My fondest memories would be from when I was little. We would go to my grandmothers house. We would sing Christmas caroles all the way there, and when we arrived... the smell of food cooking was so wonderful! We'd have a full meal. Soup, salad, the works! And the pies! My grandmother would make each person's favorite pie to have for dessert! And she'd always had a house full of people for Christmas dinner since she was 1 of 13 kids! Each person had their favorite type of pie :) After that Christmas, I started learning to cook at her side. I still make many of her recipes for Christmas (Holiday) dinners.

Funniest memory was being put at the kids table with my husband (in our early 20's) and I didn't like being at the kids table. I was married!So, being the rebelious type that I am, I yelled into the formal dinning room (from the kids table in the kitchen)"At what age do we get to be at the big people's table?" My cousin's were at the table, also adults. 9 of us all together. They started complaining. We all wanted to be in the other room, WITH THE ADULTS! After a few minutes of whining, someone yelled back from the dinning room, "Theres no room in here, someone has to die to make room, and no one here is ready for that!" We never asked again.:cool:


My most recent favorite Christmas memory though is putting the tree up this year. Cinders was so into it. Looking at it, trying to get the low ornaments, sniffing the unlit light string on the floor, and jumping when I plugged the string in and the lights lit up under her paws! After the boxes holding the decorations were put away and I could enjoy looking at the tree, I saw something laying on the tree skirt... It was Cinders favorite toy! It was like she knew something nice belonged there. :)

Cinder, we also sang songs all the way to our Grandma's house, laughing together and loving it. Grandma was a wonderful cook who was a "just throw it in until it taste good" kind of cook. I doubt she ever had a cook book. Just like you, my Grandma was the one that taught me "the beginnings" of cooking. Wonderful memories! Sure wish I could find some molasses like she used to serve........yummy.

Christmas time in general has always been what I look forward to all year. When I was little, I used to get SO upset that I could never make a perfect snow angel. There'd always be that mark where I had to push off the ground to get up. I would carefully lay down, move my arms and legs to form the angel, and sloooowly get up and that feeling of anticipation and looking down and my angel would be messed up...I'd start crying and my dad would tell me to try again. Finally I got so upset that I refused to make a single snow angel ever again. My dad insisted I try one more time...so my little four year old self flopped down and started the angel, and daddy came over and picked me up off the ground. No dents or marks left behind. I remember being so happy I finally made a perfect snow angel. :) My dad even took a picture of it with a polaroid camera and it's in a scrapbook I made as a child. Good times...

I also remember sitting in the living room with my parents and stringing popcorn with a needle and thread for the tree. I would never sneak a single bite...and when my dad would, I'd tell my mama onbhim and she'd pretend to scorn him, and I'd laugh my head off.

Also, I remember one Christmas in particular, I got an easel from pappaw that he built himself and painted pink. I was soooo happy...I loved that dang thing. It was twice as big as me.

Christmas Decorations, Oh My !!!

Gracie has the worst time with any changes and turns into Velcro Yorkie. She sniffs every plastic tub of decorations, with intense suspicion. I think she is fearful that a tub might contain another dog, she would have to share me with. Little Abba was happy to pee on as many storage tubs as he could, until I put a belly band on him. Now he does his bouncy dance while giving squeaky little woofs and harmless leg lifts. Rubin just yawns and goes to his crate for another nap, not bothered at all by the mess. As long as Mama, treats and his nappy crate are the same, his world is pretty perfect. Our little beastie brat and nosey girl Ginny Joy is beyond excited. She tries to get into the tubs to see what might be fun to chew on or play with. She barks at the stuffed musical animals, nabbed a ceramic Santa off the table and took it to the yard, to bury it. She has played tug of war with a string of lights, and taste tested the cookie scented candle. She grabbed the tree skirt and tried to take it for her new blankie, but of course I wouldn't let her have the sparkly fur trimmed blankie in her crate. So she turned her attention to the 'new to her/ very old to us, Santa pillows on the sofa. Lily the Lab thinks a tree in the house is really weird, and is watching it to see what happens next. One of the plastic storage tubs, from the outside shed, had mouse (maybe some other tiny creature ?) mouse droppings on the lid. She and the Yorkies went crazy. Growling, yipping, pawing at, sniffing attacking that tub.I smiled at my teenage granddaughter and ask want some coco ? She yelped Granny it is 80 degrees ! I want a diet coke." I looked at her sweaty, dirt streaked, sweet face and smiled. I started to hum deck the halls as she clunked ice into her glass and I flipped on the AC.

Happy Holidays, Teresa & the Just Right Yorkies

The story above was from last year. This year Julia Rose has joined the family. She is fascinated with the twinkly lights. She lays with her chin on crossed paws and stares in awe. We have a small animated elf frog that plays jingel bells and she goes crazy when we turn it on. She backs up barking, then runs for my lap. Abba has given up marking the tubs, and instead tips his nose up like a blood hound, sniffing the cookie scented candles and evergreen. He is content to sniff the presents and hasn't chewed any. Ginny Joy still looks at the tree skirt with longing and has agreed to leave it under the tree this year, if she can lay on it there.She nudged gifts around to make a place for herself. Gracie stole baby Jesus from the manger and hid him in her crate. We knew what she did when she growled at any Yorkie who walked by her crated. She was guarding her new baby. And Rubin of course ignores the silly frivolity until I hang his sock. Then he goes and lays under it waiting for the treats and toys to fall out ! Merry Christmas All !

Oh, Carmeow, I loved your snow angel story of you and your Dad. I can just picture that little frustrated four year old and her Daddy, the hero, there to save the day. I am so glad you have a picture of that perfect snow angel. Such memories.


Teresa, sounds like you, your fur babies and granddaughter are making some wonderful, fun new memories. I would probably go for the coco to even if it was 80 degrees, but my grand kids probably would want the soda. Lol. We have our tree up with the lights on it, but other than that it is naked. DH and I are planning on decorating it Friday night. Yes, we will have coco, Christmas music and the fire place lit (even if we have to turn on the air conditioner).

My favorite Christmas memory is when my husband proposed to me. He was supposed to propose to me on Valentines Day, but I was upset because it was my first Christmas without my daughter (She was with her dad). He got on one knee and proposed to me in front of the Christmas tree. We have been together 12 years now and married 10 years.