Merry Christmas!

From our home to yours - have a wonderful Christmas!




Even though our little guy has been a bit naughty this year, Santa was still good to him. Hope you had a good one too!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

I don't mind December snow. We've been getting an inch or so every few days and it makes the Christmas lights look so pretty at night. We don't get many white Christmases in this part of Jersey, but we just may have one this year.
It would be nice.

The first time I put Archito outside while it was snowing, he seemed a bit afraid of it. Then he had his first taste of snow and he was hooked. Just look at him-he thinks he's at some all-you-can-eat doggie buffet:



Doesn't he look like a little fox?

We should be getting some more of the white stuff tomorrow. It's a good thing, because I really need to stay home and do some baking and wrapping. Not to mention cleaning-well I always need to do that!

Hello There Again!!!

Hey, Remember me? I used to post here almost daily, then weekly, monthly, and now seasonally it seems!! I'm going to attempt to do this blogging thing again on an almost regular basis. I'd pretty much had forgotten how to post it's been so long!

I've been trying to get into that holiday mood, we've really had to scale back this year like mostly everyone. This little book has helped me find my Christmas spirit:



I highly reccomend this book. I'm going to read it again. It's also available as an audiobook, perfect for listening to while sitting in those holiday traffic jams or while checking out Christmas lights in your area. It's also a nifty little Christmas gift.

Speaking of which, I am so NOT ready for Christmas!! I still have some shopping, cleaning, decorating, card writing, and cookie baking to do. but I'll try to be back here soon. But just in case you don't hear from me again until Easter-Have a Merry Christmas and A Blessed New Year!

Well another Christmas has come and gone. We had a nice one. Spent Christmas Eve at my Dad's home and Christmas Day at ours. Did a little baking during the day on Christmas Eve. Made this gingerbread tree and some Italian anise cookies:



And also M&M cookies and some gingerbread men and trees:



Now I'm just trying to get caught up on things like laundry, cleaning, and other fun activities. Seems I get this "urge to purge" every year around this time and I just start tossing lots of stuff. I spent a good part of yesteday sorting through papers and clothing and I barely made a dent in the clutter. I really need to keep on top of it better. I guess it's time to pay Fly Lady a visit.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas week with family and friends.

Christmas Craziness

What a crazy week it's been! I've been working every day since Tuesday, running around trying to get that last minute shopping done, plus doctor's appointments and other fun stuff. Still have a little baking and wrapping to do. I just finished baking a batch of M&M cookies and I made some gingerbread dough. I'll bake and decorate the gingerbread men tomorrow, for I know if I make them tonight they will end up with mean little faces, complete with fangs.

Yes, once again I find myself trying to achieve that perfect Norman Rockwell kind of Christmas, but I find myself turning into Norman Bates. I should know better, for it's not the perfect Christmases I remember, but the funny, not-so perfect ones. Like how every year my Father would bring home the most sorry looking Christmas tree he could find, you know the kind with no branches in the middle or in the back. The kind of tree that makes Charlie Brown's look like the one in Rockefeller Center. My Mother would get so mad, but somehow she managed to turn those trees into works of art. Now that's a Christmas miracle!

Then I remember the first Christmas with Carlos in our home and we finally had enough space for a large tree. I had decorated it so beautifully with all these delicate glass ornaments and I was so proud of that tree. Then I came home from work on Christmas Eve to find my pretty tree face down on the living room floor with several of the ornaments broken. Seems my beloved Sheltie, who is now in doggie heaven, managed to get caught in it and caused it to topple over. (I know this because I found a large clump of his fur in the tree.) I laugh about it now, and Archie even has a special place on our tree, featuring his collars and some of the ornaments he broke:



Then there are the little things that make me smile, like that house I drive by every day with all the decorations. The guy looks like he's hosting a winter carnival on his front lawn-he even has a small ferris wheel! Well Friday afternoon, him and his wife were outside dressed like Mr. and Mrs. Claus and waving to everyone. And their children were dressed like Santa's reindeer, in furry brown suits and antlers, and they were on all fours, lined up on the front steps. I wish I had my camera with me.

And then there are moments like these, in your own home:



My sweet dog Raven, had a seizure today, right in front of the Christmas tree. She seems okay now, but she is going to see the vet later this week, so we'll see. She is twelve, but I hope it's nothing serious.

So enjoy your Christmas, hope its a wonderful one that you'll always cherish.

Show And Tell

Kelli at There is No Place Like Home is the hostess of Show And Tell Friday. If you would like to join the fun and check out other great show and tells, please visit Kelli's blog.

