Welcome to my Christmas Blog, A Debbie-Dabble Christmas!!
I am so happy you decided to stop by my Christmas Blog!!
Every room in our townhouse has a different Christmas Theme and Color Scheme!!
I prove that you do not have to live in a large home to have several Trees, over 20, in all shapes and sizes!!
The
majority of my Christmas decorations are placed in the same room every
year and I know that this is not what most Decorator's care for but to
me, it like seeing old friends again when I decorate each year for
Christmas as many of my decorations were gifts from family and
friends...........
I do try to add a few new things and change up
things a bit but for the most part, these decorations are part of my
Christmas Traditions and bring back a lot of treasured memories.....
I post 3 TIMES A WEEK on MONDAY, THURSDAY AND SATURDAYS.....
As always, click on each picture if you would like to enlarge it....
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In my last post, I shared some new traditions and celebrations along with a Christmas Haul and Gifts....
Click HERE if you missed that post!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
And with all that being said, I set the table for our family New Year's Eve/Birthday Celebration....
Again, very simple....
No place mats as my granddaughters Lily and Gigi love to try to pull them off the table!!
LOL!
Again, I burned Joe's Memorial candle through out the dinner....
We definitely Kissed 2024 GOOD BYE and GOOD RIDDANCE!!
I ordered a Birthday cake from Price Chopper....
We celebrated 3 Birthdays on New Year's Eve as Joey now shares his birthday with the Twins on December 29th...
I served scallops, shrimp, lump crab meat cakes, chicken fingers, french fries and cole slaw....
I decided to let go of our tradition of having lobster for New Year's Eve....
The tradition started with my Dad, who always made lobster for New Year's Eve and taught Joe how to make it....
New Year's Eve 1977, the year before we were married...
Joe became known for the "Mean Lobster" he made for not only New Year's but Anniversaries, sometimes Birthdays and even for Jim and Danielle's Wedding Dinner...
Joe making Lobster last New Year's Eve....
I never ever made it as it was Joe's specialty.....
So I felt that I would not do it justice nor did I think that I would be able to cut the shells in half with my hands as I have arthritis and carpal tunnel numbness and neuropathy from my back issues..
I felt that it was a tradition that we needed to lay to rest with Joe....
At least for this year...
I apologized to Jim and Danielle as they loved the lobster....
Joey does not like seafood..
It brought tears to my eyes when Jim told me that they would be happy with dinner from McDonald's if that was what I was serving...
To let Danielle eat her dinner, I ate quickly and took Lily from her....
The twins were hungry after we ate so it was bottle time...
Jim with Gigi and Danielle with Lily....
Uncle Joey gifted the Twins remote control teething toys for their birthday and was thrilled that they liked them!!
After they ate, I then put the cake out on the table, putting Joe's candle by the cake........
We sang "Happy Birthday"!!
Even little Miss Faye got into the act....
Joey just loves to have his picture taken!!
NOT!!
Joey blew out the candles for all 3 who were celebrating their Birthdays...
I think Faye wanted some cake...
Gigi started to play with her new toy from uncle Joey...
And Faye wanted a seat at the table too!!!
We then went back into the Living Room....
To see what Mimi got the Twins for their Birthdays....
For this year, since they are so young, I bought them some outfits in a larger size that they will grow into and money so Jim and Danielle could buy what they need....
The Twins were tired from all the celebrating...
Gigi wanting to play High Five with Mimi!!
Mimi with Gigi...
Uncle Joey giving Faye and Azumi treats...
Faye was tired too!!
I spent the rest of New Year's Eve like I have for the last few years, watching Rockin New Year's Eve by myself..
I have never missed it since it's very first broadcast in 1972 and I still remember that one of my favorite bands, Three Dog Night, was one of the entertainers performing that year...
I even taped it when I had to work on New Year's Eve
Joe would always go to bed around his usual 9 pm so we never really watched the New Year come in together so this year was pretty much the same as every other year...
I stayed up until 1am, especially loving the performances by Teddy Swim...
My tradition for New Year's Day is to make my Sausage/Beef 4 Cheese Lasagna....
Instead of making 2 pans ( a double batch) like I usually do, I decided to make it all in my copper roasting pan...
I did use a lot of cheese this year.....
Joe did not like all that cheese but I did not have to worry about that this year....
Jim and Danielle decided to spend New's Year Day at home and rest as Danielle had to go to work for 4 am on Thursday morning...
Unfortunately, a carbon monoxide detector went off New Year's Day morning for the second time at their home...
They were changed on Monday by the apartment complex management as they went off then too...
This time, Jim called 911, quickly got the babies and pups and Danielle out of the house into their car to wait for EMS....
They came with a fire truck and an ambulance in case carbon monoxide fumes were detected....
Thank God no fumes were detected and the fire men checked the washer, dryer, furnace , etc....
All was clear so they felt it was faulty detectors which they said has happened in their area before...
Jim then notified the apartment maintenance which I hope will address this today..
They then took advantage of the situation and went out to breakfast...
Since Jim and Danielle were going to spend the day at home, I packed up 2 lasagna dinners and Debbie Door Dash ( Joey) delivered them to them....
I also took a dinner over to my neighbor, Ed....
Since it was just Joey and I for New Year's Day dinner, I set a simple table....
I normally now sit in the chair where Joe sat....
I always use my Old Curiosity Shop dishes on New Year's Day as they are perfect for lasagna.....
