So... some Christmas traditions are worth keeping around and others are meant to be changed from time to time. There has been a lot of discussion about how we are going to do things this year and it is time we finalize our plan. It would be nice to do a big conference call and have everyone share their opinions but I figured that is what the BLOG is for... right? Okay, the cruise thing is out of the question at this point (maybe we can do it later in the year or something) and Jen and Ryan have a connection with a condo through Launa... but that is looking like it might not happen. So I think we need to answer these few questions...
Do we want to do a gift exchange? Do we want to go somewhere? What do we want to do Christmas morning? Do we want to start any new traditions?
David and I were talking the other day and we came up with some different ideas. We could do a stocking exchange and stuff each others stockings, we could include mom and the little ones in on a stocking/gift exchange. We can bag the whole gift thing. We could still go to Disneyland.
Really, we need to decide if we want a gift exchange or not now that we are not going on a cruise and even if we spend our money on something smaller, let's have a plan for Christmas morning!
My ideas... I think we should do a bunch of little things throughout the week. We could go to Newport and take a gondola ride and see all the Christmas lights on Newport harbor. We could all go to Toys-R-Us and buy a toy to take to an orphanage. We could have a bake-off and see who can make a tastiest treat. We could go caroling at a nursing home. We could ding-dong-ditch a gift to someone we know. Anyway... we can still do an exchange Christmas morning and we can just be creative about what we give.
Please post your thoughts and opinions...
Hannah Marie Martino
10 years ago
50 comments:
I like the last paragraph. Lets do a whole bunch of little things throughout the week. Hopefully Mom could join us on most of them. Mom should be in charge of the stockings. She always feels them up so good. I think a small gift exchange would be o.k. It would kind of be fun to do a shoe exchange. Everyone give their shoe size. They have pretty good deals at Marshalls and Ross. You could even be creative and go with slippers or flip flops or something. Everyone likes a new pair of shoes. Thats my idea.
I'm still thinking...
You are all LAME!! Does not one have an opinion? Let's chat it up so we can have fun over the holidays and not wish we were doing something that we can't because we took too long to plan it .
well i just got an ear full from nora so i guess ill reply about christmas. just kidding nora. well my vote is mom does stockings, friday night we go to roscoes, saturday we spend the day at the beach walking around and that good stuff, and then go on that ride thing nora was talking about to see christmas lights. sunday we go do some type of service, sing, donate a present or something, monday (christmas eve) i remember dad taking us to that one place to see christms lights and i would like to go there at least once, so this might be a good day. christmas i think we need to have some sort of gift exchange, but i would just like to chill, when was the last time we had christmas together, so we can eat and then play games or something. thats my vote but i will think some more.
Great idea Steve-bo!!! Thanks for posting... sorry for the ear full. I LOVE your ideas. I think we should do all those things since you were on your mission last year and we have all gotten married since you left. I am excited and i really want to have fun with everyone. By the way, that place is called Hastings Ranch. One more thing... Adam and I are in for a gift exchange and we think that mom should do stockings... I mean SANTA!!!
I think we should do some sort a gift exchange too. Here is just another idea...We could pick each others names for stocking and fill the stockings with more personal things and then guess Christmas morning who had our stocking. Mom could be in charge of doing the grandkids. I think mom really wants to have a gift from her for under the tree and I think it may be a lot for her to do both stocking and gift. Just my opinion. I am open to whatever but I think some sort of exchange is a good idea. I also like all the ideas about different things to do throughout the week. The main thing is obviously being together. The other thing is that because mom is still going to be working, each couple should have a dinner night so we aren't deciding last minute what to do for food. So, Steven already claimed Roscoe's, but that means it is your treat!!! After all this rambling, I think one decision has pretty much been made and that is that we are going to do some sort of exchange for Christmas morning, it is now just deciding exactly what!
i guess i agree with mom and the stockings, but we should maybe do an exchange as well. we can make a christmas list of what we want so that way whoever has us can have an idea of what we want, if they get stumped.
I love christmas time!! Lots of great ideas everyone. I'm so exited that EVERYONE will be home this Christmas and Steve-bo first christmas home sense his mission!! I really don't like change. but it's probably time for some new traditions, and for sure keeping some old traditions, like going to see all the light in Hastings Ranch!! Good Idea Steve-bo!! Hear are some other ideas --Draw names, but you can't give clothes. I maybe could give gifts for Stevie, the grandchildren, and all the couples. just an idea!! I love the plan of doing lots of different things throughout the week. Going caroling, making cut out christmas cookies, going down to the beach where Nora was talking about, Taking a new family picture, Having, Alli, Zacky,Gracie,and Charlie stay with me, so all of you can go out. I know it's going to be a great Christmas no matter what we do. I can't wait... 51 days til Christmas!!! Wow
Does anyone like the shoe exchange?
