TV holiday commercials

Of course, there are zillions of commercials now with Christmas coming up.  I just had to tell you my favorite and see if you have one. This would be fun.  This week, there have been tons of diamond commercials on TV, Zales, etc.  There is one where the family comes down the stairs and somebody is sneaking a look in a present (it should be one of the kids).  All they show is the mom and a close up of her face being caught! Then they say something about diamonds etc.  I usually don't pay attention to commercials but I love that! She looks like a real mom, and I felt like that was what I would do, getting caught at sneaking a look. (Of course it would not be diamonds, but I'd still get caught even if it was a blender LOL).

• TV holiday commercials - HolidayMT
  • I get a kick out of the "Easy button" ones (sm) - tnmt
    • easy button sm - me2
  • a good one - jlynn

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worst has to be cross between the geico cavement and the idiots that order from sonic drive-in.  although the trophy wife is getting REALLY OLD...

I could have done without almost everything except maybe 15-20 minutes. 

what works to keep you in budget if you have one?   My husband and teenager went WAY over budget last year for Christmas so this year I've told them that it's cash only for their purchases and no internet shopping (that got them in trouble last year buying too much stuff because they didn't bother to track how much they were spending).

We've got $1300 budgeted for this Christmas.  That includes $150 each kid for Santa gifts (2 kids), $100 each for my husband and myself to get each other something, each of us gets $100 total to get gifts for each other (i.e. kids get $100 to buy gifts for each other as well as we parents), $50 each allotted for our 3 parents, $25/each alotted for each of our siblings  (small gifts always given - agreed amongst siblings years ago) and $50 to get gifts for the kids teachers and bus drivers.  It sure adds up, doesn't it? 

The night after Thanksgiving, we order a large pizza for dinner, watch Christmas Vacation and Polar Express, and then drink hot chocolate while the kids decorate the Christmas tree and the cats act like kittens again.  What does everyone else do?

Saturday, we have a huge craft show to go to, followed by 3 baseball games of my boys', followed by some serious picnicking Saturday evening.

As for Sunday, fairly relaxing, a little work in the morning and evening, visiting family in the afternoon and picnicking some more.

Monday should be a fairly quiet day - a little work in the morning and evening, a late morning Memorial Day parade and early afternoon picnicking, maybe a movie with the kids!

Love this weekend -- gets me started on a great summer!

Just ONE day a year that we all are nice, friendly, nonjudgmental, noncritical, etc.

My dad saying (when I was age 4 to 6) that there was an elf that would hop on his shoulder every morning when he got in the car to go to work and ask if I had been good the day before. I can remember waiting for him to get home and then excitedly asking him if he talked to the elf...ok, now I'm misty eyed!

Waiting in the longest line to get Cabbage Patch Kids for my daughters when they first came out....lucky enough to get ones with decent enough names and birthdates close to my girls' birthdays.

Making the dreaded yam/sweet potato casserole at Thanksgving and ALWAYS  setting the marshmallow bag on the hot oven door, thus melting the plastic, nice touch.

Realizing that I don't care if I have to pay full price, I do not shop the day after Thanksgiving any more!

My daughter divorced last December, so this is the first big holiday since.  There is a lot of turmoil and anamosity between her and the ex-husband.  BTW, he cheated and is now married to the "other woman"; they and her three children live in a neighboring town.  My daughter mentioned to him that she wasn't going to do a lot for Easter for their daughter, who is now going on 9 (too old for the Easter bunny IMHO) and will have her BD with gifts next month.  Joy did make her a new outfit for school and gave her a chocolate bunny and a favorite cream egg.  So, the ex's family had a Easter egg hunt yesterday and Joy allowed Emily to attend, even though it's her weekend to have Emi.  Emily comes home with a foot-diameter-size Easter basket, crammed with candy, junky plastic toys, stuffed animals, candy, and more candy.  Joy stored three large boxes of this type junk two weeks ago.  Emily has had 10, yes, 10 cavities in her short life and he still buys candy for her at every opportunity.  This seems to me to be a pattern--whatever Joy does he tries to "outdo," even when it's not a good thing for Emily.  Can't say too much--will come across as "sour grapes."  He is not an impulsive kid--going on 36 years old.  I'm sure it's not going to be the last time.  How do others handle this?  I was divorced but we lived in another state, so this type of "competition" didn't happen.