My show and tell this week is my Nativity. It once belonged to my Grandmother, then my Mother, and it was passed on to me when I moved into my own apartment. I'm not sure how old it is, but I know it's over 50 years old. It's a bit chipped and worn because many little hands (and paws) have played with it through the years. My Mother always displayed it beneath our Christmas tree along with our gifts. I also do the same for He is the most special gift anyone can receive.



And here is our tree. These lights twinkle, so the photo looks a little blurry. Notice that black silhouette in the bottom left near the center? Yes, that's our kitty-he is so fascinated with that tree!




Thank you for stopping by and looking at my Show and Tell, and thank you Kelli, for hosting.

My "Festive" Holiday Table...

I just want to let Diana at Sunshine On My Shoulders know that she is not the only one with a messy table. In fact, both my dining room and master bedroom have been declared major disaster areas! Can you believe that I actually wrote out my Christmas cards on this very table last night?

Now to answer her question-"Where do you eat?" Well tonight we dined on snack tables in the living room. Who knows-we just may be eating Christmas dinner alfresco (outdoors) if I don't clean this mess up soon!

Carlos insisted I put that empty wine bottle on the table when I told him why I was taking this picture, but all that other stuff, including Santa, was just as you see it. I hope we don't get any surprise visitors.

Only One More Week!!

Just finished scribbling writing our Christmas cards, hopefully they will all reach their destinations on time. Finally got the tree up and decorated, will take some photos before the kitty cat has his way with it.

Well I officially joined the 50 and over club yesterday-in other words, I had a colonoscopy. Yikes!!! Actually the procedure itself is nothing-but the preparation the day before-well I'll spare you the details. I think you know what I mean.

Still have a little shopping to do and some wrapping and baking. And cleaning!!! So it will probably be just a few quickie posts for the next few days. Hope you're all enjoying the season.

Christmas Meme

Saw this Christmas Meme on Diana's blog and it sounded like a lot of fun, so here's mine:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
It depends on the gift. Anything "boxy" gets wrapped. Large or odd-shaped gifts get bagged.

2. Real tree or artificial?
I love real trees, but I've been using an artificial tree for some time now, because the real ones dry out so quickly in our home. I usually hang some kind of pine wreath, so we can still have that real Christmas tree smell.

3. When do you put up the tree?
Our giant cat toy Christmas tree is going up this weekend. I will be housebound because we are expecting a nor'easter Saturday night and Sunday.

4. When do you take the tree down?
After January 6-Most people in my neighborhood celebrate the Epiphany.

5. Do you like eggnog?
I love it!! On Christmas morning, Carlos and I open our gifts to each other while having a cup of eggnog with a little Kahlua and some nutmeg sprinkled on top. (did I just hear someone say "Yuk!!"?)

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
A puppet theater, I think I was 9 or 10 years old. Our family kitty liked it too, for he often slept inside. He also starred in a few of our "productions".

7. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes, a very old one from Italy which once belonged to my Grandmother. It's chipped and worn, but I treasure it. I display it beneath our Christmas tree, just like my Grandmother and Mother once did.

8. Hardest person to buy for?
Carlos!!!!!

9. Easiest person to buy for?
My dog, Raven. (Hey, she's a fur-person!)

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
My high school sweetheart once gave me a sweater with two large circles in the front placed exactly you-know-where, along with a pair of spoon and fork earrings. Thank the Lord we broke up right before the following Christmas!

11. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards?
Snail mail.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
It's A Wonderful Life

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Usually in December, but sometimes I do a little before that.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
I have donated a few to charity.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
My family is Italian and on Christmas Eve we have the Feast of the Seven Fishes. There is plenty of shrimp, scallops, mussels marinara, calamari, linguine and clam sauce, flounder, and other seafood dishes. And of course, I love to eat all those yummy Christmas cookies.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
I've used colored ones for a long time, but this year I'm going to use clear ones that twinkle.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
O Come All Ye Faithful by anyone (even Twisted Sister!) I also love Christmas Canon by the Transiberian Orchestra.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Christmas Eve I spend with family (it's maybe 10 miles from here). Christmas Day I usually spend at home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Comet and Blitzen. Donner, Cupid, Prancer, Vixen, and Rudolph.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Usually a star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Christmas Eve I exchange gifts with my family. Christmas morning, Carlos and I open our gifts to each other.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
I really don't like those gigantic air blown Christmas decorations a lot of people have on their front lawns. Especially during the day when they are deflated. Does anyone else feel this way?

