Christmas Memories

Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 7:52 PM
Well, I thought I would post about our Christmas when we were children. I have a few pictures that were in a scrapbook that I made, so I just picked up my camera and took a picture of each Christmas page. My mom has the original pictures lost in her basement somewhere, so this is the best I could do!

My mother used to read Christmas stories to me with such expression!



 Little Golden Book collections. I loved looking at all the colorful pictures. I also loved watching all the Christmas shows. One in particular was the animated show "The Little Drummer Boy". I would get all fuzzy and warm when Aaron came to play his drums for baby Jesus because he had no gift to bring and I think that's why to this day I love the song Little Drummer Boy. I received a record player for Christmas one year and the single of Little Drummer Boy and I just thought that was the greatest thing! I listened to it over and over! Rum pa pum pum, me and my drum....

Me and my middle brother Mike.

When Rudolph the red-nose reindeer came out, that was my next favorite to watch. What a classic, even today! I have collected a Bobblehead Rudolph, Santa, the Abominable Snowman and Hermie the elf who wanted to be a dentist. The figures look exactly like the characters in the show. I also have a Jim Shore collectible of the Snowman and Rudolph. I've collected quite a bit of Christmas STUFF through the years. Now I just need another room to store everything. Every year I see something else I'd like to have! I think maybe it's a .....sickness....?


When we were kids, Christmas was always a happy time of the year. We were very fortunate. We always had all kinds of goodies to eat and lots of candy. I remember the colorful ribbon candy, so pretty to look at, but just didn't like it. Hershey's kisses....mmmmmmm....still my favorite! My parents would go to Amish country and buy different kinds of cheeses, pepperoni, crackers, etc. Lots to eat!



I would get so excited about decorating the Christmas tree and even to this day, I still love decorating my tree! I'm one of those early birds that some people think are a little ridiculous, but I'm the one doing all the decorating and need time to do it in, so I put my tree up the weekend before Thanksgiving every year, and Thanksgiving weekend we do the outside decorating.


My brother Mike, me, and in the far right bottom, my youngest brother Dan. Oh, we were having so much fun!

I remember my Dad and Mom would get our tree around the middle of December. We always had a fresh tree for many years. Ahhhh...the smell of fresh pine, nothing like it to remind you of Christmas. I couldn't wait to help with the tree, but my Dad would always let it sit out in the garage for a couple of days to let the branches drop before we did any of the decorating.



Then the fun began. My Dad would always do the icicles...those silver wrinkled ones that you could throw on in bunches, unlike the smooth looking ones they make today. But my Dad was very particular about how he put them on, so they always looked nice. And the bubble lights...oh how I loved those lights!


My brother and I, and my Dad and his brother.


Ornaments, candy canes, garland, and when it was finished, we would sit back in delight and enjoy the beauty of our Christmas tree! This is exactly what I do today. I love putting the tree up early and enjoy looking at it and the soft light that comes from it. It only comes once a year and it brings with it memories of Christmas magic from the past.




Christmas memories are something to cherish forever. My parents always made sure it was a magical time for us! I hope your Christmas memories were wonderful too!
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Decorating and Gift Giving

Sunday, July 31, 2011 at 9:11 PM
I did a little online "shopping" and found some things I thought would make sweet decorations for the home or even cute little Christmas gifts without breaking the bank! I have overspent for the holidays many times in the past. It's ridiculous! I sometimes wonder if the person that I bought for even remembers what they received from one Christmas to the next. It's nice to give for the holidays, but it doesn't have to be expensive and should not put you in the hole from one year to the next. It seems I no sooner get the charge card paid from last Christmas and guess what...Christmas is here again. Now I ask myself  do I really want to do this again?? The answer this year is NO! Times are changing for everyone financially. This year I'm cutting back on the amount of money I spend. My children are much older, and should realize that...well....they are not little children. Or, maybe it's just the mom in me that thinks I need to shower my adult children with gifts at this special time of year because they are both single and will not have anything to open Christmas Day unless it's from me....

But as for the other people in my life that I would like to get a little something for, these are some things I have found that can be given as a small gift or added into a cute gift basket that won't break the bank! My sister-in-law makes up sweet gift baskets that I really appreciate.

Here are a few of the items I found. Maybe it will give you some ideas for decorating or gift giving.










These little sweeties are Yarn Pals. Check out the cute little booties!



Maybe not for the women, but for those wrestling fans, this is a great gift. My hubby received this from his sister last year for Christmas and he loved it! Full of color photos and info.



I have a Fix-It and Forget-It cookbook, not this Christmas issue, but I love it. It's full of slow cooker recipes for all of those busy people who need a little help with supper. Lots of great recipes.




A nice bottle of sparkling wine to go with


this sweet Holiday Glass set/4. You could make it more elaborate and add some cheese, crackers, etc. It just depends on what your budget allows.




NFL Tumblers for the football fans.



Sweet reusable canisters with a Muffin Mix inside. Great for a basket.



Holiday characters/gift towel set.





The Major Award throw. I couldn't help myself when I saw this one. Really cute throw for those who are crazy about the movie A Christmas Story. ;-)



Every Day Thought Calendar with a different quote for each day of the year.



NFL Floor Mats for that football fan.



I love these little Sentiments Snowmen! So cute!



These Holiday Birds would look sweet on a table, mantel, shelf, or just about anywhere.




This is a lighted flicker candle that works off of batteries. I'm a big fan of battery operated candles because you can put them on shelves or anywhere that you couldn't put a real candle. I have quite a few of these kinds of candles in my home, but I also love the real scented candles. The nice thing about these are that if you forget to turn if off before you go to bed it just doesn't matter! The house won't burn down! There's also a cute Santa candle like this one.



Color changing wooden candles that would look great on a mantle or a window. Simple and inexpensive decorating.



Santa countdown to Christmas. There's also a Snowman countdown.



Lighted Sled.

These were some ideas that I picked for decorating or gift giving that won't cost an arm and a leg for the holidays. I need to remember that the reason for the season is not how many gifts you give or receive, or how much you spend on someone, or how elaborately decorated the home is, it's Jesus, He is the real reason we celebrate Christmas!



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Sleigh Ride

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 11:53 AM
The weather this past week has been exceptionally hot and humid as many of you know. I thought about this song, Sleigh Ride. I knew that it had it's beginnings during a heat wave in July. I love to watch the Boston Pops Christmas concerts and this is how I heard that it was written in the middle of a heat wave.  I did some checking and it was in July of 1946 that the original idea for the piece came about.  It was composed by Leroy Anderson and finished in  February of 1948. The orchestral version, my favorite, was recorded in 1949 by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra. I first saw this performed by John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra on television years ago. I absolutely loved it!! This song became a hit record on RCA Victor Red Seal which is a classical music label and is now part of Sony Masterworks. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers named Sleigh Ride the most popular piece of Christmas music in the USA in 2010.




So that's a little history of one of my all time favorite Christmas songs. Here's a video from You Tube, the artist is Arthur Fiedler. If you like, watch and enjoy. The light display is pretty amazing! Pause player in left side bar if you watch. THINK COOL!!




Wikipedia
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