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All Things German In California

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Save the Date – Newport Beach Film Fest and German Spotlight

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The 19th annual Newport Beach Film Festival is just one month away, but you can start preparing yourself already for eight days of awesome films and fun events. The Film Fest starts April 26th and runs through May 3.

The German Spotlight movie itself is still a guarded secret, we were told – it will be revealed on April 1st – but we can tell you that this year’s screening of the German Spotlight movie will be on May 1st and take place in the same center as the after-party. This will make for a relaxed evening with a smooth transition from one venue to the other. We like it!

To get in the mood for this year’s event check out the 2017 Flipbook of last year’s Newport Beach Film Fest, or buy this year’s Festival Pass already so you’ll have full access to everything going on. Individual tickets will go on sale in April.

Stay tuned and check by often, not only for the announcement of this year’s special German Spotlight movie but also so you won’t miss our raffling off Two FREE Tickets for it!!

Image: ©Newport Beach Film Festival

Santa Arrived Early This Year, But… Did He Get The Countries Mixed Up?

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Santa Claus seems to have decided to start delivering Christmas gifts early this year.

At least that’s how Santa Claus, Inc. and Youth Enrichment Services (YES!) must have felt when they received a truckload of about 2000 (!) Scrabble games and 1000 Dice Games from their largest national donor Mattel.

Not only was this an overwhelmingly large amount of Scrabble and Dice games but they turned out to be all in GERMAN! Did Santa get the countries mixed up?

Unsure about what exactly caused this unexpected gift to their non-profit, Santa Claus, Inc. in San Bernardino decided to let Christmas gifting start early for German Schools all around Los Angeles and beyond.

Tirelessly Santa Claus, Inc. has been contacting several German schools since then, hoping to donate some of the games and to make some young German language learners happy.

To their surprise playing Santa has not been all that easy!  Gifting German Scrabble games has turned into a much more challenging undertaking.

Only a few of  Southern California German schools followed the calling. The German American School Association (GASA) had the right idea and chartered a small van to pick up a truckload of games at the charity and so did German Pacific School of San Diego (GPSSD). However, about 1000 games still remain begging to get picked up.

To all German schools out there:  Scrabble is a perfect game to help your students improve and learn German the fun and engaging way. It helps practice vocabulary and encourages conversation on top of it.

So what are you waiting for? Contact Santa Claus Inc. and get your German Scrabble games today!

Contact: karen.dicarlo@santaclausinc.com

Introducing Santa Claus, Inc. and Youth Enrichment Services (YES!) 

Santa Claus, Inc. provides critical assistance to children in the Inland Empire by supporting and strengthening the family unit through its community based programs. Through its 65 year existence Santa Claus, Inc. has dedicated its mission to over 1,000,000 children in need throughout local communities. Santa Claus, Inc. operates with a core group of approximately 300 volunteers, a staff of two fulltime and two part time employees, and through the generosity of local and national businesses and community partners. In 2016 Santa Claus, Inc. served over 100,000 children, over 500% more than in 2012. Mattel is one of Santa Claus, Inc.’s largest national donors.

Image: Pixabay.com

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Holiday Season At The Beach – Adventszeit Am Strand

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Reconnect to the magic of Christmas a different way and find peace and tranquility despite the hectic that surrounds this busiest time of the year.

Winter time is a perfect time to spend at the beach. Especially if the weather is as beautiful as it was for the last few Advent weekends. One can spend hours walking on the sand without the summer crowds and just enjoy the waves crashing at the feet and watching the pelicans sail over the ocean. It’s perfect for reconnecting with your mind, soul and the elements.

Some beaches have special attractions for the holiday season like ice skating while watching the sunset over the ocean. Ice skating by the beach has become a tradition at the Del Coronado Hotel in San Diego, the hotel where “Some Like It Hot” was filmed starring Marilyn Monroe.

Del Coronado’s beloved holiday tradition starts every year right after Thanksgiving.  The hotel has an ice rink set up right in front of the hotel’s beach promenade, looking over the beautiful wide, white beaches – the sand here by the way seems much softer and whiter than anywhere else in SoCal, so I found.  After the ice skating sessions one can relax with hot cocoa and other goodies at the coffee bar or the restaurant right at the promenade. It’s a great and fun time well spent with family and friends!

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