More like a Tuesday Tid-Bit really...

Here it is Tuesday and I had some tips for you but honestly, nothing that was gonna change your life. And then I glanced at my friend Angie's blog this morning and she posted this fun little survey that she found on Beth's Blog. (I love saying that like we're close personal friends....ya know-over on Beth's blog) Anyway, I thought it was fun and I like stuff like that, so I followed Angie's advice to cut and paste it so here you go...feel free to take it, change it, and post it too! Just for Fun.

Here's a Thumbs-Up for good ole' Christmasy Fun!

A Christmas Survey:

1. Fresh Tree or Fake Tree?

Bottom line: Fresh. We have tried it both ways ---year before last I decided to buy one of those pre-lit trees in hopes of making my life easier but the darned thing only worked one year and ended up being a tremendous pain to deal with plus I badly missed the smell of the fresh tree so now we're back to the real thing. (Sounds kinda like Coca Cola CLASSIC doesn't it. Anybody remember back when the Coke execs decided to "improve" an already good thing and the effort fell flat on its face?!!)

We actually have 2 trees, one out front in the great room that holds my 2-decade-old-and-growing-collection of sea motif ornaments. And one in the den in traditional red and green and it holds all of our handmade ornaments through the years and has pictures of our kids on Christmas morning annually in mini-frames. Funny though, there is nothing on top of either tree. No star, no angel, no nothing. See....

tree one:

tree two:

Normally, we put a conch shell on top of the tree #1 but last year was the last year for that little tradition. For reasons still unknown, when we came home at 8:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, we found our 10 foot fresh Christmas tree laying on the floor, water all over the presents, broken glass everywhere, and my beautiful hand-plucked-out-of-the-Gulf of Mexico-conch shell embedded into our Brazilian Cherry wood floor. Let's jut say the conch shell nor the floor won that battle and both have scars to prove it. It was oh so bad. I lost quite a few one-of-a-kind ornaments and it saddened me but alas, they are, after all, just things.

So, the conch shell has not been perched atop the tree and I am searching for something to replace it...........

2. Favorite Ornament

tough question!

Especially on tree one, because I have spent years collecting and each ornament means something special. And my mom has found some neat ones too...but here is one of my favorites...It's Santa's face molded into a sand dollar, and every time I look at it, I think of when I bought it....in Key West, on our honeymoon:

And I absolutely love the ones the kids make and bring home...love them, love them, love them. Here is one Ayns made last year and I love its meaning:

3. Favorite Christmas Song

Also a toughie. Probably "O Holy Night", but I also love the fun-ness of Harry Connick Jr.'s version of "Sleigh Ride".

4. Favorite Tradition

One of old: When I was growing up, my mom always had a Christmas breakfast on Christmas morning. I remember a lot of years that she made homemade doughnuts. ooooooooo-- they were so good. Course, things like that only get better and better in your memory. But I've not every had doughnuts so good, not even Krispy Kreme.

Our kids are getting old enough now that they will remember what we do this Christmas and so I am diligent in making some traditions with them this year and we're having a lot of fun with it. I am really looking forward this year to us gathering up by candlelight and reading the Christmas Story together. There isn't a sweeter story than that.

5. Favorite Gift Ever Received

Well, at the top of the list is our Savior Jesus Christ. Nothing compares to that, right!!

But a temporal gift....

On our first married Christmas morning, I headed to the kitchen to make coffee but when I opened up the lid, I found a sparkling set of diamond earrings in it. Boy, was I surprised! Now that was a "perk"! HA! It was the way he gave them to me that made it so neat. Since then, he has gotten a lot of kicks in hiding my presents in places I will look first thing Christmas morning.... last year, I found a diamonds again....in my sugar!!

6. Favorite Christmas Meal

Turkey and Ham, dressing with gravy, mustard greens, mashed potatoes, hot rolls, ambrosia, pecan pie!

7. Favorite Christmas Cookie

Hmm..., maybe these blondie/brownie things my Grandmother made years ago. Not sure I have a favorite.

8. Favorite Place To Be

Wherever Rod and Aynsley and Tristan are.

9. Favorite Memory

One Christmas, probably when I was about 7 or so, when I woke up and headed out to the living room, I found all of my dolls, stuffed animals, etc. circled around the Christmas tree, all facing it, as if they had all gathered up to take it all in on Christmas morning. It was a neat thing that my mom did.

10. Favorite Christmas Movie

I love Home Alone. And I love Christmas with the Kranks. But all time favorite...Charlie Brown Christmas.

Merry Christmas!