From Baseball to Hockey There's a Sport for Everybody in These Clipart Collections

The World Series concluded a couple of nights ago a way that even the most die-hard Dodger fan had to feel okay with. It took seven great games of baseball for the Houston Astros to defeat the LA team and in so doing take home the coveted title for the first time in franchise history.

While that's noteworthy, perhaps the real reason that so many had their hearts behind the Astros is that this victory has given  a city devastated by Hurricane Harvey in August something to celebrate.

North of the border we folks in Canada, with our Toronto Blue Jays trading bats for golf clubs weeks ago,  had the luxury of enjoying the games without the passion and occasional heartache that can accompany rooting for your own team. We could pick a side without really caring.

The majority of people I knew wanted this win for the Texas team for the aforementioned reasons.  The Dodgers, after all, have been World Series champs six times already and it's always nice to see an honour bestowed on someone for the first time, particularly when the playing field, so to speak, was pretty level. The teams were evenly matched and treated their fans to some excellent baseball. Then there was the more sentimental view that the Houston fans needed this victory.

However, while Canadians were interested in the outcome, many had most certainly given over their couch potato time to rinks rather than diamonds.  As I watched game seven of the World Series  I couldn't help noticing an 'alert' at the bottom of the screen reminding Canucks the channels on which we could find National Hockey League games. Most people in the true north strong and free are delighted to make their way to a cold arena any time of year. Now that fall is here, with the Jays over and out for another season, baseball, even championship, was bound to take second place.

Sports, whether you play or are content to just watch, is a broad subject comprised of diverse and plentiful sub-categories. It's certain that most everyone could pick a favourite.

My two sons loved sports of every kind. They'd watch them all and participate in many of them. The older was a standout in track's horizontal jumps while his younger brother could take on any position in baseball and do the job very well.

Our girls rarely watched sports, but played baseball and soccer. It was in the water, however, where they shone. Both parlayed a hobby into summer employment at the local pool throughout their teens. While the younger was an avid competitor on the swim team, her older sister still lives and breathes for a chance to do some laps or dive into the lake.  No body of water has ever been too cold, no sky too cloudy.

Though I enjoyed playing baseball as a kid, I am more of a sport appreciator. I used to love nights out with my guy watching him knock out some homers for his baseball team. Such pleasure I took in seeing my eldest soar in a triple jump or my youngest fire a rocket from behind home plate to take down a runner. Such pride I felt watching my girls gracefully slicing through the water, such admiration for the stamina and finesse.

Whether it's watching our kids or professional athletes, whether it's playing because we're good at it or just to have fun,  a love of sports is a big part of life.  These clipart collections include them all from football, baseball and hockey to track, snowmobiling and auto racing:

iCLIPART.com Sports Clipart

Clipart.com Sport Images

Getting into the Holiday Spirit With Christmas Gift Clipart for Your Projects

The insistent beep pierces the air, slicing through the gentle stillness, until a hand sweeps forward to silence it. The alarm has called, yet eyelids struggle from slumber to see nothing as grey still cloaks the sky. Dark, dreary dawn does little to inspire any energy for the day ahead.

It's a day shy of November as I write this. Following a glorious autumn, the weather now reflects what is expected of this time of year. Temperatures have taken a nose dive. Skies are often dull and thick, heavy rains fall with a driving persistence.  The S-word has been dropped from meteorologists on radio and television, and while we've avoided it to this point, it's just a matter of time before a good dumping of fluffy flakes buries our landscape in pristine white.

For a sun-loving, summer-savouring woman, who finds her little bit of heaven in long walks in the sand or lazy afternoons on the patio, the winds of seasonal change are tolerated not anticipated. It's the time of year when I look for ways to take my mind far away from talks of blizzards and whiteouts. Setting up dates to do things I enjoy with people I love goes a long way to making these next few months much shorter.

With that in mind, I'm looking forward excitedly to this upcoming weekend. A friend and I are getting a jump on our Christmas shopping with a two-day getaway in a nearby city. She and I met in elementary school and now, living two hours away from each other, times together are rare but always met with enthusiasm.  That we both are big fans of the holiday season and never passed a store we didn't enter makes this particular date perfect for us.

It was a few decades ago when,  expecting my second child, I found out how much I enjoyed being an early Christmas shopper.  Spreading out the purchasing over a few months put less stress on the limited budget and made attacking the long list less daunting.  It didn't take long to see the other benefits too — no crowds, no big lines and no last-minute panic to find that popular soldout toy.

Also, since my daughter arrived just days before Christmas it turned out to be a really good thing that the shopping was done and all the presents were wrapped and under the tree before she made her entrance.

While the latter reason was not the norm (though it did happen one other time before our family was complete) it was all enough to show me the wisdom in getting presents bought and wrapped ahead of the rush. Now, as others run hither and yon in the busy weeks preceding Dec. 25, I am nestled by the fireplace,  warmed by the twinkling lights on the tree, glass of wine in hand while letting the ambiance soothe me.

Of course, I'm not the only person who feels this way about the holiday shopping. There are increasingly more people in the malls and on the streets when I set out than there used to be. And to meet the demand merchants are on top of things already with areas of their businesses looking a lot like Christmas. Following the commemoration of Remembrance Day, every nook and cranny will be looking festive.  Decorations put us in the spirit and suggestions for everybody's wish list will be front and centre.

To get the inspiration going even more, including for those folks like my hubby who won't  think of shopping before mid-December, Christmas promotions will follow fast on the heels of Halloween. I can't wait. This season is the bright spot in what could otherwise be a dreary few months.

I can do my part also to get people in the mood,  with these collections of holiday gift images to guide your thoughts toward the task ahead and inspire your festive projects:

iCLIPART.com Christmas Present Images

Clipart.com Christmas Gift Images