OK so I know you guys don't care about my opinion but you guys crack me up and totally remind me of the Betancourts so I had to give my 2 cents....here it goes:
We do this great thing on Christmas Eve that we call a Yankee Swap where everyone brings a $20 unisex gift and we do this number pick, it is so fun and people get really creative with gifts, presentation, ect...(I can explain via phone to one of you guys if you want more details).
On Christmas morning we do a name exchange and pick one item to exchange (like Emily suggested with the shoes--great idea btw), last year we exchanged books. People got super clever and some people got magazine subscrptions, regular books, address book, ect..
This is when being part of a big family is awesome-have fun!!!
Good ideas Helena! I like the book idea. The whole shoe thing is cool but I think some book (church, magazine, photo album, scrap book stuff) would be better... that is my vote. Also, what do you all think about having mom do stockings for Steven and the grandkids and then each couple can be in charge of their spouse? Mom is willing to do it all but that is a lot! 13 people total times 5 little things in each stocking, that is 65 gifts right there. Plus, she still wants to do a grandkids gift AND Steven AND a couples gift. What do you think?
P.S. David, I love your ideas!
Is the comment about David's ideas a sarcastic one? Am I missing something? I know you have an opinion David! What is it? I am up for any type of exchange. I know that is not much help. The only opinion I have is that we set a price limit.
P.S.
Helena... you rock!
price limit???? no way!!! thats the fun of it, and im not to sure about shoes,,,sorry em, some of us are picky about them...come on jen i know you have some good ideas, lets here them.
I'm still taking in all of the ideas. 13 comments is a lot to think about and reply on. Give me a day or two. P.S. Does anyone check our blog anymore? That includes you Helena. We have posted some new pictures, some of which are of Kev and Bob that I think you would enjoy.
Since David won't state an opinion, I will. I really like Helena's suggestion. I think having a category of some sort, like the books, will make things really fun and a bit easier to pick out the gifts. It will also keep everyone in a general price range. No matter what we do, it will be fun!
Ok, more ideas!!! Since there are a lot of ideas on a theme for the exchange we could rotate each year who decides on the theme. Or we could just vote one the ideas given so far. I have a few theme ideas. We could narrow down a store we had to buy the gifts from, example, Target, Walmart, Thrift Store (ha ha), or we could do a color theme, or we could do a food theme example: BBQ stuff, dishes/ cooking items, gift certificate, recipe books, lots of things fit under this catergory! Plus we all like to eat! Lets put more ideas down, but maybe take a vote and decide buy this weekend. Good plan? I think we are all also in agreement that we are filling our spouses stocking and mom will do Steven and the grandkids. I think we are getting there! It will be fun to all be together. Crazy, but fun!
great ideas on the gift theme. I like doing a new theme each year. By Friday lets have all themes posted. We'll make a list and vote this weekend. Great thought Jen.
Just a suggestion...what about a movie theme?
im down with the movie theme....no food or dishes jen, sorry but i dont need those right now!
Duh Steve, someday you will. Don't you plan to get married? You could impress you girl with a cool set of Christmas dishes! I haven't seen any of your brillant ideas. So, what are they?
I liked your shoe exchange idea Em!but you know how pickie your goofy brothers are about their shoes!!!
So, we decided on the stocking thing and we have a general idea of what we are going to do over Christmas. So far we have the movie idea, books, color theme, a certain store, food theme. Everyone pick a few of their favorites and then we will vote. We are going to vote on the ideas everyone has suggested unless anyone has other suggestions.
P.S. David, I love your ideas!!
my vote is movie!!! or food!
Take a Vote:
-Movie Theme
-Book Theme
-Food Theme
-Same store Theme
-LDS bookstore theme (Jens idea)
Emily's Vote: Food Theme
my vote is same store or movie theme.
My vote is food!
1) movie
2) same store
3) food
Ben's vote is Food theme
sorry em but ben doesnt get a vote. i change my vote, i think that we should do a church theme, books, dvds, pictures, music and all that stuff. focus more on what christmas is all about! i have to say my opinion, but i really dont want to do food theme, we can wait to do that one when i get married, i dont want to get plates, or a crock pot or a blender right now, so how about we wait for next time?
perfect so church theme it is!!!
