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Post by stepper on Dec 7, 2009 21:07:55 GMT -6
Yes I've been caroling - last time was just a few years ago! I don't have a fiber optic tree though. I have a 7 1/2' artificial tree we bought years ago. (One of the last presents mom shared in, she insisted on paying for half of it.) I know this will surprise you (yeah, right) but I've got enough Peanuts ornaments I can do the whole tree in just Peanuts stuff - including lighting - that can be strictly a Peanuts tree. I did that once and still had more to go. But that leads me to the next question. I have "special" ornaments to put up - special in that there is some emotional or historical context associated with them. The oldest is my grandmother's swan. My progenitors were largely involved in the glass business one way or another and the year she was born my grandmother received and hand blown glass swan. She was born in December and the swan is a Christmas tree ornament. It's been on a tree every year since 1895. It fell to me to keep that going.
So, if you have and decorate your tree: special decorations or are the lights and glass balls enough?
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Post by Phalon on Dec 7, 2009 22:54:18 GMT -6
Hhhmmm...somehow I guessed there might be a few Peanuts ornaments on your tree, Stepper!
Beautiful story about your Grandmother's swan ornament. Wow! 1895! It must be so fragile. Mom has a couple of glass clown ornaments that were her mother's from "the old country". They're shaped like teardrops, and one is an off-white color, and the other is a reddish color. I'm not sure if that's their original colors or if the paint on the glass is faded. The glass is so paper thin, they alway went high up on the tree so they wouldn't be bumped by three little kids running around. And right in front too, so we could immediately spot them. They were always my favorites.
We definitely have special ornaments here. The tree (artificial due to LX's asthma) wouldn't be the same without them. Hubs and I bought ornaments for each other every Christmas before the girls were born, and then when the ornament box started getting too big, we cut back to just giving each of the girls an ornament each year. The round glass bulbs are just filler. It's all these special ornaments that fight for a place up front...and we talk about the stories behind them while we're decorating; it's a big part of the fun. And then there all the ones the girls have made. LX's painted green and sprinkled with glitter toilet paper roll that she made me at daycare when she was three still finds it's way onto the tree. It has to....although, thankfully, it's not front and center anymore!
Filled stockings or no? (Stockings, I think, are way too much fun.)
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Post by vox on Dec 8, 2009 13:16:14 GMT -6
Definitely filled Phalon! of course it depends on who's filling them! LOL
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Post by quettalee on Dec 10, 2009 3:43:27 GMT -6
Filled for me too! Actually, I love doing the stocking thing with certain people as opposed to a single gift. It's usually a nice-sized or fancy stocking of some sort...or it may end up being a special "treasure box" that reminds me of that particular person...a couple of years ago, it was the canvas grocery tote bags (the Green thing). Then I usually start at the dollar store and work my way from there. It can be filled with up to maybe 20 small gifts...or two or three "off the wall" small ones and then a nicer one. Needless to say, it's not usually what one might find in a Christmas stocking, but it's always good for conversation or "Oh cool, that's a great stocking idea!!"
Open a gift on Christmas Eve or everything waits until the next morning before daylight?
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Post by stepper on Dec 10, 2009 19:59:32 GMT -6
Filled stockings! Mine aren't quite so fancy as TGs though. We hang stockings for us and the cats. The cats get new mice toys, etc. And catnip burlap bags. They adore those. I put a tangerine and an orange in ours, plus gum, pez, soft caramels, and if something uses batteries the extra battery will be wrapped and in the stocking, and maybe a small present or two. I've found that doling out diamonds seems to be popular choice for some reason and they're conveniently small enough to fit too. Open one, and only one, present Christmas Eve. Everything else waits for Christmas morning. My neighbors don't do that though. She ends up with a house full of kids and grandkids so they open all presents on Christmas Eve, then Christmas day they gather for a big meal. The idea is that the chef has the morning open for kitchen chores.
Written Thank You notes, or you gave them a present too and it's not necessary.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 12, 2009 7:14:36 GMT -6
Written thank-you notes are a lovely idea for Christmas gifts, but unfortunately, like sending Christmas cards, I rarely get around them.
Hitting the stores, or shopping on-line?
I gotta say, because of the storm, it was convenient buying the things on-line yesterday at the same store that I had planned to drive up north to visit. But how do I know the fleece sweater for Mom is as soft and fleecy as it appeared in the on-line photo, or that LX's red leopard print jeans are fire-engine red and not cherry red?
