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Post by Jackie on Dec 4, 2004 9:09:56 GMT -5
Since we have recipies for the holidays...how about a discussion of Christmas traditions here...memorable Christmases in your lives...etc. I think we did this last year. For those who do not celebrate Christmas...perhaps you can join in with a particular tradition as well for a holiday you do celebrate. That way we can all share.....and....learn. I will begin by sharing with you a very old tradition for me. Years ago when I was a child...my parents took us to the North Pole in Colorado Springs. There they purchased a set of...Carollers that sat my whole life in the front hall of our homes at Christmas time. About 20 years ago...Ed and I went to the factory in Colorado Springs Old Town....and began our own collection of these wonderful handmade creations. I will post their website so you can see for yourselves...btw they also make fun ...'cloud babies' including one several years ago with DS because ond of their artists had a child born with it. My season begins...with the unpacking of these figures and in my new house they are on our mantle like a scene right out of Charles thingyens www.simpich.com/catalog/caroll.htm I am more into simplicity these days with my Christmas but it still looks festive and you know for sure what season it is around here. Our new courtyard is full of holiday windsocks, too. I unearthed these during the move ...a hold over from the days I had my Childrens Store and these were in store decorations. I have about 10 really big ones. I also have huge plastic ornaments all over the courtyard in the monkey grass...sort of like Easter Eggs....all brite and shiny....now I just need to plan a party.....in the past I have had a 'girls' get together....what I call my annual Fa La La. Usually midweek around noon so working friends can come....and I just invite people I really like and dont get to see very often. Usually no one knows anyone else...so its really fun...and everyone goes away with a new friend. You ALL will be invited if you can find a ride to Amarillo....LOL. I am eager to hear what everyone else is doing to celebrate this season....and am going back to dig up my post about last year when the whole family went to the Toenail Moon Farm in Wimberly Texas and Emily wrote our living Christmas pagent....just to read myself, never fear...LOL. It was such fun. Now...someone elses turn. Jackie mom to Emily 24
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Post by Jackie on Dec 4, 2004 19:40:28 GMT -5
LOL...this is soooo weird....I tried to type in my post the name of Charles thingyENS...you know ...the author who wrote A Christmas Carol ....Tale of Two Cities...etc....and for some reason the computer changes his last name to ...Thingypens....LOL....just so you know...that wasnt a typo.
Jackie
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Post by Staci on Dec 10, 2004 8:43:17 GMT -5
Jackie, the carollers are too cute! I love Colo Springs, also...I have family there and have been there many, many times...I used to live in Ft. Collins! I miss the mountains! We dont really have any traditions from when I was a kid because Christmas just wasn't celebrated. It was just me and my mom and she didn't care for Christmas, so we never had a tree, no presents really because she was a single mom working her heart out to support us, but it was all ok! Now, my dh, Sean, and I are making our OWN traditions! The only traditions we have so far LOL are having our family and friends over on Christmas Eve and eating soup (I make a yummy Zuppa Tuscana, like Olive Garden's famous soup, and a homeade broccoli and cheese that is really good) and other goodies that everyone else brings and opening the gifts we have for each other. For 2 years in a row, Sean and I have made a "movie" DVD, with all of our family pictures set to music, and we watch it together and talk about our family. This year, no DVD, but I'm making everyone a homeade cookbook LOL. And Christmas Day, we'll be going to my brother and sister in laws, like we've done for years and years, and having our Christmas dinner there. We usually spend the whole day there, we always have a great time. That's our traditions, so far. This year, the kids and I made handprint ornament and will continue to do so for as long as they let me. Next year, they'll be a bit older, and maybe we'll start a tradition of making a birthday cake for Jesus. Staci
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Post by Tammy on Dec 15, 2004 21:03:59 GMT -5
I was not going to reply on this one as... being a relatively "young" family we havn't really developed any true traditions yet....
BUT....
After recent events, I was thinking there seems to be a growing trend in our family for prople to get sick or injured around Christmas time...
Kate spent a week in hospital one Christmas, Emily had Chicken Pox one Christmas, Someone has had Flu or tonsillitis a couple of Christmasses, I broke 3 bones in my hand one Christmas, Lewis has broken his arm now...just in time for Christmas...
Hmmmmm......
A tradition that needs changing I think!!
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Post by Jackie on Dec 16, 2004 7:35:34 GMT -5
We have always celebrated with a MEAL on Christmas Eve...straining the old family budget and buying a really good beef tenderloin....and then my sister makes bernaise sauce rich enough to require artery surgery....and twice baked taters..........Even two years ago visiting Marnie in DC we did the same thing ....
