Guest Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 Yes, Christmas was a spiritual event in my household. It got started by a scout activity to sing carols to 10 houses and we chose The Nativity Song as our focal point in the caroling. The teddy bears came out again at the Dollar Store, so we got 10 teddy bears to hand out with a printed Pres. Monson quote to go with it. Those were the first presents we gave for Christmas. That just started our Christmas Season on the right footing. This year, we decided to stay home for Christmas (we usually go spent Christmas Eve with family out-of-town) and so we held Christmas Eve dinner at my place. It was a fun time with my brother's family and my best friend's family but there was also a little bit of a pall to it as my best friend's brother died a few hours earlier. It made us reflect more on the spiritual even throughout the party. We opened presents right at midnight. This year, we also decided to go cash-only Christmas, so we set small budgets for everything. The kids got clothes and a $20 game for their game console that they both shared. I got my husband a pair of shoes and 2 pillows. My husband got me a stainless steel necklace pendant that is shaped to form my boys' names and their birthstones set in the middle. I don't normally wear jewelry but this one I really loved and will wear forever. He also got me a massage session at the spa - which I'm looking forward to scheduling after the holidays have wound down. My mom arrived on Christmas Day to spend the rest of the holidays with us. My mom cleaned my entire kitchen... even managed to get the "ring" around the flat top burner off so my stove looks brand new again. Anybody who walks into my house will know my mom has arrived. LOL. The best gift though is, as usual, spending that extra time with my family - including my brother's family and my mom. My kids are now teens and they've been pulling away from me bit by bit but this Christmas they're back to their old clingy selves wanting to do everything with mom and dad, even sleeping in our bedroom. This always remains special. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 (edited) That sounds like a great Christmas anatess. I really like the part about your Mom. Our dining room has been table-less for over a decade, so this year we finally bought ourselves a dining room table and chairs and ate Christmas dinner in the dining room. It's strange how when you haven't eaten around a table in a long time, you can forget how things work, like passing around the food. :) It was a really nice Christmas dinner. M. Edited December 28, 2015 by Maureen David13 and Backroads 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David13 Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 AnatessSounds nice. Money is a good gift. That way they can get what they want.But the Teddy bears sounds nice too, particularly with the Pres. Monson quotes.Your mother reminds me of my grandmother. My mothers mother. Whenever she came over, she immediately started cleaning the house. Not, I think because it was dirty, just she was an obsessive cleaner.All the family are dead now, and I don't have any friends (nobody likes me) so Christmas for me was myself and my two cats. And work on my motorcycle.I did recently buy an iPad Air 2 and a gun for myself, so basically I got exactly what I wanted for Christmas.I usually tell anyone don't get me a present, and I usually don't get anything for anyone. That way nobody gets something they don't want.MaureenI'm glad to hear you got that dining room table. That can be an important part of any holiday get together, or for any time of the year.In the Church, in the workplace and certainly at home, eating together is an important part of the festivities and socializing.Merry Christmas and Happy New Yeardc Maureen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backroads Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 My toddler wouldn't stay in bed. We had Christmas at 4 am. She still remained awake, eventually devolvibg into a dancing and singing frenzy of sugar-induced oblivion at Grandma's house. I'm quite certain she was hallucinating at one point. Little girl slept til noon the next day.My husband bought me a Supernatural hoodie, a book of old maps, and some jumper cables which we got to use that very day! My grandmother handed out 2 grand to everyone. Maureen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backroads Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Anatess, how did your mom get the ring put of the burner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David13 Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 My toddler wouldn't stay in bed. ... My grandmother handed out 2 grand to everyone. BackroadsAre you talking about 2 grand as in $2,000.00 two thousand American (non counterfeit) US of A Dollars?Do you think I could pose as a distant cousin of yours visiting from, say, Australia and have dinner with you and the family and Grannie next Christmas?dc Backroads 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backroads Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 BackroadsAre you talking about 2 grand as in $2,000.00 two thousand American (non counterfeit) US of A Dollars?Do you think I could pose as a distant cousin of yours visiting from, say, Australia and have dinner with you and the family and Grannie next Christmas?dcShe said it was just going to be this year. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 29, 2015 Report Share Posted December 29, 2015 Anatess, how did your mom get the ring put of the burner?Whoever came up with "You must be Filipino when you use vinegar to clean anything" spent a day with my mother. She sprinkled baking soda on the cooktop and sprayed it with vinegar (yea, my ironing spray has long since been sequestered to be the vinegar spray... Just refill with white vinegar). The resulting paste gets scrubbed onto the cooktop with a Dobie.She does the same thing with the faucets and my pots and pans.The kitchen floor gets a dose of vinegar and water mixture with a dollop of dish washing soap. Same for countertops.She drops a dollop of dish washing soap down the garbage disposal and pours vinegar and water mixture down while turning the thing on.She even uses vinegar to clean the toilet and baking soda and vinegar to unclog drains. Good thing the stuff is cheap... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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