" Kissing 2024 Good Bye"
"To Sweet New Beginnings in a New Year"
And also continuing a new tradition of burning Joe's memorial candle at Holiday celebrations....
And with that, the Holiday Season of 2024 is a Wrap!!
AMEN!!
I will be honest and admit that it was much harder than I thought it would be and found myself in tears frequently...
But I made it through the first Holiday Season which is more than just Christmas for my family...
It started with Halloween, then Thanksgiving which was also Jim and Danielle's Wedding Anniversary, on to Jim's Birthday on December 7th, then Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, on to the 29th which was not only Joey's Birthday but my twin Granddaughter's 1st Birthday, ending with New Year's Eve and Day....
I will admit that it was grueling especially trying to keep up with 3 Blog posts a week....
In that time frame, I also helped out at my church with a Trunk N Treat, Sunday Monthly Breakfasts, a Craft Fair and a Children's Christmas Party!!
I did carry on my tradition of seeing Trans Siberian Orchestra and went with my sister to our Arena right by my house...
My sister and I also attended All Soul's Memorial Masses for our cousin and both our husbands as we lost all 3 of them this year...
I also hosted my sister and my nieces for Holiday visits...
I would have loved to have a few good friends over but time got away from me...
Needless to say, it was a very busy Holiday Season and all in all, it was a GOOD one with the start of some new traditions....
I took the 26th as a day to rest, reflect and recharge and I am also taking today ( the 2nd) to do the same....
I do NOT take down my Christmas decorations until Epiphany , the Feast of the Three Kings....
NEPA has a huge population of Eastern European descent as our ancestors immigrated here to work in the Coal Mines....
There was a Catholic church built on almost every corner in every town because none of the Polish, Slovak, Russian, Lithuanian and Italian Immigrants spoke English so they built their own churches where their own languages were spoken and they all practiced Christmas traditions until Epiphany....
Fellow Blogger
Laura Ingalls Gunn wrote a wonderful post on her FB page about celebrating the 12 days of Christmas that really resonated with me.......
"Happy 2nd Day of Christmas! This is my favorite time of the season. I have always been the magic maker for my family. For many years I felt like I had no Christmas. I was so busy decorating, shopping, wrapping, baking, and bringing joy to others that I often felt depressed in the days after Christmas.
I shared with my Grandma Jingles (Ingalls) that my Christmas joy was gone. She said it was because I was not celebrating the full 12 days of Christmas, but trying to cram
everything into one day. She said that if I spread it out I could take care of my family and friends but still have time for myself. So the next year I decided to reframe my mindset. I took time off from the 26th through January 6th.
I leave all of my decor up through the 12th Day of Christmas (January 6th also known as 3 Kings Day). I often sit in front of the tree and enjoy the lights. I listen to Christmas CDs and enjoy holiday food. Time slows down. It is a special time in which books I want to read, are read. Naps are taken. Movies are watched. Calls to old friends are made to catch up.
I keep in mind that even though stores try to make me believe that I must prepare for Valentine's Day the truth is that there is plenty of time. The goal in retail is simply for us to spend more money. I now refuse to be bullied into skipping over this magical time.
I look forward to these special days. If you are the magic maker in your family and perhaps feel sad or cheated then I encourage you to join me in continuing the celebration."
I have been joining her in this practice!!!
I realize that it is important for me to practice more Self Care as I am my own worst enemy...
And with all of that being said, this looks to be my last post here on my Christmas Blog, A Debbie-Dabble Christmas, for the Holiday Season of 2024......
I HOPE to be back for a few Rudolph Day posts throughout the year ....
Rudolph Day is celebrated the 25th of each month......
If all goes well, I am actually planning to return here for January's Rudolph Day with a post on Planning for Christmas 2025 with a focus on Finances....
I HOPE to share what my WOTY for 2025 is....
I have used it already in this post....
Did you see it???
And I also revealed it on
my FB page which I invite you to follow if you have not already....
It is a private page so you will need to send me a friend request....
In addition to choosing One Little Word for each New Year, I have also chosen a theme for the year over the last few years....
I HOPE to also reveal what my Theme for this year 2025 will be....
The one thing that I intend to do is THRIVE in 2025 and leave all the sorrow, despair, and drama of 2024 behind.....
And with that being said, I wish you all a very Happy Healthy New Year!!!!!
Stay safe, healthy and most of all, HAPPY!!
Thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!
If you do not have a blog, PLEASE
give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment. If I can not find a way to
reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check
back......
I am linking up to these parties:
THURSDAY
Please take some time to visit these terrific hosts and all those joining in on the fun!
Happy New Year! I know you will thrive in 2025. The first year has been so hard. I am so grateful that God sent you those little blessings to give you so much joy.
ReplyDeleteI loved that post of Laura's, too -- and I'm with you on leaving things up till Twelfth Night. Actually, it will probably be up longer, but I'll start around then! It looks like a wonderful set of celebrations. Onward with thriving!
ReplyDeleteI hope you do thrive this year! Thank you for sharing your holidays with us readers. Having your grandchildren with you on Christmas is such a blessing. We also leave ours up through Epiphany. www.bushelandapickle.com
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Debbie, what a month you've had with all those celebrations! I'm so glad you were able to find moments of joy throughout. You deserve some downtime and self care time, so I think Thrive is a great word for 2025. Here's to it my friend and sending you hugs, for all those bittersweet moments this month...❤️
ReplyDelete