CHRISTMAS ADDRESS LIST?

[3-greys-and-a-mutt]

KayAnn, I found this link for you:
rawhide cards

[Dixieland Dancer]

Kayann, I am also proud of you for listening to your parents. It is quite special that you do! If it is any consolation, I will not be joining the mailing either. Last year my husband and I decided to try and focus on the holiday more without all the running around, gift buying, and Christmas card writing. I didn't even bake anything and nobody seemed to miss it. It was wonderful. I truly enjoyed Christmas last year more than ever and so we decided to keep it simple and do it that way every year.

We get something small for the dogs (although they get Christmas all year long) and one nice thing for each of our sons. We decorate moderately and on Christmas eve go to church. When we come home we have a tradition of placing baby Jesus in the manger. I have a ceramic nativity and I put it up except for Jesus in the cradle since we are awaiting his birth. My youngest son goes and lights all the candles I put out while I play Silent Night on the piano. Everyone sings along. Then when he is done with the candle lighting he places Jesus in the manger. We then let him open his "Gifts".

I will be glad to send email greetings to everyone and I will be wishing you all a Merry Christmas. Maybe we can have a email list so all we need to do is click on the group and everyone gets it!

[wolflady]

I'm so excited about the mailing list this year! How neat it is that there are so many wonderful friends here, even if we've never really 'met'!!! An emailing group list also sounds like a good idea for those not giving out snail mail addresses
Dixieland, what a neat tradition you have with the baby Jesus!! I was so giddy when I read that because my family does that too!! We have a little wooden manger, that over the course of the December month...if one of us in the family does a good deed, they put a piece of straw in the manger when nobody is looking. By the time Christmas eve comes around, the manger is full of hay and we place baby Jesus in there!

[mugsy]

Dixie, I'm glad to hear that someone else is going to simplify too. I think I'm actually looking forward to Christmas this year for the first time in about 15 years. Mike finally decided that he wanted to start going back to church, so I'm sure we will be going to mass on Christmas Eve too.

I just got my newsletter from the SPCA and they are selling Christmas cards at the shelter (obviously for the benefit of the shelter), so I think I'll go there. I try to help them out whenever I can. They are only $1 for 10 cards and they are all dog related!! YEAH!! Another reason I want to go there.

I, too, am looking forward to getting and sending the cards! I hope it will get me more into the Christmas spirit.

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Dixie and Mugsy, what a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas, I think more people are thinking that way this year. For more years than I care to count I have baked cookies and decorated them for the whole family, this year I decided to let the girls do it.
We used to put up the biggest tree we could find, each year they get smaller. ( It may sound stupid, but I am putting up a red white and blue Christmas tree this year) with red lights on the house. Don just looks at me like
Our family has all talked about it and we have all decided to cut back. It's hard for me to shop, so I do a lot on line. The New Englanders will understand this, but for one thing I had a case of Autocrat Coffee Syrup shipped out to give some to each of them. We can't get it out here and everybody loves it.
I got different things like that.
I also have a Manger, I bought it probably 40 years ago and it is all "Joseph" figureines. It has a place of honor every year for all these years.
I do go overboard on the dogs I have to admit that and our Grandsons, I'm guilty there.
I think what is happening in the world has brought us much closer to family and back to family values. We don't need things to be happy just our family and friends.
Jackie