I missed the whole visual/tactile experience.
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Post by stepper on Dec 12, 2009 23:01:44 GMT -6
In person, in the store for me. Precisely for the reason you sited Phalon.
Burn the Christmas Candle or keep it as a decoration?
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Post by Phalon on Dec 13, 2009 7:26:19 GMT -6
Burn, Baby, Burn...Christmas Inferno. Gads, where'd that come from, I wonder? But yes, candles are made to burn, and scent the room with Christmasy smells.
"The Grinch that Stole Christmas" or "A Charlie Brown Christmas"?
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Post by quettalee on Dec 14, 2009 0:45:26 GMT -6
Definitely "burn"! I absolutely hate candles that are not burned. What is the freaking purpose? If you don't want to burn it, then opt for some other type of decoration. I mean c'mon. And candles that are not for burning are the worst dust collectors ever! A Charlie Brown Christmas. I like the Grinch, but I've been a huge Peanuts fan since childhood. Ride with Santa in the sleigh on his Christmas Eve run or spend the rest of the year being #1 Elf in charge of all the toy-making at the North Pole?
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Post by stepper on Dec 14, 2009 21:35:02 GMT -6
Charlie Brown Christmas - like that would surprise anyone. But I like How the Grinch Stole Chrismas too.
Interesting question TG. I think I'd prefer the one night stand - being in on the thrill of making the deliveries - as opposed to a year as a toy maker. Christmas Eve is my favorite time of the year. An entire 24 hours of Christmas Eve would be the ultimate for me.
Which version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas do you prefer? The cartoon with Boris Karloff voice and songs by Thurl Ravenscroft, or the movie version with the remarkable facial gymnastics of Jim Carrey?
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Post by Phalon on Dec 15, 2009 5:58:08 GMT -6
The speed, the power, the thrill of the night! It's definitely gotta be in the sleigh for me....uhm, as long as no one makes me look down.
I like the original Grinch better, though I've only seen bits and pieces of the remake. I'm not a Jim Carey fan; he makes me cringe and grit my teeth, actually.
Angel, star, or some other tree topper?
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Post by vox on Dec 15, 2009 14:41:47 GMT -6
Some other tree topper Phalon, we have a big gold snowflake on the top of ours, courtesy of Moonglum, who did all the deccies for me this year!
Shop bought Xmas Crackers or Home made?
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Post by stepper on Dec 16, 2009 21:12:51 GMT -6
We've had both angels and stars as toppers, but we settled on a star, lighted but not overly ornate. Home made cookies and crackers if at all possible.
Which Bing Crosby movie - White Christmas or Holiday Inn?
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Post by quettalee on Dec 16, 2009 22:12:52 GMT -6
White Christmas
Wrap everything all at once after the end of shopping...or wrap as it comes in the door?
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Post by stepper on Dec 17, 2009 21:20:00 GMT -6
I have two wrapping sessions. One for everything getting mailed out, and another one the weekend before Christmas for everything that stays here. I'd do it all at once if I could, but it never works out that way.
Buy Christmas wrapping paper, bows, etc. at the after Christmas sales and save it for next year, or wait for next year and buy it then?
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Post by Gabrielle On Nutbread on Dec 17, 2009 21:27:37 GMT -6
Wait till next year and buy it then. I tried one year to buy it at the half-off sale after Christmas, but when Christmas rolled around a year later, I had lost the wrapping paper. 'Course, that's just me, and I'd probably lose my head if it wasn't attached. Inviting family for the holidays: the WHOLE family, or just a select few?
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Post by stepper on Dec 17, 2009 22:01:47 GMT -6
Inviting family for the holidays: the WHOLE family, or just a select few? The whole family. We all get along with each other so getting together is a lot of fun. Leave the tree up for New Years or take it down right away?
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Post by quettalee on Dec 21, 2009 21:43:17 GMT -6
Leave it up and take it down New Year's Day. Figured out about Santa on your own or told by someone else? (that he's real, of course! )
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Post by Phalon on Dec 22, 2009 23:13:37 GMT -6
We take our tree down New Year's Day too.
I can't honestly remember how or when I figured the Santa thing out. I remember when my youngest brother did though - it was quite early actually, and had nothing to do with my other brother and I (6 and 7 years older) telling him. Santa used the same wrapping paper we did - it was that simple for him, but something I remembered and because of it, Santa always uses different paper in our house.
