siageah

PM="private message" and DD is dear daughter HTH (hope that helps)

A real tree. We never have a huge mess problem, just keep it filled with plenty of water. I had to decorate hundreds of fake trees over the years in stores and a fake tree just feels like "work." A real tree is a holiday! That said, I also have a fairly sizeable collection of really FAKE trees in pink, silver, lime green, blue etc in smaller sizes that I put around the house. If a tree is fake, I want it to look fake and sparkly. And LOL at the 'Griswold" remark.

Nope, can't get it to work either. Bummer.

Thanks! Very interested in the $50 digital tuner. Truly do hope the stores get that kind of quantity.

Oh my gawd that is so good! I stocked up on it when it went on clearance after the holidays. I'll have to look for it in the store...thanks!

My daughter wants a Diego toy. Prince Diego. And I bought one on sale over the summer and that was part of the recall. And every time I turn around now there is another recall. I'm really getting fed up with it all. No, of course she doesn't need any new plastic toys really. But this is something that she has asked for consistently and she probably isn't going to get it because of this lead paint. I think she may end up with a Diego V-Smile cartridge or the like.

I buy DDs dresses the year before during the Christmas sales and clearances. Then I'll pick up things on eBay, yard sales, outgrown sales, whathaveyou. So yes, I have her Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve outfits picked out and have a ton left over! You aren't crazy. Well, just as crazy as the rest of us!

Now that I have a daughter, every year. Before I only sent them out every now and again.

OH I so hope so! I don't think I'll even count that as a present for DD, but one for me! :)

Thanks for the info! I used to work there too, for ten years, oy!. Probably left about 8 years ago myself. I had a very bad habit of accidentally misplacing a case of Cranberry Balsam 3 wick candles til 90% off. I was incredibly absent minded. Can't believe it, LOL. I just went through the website and I'll stop by the store tomorrow and stock up on gifts and such. With the horrible same store sales they reported for December, they should have lots left!

Pier 1 used to go 90% off too, but I haven't been in the last couple of years so I don't know if they still do.

I think Kmart went 75% off today, but DO watch the pricing! Many gift sets, food and cologne and such were mixed in with the 75% off, but were not scanning in that way. But that said we did pick up some holographic lights (train and penguins), they still had a bunch of trees, lots of cards and the usual stuff too. Check the Glade candles for Christmas scents. Some rang up 75% off, some didn't.

Are the prices online generally the same in store? Their shipping is INSANE as you all have mentioned. And I'd like to pick up some sets of PJs.

Outlets have always been the least of my concerns when travelling or visiting, it seems! It is always phones, glass, ceramics, top heavy tables, etc! Either we move everything out of the way or watch her by tag teaming. That seems to work best in houses where you *can't* move everything. Just ask everyone to keep an eye out. If you need or want to leave the room, hand primary responsibility off to someone else while you go to the bathroom, grab an appetizer, etc. A lot of the homes we visit you couldn't gate off anyway as the door frames are odd sizes. DD never stayed in a pack n play, so that was never an option. An a few minutes in front of a favorite video or DVD is NOT a horrible thing if you want to just eat part of a meal in peace.

I am exhausted just READING your list! My heavens, that is quite impressive!

Could you post the recipe for the eggnog cream cheese cookies? These sound GOOD. Last year I did sugar cookies, orange cookies, shortbread, chocolate chip, and oatmeal raisin. This year I'm adding press cookies too. But I'm looking through seeing what else I can add. I love citrusy cookies over the holidays, so I may do a lime cookie too as well.

Finish the cards, pick out and put up the tree, cookies and cakes, more Santa visits, wrap presents...that is about it, LOL! Have all of the decorating done other than the tree though, so I'm happy with that. All of the shopping has been done for months. I have most of the cards done, just waiting for one more order to come in for the last of the cards. So it isn't really that bad at all... AARRRGGHH! Ah, I love it! Really!!

I've used an angel, star, or bow. It has been an angel for the last couple of years now.

And do you make it? I used to, but it is awfully expensive to make. And I LOVE it! Especially the ones I would make, everything soaked in booze, then wrapped in booze and aged...what is not to like? Mine hardly had any batter, just enough to hold it all together.

Water, water, and water! First, have the place you get it from cut an inch or so off of the bottom stump. If they don't do it, you do it. Then when you put the tree up, add hot water to the container for the first watering. It will help loosen any sap that was formed since it was cut (if it was a couple of hours prior, anything more than that and you will need to make a new cut.) Do not place it somewhere overly warm, like a heating vent, fireplace, etc. Try not to keep your house overly warm or it will dry out the tree. The first couple of days that tree will suck up a TON of water. Check it twice a day and refill constantly. It will slow down the water consumption in a couple of days then you can check once a day. Keep it filled! It really isn't that hard, just keep it watered. That is the single most important thing. And you'll have a beautiful tree for weeks!

Cranberry Balsam from Pier 1. I don't know if they still carry it actually. When I worked there I bought a TON and I'm still burning them.

I prefer to have twinkle lights in the center of my tree and multi strands through out the rest of my tree. Twinkle lights, however, have become dang IMPOSSIBLE to find! I did have plain white lights outside but my neighbors have started to irk me with their "status" and such, so I am going colored and heck, flashing with moving lights if I can. The interior is still done with white for now, though as my dd starts to develop an opinion, that will change. Honestly, if it makes her happy, I'll have motion lights in chartreuse and pink if it will make her happy, LOL!

What kind of lights do you put up and where? Solid white on the outside porch? Twinkle lights on the tree? Flashing lights on the gutters? Those big color lights on the outside trees? Gold lights on the mantle? Share your must have lights in your must have spots!

In the Philadelphia area, other than the Mummers on New Years Day, one also has the Wanamakers (now Macys) light and music show, Longwood Gardens Festival of Lights, The Thanksgiving Day Parade when Santa arrives, Festival of Lights at the Camden Childrens Garden, Polar Express/Santa trains at BOTH Strasburg and Middletown Railroad (that one is closer to H-burg), and umm...there maybe more but they are the only ones on my calendar, heh.

Of course....NIGHT COURT! :)