In the early years of Christmas Spirit®, there were many talented craft artists who helped us launch our business. As part of our 20th Anniversary celebration, we are pleased to welcome back 4 of these artists. Bar Harbor, Maine's Christmas Spirit® Shop, will pay for standard shipping for all orders placed on its Website www.ChristmasSpiritShop.com by July 27, 2010. To receive this special offer, enter the promotion code ARTIST at the bottom of the address collections page during your checkout process. Shell Ornament Click the photo for more info Maine Bird Carver Hand Carved Puffin Click the photo for more info Hand Carved Cardinal Click the photo for more info We are pleased to welcome back Gary, a native Mainer and self-taught woodcarver. Gary’s fascination with wildlife carvings began in college. While studying fishery biology, Gary began duck hunting, which led to making his own duck decoys. While working for the Fish and Game Department, he continued studying and carving birds. Gary has turned his hobby of woodcarving into a full time occupation. To easily find all the birds that Gary carves, just type MBC into the Search Box of our Website. Hand Carved Eagle Click the photo for more info Hand Carved Bluebird Click the photo for more info Santas with Twinkling Eyes Hand Painted Tree Slab Santa Click the photo for more info Randy and Karen are a husband and wife team of artists whose unique works we are happy to share with you once again. As their canvas, they use tree bark and slab wood, which are both by-products of the lumber milling process, as well as gnarled sassafras branches, gourds, cypress knees and light bulbs. They let the shape and texture of the unpainted piece guide them in the creation of a Santa. Only Karen paints Santa's characteristic twinkly eyes that seem to smile back at you, no matter where you are standing. To easily find all the Santas that Karen paints, just type FMC into the Search Box of our Website. Hand Painted Tree Slab Santa Face Click the photo for more info Santa Light Bulb Click the photo for more info Cypress Knee Santa Click the photo for more info Hand Painted Gourd Santa Click the photo for more info Hand Painted Gourd Santa Click the photo for more info Seashell Decorations Shell Ornament Click the photo for more info Welcome back also to Diana and Gary, two Maine beachcombers who create these beautiful shell wreaths and ornaments. They combined Diana's background as a florist with Gary's business expertise to create a lifestyle business together. They use only the finest non-endangered seashells for their works of art, enlisting many of their fishermen friends in their search for shells. To easily find all their nautical creations, just type DBD into the Search Box on our Website. Purple Mussel Shell Wreath Click the photo for more info Whelk Shell Wreath Click the photo for more info Starfish Ornaments Starfish Snowman Click the photo for more info Pam and Wayne are part of another family business which they describe as “an overgrown cottage industry”. They make these adorable Santa and snowman ornaments that we are pleased to be able to share with you once again. Pam and Wayne use mainly recycled materials. For the ornaments, they only use starfish that die when they are inadvertently caught in fishing nets. To easily find their starfish ornaments, just type BFA into the Search Box on our Website. Starfish Santa Click the photo for more info Reminder - Get FREE SHIPPING year-round Just a reminder for 2010, in celebration of our 20th Anniversary, we are still offering you, our loyal customers, a special offer good any time this year. For all orders of $20.00 or more, placed on our Website, the Christmas Spirit® Shop will pay for standard shipping to one address when you use the promo code NEWS. So, for example, if you want to order something to commemorate a summer vacation after this promotion ends, you can still get FREE shipping. Just order $20.00 or more and enter the promotion code NEWS at the bottom of the address collections page during your checkout process. Sand Beach Vacation Plaque Click the photo for more info

ISLAND UPDATE
Our Kids Room - Perfect Spot for One-on-One Ornament Creation Photo by Beverly Bono	Design Overflow into the Main Shop Photo by Beverly Bono

The 12th Annual Legacy of the Arts celebration was a resounding success, especially in our shop! Every afternoon, we had adults bringing their children (or grandchildren) in to make their own ornament-FREE! Young children have such creativity, unencumbered by “expectations”. In their own “free-style” way, they created works of art from very simple, ordinary “beach treasures”. We wanted to share some of their designs with you.

