What did you get for Christmas???

[gja1000]

OK everyone, what did ya get????

Of course, I got a new house so Gary was not supposed to get me ANYTHING!!! But of course, he did. A couple of weeks ago we were browsing all the thrift stores looking for a used office chair for his wood shop. We came across a tall lighted curio cabinet. The glass is curved on the sides and it has a mirror in the back. It was only $200. I shopped for this type of curio cabinet a few years ago and didn't buy one because they were so expensive. It is just gorgeous. It doesn't have a thing wrong with it except a tiny scratch on the wood frame. At the time, I thought it was such a good deal, but no, I didn't even think of buying it because I just bought a new house. So, I was so surprised to see it in Brooke's living room! At first I thought Bryan had bought it for Brooke. LOL! Then I realized that Gary had gone back and got it for me!

My daughter got me a new light fixture for my hall. Mom gave me money for a new rug for the living room.

We had a wonderful Christmas. We pared down and didn't get everyone as much as usual and we all declared it was much nicer and not so overwhelming!

After we opened our presents yesterday, we fixed biscuits (homemade) and sausage gravy and scrambled eggs. That is our traditional Christmas morning breakfast. Then we went to an Italian restaurant at 4:00 for dinner. It was very good, different though, and Gary was not too sure about Italian on Christmas.

[gja1000]

Here's some pictures of my curio cabinet. Sorry the pictures are so grainy. The lighting is not very good in my living room and I don't have a flash on my phone. Of course, the camera is put away, and I didn't take time to dig it out!

[Janet]

Gayle...your cabinet is beautiful. I've seen some like that and always thought it would be nice to have one. What a great surprise for you!

I rec'd two CD's, a blanket and a Red Lobster gift card. It was a different kind of Christmas for us but nice. With Mom being in and out of the hospital I really didn't do a lot of shopping. Ricky got our pre-lit tree put up the day before Christmas, but we didn't get it decorated nor did we ever plug it in..lol. We didn't even wrap our gifts. An hour after exchanging gifts...we were taking Mom to the emergency room. Not a real fun Christmas, but a memorable one.

[gja1000]

So what is up with your mom now?

[JJJ]

Love the cabinet

Let's see I got a lovely silver necklace, a small basket from bed bath and beyond. Some perfum set and the best gift was a teddy bear from my lovely boy's

[paula1961]

Your cabinet is just beautiful Gayle!!
I got a "perfect brownie pan". A comfy outfit from Mom, a real cute winter picture from my son (we drew names this year) a really nice Kathy Van Zealand purse from my step daughter, and an electric skillet from Mom and several things that were made by my sister and brother with pictures of my Dad..those are priceless!!

[Janet]

It sounds like we've all rec'd some very nice gifts. I forgot to mention that the two CD's were Sugarland and Jacki Evancho. She's the little girl that was on America's Got Talent and I have totally fallen in love with her voice. The CD I rec'd is her Christmas CD and when she sings O Holy Night....I just cry.....absolutely beautiful.

[DianaB]

It sounds like everyone had a really nice Christmas. Glen and I got pictures of the grandkids and a $50 gift certificate to a local steakhouse. I also got a lilac candle (I LOVE the smell of LILAC!!!) and a Meche purse cover. Glen got me a heart necklace and made me a hanging display for my antique toy pots and pans!!! It's really cute and I've had several compliments on it already!!! I told him what I wanted and drew a basic design.....then he found what he needed from his junk pile.....and added his own special touch.......and it turned out even better than I had planned. He's very talented with a welder!!!

[Lindsey]

My favorite gift was a pair of black mukluks I have wanted for the past two years I couldn't make myself spend the money but my parents splurged for me. They are gorgeous! And sooo warm!

My parents also gave me a cute fleece robe with reindeer on it, a calendar, a gift card for jeans, and some money to put towards our trip. My brother and his family gave me a gift box from Lush (bath products) and a gift card to Indigo for books My grandma gave me some money and a box of chocolates!

