Monday, November 26


Anni, at Hootin' Anni's has created a Christmas meme. I enjoyed reading her answers and decided that this is a good way to get to know the likes and dislikes of our blogging friends. If you would like to participate, just click on the link where you can learn all about the meme and read Anni's wonderful answers.

This is what Anni had to say:

For the holiday season, I've started a meme. "The Twelve Questions of Christmas" If you'd like to participate, I'd be honored to have you join in the fun. If you'd like, you are welcomed to use the meme header graphic!

1. Christmas is Magical [fill in the blank with ONE WORD]

2. In memories, what was the best part of your Christmases past?

The best part of Christmases past was being together with family. When Grandma was alive there used to be 40 sitting around the old oak table for Christmas dinner. This was a great time. After we were done eating, we would reminisce and laugh about incidents that had taken place over the years. My grandfather was a great story teller and so was Dad. I believe that these two men gave me the desire to write and tell my own stories. I am a history buff and I think those stories of bygone days learned me to love history. We always had a great time.

3. Was Santa ever good to you? [describe how and what]

Times were hard when I was young. There is one time when Santa was especially good to me. I was around ten and he brought me a record player and a couple of records. After that, I saved every cent I could to buy a new record. I'm taking 78s and 45s. A 45 rpm record cost about $1.00 in those days.

4. Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or both?

Hubby and I always open our gifts on Christmas morning. Then we go to my daughter's for a brunch and open gifts with them. It's always nice to open gifts with their family. I love the looks on the boys' faces when they get something that excites them.

5. Is there something you make each and every year? [craft or recipe]

Every year my Mom, my daugher, the boys and myself get together and make homemade chocolates. That is a wonderful family time. We talk about all kinds of things and have a wonderful time. The three of us always have to be on the lookout for the boys who try to sneak the chocolates.

6. What is your favorite five[5] Christmas songs/hymns?

1. Do You Hear What I Hear?

2. O' Holy Night

3. Silent Night

4. Little Drummer Boy

5. I'll Be Home for Christmas


7. Is there a new tradition for Christmas since your childhood days?

Taking the grandsons to cut our own Christmas tree and then letting them decorate it with a little help from Grandma. Grandpa always puts up the tree and puts on the lights. The boys do everything else. I even have decorations on the tree that they have made.

When I was a child, everyone went with Grandpa on the horse and sleigh to cut five trees for everyone in the family. Grandma decorated the tree on Christmas Eve. At our house, Dad put up the tree and helped put the lights on. Mom and us kids did the decorating.

8. Describe one of your Christmas trips. [whether it's across town or across country]

I've never been away from home at Christmas, but my daughter and I flew to British Columbia one year on December 26th. I've also left the day after Christmas to go to Florida. Disney World is awesome during the Christmas season.

9. Do you have a special Christmas outfit to wear for the day?

No, I wear something different each year. I always wear slacks and a nice top, but no more dresses. I'm getting too old to have cold legs.

10. Have YOU or any of your family members sat on Santa's lap?

My husband and I worked as Santa's helpers at the mall one year and we had our photo taken with Santa. Yes, I did sit on Santa's lap. I also sat on his lap as a child. My grandsons also have sat on Santa's lap and so did my Mom the year we were Santa's helpers.

11. What is/or will be on your Christmas tree this year?

Our tree will be adorned with all of the special ornaments I have collected over the years. Some are ones the grandsons have made, some my Mom made for us, others are over 40 years old. I've kept this lovingly wrapped as they decorated the tree when my first husband and I celebrated our first Christmas. He's been gone since 1977 and these special ornaments will be passed to my daughter and grandsons. An angel that Mom made for me is always our tree topper.

12. Do you/or have you decorated your yard for Christmas?

We have a few outdoor ornaments. We always put up lights around our porch and the back stairway. The last couple of years these lights have been green LEDs. We also have a light-up polar bear that wears a Santa's hat and a blow-up Rudolph that the grandsons gave us one Christmas. I'm hoping to add more to our outdoor display in the coming years.

So that is a little bit about what Christmas is all about here. I do hope you will click over to Anni's and join in the Christmas fun.

27 comments:

  1. Well your Christmas routine seems about right and not much different than I remember.

    Do you have Christmas crackers?? This is an English adornment. I used to buy them and share them with some of the local French kids. We made the crakers pop and wear the silly paper hats, read our fortunes and play with the cheap silly plastic toys.

    We always had crackers at our Christmas meal.

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  2. Your Christmas memories sounds wonderful! I said we had candy canes and we do, but we have one Christmas ball from my childhood and then a few from our first tree 51 years ago!
    I sure enjoyed reading your Christmas meme and it is fun to learn about each others traditions!! Love and Hugs Carolyn

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  3. Ah, the memories of Christmas. Yours sounds very traditional and memorable. May this year soon be another happy memory!

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  4. Philip,

    No, Christmas crackers were never a part of our tradition. We had homemade chocolates, pudding, fruit cake and many other goodies that Mom and Grandma made. Grandpa used to buy a few Log Cabin chocolates at Christmas, but other than that pretty much all of our Christmas meal and treats were home grown.

