Thank you very much for this unexpected gift, SantaAlf!

Sorry I haven't been part of this thread much lately. Been trying to finish up on some work before the holidays!

Santa likes snowmen! Or snowwomen. Santa is now confused. He left a gift in your stocking. See if you can make some sense of this, pls.
Nah, that was definitely Santa. Have you checked your stocking lately?

Thank you so much for such a wonderful gift in my stocking! The Snowmen family probably had Mr Snowman and Ms Snowwoman, their little snowlings, and grandpa and granny Snow. But now I am also not sure about their gender, snowpeople are such Cosmic Genderbender folks :) I wish you Skimmie and PaterAlf amazing Christmas and Winter Holiday season :)

I just finished with decorating our Christmas tree. Thereby I definitely switched to Xmas mood :) Since I was healing after surgery last Christmas, this is my first true Xmas tree after moving to new home.
As for Xmas habits. It's common here to pour molten lead into water. And interpret shapes as omen for our future.
Merry Christmas all !

Santa loves handmade ornaments. He left a present in your stocking!

Thank you so much and happy holidays! :)

Thanks Santa! My favorite is this little Santa that can hold exactly one Hershey's Kiss. Little kid Redfire always had to check that one, to see if there was any chocolate in it.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

It'll be the 2nd Xmas without Dad. Last year we skipped Xmas because we were too numb with grief to celebrate.

But I am not here to bring you guys down! Actually, reading your posts has really cheered me up because it brought back memories of the good times!! :D It's the "human" side of this forum thread that touched me so much and made me yearn to create new fun memories for my family (and friends too).

That said, I'm in for GA.

Fondest memories of Dad: every Xmas, he'd bake our favorite 7-layer tall lasagna, which boasted eggplants, panchetta, Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, pearl-sized meatballs, all topped with Mom's homemade tomato sauce prepared two days in advance. And ever since we were kids (yes, kids!), only at Xmas did he allow us to drink a tiny one-ounce glass of alcohol, traditionally Punch Abruzzo Evangelista (35%) or Strega Cream (19%). LOL! Not sure if it was a cultural thing or just a Dad thing. ;) Drinks were served with dessert: ricciardoni and cornetto pastries. See attached photos. I have kept his bottles! :P

Funniest Xmas memory ever: my best friend and I *never* buy eachother gifts (it's a rule we have), but one Xmas I spotted a book at the local shop and bought it for him. He is quite the intellectual, is always reading something and is completing a masters degree too (I'm on the other end of the spectrum, by the way), so he was very curious about me giving him a gift-wrapped book. I did not know how he'd react while I watched him open his gift, the only gift I have ever given him. It was a children's book called, "Le nouveau voyage de monsieur Caca", which translates to "The New Journey of Mister Shit". My friend burst out in a fit of laughter and could not stop laughing, falling to the floor in fetal position for a good 30 minutes! That image has stuck in my mind for many years. :)

This will be my second holiday without my mum.....she used to also make homemade treats(cookies, some from books and some from her own recipes) with and without our help, and as time went on she stopped doing so(due to getting too weak/frail/etc) but we still kept the memories in our hearts.

This forum also touches my heart and makes me think on some things as well from time to time, due to the posts of it's members and game releases as well. :)

It's also good to hear you are doing well despite your loss. :)

I don't own any ornaments, as I don't have a Xmas tree, but I've got my absolute favorite Xmas Bunny Crystal Ball, which I place next to my gaming rig during the holidays! ;) It's a bit low key, I know, but so am I. LOL!

Giving you a hug! ;) Hang in there. Ups and downs. It's tough sometimes. But seeing everyone enjoying themselves in this forum makes me feel alive again and forces me to remember that life goes on and it's ok to have fun.

I am a bit low key as well. As my dad is old and cannot put up some stuff anymore & my brother is somewhat lazy, I have to do most of the work(and I have mental issues making it hard to do some things) so I just put up the bare minimum and keep the rest in boxes.....eh, it's the though that counts, right? :)

Thanks.

Yes, life has it's good and bad, and I tend to try to focus more on the good....especially on the forums, which is sort of a second home to me at this point(due to my love of the stuff on offer and some users here). :)

Santa also likes to procrastinate. That's why in the end he has to do all the work in one night. But this year he's early and left a gift in your stocking.

Since I am a stickler for technical details, I will kindly point out that Santa does a good amount of work during other parts of the year(directing elves, maybe helping to make toys, checking his lists, deer inicident counseling, cookie testing, etc). ;)

:D

Thank you to you and Skimmie ! Maybe Santa procrastinates, but he continues to have good memories when it's time to choice great gifts ;)