Last night Scott brought a present back from his parents and they had given me a woven basket with socks, a nice mug, and a bunch of different types of teas!

We will be hosting Christmas here next year and unfortunately missed Boxing Day (I don't think you guys have that, do you?) but luckily most places are having Boxing WEEK sales. Yesterday when we got back we found some Christmas decor for really cheap that we can use next year!

[DianeW]

We do have Boxing Day over here............

I have had a very quiet Christmas, just Husband and Daughter and I...Oh and little Harvey too.
I have been running back and to, to my Uncles, he didnt want to come to me for Christmas, he is just not feeling up to socialising and he does actually like his own company......But i did ask him, and had to respect his decision.

Normally we would have been with my In-Laws and other relatives, but due to a family argument, my husband is not speaking to his Dad, who really does owe my husband an apology. He seems to think he can continue to speak to my husband like he is a 10 year old and get away with it - well he has had enough and wont forgive him until he gets an apology. I really do agree with him on this, as he doesnt speak to Dave's sister in this way but thinks its ok with husband. It has caused a rift in the family, that we know is there as, we have not had any contact from other members of the family. The only positive is that we are not called on all the time to fix this that and the other, sort out everything in their home that goes wrong, take them places etc. Presumably now the others are haveing to do something for them too - instead of always us.

Husband is speaking to his mum, and we have all explained to her how we feel, she agrees it is her husband to blame, but he is just too stubborn to apologise. She is quite ill at the moment and could do without all of this, but he wont budge. So christmas has been very quiet for us, I had them all last year - 14 in total, but it has been very nice too.

I got, 2 pairs of Pyjamas, 2 Nightdresses, 2 perfumes, slippers, money, Clinique gift set, scarf, shoes, chocolates, and a gift card.

[JJJ]

Originally Posted by Lindsey

My favorite gift was a pair of black mukluks I have wanted for the past two years I couldn't make myself spend the money but my parents splurged for me. They are gorgeous! And sooo warm!

My parents also gave me a cute fleece robe with reindeer on it, a calendar, a gift card for jeans, and some money to put towards our trip. My brother and his family gave me a gift box from Lush (bath products) and a gift card to Indigo for books My grandma gave me some money and a box of chocolates!

Last night Scott brought a present back from his parents and they had given me a woven basket with socks, a nice mug, and a bunch of different types of teas!

We will be hosting Christmas here next year and unfortunately missed Boxing Day (I don't think you guys have that, do you?) but luckily most places are having Boxing WEEK sales. Yesterday when we got back we found some Christmas decor for really cheap that we can use next year!

What is Boxing Day?

[Lindsey]

Think Black Friday for you guys in the US, but it's the day after Christmas here. It's also a statutory holiday in some provinces in Canada. The day after Christmas, most stores have huge Boxing Day sales and it's basically the biggest shopping day of the year.

[gja1000]

What does "boxing" mean, in terms of "boxing day"?

[Lindsey]

Lol nobody knows! From Wikipedia:

The exact etymology of the term "boxing" is unclear and there are several competing theories, none of which are definitive.[3] The tradition has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions. The European tradition has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown and there are some claims that it goes back to the late Roman/early Christian era; metal boxes placed outside churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen.[4]

In the UK, it certainly became a custom of the nineteenth-century Victorians for tradesmen to collect their "Christmas boxes" or gifts on the day after Christmas in return for good and reliable service throughout the year.[5] Another possibility is that the name derives from an old English tradition: in exchange for ensuring that wealthy landowners' Christmases ran smoothly, their servants were allowed to take the 26th off to visit their families. The employers gave each servant a box containing gifts and bonuses (and sometimes leftover food). In addition, around the 1800s, churches opened their alms boxes (boxes where people place monetary donations) and distributed the contents to the poor.

[gja1000]

OK, well that clears it right up! LOL! Thanks for the wiki info!