This year Marnie is spending Christmas with the Thai family of her significant other guy.........and they celebrate Christmas Eve...but eating pancakes, eggs, and bacon!!!!! I doubt this is a Thai custom as his brother is married to a girl who is not Thai and probably brought this into their marriage. I think traditions are wonderful...but I think they can also screw us up when it just isnt possible to carry them out for some reason...so we all need to be able to enjoy and also ...to let go....and go new directions from time to time.
If you dont have ANY.....why not start at least one...write it down so you dont forget...and try to do something similar next year if you enjoyed it.
Jackie
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Post by paulineuk on Dec 16, 2004 11:16:22 GMT -5
Family traditions -
For a number of years now, come rain or shine (or snow) on Christmas Day afternoon we go to a mere about 12 miles away and feed the duck, geese etc. sometimes we are the only people there but if its a nice afternoon there are usually quite a few people about and all in very good spirit. One Christmas afternoon a few years ago the owner of the local restaurant on the edge of the Mere opened up and gave us all free hot drinks, party hats and crackers and free food for the kids to feed the ducks with. Pity he retired soon after!
Pauline UK
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Post by Jackie on Dec 19, 2004 13:54:23 GMT -5
This isnt a Christmas Tradition...but a funny Christmas Story.
In 1982 we moved to Amarillo. My brother who is a builder built us this marvelous huge home...in a small neighborhood. We were on a cul de sac. It was Christmas Eve when our entire family had gathered to have Christmas Dinner (23 of us) ...and we were waiting for Ed to get home from the hospital. We were sitting in the family room with a roaring fire...when....suddenly there was a tremendous noise.....apparently the fireplace exploded....but thank goodness...it blew backwards....no fire...just a huge crack up the back of our chimney.....
However to be on the safe side ...we called the fire dept who musta been bored...cuz they sent TWO huge hook and ladders out to the our house...sirens and all....
Of course we provided more excitement for the neighborhood kids with those guys than Santa ever could!!!!!
And then turns out several of them knew my brothers and had graduated from HS with them...so they joined our party ..came in ...sat on the couch and exchanged stores...for about a half hour....and in the meantime...Ed who knows nothing about this arrives home with two huge firetrucks in front of the house....LOL...and you can imagine his expression.......
Well we were very lucky....had our dinner as planned....discovered our problem was merely a gap in the firebox and the wall of the chimney...easily repaired.
The only casualty was my MIL who had just had rotator cuff surgery....My FIL who is blind from WW2 had a 'flashback' when the explosion happened and stood up quickly pushing up on his dear wife's shoulder....OUCH...she had to have it redone...poor soul. Like I said...that year it was hard for Santa to compete with fire trucks................
Jackie mom to Emily 24
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Post by meghans_mom on Dec 19, 2004 16:32:17 GMT -5
oooh...Jackie! I love those carolers! If I needed something else to collect...that would be it! Maybe will have to hint to hubby :-)
When "my boys" were at home (my boys, what I call my brothers) we used to rent scary, horrible movies Christmas eve and all sit and watch them..not very much in the real seasons spirit, but something I loved to do....and how I miss my boys!! And on Christmas eve also, I loved playing "santa" (still do) putting everyone's presents out in their special place (under that persons ornament on the tree)
I think this will be my best Christmas...with mom still here and MM sooooo very excited for the first time with the tree, lights and SANTA! (he was just here on the fire truck and what a terrific reaction she had, she couldn't believe that he came here just to see HER!)...and I am looking forward to developing new traditions with my babies and DH!
laurie
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Post by meghans_mom on Dec 19, 2004 16:45:37 GMT -5
almost forgot....watching the Nutcracker ballet w/ my dad every year -- I still watch it every year, and hope in some sense he's still here w/ me watching it :-)
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Post by momofrussell on Dec 28, 2004 21:13:06 GMT -5
Growing up I never missed a year getting to watch "A Wonderful Life". We haven't sat down with the kids now that we are married to watch it.. I really need to do that!!!!! I miss that movie!!!! We read "Twas the night before Xmas" every Xmas eve before the kids go to bed.. and we also read and/or talk about Baby Jesus and his birthday... and Mary and Jofus (As Reece calls him LOL). We also started a tradition, by accident, after we got married. Growing up my mom had gifts wrapped under the tree for weeks... don't know how she got it all done. Then Santa came and put out that one special gift unwrapped for us, and filled the stockings. Well, for some reason, we NEVER have time to wrap our gifts to the kids until the last few days before xmas. SO... since we have been married (Regan was 3 when we got married) we have wrapped the gifts but didn't put them under then tree until the kids were asleep xmas eve. So, they get to see a bare tree and wake up to a room full of pretty wrapped gifts from mommy and daddy.... AND.... Santa brings a nice toy unwrapped and fills the stockings A.
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