Sunday Stealing - Day after Christmas Style

I cannot remember the last Sunday Stealing I participated in but thought this one would be fun as it's a quiet Christmas night here at our house.  Our Christmas took place last Sunday and Monday, so it has been over for us for a few days.  It's more or less just been a regular day for us. 

1. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Making memories with our children and grandchildren.

2.  What’s the most annoying thing about this time of year/

Food!  My goodness, it seems there is never a break between meals.  And, then there's the whole deal of deciding what we are going to eat.  It seems to be never ending!

3.  Who do you celebrate the holidays with?

Our children and grans and this year one of Hubby's sisters and her husband came

 for a few days.

4. Do you travel during the holidays?

We do not and have not for many, many years.

5. Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts?

Much, much prefer to GIVE!

6. Who is the hardest person to buy a gift for?

No one.  My daughter and DIL make my buying for the Grans pretty simple.  They send me the link to the items the Grans want, I click on it, purchase it and BAM it's done.

7. What is your traditional holiday meal?

I'm not sure we have ever had a traditional meal.  This year we had Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti, salad and French bread.  I am not into fixing traditional Christmas foods.  ~shame on me~  But, I will add, my family is just fine with the food I fix.  All they have to do is just show up, so they likely aren't going to say a word but, rather, dig in!

8. Does your town get decorated for the holidays?

Yes, our town square is always decorated and this year it look extra

 festive with even more lights than usual.  We are a small rural town so we're 

real proud of the festive look.

9. Do you have a Christmas tree?

Oh! yes!  We have an 8 1/2 foot slim line artificial tree and it has pretty much been our 

only inside Christmas decoration for the past couple of years. 

10. If you have a tree, what is on top of it?

Ribbons, and all kinds of sparkly stems exploding out of the top of it.

11. Do you decorate the outside of your house with lights? 

Our front porch windows have lighted wreaths, and we leave the porch lights

on until bedtime to show off the other decor.   

12. What is your favorite holiday memory as a child?

I have a lot of memories but going to my paternal grandparents on Christmas Eve rates at the top. I had 4 cousins that were there also and we always had such fun.

13. What is your favorite holiday dessert?

I'm not sure I have a favorite, I like most desserts except for banana pudding. ~smile~

14. Do you have a favorite holiday movie?

I haven't watched a holiday movie in a very long time but It's A Wonderful Life would

rate high on my list.

15. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

We always have a birthday party for Jesus before we do our family gift exchange

Our older two grans now read the Christmas story, we have a birthday cake

and it is a great reminder of the real reason for the season.

Wishing you a great day following Christmas!

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

I've missed the last two Hodgepodges but life got in the way as it sometimes does.  I'm so glad to be back today.

1. 'Tis the season to be jolly....so are you? 

I sure am! Shopping is done, gifts are wrapped, cards are sent and the tree is up. I'm not feeling overwhelmed but "cool, calm and collected" and trying to be very intentional about enjoying this most holy season. Our family Christmas will be on the 19th as that is when Bridget and the boys will be here.  They like to be at home on Christmas (and I don't blame them at all), so we celebrate when they will be here. But, it did take a week of my preparation time so I had to "get it in gear" and "get er' done!"

2. Do you trim a tree this time of year, and if so is yours all done? What's something in your home-closet-life that needs to be trimmed in the new year? 

Ours was trimmed last week.  The same "fairy" has been doing ours for around 25 years and she'll continue to do it "til death do us part." ~no joke~  I've pretty much pared down to just a tree and a big arrangement on the bar.  No more hours of putting up and taking down and it makes me all the more jolly. ~smile~

Hummm.....right off hand I can't think of anything that needs to be trimmed except for some of our landscaping.  Hubby is working on seeing that is done shortly.

3. Are you 'dreaming of a white Christmas'? Is that a possibility where you'll be celebrating? According to this site the top ten places in the US you can count on for a white Christmas are- North Pole Alaska, Crater Lake Oregon, Yellowstone National Park, Winthrop Washington, Aspen Colorado, Ketchum Idaho, Mt. Washington New Hampshire, Whitefish Montana, Duluth Minnesota, and the Lake Tahoe town of Truckee California

Of the snowy spots listed which would you most like to visit? 

There's not a chance of us having a white Christmas and that is just fine by me. I don't mind a little snow but not at Christmas when families are traveling. 

If I could snap my finger I would not mind at all visiting Yellowstone National Park.

4. December 8th is National Brownie Day...will you be celebrating? How do you like your brownies-chewy or cake-like, frosted or plain, nuts or no nuts, a piece from the middle or give me the corner? As a child were you a member of a brownie troop? 

