BLOGMAS 2014 – DAY 1

It’s December 1st and the Christmas season is upon us,  so be sure to join in with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom  for BLOGMAS.

DAY 1 – YOUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS TRADITION
This is a really hard category for me.  I LOVE Christmas!  There is nothing about this season I don’t like short of maybe crowds of rude people and Black Friday.  Being a military family on a tight budget I’ve always started shopping early to work everything we want to do into our tight budget.

If I had to pick just one though, it would be putting up the tree as a family while eating leftover turkey (from Thanksgiving) sandwiches.  We usually put our tree up just after Thanksgiving and leave it until Kings Day, the Epiphany on January 6th.  For that reason we like to go cut our own tree so it’s fresh and last the entire time.  I use an apple cider/sugar mix that keeps the sap from forming on the cut area and keep the water cool and full.

When I was a kid we did a BIG family get together with a buffet of food and opening our family presents on Christmas Eve.  I just saw a few of my cousins and we were reminiscing about some of those holidays and LOL how horrible our wardrobes were back then.

Thankfully, I’m not in the bottom picture because I remember what I was wearing! But I love my brother’s plaid pants and Monica’s floral blouse. If you don’t hear from me for a few days I’m Sure it’s because one them found me LOL. 

Then on Christmas Day we did Christmas morning and “Santa” with just the immediate family and then we would do a BIG turkey with all the trimmings including my dad’s stuffing and giblet gravy with all the family as well as extended family, which included crazy Aunt Louise and Uncle Herb, but I’ll tell you more about them on the 10th. I replicated dad’s stuffing recipe a few years ago (Oatnut Sourdough Herb Dressing) and that is now a MUST for the Christmas meal whatever the meat is and I’ll tell you more about that on the 10th as well.

 
Tamy Bollar

The apple cider sugar mixture is soooooo easy – 2 teaspoons of both apple cider vinegar and sugar to each 1/2 gallon of cool water. I've been using this mix for 20 years and my trees keep their needles and last through the epiphany easily.

Tamy Bollar

I just got back from reading your entry and I LOVE IT!!! Your enthusiasm shines in every word. I absolutely adore the stockings on your headboard and your advent ideas 😀 Is it my imagination or can I not leave a comment for you?

Sandra

I love your photos, there is nothing like old photos to bring up so many memories of days gone by 🙂 You have to tell me how to do the apple cider and sugar mixture, I would love to use that on my tree.

Oh and I fixed your link 🙂 And now I'm dying to hear about your Crazy Aunt Louise LOL