This months (Long) News and Views (December 2000)
- December - always busy
Like most of you, December is always a busy month for us.
Christmas parties, cooking, baking, purchases to make, gifts to wrap, a tree to decorate, etc. etc. Seemingly, it never ends. Then, as long as you seemed to wait for it, it's gone faster than you can blink an eye.
- Trimming the tree
Of course, you've GOT to have a Christmas tree, right? Right!
This year, we picked up our tree from our local grocery store, Food Lion. No, Clark, not the Food Lion where the rubber band is, the Food Lion close to our new house (If you need details about this rubber band incident, let me know)!
As always, Steve puts up the tree, and Paula and the kids work their decorating magic and transform the tree from a plain, ordinary looking Frazier fir into a spectacular, elegant, beautiful Christmas tree.
There are some very special ornaments on the tree. Every year, each child gets to purchase an ornament they like. Their name is then put on the ornament, and it appears on the tree each and every year.
This year, Uncle Matt and Aunt Pam provided us with our special ornaments. These delicate, hand made ornaments are being handled with extra care. And, they'll be on our tree next year, like they were this year.
Another very special ornament is one made by Paula's grand father, Aubrey, and given to her the December before he passed away. It always find a special place towards the top of the tree.
Click here to see our decorated Christmas tree (Size: 4.7 Mb. Length: 19 Seconds)
- McAdenville - Christmas Town USA
Another tradition we've enjoyed in North Carolina is McAdenville.
It's called Christmas Town USA. Honest, it says so on the sign as you enter this small town near Gastonia, about 30 miles from where we live in Concord.
Anyway, every year, a few days after Thanksgiving and lasting till a few days after Christmas, this small community really puts on a Christmas show.
We'll usually make some hot chocolate, take along some snacks, and enjoy the sights in McAdenville.
On our way back home, we appeared to have timed our visit to McAdenville perfectly. We only waited about 15 minutes to get into McAdenville, and enjoy the scenery. When we got back on the interstate, the McAdenville exit was backed up for over 2 miles.
Click here to see the a shot of McAdenville (Size: 3.8 Mb. Length: 15 Seconds)
Click here to see the a shot of McAdenville (Size: 3.2 Mb. Length: 12 Seconds)
- A visit to Santa at Concord Mills Mall
How else will Santa know what you want for Christmas?
Every year, you get to pick two things that you really, really, really want. You go and visit Santa, and tell him what those things are.
Usually (There haven't been any exceptions - yet), you can rest assured that you'll get those few things for Christmas from Santa.
Anything else left under the tree is just icing on the cake.
This year, Santa had a surprise for the kids (And, it surprised us parents, too). As they were ready to leave, he told them that if they wanted to be at the top of his list next year (for Christmas 2001), they better quit fighting amongst themselves, and work a little harder on picking up their clothes and towels.
Click here to see the boys standing in line waiting meet Santa (Size: 9.0 Mb. Length: 36 Seconds)
Click here to see the boys get their picture taken with Santa (Size: 11.6 Mb. Length: 47 Seconds)
- Christmas Eve
You probably have some Christmas Eve traditions. So do we, and there are several of them.
First, to Paula's side of the family "Christmas Eve gift." Ha-ha!
Another Christmas Eve tradition is to open one present, kind of a warm up for Christmas morning. Usually, this is a present that's from one child to another.
This tradition continued, and the kids opened up some of their presents for each other.
Micah got Bath Tub Bubba (No, we didn't get it in Alabama), who's a smart talking bear that you can take into the tub with you. Clint got Cyclops, an X-Men action figure (We loved the X-Men movie, it was awesome). Brad got a football, a kicking tee, and a pump (His one from last year has been worn out).
Another tradition it to personally prepare Christmas cookies for Santa, some milk, and some food for the reindeer. We hear they're fond of carrots.
So, Paula and the kids take to the kitchen, bake some cookies, personally hand decorate them, and get a plate ready for Santa's arrival.
We also place the goodies near the fire place, so Santa would have no trouble finding them.
Also, Leora (See more details below) provided us with a rather unique tree ornament. It's a golden key, so that if for some reason Santa has trouble coming down your chimney, he (And only him, according to legend) can use this key to open our door.
