Hump Day Coffee

Happy Hump Day everyone!
Only nine more days left till Christmas! Time's a-wastin'. What's charging you this morning in your mug? Black and decaf for me!
QOTD-What's a favorite holiday tradition of yours? Mine is the Christmas eve candlelight church service. I love the quiet, meditative nature of the service. At the end we all sing Silent Night and light our candles (fakes-of course). It used to be at midnight, but they've changed it to earlier so more families can attend......
Have a good one!
Deb

Black and strong for me, it is COLD out there ! ! !

QOTD - Making Gingerbread houses with my Grandkids !  It is only the premade ones that they frost together and decorate but it is so much fun!  This year we have a new Step Grandson that gets to participate.  It will be a blast and one that I know they will always remember.  All 3 boys get their own (no the baby at only 10 months doesn't get to have one, I'm sure he would like to help) and they get to put them together and decorate any way they want.  Then I send them home for Mom to figure out what to do with them....LOL.  In the past she has put them out for the birds to eat, don't know if they really like all the sweets.  

half caff in my giant mug

I love the christmas eve service too...I've never actually see fake candles at one.  We always have real ones...over 3000 of them! the end peoples get lit and each person lights the candle of the person next ot them and then we sing Silent Night, the bells toll midnight and we blow them out, which everyone a Merry Christmas and yea... :)  this year I will be singing at the service, I havent done that in 16 years!  :) Im so happy.

I think I always liked my family's stocking tradition.  At my momjs house there is a beautiful stocking for everyone in our family and every person adds something to each stocking.... there are always so many fun things!  :)

Good morning!  My usual protein coffee this morning.

QOTD:  - Its kinda sad - I don't have any holiday traditions...especially now the kids are grown.  Maybe its time to start some of my own.

Morning all,

QOTD:The closest thing to a tradition we have are these two.  We (me and who ever I can get to help) make a cookie that my gma used to make.  They take two days to make and are very hard to do.  One year we just couldn't do it right and ended up throwing them all out. Very sad they are so yummy.  I will eat one this year even if it kills me.  The other tradition is I put the presents under the tree and there is no names on them.  I use different wrap for each of the kids.  They get to look at them but not touch and try to figure out who get what.  It is fun.

One year, my mom did the different wrap for me and my siblings.  She forgot whose was whose.  LOL!  My brother opened up my sister's socks and underwear (we ALWAYS got those for Christmas, no matter what).  That's when we realized she had them mixed up.  It was funny trying to figure it out.  Sometimes, I wonder if she did it on purpose...LOL!

Good Morning!
Protein hot chocolate in my mug this morning.   Can't believe that only nine more days . . only have one more day to work and then off until Christmas Day. . . looking forward to my daughter coming home on Sunday.

My grand-daughter wants to know "what's taking him so long to get here?" . .lol

QOTD- I have always given my kids new pajamas and color books & crayons on Christmas Eve Day . . one so they look cute in the Christmas pictures, and the color books kept them busy all afternoon.  I have continue to do that even now that they are 26 & 27 . . we all color and laugh being silly.  Now that my Hanna is here it is so much funnier . . last year I got matching pj's for her, my daughter and myself  . Hanna thought it was so fun. . . and then there is our Birthday Party for baby Jesus on Christmas Day which is always the highlight for my kids . . 

Have a good day! 

Good morning!

9 days til Christmas!  Here's hoping my online shopping packages get here in time for gift giving! 

QOTD -- When we were kids (and poor) my parents started a tradition that lasted several years -- each of the members of our immediate family would make a gift for each other.  Then on Christmas eve, we'd get to exchange just those gifts with each other so their meaning wouldn't get lost on Christmas morning among the other gifts.  We no longer do that, but kind of a carry over to that .... on Christmas morning (or in the case of this year, Christmas afternoon) when we are ready to open gifts, the siblings (me, my sister and brother) all hand out the gifts we bought for each other and the kids first.  One at a time so everyone can see what each other got.  Then the mahem starts with the rest of the gifts under the tree.  I guess I just really like that we take our time opening gifts and only one person is opening at a time so we can all see what has been given/received and thank yous are said before the next gift is opened.

Morning Michigan. 
I'm  drinking water now   after a glass of pop. Yes I know pop is bad but ms is kicking up again and some days I need a caffeine sugar kick.  I don't know why that helps but it does,  and I do mix the pop 1/2 regular 1/2 diet because I cant handle 16 oz of sugar. 
QOTD If I have kids at Christmas I do the new jammies thing also for the same reason!   cuteness!   older children get nice robes.  Color books and  colors  for all ages are a must too. 
We also bake and decorate cookies to enjoy with hot cocoa before bed too. 
Have a great day everyone

Good Morning Michiganders and anyone else.

Pam I love the new avi. You look so focused on that project.

I am having my new fetish, coffee with chocolate protein powder in it. What's in your cup?

QOTD: one Christmas when my children were very young, I think kindergarten and first grade, they got up way before me and my hubby and opened all the gifts. Every single one. When my Husband and I came out to find them in a pile of wrapping paper, We of course cleaned up the presents and re-wrapped the ones for our relatives. My daughter had a diamond heart necklace on and said Look what i got from Santa. My DH was laughing and looking at me and saying I think Santa left that for mommy. She said Oh no He wanted me to be pretty. The little stinker was not going to give me my gift with out a fight. Every year that i ware that necklace she says oh I see your waring my necklace. LOL
After that we made a new rule. for two reasons. One was that the mess they made and two because kids tare into the presents so fast that all that shopping an planning takes so long that when they open everything in ten minutes it seems like for them Christmas is over when the presents are all opened.
So we began making our kids pick one gift to open and then they had to appreciate it for one hour before they got to open the next one. We would set the timer on the stove for an hour after each present was opened. If you got something boring you could always go back to a previously opened gift until the hour was up. This made the entire day last and more exciting for the kids.

We still do it , even if they are older. But the big gift is a mony card.  They always get 8 small things to unwrap now so Christmas excitement last for at least 8 hours.