    Thanks so much for stopping by.
    Blessings,
    Mary

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  5. Carolyn,

    I enjoyed reading your Christmas meme too. We have so many great traditions that are similar.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  6. Thank you, PJ. May you receive abundant blessings this Christmas season.
    Mary

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  7. We always had a real tree at home, but don't do that anymore. I love the smell of a pine tree in the house. It is the family traditions that make Christmas special.

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  8. What a neat meme - I think I will do this soon. It's interesting to read what other people do on this holiday!

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  9. I LOVED this Mary!! The whole thing...it's fun to read these, I just left Talk to Grams...both of you did the meme wonderfully.

    Oh to share in such fond, fond memories! #3 ---it's hard to believe that when there WERE rough lean years in our past that we still have such good thoughts, isn't it? It proves that money doesn't buy happiness.

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  10. Mary
    I just love dropping by your blog. Lot of memories that are true treasures. This meme brings us closer to you. Thanks for sharing.
    Mimi and I make fruitcakes each year to give away and not to brag but people want to be on our fruitcake list.
    They are self respecting fruitcakes made with Tn. whiskey.
    I took one to share with my Art Class and the teacher wanted to know if there was liquor in the cakes that when Wordie a very well known caterer made the comment "No self respecting fruitcake would be make without liquor".
    Even my little Baptist sis wants her fruitcake each year.
    Peace be with you as you stirred lots of fond memories for me.

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  11. "When Grandma was alive there used to be 40 sitting around the old oak table for Christmas dinner."

    "When I was a child, everyone went with Grandpa on the horse and sleigh to cut five trees for everyone in the family."

    What wonderful, wonderful memories! Have you written about them? I hope so. Soon, things like this, will be _only_ memories. We need to preserve them for other generations, it seems.

    Mari-Nanci

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  12. Ruth,

    When my daughter and I lived in an apartment building, we had an artificial tree. It didn't feel like Christmas to me. As soon as we bought a house, we had a real tree our first Christmas there. When my husband and I married, he didn't want a tree at all. He lost that battle. LOL The tree is very much a part of my Christams traditions.

    Thanks so much for your comments. I enjoyed your visit.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  13. Mari,

    I will be checking to see if you have your meme up. I love reading Christmas and childhood memories.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  14. Anni,

    Thank you SO much for starting this meme. It was a lot of fun and you took me for a walk down Memory Lane. What wonderful memories we all have of Christmas.

    Almost every Christmas was hard and lean at our house. Dad's wages allowed us to scrap by and many years there was only one present from Santa and one from Mom and Dad. Nothing like today's trees that are loaded with gifts - but I think happier times.

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  15. Lady Di,

    Your fruitcake sounds delicious. I like fruitcake and Mom always makes it every year. In fact many years she makes two different ones. She calls them her "light" and "dark" fruitcakes. The dark one has molasses and the light one doesn't.They're made from Grandma's recipe and they're both really good. Nothing like store bought.

    Thanks for stopping by. Sharing these Christmas traditions are so much fun.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  16. Ruth,

    I have written about some of my childhood memories. "Bringing Home the Tree" is a ravorite of mine. I have had some of these stories published, but will never sell fullrights because I hold them dear and hope to one day write a book with all of them included.

    Thanks for visiting.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  17. Hi Mary! I was just blessed with a Blogger Friend Award and I would like to pass it on to you. Please come by my blog and claim your prize. :)

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  18. I loved this meme Mary, I will do it myself soon!

    Have a great day! =)

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  19. Thanks for sharing this MEME. I think I shall have to give it a go.
    I love the 40 around an old table. What a sight and what fun that had to have been.
    Christmas is a good time to remember. It is very a nostalgic time for me.

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  20. I love this meme- I saw it over on Grams blog too. I'm going to play along sometime soon.

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  21. I enjoyed reading your meme. I may do it too, but it's almost 1 a.m. now and I need to go to bed!

    I don't know how to copy your "button" and make it blink like that. My grandson helped me a little with my blog.

    Katherine

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  22. It is so interesting to read how different people or nationalities celebrate Christmas. Mine is completely different from yours and I only celebrated with my parents not even with my grandparents although we lived at my grandma's at some time. My father was a family breaker I found out years later !

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  23. Ok, I participated in the meme if you would like to read about it. :)

    It sounds like you have wonderful memories, and are creating wonderful memories now. :)

    Your Christmas tree sounds like mine. :)

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  24. This looks like fun, but I'm on overload at the moment. So ... I've copied the questions and will answer them when time permits, then return to let you know I've done so :)
    Hugs and blessings,

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  25. Mary,

    What a wonderful Christmas meme! It sounds like you had what we think of as a real old fashioned Christmas when you were a child. How wonderful that must have been!

    I'm sure the boys love Christmastime with their Grandma.
    They must be excited that the trip to Disney World is getting closer!

    hugs,
    Tina

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  26. "Do You Hear What I Hear?" is one of my favorites, too.

    Your Christmases from your childhood sound like mine. How I loved to hear the old stories after dinner!

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