I haven't sent my cards yet but they have been sitting on the counter for a week. I'm not doing much decorating this year due to my surgery. I did buy a 4 ft. tree today. I just don't have the energy to do the large tree.
We will celebrate on the weekend of the 15th because that is the only weekend both kids can be here. Now that DS is married, we have to share them on the holidays and they were here for Thanksgiving.
I have most of my shopping done with help from my DD and her fiance and the internet.
I'm not doing any sewing for Christmas this year. DD wanted a quilt but that will have to wait.
Linda OH

We don't send out Christmas cards except sometimes to my mom and a couple of aunts. No quilts for Christmas gifts this year...I have 2 more pillowcases to make and they're all pinned waiting for thread change to light on the sewing machine. I have dark blue and variegated blue on right now quilting Ocean View...I really like how it turned out. No parties being hosted here..going to a potluck tomorrow lunch time and DD3 is doing her usual Christmas dinner on the 25th and inviting everyone she knows who doesn't have family to be with. We'll be opening presents on the 23rd as the 2 DGD's are flying up north on the 26th for a week. About the only decorations I've done is put up my Advent Calendar quilt. I need to make more 4" blocks for the windows because I gave away quite a few as coasters when I was working. DH is bell ringing at the mall today.....everyone is surprised as he's always been a Bah-Humbugger. That's about it for here....

Wishing you all peace and happiness.

SharonG/FL

The last few years, because I was sewing quilts until the last minute, I didn't send out any cards! This year, I already got 95% of the cards sent out. Even if I still try to squeeze in some last minute home made gifts, the cards are done and out the door!

This year, we are going to the in laws' house for Christmas, so I don't have to do any out of the ordinary house cleaning or decorating.

I have yet to wrap any gifts. My parents will have a party this weekend, for those who have to be somewhere else on Christmas. Have to get those gifts wrapped, so I can take them over to the house.

Then there are the gifts for relatives who live far away. I am having some gifts sent directly from the online store to the recipient, with gift wrapping. I type a message and it will appear in the card. That is a huge time saver, and perfect for relatives that don't appreciate hand made stuff.

I got my hubby some puncture resistant garden gloves that can withstand thorns, for brush clearing at our house. I got a pair for myself, so we can work together. But I also want to get him a CD--Dave Brubeck made a recording in the early 90's--he wrote the music from the Snoopy cartoons that are on TV this time of year. I'm ordered that just now, while I am still online, because hubby has some vacation days coming up, and it'll be hard to get it out of the mailbox and into hiding before he discovers the package. LOL We usually walk to the mailbox together!

I am also fixing the zipper on an ancient down parka that hubby wears in the garage during the cold months. The zipper broke and he was wearing it anyway. That has been a real labor of love, since the poor thing is so beaten up I decided that it would be a shame to pay real cash money for the tailor to fix it. I had to hand baste, in order to get all the layers back again, and the zipper where I wanted it.

I got so tired one night that I had to stop. It was late, and I was up in front of the sewing machine. I had just sewed a huge fold into the front. I have that ripped out and now I just have to run it through the machine a few more times.

But I also will go to the sit & stitch at the LQS today. I need some time to sit with my buddies, and work on my hand applique project--four whig rose blocks sashed with flying geese. That one will look nice on our bed. I am half done with one whig rose block.

Gotta run!

MaryLiz

We generally start decorating for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving. We did get our tree up-a new one that is pre-lighted but it was a while before I got it decorated. I put out a few things but didn't really get in the mood until I went to my DD house on Monday and as she says her house looks like Santa's sleigh exploded! Ha. I came home and just had to get out some other things. I have a collection of Nativities many of which I keep displayed all year but I have many others. I've been putting out other things this morning.
I've gotten out about half of my Christmas cards and have most others addressed. I took my TX GC their gifts when I visited Monday and DH mailed our other GC's gifts.
Since our children can't be here for Christmas day, we have invited a couple other small families from church to have lunch with us. It includes a baby and a elderly grandmother. We are looking forward to the day.
Didn't mean to go on and on but I must say I went to Washington DC with my DH last week and saw the National Christmas Tree on the White House lawn lite for the year. I know for me it is a once in a life time experience.
Merry Christmas to you all!!

