Here are my answers to the questions I posted earlier today
- Do you have any family traditions?
Not really, but when it was someone’s birthday, they always chose what we had for dinner. My dad always had Christmas Pudding on his. - With December on its way, have you ever been carol singing?
As a child, a group of us would go caroling the week before Christmas and the money donated at Sunday school. I love to sing. - Do you decorate your home for the Christmas holidays?
Yes, even though we have no kids. As a child, Dad would put the lights on the tree then my sister and I would decorate it. Today, I have a special ornament from those days, and we put a tree up with all the trimmings. Pictures below from 2021.
- Do you enjoy the Christmas rush for preparations and shopping?
I used to, even working to a budget to get something for everyone, but it has become so commercialised and expensive, there is no pleasure in it anymore, only profit for tat.
Hubby and I don’t buy expensive gifts for each other, just ‘US’ presents for the home, but we have our £10 dash for silly gifts for each other and that is fun. I send cards to family and friends and only buy personal gifts for our 2 neighbour friends.
pensitivity101 
Christmas, like many holidays has become commercialised and that is sad. I don’t buy for many people now, Naomi of course and some close friends interstate. For David’s family who also live in another state I started donating to Oxfam or similar charities on their behalf each year once the kids were grown up. They liked the idea too. For local friends I get chocolates or biscuits or some home made mince pies or White Christmas. I miss gift giving a bit but I can’t really afford to spend a lot anymore and I am so far away from the relatives that I don’t really know what people want or need now.
I stopped sending things to relatives a long time ago. I never heard anything back and we are so estranged now, it’s a waste of my money, which I can’t afford. I send a calendar to my brother in NZ which costs about £5 to post, and still send cards to everyone else. Even though I make them, posting them is not exactly cheap and I have 22 to post this year, two of which will included birthday cards so will cost a bit extra. Hubby and I will have a wonderful Christmas though, we always do. We’ll light a candle for the Dads and my Mum, have a traditional dinner, and probably nap in the afternoon after walking the dog!
Sounds like a lovely day. When David and I came to Tasmania we had a few Christmases that were just the two of us. We sometimes took a picnic to a park for lunch to give our dog an outing and then I would cook Christmas dinner for later.
Lovely. We would often go out to the woods,one year it was snowy, and another so warm we were in shirt sleeves! Too far to go really now the price diesel is, but Maya isn’t ready yet to be let off to explore very large areas like that, but it will come.
Is that a Christmas disco ball?
I don’t know to be honest. It was one of the SYW images I liked so I use it quite often.
Your tree is lovely. I like the £10 dash idea.
Thanks. Now that we’ve reorganised the lounge, we are wondering where to put it this year!
We’ve done the £10 for ourselves ever since we got together. Having no spare money at the time, we did our shopping at car book sales and charity shops. I still find the extra special something in the latter for Hubby, and no chance of duplication!! It’s the best bit of our Christmas as the sillier the better.
Phew! I went with a Birthday answer to question 1 as well. I wasn’t sure if you meant a Christmas tradition at first though.
Family traditions come in many guises. Sadje thought all my questions were Christmas related and I have to admit, I never really thought about it when I wrote it, hence my additional note.
There are so many traditions in our families. Sparky’s parents assigned each child a spot on the sofa and chairs (6 kids) and piled their gifts from Santa in their spot. Our tradition (which I tried to not do anymore) was to have an “elf gift” under the tree – elves were so sick of toys they only give underwear! Last year I didn’t have an elf gift and son#2 was upset – I bought socks for Sparky (2 packages on sale) that I had in reserve, wrapped them and handed them out!
Good recovery! The foster lad I had that had never hung up a stocking on Christmas Eve was spot gifts as I’d
thought he wouldn’t want to hang one being that much older. I always kept lots of goodies in reserve just in case,
and had plenty of fruit that year!
We donate to charity now. Usually the shelter our puppies come from
We gave a lot of our stuff to the greyhound rescue and also the Great Danes.
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