madamekelly

My favorite adult Christmas was the year I had a brain bleed on December 5th, and could not get around enough to even consider putting up decorations. My DDs were 7 and twelve and I was a widow so there was no one to take up my part of the job as supervisor, and because of what I had been through, we were just going to skip all of the mess (and fun) of decorating. On December twentieth, my BFF's husband took us out to dinner, just him and us, which was an unusual thing for him to do, but very sweet just the same. He took us way across the city to a funny little mom and pop restaurant since he knew that was my preference. We were gone nearly three hours, and when we got home, we found an amazing surprise. My BFF and her five sisters had gone to the local dime store and bought every silly decoration they had, and had gone ahead and decorated our home for Christmas! They turned all the light switches into 'gifts' with wrapping paper and ribbons, all the wall pictures were wrapped too. It was so over the top that we now call it "The year Christmas threw up in our house". Every tacky, gaudy, Christmas decoration the dime store had was in our living room, with "Grandma got run over by a reindeer" (it was the year that it came out) playing on the cassette player. I loved it! Here we are 28 years later, and I still use some of those tacky things in memory of the loving Christmas my BFF gave me. It was also the last year I had a real tree, I miss the smell of the real trees though.

marytoddliz

I like clear lights and colored lights on the tree the blink first clear then colored! But the house is decorated with red white an blue lights! We got a new tree this year and it is too tall to put my Angel on top so she is sitting beside the tree with one of her "Little sister" angels sitting on top of the tree. Our tree is very eclectic with lots of hand made ornaments from small children, Kids and grand kids alike! But I noticed after I finished decoratin the tree this year that the bottom half was bare! It was the first year ever that I decorated with out a little one to help, last year my great niece helped, I have decided to leave it bare until one of the littles come over to fill it in!

My favorite Christmas ornament was one I made when I was 7, my mother gave it back to me several years ago when she went into assisted living. The one I made was a tiny pinecone with beads and sequins glued to it! It used to smell like cinnamom but has long since lost it's smell, but I always add a few cinnamon sticks to the tree wrapped with red ribbons.

Prayers for Louise for a speedy recovery and Thanks that it was not a stroke, we lost a friend this year to a stroke, my thoughts are with you and your family!

Also Happy Birthday to my Secret (not so much) Pal I hope you had a wonderful birthday yesterday and enjoyed the cookies

Mary~

LAQUITA

UGH !!!!! ������ okay so I had reconstructive food surgery on Nov 14th. Got my cast on this last Monday, Well Wed evening I slipped off my knee scooter and didn't fall, but stopped my self woth by big toe. YES it is in the same side as the foot surgery. I have never broken anything in 52 years until now and I KNEW immediately I'd broken it. Called Dr after hours. He said to call next day and come in for X-rays. Well, not only did I break it, I shattered it, he said like cracking an egg when it cracks all over but still remains in one piece . In other words, it's not displaced so no surgery (thank you Lord). But boy does it hurt and throb!!!! Just about the time my foot gets well enough to be able to hang down without throbbing and blood rushing to it I do this! Thankful for a loving and caring husband and daughters!

So, handwork it is for a bit longer!

Clmay

I don't even have my tree up yet. I am still at my uncles helping him. I think I am going to sell my mobil home in Buffalo and move up here. I seem to be doing everything for him. I help with the bills, do dishes, cook, clean and take care of his dog. I am not complaining, so do get me wrong. It gives me a quiet place to do my sewing. I should be finished with my Christmas gifts with in the next two weeks.

I am planning a trip to Buffalo before Christmas to get my 2 cats. I do miss them so much.

I know I received my SS Gift, but won't be able to open it until I get home.

Clmay

My favorite Christmas memories were when we lived on the farm. All of the relatives would come over. We would have a big dinner. After the dinner, my cousins and I would go sledding down the big hill behind the barn. When we got too tired to carry the toboggan up the hill, my uncle would come to the rescue. He would hook it up to the snowmobile and tow us up.
These were the magical days. If that wasn't enough fun, we would go to the barn and swing on ropes that were tied to the rafters and fall into a big pile of hay.
Those were the days!

Rumbols

Just love all your favorite Christmas stories. Here's mine.

When we were little (my brother, sister and I being the oldest), Mom & Dad would take us joy riding to see the Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. As we piled into the car, Mom always had to run back into the house for something she forgot and it took her forever in kid time to get back to the car. Dad would drive us around for about two to three hours seeing the decoration lights people put on the outside of their houses. Before going back home, we would stop at Frischs for hot chocolate and donuts. Once home Dad would go into the house first to turn on the lights and make sure we didn't have strangers in the house like raccoons, squirrels, bats, or even humans as we never locked our doors in those days. Seemed to take him a long time before we were allowed in. Then he would come out and say did you see that flash overhead? We'd say what and start looking up at the sky. Mom would say what was that over there and point over the back of the house. By now you have guessed, Santa had come. He put lights and decorations on the artificial blue tree with the glittered box stand (4 ft tall). He had added lots of presents around the tree and filled out stockings. Us kids were wide awake then and so happy. We couldn't believe it, Santa had come while we were gone. We opened our presents, including a stocking with an apple, orange, and small sack of nuts. We stayed up until 2 am having fun. Christmas day, Dad had to work, so this was our Christmas celebration. We had turkey sandwiches for Christmas dinner with a Christmas cookie.

