Getting Your Christmas On - UPDATES??

[disneychrista]

Donn't you have your children with you at holidays? Or can you go stay with them so you're not lonely?

Yes, they live with me. It's not loneliness from being alone. So many things are geared toward couples. When you are single it's hard. December - February just suck.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Yes, they live with me. It's not loneliness from being alone. So many things are geared toward couples. When you are single it's hard. December - February just suck.

My 2 best friends are single (in their 50s) and they have social lives that I envy! They are always out and about.
You don't need a spouse to enjoy life.

 

[leebee]

The outside lights are up because we leave them up all year. It's just one strand of multi-colored icicle lights around the edge of the porch roof. I love them- so I leave them up!
DD was home over Thanksgiving so we went to see an abbreviated children's production of the Nutcracker. One of DDs' friends is the artistic director for the company so we wanted to see her work. Her choreography was fine- but the dancing was... lacking. They are just kids, it's OK, it's how they learn, right?
Shopping for DD, SIL, DH, and 2 nieces is finished. That's it, it's a small Christmas this year. Nobody really needs more stuff, KWIM? DD's/SIL's "big" present will be a check, and even then, not that big. I like to tease DH that we are giving them a check with 4 zeros... but of course there's a decimal point in there, right? I am waiting for one package from Amazon, and will buy my sister's present at World of Disney.
Tree is going up this weekend. It's artificial and we aren't decorating it much as we'll be away, but I love Christmas lights (see first paragraph) is I have to put up the tree!
DH and I leave for Florida on 12/21. We'll be staying at the Hilton at Disney Springs. On 12/22 we are going to Cocoa Beach to visit an old friend for the day. On 12/23 we are going to see Orlando Ballet's Nutcracker, with the symphony. I love ballet, I love the score, so we are excited. Dinner that evening will be at Raglan Rd.
12/24 is my Disney Day. Candlelight Processional breakfast package at Ale&Compass, then over to AK to hang out and explore, then in the late afternoon we'll go to Epcot. "Dinner" will be from the Holiday Kitchens, and we'll end the day with the 8:15 Candlelight Processional followed by Epcot Forever.
On Christmas the only plan is to have dinner at 7:15 at Boma. I have a 5' tall aluminum coil tree that will go to Disney with us and DH and I will exchange presents; the budget is $50 each as the trip is really our gift to ourselves. On 12/26 we are unscheduled but will probably go to Universal on a 1-dat-2-park ticket to see both parts of WWoHP. Crazy, I know...
On 12/27 we fly to NH. We'll meet up with a whole bunch-a cousins in Portsmouth for two nights of family love and good vibes (and plenty of adult beverages)! We look forward to this every year. On 12/29 we will head home, re-introduce ourselves to the cat, and start getting ready for the spring semester!

 

[disneychrista]

You don't need a spouse to enjoy life.

I don't disagree with this. I don't let being single stop me from doing thing. But going out & doing things also doesn't stop me from feeling the loneliness. One can be lonely in a room full of people.

 

[lovemygoofy]

I am doing pretty good timeline wise with Christmas. My house is decorated inside and not doing much outside this year. All the presents have been bought and tomorrow we are hosting our first party of the season. It'll be my lady friends hanging out with lots laughter, cookies, appetizers and alcohol. I'm looking forward to just relaxing with them and sharing some laughter. I have my baking items stocked and ideas what we are going to do for Christmas trays this year. Next weekend is our anniversary. It's good mixture of events to include Colt's football, star wars movie and live production of Hamilton. If nothing else, my favorite time is late at night when everything is quiet having cup of tea with just tree lights on reflecting on the blessings of my life and thankful for all I have.

 

[bushdianee]

I have my tree up and decorated, almost all of my shopping done and wrapped. I am waiting for a few gift cards to arrive and I will be done. Next week I will get to my cards and baking. Tomorrow I will go and freeze watching my 9 yo niece's figure skating holiday program at an outdoor rink, The high for tomorrow is supposed to be 23 degrees! Then Friday will be her school program. Next Saturday 2 of my sisters and I will have a "Kids Day" We invite all of the nieces, nephews,great nieces and great nephews over my sister's house for the day without parents. We do crafts, activities, have lunch and watch holiday movies while the parents get to do whatever they need to do. We've been doing it for about 10 years now and the original niece and great nephew are now helpers. We usually have around 10 kids there and they really look forward to it. Then everybody gets together at another sister's house for Christmas eve for a pot luck and gift exchange. We usually have over 30 people all family there. I will be watching my youngest niece and nephew during the school break.

