This is a rather difficult one for me. I pride myself on giving gifts with much thought that will hopefully mean something to the other person. I only give gift cards as a last resort. I like to believe every one of my gifts is precious to the other person. I have made homemade gifts that I think are pretty […]

A prompt like this can be a complicated question because, as much as I enjoy real Christmas trees, they are also very messy and can even be fire hazards. That being said, I have only had a real tree, maybe two or three times in my life. And I must admit that I wouldn’t trade the ease of an artificial […]

This one was super easy, and it makes me think of a current Hallmark Christmas movie that premiered last weekend. Time For Us To Come Home For Christmas, starring Lacey Chabert and Stephen Huszar, has an innovative line where Stephen’s character asks Lacey’s character if she has read A Christmas Carol. She claims she has, and he says that most people […]

Full disclosure–back when I was young, I used to think it was imperative to wrap packages beautifully and expertly if possible. I can remember checking books out of the library that showed you how to wrap packages to make them appear to be a different item or even look like decorations under the tree. I wasn’t the best Christmas present […]

Holiday scents…oh, there are so many heavenly ones I could list, and at first glance, it might be challenging to pick a favorite one. But after mulling it over for a relatively short time, I knew what my favorite holiday scent was and even why I chose that one. Baking and Christmas are intertwined in my mind, and holiday bread […]

This is a pretty easy one. My mom and my daughter. I could buy like crazy for them. I know their styles, and I know what their interests are. Of course, the challenge is that Martha is nearly eighteen. But really all that means is that I don’t buy her clothes! I have a better understanding of her fashion persona, […]

  When it comes to Christmas decor, I am sure I could have posted many a thing. I have made some beautiful decorations over the years. I once made these very intricate snowmen for my mother. I had an unusual nativity scene. A village set that I made up all sorts of stories about! I loved as a child when […]

When I first looked at this question, I honestly wasn’t sure what Christmas I would choose. However, it wasn’t too long before I was reminded of truly one of my most memorable Christmases ever…my grandfather’s last Christmas on this earth. I was married in 1992, and my grandfather, Wallace (Wally) Bales, and his wife (Edith)–my mother’s parents–were involved in my […]

My favorite Christmas ornaments always have been homemade ones. My mom used to do a lot of crafting back in the day, and one of my favorite Christmas ornaments were her creations. She did some years ago that were made from toilet paper rolls. She made these rather large dolls that looked like choir-singing ladies, and they always hung towards […]

This really made me think, but I think I have it!! When I was in elementary school, I was obsessed with the movie Annie. I dressed up as Annie for two Halloweens. I had a short, curly perm hairstyle and I only wished my hair could be red! My mom used to do a lot of sewing and she made […]