Many of us don't celebrate Christmas. Just saying. :)

Okay. Hannukah, Festival of Eid, Winter Solstice, etc. Did you take advantage of the shopping deals to get stuff for your new build?

I bought most of our needed appliances on the Veteran's Day sales, but did find a microwave on the BF sales. I keep hoping that someone will think the Kohler Stages sink should be their Deal of the Day, but I'm pretty sure that's not happening. As far as decorating goes, well we're in an awkward spot. Here's our full service kitchen featuring a toaster oven, an induction hot plate, and a Coleman stove.

And this is our living room. Notice the red splots on the window is an "add on" lighted candy cane from Amazon. I think it's very festive there, don't you?

As an interesting aside: We were in Costa Rica in the middle of November and there were all kinds of signs for Black Friday (right behind the nativity scenes). They don't do Thanksgiving, so I find it odd they have BF. We also passed a number of houses with their trees and decorations up. Why not?

We were in Costa Rica in the middle of November and there were all kinds of signs for Black Friday (right behind the nativity scenes). They don't do Thanksgiving, so I find it odd they have BF.

We were in Costa Rica last year at the same time. We flew in Thanksgiving day and we too noticed all the BF sale signs. We thought it was quite amusing to see.

I didn't take advantage of any BF sales because our contracts are not signed yet. Have to wait till we've signed on the dotted line and forked over huge chunks of money to start our build. Hoping to get it done by the end of this week or beginning of next week. :)

Texas-oh so familiar with ice and it's dangers but it IS bedazzling to see what it does to the trees. So sparkly and beautiful.

Christmas decorator but not black Friday shopper here. We did the tree on Friday and I actually made a Christmas wreath. I am getting into wreath making all of a sudden - so much cheaper and quite fun actually. I made one for fall and then I found a plain greenery wreath at Menards for 7 bucks. I think I have about $25 bucks in this wreath and the bow made up another $8 of it. DS said red bows are so cliche - ha! He cracks me up.

I am as much of an on-line shopper as I can possibly be! So much easier on the stress levels that way - ha! The packages have started arriving by UPS and FEDEX today! Woohoo!

suzanne did you move? I am pretty sure I remember your kitchen.........and it was finished!

We did move, for the first time in 41 years no less. Kids flew the coop to 9 hours up the road, so after 5 years we decided the other end of CA looks pretty good. The big draw is the adorable grandchildren of course ;-) Who would think it would take over 5 months to get this place in shape?

I have lights up outside, but that is the extent of my decorating. I'm in Canada and we celebrated Thanksgiving last month, but we still have the Black Friday Sales. I think it started in defense of the number of people that would drive across the border to go shopping to get the great discounts. And of course, with the internet, the sales are everywhere. I had to laugh yesterday when I heard an ad on the radio announcing "Our Black Thursday sale continues". Yes, Thursday.

I love Christmas! My decorations tend to be more Rudolph than most anything else, but I do have a few angels. And our Christmas tree (fake, due to the kitties) looks like an outdoor one....complete with fake pine cones and berries.

We also got a fireplace this year! A faux one (anyone sense a theme? LOL) that's actually an electric heater, but it's charming. Our 'real' fireplace is having technical problems (needs new glass doors or an insert replacement) so having a little extra heat is very nice.

As for Black Friday...I don't really participate. The idea of standing in line (at night, in the snow) has not lured me away from the farm. Most of the great deals seem to involve 3am lines (according to my SIL). I'd rather be home with my Rudolphs :) But congrats to everyone, who found a great deal for their holiday gifts and homes!

I must have missed that! Congrats on kitchen project #2. Or does it not feel like congrats? So are your going with the same aesthetics for this kitchen or completely different? I am just curious. I often wonder since we switched from stained to white when we built. Incidentally we built our 'forever' home but I have the sneaking suspicion it won't really be. I am sure it feels great to be back by the kiddos. Are you going to do a kitchen reveal when you are finished?

autumn: The new kitchen is so much different from the old, particularly in the amount of light. We will switch from dark stain to white paint for this reason - glad we tried a stained door in the space before we decided! We are still going for clean, simple, and, above all, functional. I'm one of those folks who actually use a kitchen for actual cooking ;)

Suzanne, your kitchen has a rustic charm. :)

I put my outside lights up a couple of weeks ago but didn't turn them on until the 25th. I put my Christmas wreath up on the front door the same day. I'll probably put the tree up tomorrow and we'll decorate it tomorrow after dinner. I might be deployed for a short term assignment for work in a week or so, but it will be very short notice. If I'm deployed I hope to be home by Christmas, but there is very little information right now, and no one knows what's happening. It's a good opportunity but extremely short notice and it sucks it's so close to the holidays. I'm scheduled to work Christmas now, so I'm more concerned about the fact I might miss a big hockey tournament and my son's 14th birthday.

