Who else is in the holiday spirit?!

[KarenWV]

I wish we had a way to meet up y'all and have a big ole fashioned potluck get together (with healthy foods of course). We could all use some group hugs right about now. Let the healing begin as we share good vibes and positivity. Love y'all!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

 

[JudyNY]

I wish we had a way to meet up y'all and have a big ole fashioned potluck get together (with healthy foods of course). We could all use some group hugs right about now. Let the healing begin as we share good vibes and positivity. Love y'all!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Wouldn't that be fun!!! Maybe we could do a zoom party?

 

[missyinacage]

Kathi, I'm sorry you're still not feeling well. I hate that it is taking so long for them to get you well. Although I am very happy to hear that the girls, and especially your grandson, are coming for Christmas. Bonus points that you don't have to cook LOL My son comes by every year and fluffs the tree branches for me, since I hate that part. It takes FOREVER to get them right, so maybe it's good you're going slow

Diane, I am so sorry to hear that the holidays are so rough on you. It always saddens me that so many are unhappy. Even though I can certainly understand it. Life piles on over the years, until it sometimes feels like you're buried by it. There are so many memories around holidays and not all of them are good, even in the most loving families. I cry every year I put my tree up, placing ornaments that used to belong to loved ones now gone, listening to my first Christmas CD given to me by an aunt who passed when I was a child. And my husband's father and my closest aunt both passed away within a week before Xmas (different years). Add in decorating, shopping, baking etc and it can get exhausting.

That being said, I love it. The glow of the Christmas lights softens reality for me. It's like booze but without the side effects lol So, just know that I will be thinking of you with love this season. If you are feeling alone, or fed up, just know that there are people out here, for I'm sure I'm not the only one, wishing you peace and happiness. Also, respond to your friend. At the end of the day, friends are just as important as family and worth the effort.

 

[JudyNY]

Got my wrapping done today! I feel like I am ahead of schedule this year. Just have my baking but I'm not going to overdo it. I've decided to do less, which in my case will be more than enough.

Here's a few pics. Top left is our rescue Shih Tzu, 8 year old Pico. Below he is pictured with our mixed breed 8 year old Sky. As I type this, I think it is funny how we rescued a dog earlier this year that is the same age as our other dog! They are perfect for each other. Sky was rather depressed prior to us getting Pico as we lost our German Shepard earlier in the year. He is now himself again, and Pico is a sweetie! Not pictured are our 3 cats. One of these days I will get a picture of them in there too, but they didn't feel like posing today.

 

[Kathi_S]

I'm so envious! I have to do gift cards this year. I did get a few things online for the baby and Jack, but I have no idea where I will find the ability to to wrap them. I finally finished my part of getting the tree ready to decorate yesterday. Jack started last night. My BP medication is helping, but my SVTs are happening frequently. When I got up to take a shower today, I had three episodes in less than a half an hour. It's exhausting. On the plus side, my weight is down to 156 lbs!

 

[JudyNY]

Kathi, you have a good reason! You really need to slow down this year and not try to do so much. Let others do for you! Congrats on the weight loss!

 

[KarenWV]

I'm so envious! I have to do gift cards this year. I did get a few things online for the baby and Jack, but I have no idea where I will find the ability to to wrap them. I finally finished my part of getting the tree ready to decorate yesterday. Jack started last night. My BP medication is helping, but my SVTs are happening frequently. When I got up to take a shower today, I had three episodes in less than a half an hour. It's exhausting. On the plus side, my weight is down to 156 lbs!

Congrats on your weight loss. Please try to take it easy this holiday season. You are more important than any Christmas preps or activities. ❤❤

 

[3momchaos]

I can wrap gifts, but I cannot put them under the tree because of this little terror! She chews through wrapping paper, so I’d have to rewrap everything!

 

[JudyNY]

Oh wow! Luckily none of our pets bother the presents. In fact the cats no longer climb the tree! It use to be hilarious watching the tree move when we had a big tree. It would be double trouble if two were in it at the same time and be on the same side of the tree..... timber!!! But they outgrew that and I guess the little tree is too lame for them, ha ha!

 

[missyinacage]

Same! All my presents are wrapped and sitting in my mom's room. My cat thinks the tree skirt is for sleeping and presents are for scratching. So, they go out on Christmas morning. As promised, I am sharing a few photos of my decorations. However, I do this from my home computer and have to resize every damn one, so these are all I have the patience for lol But I think you can tell by the overview of the dining room that every wall is covered. I cannot tell you how much I love to sit with all but the Xmas lights off at night and play Christmas tunes on low. I would leave it up all year if it wasn't so hard to clean around lol

 

[Bill sperry]

Pretty festive!

