Plans and Traditions for Christmas Season?
 

With the advent of the holidays let's discuss what we do during the Christmas season. It will be a good little vehicle for us to learn more about one another and continue to build a sense of community.

What do you plan to do for this Christmas season?

If you celebrate Christmas and the season? What are your traditions?

What was Christmas like as a child when you were growing up? What did your family do?

If you don't celebrate Christmas, for whatever reason, and many don't, how do you approach and go through it, with so many around you who do?

Christmas Traditions
 

RG,

My wife and I have the extended family over for Christmas Eve...we cook a light supper and enjoy wine and eggnog. The nieces and nephews open a present; we sing a few carols, maybe watch a Christmas movie. Really good time. On Christmas morning we sleep until a reasonable hour...with no little ones around the house we don't feel the need to get up early to see what Santa brought. My sisters and mom and dad come over and I cook a special Christmas breakfast.....we have Christmas dinner around 2 or 3 that afternoon.

I spent a career in the military and missed too many Christmas' at home with my family. I cherish the time I'm able to spend now. My folks are getting on in years and we never know if this may be our last Christmas together.....

Hope everyone has a very happy and safe holiday season. Tell the people in your life that you love them.....

rangerboy

Very nice tradition, rb!

Would I assume correctly, from your ID, that you were an Army Ranger?

All I know is that I'll be with my family. I don't usually get to go "home" for Thanksgiving but I never miss Christmas at home, no matter what. I just hope no one here has to spend the day alone.

RG and others,

Be on the lookout fairly soon for a video with Rangerboy (in his military uniform) spanking a very repentant Amber.

YEEEE_HAA!! New Amber videos!! :D

Gee, BlackVelvet-so nice to see your enthusiasim for my being spanked ! Just giving ya a hard time. Rangerboy definatly got my attention with the spanking and the uniform. I didn't have much of a choice but to be repentant, lol.

Rangerboy, your Christmas sounds special, I understand how precious it must be to be able to spend it with those you love. Blackvelvet, going home for Christmas is special too, treasure it for as long as you can.

My children are still young and they are what make Christmas so special and at times more tolerable. It's hard to get them to eat breakfast because they are too excited to see what Santa left. Here is a warning, I'm going to get sappy on you guys for a moment.
My kids are like most kids-they love to recieve. But I learned that they both have a big heart as well. Their father & I divorced several years ago. Our first Christmas with just them and myself was an adjustment for sure. I did my best to make that Christmas as special and memorable as the ones before. However, they made it much more memorable for me.
They had finished opening their gifts and suddenly the room was very quiet. My oldest who was only 5 at the time, asked "Mommy, where are your presents ?" Ruh roh. I didn't think they would even notice. He then proceeds to look under the tree and in my stocking ! The look on his face is one that I can never forget. He just could not understand why Santa had forgotten me. I tried to reassure him that my favorite part was seeing him and his sister have a fun Christmas ect. He listened and hugged me and was off to play. I'd be lying to say that I wasn't an emotional mess inside afterwards. Here's where it gets even more tear jerking. Later that evening, we were about to watch Christmas movies when I saw something under the tree. Now you all can imagine a 5 & 3 year old wrapping a present. It had at least a whole roll of tape and a bow on every empty spot available. It was the most precious thing I had ever seen. Instead of a tag it had a piece of construction paper and written in red marker(which my 3 year old had all over her hands still) was "H A V A VERRY MARY CRISMIS MOMMY, LUV CRAKER JAK ANND LADY BUGG." These are their nicknames that I have called them since before they could even crawl. I didn't even have to open it to be grinning/crying all at the same time. Of course they wanted to "help" me open it. Inside was my little girl's jewelry box. I was told to open it. I did. Inside it was my son's favorite hot wheel. I hugged them until they were both ready to run from me, lol. Then my 3 year old goes and yanks my stocking from the mantel, with her brother getting on to her for not asking for help. They had each shared their stockings complete with candy canes and chocolate Santa's. I was a proud and touched mommy that year for sure. :)

Christmas Story
 

Amber,

Sweetie, I'm getting tears in my eyes from reading your post. There is nothing as pure as the heart of a child. You've clearly done a GREAT job of raising them.

I never had children of my own......sighhhhhh.......

BTW everyone, if you know of a young man or woman who is serving overseas this year, please try to let them know how much you appreciate their sacrafice. Whether you support the war or not...please support the troops.

Merry Christmas.

rangerboy

Christmas Memory
 

There is one funny story from my childhood. I'm a baby boomer....my dad came home from WWII, married my mom and they started living the American Dream....1950's style. Bought a home in suburbia and started raising a family.

I had lots of kids to play with..their parents were about the same age as mine so the kids were about the same age. One year, probably around 1957 or 58, we all got our first bikes. Christmas Eve as we were all snug in bed, the dads were going up and down the street borrowing tools to assemble the bikes. Of course at each house they had to have a glass of holiday cheer. So by midnight the dads were riding up and down the street on the newly assembled bikes, all pretty well tipsy and singing Silent Night.....wish I could have been up to see it myself.

rangerboy

Christmas Gifts made easy!
 

Aunt Vicki knows how hard it is for you naughty boys and girls to pick out just the right gift for your lady and male friends. Aunt Vicki comes to the rescue! I have found the most amazing product for health and wellness that your friends will love. All the products are Swiss formulated, U.S. made, and PH correct, hypoallergenic, botanically based, dermatologist tested, formulated without dyes, chemical fragrances, mineral oil or any animal products or bi-products. The company is over 26 years old and has one of Dunn and Bradstreet's highest credit ratings.

These products will make your ladies look younger, feel softer and smooth out her cellulite if you buy that product. How do I know? I use the products every day myself! I have been amazed at what these products can do.