 

[ronandannette]

The outside lights are up because we leave them up all year. It's just one strand of multi-colored icicle lights around the edge of the porch roof. I love them- so I leave them up!
DD was home over Thanksgiving so we went to see an abbreviated children's production of the Nutcracker. One of DDs' friends is the artistic director for the company so we wanted to see her work. Her choreography was fine- but the dancing was... lacking. They are just kids, it's OK, it's how they learn, right?
Shopping for DD, SIL, DH, and 2 nieces is finished. That's it, it's a small Christmas this year. Nobody really needs more stuff, KWIM? DD's/SIL's "big" present will be a check, and even then, not that big. I like to tease DH that we are giving them a check with 4 zeros... but of course there's a decimal point in there, right? I am waiting for one package from Amazon, and will buy my sister's present at World of Disney.
Tree is going up this weekend. It's artificial and we aren't decorating it much as we'll be away, but I love Christmas lights (see first paragraph) is I have to put up the tree!
DH and I leave for Florida on 12/21. We'll be staying at the Hilton at Disney Springs. On 12/22 we are going to Cocoa Beach to visit an old friend for the day. On 12/23 we are going to see Orlando Ballet's Nutcracker, with the symphony. I love ballet, I love the score, so we are excited. Dinner that evening will be at Raglan Rd.
12/24 is my Disney Day. Candlelight Processional breakfast package at Ale&Compass, then over to AK to hang out and explore, then in the late afternoon we'll go to Epcot. "Dinner" will be from the Holiday Kitchens, and we'll end the day with the 8:15 Candlelight Processional followed by Epcot Forever.
On Christmas the only plan is to have dinner at 7:15 at Boma. I have a 5' tall aluminum coil tree that will go to Disney with us and DH and I will exchange presents; the budget is $50 each as the trip is really our gift to ourselves. On 12/26 we are unscheduled but will probably go to Universal on a 1-dat-2-park ticket to see both parts of WWoHP. Crazy, I know...
On 12/27 we fly to NH. We'll meet up with a whole bunch-a cousins in Portsmouth for two nights of family love and good vibes (and plenty of adult beverages)! We look forward to this every year. On 12/29 we will head home, re-introduce ourselves to the cat, and start getting ready for the spring semester!

That sounds idyllic - Merry Christmas @leebee !

I have my tree up and decorated, almost all of my shopping done and wrapped. I am waiting for a few gift cards to arrive and I will be done. Next week I will get to my cards and baking. Tomorrow I will go and freeze watching my 9 yo niece's figure skating holiday program at an outdoor rink, The high for tomorrow is supposed to be 23 degrees! Then Friday will be her school program. Next Saturday 2 of my sisters and I will have a "Kids Day" We invite all of the nieces, nephews,great nieces and great nephews over my sister's house for the day without parents. We do crafts, activities, have lunch and watch holiday movies while the parents get to do whatever they need to do. We've been doing it for about 10 years now and the original niece and great nephew are now helpers. We usually have around 10 kids there and they really look forward to it. Then everybody gets together at another sister's house for Christmas eve for a pot luck and gift exchange. We usually have over 30 people all family there. I will be watching my youngest niece and nephew during the school break.

Awww, that's lovely! What a wonderful family tradition - one I'm sure will be cherished memories for all the kids involved.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

Outside lights were put up last weekend. Four trees are up but only one is decorated. We'll finish this weekend. Most of the other interior decor is up.

 

[low-key]

some friends invited me to their Church tonight , to watch Christmas show(their Church one of the bigger ones and there show is suppose to be one many people try to see) It was really good, I was glad I went, but they packed us in like sardines , not conducive for giants , so iwas glad when it ended so I could stretch and breath

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

All decor has been out since Thanksgiving weekend (though that's late for us). It's nice having it all up

What we're struggling on is Christmas gifts. We have his mom, his dad and his dad's wife to get gifts for and we're out of ideas. Last night we did get gifts for his sister (a baby Yoda personalized mug as she really likes baby Yoda lol) and his step-dad (a nautical compass and spyglass--he was in the navy and we know he'd like this). The other sister we've gone in on a Dyson vacuum.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Tree has been up. We went with an artificial one this year and I have no regrets. I spray it with the Christmas Shop scent from Magic Candle Company and it’s amazing!

I am 95% done shopping. Just need a few things that are easy. I would like to start wrapping, but my cats are jerks!

My husband had knee surgery Wednesday, so it’s been a hectic few days. I’m ready for school break to start. Less running around for me and more time to watch Christmas movies.

I will do some baking Sunday for my former coworkers and then we have some parties next week. I’m starting to feel more in the spirit.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

We are moving on the 21st. No tree, I have too much to do. DS is 16; as long as he gets a gift, he won't care. DH is not a big holiday guy, so he doesn't care.

 

[bushdianee]

That sounds idyllic - Merry Christmas @leebee !

Awww, that's lovely! What a wonderful family tradition - one I'm sure will be cherished memories for all the kids involved.

The 3 of us who do this are all single with no kids so we do a lot with the kids. Plus the parents can get some last minute things done without worrying about the kids while we have fun.

 

[Disney_Alli]

OK, so it's mid-December, which is when I always start our Christmas preparations. We've got a couple of events this weekend which will actually seem Christmas-y to me; we've already been to several things but it was just too early for me to be feeling it.

