turtle_elf

JCPenney's is where I used to take my kids, I still do for some pictures. But I take a lot myself now. Digital Camera's make life really nice! I decided to start taking my own, a lot when I got to looking at some of my shot's and liked them better than the one's I had paid for. The kids are more relaxed and their smiles are more genuine, I like that!

In the past we have always had dinner with family on Christmas Eve. Either hosted at our house or one of their houses. Late in the evening we all gather around with a cup of eggnog, Christmas music, a fire in the fireplace, and open a gift, our Christmas PJ's and slippers. Everyone puts on their Christmas jammies, and we settle down in front of the fireplace, and I read them "The Night before Christmas". Then the children are allowed to select a cookie each for Santa's plate and they get him a cup of eggnog. Then they are off to wash their hands and faces and brush their teeth, and off to bed! Then it is time to do the mad transformation of the family room, and getting everything out and taken care of! This year will be different. We live overseas now, and will be on our yearly repat over the holidays. So we will be on a cruise ship during Christmas. But I will have all the stockings tucked away in our luggage, as well as those Christmas Jammies, and the "Night Before Christmas". Just for Christmas Eve! And we will have some of their smaller gifts with us for Christmas morning!

I pick up little trinkets from wherever we have traveled to throughout the year to put in there, such as zipper pulls with their name and the place visited on them, a keychain, deck of cards, etc. I also will get special candies, but include one of the fun spin toothbrushes and tooth paste. Cute pencils and pens. Fun post-it notes. Lipgloss, perfume and earrings for girls, matchbox cars, mini puzzles, collector's cards for the boys. I also put a BMG gift certificate for all of them in there. These are great because they can trade the certificate in for a cd of their choice and don't have to pay shipping or anything! I also keep my eye out all year, and if I see something cute that will fit in the stocking, I get it!

Target, Kohls, and Best Buy!

Buy.com has a 2 gb Sandisk mini cruzer for $118.34 (no rebates involved).