For Christmas this year I am going to be making gift baskets utilizing these wonderful products. The prices will fit any budget. You tell me what you can spend and I will make a gorgeous gift basket that you will be proud to give your lady and she will love you for it. Mailing is, of course, offered as well.



Oh one other thing. My new and improved web site should be up and running by the first of the year!

Hugs and Smacks!

Aunt Vicki

Amber, this is just an incredible story! At heart I'm a pretty sentimental person and this one really pushes that button big time.

Are you familiar with Readers Digest? You ought to send this into them, pretty much as you've written it. I betcha it would be published! It's that good.

[QUOTE=spanked~amber;978]Gee, BlackVelvet-so nice to see your enthusiasim for my being spanked !


Now now you know I only rejoice about it when I'm doing it. ;) :D

Seriously, though, this is a very touching story and it's so sweet to have family like that. Hope this Christmas is just as special.

That could be Wood Paddle's Christmas gift to us all!

He could give Amber a good and thorough spanking on Christmas morning, and then share it with the group.

Have her put a ribbon on her head, WP, so that the gift is appropriately wrapped. > : )

Awww, Amber that is so sweet! Christmas really is all about the kids, it's going to be a lot more fun for me now that I have a little one to share the magic with. With my family, we all meet at my grandmother's house on Christmas Eve. We eat a huge meal and then open presents. Then we go to my mom's house (just immediate family) and open presents there. My mom and step dad always do this thing called the Right Family Christmas, it's a story that my mom reads and we all sit in a circle. We each get a small wrapped present and as my mom reads the story we pass the presents to the left when she says left and to the right when she says right. It gets confusing with all the passing and it's fun to watch the funny shaped gift you have your eye on get passed back and forth a million times. My step dad always chooses the gifts and they are hilarious every time, usually a bit adult themed like one year I got a giant size bra and my boyfriend got a tub of Vaseline. There have even been nipple clamps, feminine deoderant spray and a blow up sheep! My step dad says this year he really outdid himself so I can't wait to see what we have in store. I even have a penis shaped cake pan around here somewhere.

Then on Christmas day we will spend the day with my boyfriend's family, we open gifts and then have a nice dinner and they always have stockings for us with really cool little gifts inside. I'm also excited because both of my step brothers are in the military and they have each been in Iraq for about two years but they are both home now and will be there at Christmas and we have three new babies celebrating their first Christmas so it will be really special.

Now I think neither can we, after that story!

You're going to have to log on and tell us what it was as soon as possible after the event.

I think I can safely come back to this thread now after Amber's heartbreaking tale. I'm like you RG, a very sentimental person.

My plans are pretty basic. Normally I wake up and while I'm eating breakfast I talk to maggiemay in Australia just before Christmas day is over for her :-) Then I talk to my Brother online and coach him about his upcoming visit to the family that day :D Then at around 11am it is my turn as the phone will ring and I talk to me Mum and whoever else is there at her house at that time. After that I like to go for a walk in the neighborhood and watch all the kids trying out their new toys.

That's pretty much it.

Richard Windsor.

Right on Rangerboy…

Support those troops whether you agree or disagree with the politics… The point is these Men and Women serving in our armed forces are putting it on the line for us and we need to respect the sacrifice and impact on them and their families here at home, especially this time of year.

An X-Mas tradition here at the Daniel’s household is to give generously to the
Toys for Tots program - http://www.toysfortots.org/

OORAH!

Semper Fi

Dr. Daniel’s

Support the Troops
 

Dr. Daniels,

Do I infere from your posting sir that you are a former Marine? If so, a belated happy birthday and success to the Corps!!

rangerboy

Amber,

This was beautiful. Your story made me cry! I remember something similar after my parents divorced. Every year my mom would put something for herself under the tree from Santa until we no longer believed in Santa. I am in college and like BlackVelvet, I couldn't imagine not being home for Christmas. I didn't go home for Thanksgiving, it's not that big of a holiday for my family, but Christmas has always been important to us.

Every year for the last 5-6 we buy, prepare, and serve all the food for a Christmas party for the families and children of single parent familes. There is a non profit organization which my family was a member of until about 7 years ago when my mom finally became able to stand on her feet securely. Now it's our turn to give back to them. I didn't know it when I was little but if it wasn't for this organization, our Christmases wouldn't have been as great as they were.

Another tradition we have is that we actually make the popcorn and cranberry strands. We hand string the plain popcorn and cranberries with needle and string and they go on the tree alternating with the blue christmas lights. That's how it's always been :) I cannot wait for Christmas. I get to go home in a week!

Thank you for sharing your tradition with us all Jersey, that is such a sweet and thoughtful thing that your mom and your family has done. thank all of you who have shared a tradition here on the forum. Keep em' coming, I love reading them. There is a single mom that I work with that I have the suspiscion will not have something for herself from Santa. I love being a naughty but nice little elf ;) Even if it's not something big or grand, us mom's know the importance of our Children wanting to see us smile with the same excitement they do. I learned my lesson well on that as I shared with you all.
Speaking of, I already recieved one of the things I asked Santa for...I took my children Christmas shopping this weekend and no one tried to run over us with their shopping cart. My kids didn't give anyone much of a chance to be a Scrooge lol, they were wishing anyone and everyone a "Merry Christmas" that would glance their way ! Now mom might have been just a tad bit naughty when the guy pulled out in front of her at the shopping center...I didn't cuss at least ;)

Very good self-restraint ;) Glad it was a great weekend with the angels. Only two weeks left until Christmas. :D

That's a GREAT tradition, jersey, and just what the Christmas season is all about. And it's the kind of tradition that actually affects both sides, the recipients and the givers, in a very positive way. Cheers to you and your family!