June 2010 Rudy Day!!!

[Colleen in PA]

Aunt Jamelle, one tradition which I thought was lovely, was getting a nice book of the poem "Twas the night before Christmas", and reading this on Christmas Eve every year. I found a nice copy before DD's first Christmas, and I keep it in the box with the decorations (we have other Christmas books too which live on the bookshelf - but this is special and I don't want it lost). The first reading it gets every year is on Christmas Eve, and then it does get another few outings before the tree is put away again. DD loves it as it is a special book "just" for Christmas.

I second this! We have a beautiful version illustrated by Mary Engelbreit. We take a picture reading it, then put out milk and cookies and put the little ones to bed. It is so nice to have a few minutes of quiet family time on Christmas Eve. The adults in our house gather around the tree to hear it too!

We even used the book as a prop for my son's Christmas picture when he was three...we sat him on our sleigh bed in his pajamas and a santa hat, "reading" that book. It looked so cute! I got lots of feedback on that card!

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

We still read this book every Christmas Eve and my kids are 21 and 17. A few years ago my mum bought me a grandma teddy bear that actually reads 'The Night Before Christmas' out loud. She is very cute.
My kids also get a special Christmas ornament every year. I write the date on it and when we decorate the tree we always start with the first Christmas and work our way through top the last. I love looking through the ornaments every year.

 

[AuntJamelle]

I love LOVE LOVE the Night Before Christmas idea!

What is so great is that I actually already have a really pretty copy of the book that I bought years ago at a bargain book store. The book is quite large in size and the illustrations are so pretty!

It has been sitting on my bookshelf ever since! I think it will be an EXCELLENT tradition to start!

 

[FrostyShimmer]

I love the idea of reading Twas the Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve - what a great tradition!

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

So June Rudy is coming up very quickly. I really don't know what I might get up to at this stage. I will be at work on Friday, so will have to put of anything until Saturday. I have a lot of little things that I would like to do. I would like to look at my gift box collection and just see if I might need to get any more. I will also go through my Christmas cards and write a list of any that I may have to purchase. I think that I am doing OK at the moment with most of my preparation.

 

[DawnSu]

not sure how Rudy day will work, as I am trying to work as I will b off for at least 3 weeks, when Nathaniel, ds, almost 21, has his hip surgery July 14.... so I am still debating, on how & what to do...lol

 

[AuntJamelle]

I am also unsure how this Rudy Day will actually go for me - I may still be playing catchup from this past weekend.

We had a big storm go through Friday night and our power is STILL not back on yet! Hopefully it will be back on today!!!

We are lucky enough to have a generator that will run our fridge/freezers and some fans but that is IT!

No housework - no dishewasher - no vacuum - and with 3 dogs that is problematic! I used a broom/dustpan on the wooden floors but that is no help for all the carpets!

In any case - depending on when power comes back and depending on how DH is doing with his arm (cast comes off today) I will be attempting to get some Rudy Day tasks done this weekend. If I spread them out over the weekend I should be able to manage them!

On my list currently:

Clean up electronic Chr Card List (so I can get rid of bits and pieces of paper stuck in my Chr binder)

Transfer copies of all my Chr files to harddrive backup unit

Update master gift list with new ideas/purchases

Buy 2-3 stocking stuffers

 

[Kim Loves Snow]

I like reading about everyone's plans! I think my Rudy day might be on Sunday the 27th. I think it will most likely revolve around the gift totes - sorting and making sure that everything is logged on the computer. I know I have gifts in storage and it's making me anxious. I wonder if I can find them. Thankfully the storage unit is temperature controlled so going in there in the summer is actually refreshing!

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

Kim...What a lovely bonus having some gifts in storage. I hope that you will be able to find them in the storage facility. I really cannot believe that June Rudy day is nearly here. It is all going so quickly isn't it. Next month we will be hosting CIJ and then the countdown really begins for me.

When do people start to get really excited. For me it is usually September, as that is spring here and I feel energised and able to get moving. I love the transition from the planning stage to the implementing stage.

 

[SparkleNana]

Sweetpumpkinpye..... "when do people begin to get excited?"........ GREAT question! Don't we all LOVE to hear about people getting excited about Christmas!!!!!!

Yesterday.... I go excited about Christmas 2010...... it happened when I uncovered some "fold & create muffin/cupcake/cookie gift boxes" that I found at 90% off at the way-after-Christmas clearance sales. It made me happy to think about baking some fruit-filled breakfast muffins" for gifts!