 

[KarenWV]

Same! All my presents are wrapped and sitting in my mom's room. My cat thinks the tree skirt is for sleeping and presents are for scratching. So, they go out on Christmas morning. As promised, I am sharing a few photos of my decorations. However, I do this from my home computer and have to resize every damn one, so these are all I have the patience for lol But I think you can tell by the overview of the dining room that every wall is covered. I cannot tell you how much I love to sit with all but the Xmas lights off at night and play Christmas tunes on low. I would leave it up all year if it wasn't so hard to clean around lol




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I LOVE seeing Christmas decorations, esp things that hang from the ceiling. I even giggle whenever I see pickup trucks with wreaths, candy canes, reindeer antlers etc on the front grills. I don't decorate our tiny apartment except with Christmas cards, but I cannot get enough of other people's decorations. Thanks for sharing pics. Def lifts my spirits on gloomy days like today.

 

[Kathi_S]

Same! All my presents are wrapped and sitting in my mom's room. My cat thinks the tree skirt is for sleeping and presents are for scratching. So, they go out on Christmas morning. As promised, I am sharing a few photos of my decorations. However, I do this from my home computer and have to resize every damn one, so these are all I have the patience for lol But I think you can tell by the overview of the dining room that every wall is covered. I cannot tell you how much I love to sit with all but the Xmas lights off at night and play Christmas tunes on low. I would leave it up all year if it wasn't so hard to clean around lol




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OMG, Missy! You decorate like I would if I was could! I even bought Christmas jigsaw puzzles to put together to hang as decorations, but only one is hung. For the record I want everyone to know my condition in not life threatening. It is frustrating more than anything. It is the combination of the low blood pressure and the SVTs that has been debilitating, but nothing to worry about. My spirits are up. I'm going to try to help decorate the tree in a bit. I may even go visit a neighbor. I love seeing all of your Christmas pictures!

 

[missyinacage]

Well, decorating is great, unless you have to do it all by yourself. So I'm decorating the gifts I'm giving to my son, his partner and my best friend and his wife.

Very pretty!

 

[JudyNY]

LOL! Missy, I love the legs hanging from the fireplace!!!

 

[3momchaos]

Various Christmas decorations around the house! We don’t have a fireplace, so I built a picket fence to hang the stockings! This isn’t all, but I’m tired and don’t feel like walking downstairs LOL

 

[JudyNY]

I absolutely LOVE the picket fence idea!! I don't have a fireplace either and just hang mine on the wall, but this idea is adorable!!

 

[3momchaos]

I absolutely LOVE the picket fence idea!! I don't have a fireplace either and just hang mine on the wall, but this idea is adorable!!

Thanks! I got all the supplies at Home Depot. I think I built it 4 or 5 years ago.

 

[Roni]

Our room at the restaurant is confirmed for the 26th. That is exciting. Merry Boxing Day. Technically most of the people I spend Christmas with are not blood family, but my best friends for the last thirty years. They are my family, with that in mind.

The orthopedic reported on Monday the pain I feel in the hip is a bursitis sac ( there are several in the hip area) and to sit with ice packs under my but. It helps. Don’t need shots yet.

I did get about half of Christmas wrapped on Tuesday, I normally go for gift bags but this year is wrapping paper and tape. I even bought ribbon, bows and gift tags while grocery shopping this week. Told husband that tomorrow is wrapping day hopefully I will finish.

On the mending I am working on a two piece swimsuit from several years ago that the elastic has given out on. I normally use a crochet hook to draw the elastic through but not working this time. Tried small safety pin it kept popping open. I found some big hole plastic yarn needles that may save the day while grocery shopping.

Husband and I have had a different opinion about my 40 year old steam iron for pressing stuff. I love my iron, the cord has some age to it. But the cord is reversible from side to side. He says it is a fire hazard. He told me it is not my Christmas present, He bought me a new iron on Tuesday after his echo cardio gram. I love that he did it…….I admit I am an unmentionable but hole. I went online and found my iron on eBay for 8.99. 1/2 what his cost until you add the shipping costs. Then they cost about the same. I love on my 40 year old iron the definitive temps for different fabrics, low temps for the gentler fabrics and hotter for those not so gentle fabrics. It lists which ones you can steam which ones you don’t stream. The eBay iron arrived today I went and plugged it in tested the heat on it, it works.

Yesterday husband got a call from dr. They said the echo test is saying his heart valve is regurgitating. That they may have to replace his heart valve they repaired. He is seriously concerned. As am I. They are going to do more tests but we are going to wait till after the holidays. He is still looking for a replacement heart dr since the local one never even met him and forced him to have an unnecessary dialysis port for a cath view of his heart. Before sending him to St. Louis to Barnes hospital where they were astounded on the poor quality of tests that were done to my husband here. Well that is my update for now. Be fun and be safe.

Ps got booster covid shot on Thursday for me.

 

[missyinacage]

Roni, congrats on your booster. I am sorry to hear that your husband received such poor care locally. I hope they can quickly correct the valve issue he is having. I was literally LOL at your iron debacle.