Small Talk 6 regrifting

Well thank you to the mom at Momdot, this week meme is 6 gifts you have recieved and regifted...
Well I have never re gifted, but if I did Here are the six gifts I would have re gifted..

1. A beautiful watch given to me by my then husband that said "save the Whales" with a big whale on it..now mind you I am all for saving the whales, and don't be offended if there are any save the whales members out there
But I am afriad it just was my thing, but I still have it in the attic or storge shed should you want me to re gift it...

2. A big can of popcorn by the same husband with deer on it, I like deer mind you just not with my popcorn.

3. a $10 mixer from the dollar tree....same giver  mixer broke down on the second use which happened to be that day when I was making Christmas dinner. I to couldn't compete with my nice big Kitchenaid mixer...I don't know why he give it to me when I had the other, so I didn't ask. Can't regift this one it died.

4. A pink, yes pink, HOT pink sweater from the mother of the above giver. I know where he got his gift giveing skills from

5. A crystal pig...it's cute I kept it, Eric broke it, end of story. Well he was only 5,  I should have given it to a more derserving home.

6. A gift basket from Swiss Colony...I was really excited..but it turned out it was regifted to me by the giver because she didn't like fruit cake, since it was already a year old and who knew how many years before then..I didn't regift it. It did make a wonderful door stop in a pinch.

I guess this turned out to be more of how many uh, strange gifts your recived ..I do have a post planned for that..

And so it goes...

Starting Over - Christmas

Starting over for the Christmas season has proven to be interesting.  A few years back I had boxes and boxes of Christmas ornaments, villages, lights and all kinds of assorted items designed to bring Christmas cheer. 

This year,  Denise and I found ourselves looking at each other with nothing. Nada, not a thing to decorate for Christmas and a active 2.9 year whose first real Christmas this will be.  I mean as far as noticing her surroundings. 

So we went out, first and foremost we needed the most important of all decorations, the tree. 

How expensive can this be? 

Now two years ago, Denise has purchased a tree after the holidays for 10 dollars, the tree was sitting unfortunately in a storehouse in Florida along with most of our earthly possessions, that we have yet to go down and pick up. 

So we thought, we'll just buy a real one this year. By next year, surely we'll have the real tree. So off we went, thinking a 20 dollar tree was in the works.

We were firmly stopped in our tracks, when the first few lots we went to 50.00 dollars was the least expensive tree. 

50 dollars and still ornaments? This is indeed going to be a long holiday season. 

We continued to search for an affordable tree,it seemed a shame to pay 50 dollars for a tree we will just toss away in a few weeks. 

In the meantime we brought dollar tree ornaments and I snapped up lights as soon as they went  clearance at work.  We were about to give up, when one day we were driving down the road and saw a sigh proclaiming TREES: $20.00 today only!

Thinking of course this was to good to be true, we did a quick u turn and drove into the lot. 

Sure enough, all trees on the lot were 20 dollars. The owner was from Connecut, His wife went into early labor and he had brand new twins waiting for him at home. 

Needless to say he wanted to leave now.

So thanks to driving down the right road at the right time, and God's hand guiding us, we have a tree. With a few ornaments on it. 

and lights. 

Charley Brown would be So proud. His tree looks infinitely better. 

This year, we are going to learn the meaning of Christmas. We won't have much, because we are starting with nothing. We will pass again, another hurdle. 

But it is a good thing to forget about the commercialism of the holiday. This year we will really have to concentrate on the Birth of the Child, Jesus. 

Our focus is on another child. One whose life has been anything but calm the last year. Her Christmas will be Merry, and because of that so will ours. 

So as I go out to the living room to light the tree for Santa and the candle for Jesus and  as Tiny Tim observed..God Bless us everyone......

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night...

For the Kids

My job is stressful. Working retail during the Christmas season has to be as stressful as sitting next to your mother in law when a old boyfriend shows up.
Wal Mart during any time of the year is busy. We stock all day and all night and still cannot keep up with the customers. Most times they are understanding but at Christmas, it seems to bring out the worse in people. They want it and they want it now.
The toy department is the worse. Parents want their children to have what they asked for,and it is really heartbreaking to them to find out we are sold out. I remember when my kids were young standing in line from midnight until toys r us opened at ten the next morning for a Polly pocket for my daughter. Parents just do things like that.
I wonder if we spoil our kids when we do that. Is it okay for them to expect to get everything they ask for?
My daughter and I have been planning my granddaughters Christmas list. Between the Dora and Diego, Barney and Wonder Pets and clothes, we will be spending about 150.00 each.
WAIT! for a two year old??? Reevaluation time.
We spend a lot of time trying to instill in Tasha the real meaning of Christmas, but she is soo young of course she doesn't understand.
She could do without the toys, but the real truth is I am buying them for me. I love to see she has everything she wants. It's a grandma thing. But is it good for the Baby?
I was watching parents tonight, walking out with baskets piled high with toys. One parent had three baskets. Had to ask her how many children she had, she told me two. A boy and girl 5 and 7. Three baskets of toys. Oh yes, but she had done most of her shopping this was just the end.
I think about kids who have nothing to eat, ad their toys will come from the Marines.
I remember when I was a child, some organization donated a tree and gifts to our family. The doll was very used, very much loved by another child first.but I had never had a doll. I was so excited One doll. made my year and I still remember.
Sometimes, I think I forget about those who have nothing. I buy the Operation Christmas child shoe boxes, I donate my gift to toys for tots and the Angel tree. But is that enough?
Christmas morning, Tasha's tree will be piled high with gifts from mom, Dad, uncles Aunts and three sets of grandparents.
I think about the people shopping at Wal Mart today and how lucky their kids will be, even the ones we didn't have the toy for will have many others to replace it.
and the children, whose names are on the tree, will they be happy?
I hope so. I hope every child has his or hers Christmas wish. I hope I can help in someway to make a difference. Maybe some of Tasha's gifts from Nanny will find their way to another child.
Everyone child should have a merry Christmas. How do you help that to happen?