December's 10 on the 10th

DECEMBER’S 10 ON THE 10TH

Here are the questions:

1. In what ways do you decorate for the winter holiday season?  Do you use traditional colors or have your own color scheme?  Is there a theme to your decorating?

In our neighborhood, the tradition is for everyone to decorate their front yard tree with white lights. It creates a magical feeling to the whole neighborhood. There are a few people who don't - one family is Jewish. I'm not sure if the other few don't do it for religious reasons or other reasons. I usually use greens, reds, gold, and silver - I think those are all traditionally associated with Christmas. I don't have a theme - like an all purple tree or elves in every decoration. 

2. Share a family holiday tradition or recipe.  Is there something new you plan to try this year? When our kids were growing up, we would all meet at my mother-in-law's house and order pizza (good pizza) for dinner and then go to Christmas Eve services at church. We usually meet for brunch back at my mother-in-law's house and open gifts together. We serve cheese grits, a breakfast casserole of some sort, sweet rolls, etc. for brunch. We would all go home and rest a little while and then we would gather with hubby's extended family - cousins galore - for Christmas dinner. We would have full on Christmas dinner with turkey and dressing and ham and all of the sides.

3. Do you have a favorite Christmas book, movie, song or TV show?  Why is it special to you?  Is there a popular holiday book, program or movie you have never seen? I love Christmas Vacation and Four Christmases. They are both "special" simply because we've watched them so many times as a family. I've heard that Die Hard is a Christmas movie . . .and I don't think I have ever watched it. The Alabama Theater here in Birmingham shows Christmas movies every year. I would like to go see one of the movies one year. (After I typed those words, I went online and they have tickets available for next Wednesday night to see Christmas Vacation . . . I bought two!)

4. How do you handle the stress of the holidays?  Do you have some go-to for restoring calm to your life when things get crazy? Does drinking count? If so, I'll have a diet cranberry juice with a splash of diet gingerale and an ounce of Grey Goose, please! That makes me sound like a big drinker . . .which I am not. Every morning, I am participating in the December scripture writing plan and that helps with the stress.

when I got home from work - a tree
with lights only (and a beverage)

tiniest tree ever but it is up
and decorated!

5. What will you wear over the holidays?  Do you dress up for New Year’s Eve? I don't wear Christmas sweaters anymore . . . not after my daughter came home from her freshman year of college to raid my closet for her sorority "tacky sweater Christmas party." The sweaters all went away that year. I do have a few fun pairs of earrings and I will wear those. I don't usually dress up for New Year's Eve because we usually have a few people over to the house and we eat and hang out. That is the one time a year we might actually play a game.

6. How do you feel about snow?  What are the chances you will see a white Christmas?  Do you enjoy any snow day activities?  What will the weather be like where you live in this last month of the year? Snow is lovely. We don't get a lot of snow in Alabama and we don't know how to drive in it. Our city shuts down if it snows very much. Odds are slim to none that we will NOT see a white Christmas. If it snows, we like to get out and take a few pictures and then rush back inside to drink hot chocolate. The high today is in the 50's but Friday the high is 73. The highs from now through the 22 are anywhere from 58-72 degrees.

7. Do you have a gift-giving budget?  For how many people do buy gifts?  Do you buy for the postman, your hair dresser, nail tech, children’s teachers?  When do you open gift?  Who is the hardest person you buy for? We don't have a "budget" per se but I usually spend around the same amount on our kids. This year my husband came up with a plan and I'm going along with it even though I don't like it. We actually drew names so that means I'm not buying for all four (kids and spouses). We usually give our postlady a small gift card for a restaurant. I gave my hair dresser a handmade Christmas ornament made by a friend. In the past, we opened gifts on Christmas day but now that our kids have kids, we are playing it by ear! I need to ask them when we can be together just as a family this year. We all make lists so that makes it a little easier to buy for people but my husband is probably the hardest. By the time you are our age, we have most everything we need and/or want (within reason). He is getting a skeet thrower this year :-) and he picked it out.

8. If you could give a kind of impossible gift to someone, what would it be?  Perhaps something beyond your price range?  Or something you can’t buy.  Something intangible. Let's see . . .if I had lots and lots of money, it would be fun to give $1,000,000 to our church. It might be even more fun to give it anonymously. My boss, our senior pastor, loves Ford Broncos and it would be awesome to give him a new one. It would be amazing to fix up the old farmhouse where hubby and his twin brother stay when they hunt and fish - gut the kitchen, put in new flooring and cabinets. Maybe it would be better to build a house on the bank of the lake. For the things I cannot buy, I would like to give a baby to a whole lot of folks who are experiencing fertility difficulties. Of course, I would like to give true peace on earth to the world.

9. As we bid farewell to 2021, what was your biggest success this year?  Will you be making goals or resolutions or plans for 2022?  If so, what will some of them be? I taught Sunday School a whole lot of Sundays - some via zoom, some in person. We continued to host the young adults - virtually and in person. Both of those took perseverance. I don't make resolutions but I may set a few goals for 2022.

10. Describe 2021 in 3 words.  Name 3 things you wish for in 2022.                           

2021 - can't describe it!

2022 - 1. continued good health for our family, 2. the ability to go to Germany and Italy in June like we have planned, 3. lots of quality time with friends and family