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On Christmas eve day me and my family are getting ready for my Mom's family to come over. Sometimes friends of my Mom and Dad stop by for a visit. My Mom and Dad are cooking and my brother and I are cleaning, and I don't like it! In the afternoon we all have a perfect Christmas eve lunch, Then we all open our presents!
Then the next day (Christmas) my Mom, my Dad, my brother and I unwrap all our presents. Then we cook waffles for breakfast. Then we go to my aunt Karen's house (Dad's sister) and open the presents they gave us. Then I play with all my toys until we have lunch. "W"
Our usual tradition is on Christmas Eve to gather the family for a Haddock Chowder and open a few gifts from each other. We sometimes shut off all the lights, light a candle for everyone in the family, and pass around the bible and read the xmas story by candle light ( and sometimes a flash light!) Santa Claus usually stops by early in the evening during this time, and we get a few laughs and sing to him before he leaves. When the kids were little it was great fun.
When I was young I remember that Santa's beard lost a bit of hair when he went up our fireplace, and I found it there on xmas morning. ( That hair was very much like my grandfather's horses mane, I learned later in life.) During a recent Christmas Eve, and since geocaching came into our life, my son and I have been known to go out on Christmas Eve after our family gathering, with a flashlight to some of our geocaching friend's houses with gifts. By flashlight we have found the co-ords in a spot in their yard, left them a hidden Christmas gift, and ajoke story/letter about their family in their door to read, rung the bell, ran like heck back to the car and took off. Their families loved the geo search in the dark for the gift. It was a corny idea, but we made good memories and had some laughs doing it. Well, I am off to finish that chowder..... Merry Christmas everyone!
"Always remember that you are unique, just like everyone else."
Early memories: roaming the woods with my favorite uncle looking for the "perfect" balsam fir. Christmas morning, sitting at the top of the stairs waiting for 6AM, the time when I was allowed to go down. The stocking, breakfast, Christmas with my parents. Then my favorite part, Christmas with my uncle in his one room camp back of our house, heated by a woodstove and lighted with kerosene lamps. And his great gifts: snowshoes, skis, sleds, once a toboggan, and the best part, we did things together. Winter evenings were spent building with the erector set, setting up the toy train, the farm. And days were spent snowshoeing the snowy woods, sliding, skating. After Chrismtas dinner at our house, the afternoon was spent at my grandparents' house on Southport, where there was a very large gathering.
Later memories: going to college in Boston. Saving what I could from my lunch money to buy presents. Walking down Commonweath Avenue, across the Public Gardens, stopping at the Nativity scene on Boston Common, staring in store windows on Washington Street. Caroling on Beacon Street with the girls from my dorm. Going home with my treasures. Doing all the baking. My mother washed the dishes and I cooked: chocolate mint surprise cookies, fruitcake, gold and silver cake, nut cake with caramel frosting. Pies. Yeast rolls and Hungarian coffeecake for Christmas breakfast.
After college and marriage, having real money to spend for gifts! Christmas with our daughter at our home, then with my parents at their house. Everyone gathering at our house for dinner. Burning the Yule log in our big fireplace. Christmas later with Stan's parents.
Fast forward: Picking up our daughter in Portland, as she came home from Boston or NYC for Christmas. Stopping in LL Bean to enjoy the lights and color and atmsophere.
Now: Christmas in the snowy woods, deer in the yard. A morning walk. Christmas with our daughter. Exchanging presents with friends. Cookie swaps, soup and cookie parties. The Lion's Club senior citizens Christmas dinner. After Christmas, a second one in Boothbay Harbor with my 93 year old father and Stan's 101 year old mother. And still the fruitcake, the chocolate mint surprise cookies, the Hungarian coffeecake...
Merry Christmas everyone! Here's to more good memories...
"There is nothing- absolutely nothing- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats". Wind In the Willows
An old photo of my dad at his piano with me & my sister
This photo reminds me of sitting beside him on the piano bench while he played Christmas carols and sang to us. His voice was the sweetest music I ever heard and " O Little Town of Bethlehem" was my favorite
Thanks for the help with the photo posting advice
Last edited by pjpreb; 12-24-2009 at 06:34 PM. Reason: spelling
If you want to try cross country skiing, start with a small country
I almost think this photo was the best of the thread! LOL! Thanks for posting it.
(And I really like the "Christmas dog", too.)
I think this link is appropriate.
I have one sister and every year she would be up at dawn Christmas morning and waking the rest of the family. My parents finally made two rules: no getting anyone up before 7am AND the coffee had to be made. In fact, Santa started leaving a gift next to the coffee maker for the sister who got there first. Kayla and I are both at our folks house for the long Christmas weekend; wonder who will get to the coffee pot first tomorrow morning...
7:36AM - Up and ready to hitch up the reindeer and get the sled going northbound. So - we punched 1 through 37 into the random number generator at random.org. We had 24 valid entries out of 37 posts.
And using 1 - 37 the winner is - True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 20 = pjpreb
(I kept a spread sheet of the post numbers and excluded any which were highjacks LOL).
pjpreb - contact me via email so I may get your coin to you.
Merry Christmas everyone - have a wonderful day!
Thank you for the cointest, hollora. We liked the coin alot and now we have to be jealous of pjpreb. Congrats to pjpreb on her win.
Merry Christmas to you as well Hollara. This has been a very enjoyable thread to read!
"Always remember that you are unique, just like everyone else."