The Tilkes send Christmas Eve greetings from chilly but festive Brussels, Belgium, and Christmas Day greetings from the apparently no longer fog-bound Maidenhead, England.

DH is napping after having taken the dog to the vet for her passport stamps and then fighting the crowds in the supermarket and having managed NOT to lose his temper dealing with usual batch of inebriated/stressed/confused Brussels drivers. After he wakes up, we are going to clean ourselves up and head off to the Sablon and the Grand'Place to enjoy some holiday cheer at our favorite cafe.

All the best for a Merry X mas and a travelfull 2007 from Paul Hoboken Belgium

A most joyous holiday to all, from America's two great bay areas. The east and west do meet afterall. And I hope we have a peaceful 2007. I hope!! Joy to all, you're in our thoughts and prayers.

Happy Holidays to all my Fodorite friends from the sunny West Indies! :)

Happy Holidays from Bainbridge Island, Wa.
Stay warm & safe, Joan

Merry Christmas and a Happy, Prosperous and Peaceful New Year from San Diego (again!)

Season's Greetings and lots of Aloha to everyone,
from central Missouri!
((r)) ((r)) ((r))

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and good travels in 2007 from Louisville, KY.

A wonderful Holiday to all, from the "Shanty's" on Cape Cod.

Happy Holidays from San Juan Capistrano, Ca!

Merry Christmas and warmest wishes for a healthy, happy, safe and prosperous New Year from Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada.

Kiddo.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year

from
Sandy in Southern Illinois

Merry Christmas from cold, somewhat snowy northwestern Wisconsin..
PamT :)

Merry Christmas
From
Kalispell, Montana

Merry Christmas from "the new Florida", Northern Virginia, where it has been and continues to be beautiful sunny shirtsleeve weather!

emd, Eileen

As part of my son's stocking gifts, I am sitting here wrapping some lottery tickets and am slipping in a fake joke scratch off lottery ticket that indicates he wins 20K. If you hear his screaming all the way in Portland, that is why.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all in Fodorville and beyond.

Suki and family in the Brandywine Valley of SE Pennsylvania

Feliz Navidad!

From chilly New Mexico~

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from yet another in Portland, Oregon:)

Ho Ho Ho
From gloomy cental Ohio.

ccolor

P.S. Thanks to all the help I have been given over the past few years. You people are the best and I hope Santa is R-E-A-L good to all of you!

Back at ya, garyt22......

Merry Christmas from snowless Buffalo!

EMD........no, no, no to the fake lottery ticket!!!

My husband did it to me once. He had been working in Pennsylvania and was coming home on weekends. He would always bring me some wine and PA lottery tickets. One time, just before Christmas, he slipped in a fake ticket. Thought I won $10,000. Did the happy dance with my son. Then I turned it over.

I stormed past him up the stairs with him following and asking why I was so mad. "It was only a joke" he said. When I got to the landing, I picked up a large hard cover book I had left on the banister. I threw the book down the stairs in frustration and not "really" aiming. The book hit him square on the forehead leaving him with quite a shiner.

My son, who was young, walked past him and said "You're a jerk, dad."

Despite all that, he turned around and gave one to his sister on Christmas Eve. I think she would have choked him if the little ones weren't around!

Sorry.....now back to the happy and joyous fodorite holiday thing! :-)

Merry Christmas

from

Woody in Los Angeles

Last night was GREAT. I got a new digital camera. Grandkids loved their tennis rackets. Granddaughter #1 is page 2 of the paper- star 1st place Basketball.

Life is good and we are so blessed.

Now on the day 2 with the elders.

Love from Northern ILLINOIS, corn field in my back yard, and a the city of the 20th Century and hopefully the 2016 Olympics, Chicago in my front one.

JJ5

emd

I agree about NOT giving the fake lottery ticket to your son. Why bring joy just to have it taken away?

Sorry, just my 2cents

Wonderful holiday wishes to everyone.
Bill

Merry Christmas from Santa Maria, CA

Sorry you had such a reaction to your experience, but you don't know my teen son or me. My son plays practical jokes on me constantly. We play "gotcha" w/each other all the time- and he still gets me w/them much of the time. I could tell you stories that would proabably make some sensitive persons cringe about some of the gotchas he has done to me (esp. while we are traveling), and I laugh at all of them, just as he laughs at mine. Neither of us had ever been mad or offended by any practical jokes or gotchas we have played on each other. Believe me, you don't know my son, this will not harm him psychologically! It's an ongoing thing we do and most likely he will know right away that this is a "gotcha." And if he doesn't, I would never allow him to do a happy dance over any joke- we always tell each other right away (w/finger pointed), "gotcha."

A joyous holiday season to all of you.
Birdie in Williamsburg, VA

Hope those that celebrate had a Happy Hanakah and for those that celebrate Christmas...may you all have a joyous Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New year..and the strength and $$ to continue traveling. Parrot Mom from Marlboro, MA

Alright, emd........I feel better knowing that there won't be any hard feelings. I just wanted you to be aware of what could possibly happen. And it sounds like your son will laugh rather than throw a book like I did!

Merry Christmas - again - from Buffalo!

Yes, I come from a long line of practical jokers, it is genetic. My father played some extremely funny and elaborate jokes on us when we were kids. He was born on April 1st, so I guess that also was part of it. Some very funny memories.

Merry Christmas to you BuffaloGirl!

Happy Holidays from the no-longer-snowbound front range of the rockies.

Happy Holidays! May you and your families be blessed this season and all year!

gteacher in Central California

I had a fake lottery ticket "gotcha" done to me once about 15 years ago by an in-law and it has spawned a series of "when you least expect it" gotchas with this person.

Ranging from the hilarious to the harrowing, these certainly have added a depth to our relationship that wasn't there previously.

I will never ever forget the lottery ticket incident though. I have never gone so quickly from one emotion to the next to the next before or since.
:-O @-) $-) \:D/ /:) :-L X( :((

I will be seeing this person this evening and I will be watching for an opportunity to strike! >:-)

-Bill

Merry Christmas from Durham, North Carolina.

My kids are so excited right now. We are opening our gifts in a couple of hours.

Unfortunately, one of my grandmothers passed away last night. I had just stopped in to see her for a few minutes earlier in the evening. She had been in and out after a fall last year. Amazingly, she was born on Christmas day, married on Christmas day, and died on Christmas Eve. My father said she probably would want it this way.

I wish you all the happiest of holidays.

Dan
What a celebration of life. Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas

iamq:

Go get 'em, Bill, and tell us how it turns out. :-D

Oh man, I would instantly lose all Sense of Humour if I thought I won the Lottery and found out it was a joke.
BuffaloGirl, that is funny, that the book hit like that with no aim...so maybe my sense of humour is a bit dark? :D

My son sent me a Lottery Ticket from Japan last year, I was so waiting to hear the numbers so I could call him and tell him I was on my way to cash in my ticket.. sadly, since we all know I didn't go to Japan last year, the ticket was a loser..

But when I sit down and think about it, I think if Life is a Lottery, I think I got a winning ticket..don't you think you are too?

dan woodleif, I just saw your post. I am so sorry for your loss, especially at this time of year. But how interesting that so many life-changing events happened around Christmas. All the best to you and yours.

dan, I am so sorry, I did not see what you posted!
My sympathies to you and your family.. also, I am touched by the cycle of her birth to her death and how it seems so natural.