Merry Christmas!

[Dirk]

To all of you TFPers out there that celebrate it, Merry Christmas!!!

Tell us about your day...

What did you find under your tree? Something you wanted? Asked for? Didn't ask for but happy to get? Didn't ask for, didn't like, but can't figure out how to break that news? Anything for the pool?

Mine was a week ago, to help coordinate all the places that my family needs to be during Christmas week. I like to go early, so that I can have everyone there, with no scheduling conflicts. Plus, because I always procrastinate and shop at the last possible minute, that last possible minute is a week or so before Christmas Eve!! So I had all my family (but not extended family due to you-know-why), and lots of presents and stockings and a roast with mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. That's just about perfect for me!

So I'm done with Christmas already, but still want to wish all of you a very happy holiday season! ☃

Cheers,
Dirk

 

[kimkats]

I did a "Family" sing along at work with the residents that were there for Christmas Eve. They LOVED it! THEN Santa came walking down the aisle to Santa is Coming to Town and passed out over large candy canes to every one there! Good thing I bought 70 as we went through 65 of them! I had not idea that many would come. It is something I will do again next year!

Tim and I are going to have a quiet time together with my 3 day weekend. Some hikes in the National Forest are planned with Bullet.

We stopped doing presents a couple of years back. Instead we make memories together. They seem to last longer than things for us. We usually do a dinner out a few days out from Christmas with our family and friends but not this year.

I hope everyone gets what they want and enjoys those they are with during this wonderful time of year!

Kim

 

[setsailsoon]

Merry Christmas back at you Dirk!

For the first time ever we're spending Christmas at home alone. I know that sounds sad but it's not really as bad as it sounds thanks to technology. We're doing virtual shout-outs to all the family and close friends through Zoom with the last one being a Bourbon Toast this evening with my brother that we almost always do in person. We're close to "poster children" for those that should be careful from age and wife's severe asthma/allergies so we've done common sense precautions and so far it's worked with minimal inconveniences. We also have so much to be thankful for that we don't let the "C-word" ruin our life. After all, we were lucky enough to have our Christmas Eve swim in the 90 degree pool last night! Good thing since it's 45 deg with blustery winds this morning. It's sure been a weird year and each year we'll look back to this year each time we put our 2020 ornament on the tree that has our family with masks and TP to remember it by.

Best regards to our TFP family and wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Chris

 

[Mdragger88]

 

[Arizonarob]

What did you find under your tree?

Cat puke.

Something you wanted?

Oh, well, who doesn’t!

Asked for?

Not directly, but it comes with the cat.

Didn't ask for but happy to get?

Hardly contain myself.

Didn't ask for, didn't like, but can't figure out how to break that news?

Oh, the whole house knows for sure.

Anything for the pool?

Yup, the cat!!

 

[Leebo]

Woke up yesterday to weather in the 50’s. Cooked on the grill and enjoyed the day outside. Went to Mass last night as we expected a winter storm to hit overnight, and it did. But not before we feed the deer before bed.

Feeding the deer

• Leebo
• Dec 25, 2020

Woke up this morning to roughly 7 inches of snow. Not a big deal as we’ve already planned on staying home today with the kids and close family.

Winter Weather

• Leebo
• Dec 25, 2020

Unfortunately some old dude and his deer broke into the house last night and made a HUGE mess. I kinda think they even dented our new metal roof as they kept stumbling up there. Filing a police report later

Where’s the floor?

• Leebo
• Dec 25, 2020

The best gift so far today, Soph’s blanket-jacket-hoodie-whatever it’s called

Soph’s Outfit

• Leebo
• Dec 25, 2020

Merry Christmas Everybody!!

 

[tim5055]

Trigger says Merry Christmas!

