Merry Christmas!

I don't know if I say this every Christmas or not, but I think this was one of the best Christmas's ever. Sure, there are sad things going on around us but as we get older I think that is just going to happen more and more. It makes us appreciate what we have (our health) so much more.

This year in following with the tradition of hope for the holidays that Vic's dear friend Sue started before she lost her battle with cancer, we helped one of my friends that I've had since grade school. Her husband has been in the hospital for the last 4 months and things have been a challenge for them. Hearing about all the people that joined us and sent her things/money/prayers was like opening a gift myself every day. Knowing that people care enough to stop what they are doing in their lives and reach out to someone else in this day and age gives me hope and not just for the holidays!

Vic and I have do not have many "traditions" for our holidays yet. The last few years we'd get something big for "us" and call it a Christmas. (D.J. was my most memorable US gift).This year there wasn't really anything we needed so we did little gifts everyday for the week  prior to Christmas saving one  last gift for this morning. We decided we love this tradition and will continue it because it stretches  Christmas out for us!  Over the week I got a tervis tumbler that I LOVE, a "my dachshund loves me" T-Shirt, a dachshund and a yellow lab ornament for the tree, bubble bath, lotto scratch offs that I won $47 on and a few more things!! Vic got some smell good stuff,a manicure set and a Kindle.

The one thing that is a tradition for us is to go to my sisters house Christmas eve and snack on food all day while playing silly games. This year it was name that tune with music from all eras. Brittany won by far. There was lots of laughing, sharing and loving.

As most years there was not a shortage of gifts under the tree. What made this year extra special was my mothers gifts to us. She gave us things from our childhood that brought back so many good memories. My sisters and I all got our silver baby cups that she had engraved             when we were born. I got my  grandmothers china that I had admired and commented on many times over the years. Steph got my grandmothers collection of toby mugs. We all got old cookbooks and childhood books that were passed down from grandparents, to parents and now to us, the one I got was dated back to the 40's and I think some of my nieces were from the 20's ! My brother in law and niece got several of my Grandfathers old pencil sharpeners. I remember he used to have those all over the place. You just never know when you'll need to sharpen a pencil!

My mom also gave my sisters and I three of the Lladros figurines that she got when she went to Spain back in the 70's . Mine is this one :http://www.lladro.com/figurines/01014665-GIRL_WITH_BASKET/  Since she couldn't remember which one was each of our favorites she put numbers on the ribbons on the box and we picked a ribbon, inside the box she numbered the position of each figure and the one that matched our ribbon was ours. As it worked out we all got the one that was our favorite when we were growing up! Something i was treasure for always and remind me of my mom.

The tear jerker item was when my older sister Stephanie opened a box with a pair of her baby shoes and a little while purse she wore one Easter. We all commented that we remembered it having tiny white gloves with it...she opened the tiny purse and it still had the tiny white gloves! Thank you mom for keeping such precious mementos.