Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Sunday Stealing: For Those Who Celebrate Christmas (#1)

Time for a little Sunday Stealing (hosted by Bev Sykes)  — questions lifted from all over the blogosphere.

This week's list is borrowed from Pinterest.

1. What’s your favorite thing about the holidays?

They only happen once a year.

2. Do you send out Christmas cards and if so how many do you send?

I do still send out cards. In fact, the sending and receiving of cards is one of my favorite things about the season, and I'm sad to see the custom dying out. We don't send nearly as many as we once did, and this year we sent out fewer than twenty.

3. Be honest: holiday newsletters. Love ‘em or hate ‘em?

I've never written one, but I like them. I know I'm probably in the minority on that. I think it's a nice handy way of catching up with all the family and friends and what they've been up to during the year. Of course, I'm not a Facebook devotee — I suppose if I were, I wouldn't need the newsletters. 

4. Be honest: photo cards. Love ‘em or hate ‘em?

Don't really have a strong opinion on this. Honest.

5. How soon do you start shopping?

Usually not early enough. My mother was a wonderful Christmas shopper. She would shop all year long and have everything ready to wrap by the first week in December. I did not inherit her organizational skills. But I do like to get it all done as early as possible — definitely no last minute Christmas Eve shopping.

6. Real or fake tree?

Well, I would prefer a real tree, but the hubby and I both have allergies. I can't even have cut flowers in the house for longer than a few minutes before my eyes start itching and swelling shut. So — no real trees for us.

7. When do you put up your tree?

Usually right after Thanksgiving, but this year we had it up before that.

8. When do you take down your tree?

Twelfth Night — January 5th or 6th. Although we've been known to leave it up later than that. 

9. Describe your typical tree (size, decorations, type). 

10. What do you top your tree with?

For the last few years, we've had a Saint Nicholas topper that we bought at Hobby Lobby. 

11. Do you put Christmas lights outside your house?

Not recently. When we first moved into this house, M put up lights around the front roofline, but it's an awful lot of trouble. And an awful lot of him climbing up and down on ladders — which is something I find really scary. When we lived in the condo in Virginia, we used to put lights on our balcony every year. 

 12. Is there a wreath hanging on your door?

Yes, there is, and this is it:

13. Do you hang up stockings?

Yes, but just for decoration. Santa never fills them, darn it. 

14. Your favorite Christmas Movie(s)

Please don't get me started. Christmas movies are a real problem around here. M loves any movie that even mentions Christmas, and over the years he's added a couple of dozen to the list he just must see every year. Of course, we very seldom actually watch them all — but it gives him a goal. The only one I do try to see every year is "It's a Wonderful Life" — not because I really like it, but because I've watched it every Christmas since I was a toddler. And I prefer watching it on Christmas Eve.

15. Be honest: A Christmas movie you hate

Well, I don't really hate any of them (although I'm extremely tired of most of them), but I've never been terribly fond of any of the film versions of "A Christmas Carol." Not a Dickens fan. Also, don't care much for "Miracle on 34th Street."

16. Favorite Christmas Song(s)

I like a bunch of them, but I think my favorite is the song from the Charlie Brown Christmas special, "Christmas Time Is Here."

17. Be honest: If I hear this/these Christmas songs again I will throw up

"Santa Baby" is probably the only one that could make me barf. 

18. Give or Receive?

Receive, I think. But only because I'm the world's worst chooser of gifts to give.

19. Eggnog or Mulled Cider?

Well, I'm lactose intolerant — so cider, I guess.

20. Ham or Turkey?

Ham. 

🙋‍♀️

SkyWatch Friday: Local Shots

I haven't posted any sky shots lately. And the main reason for that is that I haven't been going far from home this year, and the skies around here haven't been all that dramatic. In fact, lately, they've pretty much all looked exactly like this:

Lots and lots of clear blue skies. And I love it. But, as I said, it makes for a bit of a boring photo.

But we did have a couple of nice sunsets around the end of last month, with some really interesting color effects. So here's a shot of one of those. 

It's the same view, or at least looking in the same direction. I always love the way the setting sun turns all the greens to a sort of rusty red. But I love those blue skies even more.

Happy Friday, everyone!

For more sky shots, click on the button above.

Wordless Wednesday: Merry Christmas Tree!

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