Thursday, December 11, 2008

Thurday's Christmas Memories and Traditions

Hey everyone! 

I've got several new entries to share today.  These are some great memories and some traditions I really would love to do myself.  Enjoy!

 
From Robyn we have this fun holiday tradition...
This takes place in Spain and I find it intriquing that they swing to the music.  The weather must be nice with no snow and not cold I would suppose.  I've never heard of this tradition.
On Christmas Day, there’s the usual holiday merriment with family and friends – with one peculiar twist: swinging. Swings are erected throughout the districts, and people enjoy swinging to holiday music. The holiday dinner is never served until after the midnight hour, when families gather to enjoy the feast of turkey and truffles - immediately followed by caroling around the tree, which lasts through the night.
And this tradition from Chris...

In Nova Scotia, during the twelve days of Christmas small groups of belsnicklers, or masked mummers, appear in neighborhoods, ringing bells, making noise, seeking candy or other treats. The hosts may try to guess who the mummers are and if they guess right the mummer removes his or her disguise and stops making rude noises and actions. Children may be quizzed by the mummers on their behavior if they say they have been good they are rewarded with candy.
I think this is just fun.  I am sure that the mummers work very hard each year to come up with the perfect costume.




And now for a few memories...
 From Janet H. we have this beautiful remembrance...
My most cherished Christmas memory.  It sometimes makes me sigh.  It always makes me laugh and cry.


My grandmother always gave the same gift to my mom, my sister, and me.  There was only one difference between them.  Mom's was white, my sister's was blue, and mine was pink.  It didn't matter if it was a robe, a shirt, or slippers.  She gave each of us the same color every year.


My grandmother became ill and passed away.  She died in August that year, but had already finished her Christmas shopping.  Our gifts were all boxed and wrapped and waiting for Christmas.


On Christmas Eve, my mom passed out those gifts.  Grandma had given the three of us sweaters, but she had mixed up the boxes.  I had a white sweater, my mom had a blue one, and my sister had a pink one.  We cried and laughed and passed them around until we each had our traditional color.


And this one from my good friend, Julie...

We were stationed in Norfolk,VA at the time I think I was about 15 and my brother was 4. Dad was at sea, and was gonna be gone for Christmas. So it was just me, Joe & Mom. There really wasn't any money that year, Mom found an ad in the paper for toys. You send the money, and it wasn't much, tell them how old your kid is and they send you a box of toys for that child. Mom did that for us, but my stuff never came. Dec. 24 came and we didn't even have a tree or anything. We went for a drive to look at the pretty lights, we passed a tree lot. For some reason we stopped there but we couldn't afford any of their trees. 
Joe (chatty little devil that he was), told the man the whole big story. "My daddy is out at sea, we don't have any money for a tree or presents and Santa won't leave any if there's no tree to put them under." He really worked it, the man gave us a very nice tree for free. We took it home and set it up the next morning there were presents. Joe was so excited with all the stuff that he got, he still has some of it packed away in the basement. There wasn't much for me, but I didn't mind watching him, seeing how excited he was by everything made a wonderful day! I don't even remember what I got except there's a picture of me holding up a record. Yes, boys & girls an honest to God record album! I'm so old. LOL

I hope you enjoyed these great traditions and heartfelt memories.  I've got a bunch more, so check back with me soon to see what else people have offered!
Hugs and have a great Thursday!!!

Thurday's Christmas Memories and Traditions

Hey everyone! 

I've got several new entries to share today.  These are some great memories and some traditions I really would love to do myself.  Enjoy!

 
From Robyn we have this fun holiday tradition...
This takes place in Spain and I find it intriquing that they swing to the music.  The weather must be nice with no snow and not cold I would suppose.  I've never heard of this tradition.
On Christmas Day, there’s the usual holiday merriment with family and friends – with one peculiar twist: swinging. Swings are erected throughout the districts, and people enjoy swinging to holiday music. The holiday dinner is never served until after the midnight hour, when families gather to enjoy the feast of turkey and truffles - immediately followed by caroling around the tree, which lasts through the night.
And this tradition from Chris...

In Nova Scotia, during the twelve days of Christmas small groups of belsnicklers, or masked mummers, appear in neighborhoods, ringing bells, making noise, seeking candy or other treats. The hosts may try to guess who the mummers are and if they guess right the mummer removes his or her disguise and stops making rude noises and actions. Children may be quizzed by the mummers on their behavior if they say they have been good they are rewarded with candy.
I think this is just fun.  I am sure that the mummers work very hard each year to come up with the perfect costume.




And now for a few memories...
 From Janet H. we have this beautiful remembrance...
My most cherished Christmas memory.  It sometimes makes me sigh.  It always makes me laugh and cry.


My grandmother always gave the same gift to my mom, my sister, and me.  There was only one difference between them.  Mom's was white, my sister's was blue, and mine was pink.  It didn't matter if it was a robe, a shirt, or slippers.  She gave each of us the same color every year.


