The Joy of Anticipation

As part of our Christmas gifts to our family we purchased tickets for all of the adults to attend a stage production together.  We also promised them dinner out before going to the theatre. Most importantly, my husband included a very heartfelt message from us along with our gift. The note shared our love for all of them and the realization of how busy all of our lives are.  It spoke of the importance of family and the value that we put on our shared time together. A few tears were shed and calendars were marked with the priority being "family".

We are looking forward to this night out with our adult children. Schedules have been cleared and babysitters have be lined up.  Oh, the joy of anticipation!

Recycling our Christmas Trees

Our family has discovered a really fun way to recycle our Christmas trees. We use fresh cut Christmas trees in our homes.  At the first of the year we recycle the trees into an annual family event.  This family tradition is looked forward to every year.

This year we burned our trees one at a time rather than one huge bonfire. Each one burned very differently. The first one went up in a huge poof and burned really hot and fast. The flames probably went 30 feet up. The sight was a bit scary since that tree had been inside a home just a few days before.  The next tree to be thrown on the fire had stayed really fresh even after being taken out of water and laying in the sun for several days. It burned very slow and made a lot of smoke. Not so great for this event but a great feather in the cap for Home Depot Christmas trees.  My son had packaged his tree in a huge TV box for the event. The entire box was thrown on the fire.  It was an amazing sight as it burned though the cardboard igniting the dry tree within!

The grandkids love this event each year and the adults keep a very watchful eye over them to ensure that everyone stays safe. Donuts and hot chocolate were enjoyed by everyone at the end of this very fun family tradition.

Planning Ahead for Grandkids Christmas Day Camp 2009

I have been checking out many of the after Christmas sales for anything that inspires a craft, a project, or an activity for next years all day Grandkids Christmas Day Camp. I have come across some great things at some really fair prices. When I find great buys that inspire a craft I have to be able to get ten of whatever so that each child gets one and I have one to make up the sample project ahead of time.

I am really excited about some of my finds knowing the excitement they will generate among my little day camp guests next year. I can't post my finds because I have grandchildren that read my blog and the Christmas day camp projects are always kept as a big surprise for them.

I have started filling in the slots in next years schedule so that I can keep a watchful eye out for items needed to complete the projects throughout the year. When I pick up the needed items throughout the year they go into my Christmas Day Camp Trunk and become Grandma Treasures to be kept safe until I pull them out to create more cherished Christmas memories with my grandchildren!

Each year it gets a bit easier to fill the twelve hour  schedule when I discover activities that really work well. Those things become Christmas Day Camp Traditions that will stay on the schedule for as long as the kids continue to enjoy them. This year we added the Christmas Candy Walk which will be a keeper on next years schedule.  The Candy Walk is an outdoor activity because Arizona weather allows that in December. It is the same concept as a cake walk. I have a past posting on the details of the Candy Walk if you are interested in how it works. My star cupcake activity will also be tweaked next year since I found some adorable Christmas cupcake designs that I know the kids will love creating!

As you can see this Christmas tradition that I have with my grandchildren is something I love to do as a grandma. I find joy in the preparations for the next one all year long!

Adult Night Out Christmas 2008

Without this bunch I wouldn't be a grandma at all! These photo's were taken on the evening of our Christmas adult night out with our grown children while all of the grandchildren were at my home with sitters having a cousin party of their own.

Our youngest grandson came along with us this year. He looks to be having a great time too while giving his aunt a hug during dinner.

My grown children and their spouses are an absolute treasure to me.  I couldn't be more proud of them for the values and integrity that they live by.  I am so grateful for the  productive and self reliant lives that they live and for the example they are to the next generation. They each take the responsibility of parenting and providing for their families very seriously. They also provide and give a lot of love and patience to their children which has nurtured very happy and secure grandchildren for me to love too!

Last Year Hanging on Our Christmas Tree

This ornament along with many others will be packed up in their own special box this year. My youngest daughter is engaged and is planning to be  married next summer. She will be taking the ornaments from our tree that she has made and collected since she was born to start her own family collection.

She made this ornament when she was in preschool and it has been hanging on our tree for many years. Her very first ornament was collected at just three months old.

All of our ornaments are very special to us and the memories of each of them bring us  so much joy each year as we unpack them and hang them on our tree. It is a bit sad to think that all of the handmade ornaments that my children have made over the last 32 years will all be gone next Christmas. 

It is however fun to see them bringing joy to the next generation in their own homes where they are all starting their very own family Christmas  traditions and memories.

True Reason for the Season

You cannot have too many reminders of the true meaning of the season in your home. This simple nativity is a favorite of mine for two reasons. I think it is adorable and it also brings me great joy when I think of the dear friends who made it and gave it to me.

Deck the Halls

I may be a bit over the top in my holiday decorating. I completely clear out my china cabinet every year and decorate it in glittery gold decor and lights. This year I added some huge gold sequined balls that really pick up the lights and add a lot of extra holiday sparkle which I love, love, love.

I set these trees in front of my large mirror in my entry. The mirror makes it look like we have twice the lights and ornaments on the trees!

Fresh Fruit Wreath

This picture does not look as beautiful as this wreath does in person. This year I placed this huge lighted wreath in the center of my kitchen island where I usually keep a wire basket of fresh fruit. I decorated the wreath with the fresh fruit. The apples, oranges, lemons, and pears are not just beautiful accents on the wreath but they are edible too!

Surviving Handmade Ornaments 1975-2008

They are not the most beautiful ornaments on our tree but they may be the most cherished. These ornaments were made by my husband and I the first year we were married. We made about 24 of them at the time. These are the only two that have survived all of these years. 

They are no longer kept with the other ornaments because they have become very fragile. They have a special place in the master closet where they are kept safe until it is time to hang them high on our Christmas tree away from little hands the next year.

