Journal Your Christmas - Day 7

Day 7 was about making your "To Do" list...I had about 3 lying around so I just consolidated the lists into 1 basic one! (Just don't ask me if I got it all done!) ;)

Journal Your Christmas - Day 24

Okay, so I have gotten a little behind in my Christmas Journal but eventually I will get them all completed and posted. I finally got Dec 24th's entry completed the other night and so I thought I would share.


Journaling reads:
Christmas Eve is kind of like the official start of Christmas for me. The last few years we have spent Christmas Eve with Steve's brother Scott and his wife and kids, as well as Steve's mom. We have a nice dinner together and exchange gifts. The kids are always so excited to have their cousins come over. All day long they ask how much longer it will be before they get here! Once they head home to get ready for Santa, we sprinkle the magic reindeer food outside and put out the milk and cookies for Santa. I love seeing how giddy with excitement they are when they go to bed. And it is the one day of the year when they go right to bed, no questions asked! It is so much fun for me since I can remember feeling that same way when I was a little girl and even now I share their joy and anticipation. I love the peaceful feeling I get once Santa has put out all the gifts and filled the stockings. Sometimes I even have trouble sleeping thinking about how excited the kids will be in the morning!

My sister has too much time on her hands!

I am sure by now most of you have seen the "Elf Yourself" website...well, my sister found it too and had a little fun! I almost spit my coffee out when I saw it - she couldn't have chosen a better, more accurate picture!

My mother and father had 4 wonderful children. Check us out for yourselves.....

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1372965358

It might take a while to pull up but it is worth it!!!

Merry Christmas!

Journal Your Christmas - Day 5

The prompt for Day 5 was all about how we countdown to Christmas...

I actually used part of the kids' advent calendars across the bottom.

Journaling reads:

When I was a kid I never had an advent calendar. I am pretty sure the only way I had to countdown until the big day was to constantly ask my mom (and ask her often, you know, just in case anything changed!?) Ever since Alyson’s first Christmas (2001) we have had an advent calendar. The first one I bought was a really cute one I found at Michaels with Santa at the top and rows of little pockets to move the stuffed Christmas tree every day. The kids would be so excited to move that little tree each morning. We still have this one but for the last couple of years the kids have enjoyed getting the simple (and cheap, I might add!) chocolate countdown calendars. They search for the right day and then poke the “door” to get their little chocolate reward. They love them! And I love that they don’t have to ask me over and over how much longer until Santa comes! What could possibly be better than that?!

Journal Your Christmas - Day 4

The prompt for Day 4 was to talk about your perfect Christmas...

Journaling reads:

Christmas Dreams...When I think of a perfect Christmas, I think of family. And then I think of the family that is no longer with us. I miss my Nana and Grandpa Fishburn. I miss my Nana Cragle and Grams. I miss my Uncle George. I even miss my father, despite the fact that we had not spoken for 10 years before he passed. I know that Steve misses his Grams and his Aunt Vickie. It makes me sad that Stevie and Alyson will only ever know them all through pictures and stories. An ideal Christmas would have them all here with us. Stevie and Alyson would be able to know them and love them. It wouldn’t matter to me whether it was hot or cold outside or what we had to eat. Just to have our WHOLE family together for even one Christmas would be absolutely PERFECT for me. -- The Ultimate gift.

Journal Your Christmas - Day 3

Day 3's entry is all about Christmas cards...one of my personal favorite things about the holidays.

Journaling reads:

I love Christmas cards. I love sending them and I love receiving them. My favorites are the ones that have family pictures because I love to see how everyone changes from year to year, especially friends and family that we do not get to see very often. We have sent Christmas cards every year since we have gotten married and every year we include a family picture. Sometimes I will make the cards by hand and other years I will just do a photo card. Sometimes I will include a “newsletter” of sorts and other times I will just write a small note to each person. I try not to do the same thing every year; I guess it really just depends on my mood and how crazy life is at that particular time that really determines what I will do. Since my wrist is still in recovery mode from my accident back in September we took the simple approach this year with a fun photo card and a small note jotted down. I may jump into my stash of handmade cards though for a select few :)

The annual christmas card photo shoot

We went out yesterday with my sister and her boyfriend to attempt to get at least one decent pic to use for our Christmas cards this year...despite the fact that I ended up with a pretty nasty blister and was actually ready to call the whole thing off before we even got started, I think we got a few decent shots and even managed to have a good time! I have narrowed it down to these...

I was kind of thinking this one would be fun but Steve didn't think so! ;)

And here is my sister Rachelle and her boyfriend Dan...aren't they just too cute?

My sister snapped some of just Steve and I and this is my favorite out of those.

My sister also took a pic of Steve kissing me (which I am not posting!) and Alyson decided she wanted to kiss me too...this is my favorite pic of the day...

Journal Your Christmas - Day 2

The prompt for the second day was in regards to Christmas weather...

For most people Christmas is synonymous with freshly fallen snow, hot cocoa, mittens and scarves, roaring fireplaces...none of which you will really see here in The Sunshine State. Typical weather around these parts in December would have highs in the 70’s and lows in the 50’s; not so great for making snowmen! Although we actually did have a snow once when I was a kid, back in 1977. It didn’t last much past lunchtime but it was just enough to make a small snowman with my neighbor friend and throw a snowball or two. On occasion I do miss looking out the window and seeing how beautiful things look coated in a blanket of crisp, white snow but, I really do enjoy the warmer Florida winters.

Journal Your Christmas - Dec 1st

My first LO for my 2007 Christmas Journal is complete...it is simply the manifesto...Journaling reads:

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year, but in the last few years my joy and excitement have been taken over by hurt and anger instead. Starting today, December 1, 2007, I am taking back my Christmas!
I am going to keep a Christmas Journal. In it I will write something everyday to reflect on the holidays of my past, enjoy the holidays of the present and dream about the holidays of my future.To some this will just be a stack of paper and scribbles, but not to me. I hope that by taking a little time each day to reflect, to write, to create, that I will keep my Christmas alive and well and that I may remember just why I loved Christmas in the first place, and that may be a very magical moment indeed.