Christmas Cards: There are some people that I wait to get a card from before I send one to them. I dislike the whole process. I don't mind sending photo cards to family members who don't get to see my children very often (if at all) or to close friends. But this whole send-cards-to-neighbors/co-workers, etc. is just ridiculous to me. That's why I wait; in hopes of being removed from someone else's list first!Christmas Gifts: I snoop. I always have. My parents would wrap our gifts and leave them in plain sight in their bedroom. As soon as they went somewhere, I'd hightail it to their room and feel up the gifts with my name to see what was clothes, board games or books. Now I'm married to someone who leaves receipts laying around and bags in plain view on his closet floor. The man would make an awful adulterer, let me tell you.
Christmas Trees & Decor: Every year, I manage to get out fewer and fewer things. The past two years, I haven't added one ornament to our tree. The kids can do it and I really don't care what the tree looks like anymore. My days of perfection are over! And I'm much more relaxed and happy now!
Christmas Music: My favorite 'Christmas' cd is Barenaked for the Holidays by the Barenaked Ladies. Why? Because it has a bunch of Hanukkah songs on it! Finally, something that's not overplayed on the radio!
Snow: I despise it! My dream is to be able to take a walk in the neighborhood without a coat or boots on a December evening and enjoy all the Christmas lights, without the fear of slipping on ice and breaking my neck. In our 20 years here, I believe I was able to do that once.
Fruitcake: I freely admit it, I love the stuff! Give me a cup of coffee and a big slice of nutty, sugary, fake cherry goodness. Now that's Christmas!
Wishing all my friends in Bloggerland a very Merry Christmas and a blessed, healthy and happy 2011.
I'm pretty much with you on the card thing. However, I am NOT a snooper. Have NEVER been a snooper. I love surprises. Love them so much that I would never spoil my own. LOL
ReplyDeleteThe more day-to-day contact I have with someone, the less likely I am to send them a card. We send cards/letters to our friends who we rarely see, 'cuz we don't want to lose touch.
ReplyDeleteThis year, all I did for Tree/Decor was write the check - 5M and 7M even carried it home from the lot (3 blocks). And the kids did all the decorating.
Barenaked for the Holidays sounds like a great idea! Oh, wait - you were talking about music, weren't you?
And, just for the sake of sayin' so - "The man would make an awful adulterer. . ." - I'd take that for a good thing, if I were you. . . ;)
I also dig fruitcake, especially home-made! Nice posting.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
Em - I've never liked surprises. Maybe I'm a control freak? I also read the endings of books when I'm somewhere in the middle!
ReplyDeleteCraig - Yup, it's a good thing. But his lack of secretiveness kills me. Maybe that's why my oldest never believed in the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy!
Eric - Merry Christmas to you too! Thanks for becoming a reader and I look forward to more of your poetry and photos.
Thank You my Dear Friend and a Merry Christmas to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteLike you I do love fruitcake and the thought of sitting back with a cup of coffee and a slice makes you feel the Christmas Spirit,
"I'm much more relaxed and happy now!"
This is what tells you if all is good and it appears so for you :)
I used to be nick named Tree Nazi. Now I don't care anymore either.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas
As the years go by, I tend to get fewer and fewer Christmas cards, and because I never send any of my own out, I'm entirely OK with that, especially since the few I still get are from people I see all the time, as you mention.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family!
Merry Christmas to you too Cocotte! I'm with you on the fruitcake thing. It tends to get a bad rap. Having said that, I tend to stick with the home made versions.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you, too!
ReplyDeleteWe haven't sent cards in forever, and thankfully, I got over that guilt a long time ago.
(And, it's prolly a good thing he'd be a terrible adulterer, no? Just askin')
Fruitcake is great! I'm lucky- of the six of us, only myself and one boy like it at all so I can have MORE MORE MORE
Jimmy - It's been a pleasure getting to know you in Bloggerville.
ReplyDeleteJK - Isn't it so nice to get the tree off the list?
FADKOG - Enjoy those boys! Mine got his license today!
Russ - Yes, only homemade. Nothing that's sat in WalMart, please!
Sailor - I wish no one liked brownies here! LOL - Merry Christmas!
I must be a good actress, because people still give me Christmas ornaments every year despite the fact that my enthusiasm upon opening them is 100% faked.
ReplyDeleteWe stopped the card thing many years ago thankfully. Queenie stressed incessantly over it and assumed every sender/hander 'deserved' reciprocity. Since she couldn't be convinced to make HER OWN list we scrapped the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteQueenie's a snooper for sure. Or was. When we was first hitched I used to buy stuff and then return it so I could leave receipts around. Sometimes I'd leave the fake gift hidden for a week or so to allow discovery. For several years she would try acting surprised, then be genuinely surprised. Was priceless 'cuz she'd never let on about the snooping fail but it was written all over her face. Ahhh the memories!!
And for the record, snow is one of God's most incredible creations .... so long as it's respected properly. Ice, on the other hand ....
I have about given up on Christmas cards. SO many of my family are on facebook that they get a steady stream of updates and photos already. And this year, when I just couldn't do cards, I noticed that there must be a lot of others out there waiting before they send theirs. So okay, I'm letting the whole tradition die a natural death.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas album is the Kingston Trio's "Last Month of the Year." It's mostly older songs that you would never hear anywhere else. But you are welcome to my share of the fruitcake.
Tatty - I have a very hard time faking liking something. You deserve an Emmy!
ReplyDeleteX - For the record, you are sort of mean. No offense!
Agent - My spouse has a similar Xmas CD from the '70's, but unfortunately, HE'S overplayed the damn thing and I can't stand any of those 'original' songs now either.
Oh, but I am offended, deeply! I fancy myself to be unusually mean, not just sort-of!
ReplyDelete:-)