OT: The Holiday Thread

[Gee Wally]

By request.

Presents? Recipes? Decorating? Traditions? Movies?

A place to share for the Holiday Season.

Click to read more...

 

[shelbysdad]

Thanks Wally....

I'll start off with gift ideas for the woman who is very difficult to buy for...Not at all a girly girl, so the fuzzy sweaters, make up etc are a no go.
LL Bean type, not Macys...
She is a vet, so loves pet ideas, but not cutesy ones...
Her car has heated seats, remote start...

Since we bought land in Maine this year, I have come a few things....hand drawn map of Acadia, whoopie pie book and baking pan...

We did get a wooden map of our pond (Upper Patten) which is a good idea if someone has a lake house....they are available online for lakes all over the country...

Also had a sign made for the new house with the house name and loons...

Any thoughts?

 

[EverettMike]

For those interested.

SPIRITED Is a Broadway Musical Masquerading as a Movie, But It Still Works

Spirited, a holiday flick starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, is really a Broadway musical on film yet it's still pretty enjoyable.

nerdist.com

 

[Gee Wally]

For those interested.

SPIRITED Is a Broadway Musical Masquerading as a Movie, But It Still Works

Spirited, a holiday flick starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, is really a Broadway musical on film yet it's still pretty enjoyable.

nerdist.com

Mike, if you dont me asking, will you be doing the toy drive again this year?

 

[EverettMike]

Mike, if you dont me asking, will you be doing the toy drive again this year?

Yes.

 

[Gee Wally]

As the years go by it gets harder and harder to figure out what to get for everyone. Honestly all I ever want is my kids home for Christmas. So far Ive been lucky in that regard. Even if I have to buy the plane tickets.
The Bride and I now go small with each other. I’ve reached the stage of life where I have more stuff than I’ll ever need. Her too. If during the year we need something we just get it. So we agree to save the $ and do more weekend getaways . We live for that throughout the year.

Our biggest tradition was Christmas Eve at my mother’s house. Before that our Grandmother’s. Its all my mom ever asked of me. Be home for Christmas Eve.
The whole extended family is there. Aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and significant others. Usually 20 to 30 people. Hard to believe Im now the patriarch Everyone gets a present. And the food, my God the food. We’re Italian. So an Italian feast. Then add multiple prime rib roasts with all the fixings.

Well mom passed during Covid. There was no Christmas Eve that year. 2020.
When we settled the estate me and my other sister decided to sell our other sister Mom’s house at a significant below market price. She needed a place to live. She’s disabled and lived with mom these past 10 years. There was one provision. That she would allow us to still have Christmas Eve there n the house in Woburn. She never hesitated. Last Christmas there was 30 of us. Life goes on. It was sad without mom but very warm to have the house filled with laughing and togetherness.
Me and my sis.

 

[Gee Wally]

Yes.

thanks. With no “littles” in my family it’s good to know we can do something for someone.
Ill look forward to the Amazon link

 

[Gee Wally]

For those interested.

SPIRITED Is a Broadway Musical Masquerading as a Movie, But It Still Works

Spirited, a holiday flick starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, is really a Broadway musical on film yet it's still pretty enjoyable.

nerdist.com

I’ll have to check it out. I love holiday movies. And shows.
Scrooged is great. My favorite Christmas Carol is the one with Albert Finney. Then I still get a kick outta A Christmas Story.
For tv , its not Christmas for me without Rudolph and The Grinch. It lets m go back in time 60 years.

 

[shelbysdad]

This is going to be our first Christmas without my Mom. It's been strange not looking for small gifts for her....loved her ornaments and we always got her a scramble squares puzzle to drive her nuts.

Years ago when my grandparents were around and we were much younger, we would have 25-30 people. Life happened, they passed on, siblings and their kids moved on. The relatives in the area still went to her house for Christmas Eve, but it's only 5-7 of them.

There has been a lot of animosity as some of the siblings are causing a lot of problems. There will be no gathering this year and likely not again. (2 siblings in Az, one will be in NC, one in NY and we will be in Maine). Time to make our own traditions with our own kids. It happens.

My moment today was putting up a tall thin tree in our dining room. We call it the moose tree since its 90 percent moose ornaments...a lot of Boyds. One ornament has a moose with ribbon candy....which brought back memories. Growing up, we didn't have a lot, and our Christmas treat was thin ribbon candy. I always remember being told to not eat certain colors, since my Dad would only a few kinds. And once that one box of ribbon candy was gone, there was no more.

A big family tradition which I think we all still do was started by my grandparents....every year they made Chex mix (we called it scrabble). They would give each of us 1 jar. I have their original recipe, I can post if anyone is interested. Everyone says it's the best they ever had.

 

[Gee Wally]

This is going to be our first Christmas without my Mom. It's been strange not looking for small gifts for her....loved her ornaments and we always got her a scramble squares puzzle to drive her nuts.

