Sharing Xmas Cheer..

Hi Gail!  The parade sounds beautiful, I love horses!  I too am looking forward to the holidays, but only the traditional ways for a change. With so much ugliness going on in this world of ours, I really want to just concentrate on the important things, not shopping so much and spending way too much money. We went and got our tree yesterday, so we will decorate it tomorrow night. I can't wait to decorate the house all " christmassy" inside and out, we already decorated gingerbread houses on Sunday.

On Saturday, we have a big xmas party at my husbands firehall.  Santa arrives on the firetruck and delivers presents to all 50 of the firemen's kids. We have lunch and the kids also make crafts. Its lots of fun, our boys have been going since they are newborns.

Another Christmas tradition we do at my home is we have an ornament exchange party with all of my boys cousins. There are 17 kids now ranging from 12 to 6 months old. We get together and have lots of good food, the kids exchange ornaments (we draw names each year), I make little gingerbread houses out of graham wafer cookies and the kids make a great mess with the icing and eat most of the candy before it makes it onto the house to decorate!!  Its alot of fun each year, there a more kids each year, we drink some wine and have a great time.

One of my closest girlfriends has just been diagnosed with breast cancer and she will be having a masectomy next wednesday. It has been devasting. I will be helping her get her house decorated before surgery and get her bedroom all cozy so it can be her comfort zone when she gets home. Times like these really make you just step back and want to enjoy what important, not how many presents are under the tree Christmas morning.   (p.s. I really hope we get some snow this Christmas!)

So there's a little bit of my "sharing xmas cheer", thanks gail.

shelley

That sounds like it was beautiful :) I haven't been to a parade since I was three or four I believe at EuroDisney hah..

I think the overall positive feeling of the Christmas holiday season and my fiance(as well as his childlike enthusiasm for it) are the only things keeping me out of the hospital!! I'm so grateful for happy times like this.

We're trying to get a Christmas tree soon..but are arguing between white and colored lights.

Also, I heard we might not have to fly out to Missouri so more time to spend with my wonderful family!! We have German and Scottish in our bloodline so my mother always has the house decorated in accordance with that, and she always plays Windham Hill Christmas music which, if you haven't heard it, I highly recommend it. Especially the older ones. Not that I don't mind Jingle Bells or Deck the Halls, but I'm used to this kind better..

Hi I decided today I would decorate my door since that is better then chewing my nails off while my teen has gone out with some friends for some shopping and fun. I'am going to get some small trees and sit them in a pot on the step as they look lovely when covered in snow and the birds enjoy them. So while I'am off to cut some little tress perhaps you can tell me how you dress up your entrance way. I"ll grab the little white things in different xmas shapes while Iam out there as I got them stored .Hmm might as well grab the beads if I can find them and the big red bow. So I guess it's off I go to get it done. lol gail

Well christmas down in Orangeburg, South Carolina is quite comfortable. The only problem that I have with it is that it never snows, I repeat never snows. Its a bit cold enough to feel like christmas, but nothing harsh, just comfortable in the mid 50s or so. Believe it or not to southern breed people like me this is cold. Some years its a little too warm.

Well for my family the christmas spirit usually gets circulating by my brother and I the day after Thanksgiving, when we decorate our artificial tree, I want a real one though, might try one next year. While we decorate our tree we usually listen to old christmas tunes like bing crosby and old motown christmas tracks. Usually if we are up to it outside decorations begin the day after trimming the tree, but this year everything is backwards, because of my surgery. We are just now getting to the outside decorations and the tree will probably be last this year. Our lights are usually the best on the block but I think we are going to be beat by some new neighbors up the street, but I'm going to try my best to get things as close as I can get them to near normal for our home. I might be able to upload some live video to youtube, and give the link so everyone can check the lights out. Might even record a swing through our historic, Edisto Memorial Gardens with the all out light display here in town.

Well my usual family traditions are too, take everything easy. We attend my grandma's annual christmas dinner/party which is usually the second weekend in december, great family time, and I have a huge family on both sides, so catching up with relatives is fun. Then the next weekend its shopping and the family may take a car ride and site see different homes christmas decorations and lights, everyone also has a thermal full of hot chocolate, yum. The next weekend is usually mayhem, last minute shopping up to Christmas Eve, I tag along to see the fights break out in Wal-Mart kind of hilarious to see to people fight for a Barbie doll. OL That happened last year.

I'll be sure to try and upload some video as soon as the decorations are complete, until then just soaking up the holiday spirit down in the south.

Post Edited (stephx) : 12/6/2008 8:36:51 PM (GMT-7)

Gail
I took so many names for Christmas Hampers and will help to make them up and deliver them
The look on the parent(s) faces were absolutely priceles knowing they would have a turkey and all the trimmings as well as many toys for the kids...........

I have just put up the tree with Cait and singing carols as we did it
OF course I was outta tune but who cares EH'I had a great day

Good Thread............Luvs my friend
LYN

Wow, I haven't done a thing!

Hi Joie it sounds like alot of fun and very pretty your table settings. I got a pretty table cloth one year from my Brother who is very sweet .It is one of my prize possesions as I love a pretty table at xmas. I also have 2 different plate setting sets which make it look beautiful.My teen sometimes makes me a table piece which isn't hard to do since we live near the woods. Candles are beautiful too and gee I cain't wait to start getting it decorated it's the last thing I do for decorating. You never know I'am getting that urge to hunt down a tree again was planning on buying but...the urge is coming upon me again as it does every year.Thanks for sharing..lol gail

Hi Sniper that is so sweet that you enjoy the sound of laughter and a fire is such a cozy thing I too can look at the flames as the wood stove has a glass door. Keep warm and have a good xmas .I like laying back and taking in the tree and lights and some good food and the excitement of the presents. Forgetting about life and just enjoying a good season.lol gail

Hi Smile didn't know they had such a channel but it is a warming sound and with all of us sharing in the cool weather it is a good thing to spread around. I seen a sweet little one that was electric with class on both sides for about 110. it looked pretty real too. Would go good with those crackles on the TV .lol gail

Tree searching yesterday but the good ones were about 15 feet high and since I didn't take a laddder there still safe in the woods. It was great though being able to drive back in the woods to look around. More fun for another day. lol gail

The fireplace channel, what will they think of next , the I smell smoke channel,, the your flue is stopped up channel, the smoke is filling your house channel. Good thing we are not out in the snow watching the, I'm not freezing channel. I'll come visit you on the frostbite channel...

Sniper - Its so pathetic how we don't have a real fireplace and how the kids love the fireplace channel so much.......there is even a man's arm that appears every once and awhile and adds another log on the fire..........not a word of a lie!!!!!!!!!
Also I saw the DVD available in the store the other day , I think it was called "Faux Fire"