Merry christmas..... (Scranton, Pittston: how much, shop, beach)

[Rick323]

Merry Christmas, Yule, Kwanza, Festivus and belated Saturnalia to everyone. I guess I should wrap presents before I hand them out this morning.

Wassail

[ScranBarre]

So, what did everyone get this Christmas?!

I received a pair of "The Simpsons" pajama bottoms, an ID wristband to wear when I go running, a subscription to Runners' World magazine, a nice burnt orange sweater, a new belt, a navy-striped dress shirt to wear with my navy suit, chocolate (have to love Gertrude Hawk's!), two cans of Pringles (a rare delicacy in this Dorito household), a gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods from my recently-belated grandmother, a new pair of dress pants, and, most surprisingly, a Garmin for my photo tours so I don't have to keep lugging around my huge Rand McNally road atlas!

I bought my father a heavy-duty squirrel-proof bird feeder, which we both hung, and I'm probably also going to pay for him to receive an annual membership for the Wyoming Valley Audubon Society, as he's becoming more and more intrigued by bird-watching. I also bought him a PSU-embroidered hoodie. My mother bought him a pair of Eagles pajamas, a shirt commemorating the Phillies championship season, and an iPod Nano with an iTunes gift card for his office. My mother received a memory-foam pillow from me to help sooth her neck injury from her accident back in September, a cookbook holder from me, a cookbook with homemade recipes from Hillside Farms in Dallas, and a 2009 lighthouses calendar. It's been a rough year for both of my parents, so I spent twice what I usually spend on them (hell, it's been a rough year on all of us, as FIVE people I know have passed away since Friday in addition to many others earlier in this God-forsaken year they call 2008).

I'm happily-awaiting my uncle's afternoon arrival because I know for a fact that he bought me the Daft Punk CD I had wanted so I could cruise the residential streets of Kingston blasting "Technologic" in my new Mini Cooper convertible (Hey, a boy can dream, right?!) I know my sister and brother-in-law bought me at least one of the two PS3 games I had wanted as well---either The Simpsons or Assassin's Creed.

All in all it's been a good Christmas thus far, even if my mother has been fighting back tears all morning thinking of her late mother. My sister and I attended our church's service last night, and it was a very special one. Our vacancy pastor (filling in for our late-pastor who ALSO died in 2008!) pretty much devoted his Christmas sermon to us and to another man in our church whose long-term girlfriend died yesterday morning from cancer as well (What is this? Cancer Valley?!) "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" was one of the hymns the 15 or so of us at my grandmother's funeral sang, and the third verse had special meaning to us, talking about how we'd be given "second birth." When we sang it again just a day later on Christmas Eve I knew my grandmother was up above smiling down upon us.

[ScranBarre]

Here are a few photos I snapped of last night's events at our humble abode on Candy Cane Lane in Pittston!


MMMMM!!! Lobster-stuffed crab!


O Tanenbaum!


Taking a picture of my mother taking a picture of our tree!


A half-decent shot of our home decorated for the season. My car is always in the way with its "My Dog Digs Scranton" and "Obama '08" bumper stickers! LOL!


Our formal dining room. In 2009 we plan to tear up the carpeting and refinish the original oak hardwood flooring.


Our random hutch that has become home to various family photos and heirlooms.


My sister and brother-in-law next to the oven that is about to be loaded with more delicious foods!


One of the floral arrangements from my grandmother's funeral on the 23rd.

[Retired Law 08]

nice pictures....hope everyone has a great day today..be safe on the roads...

[MaggieZ]

thank you for sharing your lovely holiday photos Scranbarre, that's a beautiful home you have...all the best for 2009

[blip]

Hope you all had great Xmases.. Been fun over here.

[EnyaGirl]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

So, what did everyone get this Christmas?!

I got.... gift card for massages to two different places; the Sapphire Spa in Pittston and Serenity Wellness Center in Shavertown, a gift card to my favorite restaurant (Ruth's Chris), a Fuji FinePix 10mp digital camera, a couple sweaters, a coffee pot, a tea kettle, pair of winter snow boots, winter coat from Eddie Bauer, and the best gift of all...cold hard cash, which I will be putting towards a new cat tree for the kitties

[okaydorothy]

Hope you all had a very nice, safe and healthy Christmas. We spent it at home with our two wee ones and yes there is Santa.
My husbands family is here also from England and it was nice to spend the time with them all. Long story short ; he found his biological family after searching for them for 7 years and last year after 45 years he met his mum. So its his biological sister, her husband and their two teenagers that are with us for the next week.
Now today we are off to PA. Snow tubing here we come!!

Happy new year and I really hope 2009 will be better to us all than 2008 was.

Love
d

[lialleycat]

Well, Scranbarre, since you asked, I received a beautiful handmade knitted blanket and pillows from my Gram and from my Dad and his wife I got some great all natural bath products and cleaning products and a nice outfit for work. My Mom got me a quilt shop for my ever expanding Christmas Village and some ornaments including a really cute one of a bluebird 'sledding' on a leaf! I'll try to remember to post a photo when I get home. I also got some cash and I have enough to take my quilting classes! Going out this weekend to the two stores that offer the classes to see which quilt I'd most like to make then my friend and I are going to sign up. I'm very excited! Santa was very good to me this year!

Dinner was also awesome, I think I made my best veggie tortilla soup ever and everything else came out really delish as well. The Eggnog Custard pie recipe I got from here was a HUGE hit! I'm going to have to make another for New Years! Of course I might not eat again until then either! Ugh, I still feel full!

It's quiet as can be here at work. I'm kinda glad I came in though, I'm getting paid to sit and rest, which is a big change from all the cooking and cleaning I've been doing all week!

[lialleycat]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Here are a few photos I snapped of last night's events at our humble abode on Candy Cane Lane in Pittston!


Our formal dining room. In 2009 we plan to tear up the carpeting and refinish the original oak hardwood flooring.

Hardwood flooring rules! So much easier to clean up than carpet, especially in any room where people are going to be eating. It's great that it's under there already, I just had cement under my carpets and had to install the flooring. Expensive job!