Christmas and the New Year

I tried to not be busy during the holidays so I could enjoy every moment to the fullest and I was successful to a point but guess what? The dang time still flew by and the fun ended and we all went back to our 'normal' and I just wish I could have slowed it down.

This was the first year in decades we all got together in one spot which took some doing and which meant we celebrated Christmas for THREE DAYS. We started on Sunday with a group of 21 of us and had a blast though we did miss those who couldn't make it. We ate way too much food, laughed till we ached, played games, caught up, laughed some more, ate some more, talked and talked and talked all. day. long. We ranged in age from 19 months to 89.

See the big group picture? No? Well, that's because I forgot to take one. There were so many pictures I meant to take but I got all caught up in the fun and just didn't do it. I did take a good many but I also missed a good many. And this is what happens when you give the camera to people to take pictures for you.

Christmas Eve was a smaller group of 11 and we enjoyed it with more eating and more laughing, sharing, the opening of the Christmas pajamas and sister gifts and handmade gifts and searching the tree for the pickle and the annual gift card game.

NashvilleDaughter and DrummerBoy made dinner and it was delicious!

Have y'all seen those things called, Yellies? Here's what happened at our Christmas Eve celebration with those...

Christmas Day was a more laid back celebration of the 11 until we opened gifts, had brunch, played with the littles, watched Christmas movies, and ate like we hadn't seen food before in our lives. Do y'all sense a theme here? Oh, Lula Mae spent Christmas morning with her other grandparents. We would have had them just come over but we spent Christmas at Opie's house an hour away from our town.

I'm pretty sure Christmas Day brunch tasted so much better this year because of the helper. And yes, Santa remembered Tucker!

And that was three days worth of Christmas fun.

Oh, and let's not forget this:

Love and hugs to all!

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Alternative Christmas Tree Ideas

If there is one thing I am it's a traditionalist when it comes to our family and the holidays. It's the one thing that never changes. I'm comfortable with tradition. I like tradition. I LOVE tradition. I know tradition. Tradition has all the feels and fuels a time of reflection of loved ones gone on before us. Tradition allows time for sharing sweet memories of our childhoods and those who shaped us and provides an understanding of why family traditions are important.

This is not to say I have never changed a single thing about the way we celebrate any holiday because I have. For example, I haven't had the Christmas Day sit down dinner in years and before I stopped it altogether and started having Christmas brunch instead, I switched from turkey to prime rib. The world did not end so I do realize it's fine to stray from tradition. I just prefer to keep it intact for the most part.

I was thinking about putting up the Christmas tree this year and wondered if I wanted to try something different like not bothering with a tree, I don't but I did entertain the thought.

Why did I even entertain the thought of no tree? I can't help thinking we maybe shouldn't be cutting down living trees to bring them in the house so we can watch them die. So get a live tree- we have done that many times but I now use an artificial tree (which is a break from tradition for our family). Then there's the thought there may very well come a day I have zero help putting the tree up and an alternative would be better than no tree at all. Of course, there are those with limited space or limited income or some other issue who can't put up a tree. As empty nesters some folks might have a difficult time with the traditional ways of decorating and alternative ideas might help them through the first years without having kids in the house and then the older folks who just can't physically do it anymore. Anyway,  alternative ideas are helpful if we can let go of that particular tradition.

As I tend to do when entertaining a thought, I perused the internet and found a few interesting ideas some of which I found appealing others, nope.

1. Just take a pallet and saw off the boards for a tree. This really isn't that bad. I would consider this for decoration and wouldn't be opposed to it if the day comes I'm not able to have a traditional tree. I would probably decorate it differently but it's not horrible.

2. Y'all have seen these before, right? This would only work for me if using old magazines because I can't even dogear a book much less turn it into a Christmas tree. There are many other good ideas using books as Christmas trees.

3. Ok, I know. This uses pages from books. Old books. I love the look and I actually have a couple books whose pages have come loose I could use for this idea. You could also print pages from the internet and make this one happen. I do like it.

4. Books, again? Yes. We are a family of readers and we LOVE books. Plus, Dad's mother was the librarian in her town so we also have an appreciation for treating books with respect. This seems a very good way to have a tree and use books without marring or destroying them.

5. This is a twofer. The candy cane tree is nice but I thought it appeared pink and I do not do pink. But other color candy canes could be used. I love the bookcase idea! I might do this in the nursery. Except it won't stay that was because there's a 17-month-old granddaughter and soon-to-be-crawling grandson around here.

6. I love this stick tree. It's so simple but would probably be heavy to move. Maybe it could be left out and decorated for every season? Again, there is a 17-month-old granddaughter and soon-to-be-crawling grandson around and all I can see is an accident waiting to happen. Still, pretty.

7. The old cardboard cutout. I do not usually love these but this is not bad and I saw several others that were pretty creative so, I'd consider one of these.  I'm sure Bug would have a blast with her crayons on this one. Ha!