23. What I love most about Christmas?
The true Christmas spirit. It is such a magical time.

If you read this-you're tagged!! Let me know-I'd love to see your answers.

Meowy Christmas!

Ever try wrapping Christmas gifts with your kitty?



He probably thinks they're all for him!

Ever Hear Of This Tradition?

As long as I can remember, relatives on my mother's side of the family hung a Christmas card with a picture of the Three Wise Men above the front door. My Mom would usually send us one while she was alive, and sometimes my Dad still does. One year when I was feeling really ambitious, I cross-stitched Three Wise Men Christmas cards for my entire family. Boy, my fingertips and eyesight paid dearly for that! But everyone liked them, so it was worth it.

I spotted the above box of Three Wise Men cards while shopping at Barnes and Noble and thought I would send these this year instead of my usual kitty and puppy Christmas cards. I could almost hear Mom's voice telling me to buy them: "Don't you think it's time you sent a grown-up Christmas card instead of those cutesy ones? Aren't you like 51 now?"

Okay Mom, I heard you. I bought the cards.

But it also got me wondering-what is the meaning behind all this? Just why do people hang Three Wise Men Christmas cards above the front door? So I turned to that wealth of information, the internet, for answers.

First I read how in Europe, people write the initials of the Three Wise Men along with the year, in chalk blessed with holy water, on the main door to the house to bless their homes for the new year. Then I came across this interesting site, full of Irish folklore and traditions, which says it is done to bring health and harmony to one's home. But my mother was Italian, not Irish, so it still left me wondering. I guess I need to do a little more searching.

Has anyone else heard of this tradition? Perhaps there is a Three Wise Men Christmas card hanging above your front door, too.

Favorite Christmas Movies

I love to watch Christmas movies, but I do have a few favorites. One is A Christmas Carol, the REALLY old one made in 1938 with Reginald Owen. I remember the grammar school I attended would show this one every year right before Christmas. Usually the one shown on television is the the 1951 version with Alastair Sim, which I also like.

I also love It's A Wonderful Life, probably my all time favorite movie. My hubby doesn't share my love for these old movies (sniff), in fact he doesn't like to watch anything in black and white unless it features Moe, Larry, and Curly-nyuk nyuk!

And here's a newer one, made this century, that I absolutely love:



It's a sad but inspiring story about a young boy who wants to buy a special Christmas gift for his dying mother. And it's also the story of an attorney who's been focusing more on his job than his family. Fate brings these two together on Christmas Eve at a local department store and what happens next still makes me cry no matter how many times I watch this movie. Lifetime is showing The Christmas Shoes tomorrow (Dec 9) at 7pm est, if you're interested. And if you do plan on watching, keep a box of tissues nearby.

I also love A Charlie Brown Christmas. I guess that one's not really a movie, but it just doesn't feel like Christmas until I see it.

And I confess, I still try to catch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Maybe it's because I can really relate to that "Misfit" song.

What is your favorite Christmas movie or Christmas special?

I Need Some Christmas Spirit!

Santa with Angel

I'm really trying to get into the Christmas spirit, but it just doesn't seem to be happening yet. I've been listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas movies, doing a little decorating and shopping, but I'm just not feeling that joy inside. I did get some disturbing news from my doctor a few days ago that I'm going to need some minor surgery soon. Seems I've been playing host to this large gall stone for some time and it really should come out before there are serious complications. I've been doing a lot of research on this the past few days and it's not really bothering me that much yet and my blood work is okay, so I guess Mr. Gall Stone will be spending the holidays with me. My real concern is that both Carlos and I may be losing our jobs soon (we work together) and if that happens, then I also lose my health coverage.

So I'm paranoid that I will eat or do something that might set this little time bomb off. I know I'm being silly; it's such a minor thing that's completely treatable and the news could have been much worse. I guess I should feel blessed that it wasn't something more serious.

Christmas Lights

Here's how our Christmas lights look so far. These are colored icicle lights, it's hard to see the colors in the photo. We still have a little bit more to do, like put some lights on the arborvitae bush (tree!) that's in front. It was snowing a little when I took these pictures. Looks like our garbage can managed to sneak into the photo in the bottom center.



Carlos is kind of obsessed with these lights and is constantly checking to see if any have gone out. What is it with these men and their Christmas lights?



This is the Nativity scene in the front window. I still have to put the angels up when I find some more of those suction cup hook thingies. If you look through the blinds, you can see the inside of our messy house.



Thank you for looking at our Christmas light photos.