I'm here to help...

[Apples2 19]

Hey Janet....no concert...didn't get tickets. But it's okay. We do see a lot of concerts every year.

Apples, traditions? When my parents were alive the main thing was I got to open my presents on Christmas eve night. We would have dinner then open presents. My parents told me it was because Santa had so many people to visit he stopped by our house early. I still open presents Christmas eve...mostly because I'm so busy Christmas day with dinner. I don't need to add house cleaning to the mix. Now...since I've been in this house, it's been I host a Christmas Day dinner. Everyone is invited and welcome. This year it looks like anywhere from 10-15 people. So, it's not as big as some of your families, but it's really nice to visit with friends. We also get some people stopping by for coffee and visiting.

Cheri, your picture is fabulous. You are looking very good. Congratulations.

I am home for lunch and need to get back to work. Have field notes to take and then some more computer work. Then I'm off for 5 days.

Check in later.

Eva

Eva...your Christmas sounds wonderful. We have had a few years in the past where our family/friends Christmas was celebrated on a day other than Christmas which left Christmas Day open. We would call the University in our town and find out if there were any "Christmas Orphans" that could not travel to their own home. We would invite them to stay with us, make a huge Christmas dinner, have a Christmas stocking to dig into and few little gifts. Those Christmas' with those kids mean as much to our little family as all the other ones do.

This year DH and I will be alone on Christmas day and are going to go into town and volunteer at our community dinner at one of the churches. Mostly elderly ppl that do not have family or do not have family travelling home for Christmas. After that we will drive the 70 miles to the threatre to catch one of the new movies.

[Apples2 19]

Ummmmmmm...we will do the above on Christmas Day unless we have a TON of snow and ZERO visibility! LOL

[Charlene K 1]

Hey Janet....no concert...didn't get tickets. But it's okay. We do see a lot of concerts every year.

Apples, traditions? When my parents were alive the main thing was I got to open my presents on Christmas eve night. We would have dinner then open presents. My parents told me it was because Santa had so many people to visit he stopped by our house early. I still open presents Christmas eve...mostly because I'm so busy Christmas day with dinner. I don't need to add house cleaning to the mix. Now...since I've been in this house, it's been I host a Christmas Day dinner. Everyone is invited and welcome. This year it looks like anywhere from 10-15 people. So, it's not as big as some of your families, but it's really nice to visit with friends. We also get some people stopping by for coffee and visiting.

Cheri, your picture is fabulous. You are looking very good. Congratulations.

I am home for lunch and need to get back to work. Have field notes to take and then some more computer work. Then I'm off for 5 days.

Check in later.

Eva

When I was a kid my parents did the same thing. My dad would take us looking at lights while my mom would write out a check to Santa and wait for him to arrive. We bought it hook, line, and sinker. We would come home an hour or so later and all the toys would be under the tree. Then we opened gifts too. Then when I married and had children we waited for Santa for Christmas Day, but we opened gifts on Eve. When my kids suspected there wasn't a Santa I told them that when they no longer believed Santa wouldn't come......so the believed for a long, long time. I told my grandkids the same thing. So, that tradition continues. The spirit of Santa lives on.

[Charlene K 1]

Oh Apples, just saw the weather report. You and all of you north of Texas are going to have snow for Christmas Eve.........and a lot of it!

[Apples2 19]

Oh Apples, just saw the weather report. You and all of you north of Texas are going to have snow for Christmas Eve.........and a lot of it!

Arlene...we have enough snow the way it is. We don't need ppl travelling with zero visibility because of blowing snow. Such a worry. We have so many deaths on holiday weekends when we have blowing and drifting snow.

So...let me get this right...your mom wrote a check to Santa to pay for the gifts??? So cute.

[Apples2 19]

Boos02....are you around? I see you popped in to look...how are you doing?

[ifyourstomachoffendsyou 1]

My favorite Christmas was the year my baby sister came home from the hospital on Christmas morning. We got to stay home from church and my dad went to get her and my mom. The hospital sent her home in a big red Christmas stocking. She was born on Dec. 20, came home on Dec. 25, (my mom had blood clots so stayed 5 days), and I turned 15 on the 30th.

