16 days left till Christmas! We haven't decorated yet which is quite sad! We normally do it the day after Thanksgiving, but sadly, it didn't happen this year. We're hoping to get it up this Saturday, as I'll have finished the school semester by then.

As far as traditions go, we have a variety of on-and-off ones. One of my favorite traditions was to lie underneath the tree and stare up at the lights. It felt really magical (even if pokey bits of the tree would fall down).

I'm not involved very much with the making *cough* but Valia and her friend usually makes tamales. They're quite delicious.

15 days till Christmas! At our house, the stockings have been hung by the chimney with care, and I'm almost finished Christmas shopping.
What is your favorite Christmas Carol or song?
I've kinda been getting into Carol of the bells lately, (when it is done well) but another new favorite is " The Light of Christmas Morn" by Josh Bauder. A great, emotional piece that involves choirs, orchestra, and pipe organs.
Stay tuned to find out about my favorite Christmas ever! So, until I decide what that is, Merry Christmas! Keep counting!

13 days till Christmas!
I have several favorite Christmas memories, but one I remember more clearly actually happened last year (understandably ). Our church put on a Christmas play, and I played several of the parts. I remember the play started off with four British kids being evacuated from London during WWII, and going to live in a house in the country... where they hear the Nativity Story. (I suspect our scriptwriter was influenced by a certain book ).
Aside from being one of the British kids (kind of a crude counterpart to Edmund) I also played the part of a street performer who plays a wooden flute during one the scenes in which the Nativity story is being enacted. I needed to play something kind of Eastern-sounding, so during one rehearsal I played Mr. Tumnus' "Narnian Lullaby"; when I did that, one of the guys shouted across the room, "Hey! No hypnotizing people!"

Cleander, that is funny!

9 days left until Christmas!

One of my favorite traditions was to lie underneath the tree and stare up at the lights. It felt really magical (even if pokey bits of the tree would fall down).

But that sounds so lovely! I can't believe I haven't thought of doing this before. Going to try it this year, for sure.

Our tree was up last Sunday, and we even got the lights (mini coloured) on the same day. Throughout the week I was decorating. Very pretty and welcoming and colourful. We love sitting in the living room with all the other lamps off and only the mini lights on; we have white elsewhere (around a window, on the fireplace mantel) .. so cozy!

I haven't wrapped anything yet, but everything has been purchased except for final stocking stuffers, which I am buying tomorrow morning at Bulk Barn. Then I have to organize the gifts and put them in gifts bags, not forgetting to label each one.

I'm finalizing our menus this week: we have three Christmas gatherings the week of the 25th: on Christmas Day; the 29th (my extended family); the 31st (our family). So, lots of food to plan, but I really enjoy doing this—pulling out my ol' recipe boxes and thinking about favourite meals and making lists. Fun!

We had a wonderful carol sing this morning with some tenants at a supportive housing place in town. What a privilege and a pleasure! I had to play the electric piano, because the real piano there is too out-of-tune. Pity, because I much prefer the latter.

We had quite a white November and first half of December, but sadly the temps have risen a few degrees above freezing now, and the snow is melting. I'm not sure what the forecast is for next week, but we're sure hoping for snow to fall before the 25th so everything will be white again!

Balmy temperatures above freezing are putting our white Christmas as risk as well.

Which reminds me: it's time to present the white Christmas probability maps for the US and Canada (scroll down for the Canadian one).

(For these purposes a white Christmas is usually defined as a one inch snow cover in the US and 2cm in Canada).

Happy Holiday's everyone! This is easily my favorite time of the year, unfourtunatly I'll be spending this one overseas. Still though, the Christmas spirit is alive and well over here and I can't wait for it to really get rolling.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

This one is easy. Picking out the tree. In the section of Pennsylvania where I grew up, Christmas Tree farming is a huge part of the local economy. We would load up sleds into the back of my dads bronco and drive out to our favorite farm. Once we had arrived at the farm we would lash the sleds together in a tandem and attach the whole assembly to the back of my dads bronco. Probably not the safest tradition, but certainly a fun one. Picking out the tree was almost secondary to the V8 powered sledding.

What was the best Christmas you can remember?

Hmmn. This is a tough one. I'm gonna have to go with 2014. It was the last one my grandmother spent with us before she passed away shortly after new years.

What is your favorite Christmas movie?

Die Hard. Next.

What is your favorite Christmas food?

Cinamon Rolls, every christmas morning my family would chow down on cinamon rolls and a variety of hot drinks while tearing into the presents.

What was the best Christmas gift you have ever received?

Hard to pin this one down, but it was probably a book. Nothing better than sitting next to a roaring fire in your PJ's on christmas afternoon reading a brand new book.

