Christmas Post

[NHSRattler60]

Deck your halls, rest ye merry gentlemen, and Roast Your Chestnuts, Christmas Time is upon us. I personally feel that the stores pushed it on us quite early (I saw christmas stuff in Wal-Mart during HALLOWEEN!), but regaurdless, what is the "thing" to do in your family, community or home to get ready for the holidays?



Here...the Christmas tree is going up next weekend. And the shopping gets done next week, soon as good Old David can find him a job (if you live near Navasota and are in need of a semi-stong/semi healthy 17 year old with experience in stocking shelves, cleaning a store, lifting and carrying feed, computer work, typing, yard work, pretty much anything for 5.50 and up...PM me.) and since the birthday is so close to christmas (January 5th) were making travel plans to waco to visit the family.

Your Turn

[NHSRattler60]

ttt

[Ranger Mom]

Well....I have been slow this year.

Haven't done one iota of Christmas shopping, haven't asked my kids for a Christmas list or anything.

I'm thinking cold hard cash sounds good!

I threw my 10 foot, huge, giganitc, cannot be put up alone, tree away last year and got me a 7' pre-lit skinny tree this time.

Our Christmas traditions seem to be changing as the kids get older. I told them I was doing away with the stocking stuffers this year...that didn't go over well.

Candy and cheap toys in the stocking just don't cut it anymore.

Any ideas on good, cheap stocking stuffers? I probably averaged about $50 to $75 dollars per stocking. With 5 kids, that gets a little too expensive for me!!

[CheerMom]

Things for Christmas are getting to a slow start in my home, as well. I swore I would never have an artificial tree, but have for the past 5 years. This year we are having a real tree, if I have to cut one out of the ditch somewhere!!
As far as shopping, nothing gets bought until the week or so before Christmas. I procrastinate every year. I hate having to figure out what to get these kids of mine. Cash does sound like a good idea, but impersonal. And of course with teens nothing they want is cheap!!
Everyone have a great holiday and travel safely!!!:D

[Bandera YaYa]

Heck RM..we should have traded trees!! I threw away my 7ft and just got me a 91/2 ft one!! But it's kinda narrow...I wanted one that looked real (some of those colors are just too plastic looking!) but not as wide as my old one. I have cathedral ceilings, so it fits ok, but man it took forever to put on the lights that high!! Don't tell anyone, but the center of the back of the tree has no lights...but it's against corner, and you can't tell, so I didn't worry about it!! Yeah, I imagine stockings for 5 kids can wipe out your Christmas budget!! I only have girls so I get lip glosses and bath stuff, but also add card games, Lotto scratch offs, gift coupons to Sonic and Dairy Queen, rolls of quarters (Laundry at apartments and car washes!), stamps, new toothbrushes, movie passes and walnuts and oranges!! Wouldn't be Christmas without the walnuts and oranges!! My mom puts those $5 scratch offs in everyone's stockings at her house....the favorite thing after we open presents, is to see who won anything on those scratch offs!! To date, I am the leader...I won $60 off mine 3 years ago!! (It's not the money, but the distinction of winning the most money!) Merry Christmas!!

[NHSRattler60]

ttt

[onfirebball05mustang]

lets see.... the thing that REALLY kicks off the holidays around here is the A&M/UT Game...the guys watch the game, the gals go shopping! (then there's the rest of us that sleep)

Our family does a bit of both...food on thurs, decorating on Friday and every other year is the Aggie parade (tradition ya know) This year we ended up going to Sportsman's Warehouse (dad and i) while mom decorated. Then Saturday we went again w/mom.

Then of course there's the Lighting of the Tree @ Zilker, the Kid's Parade that we have every once in a while, Craft Fairs in Elgin, Food Drives and Coat Drives in Manor, and (my personal favorite) Burnet Bethlehem!--if anyone knows the schedule for it-pm me please!

Around family it's non-stop cooking and baking until the next school semester starts-everything from shortbread to Lebkuchen, Wassel to Egg Nog, Trash mix to Gorp. We always seem to be together doing SOMETHING! Then there's of course the Hanging of the Greens service @ church that means alot to my parents and I (its tonight--YAY!)