Years ago when my grandparents were around and we were much younger, we would have 25-30 people. Life happened, they passed on, siblings and their kids moved on. The relatives in the area still went to her house for Christmas Eve, but it's only 5-7 of them.

There has been a lot of animosity as some of the siblings are causing a lot of problems. There will be no gathering this year and likely not again. (2 siblings in Az, one will be in NC, one in NY and we will be in Maine). Time to make our own traditions with our own kids. It happens.

My moment today was putting up a tall thin tree in our dining room. We call it the moose tree since its 90 percent moose ornaments...a lot of Boyds. One ornament has a moose with ribbon candy....which brought back memories. Growing up, we didn't have a lot, and our Christmas treat was thin ribbon candy. I always remember being told to not eat certain colors, since my Dad would only a few kinds. And once that one box of ribbon candy was gone, there was no more.

A big family tradition which I think we all still do was started by my grandparents....every year they made Chex mix (we called it scrabble). They would give each of us 1 jar. I have their original recipe, I can post if anyone is interested. Everyone says it's the best they ever had.

I know exactly what youre saying Brian. Even the last few weeks we were out shopping and Id slip thinking ‘hmmm…I wonder if mom would like that?’…..then I catch myself. Gonna take time.

 

[Gee Wally]

So, egg nog. Love it or hate it?

Me? Love Hood’s Golden. A little cinnamon. A little rum. Wally is good to go.

 

[EverettMike]

So, egg nog. Love it or hate it?

Me? Love Hood’s Golden. A little cinnamon. A little rum. Wally is good to go.

Love, but once you discover Coquito you'll know what true holiday joy is.

 

[Gee Wally]

Love, but once you discover Coquito you'll know what true holiday joy is.

oooh..I do love coconut.
Need to check it out.

 

[sooshii]

As the years go by it gets harder and harder to figure out what to get for everyone. Honestly all I ever want is my kids home for Christmas. So far Ive been lucky in that regard. Even if I have to buy the plane tickets.
The Bride and I now go small with each other. I’ve reached the stage of life where I have more stuff than I’ll ever need. Her too. If during the year we need something we just get it. So we agree to save the $ and do more weekend getaways . We live for that throughout the year.

Our biggest tradition was Christmas Eve at my mother’s house. Before that our Grandmother’s. Its all my mom ever asked of me. Be home for Christmas Eve.
The whole extended family is there. Aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and significant others. Usually 20 to 30 people. Hard to believe Im now the patriarch Everyone gets a present. And the food, my God the food. We’re Italian. So an Italian feast. Then add multiple prime rib roasts with all the fixings.

Well mom passed during Covid. There was no Christmas Eve that year. 2020.
When we settled the estate me and my other sister decided to sell our other sister Mom’s house at a significant below market price. She needed a place to live. She’s disabled and lived with mom these past 10 years. There was one provision. That she would allow us to still have Christmas Eve there n the house in Woburn. She never hesitated. Last Christmas there was 30 of us. Life goes on. It was sad without mom but very warm to have the house filled with laughing and togetherness.
Me and my sis.
View attachment 607134

Nice sweater!

 

[shelbysdad]

So, egg nog. Love it or hate it?

Me? Love Hood’s Golden. A little cinnamon. A little rum. Wally is good to go.

To me , it's something that smells better than it tastes.....my grandfather loved it....with whiskey.....he drank that stuff straight...my brother does that....that gene passed me by......well.....unless you count fireball....

 

[GordonHowe]

As the years go by it gets harder and harder to figure out what to get for everyone. Honestly all I ever want is my kids home for Christmas. So far Ive been lucky in that regard. Even if I have to buy the plane tickets.
The Bride and I now go small with each other. I’ve reached the stage of life where I have more stuff than I’ll ever need. Her too. If during the year we need something we just get it. So we agree to save the $ and do more weekend getaways . We live for that throughout the year.

Our biggest tradition was Christmas Eve at my mother’s house. Before that our Grandmother’s. Its all my mom ever asked of me. Be home for Christmas Eve.
The whole extended family is there. Aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and significant others. Usually 20 to 30 people. Hard to believe Im now the patriarch Everyone gets a present. And the food, my God the food. We’re Italian. So an Italian feast. Then add multiple prime rib roasts with all the fixings.

Well mom passed during Covid. There was no Christmas Eve that year. 2020.
When we settled the estate me and my other sister decided to sell our other sister Mom’s house at a significant below market price. She needed a place to live. She’s disabled and lived with mom these past 10 years. There was one provision. That she would allow us to still have Christmas Eve there n the house in Woburn. She never hesitated. Last Christmas there was 30 of us. Life goes on. It was sad without mom but very warm to have the house filled with laughing and togetherness.
Me and my sis.
View attachment 607134

As noted previously, eight children (four boys, four girls). My father died when I was nine, and my mother & eldest brother died this past year. Christmas Eve was my brother Greg's favorite day of the year. Many family traditions.

