December 2019 Table

[Tampa Doll]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone.

I love this time of the year.  Lights and (old time) tinsel.  Cookies, Fruit Cake ( yeah I love it) and lots of good smells in the air.  Right now we even have some cool crisp air for Florida.

I remember as a kid the many things going on at home.  It never failed, the day we decided to put the lights up outside, it was the coldest day, but we knew Mom would have hot chocolate waiting for us and Dad would make his vegetable beef soup with HOME made bread.

One year we had a machine that had a tube up the middle of the tree and when it was turned on, Styrofoam pebbles would fall all over the tree like snow.  There was a large tub under the tree to catch it.  That went out, when me and my oldest sister shot the stuff at each other when we were taking it down.

Our last real tree was the year my brother was home from the Navy and he went for a real tree.  Beautiful till we took it down.  By the time we got it out the door, there was not a needle on it.  They were all over the floor.

I have a million of fun stories from my childhood, when life was easier for us kids anyway.

Tell me some of your favorite stories.

 

[Bailey4]

Looks amazing.

[ratdog]

I just love love love all of it!

[pineknott]

Mary Jo

the tree hanging by the window,I have one similar that Bill brought back from one of his South America cruises

you do such a nice holiday display

[bgs]

Mary Jo love your tree, table and stories.  We had real trees until I was in my 30's.  We cut down cedar trees on my grandma's farm or later on the farm mom and dad bought but never moved to.  They always smelled so good.  I like fruit cake too.   A friend of mine used to bake fruit cake cookies.  They were a favorite of mine.  It doesnt look like I am going to get to decorate much this year but I did get my mom's ceramic Christmas tree out.  I am eyeing our entryway and looking at the juniper there making plans for next year.

[ReniC]

Hi Mary Jo! Great story and I love your decorations. Do you also put another tree up in your living room or enjoy the one in the Holiday room?  I love those 3 table top trees in the first photo. Are they crochet also? 

[TexasPurl]

It's all so festive!

[Tampa Doll]

Thank you all.

Pineknott, we bought 2 of them when we went to Cancun years ago.  I always bought something for Christmas when we traveled.

I only have the one tree here.  When I lived in Freehold, I had one in the living room and one in the loft.  You saw that one as soon as you walked into the house.  The small trees are candles. I was given them on year.

I am now looking for a 6 ft tree.  The 7 ft is a little to tall for me.  I can't get up on a stool anymore.

Thank you all again.  I love decorating for Christmas.

Oh the poinsettias around the tree are battery operated.  They really look cool at night all lit up. 

[USpolishgirl]

Everything looks great!

We always had a fresh Christmas tree in Poland. My grandparents lived on a farm, we always spend out Christmas there. My grandfather use to always go and cut down a tree for Christmas :). I think that was his only "job" for Christmas LOL.  My grandmother did not had that easy, she must of been working like crazy for days maybe even weeks..?. She was a great cook & a baker. She cooked so much food & baked so many cakes & cookies. OMG! her food was great! :)..

In Poland we used to celebrate Christmas longer than here  There was a very festive Christmas Eve dinner. After that we celebrate TWO days of Christmas, not one day like here. There was a First Day of Christmas & Second Day of Christmas. So much food was there all the time on tables. Everyone was eating & drinking & TALKING..! that whole time..LOL. As a child I was tired of listening to all those story's. So I was playing with animals.  My grandmother always had a kittens or puppies & much more.. Yes, we all went to church.

Yesterday I got back from Vegas,  I lost 20 bucks, I do not gamble and that was only because of my friend. He always tells me : " You came to Vegas You need to try!" LOL.  I am going there because I love all those shows & good restaurants 

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Krys

[Tampa Doll]

Thanks Krys.  I love the stories you told.  Sometimes it makes thing better when you hear stories or remember your own.

[USpolishgirl]

On 12/7/2019 at 7:23 AM, Tampa Doll said:

Thank you all.

Pineknott, we bought 2 of them when we went to Cancun years ago.  I always bought something for Christmas when we traveled.

I only have the one tree here.  When I lived in Freehold, I had one in the living room and one in the loft.  You saw that one as soon as you walked into the house.  The small trees are candles. I was given them on year.

I am now looking for a 6 ft tree.  The 7 ft is a little to tall for me.  I can't get up on a stool anymore.

Thank you all again.  I love decorating for Christmas.

Oh the poinsettias around the tree are battery operated.  They really look cool at night all lit up. 

Mary Jo,

Did you ever consider to buy a "Pencil Tree"?. Reni C bought one for her new home, she posted pictures here of that tree not too long ago. I like those Pencil Trees I am considering to buy one for my Family room. They look great, very festive and they do not take up a lot of space, they are "skinny". I do have enough space for a big tree, but I do not want to have another tall-bulky Tree there, I have one  for my Living room. I think the big plus to that Skinny Tree is: you do not need to spent a lot of time to decorate that tree & take down decorations. Even for storage that box will be smaller.

Two years ago I bought a very nice smaller tree about 5 foot tall for my Family room. That Tree costed me over 200 Bucks and I will not put that up again. Yes, it is a really nice tree. But that thing is so heavy and "though", I am trying to say: "NOT very user friendly"!.  I almost broke my fingers to take that tree apart (2-pieces to that tree). I could not even pick-up that box to take that to my basement for storage. That damn thing must weight about 100 pounds or so, all heavy metal in there, I did broke couple of my nails. That tree is not coming up back up here! LOL  It is going out one way or another... I consider my self a strong woman I can get my big Christmas Tree up & down with no help.. But that small tree really give me so much problems...

Krys

[Tampa Doll]

I am not particularly fond of the pencil trees.  It is not the width that I am looking to replace, it is the height.  

I do not have to worry about taking it apart once it is up, as it stays up all year.  I have seen them on sale from under $100 to a little over $100.  

I saw one, that was overly expensive, that you took out of the box, turned it over and it was a tree.  Of course that was Balsam tree, so you look at over $500.  to rich for me.

 

[ratdog]

Three years ago my son proclaimed that putting up the tree was too much work and if he had his way he would "put up my Charlie Brown tree and be done with it!" 

So that is what we do now.

 

[Tampa Doll]

I love that tree.  Gave me a good laugh when I saw it.

We can't have a real one, as I have asthma and allergies.  I wish I could.