Christmas Memories and More....

For many years I spent Christmas morning at my Mothers house and then in the afternoon,it was on to my step-grandparents with my Dad and stepmother.This was the second christmas without my mother,which is VERY difficult to comprehend,so after my daughter finished unwrapping her loot from Santa,we packed up and it was off to the grandparents(my stepmothers parents)to spend the afternoon with the extended family.Other than my husbands grandmother,they are the only living grandparents I have left and they are getting on in years and are in poor health,so each year is a blessing.Pop-pop Jim has had many strokes and cant really recall much,but the look on his face when he sees his many great-grandkids is priceless.He doesnt know all their names anymore but he knows they are his greatgrandbabies and he is content just to watch them play and get hugs & kisses all day long.It makes my day to see him so happy.
Also,is it just me,or is everything overpackages now?I filled 5 yard-sized garbage bags to almost bursting with paper and plastic packaging today,mostly from toys!To see our dump pile you would think we bought out a department store!
I also had a pile of dishes waiting for me when I got home today.Although I did not cook at home,I baked some sugar cutouts(from a mix) and pecan sandies(from scratch).My dear husband sat down and hand-shelled over a hundred pecans Sunday while watching football,sans nutcracker tools.Try to find a nutcracker set!One store where we checked said"No,we don't have them,but everyone is asking for them!"Uh,duh!Used to be at least one person would give you a nutcracker set for Christmas,now they seem to be scarce!At least I do not have to buy pecans-my father has so many he gives them away!
I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and got to spend time with the people they love.You never know who will still be here with us next year so its important to always make time for family and loved ones!

Nothing like the "AC-to hell with you" to get me fired up!

I know I said I would not be blogging again until tomorrow but I have been seething all day long after reading the Daily Times today.Why,you ask?It seems the little town of Exmore,on Virginias Eastern Shore,has a Nativity scene as part of it's Christmas displays and the good old "AC-to hell with you"(ACLU),as well as another liberal watchdog group,is demanding via threatening letters that it be removed or else.Exmores Town Manager Herb Gilsdorf says the town has not even replied to the letters as of yet and that Mayor Guy Lawson intends on keeping the display until a Judge orders it to be taken down.It is actually sitting on State-owned property and is maintained and electrified by the town.The only problems I can foresee is that it is municipal employees on government time setting it up,it is on state property and uses town electricity.Heres my solution-having grown up on the Eastern shore of Virginia,I know there are alot of good Christian people down there who give selflessly of themselves.So.....recruit a private business owner with highway exposure similar to the current location offer a place to put it & plug it in and have citizens or city employees on their own time volunteer to put it up,take it down and maintain it.Then tell the ACLU to go straight to hell and find some other battle to fight.That way it will still be there for everyone to see AND then they cannot do anything about it,in court or otherwise!I know not everyone celebrates Christmas and thats their right but like a commentator in the Times Story Chat stated,it is not just Christian history,the Nativity is WORLD history.If Jesus didn't exist,if he was not in fact born in Bethlehem,then why do we refer to his name to mark history,as in B.C.(before Christ)???Think about it!Why do we say "2007 A.D."if Jesus did not die for our sins?I am not naive enough to think that my religion is the ONLY way,but why is it suddenly wrong or politically incorrect to be a Christian?If the ACLU wants to get pissed off over something,then get mad at the whole over-commercialized Christmas hype-not the beliefs behind the Holiday.I am all for seperation of church and state,but do we have to take God out of everything?I guess since His name is on cash the ACLU shuns the use of US currency too?I think not.They only have a problem with God when there is nothing in it for them.Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Have a Blessed & Merry Christmas!

I will not be blogging again until Wednesday and just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.Yes,I said Christmas!Some of you may have already celebrated Chanukah,yet others of you may be celebrating Kwanzaa later this week.Some of you just celebrated the Winter Solstice and I am sure there are some of you who will not celebrate any holiday at all this week.Regardless of what you believe or practice,I will not change my greeting-if you do not celebrate Christmas,then take my holiday greetings as my wishes to you for peace and love this year and every year!Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Christmas Day movie openings

For some families,bundling up and heading to the movie theater is as much of a tradition as opening gifts and trimming the tree,and there are quite few movies debuting this year on Christmas Day-something for everyone!

• "Predator vs. Alien-Requiem"
• "The Great Debaters"
• "The Water Horse:Legend of the Deep"
• "The Bucket List" (limited release)
• "Persepolis" (limited release)

Myself,after all the festivities are through will be cleaning up while watching "A Christmas Story"!!!!

ANOTHER letter from Santa.......

Hats off to my friend Stacy for passing this along.......



Dear ya'll


I regret to inform you that, effective immediately, I will no longer be able to serve your area on Christmas Eve. Because of recent changes in my union contract renegotiated by North American Elves Local 209, I now serve only eastern Canada, certain areas of Wisconsin and the Michigan Upper Peninsula. However, I'm certain that your children will be in good hands with my replacement, my third cousin by my first wife, from the South Pole, Bubba Claus.
He shares my goal of delivering toys to all the good boys and girls, but there are a few differences between us, such as:

* There is no danger of a Grinch's stealing presents from Bubba Claus, who has a gun rack in his sleigh and a bumper sticker that reads: "These toys insured by Smith and Wesson."


* Instead of milk and cookies, Bubba Claus prefers that children leave an RC and pork skins on the fireplace. And Bubba doesn't smoke a pipe. He does dip a little snuff, though, so please have a spit can handy


.* Bubba Claus' sleigh is pulled by floppy-eared, flyin' coon dogs instead of reindeer. I lent him my reindeer one time, and Rudolph's head now rests over Bubba's fireplace.


* You won't hear "On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen ..." when Bubba Claus arrives. Instead, you'll hear, "On Earnhardt, on Wallace, on Martin and Boudreaux. On Rudd, on Jarrett, on Elliott and Petty."


* "Ho, ho, ho!" has been replaced by "Yeehaw!" And you also are likely to hear Bubba's elves respond, "I heard that!"* As required by Southern highway laws, Bubba Claus' sleigh does have a bumper sticker for non-traditional vehicles "If you are close enough to read this... you ain't gettin' no presents!"


* The usual Christmas movie classics such as "Miracle on 34th Street" and "Ernest Saves Christmas" will not be shown in your area. Instead, you'll see some really classes movies about Bubba Claus made in the late 1970s. Many feature Burt Reynolds as Bubba Claus, Jackie Gleason as a Grinch who says "You scumbum!" a lot, and dozens of state patrol cars crashing into each other.


* Bubba Claus doesn't wear a belt. I'd turn the other way when he bends over to put presents under the tree. "Plumber's cleavage" is NOT a pretty sight.


* Lovely Christmas songs have been sung about me, including Elvis' "Here Comes Santa Claus" and Madonna's remake of "Santa Baby." Until this year, songs about Bubba Claus have been played only on AM radio stations in Mississippi. They include such classics as Mark Chesnutt's "Bubba Claus Shot the Jukebox," David Allan Coe's "Willie, Waylon, Bubba Claus and Me," and Hank Williams Jr.'s "If You Don't Like Bubba Claus, You Can Kiss My Icicle."


Sincerely Yours,Santa


F-R-A-G-I-L-E It Must Be Italian-A Christmas Story