Holiday Home Feel Good Thread.... (1 Viewer)

[Kafka]

That HISS Tank was so money.  My brother got the Hover Craft.  We had a ton of fun with that thing.  

Thanks for rubbing it in...

 

[belljr]

Our girls last year were really asking a ton of questions. They were 9 & 11 at the time and all their friends were talking. They flat out asked us and we just stuck with the whole Polar Express line of if you stop believing, Santa will stop coming. They would debate between each other at dinner, the little one once rationalize that "It couldn't be you because NO WAY would you guys spend that much money!" as the older one adamantly nodded in complete agreement. Wife and I still chuckle at that one.

We will see if this year is the last. We are super good at hiding gifts and for whatever reason my kids aren't as mischievous as I was. Hell, I knew most of what I was getting every Christmas from the time I could remember. It wasn't until I was in middle school before I realized I was denying myself the pleasure of not knowing my big gifts. To be fair, my mom was awful at hiding the toys. I remember one morning we got into her car and in the back seat was a giant G.I. Joe Hovercraft. I had to (poorly) pretend I didn't see it.

Maybe this is the year, but as long as we hide the gifts really well again and give them no evidence of amazon boxes I think we can fool them again.

Daughter just turned 11 and she still beleives but is more on the fence.  Being an only child does that.

I think next summer we are breaking the news to her regardless because she will be starting JR high

 

[PIK95]

My son is in Jr. High now (6th) and I think he's just playing along.  My daughter is in 2nd and shes more excited then ever. 

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Sitting by the Christmas tree (carols playing) with my little brother going through the Sears Toy Catalog. We would fold the pages with toys that we were interested in. Then go back and go over and over the pages trying to decided what I wanted to ask Santa for. We would circle them, and then dwindle down the list we would prepare for Santa. We were only allowed to ask for a few things so it was some very important time spent. 




 

Exactly BB.  We spent hours with the Sears catalog and hanging out by the tree - hell even those years my mom put the tree in the dining room ...away from the tv.  

Our other activity was doing Christmas-related pictures on the Lite-Brite to sit by the tree.  I could do a wicked decorated Christmas tree surrounded by presents.  (The good Lite-Brite that was made out of solid plastic - not the crappy foldable one they make now ...)

 

[Zegras11]

Awesome!  Well done.

After I checked everything out, a 10 year old kid I took around from last year ran up to me and said, "Hey, you know those pants you made me buy?  They didn't help me get any chicks?"   

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

We always would drive around looking at lights with my manic mother.  Overall, people dont put tge effort in to the lights that they used to.  The obviously exception is the facebook attention whores with pretty much sell tickets to their shows.

Come down to The Glen in Saunderstown brother, it is a ### #### aurora borealis down here

 

[McGarnicle]

Love that it's finally cold out so we can have fires. We've got a settee with an ottoman by the fireplace, best seat in the house. Nothing more relaxing than staring at the fire and letting it warm you to the bone. 

Firewood guy came today, so we're stocked up for the winter. The stack of wood in the garage makes me happy every time I walk by. 

 

[Buddy Ball 2K3]

Thought I would share something that bought my parents an extra year of me believing in Santa.  

I was hearing the rumors at school that he wasnt real etc etc. I asked my parents about it and they said some crap that I dont really remember. On Christmas Eve (it was snowing!) we put out cookies etc and went to bed. While we were asleep my father (who was an avid white tail deer hunter) took some of the old hoofs that he had saved/mounted (dont ask me) and went all over our yard and up on the roof, making marks every where with them. He took our sled and ran it up on the roof as well.  Mom had Dad sprinkle glitter all over the trail on the roof and they even put out some dried corn. 

Christmas morning my brother had told my parents that he heard Santa on the roof and of course I laughed at him. So my parents took us outside and showed us the deer marks, sleigh glitter trail and BOOM! I was a believer once again. 

 

[PIK95]

Love that it's finally cold out so we can have fires. We've got a settee with an ottoman by the fireplace, best seat in the house. Nothing more relaxing than staring at the fire and letting it warm you to the bone. 

Firewood guy came today, so we're stocked up for the winter. The stack of wood in the garage makes me happy every time I walk by. 

I want to light mine but I haven't shined a light up the chimney  since last winter.  Maybe tomorrow Ill take a look.  I love the fire, hate the smoke.

 

[Thunderlips]

My grandfather used to set up a train under the tree at his house every year and I can remember him showing me to put my head right down next to the track where it turns.  I remember just about everything from that; the force of air from the train as it runs by your head, the electric smell of the train, jumping the first couple of times it goes by all with the background of Christmas lights, music and relatives conversation.  I couldn't have been more than 4 or 5. 

 

[PIK95]

I was talking tonight with my daughter about putting our old Geo Train Track around the tree.  Shes gonna get some cotton and oaint and make a scene for it to drive through.  When I'm old and have money again I'll  get the real train for the grand kids.

 

[Thunderlips]

On another Christmas note, when I was 7 or 8 years old, all I wanted for Christmas was a new red bicycle. My favorite Uncle, Uncle Alfresco, swore to me that he'd buy me that bicycle. Just swore it up and down. I counted the days until Christmas. At 5 o'clock Christmas morning, I run downstairs and look under the treee and what do I find?  Uncle Alfresco....dead on the floor, shot through the back of the head.  Plus.....no bicycle.  It was a disappointing Christmas on many levels. 

 

[McGarnicle]

I want to light mine but I haven't shined a light up the chimney  since last winter.  Maybe tomorrow Ill take a look.  I love the fire, hate the smoke.

I just open the flue and fire it up, never had an issue. What could go wrong?

 

[PIK95]

I just open the flue and fire it up, never had an issue. What could go wrong?

We always did that in college.  Now that I have kids, safety first.  

 

[PIK95]

Im gonna get the present wrapping spot ready this morning.  I'm pretty much off of work for the next two weeks (home alone) so I am trying to get something good done every day.  Yesterday I cleaned up the garage and checked the snowblower.

On the first day of Christmas I cleaned out my gutters ahead of the storm with a garden shovel.  The dirt at the bottom was totally frozen!

On the second day of Christmas I got my "team" to come over and do a fall cleanup. They looked like the Guatemalan ghost busters with those leaf blowers.  Yard looks tight now and wife is happy.

On the third day of Christmas I cleaned my garage and started the snowblower. I played some PS2 Star Wars battlefront after and lost four straight times to Hoth.  Not happy about that.

On the fourth day of Christmas I am cleaning my basement.  Gotta get the wrapping station ready.   Probably listen to some Jim Rome from last week to see if their are any good Stinky OJ takes.  I miss hearing the Jungle every day and had alot of fun in the past with the December end of year shows.

On the fifth day of Christmas, what will I do?

 

[PIK95]

Gonna go scout some Rib Roasts tonight at the Whole Foods.  Just finishing up with the Jungle year in review now.  I guess people are allowed to read now which suxors.  

Wife is gonna make some of her Italian Christmas cookies tonight. They are all from family recipes that have been passed down for years. It sounds good in theory, but I strongly dislike eleven out of the twelve kinds she makes.  The Almond Biscotti is pretty amazing at least, but she knows I hate the others.  Who the crap likes cookies that look like balls and wine biscuts.  Twisty cookies?  Wtf!  I will try and guilt her into throwing in some Toll House bizichis for sure.

 

[PIK95]

I just saw a guilt post on my facebook from one of my cousins saying how family sucks because nobody is attending his wedding.....on New Years eve....in Ct.....where it's mandatory tux and the girls have to wear ball gowns....and most of his family is dirt poor drunks and addicts.  Oof!