Oh yeah, I'm in Canada so Thanksgiving last month, but I did Black Friday shopping online and bought an Ecobee Learning Thermostat. Tough to decide between that and the Nest because both get excellent reviews. So I went with the Canadian company. :D

I actually try to not ever shop at stores that do early openings on Black Friday or, heaven forbid, Thursday night. That's actually almost impossible since so many do but I at least won't give them my money anywhere near Black Friday as I'd rather discourage this nasty tradition. Although I did support the last locally owned bookstore in our area on Small Business Saturday. And I'm planning to spend more than usual at REI this year since they stayed closed on Friday and gave their employees an extra paid holiday. Good for them. It's my favorite store anyway so it's not like it's going to be any kind of sacrifice on my part to reward them, lol.

We usually wait a bit more into December to start putting up decorations. We do a real tree so that will go up about 10 days or so before Christmas and come down on New Year's Day. Over the 15 years or so, we've been putting up less-and-less decorations but I expect to go more all-out this year as we have a kid in the family for the first time in a long time (daughter's fiance's daughter, age 5). Kids make Christmas magical and more worth the effort. I'm excited to decorate with her and have her help me with Christmas baking.

actually this was the first year i went out on Thanksgiving night to the outlets!! i never thought i would but my DD and i went about 8:30 and was home by 12:00a.m. scored a lecreuset brasier for 40% off and did very well at Fossil...on BF put all my fall decorations away, cleaned and pulled all the Christmas decorations out...start putting things up and put outside lights and wreath up b/c the weather was so unusually warm., we don't turn lights on till about a week before. its just too early for me., i don't really get in the "mood" till about a week before. looking at the lights for about a month just sucks the spirit out of it for me and takes the "specialness" out of it.....this weekend i will finish and decorate and get the tree, which is my favorite... Love my tree!!!

Happy Holidays to All!!!

funkycamper: i know, i can't believe i was one of "those" who shopped on thanksgiving night!! it really is terrible but we tried it this year and it was just ok. will i do it next year, prob not., but i did exactly what i really do despise. truth be told, we really only went b/c i had to get a gift (Fossil) for DS girlfriend's birthday party on Saturday night and i wanted to stay home on Friday to get things done and our Saturday was full, so it was a good time to go and get that accomplished. i will say not all the stores were opened, which was good....

I laid in bed last night worried that I might offend someone with my comments below. I just want to say that I don't judge any of you who think differently about this issue and enjoy the BF shopping. We all have our buttons, right? This is mine. FWIW, I feel this way about all holiday weekend super-sales that draw people away from family gatherings and other fun pursuits. But, then again, some people think shopping is fun so maybe that is how they spend their family time. I know my mom and sister enjoyed shopping together. I went once and could never be lured into their 10-hour shopping days where nobody needed anything or bought anything. WTH? I'd rather be on a trail, visit a museum, at the beach, or just about anything else. YMMV.

I think that, as a society, we bemoan the weakening of family ties and that stores open on holidays like Thanksgiving or luring people away from family gatherings early so they can go to bed early to catch the 3am sales on Black Friday, contribute to that.

And it's not just the shoppers losing out on family time but, also, the workers. I know of quite a few teens and young adults who work retail who could not spend time with their families this Thanksgiving because they live and work out-of-town and had to work Thursday night or start at 2-3am on Friday morning so driving a couple hours to meet up with the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., was out of the question. Pretty sad, imho.

And all to make a buck for corporations. And, really, do they make anything off of it? Do people spend more on gifts because they got good prices? I don't spend more when I find deals; I spend less. If I planned to get someone three gifts and found two of them at great sale prices, I would still only get them the three gifts.

But, for full disclosure, I am one of those that would be glad if most stores were closed on Sundays so that became more of a family day, too. Or at least a day where most people all had the day off instead of part of the family having to work on the weekends when the kids are out of school and lacking opportunities to all be off together.

Am I the only one that saw the PBS program "Affluenza" and its sequel "Escape from Affluenza"? They had a profound impact on me. You can watch it if you're interested.

Sorry, for the threadjack. Rant over. :)

ETA: I'm re-watching it for the first time in years and forgot about the religious segment. I hope this isn't a turn-off to anyone who watches. I think their message is good regardless of who said it.

