Christmas Reflections, Traditions and Shopping Before and After Christmas Sales

First, I want to Thank Maria over at Simple Nature Decor for featuring my post,
 The Outside of Our Home, Part 1, Our Christmas Home Tour,  
from her Fabulous Fridays Party from a few week's ago!

 Thanks so much Maria!!

And I also want to Thank Tanya over at Tanya's Kreative Korner for featuring my post,
Colorful Christmas in the Guest Room, Part 11, Our Christmas Home Tour , from last week's
Wake Up Wednesday Party!!

Thanks so much, Tanya and all the other hosts of Wake Up Wednesday!!

Please visit and link up to these great parties!!!

Christmas Reflections and Traditions........

If you missed my post over on my regular Blog, My One Little Word for 2015, please Click HERE

This post explains a bit about what a stressful and crazy Christmas season it was for me.
 
But this helped!!

Joe goes to the Mohegan Sun Casino which is right down the road from us but had stayed away for about a month and then decided to go one day to play his $25 of Free Play.......

And he won $2211!!!!

After tipping the girl $111, who took his tax information and brought him his winnings, this is what his winnings looked like.....

I did ask him why they gave him an air freshener..........

Look up in the far right corner.......

It says " Smells like Winning!!"

Now that is quite a play on words, wouldn't you say?????

LOL!!

Needless to say, this made for a nice Christmas even though most of it went into the bank and Joe and I do not exchange gifts anymore!!

It helped pay for all the food.........

LOTS OF FOOD!!!!!

For Christmas Eve , we had Christmas Eve Holy Supper, a Polish Tradition......

Pierogies bought from a Russian church near my MIL's where those nice little ladies make these weekly and charge only $6.00 a dozen , already cooked with butter and onions!!

With scallops and fantail shrimp.........

And chicken fingers because even though traditionally, it is supposed to be a meatless meal, Joey, my oldest son, will not touch fish with a ten foot pole!!!

I get my the fish and chicken fingers already cooked up from a local seafood distributor that supplies all the grocery chains and restaurants in the area....

I also made whole potatoes with butter ( Joey will also not eat pierogies!) and mushrooms

It was just the 5 of us for Christmas Eve Holy Supper and I was off......

Christmas Day Dinner........

Smoked Kielbasi

I cook up and then give the boys a link of their own to take home.  I used to help my Dad make fresh Kielbasi for the Holidays.... 

Ham......

And turkey, stuffing with sausage and mashed potatoes!

And again, it was the 5 of us........

Then I went to work on Christmas Day night!

On Sunday, the 28th, we celebrated Joey's 33rd birthday which is actually the on 29th.
We ordered from our favorite Italian restaurant.........

And it was the 5 of us........

Other Polish foods for the Holidays .........

Nut Roll......

I used to help my Mom make these along with poppy seed rolls which I never liked because as a child, i thought they were filled with ants and I have not been able to get past it!!

LOL!!

We order them from a lady that Joe knows ,who knows a guy, who makes them!!

$10.00 a roll but worth every bite!!

For New Years Eve , Joe cooked lobster and I again got scallops, shrimp and chicken fingers with fries and cole slaw and again, it was the 5 of us!!  I was off from work.

For New Years Day, the tradition in this area is pork and sauerkraut, of which I am not a fan of neither!

About 25 years ago, after eating all that spicy Polish food as my oldest son calls it, I was craving Pasta, which is my favorite food in the whole world!!

So I made lasagna and now that is our New Year's Day tradition!! I made a double batch this year and sent the kids home ( yes, they were over for dinner and it was the 5 of us again!!!) with take out containers!! And I went to work on New Year's Day night.

Now the funny thing is that I really HATE to cook!!

But for the Holidays and because my kids choose to come home to eat, I will always cook for them and do it with JOY and a smile!!!

One last thing......

I then make turkey soup from the turkey breast from Christmas Day dinner in this MONSTER pot......

 This is something that my Dad always did......

Just broth and then add noodles......

Why the big pot??????

Because the kids love it and I send some home with them........

 A tradition that my Dad started and Joey still remembers eating my Dad's soup!!!!

 I know my Dad is up there saying "That a girl!"!!!!

Those are our Traditions and my Reflections on them!!

Before Christmas Sales.......

A lot of the stores dropped their prices on Christmas merchandise well before Christmas.......

This is what I bought at Sears for 50% off before Christmas......

4 packs of red , green and gold beads that I plan on adding to the large Living Room tree next season......

They are really pretty in person and have that Old World look that appeals to me......

I wanted 2 of those velvet throws for the Living Room but I did not want to pay $20-$50 each and I happened to find these on Sears web site ..........

They had them in the Sears store right down the road in the Wyoming Valley Mall and were on sale for $7.99!!!!!

Totally love them!!

They will stay out for Valentine's Day......

I also bought these Bells.......

And hung them on the front porch railing.....

And these , on the lantern......

I had Rewards Points so all this was under $20.00!!!!

Joe does the food shopping at Wegman's for the most part and they always have wonderful Holiday and Season decorations and discount them fast.......

Here is what he picked up......

Love those LED candles for $1.99 and the packs of star ornies for $1.25 each!!