Thanks for the compliments on my pic. DH took that pic over 2 weeks ago and couldn't find his cord to download onto my computer. So I've lost at least 5 or 6 more lbs and will post a new pic at goal. 6 lbs to go.

Cheri

[Charlene K 1]

Apples, yep, she had to come up with an excuse as to why she had to stay. I used it on my kids a few times...........they bought it too.

Oh, I hope all of you are prepared for the new snow. Stay off the roads. What am I saying?........of course you are prepared, and probably have enough provisions for all of your neighbors.

[Apples2 19]

Apples, yep, she had to come up with an excuse as to why she had to stay. I used it on my kids a few times...........they bought it too.

Oh, I hope all of you are prepared for the new snow. Stay off the roads. What am I saying?........of course you are prepared, and probably have enough provisions for all of your neighbors.

When you live on a farm 15 miles from the closest supermarket (or any store) you learn to stock the pantries, the closets and any other nook and cranny. I am a person that only grocery shops about every two weeks and just stop and pick up milk, if needed. We have two pantries (one of which I am cleaning and organizing today) and I have two large Lazy Susans in my kitchen that hold all my canned goods. Yep, I'd say we could get snowed in until next year this time and we would not starve....we'd be mighty bored, but well-fed.:tongue:

[Charlene K 1]

Bored..........and well fed? Good thing you have a band. That is how I got so fat!

[Apples2 19]

Bored..........and well fed? Good thing you have a band. That is how I got so fat!

There's such a HUGE difference between the term "well fed" today compared to 2 yrs ago, Arlene. Back then it meant the huge 16' dinner plate I keep in my cupboards and dessert to follow. Now I am eating off of that dessert plate or even the smaller appetizer plate. :tongue:

[Charlene K 1]

My favorite Christmas was the year my baby sister came home from the hospital on Christmas morning. We got to stay home from church and my dad went to get her and my mom. The hospital sent her home in a big red Christmas stocking. She was born on Dec. 20, came home on Dec. 25, (my mom had blood clots so stayed 5 days), and I turned 15 on the 30th.

Thanks for the compliments on my pic. DH took that pic over 2 weeks ago and couldn't find his cord to download onto my computer. So I've lost at least 5 or 6 more lbs and will post a new pic at goal. 6 lbs to go.

Cheri

Girl, you look FABULOUS!

[Great2BThin 5]

Cheri you look great! So close to goal! I bet you can feel it.

Arlene, mom had to write a check to Santa? Cute! DH's family always had Santa come Christmas eve too. They went driving around to look at Christmas lights but never fail his dad always forgot his coat or something in the house and had to run back in after they got all the kids loaded up in the car. His family never did stockings though.

Interesting how so many of our traditions and customs are food related.

My day went well but my leg is swollen huge. I had it down too long today. But I made it through the appt with my Grandma, good thing as my mom had things so messed up and confused. Then she gets mad at my grandma and says she's the confused one. Think we have it all straightened out, Grandma just needs to make some tough decisions going forward. Also made it to costco and they had no wheelchairs, DH was going to push me so he went in and got out stuff and I waited, I knew that was too much walking.

I am enjoying reading about the traditions. AFter we go through the Christmas traditions, it will be interesting next week to talk about our New Years traditions.

[Apples2 19]

Oh Great...my New Years tradition for soooooooooooo long was to vow that the next year I would lose weight. Year after year after year...the same old thing. Now, I don't have a thing going into the last couple of years that I have to make a resolution for.

[Great2BThin 5]

Oh Great...my New Years tradition for soooooooooooo long was to vow that the next year I would lose weight. Year after year after year...the same old thing. Now, I don't have a thing going into the last couple of years that I have to make a resolution for.

Me too! Isn't that a great feeling?

But I know some folks have New Years eve traditions of black eyed peas or something. For DH & I it is usually a diet pepsi watching the ball drop on cable TV so that at 10pm we saw it at midnight back east and can go to bed. LOL Party animals that's us! LOL Except now it's no more diet pepsis. And recently we started having lobster on New Years eve.