(slowly raises hand)

Moi...

cuz I go to my dtr's house for xmas...and she does a helluva great tree! and she has all my ornaments to "carry on the tradition."

My oldest son will have nothing to do with Christmas and my youngest son is in grad school
(at Yale) and lives with his partner when he comes back to Chapel Hill for Christmas break.

getting his MFA in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism. He hasn't decided whether
he's going to stop with the MFA (2017) or go on to do his Ph.D. His partner
is an assistant professor at UNC-Chapel Hill up for tenure...but I think he'd be willing
to relocate at some point to some place where they might both teach. We'll see.
They've been managing a long distance relationship for the last 2 1/2 years, both when my
son was in Berlin for 10 months on a Fulbright scholarship prior to starting grad school
and since he's been at Yale.

just pretty tuckered right now.

I'm not the only one.

There is plenty of time.

Too much going on in my life right now.
Either my adult kids do it, or it will not be done.

My kids don't live nearby, but everyone comes "home for Christmas," so my husband and I knock ourselves out. I'll get started next weekend probably. It takes me several days to clean and decorate. I tried cutting back, but now there are grandchildren so I have to make it fun at Grandma's house! At some point, I hope one of my kids will take over the celebrations!

Ho ho ho

Haven't begun yet. Not for another week at least. No tree until Dec 20 or 21st. Doesn't seem right to me otherwise.

I will put one string of icicle lights up on Tuesday if the mood so strikes me. Can you tell how spirited I am this year?

Christmas flags and that's it.

We used to go all out but live 200 miles from our kids and they have it so why bother. Not in the mood anymore, kind of miss it but not the work.

It might be fun again.

when we still lived down around Milwaukee but we moved up to this God Forsaken place so there is no point as we go down by them for the Holidays.

I've decided I'm going to face what's been bothering me for a long time head on (I usually get a little
philosophical in the letter anyway) and that is this country seems to be going down the toilet. I won't be
quite that blunt--or political--but I'm definitely going to address the whole 'peace on earth, good will to men'
thing seems to be getting farther and farther out of reach.

nursing home room.

decorate for the holidays period!

Are you on the route? Or do you just hideaway on New Year's day?

I'm in Key Largo and I can't even get to my storage! Falala...

We were there during a incredibly freakish cold spell (maybe 1990?). We rented a houseboat and were going to doodle around the keys for awhile but cut it short due to the boat not having heat. We ended driving to Key West, still cold--and wet by then--but had a great time. Soooooo laid back in your neck of the woods. Liked it.

from December to March. We are hoping for a cooler winter this year, but the odds aren't good. Mosquitos are rampant!
I guess I'll have to put up my jeans and sweaters until next year, and keep the OFF handy!

I used to always get everything done the weekend after Thanksgiving!

on a balcony. I never measure the area or take note of the length of the string of lights, so the "tradition" is: I throw them up haphazardly a minimum of three times and rearrange till it looks somewhat ok.

I decided to add some yarn embroidery to the plain felt tree skirt, so that took time. Then I decided one of my garlands need reworking and that took a while. My apartment is strewn with all the stuff I've yet to display. And you know what? I sort of love it. I'm beginning to stretch projects out longer and longer because the process of making them is pretty damned satisfying.

of stuffed animals and Christmas books from my boys' childhood days. Now they are 29 and 25.
All that Christmas stuff accumulated through the years was destroyed in the fire seven years ago--including
the ornaments from my childhood.

I only just last year put together a new garland/display for the fireplace mantel in this new house we built--to replace
the one that burned--and this will be our 5th Christmas here.

I'm glad you are enjoying the process. Merry Christmas!

Today I'm going with a girl friend to see The Nutcracker. Haven't done that in YEARS. Looking forward to it.

We won't start for 2 weeks

There isn't a town from the North Sea to the Alps that doesn't have one.

We put up the tree on Dec. 11 and it comes down on Jan. 2.

Decorating tomorrow.

The empty storage boxes went back in the attic this morning.

into the extra room and shut the door until after Christmas.

But I discovered a substaintial pile of mouse poop in the cardboard box of decorations in the garage.....Yup. They got me.

Had to throw away a few small things. Oh well.

The balsam smells so good. But we need some snow up here in the east....

I didn't store Christmas decorative pillows in my attic because I was concerned squirrels might get in and think they'd make
a lovely nest...so far, they haven't figured out getting in. But mouse poop! Yuck!

I live alone and have more than enough to keep up with already.

Boyfriend and I expect to be done by the end of this week.

At least the tree is up and most of the decorations are in place; oh, and the furniture has been rearranged in a Christmas-proof way. But that still leaves window decorations, dining room - everything - and we have busy working days ahead of us.