It has been a different Christmas around here this year. No tree. No decorations. No stockings hung on the fireplace mantle. No lights. After missing Thanksgiving (because of a family matter that sort of took the wind out of our Christmas sails), the mood to pull everything out just never took hold. Luckily our kids are grown so there are no sad little faces to contend with (oh, wait! I forgot about my DH and his look of disappointment). I have already promised that next year will be much better. That gives me one year to stock up food for the cupboards and take care of some home repairs so the new repairs help show off the decorations. Isn't it funny how so many of us start planning for the next Christmas decorations and food often before the present Christmas has even come and gone. I already have ideas dancing around for next year!
I have a bad habit of hitting the after Christmas sales with one or two items in mind but end up coming home with lots of marked down holiday decorations! Not this year. I will not let myself fall into that trap again. I have already cleared out, thrown away or given away a lot of excess decorations and I still have enough. Probably too much. I want next year to be simple so I doubt I use all that I still have!
We discussed Christmas dinner. Should I cook since I missed doing Thanksgiving this year or should we stick with our tradition of bringing in enough BBQ to last Christmas Eve evening through Christmas day? We decided to stick with tradition. We had anticipated this earlier in the year and have been trying out new places since our old favorite BBQ place had closed down. We found a place that was worthy of our picky taste for it. Not just any old BBQ will do for us and this restaurant suited both of our tastes.
I picked up several items on my year to year Christmas list. I always buy a loaf of Pecan Raisin bread from the bakery. It is so good served warm with some cream cheese spread on top! One of my yearly holiday indulgences! Then I like to look for inexpensive holiday coffee mugs. I have a cabinet full but I found another to add with a simple cardinal on it.
Once more I would like to wish a Merry Christmas to all of my dear blogging and stitching friends. Some of you are new friends and others I have known for quite awhile. I look forward to spending another year of friendship with you all! Thank you all for touching my life and making it more special.
11 comments:
Although I do love Christmas, I never do as much as I think I should and honestly, if I didn't have kids, I probably wouldn't do a thing. I'm not a Scrooge, but I just fall way short on the whole decorating-thing. Anyway, just my way of wishing you a wonderful Christmas without all the 'buttons and bows'. :D
I think if it weren't for my kids, I would definitely stop putting up a big tree. lol! It's always my son who says "when are we getting the tree?" I did a minimum of decorating otherwise. I love your tradition of getting BBQ to eat for both days of Christmas. Yummy! I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful Christmas, dear friend!
Wishing you everything you want for this Christmas Season.
Be always in stitches
Merry Christmas and a very happy new year!
I am one of those that dearly love everything about Christmas, the traditions and the decorating, albeit it is much work, I dread the day I can't do what I am used to.
I pray and hope that you have a most wonderful Christmas, dear Sherry!
I have always been of the opinion that you should be allowed to "opt out" of the holidays atleast once every decade or so!
I haven't figured out yet just how to do that, but if I could, this would be the year I would pick!
It seems that this year we didn't do as much decorating as we usually do, though DH did put up our old aluminum tree an hour ago!!!
Your Christmas cups will be just perfect and the BBQ sounds wonderful, so enjoy the season without the fuss of knowing you have to put it all away!! and plan for next year.
Merry Christmas
I wanted to opt out of Christmas this year, too. The religious part of Christmas is important to me, and I will never let go of that, but the decorating the house and the chaos that brings--yuck. For the first time in 22 years of marriage, I did get out of sending Christmas cards, but that was only because it's a tradition here to not send them after a family loss. One of my goals/reasons in doing the Crazy January challenge is to have a good amount of holiday stitching done--samplers and so on. I'm hoping that I will be able to keep away some of the junkier decorations I've amassed over the years and keep things more simple and stream lined. That's my goal every year and it never happens, so I'm hoping it works this year with the challenge!
Thanks for your comment on my blog. I really appreciate it! You asked if I was doing an A&E wall. I already have one started in my entrance hallway, which is a big room, and have more around the hallway and then throughout the house. My goal is to have a bunch of A&Es going up my stairway wall, too. If you go to my webshots album, http://community.webshots.com/user/siobhanrc , and click on the Blue Hen Hollow album, you can see some pics there. ;)
Wishing you and yours a very blessed Christmas!
Merry Christmas to one Sherry to another!!
Merry Christmas, Sherry!
Merry Christmas!
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