Cruel Christmas Commercial

Christmas time is my absolute favorite time of the year!  I love how the spirit of giving is in the air and everyone just seems so happy.  I also love watching Christmas movies.

I even love Christmas commercials.  My favorite that I look for every year is the one that features Hershey's kisses acting as hand bells and playing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."  A newer favorite is the Well Fargo commercial where the snowmen give the Well Fargo horses their carrot noses to eat so that the team can carry on with their Christmas deliveries.  I tear up every time!

While watching Hairspray Live, a new commercial appeared for Comcast Xfinity.  It showed an elderly couple sitting on a couch reading a social media post from their granddaughter.  The post read:  "I am about to enter the gates of hell where there is no wifi and no shows...aka grandmas."

The confused woman asks her husband what this could possibly mean.  The man replied that it means they are out of date.  In a flurry of activity, the couple hurriedly upgrades their house with the latest technology.  A big screen TV, computers, WIFI, etc.  The commercial then shows the granddaughter taking selfies with her grandma and falling asleep with her head in grandma's lap while watching TV.

Honestly, I am shocked that this commercial was even aired.  Boiling Christmas memories down to playing on the Internet is simply abominable.  Electronic devices are not what Christmas is all about.

I cannot believe that the granddaughter is so selfish that she cannot be without her precious technology for one day.  Instead of having her face buried in a screen, she should be cherishing the time that she is able to spend with her family.

I lost my grandmother to Mantel Cell Lymphoma two years ago.  She was quite literally the heartbeat of my family.  All of my favorite childhood Christmas memories involve her.

Since my birthday is on Christmas day, she would give my family Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve.  But she would not simply have the gifts lying under the tree.  That was not Grandma's way!  She was all about preserving the magic of Christmas.

Every year, she would have some item that was "broken" that she needed my dad to fix.  He would ask me to help and we would go into her garage and get to work.  When the item had been repaired, we would emerge to find piles of gifts underneath the Christmas tree.

Grandma and Mom would be sitting at the kitchen table, calmly sipping their coffee.  I would see the presents and scream that Santa had been there.  Mom and Grandma would look shocked as they entered the living room.  They would continue to talk about how sneaky Santa was because they hadn't heard a thing.

Grandma's Christmas Eve feast was definitely a highlight of the season.  She was the best cook in the world and had no problem whipping up a five course meal from scratch.  As a special treat, she would always make popcorn shrimp because she knew that I loved it.  Her green beans with the small cubes of ham and tiny onions were always a crowd pleaser.

Christmas day held even more magic.  Grandma would come to my parent's house where we would play board games until late into the night.  Her favorite game?  Aggravation.  She would viciously race her marbles around the board and jokingly say, "I'm going to take you out!"

Since Grandma's passing in 2014, Christmas has never been the same.  I miss getting to see her house decked out in Christmas decorations from floor to ceiling.  I miss playing games and listening to her tell stories about her childhood and life.  Most of all, I miss the hugs and kisses.

I cannot imagine missing out on knowing the amazing person that Grandma was because of social media and the Internet.  What values are we as a society instilling in our children?  Ignore your family and watch cat videos?  Don't bother creating lasting memories because it's all about posting a viral holiday selfie?

Why should the grandparents in the commercial have to buy their granddaughter's love with gadgets and gizmos?  Why is the granddaughter allowed to publicly insult her grandparents?  Where is the #respect?

Especially in an era where cyber bullying runs rampant, why are the girl's comments supposed to be viewed as "funny" instead of insulting and hurtful?  Have we as human beings really sunk so low that being without the Internet on Christmas day is viewed as going to "the gates of hell?"

There are hundreds of homeless people on the streets who would love nothing more than to spend Christmas inside of a cozy home eating a good home cooked meal.  There are children lying in hospital beds who would cherish getting to spend Christmas in their own home surrounded by friends and family instead of doctors and nurses.  Let us not forget about the brave men and women who are serving our country in the armed forces and are unable to be with their families so that we can be with ours.

Comcast Xfinity's commercial highlights the selfishness of today's youth as well as our society's dependence on social media and the Internet.  It showcases our humanistic need to be accepted by showing that our value as people is evident in the items that we possess.  Needless to say, I will not be supporting this company in any way, shape or form.

To me, Christmas has always been about love, joy and being thankful for my blessings.  I could not care less about what goes on in the digital world on Christmas Eve and Christmas day.  Nothing means more to me than spending time with my family.

Children's Book Review Author Showcase

I am so honored to be featured in the Author Showcase on The Children's Book Review website!  Check out the review below!



https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/weblog/2016/12/priceless-penny-by-lauren-kramer-theuerkauf-press-release.html

Literary Classics Book Awards and Reviews: Priceless Penny, by Lauren Kramer-Theuerkauf, earn...

Literary Classics Book Awards and Reviews: Priceless Penny, by Lauren Kramer-Theuerkauf, earn...: Penny, a pound puppy, anxiously awaits adoption day.  She's so excited to find a family to love and take her home with them.  But Pe...

BarkWorld Expo 2016

My suitcase had been packed for two weeks.  I meticulously planned each outfit down to what jewelry I would be wearing.  Now the day that I had circled on my calendar had finally arrived.

As we began our eight hour car drive to Atlanta, Georgia, I started to imagine what BarkWorld would be like.  Would there be dogs as far as the eye can see?  Would I actually be able to hobnob with celebrities?

 We checked into our hotel and decided to grab some lunch.  Afterwords, we headed to the Loews Hotel to get registered for BarkWorld.  We received our badges and an epic swag bag.

My official BarkWorld badge!