I've taken today off to haul out the tree and decor and am looking forward to jollying up the place! I'll do some baking in the evenings next week and begin to seriously think out my shopping list. I'm off from the 20th, so the shopping and wrapping will get done on the 22nd and 23rd most likely. Out-of-town company arrives on the evening of the 22nd and I'm greatly disappointed to find that virtually all the seasonal entertainment and activities around our city will have concluded - I really, really wanted to plan some fun outings for the 23rd and 24th. We may just take a day trip to Banff and have an early dinner at one of our all-time favorite restaurants, but sight-seeing will require an early start as it's pitch-dark here by 4:30 pm now.

Plans for hosting are still a little up in the air; there's one local set of friends I want to have over but they're still figuring out their availability - Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day. When they come will determine the menu planning for the other days when it's just family. We've got church Christmas Eve but not Christmas Day. DH and I are both off work until the 30th but we're not sure yet when our company plans to leave, so we're playing the days after Christmas totally by ear.

I suspect I'm a lot farther behind than some of you - how are your things going?

What about ZooLights? We’re heading there on the 21st but it’s only closed on the 25th and runs daily until Jan 4. We really enjoy it.

We got our village up on Wednesday and have all our trees up but only 1 of the 3 is fully decorated. I’m back to work tomorrow and my next day off is the 18th and my parents fly in that night so we’ll be doing last minute crazy cleaning before we pick them up around 10pm. I’m struggling this Christmas though.

 

[Disney_Alli]

Okay I got tired of knitting and my sore hands needed a break (geez I sound 84 not 34) so now two of three trees are decorated and the big tree has some sporadic decorations so that it would stop being so bare and bumming me out. I also put the 3 knit pieces that are fully done (my parents presents and one blanket for one set of grandparents-in-law) into gift bags - mostly so that when my parents are home with me on the 19th before they head to my sister’s place I can sit and weave in ends and not worry about pulling out their gifts accidentally.

 

[ronandannette]

What about ZooLights? We’re heading there on the 21st but it’s only closed on the 25th and runs daily until Jan 4. We really enjoy it.

We got our village up on Wednesday and have all our trees up but only 1 of the 3 is fully decorated. I’m back to work tomorrow and my next day off is the 18th and my parents fly in that night so we’ll be doing last minute crazy cleaning before we pick them up around 10pm. I’m struggling this Christmas though.

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Yes - there is always ZooLights but my brother is a bit of a when it comes to the cold, so we'll see what the weather is like. He retired to the coast to avoid it and will be arriving here fresh off 2 weeks in Puerto Vallarta.

I was really hoping to book Jubilations or Stage West but they're both dark until Boxing Day. We could always drive by the Festival in Airdrie or Confederation Park. Thanks for the suggestion though - if you know of anything else I don't, please mention it.

 

[Snowysmom]

We have all the gifts bought and most of the grandkids stuff wrapped. The tree is up but not decorated yet. We have a wreath but it needs to be put up on the house. DH and older DS have not decided whether Christmas will be at our house or DS's house. I am staying out of the fray. Just tell me where and when and what I need to make. I am not really into the holidays this year. I will enjoy Christmas day with the kids and grandkids. That will be fun.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Our tree is up with lights on it but not decorated yet.

Christmas cards were ordered 12/4 and picked up a couple days later but the envelopes are not yet done. Still have to buy stamps too.

Interior of the house is decorated. Finished it last weekend 12/8.

Also ordered all the online gifts on 12/8. About half of them have been delivered.

After work this past week, I shopped on 3 different evenings for the rest of the gifts. Still need to buy stocking stuffers.

Nothing is wrapped.

No baking has been done. Won’t happen until DD gets home from college on the 20th.

Outside the net lights will go on the bushes today. Would have happened earlier but it’s been raining for days.

I tried to put the wreaths on the exterior windows last weekend, but the upper windows are painted shut from when we had them painted last spring right before DS’s college graduation. I had to come up with a plan B. So I bought $30 worth of Command Strips window hooks and will try to hang them that way today.

I’m getting there.

 

[ronandannette]

Well, here we are on the last weekend before Christmas. Are everybody's plans still on-track?

The decorating is done and the boxes all hauled back out but it took a couple of days and it was chaos in here in the meantime. I jamb-packed a ton of year-end details into my final week of work and left there yesterday feeling like a wrung-out dishrag. So glad to have a week off now!!

I'm heading out this morning to meet friends for breakfast (my last social gathering before Christmas) and do my shopping. Whatever I don't manage to get today I will finish up tomorrow afternoon. At some point this weekend the baking will get done and there's quite a bit of housework to do. I guess I should also do some menu planning and get groceries. Our guests arrive tomorrow night and I want it all done so we can spend Monday and Tuesday out and about enjoying activities and each other's company.

 

[easyas123]

I've carried everyones gifts downstairs (and out of my closet!) and sorted them by person so I can better inventory what I got for whom. Starting to wrap in a few minutes. Then I'm moving on to a complete house clean. Tomorrow we are off to browse thru a few Christmas stores and pick up the last of the groceries.