Tehachapi here i come!!

1.) How do you get into the Christmas spirit? My favorite way to get into the groove is to read "Skipping Christmas" by John Grisham. It's a wonderful book, only takes about three hours to read and is really about the spirit of the season.

2.) How do you celebrate Christmas? We are a fairly simple family.  Open offerings in the morning, followed by cinnamon rolls. Then a huge dinner later in the day with family and any holiday orphans we come across.

3.) Do you have any Traditions and if so what are they? Remember, you asked. Always keep a spare box around so the cat can play and not dig in all of your stuff. Make sure the dog gets two toys...one to give him at the start of gifting and one to give him at the end. With the kids grown, he's worth the cost of the goods just to see him play. It's very reminiscent of a three year old. We also take turns opening gifts so we can see what each person got. And the cinnamon rolls...those are practically required.

4.) Do you decorate your home or yard? We do a little home decorating, but not the yard. When I was a kid I lived in a court that was completely decorated every year. Every house, every yard, every roof. It got nicknamed "Candy Cane Court" and cars would come from all over town to see it. I think it may have scarred me for life :o)

5.) Do you have any special Christmas memories? Besides the lifetime scarring from having a jillion cars in your court every year? Or the year we decided that trees were not in our future, after the cat chewed through three sets of lights? Or the year my mom put sugar cookies on the tree as decorations and didn't think the Great Dane puppy was going to go after them? There's special, then there's "special". My family specializes in the latter.

6.) How or where are you going to celebrate Christmas this year? Our sons (25 and 22) are coming to our house for a few days. My DH has the misfortune of being born on the 24th, so we will throw a birthday party on Monday, followed by Christmas on Tuesday.

C'mon other people. I showed you mine...time to show me yours :o)

1.) How do you get into the Christmas spirit?  It usually just happens for me.  Sometimes 2 weeks before, sometimes 2 days before.  It comes around so quickly it seems that I go into a "funk" right before and then one day....for no reason, I'm ready to buy gifts and decorate.

2.) How do you celebrate Christmas?  Christmas Eve is spent at my sisters house in Porterville.  There are always about 15 or 20 of us.  We snack and play games and do a gift exchange.  She gives a prize to whoever is dressed most "Christmassy".  On Christmas morning, the kids wake up to find their filled stocking next to their bed.  That allows us to sleep just a little longer, then we all get up and open presents and make a huge mess.  We have a big early dinner.

3.) Do you have any Traditions and if so what are they?  The kids get their stocking every year.  Even my 24 year old tells me she expects to get a stocking until she has kids of her own.  When we put up the tree, we have the kids put the ornaments on, have snacks and watch Frosty and Rudolf.  We just did this on Sunday.  It was fun.  I love those shows.  I've seen them 48 times.

4.) Do you decorate your home or yard?  This year, we didn't decorate much.  We have the tree and a few nick nacks.  I think I'm missing a box??  Big dog hung lights outside along the edge of the roof.  We use the big ol' fashion lights.  I love those.  Reminds me of childhood.

5.) Do you have any special Christmas memories?  All 5 of us when we were small, we would gather around the tv and watch Frosty and Rudolf.  We had one of those old Silver Aluminum Trees...Remember those?  We would open presents on Christmas Eve and when we woke up, our stockings would be filled and the big gift that we wanted would be in the living room unwrapped that Santa brought.

6.) How or where are you going to celebrate Christmas this year?  The same way as always.  Except my 24 year old will have to come to my house to get her stocking.  The kids are getting older and harder to buy for. We've got them gift cards.  I think Bigdogs kids will be with their mother this year, so him and I will probably go over there to exchange gifts.

1.) How do you get into the Christmas spirit?  Usually it just seems to come, whether it be from the Christmas music or surroundings. For some reason this year I haven't found that spirit yet.

2.) How do you celebrate Christmas?  I spent 5 years working in a critical care hospital and usually got stuck working either 630am or 11-7 on Christmas day. Christmas was always celebrated after rushing home from work and rushing to my mums house to see the rest of the family and exchange presents and a large wonderfully cooked meal.

3.) Do you have any Traditions and if so what are they?  As children, we were always alloweed to open one present from a relative overseas. Somehow, no matter which present we chose, we always ended up with a new pair of pajamas to wear the next morning for Christmas photographs lol

4.) Do you decorate your home or yard?  We always decorate the inside with knick knacks and garland etc and of course the tree. This year we were just too lazy to put up any lights on the house outside.

5.) Do you have any special Christmas memories?  I remember waiting up late to catch Santa Claus and getting out of bed repeatedly. Everytime I got up I would go downstairs and low and behold, our stockings were there. I would run them back upstairs suprised we had forgotten to leave them by our beds. My poor mother must have stayed up until 4am to make sure my stocking was filled by Santa after I had fallen asleep.

6.) How or where are you going to celebrate Christmas this year?  This year I'll be celebrating with my spouses family in Bakersfield.

1.) How do you get into the Christmas spirit?  This is the first Christmas I've been excited about in a long long time.  Usually I'm like, "Oh it's Christmas already? Crap..."  But this year I got all the shopping done early and I've been feeling happy and Christmas-y since before Thanksgiving.  I don't know what switched on in my head, but I've been so happy to walk through shops and look at all the decorations.  It's the decorations that really do it for me, and everything always looks so pretty.

2.) How do you celebrate Christmas?  We do the normal stuff, presents in the morning, big early lunch at my parent's house, big dinner at my husband's parent's house.