Check out all of the amazing items in our swag bags!

The first event to be held was Bark in the City.  We were able to dine out on the terrace of the Loews Hotel with other expansion pass holders and their pooches.

 

 

 

I was so excited to see my favorite blogging dog, Preston!

I melted when I met Max!  Look at that underbite!

Meet Echo!  This adorable husky was a perfect gentleman.

Mango is a certified therapy dog with TDI!

On Thursday, we started bright and early with a tour of the CNN building.  Having majored in Mass Communications-Journalism, I loved every minute!

 Live from CNN, it's Lauren!

This is an actual set from inside a studio at CNN.

After lunch, we headed back to the Loews Hotel for BarkBites, a speed-dating session for brands and influencers.  It was fast-paced, but we met some amazing people and learned about some truly philanthropic companies.  Shorty Rossi then took the stage with his amazing Pitbull, Francis!

 Shorty and Francis were awesome!

Bark's Nite Out was a fun dining event where we got to meet even more fabulous pet influencers and, of course, more dogs!

 Cocoa the Chihuahua could not be any more adorable in that tutu!

 This pooch was rescued from Sochi!  He has an issue with one of his back legs, but you would never know it!

 It's Instagram sensation Leona the Lion!

 Check out Louie rocking that sweater!

I always love meeting wheelchair doxies!

Friday was a marathon of keynote speakers.  It was exhausting, but I learned so much!

I was beyond honored to do a book swap with Seth Casteel!

Forget posing with cats!  Travis DesLauier posed with a copy of Priceless Penny!

Aly from Why Does My Dog is a fantastic speaker and an awesome person!

Meeting Deirdre from Pinups for Pitbulls was amazing!  Her passion for Pitbulls is contagious and she is an amazing speaker!

We then took a break to support Tomlyn Products.  They are going to send a case of their product to dogs serving in the armed forces for every photo they are tagged in.

After dinner, we were treated to a private screening of the ASPCA's Second Chance Dogs!  I only cried at the end.

On Saturday, we listened to more fabulous keynote speakers.  They were hilarious as well as informative.

I was beyond excited to meet Brian Fanzo!  He even flashed the signature peace sign in honor of Priceless Penny!

Meeting Nala cat's parents was amazing!

I loved listening to presenters Bryan Kramer and Daniel Lemin.

Hamming it up with Shorty and Francis.

I am proud to be a Rescue Hero and support Halo Pets!

April and Binky are from Happy Tabby Cat Cafe right in Atlanta!

 

I was sad to see the conference end.  I was blessed to make so many new friends who also have a passion for rescuing animals.  All of the celebrities that I met were so friendly and down to earth.  We will definitely be back next year!

This is exactly how I felt at the end of BarkWorld!

 

Book Trailer: Priceless Penny

Priceless Penny Book Trailer

Nullifying No

My husband is one of the hardest working people that I know.  He goes above and beyond the normal expectations of his job daily.  And he simply refuses to give up on a project until it is completed.  Maybe that is the reason why I only get to see him on the weekends...

Even though *Cole has remained loyal to the same company for six years, promotions seem to be elusive.  When a position does manage to become available, the job is simply handed to someone that is chosen by the powers that be.  No interviews are even offered to interested employees.  So much for loyalty.

I began to see the warning signs two years ago.  New responsibilities were being piled onto my husband without any talk of compensation.  He also found himself working numerous back to back open to close shifts.  Did I mention that he has a two hour commute?

While Cole is very proud of the work that he does, I can tell that it is simply wearing him down.  He hardly ever gets enough sleep and he certainly does not have any time to relax or unwind.  I told him that it might be time to start looking for other job opportunities.

At first, he seemed excited at the possibility of finding a new job.  Maybe he would finally be able to work a normal schedule.  He might actually be able to spend time with me and our fur babies.  That's about the time when the no's started rolling in.

Cole would check his e-mail every morning.  I learned to stop asking if he had any nibbles.  Breakfast time was soon filled with expletive laced rants about how unfair the working world is.

By week two, a definite change had come over Cole.  Instead of being angry, he was something far worse:  defeated.  He had completely given up.  All of the rejections had taken their toll on his self esteem.

I am not going to lie; I do not have much sympathy for him.  I know what you are thinking.  How can I be such a heartless wife?  The truth is, I know the great potential that lies within Cole.  I also know that he has a tendency of being meek.  When life pushes him around, he refuses to push back.

However, I find that the "no's" in life are what fuel my passion and drive to succeed.  I see every "no" as a challenge.  A chance to shatter all expectations and show the world what I can do. 

I refuse to let the "no's" define me.  When one bank refused to give us a loan for our house, I did not sit in a corner and cry.  I grabbed the phone book and started dialing.  We have now been in our wonderful home for four years.

I wrote a manuscript for a children's book about our three-legged dog, Penny.  I sent my story to every literary agency that I could find.  The flood gates of rejection soon opened.

Most were just generic canned messages.  Some stated that there isn't a market for my story.  Others claimed that it did not have a hook (something to grab the reader's attention).  But something inside of me refused to give up.  I was determined to prove the naysayers wrong.

I decided to self publish my story.  I even went a step further and created my own company:  Theuerkauf's Tails, LLC.  The illustrations have been tested on children in my target audience group.  The result?  Children love Penny!

The book, Priceless Penny, is going to be published at the end of this month.  The book launch party is being held at Stray Rescue St. Louis.  Penny and her amazing spirit are going to change the way that people view differently-abled animals.

Cole needs to realize that there is great power in the word "no."  It should never be seen as an ending, but a chance to fight for a new beginning. 


*Name has been changed