glitterstarr

I like lights but definitely not Griswald lights. IMO some over decorate the outside of their homes but if decorating that way makes that person happy then I say go for it and have fun!

Doesn't matter to me one bit what type of stamp that I use or what type of stamp on the ones I receive.

I guess you can say I will be shopping on Turkey Day/Night because I work part time at an Auction and Thanksgiving Night is always their big Christmas Auction. So I will be buying a lot of things there that night! You can always get lots of great deals on everything that night and it's all NEW stuff!

We buy for my MIL, FIL, BIL, 2 kids and my husband buys for his boss and his wife and we purchase a woman's gift and man's gift for our annual Christmas get together at church and our Pastor a gift. So I guess 10 all together. Which a lot has already been purchased thru out the year.

We go next door to the inlaws for noon lunch which consist of both my MIL and FIL, BIL, me, my husband, my son and daughter. So I guess a small gathering. My parents are both deceased and my brothers and sisters live 4 hours away from me so we don't get to see each other during the holidays but will talk on the phone Christmas Day to each other.

My inlaws always fills our freezer every year for our Christmas present with hamburger, t-bone steaks, chicken and sausage. I never have to purchase meat thru out the year. I love getting this for Christmas each year. I think my inlaws drive to a special meat market to purchase ours but I have no idea what the name of the place is called. It's like 2 hours from where we live. Your inlaws will be thrilled with a gift like your planning to purchase for them and will be so grateful.

Always open gifts and we never eat breakfast at any time of the year. None of us have ever been breakfast eaters.

No I never send out photos and I have never sent out one of those long christmas news letters for a card neither. I think those letters are so tacky to send during the holidays instead of a card. NO offense to those who do send those letters instead of cards but the ones I receive are always bragging on little Susie or little Johnny that I end up laughing at the whole letter. LOL

No I don't leave any decorations out. A month is enough for me then I'm ready to take it all down and put it all away until the next year. I guess that is why I like decorating and get excited to decorate when Christmas does roll around because I only do it for a short while and it's something different to look at thru out the house for a change.

Well now we don't do much of anything on Christmas Eve but we use to go to my parents but they are now both deceased. So for the past few years my husband always takes me out for lunch on Christmas Eve so that is becoming our new tradition for me and him to just have quality time spent together. I learned a hard lesson when my mom passed away 2 weeks before Christmas in 2001 that gifts and all the stress of Christmas and finding the right presents doesn't mean squat. It's the time spent with those you love that you will cherish and remember in the years to come. When my both my children were young they use to leave out a bowl of water for Rudolph and my husband and I would sprinkle in red koolaide later that night. My children loved to see the red water the next morning because they always thought Rudolph's nose made the water red. LOL On Christmas morning the inlaws always come over (they live right next door to us) and open gifts then we all go to their house to open gifts and we eat lunch with them. Then my husband and I always come home take a nap and then get up and take down all the decorations and put them up for next year.

This is what I do I hide my daughters stuff right under her nose every year and she never finds it! Oh for the one who asked about the names on packages and handwriting. I never put name tags on them. What I did was get each child specific wrapping paper and wrote down which one of my kids had which wrapping paper. That way they never knew who's gift was who's under the tree. Just in case I ever needed a gift tag I always just had a friend to do it for me and then put the name tags up until I needed them. I still have gift tags with their names on them that I haven't used over the years. LOL

I only fill one stocking which is my daughters. I usually fill hers with chapstick, hair clippies and other things for her hair, nail polish. Anything small that will interest a 17 year old.

I hang my fake pumpkin every year on the porch the first of October and yes I have to hang it or my husbands dog will tote it off to the neighbors house. LOL

Always the cinnamon spice scents at Christmas time.

My daughter tells me what she wants every year and every year she will always let me know way in advance like in July or August. This year she wants a portable DVD player and clothes. Last year she wanted a computer and that was the only thing she wanted. We also get her other things that way she does have a few surprises under the tree that she doesn't know what she is getting. My inlaws are having a new house built this coming summer in 2007 and my MIL has asked for new things for her house so I think I will be buying her a new comforter set for her bedroom. And some other little knick knack things for her new home. I always get to shop for my MIL since my mom has passed away and I love shopping for her and hubby does the shopping for his dad and brother. My husband and I never exchange gifts we would rather spend it on our daughter instead and we pretty much get what we want thru out the year anyway.

I don't do tons of lights but where I live I am about the only one who does lights outside. It is 2 other houses that do outside things but not as much as I do.

It depends on what my daughter wants year to year. I usually get things that she wants on her list. Last year was around 800 dollars this year her list is not as pricey. So will probally be less than that this year.

We don't watch it because none of us are really big on parades of any kind. If it was only me in the house the TV would never get turned on until it was time for CSI. LOL

Usually I cook but since I have to work Thanksgiving night this year I've already told mine that I won't be cooking and they can go to grandma and grandpa's to eat Thanksgiving dinner!

I buy like that all the time and save it to give thru out the year. Right now I have a whole corner full of boxes with things I've picked up all year long for things that come up during the year. I've used a lot of them for birthday gifts, wedding presents or just to give out to people who might need a lift me up.

Christmas is my favorite holiday and I love decorating for Christmas. The inside of the house is TOTALLY mine and my husband will leave home when I start decorating the day after Thanksgiving. He does help me decorate the outside with a little moaning and groaning when I keep changing my mind on how to do it.

We buy for immediate family only. First we buy strictly for our daughter who is still at home, then we buy for our son who lives on his own and we buy for my husbands mother, father and brother. The only outside family purchases that are made are for husbands boss and his wife and a woman's gift, man's gift and child's gift for our yearly church Christmas get together. The main thing we always make sure our daughter is covered before anyone else. My husband and I never exchange gifts we would rather take that money that we spend on ourself to spend on our daughter.

I have points also and trying to make it to get the DVD player. Have almost 7000 points and I don't think I'm going to make it to get it before Christmas tho because my surveys are slowing way down and I'm hardly getting any to take.

When I get one from somebody else because if they don't send me one I don't send anybody else one. LOL

For my daughter............ Makeup hair straightening iron hairbrush/comb/mirror and clippie set DVD's probally about 6 or 7 so far