|
Post by daylilydude on Nov 26, 2017 12:49:35 GMT -5
Are you looking forward to Christmas this year?
|
|
|
Post by spike on Nov 26, 2017 14:05:30 GMT -5
OH EM GEE!!!! Yes yes yes!!! I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!! I have all the taste and self control of a deranged magpie with all that glitters and Christmas is FULL OF SPARKLIES!!!
|
|
|
Post by paulf on Nov 26, 2017 14:14:54 GMT -5
Yes, the whole family gets together and all I have to do is play with the grandchildren and eat as much as I want.
|
|
|
Post by meandtk on Nov 26, 2017 15:18:29 GMT -5
Oh, yes! I enjoy Christmas, though it is hectic. I've already bought my DW's presents, she has bought most of the rest of our families' gifts, so we are ready to go ahead with the next step-food!
|
|
|
Post by bestofour on Nov 26, 2017 16:53:54 GMT -5
Yes
|
|
|
Post by spike on Nov 26, 2017 18:54:10 GMT -5
Geez so many words! You really need to cut back on such wordiness . . . ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/3247375/images/1O7SOWgs0dheN6ogmHMC.png)
|
|
|
Post by september on Nov 27, 2017 0:15:51 GMT -5
No.
I am an admitted Christmas grinch and scrooge. All I see is the commercialism and buy, buy, buy! If it were up to me, I'd say no decorations allowed until one week before Christmas, and all gifts have to be hand made by the person giving them.
(Ducking the on coming snowballs ...)
|
|
|
Post by daylilydude on Nov 27, 2017 4:29:44 GMT -5
Reminds me of "The Dollar Store" here september, 1 isle had Halloween stuff and the very next isle had Christmas decorations and it's because you just know when your looking for a trick or treat costume you just may need a Santa Claus figurine for your mantle... am I right??
|
|
|
Post by Laura_in_FL on Nov 27, 2017 10:34:05 GMT -5
I saw exactly the same thing here, daylilydude! Excessive earliness aside, I actually DO like Christmas; it has always been a big deal in my family. The funny thing is, I grew up poor but didn't realize we were poor until I was in 6th grade. We never went hungry; my parents bartered a lot and were really good at making a dollar stretch. Also, it was very important to Dad that we have a good childhood. So one of the reasons that I didn't realize that we were poor was Christmas - every year there were lots of goodies to eat and a big pile of presents under the tree. Mom shopped the sales (she could find the deals, believe me!) and put a bunch of toys, clothes, etc., on layaway every September and Dad took extra jobs on the weekends to pay for it. And of course Mom would scour the grocery sales flyers diligently in the fall for sales on butter, flour, sugar, and eggs to stock up for Christmas baking, and then make the goodies from scratch to save money. We went to Granny's house for Christmas dinner, and Mom was one of nine children. All of her siblings had children of their own, and nearly everyone was there every year. Every family brought a few dishes for the dinner, so there were tables and tables loaded with food - turkey, 2-3 kinds of dressing, gravy, ham, chicken & dumplings, greens, squash, sweet potatoes, several other veggies, cornbread and rolls, and a big selection of cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, and other desserts. Dad was a great shot, so he often got the turkey from a turkey shoot, and most years Dad or one of my uncles was raising pigs and provided the ham. My parents didn't garden, but Granny and several of my aunts and uncles did, and their land provided many of the veggies. So, no single family spent very much money, but we all had a huge feast. How could a child think she was poor when she enjoyed a celebration like that every year? (Maybe my hand-me-down clothes should have been a clue, but honestly I thought that everyone wore hand-me-downs.)
