The First Gift of Christmas

We visited with Ellen and her hub this weekend for their annual Holiday Open House. It is always such a fun time as they have a wonderful group of friends and neighbors.

While visiting, JBM received his first gift of Christmas. No it was not a silver bell that only those of us who believe in Santa can hear. JBM had seen Ellen with a LED book light and thought how nice it would be to have for those days when he starts (or finishes) his homework in the car. So, that is what he received and he also has a new lap desk for the car.

The first official use of the desk....writing a letter to Santa on our way home yesterday!

Thanks to Ellen and her hub for a great weekend and a wonderful gift! Both will be well used and loved!

Copycat Meme

Ellen and Kate at Chronicles of a Country Girl have this meme on their sites and I loved it so I will play along too!

1. Hot Chocolate or Apple Cider? Definitely hot chocolate or as Fly Boy and Ellen's hub would say hot chauwcolate (northern NJ accents).

2. Turkey or Ham? Love turkey but Christmas dinner needs to be beef.

3. Do you get a fake or real-you-cut-it yourself Christmas tree? We do fake as I am highly allergic to pine. We do go to the local tree farm to enjoy the festivities.

4. Decorations on the outside of your house? Lighted wreaths and a blow up of Santa flying a helicopter. Would you expect anything else?

5. Snowball fights or sledding? Sledding

6. Do you enjoy going downtown shopping? We do not have a downtown for shopping and I hate the mall but I do try to shop with the vendors in town.

7. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night

8. How do you feel about Christmas movies? Love to watch them and our family favorite is Miracle on 34th Street. It has to be the original one with Natalie Woods.

9. When is it too early to start listening to Christmas music? Before the decorations go up in our house....Thanksgiving weekend.

10. Stockings before or after presents? After...we used to do them on Christmas Eve but with JBM that cannot be done any more.

11. Carolers, do you or do you not watch and listen to them? We do not have any in our area...they would get killed trying to maneuver our road.

12. Go to someone else's house or they come to you? We have Christmas Eve at our house and go to my Brother's on Christmas Day.

13. Do you read the Christmas Story? If so, when? We read both the Christmas Story and the Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve.

14. What do you do after presents and dinner? Get in the car and head to the OBX for the rest of the week.

15. What is your favorite holiday smell? Cookies baking.

16. Ice skating or walking around the mall? Always prefer to be outside!

17. Do you open present or presents on Christmas Eve or wait until Christmas Day? Christmas Eve with my extended family and Christmas Day with our little family.

18. Favorite Christmas memory? The first year that JBM took piano lessons, he learned Silent Night for the Christmas recital and it made FlyBoy cry......I love it.

19. Favorite part about winter? Playing in the snow with JBM and then having hot chocolate in front of the fire when we are done.

20. Every been kissed under the mistletoe? Yes. The one kiss I miss the most is the one from my Dad.

Let's keep playing!