 8. Y'all, I have no earthly idea what the heck this is. And I'm just going to say no to it but someone must like it because it was on the internet. LOL

9. Ok, I actually LOVE this idea and started the project a couple years ago but Bug arrived and this is something she would love to climb but it's not happening at my house. I have a lovely Christmas village and really would like to display it like this. When the grands are older, I'm going to do it!

10. I've not seen a lights-on-the-wall-shaped-like-a-tree I like and I'm not one for gaudy but something about this one is somewhat appealing. I think I like they put ornaments on it instead of leaving it with just the lights.

11. Ok, if anyone puts up a tree-shaped with food or money, it's not going to stick around very long in this house. So, no to this for anything other than something that is supposed to be eaten instead of staying up for decoration.

12. I do love Mason jars and this isn't a terrible idea but Mason jars are made of glass and our family is filled with clumsy adults, a 17-month-old who loves to climb up to reach things so...

13. If I ever get so lazy all I want to do is throw some pillows in a corner in the shape of a Christmas tree I hope they go ahead and put me in a home or shoot me. Seriously, if I have enough money to buy those pillow I'll just hire someone to do my decorating. However, I will give this person a high-five for creativity.

14. I'm all for considering new ideas but I cannot get my head around this one. I don't find it aesthetically appealing and I can see it falling over onto Bug and Baby R so this is not going to happen here. Plus, it looks unnatural and I don't like that.

15. When I think of decorating and then undecorating, this quickly becomes my favorite. You get the tree and the lights and that's it! The 500,000 ornaments you've collected over the years will not have to be taken out and put back. Simple! Except I can't stand leaving the ornaments in their wrappings so this won't do. But I do like the minimalist train of thought. It's pretty, too.

What about Y'all? Traditionist? Open to new ideas? Seen any clever ones out there?

Happy Monday, Y'all!

Please visit my Etsy shop, CoasterDoodles

and feel free to FAVORITE the shop
or buy something! 😁💓

I've got new, hand-drawn travertine stone coasters for Christmas!

Even Halloween is Changing

Does every single thing have to change? I'm not sure I'm on board with all this change that seems to go on with every little thing we've ever done with kids. Have Y'all noticed that the kids don't change? It's the 'rules' for raising them that do. Thank goodness kids survive no matter how many ridiculous rules we imposed on them.

It's ok to trust your maternal instincts.

How in the world did any of us raise kids without the internet? It seems some young moms these days depend on the internet to tell them how to raise their little ones or to tell others how to raise theirs. What's a young mom to do when they receive conflicting information? Whatever happened to trusting your gut instinct? Your maternal instincts? It really is ok to do that. When you are a student of your children, you do get to know them and understand them. It's almost like being a mind reader. And you come to realize that mind readers are just people who truly understand people. So why are we making all these changes and freaking out over every little thing?

Mom-to-mom Facebook groups can be a good thing. 

If there's a serious problem, I've seen moms go to mom Facebook pages before calling a physician. Goodness. I hope it really is the same thing that 500 other moms report (and nearly all 500 things are different) instead of something serious. Of course, there are those moms who will post the suggestion to have the little one checked out by the pediatrician. These groups are not a bad thing at all. They are fantastic for finding fun activities and great restaurants. They're good for recommendations for doctors, dentists, vets, etc. These moms will tell you who they like and why. But I draw the line at diagnosing or telling someone how they should be doing something. Or mom shaming. I hate that.

There's a new Halloween trend in these parts. 

What's this have to do with Halloween? There's a new trend here for celebrating Halloween. Instead of trick-or-treating kids are going to trunk-or-treating sites, trick-or-treating at the mall, stay in the backyard and have a scavenger hunt, just play games, take it to the kitchen and bake goodies, have a Halloween pinata in the yard, play photo booth, go to a carnival or, better yet, have a DIY carnival, host a costume party, watch Halloween movies, and for goodness sakes why carve a pumpkin when we can paint one instead.

The ideas sound like fun but no trick-or-treating?

I'm not saying these are bad ideas. They sound like fun! Big fun! But why are we moving away from trick-or-treating? We took part in many of those ideas along with trick-or-treating. Those activities were part of the build-up to the big event---TRICK-OR-TREATING.  

Yes, I get that some people don't want to participate in Halloween and I completely understand these folks and those who live too far out in the boonies and don't want to drive to the houses of strangers. I'm talking about people who do enjoy participating in Halloween but are turning away from trick-or-treating. I'm not sure I understand the why behind it. Is it a safety issue? Aren't they only going to the houses of people they know?

The neighbors went to great lengths to make Halloween fun.

My girls had such fun trick-or-treating when they were growing up! There were people in the neighborhood who set up scary scenes in their yards and garages and my girls couldn't wait to get to those houses. I always laughed (and appreciated it) when the wives would stop their husbands from

being too scary if the approaching children were too little. There was one house where you knew the man was going to jump out you just never knew when or from where. It was HILARIOUS!

We'll still have trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood. Until we don't. I guess, when it comes down to it, kids won't miss what they don't even know. But trick-or-treating is such fun! I hate to see it go.

Do the kids still trick-or-treat in your area? Did you when you were growing up? Did your kiddos?

Happy Haunting, Y'all!

