many people took this stand against bullying to help this girl. It shows that, no matter how many bullies there are in the world, there are so many people willing to take a stand against it. Almost 30,000 people, attending on Facebook, are planning on taking part in this Geek Pride Day.

Katie is a huge fan of the "Star Wars" sagas, carrying around a "Star Wars" water bottle to school everyday. But then, the kids at school started making fun of her -- telling her that "Star Wars" is only for boys, not for girls. Katie was the only girl in class who was adopted, who wore glasses and had to wear a patch on her eye. And, so, she decided to change herself for the kids in her class -- bringing a pink water bottle to school instead of her "Star Wars" one so she could try and fit in in some aspect of her life.

Katie's mom posted a blog about what had happened, and the voice of Padme in the animated "Star Wars: Clone Wars" read it. So did blogger and fellow geek Jen Yates.

Catherine Taber, the voice of Padme, wrote: "I am [the] actress who has the great honor of being Padme Amidala on 'Star Wars: the Clone Wars!' I just wanted to tell Katie that she is in VERY good company being a female Star Wars fans...I know that Padme would tell you to be proud of who YOU are and know that you are not ALONE!THE FORCE is with you Katie!"

Katie received thousands of support from people she didn't knew -- and was sent "Star Wars" girl gear, a lightsaber and a cartoon of her as a Jedi.

So, today, broadcast what you're interested in, whether it's "Star Wars" like Katie or something else. I'm hoping this will help people to realize that you need to be whoever you want to be -- and stop making fun of people who are "different" than you.

Festive Lights - by Kristy

Looking for something to get in the holiday spirit? Drive through the festive lights in Wayne County Hines Park. The massive lights display extends for 4 miles. There is only a $5 donation per car, and believe me, it's worth the money. Come check it out, it will be open every night from 7-10pm until December 31st.

ASL - by Kristy

Today I wanted to share an inspiring story of my own. Last week when volunteering at the Children's Hospital, I met a young deaf girl. Since I had taken a year of American Sign Language at school, I introduced myself and she was so surprised and happy that I could communicate with her in sign. We ended up having a lot of fun playing with all sorts of toys. This girl was so witty, she was telling jokes through sign language and that is such an unbelievable sight to see. It just goes to show how you never know how, when, or where an opportunity to make a difference in some body's day can come up. The feeling you get is immeasurable and unexplainable.

Letting talents shine through - by Monica

Read the original article by me...featured in the Oakland Press on page A-2.

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of interviewing 16-year-old Danielle Purkey who is wise beyond her years.

I talked to her on the phone from Denver, where she was at a leadership conference. She received a scholarship for the conference, which paid for all of her expenses when in Denver. And I knew that she deserved this more than anyone.

Reading the e-mails her father had sent the Oakland Press, I knew immediately that I would like her. She has been volunteering with the Special Olympics since 2008. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for those with mental disabilities, especially since writing an article about the Special Olympics and seeing how excited the youth there were to be interviewed, to be noticed and to be treated like celebrities instead of being treated differently. My boyfriend is the manager in a group home for adults with mental disabilities like autism, and I have met all the guys he works with. So, when Danielle told me about her passion for those with mental disabilities and said, "I love them, they’re just so beautiful. People just aren’t aware of what the issues are. They are so gifted. They give me hugs whenever they see me. They are all so bright and wonderful," I knew exactly what she meant.

Her goal is to integrate those with mental disabilities into the work force based on their talents. And I really believe that, with this idea, Danielle will change the world. I think this is a really great idea. Sometimes, people treat those with mental disabilities like there is something wrong with them. But that's not true. I have met many people with mental disabilities who are so talented. And it's not fair for them just to be cooped up. They should get the chance to live out their dreams just like you and me. And that's the idea that Danielle has -- give people with mental disabilities the chance to show off their talents, the chance to live out their dreams.

Here's an example of a girl with special needs who is living out her dreams by being on the hit television show "Glee." She plays Becky on the television show, and she is my favorite character. She displays so much talent, a talent that Danielle wishes more people would let shine through:

The cauliflowers in the world - by Monica

Okay, first of all, this story begins with happy news and ends with happy news. But let's first start from the beginning. I met Frank and Catherine Genovese, owners of the Candy Cane CHRISTmas Tree Farm in Oxford Township. They helped the campaign Trees for Troops donate trees to military bases. I think this is great what they are doing for the troops and their families -- giving them a Christmas when they, otherwise, would have been without their families and without a holiday.

As I was leaving the tree farm yesterday afternoon, Frank said something that stuck with me. I had been having a hard time that day because, at work, I felt like all I did was make mistakes. Frank was showing me around the farm, showing me all the trees he was so proud of. And when I was about to leave to go back to the office, he hugged me. He only knew me for about 15 minutes, yet he hugged me and told me not to be like other journalists. He told me that, if a cauliflower wanted to be a broccoli and it became a broccoli, it wouldn't be a very good broccoli. So why settle for not being a very good broccoli when you were a great cauliflower all along?

And that really hit me. He could see something in me that I couldn't even see myself. And it made me realize, that's why I've been screwing up. That's why I haven't been on my best game lately. I've been trying to be like everybody else, trying to be that broccoli, when I was meant to be a cauliflower. If you try to be somebody you're not, if you're always worried about being that person others want you to be, you will screw up. But, as Frank taught me, why try to be something different when you're amazing just the way you are?