Let's talk Christmas :-)

chic said:
Actually, I loved all of that stuff. The shopping and the wrapping, the food preparation etc. I miss those days.
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Christmas Eve you'd find me sipping a glass of wine, sometimes with my lady, while I assembled tricycles, bicycles or scooters, and put the ribbons and bows on the kids' gifts - they got wrapped soon after I bought them, in case the kids found them, but adding the bows and ribbons was my Christmas Eve tradition. Whenever we had a fireplace, I'd make boot-prints on the floor in front of it, and trail them off toward the tree. Then I'd stuff their stockings, and check over my work while I munched down the snack the kids left out for Santa. And I was careful to leave some crumbs on the plate, because the kids always awed over those: "I think this one touched his beard!" :love:

Christmas Day was freaking awesome, but man, I loved my Christmas Eves.
 
We put out cookies and eggnog for Santa. Always gone by morning, although thinking back, the cookies probably got put back in the cookie jar and the eggnog poured back in its container.

This Christmas will be the first one in my new house, but just barely. I finished moving and "officially" took up residence on December 27, 2021. I don't foresee any big changes in my observance because of this.
 
I used to be a christmas nut. I went crazy with decorations. I baked and baked, for work, for the family, for neighbors, for taking to nursing homes, for gifts to the postman and sanitation workers.

I pretty much do nothing now, if family asks for a certain baked or cooked treat I will make it. I don't decorate. I give the kids money and try to find something special for my grandson. I stay home, I don't go anywhere for Christmas, I don't want to ruin anyone's celebration.

This all started when my husband passed, I can't do holidays without crying and being sad. I don't want anyone to see that. I want them to be happy, I want them to start their family traditions. I was lucky enough to have it all, now it is their time. Their glory days, their memories!

Don't feel bad for me, I am happy, I spend time with all the memories, cook food I want including things from Christmas's past. Christmas is not about me it is about Jesus and appreciating all the things he has given my in my lifetime.
 
I remember the first Christmas after my husband died. I wasn't in a good place, emotionally, because he always loved Christmas and we always went full-out.

It was a drizzly day mid-December and I had dragged myself to Walmart to do my Christmas shopping. I bought all the kids' presents and some things for other people and had stuffed it all in my trunk. Then, I stopped by Publix Supermarket for a few things I couldn't get at Walmart.

Where's my purse? Oh, I must have put it in the trunk. Nope, not in the trunk. Did I leave it in the cart in the parking lot at Walmart? I must have. I drove like a maniac the three miles back to Walmart and drove up and down the lanes looking for my purse. No carts had my purse. I parked and ran inside the store. Nobody had turned it in. I had $400 in the wallet, my drivers license, my charge cards, my address book......my whole life. The thought of replacing all that stuff made me want to lay down in the parking lot and wail.

I decided to make another loop around the parking lot, this time on foot. In the pouring rain. There was a big scrum of carts that had been pushed to end of a lane and I could faintly see an object sitting in one of them. I tore carts away until I reached the cart. THERE WAS MY PURSE!!! And everything was still in it. Wet, but still there. How in the world on an extremely busy day in the Christmas season had nobody seen my purse and taken it? Whoever bunched up the carts missed it too. There was an angel watching over me that day. Could have been my late husband.

I immediately walked back up to the entrance of the store and deposited a damp $100 check in the Salvation Army kettle. I wish I could have afforded to put a thousand dollar one in there. I was that grateful.

For some reason, that incident shocked me out of my seasonal funk and I felt a lot better. I had been shaken AND stirred.
 
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In spite of some past years having sadness come the day (a friend or relative dies) other things too,
still though for me, I so much love Christmas time, what it can represent in my heart and memories,
and life, it is a special time, and will likely always be so ~
 
I put up small tree, a wreath and some other decor. I don’t do much outside. I always travel for Christmas. Last year was at my sister-in-law’s home about 3 hours away. Before Covid we had Christmas at my niece’s home - a two day drive requiring the expense of a hotel, food, four days on the road, etc. I hope we will be at the closer location again for many reasons and particularly because my sister-in-law is 89 years old and has lots of ailments that make it difficult for her to travel. Plus, and this is my naughtiness coming out, at her house I have a private bedroom vs. a twin sized sofa bed in an open room with little privacy at my niece’s. But, we shall see. I’ve never been consulted about my preference. The plans are made and I get told afterwards.
 
debodun said:
This Christmas will be the first one in my new house, but just barely. I finished moving and "officially" took up residence on December 27, 2021. I don't foresee any big changes in my observance because of this.
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This will be my first Christmas in this new apartment 3 months now. I think I will find a place for my tree, and set it up early this year. Hopefully, it will make the holiday warmer for me. I will probably stay home, be quiet, and recall nice memories of my former homes with the kids and family.
And who knows? There is still time to let a surprise or two sneak in.
 
Christmas eve 1982, when I got home from work, my parents were not home. When they returned, they had a wind-up pendulum wall clock they had purchased at Montgomery Ward (a now defunct department store) in Saratoga Springs. Dad had been diagnosed with stage 4 renal carcinoma the month before, so we were fairly certain it was his last Christmas (he did pass the following April). I kept that clock and it worked fine until I moved last year. It would tick for about a minute and stop. I took it to a clock repair shop and the manager said he'd fix it, but it would no longer be a wind-up since he's put an electric movement in it for around $300. To me that would ruin it. Now it's down in the basement. I don't have the heart to sell it or throw it out. Waterford Clock is the only vintage clock repair business around here.

wall clock2.jpg
 
hollydolly said:
Christmas has always in adulthood been my favourite time of year.. I never had anything as a child... so as an adult I've always made a big deal of Christmas, especially when DD was little... However now I'm on my own, husband has gone.. the energy bills have gone sky high.. the food has risen steeply in price, not to mention Fuel.. so it's not going to be fun for me.. and millions of others this year ..and potentially for several years to come..
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Such a sad thought. People spending all their money or survival needs, like heat and food. I hope people can get together and still do some frugal things together. The richy rich will be fine and not care.
 

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