Please visit my Etsy shop, CoasterDoodles

and feel free to FAVORITE the shop
or buy something! 😁💓

Wreaths are coming to CoasterDoodles!

Along with handmade felt flowers!

This one is already in the shop!

Christmas Day 2012

We got up early on Christmas Day and I cooked. Again. Breezy really wanted breakfast casserole and, even when they're all grown up, when my kids want something, I give it or do it for them.

Tucker was first- he loves his stocking every year! DoodleBug always helps him out---

 He really gets 'into' the whole stocking thing---

He got a cute little Christmas bandana and loads of treats!

Birdie shares a Christmas moment with cardboard Evwardo--

DoodleBug gets in on the Christmas hugs---

Pretty sure this one will be a fabulous kindergarten teacher---

BestSonInLawEVER got a few mustaches in his stocking. Here's one---

I told y'all the lovelies were a bit Harry Potter obsessed---yep, that's a Harry Potter snuggie. WHAT?!

In the afternoon, we went to Dad's house- that's my brother, David pretending to fall in front of the tree. He's a NUT. :)
 

That's Deanie, DoodleBug and Birdie with David's two girlies!

David and Tucker---

We got so carried away visiting with Dad and my stepmom that I didn't take many pictures. We wanted to visit Dad on Christmas particularly since he just finished his radiation treatments the week before. He looks great and he feels great too! I'm so glad!

We also spent time looking at photos of their trip to Europe in October- what a great time they had! I would share some of their stories, but then y'all would know just how crazy our family really is. :)

I can't begin to tell you how blessed we were with family fun and togetherness this Christmas. I hope y'all had the same with your families!

Christmas Eve 2012

After hosting the oyster roast on Saturday, we cleaned up, packed up and headed 5 hours up to NC to have Christmas at Breezy and BestSonInLawEVER's house.

It was quite a trek, but we did it and we had a great time! Take a look---

Breezy had their house all decorated when we arrived---

Late Christmas Eve afternoon, BestSonInLawEVER's family came over for food and fun. That's Deanie with BestSonInLawEVER's two sisters. Let me just say that we couldn't have hand picked a better family to be in-laws with. That whole family is just wonderful!

Evwardo couldn't be with us because his family was flying to Indiana to spend Christmas with his extended family. So Birdie brought his look alike along (remember the life-sized cardboard cutout he sent her while she was in Texas?)---

The lovelies are a bit Harry Potter obsessed. And yes, they're all adults. But still kids at heart- which is one of the things I love most about them!

Every year, the lovelies draw names to see which sister they buy a gift for. A few years ago, we started the tradition of giving a handmade gift. This tradition stuck with Birdie, DoodleBug and myself. Birdie drew Breezy this year so she made Breezy a quilt---

Breezy was a little bit pleased with the gift---

The maker and the receiver of the quilt---

Yeah...I'm not going there---

See? Harry Potter crazy! Or should I say, "CRAY"?

Tucker may have appreciated the quilt too---

The lovelies---
 

They still love opening presents!

So, this year, Mimi (my mother) got in on the handmade gifts. When the lovelies were growing up, Mimi made their Christmas and Easter dresses every year. She also made them t-shirts or sweatshirts (depending on the season) for EVERY holiday- Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
  

This year, she made each of them a Christmas tree skirt. Each skirt had the designs on them that Mimi had put on the lovelies' Christmas shirts through the years---

The lovelies liked their tree skirts a little---That's Breezy showing hers off. The polar bears are the most recent design and were on one of the shirts Mimi made Breezy this year. That Santa was on one of the shirts Mimi made me.
 

See that Rudolph? That was on the first shirt when Breezy was in kindergarten. That snowman? That was on Deanie's first stocking that Mimi made. The Christmas tree? That was on the first shirt she made DoodleBug (that's DoodleBug in the picture). 

That's Mimi- rubbing Rico and Tucker---

That's my Aunt Betty- my mother's sister. She's the BEST even with her eyes closed---

 
Evwardo wanted an orange (because orange is his favorite color AND because he went to Clemson) hat with ear flaps for Christmas. I had no idea how to knit one, so I had to learn SPEEDY QUICK! He opened his before we left--- Birdie found a Clemson Tiger paw so I put that on the front---

The lovelies opened theirs on Christmas Eve--

I made one for BestSonInLawEVER and the husband too---They put the cardboard Evwardo in the picture but he had his hat in Indiana with him.

And the best Christmas present of all is one of mine---I saw a painting that I LOVED this summer and, because it costs $11,000, I took a picture of it and asked Breezy to paint one for me--in her own style, of course..She's not quite finished but here it is so far---

 It was a wonderful Christmas Eve!

Everyone wants us to make it a new tradition to travel up there for the holidays. I'm thinking that's just so they don't have to do any traveling and they get to have BestSonInLawEVER and Breezy up there and don't have to share them.

Even though it was a really good time, it was also a crap-ton of work to get everything up there and get the food ready, etc. And it was exhausting.

Of course, I told them that if there was a baby up there, we might consider being the ones to be put out every year and do all the work. ;)