We did not !
We were moving the weekend of December 1st . Talk about rushing . I love to decorate my place one month before . Well ……… that just was not going to happen this year . During our move to our new place , our Christmas tree broke . I was stressing . I really can’t have a Christmas without a tree . I was on a hunt for a tree now . While desperately trying to find the tree , we still needed to unpack and set up . I was talking to a friend long distance , when finally a solution to my issue . Something her mother had done .
A tomato rack !
I questioned her response , how in the world was a tomato rack going to be the solution to my no Christmas tree issue . Sure enough I continued to listen . She described the steps , it was the perfect idea for what I needed .
Here is how :
You place the rack upside down . Then you take the coloured garland of choice , wrap it around the rack till you have the desired texture and form . You then get out those fancy Christmas lights (mine were not so fancy he he he ) wrap those around the tree , placing your star or angel at the very top . Here is a photo of the finished product .
After crafting our new Christmas tree I just couldn’t stop there . I had to take out all the decorations . When we packed I thought for sure I had pitched most of the decorations we had , out . Trying to conserver the space factor . The only thing I had pitched out was some ratty old garland .
Note to self ..... I must down size !
I decided that it was time to pull the camera out and take some shots . This would be my first time taking shots of the decorations with my newer camera , something I had been waiting to do since I purchased the camera . Which felt like it took forever . I placed most of the decorations in piles on our living room floor ……. In doing this my poor husband was tripping over all the decorations , along with our dogs , who in fact thought the decorations were for them and that they were toys’ for them . Decisions , decisions , I wanted to photograph everything at once , I really had a hard time deciding .
Finally had it !
After taking all those shots it was time to put what I wanted to keep away and the rest in the garbage . Remember I was trying to downsize too . It was time to go over to my parent place for the evening and exchange gifts and all that jazz .
My mother during the summer months was hounding me for a cretin photo she wanted . I had to lie , lie , and lie again . Repeatedly I had to tell her that all the shots were coming out horrible and that I didn’t know what I was doing with my new camera . ( try and do that with a straight face , when you do know what your doing with the equipment ) . I was so excited in side because the shots were in fact coming out better than I had anticipated them to .
There is a reason for this particular shot requested by my mother . The reason is as such . Our grand parents built the camp we still use today . The camp was built when my step father was about 16 , it is about 10 minutes outside of our city limits and is only used during the summer months . Our nana taught us kids how to swim at camp . My mother who is now teaching her grand son , my nephew , wanted the same shots she has of us with our nana , with her grand son . I had the perfect shot she wanted . My mother must of hounded me every few days , till Christmas . Naturally you can feel the relief I had knowing that soon enough the photo she wanted would finally be in her possession . She began to open ………
There it was the gift she wanted . Tears ran down her face , she was more than ecstatic about the gift ! She asked me “ Roxanna , how come you told me it didn’t work and here it is . ” I responded ….. “ mom , how could I give you what you wanted and you know about it ” She laughed …….. “ I guess so ” she replied . It was then time to watch my step father open his gift .
This was the deal breaker !
As he began to open , I started to see a change in facial reactions . The man was starting to light right up . I was thrilled to know that the gift would and could be the perfect gift , for once I had done it !
My step father is the type of man that only wants the best for you and of you . I new at that moment in time , I achieved his goal !
He took the time to analyze the gift , turned to me and said “ you truly are talented at what you do ! ”
I almost crapped my under pants .
It was now our turn to unwrap gifts . While doing do my mother disappeared ……. I thought where did that woman go now . She can’t sit still for more than a few min at a time . Anyone that truly knows our family , would in fact know this . I continued and bam there she was holding onto a huge plate in one hand with what I go nuts over , cheese ball ! In the other was some other goodies , coconut swirls and rum balls . If there was only the cheese ball …… and I didn’t have to share …….. I would sit there till the entire thing was gone ! If cheese ball was the only thing to eat , I would never go hungry , I could eat it till I was blue in the face ! Naturally out came the camera for that .
The night was coming to an end , I had to arrange for the next morning as my sister and her son were not at my parent for Christmas Eve . They intended to be at my parents Christmas morning . I had already made arrangements for Christmas day with my husbands side of the family . This was going to be an issue . I really , really , really wanted to photograph my sisters son with the new camera .
THE BIG DAY !
My husband woke before me , started cooking breakfast . Anyone that knows me , knows 2 things . 1 ) I am not the morning type and 2 ) I don’t eat first thing . I just had to photograph the breakfast eggs cooking thou .
I am a person that needs about a hours time to be fully functional in the morning . This posses for a problem ! It was already 9 : 30 am . I still had to have the “ wake ” time , shower , get ready and wait for the call to go back to my parents place . I managed to get that all in before the call . I waited and I waited , and I waited some more , finally come about noon . I rushed out the house so fast , I had forgot the camera and gifts . Good thing I didn’t leave the driveway yet . My husband opened the door and waved me down . He said “ are you forgetting something ” ……. Holding the camera in one hand , the gifts in the other . I just about died laughing . I can’t believe I would forget the two most important things I had to bring with me .