Literally & figuratively, hold them close.

These are the good old days,

 

[bruinsfan1970]

I will always remember our Christmas get together with the family. We would all go to my Grandparents house and there was roughly 22 of us there. Us kids got to open one present and we played games, and it was great to see relatives we saw only a few times a year. The last two Christmas's have been tough because my dad passed away in 2020 and I can still remember him putting things together that morning for us kids and even as an adult it is very hard thinking he is not here with us for Christmas. When I am Christmas shopping, I see things that he would love as he was very easy to buy for and then I think but dad is gone, I guess it is that way because it is still early maybe with the passing of time it will get easier. This Christmas we will be going to my mom's house (Weather Permitting) last year we headed out to her house but only got a bit down the road and came back home because the roads were a sheet of ice, and the car does not stop on ice especially when you live high up.
So now for me I have lost lots of family, but I can still remember the fun we all had at my Nana and Grandpa's house.

 

[shelbysdad]

I will always remember our Christmas get together with the family. We would all go to my Grandparents house and there was roughly 22 of us there. Us kids got to open one present and we played games, and it was great to see relatives we saw only a few times a year. The last two Christmas's have been tough because my dad passed away in 2020 and I can still remember him putting things together that morning for us kids and even as an adult it is very hard thinking he is not here with us for Christmas. When I am Christmas shopping, I see things that he would love as he was very easy to buy for and then I think but dad is gone, I guess it is that way because it is still early maybe with the passing of time it will get easier. This Christmas we will be going to my mom's house (Weather Permitting) last year we headed out to her house but only got a bit down the road and came back home because the roads were a sheet of ice, and the car does not stop on ice especially when you live high up.
So now for me I have lost lots of family, but I can still remember the fun we all had at my Nana and Grandpa's house.

Back when there was so many of us, there always seemed to be someone who had not been there for Christmas Eve before.....neighbor friend or usually a new bf or gf for someone, We used to draw names so there was lots of wrapping paper...it all got stuffed in garbage bags, then we would take the bags of paper and dump it all on the new person as a welcome.

 

[EverettMike]

I’ll have to check it out. I love holiday movies. And shows.
Scrooged is great. My favorite Christmas Carol is the one with Albert Finney. Then I still get a kick outta A Christmas Story.
For tv , its not Christmas for me without Rudolph and The Grinch. It lets m go back in time 60 years.

A CHRISTMAS STORY Endures Because It Captures the Full Christmas Experience

A Christmas Story is beloved because it understands that Christmas is truly about everything---both good and bad---leading up to December 25.

nerdist.com

 

[Ladyfan]

As the years go by it gets harder and harder to figure out what to get for everyone. Honestly all I ever want is my kids home for Christmas. So far Ive been lucky in that regard. Even if I have to buy the plane tickets.
The Bride and I now go small with each other. I’ve reached the stage of life where I have more stuff than I’ll ever need. Her too. If during the year we need something we just get it. So we agree to save the $ and do more weekend getaways . We live for that throughout the year.

Our biggest tradition was Christmas Eve at my mother’s house. Before that our Grandmother’s. Its all my mom ever asked of me. Be home for Christmas Eve.
The whole extended family is there. Aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and significant others. Usually 20 to 30 people. Hard to believe Im now the patriarch Everyone gets a present. And the food, my God the food. We’re Italian. So an Italian feast. Then add multiple prime rib roasts with all the fixings.

Well mom passed during Covid. There was no Christmas Eve that year. 2020.
When we settled the estate me and my other sister decided to sell our other sister Mom’s house at a significant below market price. She needed a place to live. She’s disabled and lived with mom these past 10 years. There was one provision. That she would allow us to still have Christmas Eve there n the house in Woburn. She never hesitated. Last Christmas there was 30 of us. Life goes on. It was sad without mom but very warm to have the house filled with laughing and togetherness.
Me and my sis.
View attachment 607134

Thanks for that story. Your family stories are so heartwarming.

 

[Morris Wanchuk]

My dads family is Portuguese so we do a big get together on Christmas Eve with different fish dishes. Lots of the old timers have passed on so it’s a bit more casual but they are very much missed. We lost 3 during the past few years (all in their 90s). Everyone has seems to have settled within 1-2 hours of the home town so hopefully it continues. Definitely our biggest event of the year.

On our immediate front, my daughter is 9 but is still all in on Christmas which is nice. Probably has some questions but hasn’t let us know. Her brother is 6 so he’s all in. The elf will be here soon which is a tradition I am kind of meh about but the kids like it. We had kids young for today’s standard (26 and 29) so it’s weird to think at 35 we have one kid that it might be their last year believing in Santa. But I am happy she is a girl and probably won’t ruin it for her brother! We bought the Indy pass for skiing so hoping to get out one day over the break.