I thought last year was going to be the last year for BP; she was asking a ton of questions. This year, she asked LX if Santa was real, and amazingly her older sister didn't blow it for her. A few days ago, she asked me if I believed in Santa. Of course, I do (I didn't tell her a lot of the reason has to do with me paying his bills). I think this is the last year though. Sigh. It's kind of sad.
LX knew pretty early. Hubs blew it for her, shooting down Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy all in one shot with the slip of the tongue. She has teased him about it ever since, saying it's not her who we need to worry about messing up the Santa image for BP, but him.
Dress up in finery on Christmas day, or come as you are?
(I had a clothing epiphany the other day - eye-roll - which I will expound upon in the "thread" thread when I'm not so tired. Or maybe I won't do any expounding, because when I'm not so tired I will realize it's a topic that is best left unexpounded.)
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Post by stepper on Dec 22, 2009 23:42:11 GMT -6
Come as you are. Be comfortable, relax, and enjoy the day.
I really don't remember discovering the truth - but one of my earliest and most vivid memories from my childhood is that I was startled out of sleep on Christmas Eve when I was very young. I looked out the window and very clearly saw Santa and the reindeer flying between houses across the street. I excitedly ran into the living room to tell my parents and found that A) Santa had already been to my house and B) my parents were hosting a party that included a lot of adults whom I had never seen before. The next morning there was more under the tree than I had seen the night before. It was something I never forgot because it didn't fit somehow. I wasn't able to analize it until many years later, but I didn't forget it either. It was a few years later, I think, when the combination of my Jewish neighbors and kids at school sort of pointed out my views weren't quite right and ended that chapter of childhood.
You threw a big party for Christmas. Throw another one for New Years or no way that's going to happen?
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Post by quettalee on Dec 23, 2009 13:39:04 GMT -6
No way...one holiday gathering. Although...I could be tempted to host a separate dinner party for a few close friends either before or after the big throw-down. And...casual dress. I'll dress it up with something other than a t-shirt and sneakers, but gotta be jeans. Mistletoe hanging in the doorway or not?
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Post by Phalon on Dec 24, 2009 7:40:54 GMT -6
No mistletoe here; I've got all ten last time I checked. Five on each foot.
Board games or puzzles?
It's been one of my brother's traditions to give the girls a board game every Christmas. This year he did puzzles. BP had hers together in no time. LX and I have been working fervently on hers; our goal being to get it done by Christmas (or at least get all the pieces we have left in - it looks like we lost a few transferring it from his dining room table to a piece of cardboard for the trip home. Or the dog ate a few.). ARGH! This thing is impossible - it's not even shaped like a rectangle, some of the pieces are smaller than the tip of my pinkie, and the picture is a collage with a lot of one color throughout. We were up past 1am last night working on it. I can hear Bro laughing all the way from the other side of the state. Likewise, he can probably hear our laughter too - the maniacal kind.
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Post by stepper on Dec 24, 2009 16:09:14 GMT -6
Yes to the Mistletoe. For some, no one at Whoosh of course, but for some the holidays would be completely uneventful without some kind of assistance, and liquer means you have to be willing to party a little less than the others so you can drive. Of course, Mistletoe doesn't always work, but it's a fun tradition that makes even the synic smile.
Puzzles - assuming you mean those with pictures and not word or math puzzles - but I've received a couple that were dozies. Odd shapes, reversable, and varied in colors. A few of them I mounted on some stuff I found at a hobby shop, and then sprayed on a clear coat over them. They come out from time to time. Like now - the Peanuts Christmas puzzles just have to be around to add to the festivities.
But, I find puzzles more of a solitary endeavor. For family time, board or card games always seem to win out.
So lets talk bored, uh, board games.
Parcheesi or Boardwalk?
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Post by quettalee on Dec 25, 2009 23:13:08 GMT -6
Uhm...I've read this a couple of times and I need some assistance now...please enlighten me, Uncle Step. I don't get the correlation between mistletoe and drinking. I only know of the mistletoe and kissing correlation. Is the kissing suppose to keep people from drinking so much?? Absolutely puzzles...but I'm with Step on this one...I don't like anyone else touching my pieces. And I love crossword puzzles, as well...but not if they're too easy. Love the challenge; even if it means putting it down and walking away for a day and then picking it up again. My best friend and I used to spend Sunday mornings together on her deck drinking coffee (or Bloody Marys) and working the Sunday paper crossword... *sigh* ...I should've called her today. I can't comment on either board game, Step, because I've never played either. How about backgammon or chess?