We didn't partake in Black Thursday, Black Friday, or Cyber Monday at all. As we get older, we've successfully moved away from the commercialism of the season, and focusing instead on family and spiritual celebration. We exchange a few small gifts, but we've cut way back. One, we don't have much spare income, and, two, we don't NEED much of anything. We're facing getting rid of a lot of stuff, so buying more doesn't make much sense.

We considered getting a fridge at Black Friday prices last year, but we weren't ready for it yet. I patiently watched the sales, and got the fridge we wanted for the exact same price- in July. We do want to get a cheap TV for the MBR, and we might pick up an on-line deal for that.

This will be our FIRST Christmas decorating the outside of the house. We were 'flying under the radar' in the last couple years, so we kept a very low profile. Now, we're all legal, so we can plan decorations. I need to get busy, as we want to use a picture of the decorated house for our Christmas card. Here's last year's tongue-in-cheek wreath:

Happy Holidays to All!

DD and I went out for BF. My Mom and I have gone since I can remember. We would have a big family breakfast together with everyone, clip the coupons and plan a course of action.....My aunt would buy me an outfit and we would then take a break and have lunch "out" a big deal to my sister and I growing up. At the end of the day we would take pizza home to the boys and get to drink Pepsi- also a huge treat. When we are together for Thanksgiving we keep the tradition alive. I've worked retail, I can't do "The Holiday" but I can do the next day ;^) DD is going to school in OH (we live in Central VA), she appreciated the sweaters and long underwear we were able to pick up for her!

I am about done purchasing things we need for the remodel, now it is all about working! 4 cabinets together, one hanging up with doors on, one has drawers in- awaiting installation, 2 lonely ones feeling neglected.....I did post pictures in my oasis thread, just a little spot of heaven among the "mess".

Trying to wrap-up all the clay projects at school before break. 750 pieces, 2X through kiln....wish me luck!

I am not a black Friday shopper - not even a tiny tiny bit.

I wish stores stayed closed on Thursday (though I appreciate very much the grocery store being open for a few hours for last minute "I forgots" ). I know there are families who make an event of going together to the black Friday morning things (which if it is about the fun of seeking a deal together with your extended family - then enjoy - but I'll be home).

This has been a bit of an odd year - we are in the middle of kitchen remodel. On Friday, I painted my family room and we had our normal Friday movie night. On Saturday, we went to the Snowflake Lane presentation in Bellevue, WA (big deal with dancers, drummers, etc.). On Sunday, we went to the Seahawks game. So, no shopping for me - aside from going to get painting supplies on Friday afternoon & Saturday morning.

Typically the Fri - Sun post-Thanksgiving is house decoratin' time... but this year not so as my entire main level is consumed by the remodel. Truthfully, this is a refresh of the entire main floor and not limited to just the kitchen.

Today, we started our advent calendar. So, we're making the most of the season that we can. Tomorrow, our Christmas tree is going up - in the basement!

Shop? Nahhh.
I went into the mall on Monday for the 1st time in probably 10 years for a job interview. Boy they're pretty. But this thrift/reuse/curbside shopper couldn't dream of spending that kind of money. Good thing those beautiful items aren't my dreams, right? :)

I will be heading up to MI this Christmas to spend it with my sisters and her kids. I haven't done this either, in decades. New Year's, or my mom's birthday in June, but not X-mas. I always work. I decided this last June, that it would be nice. I'm not close with my family, but with my mother dying, there's a easy chance of me just letting family fall through the cracks. Like friendships, it takes someone to pick up the phone...

So. Anyone know a great place to buy socks? Yup. Socks. That's what my sister's kids want for X-mas.

Got another job interview today. Talk about a weird time of year to start looking, right? And this one is the other end of the economic spectrum. Monday's was in Annapolis, and the one today is way down towards our National Harbor. Not the best area, but could be a major job change for me. Wish me luck. A new job would be a great X-mas present! For me!

Wild horses couldn't drag me out on Black Friday, or the night before. This is what I did to kick off the Christmas season:

Pfeffernϋsse

What is Pfefernusse, MG? I've heard of it but never had it. Google yielded no recipes. I'm curious. Is it a cookie or cracker? Is there another way to spell it to get me more results? The look like a lot of work to make. Do you have molds or a special cutter?

Pfeffernusse (according to Google). When I was a kid my mom made them. Ours were bigger; they were soft and spicy cookies. One year mom laid them out on the kitchen table to cool while we ran to the grocery store; when we got home they were tumbled around and some broken. We assumed the cats had been tap-dancing in them and mom threw out the whole batch. :(

Donna

Christine-good luck with your interviews! They will be lucky to have you as an employee!