|
|
|
Post by daylilydude on Nov 27, 2017 11:43:15 GMT -5
I saw exactly the same thing here, daylilydude! Excessive earliness aside, I actually DO like Christmas; it has always been a big deal in my family. The funny thing is, I grew up poor but didn't realize we were poor until I was in 6th grade. We never went hungry; my parents bartered a lot and were really good at making a dollar stretch. Also, it was very important to Dad that we have a good childhood. So one of the reasons that I didn't realize that we were poor was Christmas - every year there were lots of goodies to eat and a big pile of presents under the tree. Mom shopped the sales (she could find the deals, believe me!) and put a bunch of toys, clothes, etc., on layaway every September and Dad took extra jobs on the weekends to pay for it. And of course Mom would scour the grocery sales flyers diligently in the fall for sales on butter, flour, sugar, and eggs to stock up for Christmas baking, and then make the goodies from scratch to save money. We went to Granny's house for Christmas dinner, and Mom was one of nine children. All of her siblings had children of their own, and nearly everyone was there every year. Every family brought a few dishes for the dinner, so there were tables and tables loaded with food - turkey, 2-3 kinds of dressing, gravy, ham, chicken & dumplings, greens, squash, sweet potatoes, several other veggies, cornbread and rolls, and a big selection of cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, and other desserts. Dad was a great shot, so he often got the turkey from a turkey shoot, and most years Dad or one of my uncles was raising pigs and provided the ham. My parents didn't garden, but Granny and several of my aunts and uncles did, and their land provided many of the veggies. So, no single family spent very much money, but we all had a huge feast. How could a child think she was poor when she enjoyed a celebration like that every year? (Maybe my hand-me-down clothes should have been a clue, but honestly I thought that everyone wore hand-me-downs.) I grew up the same way, and wish it would/could go back to those kind of days!
|
|
|
Post by ladymarmalade on Nov 27, 2017 11:55:05 GMT -5
Mostly yes. I hate that this is the time of year that All The Things happen. We have Christmas performances for dance, Christmas programs at church, special Christmas music that comes out only once a year and I magically need to remember how to play it, family gatherings, treat making, decorating, shopping, annual lamenting from the IL's that we don't spend Christmas with them, etc... But once December 21st hits, most of the busy-ness will be done, we'll take some time off from school, and I'm looking forward to two weeks of very little running around other than my paper route. Gift giving has me stressed out a bit this year, but that happens when your kids are older and you can't just waltz through the toy aisle and grab a few things here and there. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/3247375/images/AgR8NN4iidU1wy_OcyQm.png)
|
|
aqua
Pro Member
![*](//storage.proboards.com/3247375/images/s90c20FlZ14DDgekntx2.png) ![*](//storage.proboards.com/3247375/images/s90c20FlZ14DDgekntx2.png)
Posts: 295
Zone:: 8b9a
Favorite Vegetable:: all of them
Joined: March 2012
|
Post by aqua on Nov 27, 2017 12:34:35 GMT -5
I'll be working 7a-7p on Christmas...but I am really enjoying reading all the posts here.
|
|
|
Post by bestofour on Nov 27, 2017 13:39:59 GMT -5
Aqua, when I worked in the hospital I worked Christmas Day from 7a-7p and loved it because it seemed the floor was quiet until around 5 when families started coming in and I was getting ready to go home.
|
|
aqua
Pro Member
![*](//storage.proboards.com/3247375/images/s90c20FlZ14DDgekntx2.png) ![*](//storage.proboards.com/3247375/images/s90c20FlZ14DDgekntx2.png)
Posts: 295
Zone:: 8b9a
Favorite Vegetable:: all of them
Joined: March 2012
|
Post by aqua on Nov 27, 2017 15:22:16 GMT -5
meandtk,I've heard it's usually pretty slow, I'm the lab. Thank you for the response and understanding.
|
|
|
Post by spike on Nov 27, 2017 15:36:31 GMT -5
See for me Christmas is the feeling, the joy, the magical delight! My Father-in-law was a minister so yes there was the religious side also. But I love to go sit in the mall and watch people shop for that special treasure for their loved one and the joy displayed when they found that special gift. The lights, the music, OMG THE SPARKLIES, and the love and peace and joy that comes with the season on wings of happiness and warmth.