Along with the goodies, we also take a few minutes to write Santa a personalized letter. In this letter, we attempt to overlook the bad things we've done, and highlight the good things. It's usually a short letter! Ha-ha! Anyway, a personalized letter was also left for Santa.
Still another tradition is to read The Night Before Christmas before bed time. Everyone gathers around, and the story is enjoyed by all.
Click here to see Micah and his Christmas Eve gift (Size: 9.0 Mb. Length: 36 Seconds)
Click here to see Clint and his Christmas Eve gift (Size: 6.0 Mb. Length: 24 Seconds)
Click here to see Brad and his Christmas Eve gift (Size: 4.7 Mb. Length: 19 Seconds)
- Christmas finally arrives
Of course, the kids were up early.
Paula and I got ready for Christmas morning. That means that I got showered and dressed (15-20 minutes, max).
For Paula, that means she washed her hair, curled it, put on make up, got dressed; you women know the whole routine!
Don't get me wrong, the results are outstanding, but those poor kids had to wait longer than they had hoped!
After everyone's ready, we head down stairs. Often times, people forget the true meaning of Christmas. It's the birthday of Jesus, and as such, we spend some time reading from the Bible. As usual, we read Luke, Chapter 2, versus 8 through 11.
These are the verses that are found in the Peanuts special Merry Christmas Charlie Brown, and recited by Linus during a soliloquy (See, that Theatrics course I took in college DID pay off, mom; I remember what a soliloquy is).
After the scripture reading, let the gift opening begin, but in an orderly fashion, of course. Open a gift, discard the paper in the box provided, and put your gift in your designated pile.
I'll wrap up, kid by kid (Including the parents), of what everyone got for Christmas.
Bradley received his two main gifts that he requested from Santa. These were a skate board and a scooter (Like almost every other kids in America). After he opened these up, he was ready to try them out. But, he received several other things, like a set of custom made graphite golf clubs complete with accessories, Old Navy clothes, a Nintendo 64 game (Madden Football, not nearly as fun as Blitz, though), a snow tube, a Sony walkie talkied with a 2 mile range, and some other minor things that I know I've forgotten (And, are possibly alreadk broke)!
Clint also received his two main gifts he requested from Santa. These were a skate board and Bop It Extreme, a hand held game that requires quick reflexes. He also received a snow tube, a set of custom made graphite golf clubs, golf accessories, some Old Navy clothes, a snow tube, protective gear for skate board and scooter activities, a Sony walkie talkied with a 2 mile range, and other things that have probably slipped my mind.
Micah, too, received his two main gifts that he requested from Santa. These were a Bull Winkle and a guitar. Micah also got a sit and spin, an electronic keyboard with a microphone, a drum set from Nanny, a talking bull dozer from Rammy (What was Santa thinking with all of these loud, noisy gifts?), Chicken Run DVD, Blues Clues movie DVD, a very cute pretend razor so that he and daddy can shave together in the morning, a riding stick horse, good night Blue book and plush, a Sony walkie talkied with a 2 mile range, check up Ernie, and other triknets.
Paula hadn't requested much, but she did get what she requested. She got some warm, comfortable pajamas (Only thing she requested), an MP3 player, a Sony eMarker (A very cool $20 product if you listen to the radio very much, you can order it from Amazon.com if you're interested), a portable CD player, and the necessary tools needed to quench her recent and overwhelming desire for wings (Cool touch deep fryer, peanut oil, wings seasoning, and wings), and a work out ensemble with two pairs of pants, a sporty matching work out jacket,a nice skirt, and the Toy Story 3-DVD pack.
Steve got what he asked for, and like Brad, was ready to stop opening gifts, and start playing! I received a Nintendo game, Banjo-Tooie, which I've thoroughly enjoyed the past few weeks (I've played for over 13 hours, and I'm less than half way through the game, and I'm following the strategy guide), a Sony AM/FM Sports arm band radio for my morning trips to the YMCA, a leather chair and accompanying roller mat for the computer in the game room, and a very nice gum ball machine, with a refill pack.
As you see below, the camcorder was rolling, and a LOT of video was captured. If you have the time (Or, if you're fortunate enough to have a cable modem or DSL), enjoy the video clips.