No black shopping for me. Anything I'm interested in had the prices jacked up so were actually more expensive after discounts.

Christine - I was interviewing this time last year. Had an interview on Dec 8 and didn't get hired till Jan 21! But I kept bugging them over the holidays and it paid off. :)

Donna

We'll see! :) Thanks for the encouragement. This interview is outside the restaurant business, so I'm not certain they'll actually want me. I'm not sure I want to make this move, but I'm getting too old for what I do.

I'll keep you posted!

funkycamper, they are a traditional German (hence the umlaut) spice cooky. The recipe I use calls for a pinch of pepper--the name translates as pepper nuts. I've been making them for years, and everyone in the family looks forward to the first batch. That's two large batches pictured above--less a few handfuls of samples. I roll the stiff dough into 3/4" diameter 'logs', then freeze to make slicing easier. I then slice them into 1/4" rounds, which expand a little to make crisp cookies about the size of quarters. I try to make some when no one is around, to hide for surprises.

If I'm in a time crunch, I've made the logs bigger, and had cookies about 2" in diameter. They were still nice and crispy, not soft. Last week the boys wanted to see what would happen if we baked a couple of the logs without slicing first. I didn't take pics of them, but they were 3" wide, about 16" long, and crinkly on the top--and tasted just as good. I was thinking that the long cookies would take much less time to prepare, and be perfect as stocking stuffers. If I really wanted to get in the spirit, I'd used royal icing to write names or messages on each one. ;)

Pfeffernϋsse recipes

Everyone seems to have a favorite version, but this one looks closest to mine in texture. I don't use the ground almonds or baking powder, and the only spices I use, aside from pepper, are cinnamon, cloves, and ginger:

Baker Bettie's pepper nuts

Sorry MamaGoose but in my mind all I could hear was Yosemite Sam yelling Where's my Hossenpfeffer!?!?! I can just hear him yelling the same thing regarding the pfeffernusse. LOL

Christine! Good luck!

Thanks, MG. I might try these out. Weird I couldn't find anything with a Google search. Maybe the umlaut confused it? :)

I'm so not a shopper, and I feel like I have too much stuff anyway. My sweet BF keeps looking at beautiful rings for me, but I am asking that our gift to each other is to sign up for a deep water running class. That is way more what I want!

The only shopping I did (other than food shopping for Thanksgiving) was to bring my DD to Long Tall Sally. She's away at college so we don't shop together much. But she's 6'1" with a 37" inseam, so we're lucky to have a LTS store nearby as most stores don't work for her to get pants and jeans. And how awesome that she and I were the shortest women in the store! That never happens (I'm 5'11".) I was happy to get 40% off our purchases, especially because I didn't even realize they were having a BF sale on Saturday. And I would have been willing to pay full price for a pair of skinny jeans that are so long I can actually roll up the hems! Yes it's the little things that make me happy. :)

funkycamper, you're right! I searched with the umlaut and found only a Pfeffernϋsse spiced truffle.

mgmum, lol, you should check out YouTube videos--there are a couple of guys on there pronouncing them foofernoose. ;)

Oh, too funny. And what a difference an umlaut makes, lol.

I am not considered petite height at just over 5'5" yet I have to buy petite pants because regulars are too long not only in the legs but in the crotch. And, even then, the legs might be a tad long. Too bad there's not a Stubby Legs Sally, lol. So, chicagoans, I am deeply green with envy at your daughter's long legs.

LOL funkycamper - we're jealous of people who can roll up their hems. :) Mostly I wish that women's pants were sized like men's, by waist and inseam. Or in my case I'd need waist, hips, and inseam. :( I used to buy all my work pants at Mark Shale because they were all unhemmed - that was great except for the price. Now I'm not much into shopping, but I do love a bargain.

wish that women's pants were sized like men's, by waist and inseam

This! I do like that some lines of women's pants are now with different shapes, oh, can't remember what they're called, something like sporty, average, curvy. No matter my weight, I'm a curvy. In fact, the thinner I am, the more curvy I am...well, at least pre-menopause, lol. Still a problem but not near as much. It used to be such a pain to have to have all the waists taken in.

Odd that non-hemmed pants cost MORE!