My grandmother became ill and passed away.  She died in August that year, but had already finished her Christmas shopping.  Our gifts were all boxed and wrapped and waiting for Christmas.


On Christmas Eve, my mom passed out those gifts.  Grandma had given the three of us sweaters, but she had mixed up the boxes.  I had a white sweater, my mom had a blue one, and my sister had a pink one.  We cried and laughed and passed them around until we each had our traditional color.


And this one from my good friend, Julie...

We were stationed in Norfolk,VA at the time I think I was about 1 and my brother was 4. Dad was at sea, and was gonna be gone for Christmas. So it was just me, Joe & Mom. There really wasn't any money that year, Mom found an ad in the paper for toys. You send the money, and it wasn't much, tell them how old your kid is and they send you a box of toys for that child. Mom did that for us, but my stuff never came. Dec. 24 came and we didn't even have a tree or anything. We went for a drive to look at the pretty lights, we passed a tree lot. For some reason we stopped there but we couldn't afford any of their trees. 
Joe (chatty little devil that he was), told the man the whole big story. "My daddy is out at sea, we don't have any money for a tree or presents and Santa won't leave any if there's no tree to put them under." He really worked it, the man gave us a very nice tree for free. We took it home and set it up the next morning there were presents. Joe was so excited with all the stuff that he got, he still has some of it packed away in the basement. There wasn't much for me, but I didn't mind watching him, seeing how excited he was by everything made a wonderful day! I don't even remember what I got except there's a picture of me holding up a record. Yes, boys & girls an honest to God record album! I'm so old. LOL

I hope you enjoyed these great traditions and heartfelt memories.  I've got a bunch more, so check back with me soon to see what else people have offered!
Hugs and have a great Thursday!!!

Thurday's Christmas Memories and Traditions

Hey everyone! 

I've got several new entries to share today.  These are some great memories and some traditions I really would love to do myself.  Enjoy!

 
From Robyn we have this fun holiday tradition...
This takes place in Spain and I find it intriquing that they swing to the music.  The weather must be nice with no snow and not cold I would suppose.  I've never heard of this tradition.
On Christmas Day, there’s the usual holiday merriment with family and friends – with one peculiar twist: swinging. Swings are erected throughout the districts, and people enjoy swinging to holiday music. The holiday dinner is never served until after the midnight hour, when families gather to enjoy the feast of turkey and truffles - immediately followed by caroling around the tree, which lasts through the night.
 
And this tradition from Chris...
 
In Nova Scotia, during the twelve days of Christmas small groups of belsnicklers, or masked mummers, appear in neighborhoods, ringing bells, making noise, seeking candy or other treats. The hosts may try to guess who the mummers are and if they guess right the mummer removes his or her disguise and stops making rude noises and actions. Children may be quizzed by the mummers on their behavior if they say they have been good they are rewarded with candy.
 
I think this is just fun.  I am sure that the mummers work very hard each year to come up with the perfect costume.
 
 
 
And now for a few memories...
 
 From Janet H. we have this beautiful remembrance...
 
My most cherished Christmas memory.  It sometimes makes me sigh.  It always makes me laugh and cry.

My grandmother always gave the same gift to my mom, my sister, and me.  There was only one difference between them.  Mom's was white, my sister's was blue, and mine was pink.  It didn't matter if it was a robe, a shirt, or slippers.  She gave each of us the same color every year.

My grandmother became ill and passed away.  She died in August that year, but had already finished her Christmas shopping.  Our gifts were all boxed and wrapped and waiting for Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, my mom passed out those gifts.  Grandma had given the three of us sweaters, but she had mixed up the boxes.  I had a white sweater, my mom had a blue one, and my sister had a pink one.  We cried and laughed and passed them around until we each had our traditional color.

And this one from my good friend, Julie...

We were stationed in Norfolk,VA at the time I think I was about 1 and my brother was 4. Dad was at sea, and was gonna be gone for Christmas. So it was just me, Joe & Mom. There really wasn't any money that year, Mom found an ad in the paper for toys. You send the money, and it wasn't much, tell them how old your kid is and they send you a box of toys for that child. Mom did that for us, but my stuff never came. Dec. 24 came and we didn't even have a tree or anything. We went for a drive to look at the pretty lights, we passed a tree lot. For some reason we stopped there but we couldn't afford any of their trees. 
 
Joe (chatty little devil that he was), told the man the whole big story. "My daddy is out at sea, we don't have any money for a tree or presents and Santa won't leave any if there's no tree to put them under." He really worked it, the man gave us a very nice tree for free. We took it home and set it up the next morning there were presents. Joe was so excited with all the stuff that he got, he still has some of it packed away in the basement. There wasn't much for me, but I didn't mind watching him, seeing how excited he was by everything made a wonderful day! I don't even remember what I got except there's a picture of me holding up a record. Yes, boys & girls an honest to God record album! I'm so old. LOL
 
I hope you enjoyed these great traditions and heartfelt memories.  I've got a bunch more, so check back with me soon to see what else people have offered!
 