We do not think about Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving and the decorations go up, the cards are addressed and mailed out and then we sit back and let it all wash over us. I LOVE CHRISTMAS . . . and I still wanna scream out sparklies!!
|
|
|
Post by meandtk on Nov 27, 2017 18:55:19 GMT -5
See for me Christmas is the feeling, the joy, the magical delight! My Father-in-law was a minister so yes there was the religious side also. But I love to go sit in the mall and watch people shop for that special treasure for their loved one and the joy displayed when they found that special gift. The lights, the music, OMG THE SPARKLIES, and the love and peace and joy that comes with the season on wings of happiness and warmth. We do not think about Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving and the decorations go up, the cards are addressed and mailed out and then we sit back and let it all wash over us. I LOVE CHRISTMAS . . . and I still wanna scream out sparklies!! I took my family to Dollywood a few weeks ago to see the lights. Very nice sparklies.
|
|
|
Post by Laura_in_FL on Nov 28, 2017 12:47:55 GMT -5
Normally we don't do anything related to Christmas (other than try to put together wishlists) until after Thanksgiving.We took the kids to Disney World last week before Thanksgiving - as you can imagine, they had very pretty decorations. Or as spike would say, SPARKLIES! My cell phone camera had a heck of a time focusing on the Christmas decorations at night, but I got a few of good (mostly daytime) pics to get folks in the Christmas mood: Entering the Magic Kingdom: The red in the flower bed on the left is a mass of poinsettias. There are thousands of poinsettias planted throughout Disney World this time of year: ![](http://thumb.ibb.co/jpwHnm/11_18_2017_01_5_Entering_the_Magic_Kindgom_2.jpg) Just inside the Magic Kingdom main entrance. There are at least 2-3 Christmas trees this size in each of the 4 main parks: ![](http://thumb.ibb.co/e6Xq7m/11_18_2017_01_Entrance_and_Main_Street_Christmas_decorations_4.jpg) View looking back down Main St. at the same tree, showing some of the other decorations on Main St., which is the most heavily-decorated area in Magic Kingdom: ![](http://thumb.ibb.co/dYM6f6/11_18_2017_02_Seeing_Cinderella_s_Castle_for_the_first_time_4.jpg) As you might expect at Disney, some of the decorations are pretty whimsical, like this dinosaur in Hollywood Studios. That's a *huge* Christmas ornament in the dinosaur's mouth, by the way. ![](http://thumb.ibb.co/c6EEYR/11_20_2017_02_Christmas_dinosaur_and_tree_at_Hollywood_Studios.jpg) This is a Christmas tree outside the America Pavillion in the World Showcase in Epcot, with my youngest two boys in the foreground. For scale, the bigger child is just over 5' tall. The planter surrounding the tree is planted in an alternating pattern of variegated liriope and small poinsettias. Sorry about the focus; as I said, my cell phone camera had a hard time with the night shots. ![](http://thumb.ibb.co/eEKRf6/11_19_2017_13_Eric_Jason_at_the_big_Christmas_Tree_outside_the_American_pavillion_1.jpg) On the way out of Epcot at night, we caught this snowman with a view of Spaceship Earth in the background. The snowman is probably about 7' tall with the hat. One of my favorite photos from the trip (not counting pics with my family in them, of course!) ![](http://thumb.ibb.co/dA7ZYR/11_19_2017_15_Cool_views_of_Spaceship_Earth_and_Christmas_decorations_on_the_way_out_of_Epcot_4.jpg) Hope this helps put you all in the Christmas spirit!
|
|
|
Post by paquebot on Dec 2, 2017 18:00:01 GMT -5
I'll be at my first marriage's sister-in-law. Her parents and siblings gone and just two nephews and one somewhere in Texas. My wife plans to visit one of her sisters and a bother who are both in poor health so it will just be the 3 of us enjoying a quiet Christmas meal. It's to be a chance for the hostess to cook for someone other than herself. My son is a radiologist and he'll be doing 7 to 7 on the two days before but possibly on 30-minute call. This will be his first Christmas Day off in probably 20 years if all goes as planned.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
|
|