 

[Dirk]

If my mother is looking down, she'd be happy to know one of her Christmas traditions is carrying on. She must have created it, because I can't imagine her parents did the same. She would fill our stockings with little presents, and always an apple or orange in the toe. But every one of the little presents, a few dozen in each stocking, would be gift wrapped (x three stockings). No matter how small the present. Candy, scotch tape, little toys, tooth paste, chapstick, gum, etc, etc. Silly things, practical things. As a kid, I never appreciated what went into making that happen, but I sure do now!! Hours and hours of wrapping at least a hundred little presents. Thank Santa for the dollar store!!

It's a big hit around my tree. The littles have a blast. Talk about covering the floor! And they know ahead of time that the apple is waiting for them, in the toe...

 

[kimkats]

That is a LOT of wrapping!!! I am all for gift bags!!!

 

[Leebo]

I’d suspect the Apple/Orange a carry-over of when your mother was a kid. During the Great Depression families didn’t often have the cash for a ton of gifts. It was very common for families to put fruit in the stockings as it was a special treat, especially those on the East Coast. Items like oranges were hard to find often during the winter as it was difficult to transport items from coast to coast.

And a special gift to me......all the kids kinda played nice for a photo!

Christmas Mass

• Leebo
• Dec 25, 2020

 

[Dirk]

I’d suspect the Apple/Orange a carry-over of when your mother was a kid. During the Great Depression families didn’t often have the cash for a ton of gifts. It was very common for families to put fruit in the stockings as it was a special treat, especially those on the East Coast. Items like oranges were hard to find often during the winter as it was difficult to transport items from coast to coast.

I'm sure that is true. She was definitely a child of the Depression. Why else would she wrap socks and underwear as Christmas gifts!?!

Beautiful family, Lee!

 

[Mdragger88]

It’s not Christmas w/out the obligatory underwear & socks! You know you’re getting old when u are looking forward to it

 

[Dirk]

Oh no! I'm old?!? I did just recently order socks for myself. Was that me buying an early Christmas present for myself, subliminally?!?!

 

[Dirk]

That is a LOT of wrapping!!! I am all for gift bags!!!

Gift bags!!?? Never! Are you the kind of person that sticks one of those "Christmas Lights" projectors in your front lawn and declares your house "decorated?" Say it isn't so!! I may have only decorated one tree in my front yard, but they're real lights! (I used my pool brush to get them way up high in the tree!)

 

[kimkats]

Rest assured I have a REAL tree inside my house that is FULLY decorated!

I did the gift bags when I had a classroom full of kids (21) to give presents to so....................gift bags to the rescue!

 

[Dirk]

Rest assured I have a REAL tree inside my house that is FULLY decorated!

That goes without saying. What about outside, GrinchKats!?!

 

[kimkats]

We did at the old house as we lived in a neighborhood. Had the big bulb tree with inflatable reindeer and all kinds of lights everywhere. Now that we live in a ranch community where each house is on 5 or more acres and it is a dirt road there is really no real traffic to see it so we gave it all to the family that bought the old house and they still put it all up and more!

I do need to take pics of what I did at the Resort! I did it up right!!! Snowflakes falling from the 2nd floor towards the koi fish pond/waterfall in the main part of the entrance. THREE trees-7.5', 9', & 12' BLINGED out!

 

[markayash]

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

 

[AUSpool]

Merry Xmas from Australia although its Boxing Day morning hear now. Love those snow pics, if it wasn’t for you know what we would be waking up in Aspin this morning with a month of skiing ahead of us. Instead of snow we have blue sky’s with an expected top of 85F and I get to pull my worn out work boots back on and get back to work.

 

[Dirk]

We did at the old house as we lived in a neighborhood. Had the big bulb tree with inflatable reindeer and all kinds of lights everywhere. Now that we live in a ranch community where each house is on 5 or more acres and it is a dirt road there is really no real traffic to see it so we gave it all to the family that bought the old house and they still put it all up and more!

I do need to take pics of what I did at the Resort! I did it up right!!! Snowflakes falling from the 2nd floor towards the koi fish pond/waterfall in the main part of the entrance. THREE trees-7.5', 9', & 12' BLINGED out!

OK, SantaKats, Christmas spirit has been restored!