My inseam is 34-35". I find Second Yoga jeans are nice and long. The nearest Long Tall Sally to me (I'm only 5'9") is 2 hours away. I haven't checked in the US, maybe there's one closer. I don't think people should complain about hemming. You can make pants shorter, you can't make them longer. The company that distributes our work uniform measures by outseam. What? Is that even a thing? I complained on the online chat about the new uniform and said my current pants are "hipster style" and not at my natural waist. If I want the same type, they'd be 3-4" too short! But, sadly, I suspect I'll be buying my own pants. At least I'll be comfortable! LOL

At 5'2" I've complained about hemming for years. My 5'9" and 5'8" sisters don't have my woes in life. OTOH, I can put on my shoes, then put on their shoes on top and remind that that we've never been a canoeing family, although we do love the water. Or at least I did when we were kids.

A long time ago, though, I remembered (a) man's best friend: Duct tape. It'll last 10-12 washings just fine. When going more casual, such as jeans: staples. With the flat side on the inside so 1) it doesn't glint in the light so much, and 2) so the bent edges don't snag my socks. Rolling up pants and cuffs on pants visually make one look shorter. Like you elegant and tall bean poles have to worry about that!

And MEN::::::: Those puddles of pants down around your ankles, and your waistband around the tops of your thighs? OH, do they make you look not only deformed, but short-legged. Why does the underwear stay up, but the pants not? This is still somewhat of a fashion 'round here. I've even seen dress suits "hemmed" to look like they're pooling (I think curtains) around the model's ankles.

Just my fashion rant for the day.
Today it's supposed to be in the 50s. Back out side I'm going to work on a raised garden bed again. Got it 1/4 of the way done. Lots of digging to revamp a 13 year old bed that's been neglected and is disintegrating. It'll be cool, I think.

Enjoy the day, all!

Sometimes i wish if only I were an inch or two taller especially when i cannot write reach something. Speaking of pants, I hate to hem them. I have been known to take scotch tape or a stapler to my slacks to shorten them. I am liking the good weather in the DC area too, Christine. Leaves are still falling and I am raking and blowing. As for Christmas shopping- online except for an outing to Home Goods and the outlet mall. and enjoying it. The little grandgirls are done, my 3 daughters and sons-in-law almost. Husband who doesn't want/need anything not so much. I am so much better at selecting gifts for girls than boys. So I would appreciate suggestions for grandsons age 91/2, 14, and 6. I am not ready to bake or cook for Christmas yet. but looking forward to it. Everyone, enjoy your day and stay safe.

Many of us don't celebrate Christmas. Just saying. :)

Even if you don't outright celebrate it, I don't think you can live in America today and fail to be caught up in Christmas to some degree. It's essentially a secular month-long event now rather than a religious holiday. I mean, Christmas music, decorations, sales, parties, donations; you can't completely avoid it. Even the TV specials that aren't completely about Santa claim "Christmas is about family". Jesus is pretty much out of the picture for the majority of Americans.

I bought most of our needed appliances on the Veteran's Day sales,

I didn't buy, but I definitely took note of prices and decided that the day after Thanksgiving would be a good time to make some big purchases -- appliances are one good example.

What is Pfefernusse, MG?

I knew because it was once mentioned in a cartoon. Weird the things that stick in your mind.

If it was just about hemming, it wouldn't be a big deal to me. Although I have been known to use tape, staples, and iron-on stuff, too. Anything to avoid actually getting out a needle and thread! One of my best friends started a sewing business. Yay! I gladly pay her.

My problem is the damn crotch. If I can't find petite pants, the crotch hangs half-way down to my knees. Even petites often have a crotch too long. Can't fix that unless you literally remake the pants. A long crotch makes me look like my short legs are even shorter and like I've gained 20#. Not counting work-out and pants for things like hiking, snow, etc., I currently have three pairs of pants. I hate shopping anyway but shopping for pants is the worst. The last time I did, I think I tried on about 50 pairs of pants before I found any that fit right. And then I bought three pairs. Yup, the three I have now.

I just wear overalls- the height is adjustable! Seriously, I've worn them all my life, both when they were in fashion and out. They are nice and roomy so it doesn't matter how much you ate on Thanksgiving, they are adjustable, and you can put 10 lbs. of tools and hardware in the pockets and they don't fall down.

I bet they look cute on you, too, Mushcreek! Me...not so much.

I just went jean shopping a couple weeks ago. It's an event I totally dread and after trying on no less than 20 pair I ended up with 2 that are decent. I didn't see a single pair of overalls or I swear I'd have tried them on too! I am right in between - average are a smidge short and shrink up but talls are way too long.

Not a fan of the disintegration of Christmas or the value of family time. The world is in a quite a state.

Christine good luck with your interview! We have had such mild weather this year I hope it holds for your traveling time. My kids are chomping at the bit for snow though!