3.) Do you have any Traditions and if so what are they?  Well, there's my traditional dodging of mass on Christmas Eve, lol!  And the traditional dodging of Grandma's cutting remarks on Christmas day- oh the fun times!  And we have specific seats at the table, from the time of territorial sisterhood.  Somehow I have the head of the table, but that's because I always demand the chair with the arms broken off.  And there's the traditional jockeying for certain prized foods to be placed on our side of the table, and the subsequent trade-offs and alliance pacts to acquire and monopolize the best foods.

4.) Do you decorate your home or yard?  We didn't have room for a tree this year so we have a Christmas bush.  It's pretty cute.  And we decorated the outside with plenty of lights because I love love love lights!  Usually we have a fresh wreath, but we didn't get one this year.

5.) Do you have any special Christmas memories?  My first memory is of Christmas :)  I think I was 4 or so and I got a My Little Pony that had wings.

6.) How or where are you going to celebrate Christmas this year?  It's our first real Christmas at our house (last year didn't count because we were barely moved in) and we're going to open presents here at home!  I'm so excited to see my son tearing through all the wrapping paper!  It's going to be a blast!

1.) How do you get into the Christmas spirit?  It doesn't take much because of the kids.  But normally I search for my Christmas music and that does it.  I am one of those people who my shopping is done before Thanksgiving and that always seems to help.  I still go out and fill the good cheer in the air and experience complete strangers being kinder, but having the stress of shopping over with makes me Jolly.'

2.) How do you celebrate Christmas?  I think pretty normal.  We get up open presents and like weebles, eat cinnamon rolls and drink hot chocolate with Christmas music on.  In our house Christmas goes on all day.  My son is a little weird,,lol, he doesn't just rip into presents.  He opens one and wants to inspect it and play before he opens another.  He even wants to put clothes he gets.  But I think he is changing.  Last year he wasn't as slow.  And this year we have the baby which will be 22mths and he destroys everything so my oldest will have to be quicker.  This year my parents are coming to our house and Christmas Eve and staying so they can see the kids faces on Christmas morning.  We will probably play some cards (RooK) Christmas Eve. 

 3.) Do you have any Traditions and if so what are they?  My son always puts the Angel or Star on the tree.  We have pizza Christmas Eve.  Homemade hot chocolate and cookies.  We open one present on Christmas Eve.  We read The Night Before Christmas as a family by the fireplace in our pj's.  The years we didn't have a fireplace it was in front of the tree.  We all have our designated spots on Christmas morning and it is the kid's job to hand out gifts.  Cinnamon Rolls.  Each year a different family member chooses what they want for dinner.  This year we are having the normal Christmas Feast because my parents are here.  But in the past we have had lasagna, enchiladas, burgers, spaghetti, fast food, you name it we've had it.  My mom use to make me a "goodie box".  I loved this thing.  It was like a different version of a stocking....I think that is how it started, too much stuff for the stocking.  But sounds weird, but she would put everything in there.  Deodorant, soap, shampoo, any little gadget she found through out the year, medicine, all that stuff you need through out the year.  She started this late in High School and continued after I moved out...that was the good stuff.  Cleaners, "party supplies", etc.  I could go on and on.  But after we moved out of state it was too expensive to send in the mail.  But now that we are back as a family in the same area I really hope I get my "goodie box".

4.) Do you decorate your home or yard?  Yes we do both.  My husband I think strives to be like The Griswolds!  We try to get something new each year.  I like to decorate my tree with different ornaments.  I don't put a duplicate ornament on the tree.  Every single one is different. 

5.) Do you have any special Christmas memories?  Wow this is a hard one.  Um, well a good lesson one year.  My brother and I had decided to be sneaky and open our gifts and re-wrap them while my parents were at work.  We did this, was great, but Christmas morning came, we had a few extra ones, but it was the worst and most boring Christmas I ever had.  I already knew what I had and had to act surprise.  I think the quilt played a big part.  Needless to say, we never did anything like that again.  When I was little I got a "Big Green Machine" but it didn't work.  I was crushed.  My dad went out on Christmas day to replace it.  I think Santa gave it to me.  Well, they didn't have anymore so he came home with a puppy instead.  I was very happy and completely forgot about the "Green Machine".  My mom however wasn't so thrilled..lol.  Later my dad said he couldn't come home empty handed!!

6.) How or where are you going to celebrate Christmas this year? I think I covered this earlier.  My house.  We just moved here to be near my parents.  It will be nice to have them here at Christmas.  And my mom doesn't have to deal with all the clean up.  She doesn't have to do anything, but she will....That's my mom!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

1.) How do you get into the Christmas spirit?i listen to christmas songs all the time(my fav is were are you christmas) then i watch christmas movies when i am bord

2.) How do you celebrate Christmas?i get 2gether whith family (sometimes in portervill sometimes not) have fun and unwrapp cheistmas presents

3.) Do you have any Traditions and if so what are they?i either spend it whith my mom or my dad bigdog/stepmom oiliva on christmas eve then the next day i spend it whith the oppisote parent

4.) Do you decorate your home or yard?no not really all we hhave up is a tree and some lights and that is it

5.) Do you have any special Christmas memories?yes i would leave cookies,milk,and a note for "sant clause" then i would wake up very erlie and attack the presents and some times i go to christmas church seveces.

6.) How or where are you going to celebrate Christmas this year?whith bigdog and olivia on christmas eve/mornig then my mom christmas night