What is your favorite Christmas Carol or song?

Anything from a Johnny Cash Christmas cd.

7 DAY UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!
My Christmas shopping quest is pretty much ended now.. now comes wrapping. Anyway,
What is your favorite Christmas gift?
I have several favorites, but one that stands out in my memory was the 5-foot replica of William Wallace's sword that I got a few years ago. Talk about a powerful gift!
A happy Christmastide to ye all!

That's a great gift, Cleander. I'd like a hand-forged katana made in Japan(preferrably Osaka where my paternal grandmother is from) as a present someday. Looks like we're gonna get a great free 'gift' this year, just checked the forecast, and it is looking like we'll actually have a white Christmas! So excited!

Ah yes, katana swords are so cool! Hope you get lucky this year! It looks like we're having a mild Christmas here, so
.. if you get too much snow, maybe you could send us the extra?

So like, 4 DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS!!!!!
What is your favorite Christmas food?
I love all food in general, but I'm gonna say I like Christmas cookies (duh). Though lately my brother has been making wassail, and it's actually pretty good. We also like to eat Corniah Hens for Christmas dinner. There's something appealing about having an entire chicken all to yourself...

Less than three days until Christmas!

It's going to be a very white Christmas here. I am thrilled!

Finally started watching Christmas films last week. We've watched the following: White Christmas (1954), It Happened On 5th Avenue (1947), Christmas In Connecticut (1945), The Christmas Child (2004), Holiday Inn (1942), Stalag 17 (1953), and Miracle On 34th Street (1947).

My siblings asked me to join their snowball fight...so I am out of here.

SnowAngel

@ Snow Angel: I'm so glad for you that it is a White Christmas somewhere where it will be appreciated. And that Northern Hemisphere weather is doing you proud. It is actually only two days to Christmas by your reckoning since we get it almost a day earlier than yourself on the Eastern seaboard of Australia.

I'm dreaming of a Green Christmas,
Just like those we've sometimes had,
With bellbirds singing and Church bells ringing
A nice cool breeze to make us glad.

I'm dreaming of a Green Christmas
Where every farmer beams with pride
Where no bushfires is amazing, and lambs are agrazing
In lush pastures near and far and wide.

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas,
Down South where it still belongs
Where the Ross Sea murmurs but still it's mid-summer,
In a land of the midnight sun....

Sorry, can't think of any more. Any ideas for a Southern Hemisphere version of Bing Crosby's song, one of my least favourite Christmas Carols?

Meanwhile, have a Merry Christmas NarniaWebbers, and all the best for the New Year.

2 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!!
My gift-wrapping troubles are over, and now the relaxing part of Christmas has set in... and that means board games, a walk around the neighborhood in the dark, consuming an unnatural amount of sugar and calories with utter abandon, and of course, the climactic opening of the presents!
Hmm, waggawerewolf, that White Christmas parody reminds me of the "reply" I came up with to "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" (otherwise known as a bunch of annoying people showing up on your doorstep demanding figgy pudding before they'll quit annoying you):
Leave or I will open fire,
Leave or I will open fire,
Leave or I will open fire,
And I won't miss from here.

This house, it was NOT,
For loiterers built.
Leave or I will open fire,
And your blood will be spilt!

.... Is that perhaps a bit too vicious for the season? (I could imagine Scrooge or the Grinch singing it though ).
Anyway, Merry Christmas, to one and all!

9 HOURS to Christmas here.

.... Is that perhaps a bit too vicious for the season? (I could imagine Scrooge or the Grinch singing it though ).

Um yes, a little. I do understand the sentiment but we have gun laws you see. Scrooge or the Grinch can say Bah! Humbug! all he likes, enjoying Christmas Future in a police cell for having in his possession an unlicensed firearm.

My Southern Hemisphere version would be a bit tame I'm afraid:

Sorry we love salad
Sorry we love salad
Sorry we love salad
You'd melt with hot pud.

This land is not
For snow bunnies built
You said you'd go swimming
So don't you dare eat hot pud.

Do enjoy your Christmas Pudding, whether it has figs in it or not. We are promised weather that might turn us to puddles of perspiration.

It's about 9 hours to Christmas right now where I live!
Yes, I could understand there being a bit of an uproar over shooting Christmas carolers, waggawerewolf. But where I live, there's plenty of people who act as if there are no gun laws. It's common to see signs that say things like "If you can see this, you're in range" or " Prayer is the best way to meet the Lord: trespassing is faster!"
But for all the bluster about guns, I don't think anybody would actually shoot someone for doing annoying things on their front porch.
I'll try to post if I get a minute tomorrow, but I might be a bit busy since we got family coming over. so we'll see. If I don't get around to it, A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone on Narniaweb!