Santa - Maine Style Photo by Beverly Bono

Maine Crustacean Photo by Beverly Bono

Maine Family Ornament Photo by Beverly Bono

The Summer season is in full swing. The warm weather and ice cream go hand in hand. The Island Explorer buses are running again. This FREE bus service around our Island and into Acadia National Park has become so popular, they’ve added 8 new buses. The whale watching boats, sailboats, island hopping ferries and nature cruises are making several trips daily. The evenings are filled with music from the FREE concerts in a brand new gazebo on the Village Green. Mother Nature continues to bless us with good weather. Come and visit our Island. There is so much to do! Check the Bar Harbor Chamber's Website for all the summer events. Bar Harbor Chamber's Website Events Page Santa with Victoria, our newest Elf Photo by Beverly Bono

Even the Lobster in the Background has an Ice Cream Cone Photo by Beverly Bono This month we had 2 surprise guests on the Island; one even came into our shop for some photos. Yes, Santa was spending his summer days in Bar Harbor. Visit his website: www.BetterNotPout.com He obviously LOVES his "job"! The other guests were the First Family, President and Mrs. Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha. We must confess, we did not see them, but agree that they chose a spectacular spot for a summer vacation. They visited more places and did more things in 3 days than most people do in a week! Thank you for coming, Mr. President! We hope they come back when they can stay longer.

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT®'S SAMANTHA

Samantha waiting to see First Dog, Bo Photo by Beverly Bono

Samantha’s section will be brief again this month. She wants you to know that her elbow surgery went well. Unfortunately, she had BOTH elbows stitched up. So with the surgery, the bandages and the heat and humidity, she’s been laying low. Her double coat only makes her hotter and swimming, her favorite summer activity, is out of the question for now. Maybe she can get back into the water in a few weeks. She sleeps a lot and her appetite has diminished due to the heat. We can’t say that we blame her. We’re all kind of “draggin’ our wagon”. Of course, we’re in the coolest spot in almost the entire nation, so we really can’t complain! She did make an effort to camp out, in hopes of greeting the President, First Family and, of course, First Dog, Bo when they arrived. Somehow we all missed them! Oh, well, he deserves his privacy. Maybe next time?

WEBSITE NEWS YOU CAN USE
When you are buying Christmas presents, an obvious choice for a gift is an ornament to represent a significant event during the year, such as New Home, New Car, New job, Graduation or Wedding. However, during the year when you want to buy a gift, you might not think of an ornament. In fact, an ornament is one of the MOST appreciated gifts, especially when it is personalized for the recipient.
We have a convenient tool on our Website that will help you with those gift selections that you make throughout the year. Instead of Searching for an ornament with a specific “theme”, you can Search for an ornament for a specific “person”. The tool is called the FAST ORNAMENT FINDER™. You can find it on the Home Page, opposite the SEARCH box. It is also on the Navigation Bar of every page under "Customer Services". Here’s how it works. Just click on the Fast Ornament Finder™ drop-down to find the section for the person you have in mind for a gift. Click on the corresponding “title” of that person and you will see an array of ornament pictures that might make a good gift. From that array, you can select a specific ornament and add personalization.	FAST ORNAMENT FINDER™ On Home Page FAST ORNAMENT FINDER™ Drop Down
For example, you might be looking for a gift to give the family of a new “baby boy”. When you click on “baby boy” in the Fast Ornament Finder™, you will see all the ornaments available on the Website for a “baby boy”.

Click on a Gift for a Baby Boy	Selection of Baby Boy Ornaments
This tool is just another way we’ve given you to find just the right gift all year long. Use it for Weddings, Anniversaries, Engagements and Birthdays for a Family Member or Best Friend.

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS
"I order from your website every year and just wanted to let you know what a great site it is. It's easy to use & I like to see how the ornament will look when it's personalized. The order form itself is very easy to understand & to preview the order. Every year when I set out the wooden Santa we bought at your store in Bar Harbor, I remember our lovely trip to Maine. Thank you for great service, great ornaments, a great website & great memories." Marilyn from MN	"I just received the ornament that I ordered from your company and it is absolutely wonderful! Great craftsmanship. I couldn't be more pleased with it. I'll be sure to browse your website for more unique items and share your company with family and friends." Susan from AR.
	"I have purchased from your company for the last two years at least and have always been more than satisfied with the quality of the merchandise. This is a credit to the artist and support people in your company." Patricia from NY.

www.ChristmasSpiritShop.com 80 Main Street Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 1-800-242-2913

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