The I LOVE CHRISTMAS THREAD

Absolutely!!  Christmas at our house is a blast!  We'll decorate this weekend and keep it up past the New Year.  At thispoint there are many X-mas fixtures in our decorations....things we always get a kickout of seeing when they comeout of the boxes for the season.  Ornaments, pictures, wreaths, etc......each one with a story and meaning in our family.....and all reminders of what we share as a family.

We'll go find a tree this weekend.....and as we put it up and decorate it we'll watch movies and listen to songs that we play year after year.  I love family tradtitions, especially the ones my own family has started and are just ours.  It's part of the fabric that  makes us a family, and keeps us together..

I have to admit that it's just been the last three years or so where I'm getting back into the Xmas spirit after a number of years of not wanting anything to do with the season.  I'm remembering how much I LOVE decorating and putting up a tree (even our small Charlie Brown one due to the size of our apartment), I'm finally in a place where I can somewhat spoil the ones that I love and I'm have a blast getting what I hope will put a smile on their faces.  

Getting together with the friends that I haven't seen in over a year - and some even longer than that - when I get to go home to Vancouver, seeing my parents, my brother, SIL and their kiddos whom I miss a LOT... all those things come with Xmas, and I'm looking forward to it ALL.   

I'm with you.  I love Christmas.  I do think it can become materialistic, but it doesn't have to be.  I too love giving gifts, but I don't spend a ton of money.  I make jam and cookies to give away.  I give 'gift certificates' to my niece and nephews for a day out with the aunties.  I donate to charities in my bro and SIL's name.  Or I buy a GC from a restaurant with the request that we go out to dinner together. To me it's about spending time with family and friends and making sure they know how much they mean to me.

I'm kind of in between because right now I'm up to my ears in decorating and well, I don't care what the season is I just don't love fussing with running up and down to the attic over and over again BUT my kids are so happy and excited it is mostly worth it . I have loved the tradition of unwrapping ornaments since I was a little girl. I have ornaments that date back to 1974 and we are passing this tradition on to our kids. They absolutely loved getting their ornaments out the other night and reading who they are from while we sang Christmas songs. They come home from school and go straight to the tree.

We have a really old Nativity that my Mom had painted for my Grandmother. When Grandma passed I inherited the Nativity. Now the kids love to get it out every year and carefully unwrap each piece anxious to see who is going to get to unwrap baby Jesus.

YAY for happy Christmas people!!! Most of my ornaments have meaning.  When I finished my fellowship everyone in the office gave me a Christmas ornament.  I have received many as gifts and had many made for me and each year you remember the person who did that for you as you decorate the tree.  When my fiancé and I travel we get an ornament each place we go so that is special too.  I do feel badly for people who have no place to go or have conflict in their family.  I usually have someone at my house who has no where to go or no one to celebrate with and that is the spirit of Christmas. 

Thank you for this. I have found that as I get older, the celebration changes and the traditions are adjusted. But the meaning is still what it has always been.

We used to have a party with friends every few years at the house and the "price" of entry was an ornament for our tree. It provided us with the most memorable, mismatched, awesome tree. Also, those that came had to RSVP, so that we would have a personalized ornament for them as well. 

I hope that you enjoy the season!

Have always loved Christmas -- and it has gotten 10x more fun since having kids.  Teaching them the songs, passing along the family traditions (and creating new ones), decorating the house together, reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas, the chaos of present opening on Christmas morning.. there is nothing better.

I do have a lot of sympathy for people who have major family complications that get in the way of enjoying the holiday -- makes me appreciate how lucky I am.

as far as gifts go! a number of years ago we started to a gift exchange where the adults pick one name from a hat and only buy for that adult. Everyone buys for the kids and mom. We celebrate Xmas Eve - gifts are opened after mass and dinner . It is a great day!

And BT's heart grew three sizes that day...

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