GoTravel

bonnie, we light up the palm trees in the yard and decorate the deck.

My sister's condo building lights up all their palm trees.

Scarlett, I'm not near as bad as I could be. I don't cook or bake for the holidays but one year, I went so far as to make all of my holiday cards.

This holiday season is really easy for me this year.

The wrapping paper looks fantastic! I'm thrilled with the results!

PamSF

Most of it is done. I send my sister's family a package of gifts for Advent. I've done this since the kids were tiny and they love it. There is a seasonal gift for each Sunday of Advent. They sit down as a family each of those Sundays, light a candle and talk about Christmas. They then take turns opening the gifts. This year's gifts include some Scharffenberger cocoa, peppermint spiral marshmallows, a beautiful carved angel I bought in Saint Remy,Fido fortune cookies for the dog, a bubble light nightlite for the kids' bathroom The "Polar Express" soundtrack and Ray Charles' Christmas album. I only wish I could be there with them when they open things.

Other family members' have been gathered and that's almost done. I did buy my SO tix to "Caroline or Change" when it opens in SF. The other "surprise" is a dinner at Gary Danko.

BTW, mostly they've all been good with only a periodic cry or pout

PamSF

And decorating..I'm itching to move the collection of squashes from the front porch and hang the wreath. We often get a magnolia leaf one. I've got luminarias for the front porch and a host of Our lady of Guadalupe votives for the dining room fireplace. I'll polish the mennorah, scatter gelt about and line up the tiny toy animals for Solstice.
We're a multiobservant household

travelinwifey

Haven't even started yet

Too many family members to shop for, we are going to "gift certificate it" this year!

fairfax

My parents are in their early 80's and have pretty much everything they want, and are trying not to accumulate more. My mother's computer literate, with a DSL line and everything, so I am making her a website with a page for her and my father, and one for each child.

I am knitting scarves for the nieces, and giving two of the young teenage ones knitting lessons - not sure if I will pay someone or do it myself.

ncgrrl

I've done a lot, except for my parents. The are trying to rid of stuff. In the past, my brother and I have bought gift certificates for services. I'm thinking Harris-Teeter gift card for Mom, but I don't know how well it will go over. I was raised where you bought a gift so the receipant wouldn't know how much you spent on the person. However, I would love HT gift cards along with ones for Home Depot and Target/Walmart. And maybe to the car wash and maybe someone could hiring the neighborhood kid to mow the yard once a month.

GoTravel, I love you idea of homemade wrapping paper. Maybe I'll try it next year.

PamSF the magnolia leaf wreath sounds nice, maybe I'll make one after I make my homemade wrapping paper. I think the leaves are soaked in glycerin to preserve them.

mclaurie

"we light up the palm trees in the yard and decorate the deck"

Did you check out the "gift" I found for you. Would be perfect for this after your camping adventures!!

http://www.alphabetsnyc.com/cgi-loca...f63+1108989709

GoTravel

mclaurie I love them! Now all I need are little pink flamingos to go with them!

I do have a giant lighted pink flamingo for the yard. I need to take photos.

buckeyemom

Go Travel-One homeowners association here banned plastic pink flamingos. They tried to get the ex-Mayor of Columbus to get rid of his and he sued them saying it was a violation of his rights....

mclaurie

I thought you'd like them. They're much better than pink flamingos and classier too. Here's a t shirt to go with them.

http://www.alphabetsnyc.com/cgi-loca...f63+1110172537

I think that store has really cute things.

Scarlett

When we were in Portland OR, we looked at a darling house, in the West Hills. An English cottage style. Their shrubs were all cut into topiary animals.
For Christmas this year, maybe I will take that idea and have a flamingo cut out of my big azalea shrub in front, it is blooming pink!!

LoveItaly

There you go Scarlett, that sounds like fun. Who does the pruning, you or Yankee, or maybe Pup can chew away. LOL.

We don't even have hardly any leaves left on trees, sigh.

LoveItaly

I honestly want to get sick everytime I see this thread. I MUST get some shopping done. This thread is like "nag, nag, nag.". Oh my, nagging is what I need for sure.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Scarlett

LoveItaly, I bought one gift today

We got lost, we could not find what we wanted, we got frustrated and drove out to the beach LOL

TripleSecDelay

We gather at the cabin for 3-4 days and watch all the classic movies, play all the interactive games, ski etc., and educate the kids on the origin of gift giving, to downplay the commercialization of a spiritual event. Instead, we make contributions to the adopted families as we started as a family tradition 8 years ago. Through our extended family, we now have 4 families of people in need that we help through the holidays. Sometimes, it is purely Xmas gifts, sometimes we pay off some bills, new tires, whatever. Different every year, depending on the situation of the families.

In our immediate family, we buy gifts for the kids until they find out from their schoolmates that Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny are all from the same place. (how do you explain a rabbit that lays eggs, anyway?) Sure, there are those who cannot resist conformity and continue to bestow gifts upon their favorite relatives...it's always a great time of year...

Merry Christmas!!

LoveItaly

Scarlett dear, I am warning you one more time. Get the presents purchased and mailed off or honestly your dear son will not be receiving them by Easter but by what - 4th of July???

Tell Pup he needs to go one day without a walk. Well after you finally buy the gifts Pup and you could walk to the PO.

MaxwellSmart

We're off to London for the holidays, forgoing gift shopping until we arrive...