And this......

Stock up lights......

I am only buying LED now....

Several packs of beaded garland for 99 cents each!!

And these things!!

A Set of 3 in a pack for $2.99, down  from $9.99

Do you just see the uses for these babies?????

I can't wait to play with these!!

Beautiful Cardinal ribbon!!

Good Job, Joe!!

Big Lots.......

These were half price......

 Big Lots had a great selection of Pinks!!

These ornaments were sold in packs for originally $4.00 and were not $2.00!!

 A pack of 6 Stars.....

A pack of 6 birds......

 And packs of 18 large and 24 small balls.....

How can one go wrong??????

Then I went to Kohl's and fell in love with these.......

I first bought the white one which was marked down to $17.99 and I had a $10 coupon so it was $7.99!

I was so thrilled with it because of the 6 hour timer feature, that I bought 2 gold ones when they dropped down to $12 each!

Here they are.....

See them??????

And all lit up!!

Love them!!

I am already planning to use them for the Fall and for Valentine's Decorations!!

Okay, now for the After Christmas Sales.........

I wanted to get to Sam's Club to see if I could pick up another set of the 4 LED lighted Mercury Glass Trees ( see in photo of top of TV Center) for half price which would have been $20 but they opened at 7:00am and I did not get there until 7:30 am after leaving work the day after Christmas.

I did pick up these rolls of ribbon.......

For $3.91 each for 50 yards in each roll!!

Joe later picked up 2 more rolls of the French Script one.........

The Day after Christmas, I went after work to J.C. Penney's who advertised 70% off Christmas but actually had them marked down to 80% off in the store!!!

HAPPY DAY!!!!!

I bought this mini LED lighted Tree which was $50

with 80% off and a coupon for $10 off $25..........

It was $6.48!!!!!!!

These $14.00 snowflake ornaments were only $1.81 each!!!

Loved these.....

And the red bottle brush tree which I will show you in a minute........

All that for $19.50!!

I went back the next day with another coupon and bought these......

The Mercury Glass Owls that you can use tea lights in , will be used for Halloween......

Cost for all this was only $14.42!!

The original price for those Owls was an outrageous $80!!

See the red bottle brush tree and "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" ornament!!

Okay, since Target first opened up in this area, I have been one of those maniac after holiday shoppers but this year, I vowed I would not step foot in the store to buy until Christmas dropped to 70% off and I stood my ground!!!

Here is what I bought.......

Those trees will be used in the kitchen next year.....

Love this......

The Cookie Jar will be used for every day in the Kitchen....

The plaid ribbon looks like Fall to me!!

And 2 mini tree skirts will always come in handy!!

Bird's nests and spools of ribbon again will be used for every day projects......

Large green beaded garland for St. Patrick's Day.......

Smaller brighter green beaded garland to add to the Den Tree next year....

And pink Balls for the Craft Room Tree.....

Some ornies......

All this was only $40 and some change!!!!!

Then I went to Michaels.......

I had not stepped foot in Michaels since before Thanksgiving Day!!!

Now I was truly exercising restraint with that!!!

Bought only these for 70% off......

Scentsicles for next year at $2.39 each from $7.99!

And more sparkly pink goodies.....

Under $10 spent!

50% off at Bed, Bath and Beyond......

Love this chalkboard like rug for my kitchen .......

Marked down to $7.49!

And these again!!!

Only this one has a bark Tree look......

$10!!

and this cute pine tree.......

Another LED lighted with Timer.......

 Chair Seat Covers at $4.99 a pack......

Here's how they look.......

Will substitute different longer ribbons to tie around the legs....

And the back....

Fastened together with velcro......


I went back for 70% off and picked up a few more of those pine Trees as gifts and this....

Marked from $19.99 to $6.00!!

Also those wonderful LED lights with a Timer!!

Here is where I put them......

 On the railing on the stairs.....

.I will leave them here for Valentine's decorations........

For some of my smaller Tree ornaments .......

Storage boxes at Dollar General for $5.00 each!

And Joe bought these.....

These are a favorite in our area made by a local candy company called Gertrude Hawks!!

After each Holiday, all their candy is half price!!

And I went back to Michaels for 80% off........

Loved these white branches......

Ribbons.....

More greenery......

Who can't use white birds.....

And look at these........

They do not even look like Christmas and will be used in the Craft Room......

A total of $20.82!!!!!!

So that is my haul for this year.......

I honestly did exercise restraint compared to other years.........

I did buy a few other things that are non Christmas related that I will be sharing with you in a later post over on my Regular Blog which is where I will now return to posting. Click HERE to read!!

I hope to continue to post here on A Debbie-Dabble Christmas from time to time through out the year especially on Rudolph Day which is the 25th of each month.

I am not going to promise to post on each Monthly Rudolph Day because I do not want to commit myself to that but I will make an effort to!!

The Christmas Season is now over even though Russian Christmas has yet to be celebrated this week in our area.

I am taking my time and I am in NO hurry to take down my Christmas decorations. It took me too long to put them up so I want to enjoy them a bit longer..........

So until next time........

And I hope you will honor Christmas and keep it in your heart all year long......

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Hugs,
Debbie