In a week I will be heading to my family (sister) in TN for the holiday! YEA! She always has a HUGE fresh tree. Huge meaning at least 8 feet. Someone cuts them and delivers them from up in the mountains. In the family room they have vaulted ceilings that is why the trees can be so tall. WEeeeeee I am getting in the Christmas Spirit!

The children's honor choir and the adult choir sang today in church...awesome!

People bringing sacks of food for the baskets that will be handed out...

Christmas trees are gorgeous on the altar!

Yesterday we did a Cookie 5k. so much fun.

We walked around main street, in and out of 35 businesses and shops. Not big name stores, small businesses. Each person has a gingerbread cookie bag and every businesss gave you a cookie. We came home with some good cookies and we got some shopping done as well. Some of the places I had never been in. They were all decorated and had some lovely gift ideas.

Isn't it cute? CBS Sunday Morning just showed it today as well, they had a piece about the guy who animated it, Willis Pyle, he's 95 years old and worked on Disney's Pinocchio 70 years ago.

Believe me, I'm not one of those who thinks there's an EEEEEVIL LIB'RAL "War on Christmas" but even I have to ask whether if this spot were made today they'd score it with "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen". (Hijack: Note where the comma is supposed to go: after "merry", not "ye"! "God rest ye merry" = "May God give you peace"! END HIJACK) Well, maybe "Carol of the Bells", ya know "dum-dee-dee-dee, dum-dee-dee-dee, dum-dee-dee-dee, dum-dee-dee-dee, merrymerrymerrymerryChristmas, merrymerrymerrymerryChristmas ..." ?

ETA 12:14: I don't know that it "doesn't have enough action" but I see it's a whole minute long. You rarely see a spot nowadays that's longer than 30 seconds (although I swear those ads for whatever-the-prescription-arthritis-drug-is that zoom in on the lines of the animated people, leaves and snowflakes to show excerpts from the patient information talking about the side effects and stuff, must run close to 2 minutes)

i love xmas im halfway done with geting my gifts ..then its time to wrap it all...o what fun..lol i wish i could be able to play in snow i never saw it before but it looks like so much fun to be able to play in it....

Here is a cool Christmas card ~

http://ecard.ashland.edu/index.php?ecardYear=2004adm

I am babysitting my sister this week (an off chemo week) we went shopping today at Kohl's and Costco...

I picked up the $5 Kohl's Cares for Kids Christmas For Kids...all country...and the Andrea Bocelli My Christmas at Costco...

EXCELLENT!!!! both of them....

I mail Advent Calendars to my boys who are now 25 and 27 and they keep them on their desks at work! Then we count down until Christmas Eve when we're all together. This year my older son is driving from Calgary to London, here's hoping for good weather!

I think most of us have seen this stuff before...but...here is a neighborhood about an hour from me where the entire cul-de-sac did a light show...17 houses I think...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVkpBaf_eAo

WOW!! That was some light show.

My son is keeping me in the spirit. Every year he does something amazingly funny. Last year was his Christmast list:

Bowflex machine
Kinoki foot pads
fake credit cards (the kind they send you with the application)

This year, we're flat broke. My son says, "I just want a couple legos...I get stuff all year." That, from an 8 year old. My sweet boy.

My daughter is a teenager and is much more egocentric and I was thinking that nothing we can do will ever be enough. I was the same way when I was 15 and so I won't get mad...I'll just wait for her to grow out of it like I did. I'm trying to gently persuade her that there is more joy in giving than recieving. So, what does she do? She got a $25 check for an event she participated in last summer. She went with me to Walmart last night and asked if I would cash her check for her because she, 'wants to buy Kyle (my son) a present that's just from her." She got him Bop It and still has $10 to spare.

I love my kids.

Snow is overrated...try shoveling it....for the fortieth time. It IS nice, though, to sit by the fireplace and watch it fall while watching a Sabres game and crocheting mittens for your kids. Very cozy.

Snow gets old after awhile.