Extra Special Ornaments

These two handmade ornaments are from a set of six that were given to me by a dear friend. The ornaments were made and embroidered by the mother of my friend. I became a very close friend with the mother. She was the same age that my grandmother would have been if she hadn't passed away when I was a young girl. Our friendship was an unlikely one since I was in my early thirty's and she was in her eighties. I visited her often, took her shopping, and I spent many hours with her after her stroke.

When she passed away her daughter gave me the ornaments as a keepsake in her memory. Every year when I get out the ornaments I am reminded of my dear, dear friends.

Arizona Snowman

This ornament was a gift from a friend. It is an Arizona snowman. It is one of my favorites!

Special Time with Great Grandma

This year I had my parents over to my home for a few days to celebrate Christmas with my family. Each of my children and their families came on a different evening to spend some time with us. My parents were thrilled to see their grandchildren and great grandchildren.

These three girls were thrilled with their new Christmas ornaments their great grandma made for them.

Grandma and Great Grandma Crafting

During my mothers visit we worked together to make some Christmas Tree ornaments for my kids and their families. We painted them, added some buttons, and tied a bow on the top. They turned out cute don't you think?

Made with Love

Great Grandma (my mother) has made hundreds of tied quilts for her family over the years. She has 22 grandchildren and three times that in great grandchildren. Every child received a tied quilt or quilts as an infant, and special quilts were made for our family when she found fabric she thought a certain child or adult would like. Many other quilts were given to her children and their families as a gift of her love to keep us warm in our beds. Every grandchild received a king size quilt as a wedding gift too.

Quilts will forever be her legacy . They cover the beds and are snuggled with by her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren across the United States.

Great Grandma is in her eighties now and she is no longer able to make quilts. This makes the quilts she made for us very precious. I worked with my mother this year and together we made small tied quilt Christmas ornaments. It was a special time for my mother and I and I was very happy to see her enjoying using her quilting skills on a much smaller scale.

My mother was in my home when each of my children and grandchildren chose the quilt ornament to take home to put on their Christmas tree. They all loved them. These small quilt ornaments will be honored and kept for generations in our family as a reminder of great grandma and her legacy of the quilts she made with love for her family.

Another Generation of Grandparents are In the House

I have my mother and father staying with me this week. They are in their 80's. My mother is in the beginning stages of dementia and my father has lost most of his vision. Due to their health and mobility restrictions we have had to change one of our annual Christmas Traditions.

In years past we have all gone to visit them in their home, taking in dinner or a treat to share as a family, and some sort of activity to do with them. This was a tradition that our family always loved doing as part of our Ho...Ho...Ho...liday Traditions. My parents always looked forward to it just as I and my grown children did.

This year I have brought my parents to my home and each night a different family (of my adult children) comes to spend some time with their grandparents and great grandparents. Last night my oldest daughter and her family brought them a gift basket filled with Hostess Suzie-Q's which is a favorite snack of her grandpa. The basket also included jars of fruit and jams from her recent home canning.

I baked some cinnamon rolls and we all shared a treat as we visited with a very special generation of grandparents. This morning they were anxious to try the new jams. They each chose a different kind and grandma was very pleased with her granddaughters home canning skills!

Christmas Hunt Activity 2008

The children loved this activity. It was much like an Easter egg hunt but using two dozen small Christmas drums I had purchased at the dollar store. Each child had a turn hiding the drums while the other children stayed in the back hall. We started from youngest to oldest this time.

When it was your turn you got to wear the reindeer antlers to add to the Christmas theme of the day. When the child was done hiding all of the drums they went to get the rest of the children for the hunt.

If they were having trouble finding one or two of the hidden drums we just went on to the next child and hoped we found them the next time. One proved to be especially hard and was found very late in the day by one of the children. It was a very EXCITING find!

Light Strand Craft

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This is a strand of lights that the children have seen several times to add some festive color at family celebrations. I turned the light strand into a custom Christmas craft project for the children.

I cut paper plates so that they could be easily shaped into a shade for the light strand. The children each decorated their paper plates and wrote their names on them. We then stapled them on the light strand to create a craft that each child had a part in making.

Following the project everyone got on their shoes and jackets and the new light strand was strung outdoors to be enjoyed during our campfire Christmas Caroling activity.

The light strand now hangs over a mirror in the grandkid's toy room at grandmas house to be enjoyed the entire holiday season!

Christmas Day Camp Snack Time

Eating at the day camp is an activity in itself. We have multiple snack times in our schedule throughout the day. Being well organized by having the snacks ready to serve ahead of time really helps. This was a simple snack of a variety of crackers and apple juice.

Later in the day we had a snack of cheese, apple slices, and crackers. Evidently doing crafts and playing with your cousins works up quite an appetite!

Christmas Day Camp Dinner & Dessert 2008

It is a tradition to have take out pizza for dinner. As the day is winding down, easy clean up is just what we need. The pizza is served on Christmas plates and their holiday cups are filled with their choice of drink.

The star cupcakes they made earlier in the day have been waiting to be their dinner dessert! The children choose one of their cupcakes to eat and they save the other to take home.

Christmas Stocking Craft 2008

This is an example of something I found after Christmas last year for a real steal and created a craft to use them at this years day camp. We adorned the colorful and cute stockings using the stocking as our pattern.

The top photo shows the before and after pictures of the stocking craft.

We added a band of cotton balls at the top of the stocking.

Red beads for the berries.

A silk leaf.

A velvet bow.

Fabric toes and heels to the stocking.

Fun Christmas stickers to the centers of the stars.

Their name on the opposite side along the top of the stocking.

This was a very simple project that they were all very proud of when they were finished!