Did I mention that I have been described by my family as a Christmas Junkie?  I LOVE Christmas, and even though things are looking a bit bleak financially, I'm still looking forward to the gift giving, the family events, the church Christmas play etc, etc.

Today I paid a visit to a ship called the Logos Hope - a floating bookstore is the best way to describe it.  It's a missions ship, which visits countries all over the world, spreading the gospel, helping in communities in addition to the book fair component.   Well, it's just docked here in Barbados, and I bought myself a 2-CD album of Christmas music - the good old classics, performed by contemporary Christian artists.   I was SO excited - I paid US $5 for 20 songs of exactly the kind of Christmas music I love.  I'm playing it now and it's definitely getting me in the Christmas mood.   I'm planning to go back again - hopefully to complete some more of my Christmas shopping.  I saw some books that my DD would love - brand new, but half the normal retail cost.

Actually the CD would make a really good Christmas gift/ stocking stuffer ... except that there is no one on my gift list that is as much into Christmas music as I am.  What the hey...maybe I'll buy a few more copies as my hostess gifts.

Another Christmas project just landed on my lap today - the primary school that our girls attended (where I also work part-time) has asked me to spearhead a team to enter a tree-decorating contest.   We have to decorate a 6ft to 8ft tree with ornaments made by the students. The tree will be displayed in a nearby mall.  Should be fun, especially since I have to figure out a way to do this frugally - this has been a last minute invitation, and not in the school's budget.   The top prize is a large sum of cash for the winning school.   A colleague said that my face lit up like a Christmas tree when I heard about the project.   Actually, I'm starting to feel like a kid in a candy store. 

My mom is firing up the big freezer time to go make ya know those european type bon bonsd and what is a royal pain in the butt I need to make a starterr for stroodel and stalluion allot of work thats the only thing I really dread I really don't like christmas but I don't do that I only like the kids go crazy undoing the presants and getting dresswed up the best christmas ever my sister from sadona is coming up for cristmas that be the best christmas we had in 12 years this will be great because she knows how to tell 2 sibling if you don't like it tough...lol

We've got nine inches of fresh snow here and jingle bells is ringing in my head! :) I'm a Christmas nut, too. I almost put on Christmas music today but got sidetracked by other things. My daughter came over this evening and we spent a couple of hours going through catalogs and making notes on what to buy who for Christmas. My oldest daughter and her family will be coming back for Christmas this year, so we'll have a houseful, along with the rest of the family. I can hardly wait.

 Oooooh! Me too!! I've dug out my x-mas decor and I spent most of the day going thro them. Thankfully I've bought most of the gifts I'm giving earlier this year, since I'll not have the funds for the rest of this year. Everyone left on my list will recive home made goodies :) A gift everyone loves lol. I'm going to wait until next week to put my tree up, but only because my kids will tease me to death if I put it up befor halloween!

cyn

The rule in our house is that the tree can go up anytime from Dec. 1.  Our Independence Day is November 30 - we'll be proud patriots during the month of November!

There is an exception - I make Christmas crafts for sale, and sometimes a small tree adorned with my decorations is necessary for marketing purposes.  Today a photgrapher from a local paper is coming to take some photos for an article in which my work is being featured (hurray for free PR!) so a little tree is up on the table in my "studio" 

Homemade goodies sound like lovely gifts, for most people.  My cooking talents are barely passable so I won't be going there at all - the people on my gift list are LOVED ones after all.

I love, Love, LOVE Christmas! Like Pat I was tempted to put my Christmas music on this week but got sidetracked and forgot.  But I will be playing some next week.  I had to take some stuff to DS#1 at college today and during the 2 1/2 hour trip I planned all my Christmas decorating in my head.  Now if I can just remember all of that I'll be in good shape. 

We will be putting our trees up the weekend of Nov. 20  - three weeks from today.  We won't decorate them until Thanksgiving weekend but DH likes to put them up the weekend before because I decorate ALOT and he says it's too much for just one weekend. LOL.  We will have at least 4 trees this year.  DS#1 will be home for Thanksgiving and he is bringing his new girlfriend so I want to make sure the trees are up so everyone has a chance to help decorate them. 

Shellia

I was in a shoe store a couple days ago and they were already playing Christmas music. I commented to the clerk that they were ready for Christmas and she said they had started playing the music on October 24th.  It sounded so nice.

Its tradition at our house to put the tree up on Thanksgiving night.  My boys get all the stuff out of storage after dinner.  I've also got a lot of gifts to wrap as soon as I pick up my bows and tags this weekend. 

I'm so ready for the holiday season.

I try to put the tree up on the Friday after Thanksgiving. I'd rather do that than face the Black Friday crowds. I sneak little decorations out here and there from about the first snowfall until then, and then I go all out. I just knitted and stuffed a snowman and he's sitting on top of the TV.

 You guys are nuts, and I still love you!  To me Christmas season begins on December 8th (my latin american roots) not before.  I love the season but not for long.  This year I have to get ultra creative with gifts.  It may be a lesson to my children to be greatful to receive something maybe one thing (instead of lots of things.  I do enjoy the music but I don't like the comercial aspect of it.