The Holiday Season. It has....begun.
- Thread starter auntiehill
- Start date
A
Amaris
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LOL! Your mom is awesome!
Growing up, Christmas was always a Big Deal. When I was little, my mom had a Christmas Club savings account (remember those?) and also put things on layaway (remember THAT?) throughout the year so we could have lots of presents even though we didn't have much money (later it was all on credit cards). I'm an only child, and I was the only grandchild until I was 12, so I was a *tiny* bit spoiled.
My parents built an elaborate HO train set on a piece of plywood covered in textured green paint. Mom even ran thread through the telephone poles! Our big tree sat on it - we had a high-quality fake tree that looked pretty real. Mom still has some of the little houses and cars. She worked at at hardware store that also sold toys, so she got everything at a discount.
Mom strung up lights *everywhere*, inside and out. The tree was covered in lights and garlands and ornaments and tinsel. One of our cats ate the stuff and we'd find it in her litter box. We had no idea at the time the stuff was bad for cats! One year, after my parents bought a house (we rented until I was about 9), my aunt Debbie had just gotten divorced and didn't want to be alone so she stayed with us. I remember the two of them getting progressively drunker and putting more and more tinsel on the tree.
My maternal grandmother had an insanely beautiful Nativity set. It might've been from her mother - and therefore from Italy - but the paint was pearlescent with gold bits (very classy, not tacky) and I would stare at it in the tree lights. I hope one of my cousins has it now. I was always mesmerized by tree lights. Sometimes I would just sit with all the lights off except those and lose myself in the colors. (No drugs involved.
) As a teen, I had my own little tree and creche that I put on the table in front of my bedroom window.We were Catholic, and one of the things I sometimes miss was Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. We didn't do it often, but there was something magical about it. One year, we went to a church we didn't usually go to and the power went out. Everything was done by candlelight and I still remember it as being beautiful and special. I haven't considered myself Catholic for a long time, but we went to a Midnight Mass once with friends in Mesa, and it was a lovely night. It helped me remember a lot of good things and let go of bad things. Very healing for me.
When we moved to AZ, we got a real tree, but we'd gotten rid of the train set. After I moved out, mom's cats kept destroying the tree, so she eventually stopped having one. She still has lights up everywhere. We stopped having a tree at our apartment (and later, house) for the same reason. I have a small (1') ceramic tree that I usually manage to put up. Hubby strings some icicle lights on the front of the house. But I haven't really felt like decorating more than that for several years.
For several years, we'd go see Trans-Siberian Orchestra in concert, and yes, they are AWESOME (Sarajevo is also my hubby's favorite Christmas song). ("Was that on fire last year? Set it on fire this year. Did that have lasers last year? ADD LASERS!") In more recent years, we've gone to Las Noches De Las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden (https://dbg.org/events/las-noches-de-las-luminarias-2021/2021-12-03/), and that's always lovely. Hubby and I will be going twice this year - once to the Members Weekend on 12/4 and then we're taking my parents on 12/7. With my knee surgery on 12/10, I haven't planned anything else. Except watching Scrooged, because I adore it.
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For me, it's the old 1966 "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." It's like firing the starter's pistol for all my Christmas-craziness.
I just love it. Cute and sweet, but also kind of twisted so it appeals to me greatly.
I just love it. Cute and sweet, but also kind of twisted so it appeals to me greatly.
So, we are currently in the process of building our home, so our decorating is a bit more limited. My eldest is all on board and strung lights up for us while my wife and I were working. I really appreciated her initiative.
At work is a whole different story. My boss loves Christmas and we have been putting up lights after lights and other decorations since before Thanksgiving (since we were off for that). I imagine it is only going to ramp up from here.
Also, I am participating in the Christmas choir which is a first for me.
speaking of cat and tree things here is a link to 42 images of cats in christmas trees
http://www.lovethesepics.com/2012/12/cats-in-christmas-trees-42-pics/
this is some--
so the only solution is to cloak the christmas tree -- no other way,..
hehe
http://www.lovethesepics.com/2012/12/cats-in-christmas-trees-42-pics/
this is some--
so the only solution is to cloak the christmas tree -- no other way,..
hehe
Thank you! I needed that.
Oh no! Oh I'm so sorry. Maybe it's time? Do you feel ready?Glad I could share.
Love the pussycats... now I want another cat. Mine died four months into the quarantine.
A
Amaris
Guest
I feel you. At the beginning of the quarantine we bought our first house and planned on getting a dog. Boy, I couldn't find a place to adopt a dog to save my life. I applied several times but there were so many people trying to adopt then.
Hubs and I got into a big argument about adopting a cat wherein I got so frustrated I started crying. Before we got married he told me we could get a cat and a dog when we got our own place and then he went back on it, saying cats scratch up everything and aren't friendly. Well, after this argument he begrudgingly agreed on the cat, mainly because we couldn't get a dog but several places were really trying to get rid of their cats. So we went the next day and adopted Lulu.
He likes to tell people, "I wanted a dog but my wife cried so we got a cat." Also my husband:
Pets are great during the holiday season. 
I feel you. At the beginning of the quarantine we bought our first house and planned on getting a dog. Boy, I couldn't find a place to adopt a dog to save my life. I applied several times but there were so many people trying to adopt then.
Hubs and I got into a big argument about adopting a cat wherein I got so frustrated I started crying. Before we got married he told me we could get a cat and a dog when we got our own place and then he went back on it, saying cats scratch up everything and aren't friendly. Well, after this argument he begrudgingly agreed on the cat, mainly because we couldn't get a dog but several places were really trying to get rid of their cats. So we went the next day and adopted Lulu.
He likes to tell people, "I wanted a dog but my wife cried so we got a cat." Also my husband:
Well, @auntiehill, you've done it. For the first time in years, I've decided to do more decorating than the bare minimum and it's all your fault.
Pictures when I'm done.
Pictures when I'm done.
I decorated my mother's 8 foot tree-- covered it with as many ornaments as I could. Probably didn't even use 70% of her ornament collection.
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