Years later before Mom & Dad died, Mom told me she had the tree decorated and sitting in the closet. She set up the round stool where she wanted the tree to go and she stacked the presents on the couch before we left for the ride. All Dad had to do was set up the tree on the round stool, nail the tree stand down to the stool so it would tip over, plug in the lights and dump the presents under the tree. Then do his acting job. We didn't have much but Mom and Dad sure made us some sweet memories.

marietta

Loving all the memories, Thanks.
Until my grandmother died in '89 every Christmas Eve was spent at her house. The whole family aunts, uncles, cousins, any and everyone. Every kid, there were 18 of us, got a present from Gram. And like at Easter she always made sure there were extra, just in case. Nobody had any money especially when we were growing up..Gram must have saved and shopped all year. After the food, fun and explosion of paper and packages, the whole lot of us would pile into vehicles and make our way to midnight Mass. I sure miss those days.
As an adult, all my Christmas's with my girls and grands have been my favorite, But I think my most memorable one was in 2004. We live on the gulf coast, hardly any winter to talk about, and very seldom snow, and if it does its just flurries and doesn't stick. My family and I had gone to early church Christmas Eve and after service , just as we stepped out the front doors it started snowing. Us and the whole congregation just stood there in awe staring upward for many minutes none of us saying a word. And it was sticking, not melting away. Our daughters were graduated by then and the oldest and her bf and friends came back to our house to play in the snow, lol, the youngest went on the see friends. Along about midnight hubby and I get a fone call, youngest daughter, small car of hers stuck in snow in some parking lot, come save her. ha Her dad had tried to warn her about driving in snow, etc..they never listen. We set off to save child and car, still snowing, wonder of wonders, Finally find car, yep covered in snow parked in a small drift, no sign of daughter. Hubby, just shakes his head and doesn't even bother with anything else, just hooks the winch up to pull the car out, as he's done many a time when they've gotten stuck at the beach or at the lease in jeeps and 4-wheelers. The hardest part for him, was deciding which one of us would be driving the car or the truck back to the house. I had never driven in snow or icy roads before either. While he pondered I just stood there in the parking lot watching the snow fall and catching it on my tongue and thinking, at 41 my first white Christmas ever. It was wonderful.

redstilettos

MadameKelly: THAT is a great group of friends. You hit the lottery there

My favorite memory was actually from my step-dad. I did Not like him when we first met. AT ALL. I was a teen and it wasn't going over well. Fast forward a few years and I slowly warmed up. He would tease me about my jammies. I live in a cold weather state and I had a favorite pair of flannel ones. As they wore out, I'd ripped a spot near the shoulder and just safety pinned it. He kept "threatening" me he was going to rip them up for dust cloths. That year he bought me a new pair of pajamas. Flannel. And the most hideous pattern I think a manufacturer could come up with. Even my mom was rolling her eyes. He was so serious and hopeful that I'd like them. They were SO warm and soft. Best pair I had ever had. I'm pushing 50 now, and they are long gone to the dust rag pile. I have one left. And it still makes me smile when I get to that rag. He was a warm-hearted man who taught me family is not about blood. My step-dad walked me down the aisle while my father was an usher. Yes....we had come a Long way as a family. I miss that man dearly now.

CarolinePaj

Hi Guys,

Okay... still on the bench here but I thought I would share a Christmas memory with you....

When I was little, for three years I had wanted a Tiny Tears doll......and one year she finally arrived! Oh how I loved that doll. Now I had a slightly older brother who was a bit of a devil..... and one day when I returned home from school I found that he had drawn a pair of glasses and a moustache on her with a biro! I was devastated, I tried everything to remove the pen, but nothing! She had glasses and a moustache forever more. Throughout the years as we grew up, I always reminded my darling brother that he owed me a Tiny Tears, and as adults we would laugh at his antics with her and the many other things he had done when we were children.

When I was 41, my beautiful brother became very ill.... within 6 months he died! During the final six months of his life, I spent many many hours with him, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying and certainly recalling our childhood! He lost his battle with cancer in the September.

On Christmas day that year I found a gift under the tree from my brother. When I opened the paper, there inside was a Tiny Tears doll. My brother had made arrangements with my DH for her to be hidden and put under the tree on Christmas morning. I treasure that doll as well as the wonderful memories that I have of my brother.

Hugs to you all!


Caroline

marietta

What a beautiful story Caroline, Thanks to you and all who have shared their memories.