 

[Ladyfan]

This is going to be our first Christmas without my Mom. It's been strange not looking for small gifts for her....loved her ornaments and we always got her a scramble squares puzzle to drive her nuts.

Years ago when my grandparents were around and we were much younger, we would have 25-30 people. Life happened, they passed on, siblings and their kids moved on. The relatives in the area still went to her house for Christmas Eve, but it's only 5-7 of them.

There has been a lot of animosity as some of the siblings are causing a lot of problems. There will be no gathering this year and likely not again. (2 siblings in Az, one will be in NC, one in NY and we will be in Maine). Time to make our own traditions with our own kids. It happens.

My moment today was putting up a tall thin tree in our dining room. We call it the moose tree since its 90 percent moose ornaments...a lot of Boyds. One ornament has a moose with ribbon candy....which brought back memories. Growing up, we didn't have a lot, and our Christmas treat was thin ribbon candy. I always remember being told to not eat certain colors, since my Dad would only a few kinds. And once that one box of ribbon candy was gone, there was no more.

A big family tradition which I think we all still do was started by my grandparents....every year they made Chex mix (we called it scrabble). They would give each of us 1 jar. I have their original recipe, I can post if anyone is interested. Everyone says it's the best they ever had.

My family is small. For many years we would all gather at my parents, and I would make stuffed shells for Christmas Eve (I was always working, and it was easy to make ahead). Mom played (for 49 years) the organ at a church in Boxborough MA. She had 2 services Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning, we would go to my parents too. It is not the same now. My older sis comes to my house from the Berkshires. My daughter flies in from Calif. We watch White Christmas, Christmas Eve on Sesame St and Emmet Otters Jug Band Christmas (my daughters' traditions).

On Christmas day my younger sis (@GahdenRinkRat) and her hubby come to my house.

The COVID year I spent Christmas alone for the first time in my life.

I love seeing my small family but since Mom left us it isn't the same.

I also make a homemade Chex mix (we call it Nuts and Bolts) .

 

[shelbysdad]

Brians Chex Mix

3 cups Rice Chex
3 cups Wheat Chex
3 cups Corn Chex
3 Cups Cheerios
1 big bag pretzel sticks – break pretzels
2 cans deluxe mixed nuts
1 can cashews

Sauce
3 sticks butter
3 Tbs Lawreys seasoned salt
1 Tb garlic powder
4 1/2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
Melt butter and add seasonings. Pour over dry ingredients.
Heat in warm oven (150-200) for at least an hour....few hours better
Stir every 15 minutes

 

[GoBs]

As the years go by it gets harder and harder to figure out what to get for everyone. Honestly all I ever want is my kids home for Christmas. So far Ive been lucky in that regard. Even if I have to buy the plane tickets.
The Bride and I now go small with each other. I’ve reached the stage of life where I have more stuff than I’ll ever need. Her too. If during the year we need something we just get it. So we agree to save the $ and do more weekend getaways . We live for that throughout the year.

Our biggest tradition was Christmas Eve at my mother’s house. Before that our Grandmother’s. Its all my mom ever asked of me. Be home for Christmas Eve.
The whole extended family is there. Aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and significant others. Usually 20 to 30 people. Hard to believe Im now the patriarch Everyone gets a present. And the food, my God the food. We’re Italian. So an Italian feast. Then add multiple prime rib roasts with all the fixings.

Well mom passed during Covid. There was no Christmas Eve that year. 2020.
When we settled the estate me and my other sister decided to sell our other sister Mom’s house at a significant below market price. She needed a place to live. She’s disabled and lived with mom these past 10 years. There was one provision. That she would allow us to still have Christmas Eve there n the house in Woburn. She never hesitated. Last Christmas there was 30 of us. Life goes on. It was sad without mom but very warm to have the house filled with laughing and togetherness.
Me and my sis.
View attachment 607134

This was awesome and brought back many memories of my grandmother always hosting Christmas Eve with food everywhere (also Italian)
Thank you

 

[sarge88]

Brians Chex Mix

3 cups Rice Chex
3 cups Wheat Chex
3 cups Corn Chex
3 Cups Cheerios
1 big bag pretzel sticks – break pretzels
2 cans deluxe mixed nuts
1 can cashews

Sauce
3 sticks butter
3 Tbs Lawreys seasoned salt
1 Tb garlic powder
4 1/2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
Melt butter and add seasonings. Pour over dry ingredients.
Heat in warm oven (150-200) for at least an hour....few hours better
Stir every 15 minutes

My aunt who passed in 2013 made one that I would say is as close (if not exactly the same) as that one.

She was sick for several years before passing, so she probably didn’t make it since 2010….

Haven‘t thought of it until now.

Thanks for the memory!