There's also the Christmas trip our family takes to either Irving or Dallas the week around christmas or new years. Then at New Years, our youth group stays up all night doing laser tag, bowling, movies etc to bring in the new year. Did i mention we also eat PIZZA?!?! everything just hasta revolve around food.

Man, I surely am going to miss all this while at college...:(

[Whsdogs]

take this from an 18 year old lol...my parents still do the santa thing stocking stuffers(they dont spend much on those but its kinda cool still)...haha everyone no matter how old still loves to feel like a little kid again and trust me at my house...me and my other 3 brothers still wake up early beg my parents to get up and see what we got haha...guess im one of the few whos not afraid to show their kid inside :p...and RMu should suprise ur kids with some cheap stocking stuffers or somethin haha it would be a good suprise, i bet the kids would like it...but thats just me an 18 year old college "KID":)

[onfirebball05mustang]

Originally posted by Whsdogs
take this from an 18 year old lol...my parents still do the santa thing stocking stuffers(they dont spend much on those but its kinda cool still)...haha everyone no matter how old still loves to feel like a little kid again and trust me at my house...me and my other 3 brothers still wake up early beg my parents to get up and see what we got haha...guess im one of the few whos not afraid to show their kid inside :p...and RMu should suprise ur kids with some cheap stocking stuffers or somethin haha it would be a good suprise, i bet the kids would like it...but thats just me an 18 year old college "KID":)

that's too true, it gets entertaining around here, we act like such little kids, and since i'm always the youngest, i HAVE to act younger than i am to keep my grandma entertained...it's kinda sad actually

But yeah RM-check out like HEB or something...they have the candy in christmasy tins and boxes...we found a little "tackle box'' of gummie worms and the like for one of my cousins. Then i got Sweet Tarts ornaments-they're too cute! lol

[Bandera YaYa]

YEah! I love those tackle boxes that have gummy worms in it! Soooooooooooo cute!! I love HEB!! You can always find something fun there!!

[CHSBaseball07]

well we usually go skiing the day after X-mas but not this year...so this x-mas will SUCK

[NHSRattler60]

I went skiing once. Then my sister got me to try snowboarding....ouch. In fact I recall almost breaking my ankle i fell so hard. And if anyone ever gets the idea to go down a hill and run into snowmen...wear a helmet. My knee sure is hurting today. Stupid weather.

[District303aPastPlayer]

[i]
But yeah RM-check out like HEB or something...they have the candy in christmasy tins and boxes...we found a little "tackle box'' of gummie worms and the like for one of my cousins. Then i got Sweet Tarts ornaments-they're too cute! lol [/B]

WE have LOTS of stuff you can put in a stocking... last thing i remember seein that was quirky was these ornaments made of leather... very cool lookin cowboy hat, boots and other stuff...

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by District303aPastPlayer
WE have LOTS of stuff you can put in a stocking... last thing i remember seein that was quirky was these ornaments made of leather... very cool lookin cowboy hat, boots and other stuff...
.
Are there HEBs in Midland?:D

[bullfrog_alumni_02]

in my family we usually open a present early on Christmas eve, but that has kinda changed as my siblings and i all got older. thats about all i can think of.

[District303aPastPlayer]

Originally posted by SintonFan
.
Are there HEBs in Midland?:D

i doubt it... poor saps

[AP Panther Fan]

Well, got the tree put up and decorated over the weekend. My (well-intentioned) aunt bought us a 7 1/2' pre-lit tree ...so my kids are not very happy about the fact that we will not have a live one this year. Of course, they have never had to put the lights on or take them off. The tree is beautiful, just doesn't smell and shouldn't be turning brown and dropping needles between now and Christmas!:D

Still have to get outside and work on putting the lights up on the house and decorating the yard. Much to do! :)

[onfirebball05mustang]

Originally posted by District303aPastPlayer
WE have LOTS of stuff you can put in a stocking... last thing i remember seein that was quirky was these ornaments made of leather... very cool lookin cowboy hat, boots and other stuff...

ok now i have to go to HEB...i have another cousin that would just love those! We should post pics of the trees/decorations we have...compare notes and plan for next year lol