Learning with Laughter

Five Christmas Fun Ideas

1. Family sleep-over under Christmas tree together. Read The Christmas Story. Have hot chocolate or watch Christmas movies.

2. On Christmas day kids have to sing a song, play an instrument or recite a poem to receive a gift from under the tree.

3. Make own crackers. I collect toilet rolls in November and buy foil wrapping paper and snaps. Then I fill the roll with jokes, or fun activity to be done at the table. Examples could be

- Take something off and put in middle of the table. Do one of following to get it back:

- Sing Rudolph red nose reindeer wearing antlers.

- Start a story by whispering in person beside you ear and ask them to pass it on. You tell what you hear when it arrives back at you.

- Story time Get every one to write three words on a piece of paper and put words in a hat. Everyone has to pull out three words and tell a story using those words for 1-2 minutes

- Hum/ whistle a song. People have to guess what it is.

- Draw Christmas tree with eyes closed or reindeer

4. Make own Christmas hats. Supply birthday type hat, ribbon, sparkles, anything that can be glued on the hat. These are made when a guest arrive and is a great mixer.

5. My personal favourite is hosting a carol singing party for all ages. Make it potluck and to bring own drink. On invitation say that taxis will be available after certain time or get insurance for the evening so cannot be held liable if people choose to drink and drive. When guests arrive give them a coloured sticker. Tell them that this is their coloured coded choir and to find people who have similar color. Choose what carols are to be sung ahead of time and then suggest which choir sings first. After that you can make up different categories of choirs. For example under 25: over 25: ladies only : men only: one area of city /town etc.

Everyone gets a chance to sing even if not keen initially! We make up carol books with lyrics in BIG font for aging generation who may forget glasses!!!

As always I find when I tweak the ordinary extraordinary things happen. Try this version of the 12 Days of Christmas (Click for the ‘Original Version’)

This game is best played on a family you will be spending Christmas with or will see on Christmas day. My version of this is as follows:

Step 1: Make 12 individual cards with the following writing:

On the 1st day of Christmas OUR FAMILY GIVES TO YOURS… Some pears from the tree the partridge sat in

On the 2nd day of Christmas OUR FAMILY GIVES TO YOURS… Some turtles on a bar of Dove soap

On the 3rd day of Christmas OUR FAMILY GIVES TO YOURS… Some noodle soup compliments of the 3 The French Hens

On the 4th day of Christmas OUR FAMILY GIVES TO YOURS… A telephone message pad designed by the 4 calling birds

On the 5th day of Christmas OUR FAMILY GIVES TO YOURS… 5 gold rings

On the 6th day of Christmas OUR FAMILY GIVES TO YOURS… Some eggnog made from the eggs the 6 geese laid

On the 7th day of Christmas OUR FAMILY GIVES TO YOURS… A box of tissues that those silly swans needed after they caught a cold while swimming in the winter

On the 8th day of Christmas OUR FAMILY GIVES TO YOURS… The chocolate Milk we got from eight maids milking eight brown cows

On the 9th day of Christmas OUR FAMILY GIVES TO YOURS… Nine canes used by the nine dancing ladies(they needed them to get home)

On the 10th day of Christmas OUR FAMILY GIVES TO YOURS… Some “Ben Gay” recommended for use by 10 lords we saw out leaping

On the 11th day of Christmas OUR FAMILY GIVES TO YOURS… Some pickles since the pipers stopped piping and started picking a peck of pickles for us to give you

On the 12th day of Christmas OUR FAMILY GIVES TO YOURS… A dozen beers that the twelve drunk drummers left behind,

Step 2: The each night starting the 12th day before Christmas you leave the 1st note and appropriate gift on the doorstep. The 1st couple of nights you can try ringing door bell and running away… Go at different times because soon kids in house are taking shifts to watch the door and try and catch mystery person leaving gifts.  The whole idea is not to get caught or found out right up until Christmas day.

More exciting and difficult these days with motion detector security lights coming on!

Step 3: Now if singing this song you can ask people whose birthday is in January to stand up every time the first day of Christmas verse is sung those whose birthday is February stand up for 2nd verse and so on through 12 verses depending what month your birthday is.

The visual is quite funny as people look like “Happy Jack-in-a-boxes” getting up and down as song repeats itself!!

Tongue tips – The tip of tongue should always be on the roof of mouth. Test it by saying the letter “m” or “n”.  Ask your patients, “Where is your tongue rest in your mouth. “  Many TMD patients are unaware that their tongue is sitting the wrong place and in a low lingual position. The partial vacuum that exists when the tongue is sitting in the “n” position and the palate is critical in supporting the jaw.  Extra bonus it also facilitates deep diaphragmatic breathing.

Teeth grinders – In these tough economic times, people are taking it out on their teeth, and therefore jaws more and more.  Most people are unaware until they break a tooth or an implant, have morning headaches and have stuffy noses.  Some nocturnal grinders will grind up to 40 minutes and can exert up to as much as 200 pounds per square inch on their teeth.

As we enter the cold season it may be of interest to note a little known side effect of all this clenching, ie a sore throat or sinusitis or stuffiness in the ears.  If clients not feeling other cold like symptoms It may not be a virus. Instead could be due to over activity in the clenching muscles.

Side effects of Masseter overuse. Patient will complain of:

1.      Pain and restricted opening to two thirds. or less of normal aperture (at least 45mm for women and 55mm for men) Quick test -  ask patient if they can get three knuckles between teeth.  If two has restricted movement.

2.       Pain in upper molar teeth, adjacent gums and maxilla.

3.       Maxillary pain is often described as “sinusitis”

4.       Unilateral tinnitus. If tinnitus is bilateral suspect a systemic rather than myofascial cause. However deep layers of master can become involved bilaterally in this case unilaterally it can fluctuate in its intensity

Side effects of Temporalis overuse. Patient will complain of:

1.        Headache throughout the temples, along eyebrow, and behind the eye

2.        Hypersensitivity and aching of upper teeth

3.        Premature tooth contact

Side effect of the medial pterygoid (which can be can be palpated below the inner aspect of the angle of the jaw).

1.        Sore throat with no infection

Try to remind your patients that tongue should be on the roof of mouth, with teeth apart and lips together and breathe slow!

Please keep your eyes peeled for some great articles from Cathy Russell on how she has taken “Learning with Laughter” to heart