The Reitz StuffOur 2011 Family Christmas Newsletter

(Top) Dylan rides the merry-go-round; (Above) Meeting up with the big guy himself. (Below) Hannah at the Gettysburg soccer tournament.

’Tis the season for a misfi t ChristmasBY CHARLIE-IN-THE-BOXNorth Pole Media Services

LITITZ, Pa. - Hello! You probably don’t re-member me. I’m Charlie. Charlie-in-the-Box, from the Island of Misfi t Toys in the “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” Christmas special.

Oh, I’m sure if I was a Jack-in-the-Box then everyone would know who I was. So I was delighted and a bit surprised when the Reitz family asked me to write their Christmas newsletter.

As you might expect, I don’t get a lot of opportunities like this. Life isn’t easy when you’re a misfi t toy. No child wants to play with a Charlie-in-the-Box. At fi rst I wasn’t sure why they asked me.Was Yukon Cornelius exploring the nether regions of the Arctic? Did Hermey the Elf have to perform an emergency root canal? But then I met the Reitz family. Oh my, did I ever fi t right in at their house! Now if Dylan was on the Island of Misfi t Toys, he would defi nitely be a domino. The boy is positively obsessed with setting them up and knocking them down. Of course to fi t in, he’d probably have little squares on his face instead of dots, or be an oddly shaped circle domino... but that boy would probably still fi nd a way to set himself up and knock himself down! That Hannah is so into Harry Potter these days that she’d defi nitely be a misfi t toy from Hogwarts. Maybe she’d be Ron Weasley’s misfi ring wand, or maybe a puppet from the Potter Puppet Pals videos she watches all the time on YouTube. If you ask me, those puppets are all misfi ts! So now I’m supposed to spin tales about

the things they’ve been up to this past year. Although if you follow them on that Facebook thing, you probably know more than you ever wanted to know already! VOILA VIOLA! - Hannah has been playing viola for over a year, and is quite good at it. She performed solo at the Lititz Elementary School Talent Show in Janu-ary and again at the Orchestra Concert in May. I wonder if she’ll soon be able to play the “Island of Misfi t Toys” song? PRESCHOOL - Dylan just turned 5 and is now in his fi nal year of preschool. He’s an amazing whiz at numbers and math, especially for his age, and he’s learning to read and write his letters and his name. SOCCER - Hannah, 10, is on the Lititz Blasters U-11 soccer team. Their second year together was rough, but they did win See 2011 on Page 2

The Reitz StuffThe Reitz StuffOur 2011 Family Christmas NewsletterThe Reitz StuffOur 2011 Family Christmas NewsletterThe Reitz Stuff

et’s play a little quiz game. See if you can guess which Reitz kid is into what, or if they’re both into it. (A) is Hannah, (B) is Dylan, (C) is both.

1. ____ Watches “Phineas and Ferb” on TV (cartoon) 2. ____ Watches domino track videos on YouTube 3. ____ Watches “Fred” videos on YouTube 4. ____ Favorite computer game is Webkinz 5. ____ Asked Santa for underwear as a Christmas gift 6. ____ Has read fi rst 4 books of the Harry Potter series since July 7. ____ Dream is to one day be a garbage man 8. ____ Hopes to one day be a teacher 9. ____ Enjoyed a trip to the Franklin Institute in Philly this year.10. ____ Saw “The Smurfs” twice in the movie theater11. ____ Birthday party was held at Monkey Joe’s in Camp Hill.12. ____ Birthday party was held at Overlook roller skating rink13. ____ Took 2-night camping trip to Assateague Island14. ____ Hugs everyone and asks them how old they are15. ____ Totally into Garfi eld the Cat

Hannah & her viola.

What are the kids up to?

L

(Above) Dylan & Hannah enjoy the beach 2 days after Hurricane Irene blew through OC, Md. (Below) Dylan has a Trick-or-Treat delivery!

The Reitz StuffChristmas 2011 Edition

Rick Reitz....Cowboy Riding an Ostrich Lisa Reitz......................A Dolly for Sue Hannah...Bird that Swims but Can’t Fly Dylan......Choo Choo w/Square Wheels Dagwood Reitz.......A Spotted Elephant

2011: A YEAR IN REVIEWContinued from Page 1

some games... including a thrilling 2-1 victory over the eventual league cham-pion, just one week after they lost to them. It was a defi nite confi dence booster. She had some great games, mostly as a striker. Hannah will play indoor soccer starting in late January and return to the outdoor league in March. On the Island of Misfi t Toys, our soccer balls are square and they always make me play goalie. HALLOWEEN - This year, Hannah looked simply magical as Hermione from Harry Potter. Dylan delivered the goods as an adorable UPS delivery guy, and Rick terrifi ed parents and kids alike as Irwin Mainway, the sleazy salesman selling hazardous products taken from the old SNL skit, with a bunch of misfi t costumes. OCEAN CITY - Vacation started late due to Hurricane Irene... but bad weather didn’t stop Rudolph from guiding Santa’s sleigh, and it didn’t ruin the annual trip to Ocean City, Md. either. Hannah and Dylan each shot a hole in one at miniature golf! They enjoyed the boardwalk rides, a day at the beach, a visit to the water park, donuts for breakfast on the balcony, and dinner at fun places like Dead Freddies! They lost a day to the hurricane, but it was some of the best weather they’ve ever had. OTHER HITS AND MISFITS - Wow! Dagwood the cat turned 18 this year... Hannah was the top Girl Scout cookie seller in her troop for the 2nd year in a row. She’ll be going for the 3-peat in January... Among the things Dylan said

he was thankful for this year was “all the planets” -- including Pluto, the misfi t of our solar system... Here’s hoping that your Christmas is a delight, and that you fi nd a home for all of your toys, even the misfi ts. They need love too. In fact, you could take me home with you. Just give me a call at (907) 488-

he was thankful for this year was “all the

(Above) Dylan & Hannah enjoy the beach 2 days after Hurricane Irene

1.C; 2.B; 3.A; 4.C; 5.B; 6.A; 7.B; 8.A; 9.C; 10.A; 11.B; 12.A; 13.A; 14.B; 15.C