I never had as much Christmas spirit until I had my daughter. Now I see it through her eyes...forget about family melt downs and the frustration of buying gifts. It is all about the magic of Santa and the joy you see on Christmas morning!

I think about the gift of that first Christmas and what a difference it has made in my life and I can't help but have the Christmas spirit. My heart hurts for those of you who, due to circumstances, have a difficult time around Christmas. My thoughts are with each of you and I hope that someday each of you is able to feel the true joy of this season again.

Ditto!

The meaning of Christmas is way different this year.
The last 4 months have been really rough, but going from "he (my husband)has cancer" 5 different times to "the pathology report came back negative" all 5 times, makes this year very special.
We have experienced our own miracles, 5 down with 2 to go.

Last weekend my son-in-law, an FDNY, gave CPR to a 2 yr old who had drowned in a bathtub. He didn't hear the little boy had survived until 2 days later when a paper called to interview him about this Christmas miracle.

Prayers for continued good reports NDY

NDY ditto DD Regs.

This is a special year for us too as my spouse went through all those necessary but really tough cancer treatments; however the last 2 PET scans show NO evidence of it now!!!!! We are truly blessed.

Awesome all the way around, NDY!!!!

Look on the bright side! Vacation!!!!

It's natural gas. Apparently, as long as the leak is more than 10 feet from your home, they leave your gas on. Any closer, and they shut it off immediately. But since they only test the lines once every three years, and you can't smell anything, it could have been leaking for years. They don't tell you exactly where the leak is, you are required to hire a certified master plumber (read big bucks) to find the leak and fix it. Chances are good that the leak was caused by the repair work on our sewer lines that we were required to do last year, according to someone that knows more than I do about these sorts of things, but good luck trying to prove that.

Saw a sporting goods store commercial last night talking about how there was "still time for all your last minute shopping." Wait a minute: 9 days before Christmas is now "last minute?" Since when?

Black Friday begat Cyber Monday. But when did Cyber Monday become "Cyber Mondays" (per Wal-mart's online ads)? Just before Thanksgiving, I commented to someone that soon they would be marketing a "Cyber Week" instead of a single Cyber Day. Two days later, I saw Target's ad for "Cyber Week" on TV. Sick of it. Wont' be long before we see the entire month referred to as Cyber Month or whatever.

I received this advice the other day and it has helped a lot: Stop trying to find "the perfect gift" for anyone. It doesn't have to be a "perfect" gift, it just has to be "a gift." Everyone has received imperfect gifts, things they don't really need or that don't fit, or things they don't even like. It is so common that people's expectations are pretty low, when opening a package.

So! Stop stressing over whether they will like it or whether it will fit or whether they might possibly already have something similar, blah blah blah. It really is the thought that counts and it really isn't your problem if the gift isn't "perfect." And extending that a bit, I will henceforth nevermore offer to personally make an exchange if someone's gift doesn't fit or for whatever reason they want to return it - exchanging it is their problem, not mine. Put a gift receipt in the bag (or not!) and forget about it.

cyber month has been October since 04

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Cyber_Security_Awareness_Month

This blogger could restore just about anyone's Christmas spirit:

http://thebloggess.com/2014/12/if-you-need-help-or-if-you-want-to-help/

So amazing to see people reaching out and helping each other.

One year my dad got coal for Christmas. He used to tell me that when I was a kid, but I thought it was just a threat to make me behave. But not long before he died, he mentioned it again.

He had asked for something expensive. He thought it was a watch but was no longer sure. My grandfather thought it was wrong to desire something so expensive, and that my dad was greedy and missing the point of Christmas. So dad got coal, and nothing else. That would have been around 1922 or 23.

I think about that every time we open our pile of gifts.

My mother used to tell us about when she was a little girl on the farm. She was born in 1925 so this would have been during the depression. She got oranges and peppermint sticks for Christmas - and that was it. So - about 10-15 years ago I wrapped her up a box with oranges and peppermint sticks in it. She enjoyed that.

I remember my dad saying if they got any kind of toys at all, they were handmade wooden toys.

My mom said she always got fruit in her stocking and maybe a peppermint stick. When I was growing up she would put 1 apple and 1 orange in our stockings also. The Christmas my little brother was 4 or 5 he got to the fruit and asked if Santa had left him the fruit because he was bad.

LOL! My sister and I always got a stocking full of fruit, nuts and candycanes/hershey kisses and peppermint patties...maybe "gold" coins...and some little toy-type items like maybe jacks or something.

I was thinking about this same topic this am as I dropped off a disappointed little one at school. My mom and mil tell the same story of being thrilled at getting a piece of fruit and a peppermint stick. The trouble is that my kids have more than that in their lunch boxes right now.... and there are toys etc throughout the year.

Being able to get my kids stuff...I somehow messed it up.

I hope my kids are old enough to listen to my parents and in laws and those depression era stories. They are unbelievable.

Our stockings always had an orange, some candy, and a bunch of small dollar-store type toys like decks of cards, jacks, marbles, and little plastic animals or army men. Oh, and socks and underwear.

Single mom raising my middle and little grangirl and the girls were upset about not being able to get gifts for everyone. I'd given them some holiday treat bags and reminded them that very few of us have time to bake anymore. Picture on FB yesterday of 24 dozen cookies they'd spent the evening baking with their mom and other granma. Happy to see them learning that it's not all about the $$ spent.

Becca, don't let the stress get to you. Look to your little man and enjoy the wonder of the holiday. First Christmases only happen once.

Saw this yesterday and thought all y'all here would enjoy...and relate.

My grandmother always gave us a silver dollar, not the Morgans but the Peace dollars that were only worth face value.

Somehow, even though I was under age, there was always a small bottle of Crown Royale under the tree for her from the grandkids.

^^ I do the same except for the socks and underwear. Total spent on all the stockings is about $20. I always put a Lego mini-figure or something in there too.

When I was little my grandma was living in Germany and she would always send Kinder Eggs. They're hollow chocolate balls that would have a little toy inside them that you would have to assemble. I remember that being the best chocolate I had ever eaten. Fun Fact: Kinder Eggs are illegal in the US because the toys inside the chocolate present a choking hazard.

My dad didn't have a stocking - he had a shoebox that would have an orange and some walnuts in it on Christmas morning. That was a treat! However my Grandfather would give all the grandkids a silver dollar every year for Christmas. I still have all of mine.

Wow, Walden! I can't believe you still have them all...that's awesome!



My mom ALWAYS put undies in toilet or papertowel cardboard tubes. I ALWAYS new what would be in there and would be embarrassed when it came time to open them...ALWAYS.