Originally Posted by skimonkey

Thanks, Gabe! We had a wonderful time and my mom enjoys going every year to see the holiday decorations. She calls it tradition now that I take her each year for the past 5 years!

Me too, I like to see the decorations but can't stand the crowds in the shops!

The Archangel

Love those decorations Ski......that's a big local Mall!

Originally Posted by Gabriel1

Me too, I like to see the decorations but can't stand the crowds in the shops!

The Archangel

Surprisingly, the time we went wasn't too bad-thank goodness! ...though the Apple store was jammed!

Originally Posted by leelai

Love those decorations Ski......that's a big local Mall!

Yes, it's called the Somerset Collections. It is actually 2 malls...connected by an a bridge with 2 people movers. I like the north side, because the Apple store is in there!

Originally Posted by skimonkey

Yes...when Santa comes to Michigan he requests Palm Trees to keep him warm...since if gets very cold here! ...he also likes to have a little bit of poolside time next door as you can see!

I have a child this year, you know who lol, so I have to go shopping for him. Thank goodness I don't have to buy him an iPad. Wonder if they have a stuffed toy version lol. Also, I wonder if there is a stuff toy Xmas tree. I can put it in his pen while I am at work lol.

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Here's the Christmas tree at the local blood donor clinic.

Our family has three Christmas traditions:

1) we open one gift on Christmas Eve and discuss how we think that gift will change affect our daily life.

2) the eldest family member present reads "'Twas the night before Christmas" just before bedtime.

3) Christmas dinner is not complete without some type of candy scattered around the table - between he dishes. It's usually M&Ms or gummy bears and serves as both afters and decoration for the table.

I'm not sure how or when these traditions started but I remember them since I was a kid.

I just love to hear people's Christmas traditions. 55 years ago (when I was just a little younger), my dad brought home this huge turkey. He worked in London England and went to Leadenhall Market at the last minute to buy one. The only one left weighed over 40lbs! My mother had to hack off the legs to get it into the oven. My older sister named it Humphrey so since then every Christmas turkey has been called Humphrey. The other tradition on my wife's family's side was/is garlic pork for breakfast on Christmas morning. Her brother decided to make it one year, after their parents passed away. I guess he misread 3 cloves of garlic to mean 3 whole bulbs! I had to open windows for fresh air at -14°C or I would have died.

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Originally Posted by Roy Rob

I just love to hear people's Christmas traditions. 55 years ago (when I was just a little younger), my dad brought home this huge turkey. He worked in London England and went to Leadenhall Market at the last minute to buy one. The only one left weighed over 40lbs! My mother had to hack off the legs to get it into the oven. My older sister named it Humphrey so since then every Christmas turkey has been called Humphrey. The other tradition on my wife's family's side was/is garlic pork for breakfast on Christmas morning. Her brother decided to make it one year, after their parents passed away. I guess he misread 3 cloves of garlic to mean 3 whole bulbs! I had to open windows for fresh air at -14°C or I would have died.

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Ah, yes, misreading recipes has made for interesting meals in our family as well. I remember our "spicy" pumpkin pie one year. I can usually put away an entire pumpkin pie by myself but couldn't tolerate a second piece that year.

The Christmas pudding in a can was just the beginning of kitchen surprises. One day my mother went to light the oven, which was before the days of pilot lights etc., you had to use a match. We are not sure what happened but there was a sudden BOOM! Which shook the house. We rushed to the kitchen to find my mother sitting on the floor with her back to the wall, opposite the oven. Her skirt was up to her chin, she had no eye lashes, no eye brows, her eyes were open wider that I thought humanly possible, her hair was still smoking and she was still holding a half burnt match in her hand.

I don't know how us kids made it to adulthood!

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My Disney World Christmas tree.