Who knew?  Not me, so we will not be celebrating but I do make some of the best brownies on planet earth.  A dear friend gave me her recipe 40+ years ago and it is the ONLY one I have used since.  They are a bit chewy, NO icing, full of walnuts and I bake them in the Pampered Chef brownie pan so they are perfectly formed.  They are not overly chocolate but, as for as "me and mine" are concerned, they are purr-fect!  And, easy peasy to make, no mixer involved, just stir all ingredients together and into the pan they go. They are always a "hit."

No, I was never a Brownie but I had a lot of friends that were.

5. Share a favorite line or two from a Christmas carol or holiday tune. 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Everywhere you go..........

This was the first song to come to my mind as our little town is all decked out with lights and murals and many homes are sharing in the spirit.  It adds to my "jolly" state seeing all the decorations, especially the lights.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Isn't he just the cutest? The assisted living facility where Daddy lives asked that all the residents get Christmas sweaters to wear.  When I asked Daddy if he would like to have one, he was very much on board.  He's not into a pull over but loves this cardigan.  He wears it to all his meals and any time he leaves his room.  It thrills me that he still enjoys the Christmas spirit.  He even went to a carol sing-a-long they had yesterday. Due to his very limited sight he will often opt out of participating in many of the activities. ~teary eyed~

 

Prime Purchases

All I can say is WOW!  It really does seem that this past year has flown by and that we just finished celebrating Christmas last year.  I've finished my shopping, made 50+ pounds  of fudge,  and the tree is up with a couple of other touches of Christmas.  I'm at the point of decorating that "less is more." If you haven't finished your shopping maybe you'll see something here that will be the perfect gift for someone on your list.

KATE  SPADE  SUNGLASSES

These are my all time favorite sunglasses!  There's no telling how many sunglasses I have owned over the years but these fit me perfectly, they are cute and I love them.  They aren't inexpensive but hopefully I will enjoy them for a long, long time. And, they come with a VERY nice case.

AMAZON

FIDGET  TOYS

AMAZON

Our Grans love fidget toys and these are some that I have gotten them for Christmas.  The boys will get the squiggly interlocking ones and the girls will get the other ones and they come with a dandy carrying bucket to store them in.  We'll likely all enjoy them, they are a bit addicting. ~chuckle~

AMAZON

FLEECE  LINED  LEGGINGS

If you are looking for a nice warm legging then you might like these.  They are fleece lined and  thick.  They come in other colors as well.  They are made very well.

AMAZON

PEPPERMINT  BARK  SKINNY  SYRUP

If you have never used Skinny Syrup then you are missing out.  I use it to flavor my coffee and what better flavor for this season than peppermint.  AND, it's calorie free!  I mean, what's not to like about that?  It's my favorite right now!  And, it's so inexpensive and one bottle will flavored a whole lot of cups of coffee for sure!  And, if you are not a fan of peppermint, it comes in a lot of other flavors as well.

AMAZON

SKECHERS  JOGGERS

Ladies, if you are looking for a great pair of joggers then look no further!  No joke!  These are made of rayon, polyester and spandex and are soft and smooth as silk.  The fit is perfect and they are pretty much identical to the Lululemon joggers that are $99.  These are $22!!!  Get yourself a pair!

AMAZON

NUTRIBULLET  BREW  CHOICE  POD  AND  CARAFE

If you sometimes need a pot of coffee rather than a pod of coffee then you might want to check this jewel out.  It just came out and I love mine.  There are many occasions when I need a pot and it's great to have just one machine that does both.  It has a 12 cup carafe and makes a 6,8, and 10 ounce single cup.  I'd prefer it make 8, 10 and 12 ounce but..............  It is very compact, and  doesn't take up a lot of counter space.

AMAZON

TURTLENECK  TUNIC  SWEATER

And, once again, my blogging buddy Katie, over at The Preppy Empty Nester recommended this a short time ago and I ordered 2 of them.  They are great with leggings, very soft and I love the big turtleneck. Just so you know, it runs VERY big.

AMAZON

IRON  FLASK  INSULATED   MUG

If you love insulated mugs as much as I do then you might like this one.  It holds 12 ounces so it is just the right size as far as I'm concerned, but it also comes in 16 and 24 ounce.  It comes in several colors and the handle is high enough that it fits nicely in your car cup holder.  It comes nicely boxed and would make someone a great gift.

AMAZON

And, that wraps up 2021 Prime Purchases!  I always enjoy putting these posts together and always hope that an item I recommend will end up in your cart as well.  

Be intentional in your enjoyment of the Christmas season!