I LOVE all the little things that are special to Christmas! The beautiful decorations. The cards.... and invitations. The special "token" gifts. Everything. I like to look at them and organize them. And plan for Christmas. So.... I am already a little excited! Which is pretty terrific....... considering the heat and the humidity...... and the fact that "Real Life" is all around us, all the time! And..... I give all the credit to our MagicalHolidayHome Family (and to Gingerbug -- for creating and for sustaining our home here!) We sustain each other.... through the good times.... and through the not-so-good-times!

 

[Kim Loves Snow]

Sweetpumpkinpye - I love this question, too! I started to think about it and realized that last Friday when we went into storage I actually waved (I doubt anyone else on earth except my dear MHH family would understand) at my Christmas totes. See, I did not decorate last Christmas because it was too close to the wedding and my move. It just did not make sense. When I saw some of my totes in storage my heart skipped a beat and I felt so happy - so I waved at them. DH saw me and told me I was nuts but he was smiling because he accepts my love of Christmas and knows what a sacrifice it was last year. I felt like I saw a long lost friend!

For me when the Washington Redskins start training camp my countdown begins. At that point I start thinking fall and it progresses rapidly from there!

 

[beccaw]

Oh my gosh Kim I was thinking the same thing! Once football season starts, I know it's getting close.

My last few Rudy days haven't been as productive as I would have liked so I'm hoping Friday will help me get caught up. I'll definitely be pulling out my notebook to make updates and hopefully get all gifts finalized. I don't have anything extra in the budget this month, so I won't be adding to the gifts, but at least if I know what I need I can keep a list with me next month.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

Kim.... When do the Washington Redskins start training camp?? Not being up with American sporting seasons I have no idea about these things. But here in Australia the Grand Finals for our football codes are in September, so we know that when there is no more football ON the TV we are getting close. LOL.

As for waving at your totes, whenever I go into our storage shed here and see my wonderful totes full of their Christmas goodness, my heart also does a little pitter pat.

 

[orangesforadam]

I get to play with all my Christmas stuff this week as I continue my work purging my attic. It's been so much fun! Every box was like a present! Then, some of the presents turned out to be along the lines of socks and underwear so they gotta go! LOL!

 

[Gingerbug]

I know what you mean....I have been sorting and trying to reorganize stuff in the basement.....a lot of it's Christmas.....some I forgot I even had...its fun....but still lots more to go through!

 

[Kim Loves Snow]

Katrina - I don't know the actual date of training camp, but it's usually at the tail end of July. From that point on I'm in fall mode! And, thanks for understanding why I waved at my totes! :0)

 

[SparkleNana]

Kim Loves Snow....... I find your idea to be...... incredibly exciting!!!!!

MEN slip into all-football/all-the-time mode when training camps begin! Talking, thinking, comparing ideas with friends.... which players will make it out of training camp and onto the team! So much to read and have opinions about! Of course..... at the same time..... they are keeping track of baseball....... and keeping their eyes on as many other sports as they can!!! Do THEY ever think it is too early to get deep into football in July?????? NO, they do not!!!!! They have no guilt about doing something so fun for themselves and their friends!

More power to them! Let's make them happy, happy, happy....... by slipping OURSELVES into Christmas fun at the same time.... with our friends! Heh heh heh!! We can talk with our friends about Christmas prep. They can talk with their friends about sports! Everybody will be happy!!!

 

[alisonmcg]

Happy Rudy Day everyone! I plan to do some packing for my holiday today so I think I'll play a Christmas CD in the background and I think I'll watch a Christmas special on TV later!

 

[Winged One]

I had a sorta Rudy day yesterday, as I got to do a lot of internet stuff, looknig at crafty sites and getting patterns, ideas, tips etc. And I went to a fabric store at lunchtime and got a few remnants (including a nice piece that I will use for a crayon roll - for free!!), and got a few extra bits of ribbon and a bag of buttons at the ribbon shop.

I am going to head across town at lunchour today to the other fabric store, to check out their remnants, and a few sales. And I will bring those, yesterday's purchases, and the bookstore purchases from last week, home from under my desk tonight to stash!!

I have hopes of getting some sewing done this weekend too, as we don't have to go to the plot unless we fancy a gentle outing as a family for an hour. But I am aiming to avoid that and spend time cleaning the house, and then sewing!!

 

[Lana]

Winged One, those crayon rolls are neat. Hope you get sew this week-end. Are you knitting anything now?