Actually, it's the eve of my favorite holiday - Black Friday!  Every year, starting the day before Thanksgiving, I begin the preparations:  House cleaned, clothes packed, manicure, pedicure, extra lines worked.  Then Thanksgiving day, the family comes to my house (my parents, 3 siblings and their families plus me and hubs and 3 kids).  We have an early Thanksgiving dinner - 2 p.m. 

By 5 p.m., the guys are all watching football, the kids are playing video games, and we women begin staking out our big day.  We have the sales papers all over the table, the Sharpie's poised and ready to mark our intended targets.  Usually around 6 or 7 p.m., my company packs it in and calls it a day.  My hubs then heads to Wal-Mart (yes on Thanksgiving day) to buy his stock of groceries/snacks for the weekend.  While he's out, I soak in the tub for a good hour.  Then I call my girlfriend, with whom I'll be spending the weekend, and we go over the final plans just 1 last time.  I print out our agenda on the computer and then try to get myself to bed early, usually by 10 p.m.

At 3:00 a.m. Black Friday, the alarm goes off.  I'm out of that bed like a rocket and into the shower.  By 4:00 a.m., I'm at my best friend's house.  We throw her suitcases in the back and head off to our local Wal-Mart for the first finds of the day.  We usually have our stuff checked out and back in the car by 6:15 a.m.  Then we head off to our yearly shopping extravaganza.  We spend the weekend in Lancaster, PA where there's crafting, outlets, and mall shopping.  Our hotel has a hot tub and an indoor pool.  We catch all the great buys at the dept stores in Lancaster and then spend the rest of Friday crafting.  We have a nice dinner and then head back to the hot tub.

Saturday's more of the same, mostly outlets and the mall.  We usually meet up with the rest of our crew -- about 10 of us, all ladies, no kids.  We have dinner and go over all the best buys we got.  Come Sunday, we sleep in a little late and then check out of the hotel.  Not much opens early on Sunday, not even the mall, in Lancaster (home of the Amish).  We finish up our day at the mall and then head over to the Olive Garden for a farewell dinner.  We usually end up making it home by 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. Sunday night.

Okay - now you've got me all excited.  I can hardly wait.  As for my hubs and 3 kids, they usually buddy up and have sleepovers.  Saturday is a definite movie day.  They almost always have a must-see Christmas movie out Thanksgiving weekend.  Sunday, they pretty much lay around and wait for me.  My hubs usually gets the indoor Christmas decorations out for me to get started on.  We usually put the outdoor ones up the weekend before Thanksgiving.  I SOOOOOO CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!!  It is absolutely my favorite holiday of the year, my second fav being Christmas Eve (I love the anticipation of what's to come).  Thanksgiving is only 107 days away!!!!

posting again.  Sigh. 

I have two stephchildren.  One is 30 and one is 25.  I actually love them like my own children.  Problem is gift giving.  Do you give gifts to adult stephchildren who do not give gifts to you?  If they were small children or teens, of course I would buy them gifts, but they are ADULTS!  Every year I post this same question and get same answers from people saying how much they LOVE buying hundreds of dollars worth of stuff for EVERYONE they know and that I shold get in the holiday spirit of buying.  I don't have hundreds of dollars to purchase gifts.  I have two grandchildren, 4 and 1-1/2, and have spent a combined $100 on their gifts.  I'm buying my daughter stuff from Victoria Secret and buying my SIL a book.  

Last year, stepdaughter gave me a regifted gift card from Starbucks and stepson gave me small bag of candy (smushed carton).  

They don't hate me, I promise you that, and I certainly don't hate them, but what do I buy them for Christmas, if anything?  I find buying gifts for adults silly.  And please, do not suggest handmade gifts.  I made that mistake years ago, when I made stepdaughter handmade mosaic tile box, with velvet interior.  She threw the thing out.  Is there some tactful way out? 

Now that the holidays are just around the corner we'll be seeing more and more holiday movies.  I'm not into the holidays, but I do like holiday movies.  What are some of your favorites.  I like:

1.  Home for the Holidays (starring Holly Hunter) - very funny.

2.  Bed of Roses (with Christian Slater) - very Romantic.

3.  All the cartoon/animation kids shows like Dr. Seusse's Grinch that Stole Christmas and Rudolph the Rednose Rheindeer (DH loves to imitate the abdominal snow man - and we walk around singing we are Santa's elves while we make movements with our arms like the the animated characters - it's a hoot and we always end up laughing).  :-)

4.  Homecoming - Christmas story with the Waltons.