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Post by stepper on Dec 25, 2009 23:48:22 GMT -6
Hi TG. I'll see if I can explain where the wandering mind had gone. The post said "for some the holidays would be completely uneventful without some kind of assistance". The 'completely uneventful' part refers to not getting a kiss. Assistance towards relieving osculatory failure would, potentially, come from Mistletoe, or in the event it takes something else, liquer. Does that explain it well enuf?
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Post by stepper on Dec 26, 2009 0:22:55 GMT -6
PS. Chess, but that's because I've never played backgammon.
How about this one...
Whitman Sampler or Chocolate Covered Cheeries
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Post by Phalon on Dec 26, 2009 8:44:20 GMT -6
Oooo, one I can answer....because I've never played Parcheesi or Boardwalk, Backgammon or chess. But chocolate! Yep, have definite likes and dislikes there. Actually, I like all chocolate, but it's the stuff inside that puts some of it in the dislike category.
Chocolate covered cherries....bluck. So I'll go for the Whitman's Sampler, but pinch them first so I don't end up with any pink or green ick in my mouth after biting through the desirable chocolate layer.
Nuts though - I love chocolate covered nuts and received the best mix this year from a friend....all kinds of nuts and seeds in the most delectable chocolate and candy coating. Mmmmm. (Stepper, do those count too, following the no calorie Christmas rule?)
Silly String or Silly Putty?
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Post by quettalee on Dec 26, 2009 19:55:56 GMT -6
Silly Putty! Use to love that stuff with the Sunday comics.
Modeling clay or Play Dough
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Post by stepper on Dec 26, 2009 20:55:50 GMT -6
... I like all chocolate, but it's the stuff inside that puts some of it in the dislike category. Chocolate covered cherries....bluck. So I'll go for the Whitman's Sampler, but pinch them first so I don't end up with any pink or green ick in my mouth after biting through the desirable chocolate layer. Nuts though - I love chocolate covered nuts and received the best mix this year from a friend....all kinds of nuts and seeds in the most delectable chocolate and candy coating. Mmmmm. (Stepper, do those count too, following the no calorie Christmas rule?) Silly String or Silly Putty? Actually, chocolate covered nuts don't count either. See, calories don't like hot chocolate so when the HOT hits one side, most of the calories abandon the nut and jump to the conveyer belt where they are carried away to be deposited in tofu and lard. In fact, nut calories make up the main ingredient of lard. The few calories that don't escape are used up maintaining the taste of the nut so by the time they're eaten they have a negative caloric impact. For Christmas I send chocolate covered raisins and nuts to my step mom, brother, and sister, but I usually send everything to step mom since they all go to her house Christmas afternoon. This year I found out that step mom hides them and puts out cashews and candy instead. And when things are sent directly to bro and sis, they hide them from step mom so they'll have some for them selves. Even after all this time there's still things to find out! Silly String because it looks like fun, and play dough...because I have no artistic talent what so ever. "Here! I made something for you in school today." Uh. Nice. What is it? "An ashtray!" Why does it look like a pancake? "I couldn't get the sides right so I invented an new type of ashtray. On this one you only use it to put your cigs out." Dad to mom - Snickering won't help. Son, that's an interesting concept, but your mother doesn't smoke. Have you every heard of a clay pigeon? I think this would be a jim dandy clay pigeon. Let go out back and see how it works as a pigeon. This next one is Phalons fault... There are many versions of A Christmas Carol. Which is better, Alastair Sims classic version, or Albert Finney's tour-de-force musical?
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Post by Phalon on Dec 27, 2009 0:15:19 GMT -6
Play Doh because it's so soft and squishy between your fingers. Modeling clay doesn't squish.
And definitely Alastair Sims - the Albert Finney version is good, but I absolutely adore Sims' total transformation for curmudgeon Scrooge to good and kind Scrooge. His interaction with the housemaid on the stairs near the end is priceless.
Blame this one on Stepper, (and his flat ashtray).
Pancakes or waffles for breakfast? Or eggs, toast, and bacon?
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