Click here to see the kids first glimpse of their presents (Size: 1.7 Mb. Length: 7 Seconds)
Click here to see Micah opening Bull Winkle (Size: 7.2 Mb. Length: 29 Seconds)
Click here to see Micah opening his guitar (Size: 12.0 Mb. Length: 48 Seconds)
Click here to see Micah opening his stick horse (Size: 7.3 Mb. Length: 29 Seconds)
Click here to see Micah opening Nanny's present (Size: 5.7 Mb. Length: 23 Seconds)
Click here to see Micah opening Rammy's present (Size: 3.5 Mb. Length: 14 Seconds)
Click here to see the boys opening their golf clubs (Size: 6.6 Mb. Length: 26 Seconds)
Click here to see the boys opening their scooters (Size: 13.0 Mb. Length: 53 Seconds)
Click here to see the boys opening their walkie talkies (Size: 4.2 Mb. Length: 17 Seconds)
Click here to see Paula opening her pajamas (Size: 7.0 Mb. Length: 28 Seconds)
Click here to see Paula opening her work out accessories (Size: 8.2 Mb. Length: 33 Seconds)
Click here to see Steve opening his computer room chair (Size: 3.5 Mb. Length: 14 Seconds)
- Skate boarding and roller blading at the skateboard park
So, when you get a skate board and scooter for Christmas, what's a kid to do?
Well, you practice out in the driveway, down the cul-de-sac, down the hill to the community pool, and where ever you can.
But, if you're really wanting to hone your skills, you go to a skate boarding park. Luckily, there is one available for public use in Charlotte (Although they don't allow the use of scooters, so Clint uses his roller blades when we go).
It's actually very close to our old house (Probably about 3 miles from it), but now, it's about a 30 minute drive (Believe me, I'm NOT complaining about not being in the old neighborhood).
The skate park is a public park with ramps, rails, jumps, and terrain that every skate boarder loves. They also require that you wear a helmet, knee and elbow pads. If you're roller blading, you must also wear wrist guards in addition to the other required gear. So, injuries are kept to a minimum under the circumstances.
As a parent, I'll make an observation about the skate board park. Every one that we've come in contact with has been super nice. Kids help each other perfect their moves, and give tips and hints to each other openly. I've not seen any demeaning attitudes from any of the skaters.
And, to back up my statement, I'll even give an example. While we were there, we met a kid named Travis. He's been skating for 2 years now, and is probably about 12-13 years old. He's obviously been practicing a lot, based on the moves he was able to perform. He was more than willing to show Brad the proper technique (Foot placement, body position, stance, etc), to do certain moves. And, to top things off, Travis and his family were visiting some relatives in Charlotte, and he's from the Birmingham Alabama area.
I've got some video down below of his skate boarding skills, which I'm sure you'll enjoy and appreciate. I even passed our home page address to him. I hope he hasn't been checking every day for the video clip I promised, because I'm a little late this month with my update (Sorry).
Click here to see Clint skating (3 scenes) (Size: 11.7 Mb. Length: 48 Seconds)
Click here to see Brad skate boarding (2 scenes) (Size: 2.9 Mb. Length: 11 Seconds)
Click here to see Travis skate boarding (4 scenes) (Size: 10.3 Mb. Length: 41 Seconds)
- Baby Madison visits during the holidays
Some of you may remember baby Madison, from our September 2000 update (A rather boring, uneventful month, if I have to say so myself).
Anyway, Angela decided to bring baby Madison for a visit, and we were delighted to have lunch with everyone.
After lunch, we returned to our house, and spent the remainder of the day talking, laughing, playing, and just visiting.
In March, we're going to keep baby Madison for a week so that Darrell, Angela, and Courtney can spend some time together at Disney World, and then go on a Disney cruise.
We're jealous, but rest assured that we'll take good case of baby Madison.
- Leora visits during the holidays
One of Paula's good friends, Leora (Accompanied occasionally by Noah), stopped by to visit during the holidays, and even spent the night with us on more than one occasion. Being a teacher, and having a break during the Christmas holidays, her and Paula were able to stay up late at night, sleep in a little in the morning, and have nothing but fun in between.
Oh, and a lot of hot chocolate, coffee and chicken wings were consumed (But, not all at the same time of course)!
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