I have really liked that idea from the beginning. It is Steven's first Chirstmas home and I would be willing to wait until next time to do the food theme. I talked with Nora and she is willing to change her vote also. So, church theme it is! We can give ideas on books, CD's or anything else we are interested in. I really like this idea (oh yah, it was mine!)
P.S.
Do you think we could get up to 50 comments? Just kidding, please don't!
Just one more suggestions... not like we need more. Steven picks the theme this year (church) Em next year, then David... etc. Just a thought!!
BOO on the church theme. LAME. You can't have as much fun with it. Two votes (Kenna and mine) against the church theme. We have subscriptions to all the church magz, we have scriptures, we have nativities, we have the church books we want.... Lets PLEASE reconsider.
P.S. in-laws get to vote. We need some honest input from the other men in the family other than sissy steve. Church theme hah.
sorry i want to enjoy the real meaning of christmas!!!!
church is better than food, my vote is church unless someone can come up with something better!
oh yeah, the whole one person picks the theme is ok, but since we do it every 2 years, jen you have to wait till 2015, so i say we vote each time.
I agree with Steven, it would be nice to focus more on the real meaning of Christmas. Sorry you think its lame Dave. I know there are a ton of books or CD's that I would love to have that I would never get for myself. I talked with Ryan and we are cool with the Church theme.
Ryan says....
Since it seems that the Grahams are having issues about this whole Christmas thing, I think the in-laws should do our own thing. Forget the grahams.
I am cool with whatever you guys decide. It is just about being together and enjoying each other's company, not about gifts, or overplanning or freting about it.
Movies, racketball, marble game, building forts, caroling, roscoes, the pantry, getting GAY, Marshalls, cruise...nevermind.., and who could forget the Merkleys.
We could do all of it or none of it and still have fun together.
I agree with Ryan... it is about being together. This is getting too complicated and it is starting to take the fun out of it for me. I think we should bag the whole theme idea since we cannot agree and just focus on buying a thoughtful gift. Mom can just draw names for us and mail us who we have.
ok grinch, lets just have mom do all the work! just playing, were definitly building a huge fort! and roscoes. bomb! so who is going to decide? im down with whatever. lets just put them all in a hat, pick one and thats that! everyone smile and be happy, its almost christmas!!!!
come on you guys lets start a new tradition. A Theme sounds so fun!!! I'm sure we can come up with a decision if no one really cares. I think it sound like Dave bo cares the most so lets let him decide
I’m not deciding. Plus, I could careless about what gift I get. You have me all wrong. The church theme just doesn’t seem like you can have as much fun shopping for or be as creative with, that’s all. I don’t mean to step on anyone’s toes.
ok then I have a solution, let's just do the shoe theme... :)
Okay everyone, I'm sure we can come up with a plan! I do understand what David is saying about the church theme not being able to be maybe as creavite or as fun to shop for... Maybe we could just draw names and be creative on what we buy!!! I'm going to be late for work so I have to go. I want everyone to be HAPPY!!!!!! 49 more days til Christmas!!!!!!!
Adam says...
I wish I would have read these posts before I decided to become a part of this family. You guys are nuts!! Not only is there so much drama surrounding what's supposed to be the best time of the year, but there are so many misspellings I can hardly stand it. I think I'm just going to invite my BFF, BFF jr. (Ben) and BFFF (best female friend forever, Kenna) down to stay with me in Huntington and we're going to ride the gondolas together every night and finish it off with yogurt, that's right...GAY yogurt! And maybe we'll buy a pair of shoes for eachother and do a yankee swap while reading excerpts from our favorite church books. Sue, you can come too, we'll need a photographer there to document all the fun.
go adam!!!
I think we are going to make it to 50 comments! I don't know if that is good or bad. Anyways, I think to avoid more complications it might be a good idea to just have one person pick the theme for this year. Steven can pick this year since it is his first Christmas home, and we could just go from there. I am really fine waiting until 2015 to pick! We will all eventually get a chance and it will also avoid all this chaos and be fair to everyone. Are we okay with that? Steven has got a lot of choices to choose from and can ultimately make the decision. We will all be happy with with what he chooses and have a fun Christams together. The gift will just be an added bonus to the time we spend together. Love you all!
#50. Just wanted to be the one to post the 50th comment...Adam
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