Sally

This is the first year in a long time that I have not been working up until the last minute to finish a quilt. There is one that I would have liked to finish and give. The recipients were supposed to go out of the country for Christmas. So back in October, I decided that I would be giving them the quilt next year instead. Then, they decided not to go, and we will be together for Christmas. So I got them a wicker basket -- the kind that is supposed to hold utensils for eating outdoors. I filled it with bottles of condiments that are used for grilling. Then I can relax and work on a hand applique project for myself this season. I guess I finally got smart. :-P

I have a few more cards to send, and have already given away about a half of the presents so far. The remaining gift wrapping will be relatively easy this year. Instead of boxes, I'm using gift bags and tissue paper. I might also whip up a few fabric gift bags, but I'm not eager to make more work for myself. I'll only do it if I don't have a better way to wrap the gift.

I'll take my sewing machine in for a cleaning sometime in January of February, then start to work on that Christmas quilt well before the deadline.

I love the no-stress week before Christmas! Just have one more box to mail up north but the big family whooo-haaaa isn't until the 29th, and DD3 said she has some things to send, too, so she'll take care of it. Nice.....

I'm making a list with pictures of quilts/projects I would like to do in 2008 and put it in documents. I think that's the only way I'll remember which ones I really want to do and will help keep me focused.

No resolutions this year.....last year I used as much of my stash and scraps that I could and it worked out nicely. I'll just keep doing that as when I'm finally able to get to my fav fabric store (once a year), I buy what attracts me without having any specific project in mind and stock up on WOW, COC and TOTs.

sorry.....kinda got off subject......

SharonG/FL

Off subject? Isn't that why we have this "Conversations" forum? You talk about whatever you want, Sharon!

I didn't do too well on this year's resolution to finish some UFOs this year. I did finish hand quilting my oldest UFO, and it was in two informal quilt shows. The UFO that is now the oldest is partly machine quilted. It stalled after I started to free-motion quilt it, then decided that maybe I'd rip out the three quilting lines and just do straight lines with the walking foot. I was dreading the ripping out, so it has just sat, waiting for me to pick it up again.

I think I'll just leave what I already have, and use the darn walking foot and FINISH it! There can be three lines that are different. What's the harm? It will still be just as warm and inviting. I layered it with two layers of Warm & Natural, so it will warm us up extra quick, downstairs in front of the TV, where it gets to chilly in the winter.

So that project on the top of my list of "machine work" for next year. As of this year, I have been spending less and less time in front of the machine, and ironically, since I have started all the hand work, I have been FINISHING more projects! So maybe I'm going to see about hand finishing some of those UFO's.

Hubby's coat turned out great! The zipper is in, and I used some lavender laundry soap that my friend makes. I just rubbed the wet bar of soap all over the coat, and then threw it in the wash with powdered detergent. The ground-in grunge is gone. That soap is great! The coat looks nearly new!

I only have one last gift to buy. Gotta do that today, while I still have my head about me. For my brother-in-law, I'm going grocery shopping for all the prepared foods he loves best, such as instant coffee, instant oatmeal, etc. This is a no-clutter gift, because it's something he can use, and that can be used up.

I am so glad that I didn't decide to "go for it" again this year, trying to finish a quilt by a deadline. I am so much more relaxed than I would be otherwise.

Just posted photos of my latest hand applique project in the Gallery.href>

I just wrapped the last of the gifts. I think I have noticed a trend in my gift-giving over the last few years. I tend to write a clever little saying in the tiny card attached to the gift. It is a clue as to what is inside. For example, for a gift of candles, "You light up my life." For socks, I wrote, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step." I don't know if this cleverness is noticed by the recipient. I'll hafta ask this year, and see if anyone notices.