Hugs and have a great Thursday!!!
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, December 8, 2008

Christmas Memories For You



Wow!  What a crazy weekend.  I have been so busy, I don't know what to do with myself.  But I've got a couple of great memories to share.  I laughed, cried and sighed with them all.  Check it out!!!


This first one is from Gayle.  It is a special memory she'll keep forever.  Enjoy!


Two years ago, my youngest had come in from school to visit for the holidays. She has asthma and allergies. She was having problems breathing from the time she got off the plane. She didn't want to ruin anyone's Christmas so she just kept taking her inhaler and saying she was fine. By Christmas morning, she finally agreed to go to the emergency room for a breathing treatment. My two other children took her as I was  cooking food for the entire family who always come over.. Unfortunately, after three treatments, they decided to admit her. On Christmas Day. The staff was very nice and our entire family was able to go in her room with all our presents and open them there. It made my daughter feel a little better as she kept saying she ruined Christmas. With the family there, it felt a little more like Christmas. She was released the following afternoon. The staff at the hospital was very nice and helped make her Christmas brighter.

 And this one is from Janet.  It's a keeper, too!

My most cherished Christmas memory.  It sometimes makes me sigh.  It always makes me laugh and cry.

My grandmother always gave the same gift to my mom, my sister, and me.  There was only one difference between them.  Mom's was white, my sister's was blue, and mine was pink.  It didn't matter if it was a robe, a shirt, or slippers.  She gave each of us the same color every year.

My grandmother became ill and passed away.  She died in August that year, but had already finished her Christmas shopping.  Our gifts were all boxed and wrapped and waiting for Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, my mom passed out those gifts.  Grandma had given the three of us sweaters, but she had mixed up the boxes.  I had a white sweater, my mom had a blue one, and my sister had a pink one.  We cried and laughed and passed them around until we each had our traditional color. 

 


 Thanks for sharing your hearts.  They ARE special memories.  Stay tuned to this blog for more great Christmas memories and Holiday's Around the World!  WooHoo!

Have a great Monday!

CJ
 

Thursday, December 4, 2008

It's the Day before Friday...

Hey all,
It's the day before Friday and all through CJs house it's...
QUIET
LOL
  
It's so nice.  Everyone but the critters is out of here for awhile.  I'm taking a well deserved break now that I'm a little (not completely) caught up.  I'm going to do some work here, then I'm going to go sit in the sunshine--what little there is--and read for a bit.  I need to.  If I don't wire down a little I may explode.  Especially since Jessaca has decided that we are doing Christmas decorating tomorrow.  Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, I wanted to share this pic I found.  It made me laugh like a loon.  Not sure why it hit me so funny, but it did. 
 
 I've got the first entries to my contest to put up today.  A memory and a tradition.  So without further ado...here we go...
From my good friend, Phylis...
First a memory... 

I have some really nice memories from past Christmases but I will do this one.  I was 10 or 12 at the time and when we woke up we weren't alowed to go past the end of the hallway until our parents woke up.  So we would try to peek and see as much as we could without putting our toes over the invisible line.  Then our parents finaly got up.  I'm sure it took forever.  LOL  We opened our presents and it was the usual mayhem.  We had one left addressed to all three of us.  We opened it and there was a note that said go the dining room.  Then there was one to the kitchen and then the last one said to go to the garage.  We opened the door to the garage and inside were three brand new bikes all ready to go!  That created a really great memory for us.   Thanks for the memory jog CJ!   Phylis

Now a fun tradition... 

GERMANY
In GERMANY, children decorate their Christmas Lists with pictures and then leave them on the windowsill overnight, weighed down with a little sugar so they won't be missed by Father Christmas.
There is a flower in Germany called the Christmas Rose which blooms even in the snow and ice.
Frohes Weihnachtsfest
I like the German because that is my heritage but I also like the Christmas Rose that blooms even in the snow and ice.  What a rememberance of spring and rebirth and what Jesus did for us.
IRELAND


In IRELAND, children often put out Christmas sacks instead of stockings.
It is tradition to leave mince pies and a bottle of Guinness out as a snack for Santa.
NOLLAIG SHONA DHUIT!
Sacks would hold more than stockings.  lol  Guinness instead of milk.  *grin*  Santa may have a tough time negotiating chimneys after he's been to a few houses.  LOL  Phylis
 Thanks Phylis for the great entries.  Good luck with the contest!  And to all my blog readers, more of the same will be coming your way tomorrow.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Christmas Fun is a Coming

Hey all,

I've got some great stuff heading this way for Christmas and the holidays.  Stay tuned for some wonderful traditions from around the world, as well as my readers and friend's favorite memories.

Keep checking back!!!
 
CJ