I arrived !
I was first to arrive . I think I was a little eager , don’t you ? I was gearing up while my sister and her son where waltzing threw my parents door . My nephew had asked his papa what Santa brought him for Christmas . My step father responded “ Santa didn’t get us anything but aunt Roxanne gave us this “ . As my step father went to get the gift , my nephew patiently waited .
This was his response …….
It was defiantly time to give the child what he went to papas for in the first place . Open those gifts Santa brought him .
He started on his stocking , boy was it full !
After opening all that , it was time to head on down into the basement where the tree was and all those amazing gifts he had to open .
After he was done with all his gifts the others began on theirs , my mother’s friend who happens to also be my sister next door neighbour had purchased gifts for one another . Upon opening them up at the same time the had both realised they had purchased the same thing for one another , they laughed and called them selves the Boobsey twins .
Boy did I laugh on that one !
My sister was complaining in the background , so I had to find out what it was she was stressing over . Sure enough it was a gift our mother had wrapped for her .
The element of surprise ……..
She struggled for about 10 minutes ……… I had to snap yet another of
this .
It is a given , when you receive a gift from our mother , your bound to fight with the darn thing first ! Anyone that has ever received a gift from this woman really know what I am talking about , she makes you work for it ! My sister forgot ! He he he
Finally it was open !
With the help of scissors mind you .
When my mother gives you a gift you can’t open , be sure it is for good reason . Odds are the contents inside are usually something you keep running out of . My sister apparently keeps running out of shampoo ……..as her entire package was full of it !
On to the next she went . Her son felt it was necessary to help his mother open those gifts ! He came to a gift he really didn’t know what to do with ………. Band aids . He looked at it for a good minute or 2 , tossed because it had no buttons or sound and was quickly onto the next gift in line .
He then felt that playing with tissue paper was next on the list of fun !
Everyone continued to open gifts while he played around . It was finally the time to just snap , snap , snap . My sister saw 1 last gift that was not open , it was for her son . He ran over ……. Opened it up to find inside a poo bear ! My nephew thought that biting the poo bear was far more fun then giving kisses . As my sister struggled to teach him that kissing was the appropriate thing to do I was able to get this funny shot in !
I had noticed the time …… oh no ……. I was running late !
I had exactly 15 min to get home , pick up my husband , all the gifts and head on over to his side of the family , picking up his sister , kids and husband . I still did not have some shots I wanted though . I thought how in the world am I going to make it on time ? I quickly ran around and took the shots I wanted ! I don’t have very many shots with my sister and I , or my nephew and I . I am always on the wrong side of the lens for that part . Now we do !
My mother requested a group shot . We have not had a family photo taken in a really , really , long time . Out came the tripod ! My nephew thought it was rather funny to watch his auntie run back and forth because she was unhappy with the shots being taken . Finally everyone was looking at the tripod and camera area !
Now I really had to leave !
I hurried home , picked up my husband , all the gifts and was on our way . We had to make a pit stop first . We had to pick up my husbands sister and her family first before heading over to “ Pop’s “ my father-in-laws home . My father-in-law received this name by me years ago . When I first met this man , he was loud and happy to hug to crap right out of you kind of man . He would welcome you and make you feel like part of the family no matter what . This was weird for me as my family is more up tight and strict . As nervous as I was I accidentally called him “ Pop’s ” . To this day I continue to call him this . He is the type of man that would bend over backwards for you , put himself at risk and be your armoured car if he had to . He truly is a free spirited kind of man . His nurturing personally makes you feel at ease when ever you are around him . Due to this I wanted to give the perfect give to him . I had recently this fall decided that it was time to give him what I thought he was lacking . He is a man who loves to put photos of his family all over the walls . I noticed he didn’t have any recent shots of his daughter or son . He had the grand kids due to school photos . I then made arrangements for a family shoot ! I worked on his gift for a while , selecting the right ones to give him for this day that comes once a year .
It was time to open them up !
The oooooooo’s and aaaaaaawwwwwwwww’s that followed after every photo was killing me . I was dying in laughter . The man is somewhat of a “ Drama Queen “ as his daughter likes to put it . He truly loved the gifts he received . He now had to return to cooking the rest of the Christmas meal , oh how I couldn’t wait .
We needed a distraction from a few things , the smell of the oh so good food we were about to have and the time . On to the gifts for the kids it was . As my husband became the “ Santa helper “ he started making some really funny faces . For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what the faces were for while he was gathering the gifts for the kids . Out comes these little envelops for them , ahhhhh ……. I realized that he must have known what was inside . How could he thou , it wasn’t for him . Ding , I light bulb went off . How often do you get cards at Christmas time with no cash in them ? Odds are not too often . Sure enough cash was inside !
It was on to the rest of the gifts , the faces I was able to capture really tell the excitement and feeling that went along with each gift .
It was time to start placing the food on the table . I was rather excited about this part ! I was starving . The topic of conversation at the dinner table was how we all miss a dish from our parents cooking . I mentioned my mothers cheese ball and her roast beef dinner , while my husband mentioned the coleslaw his father had for our dinner that day . It is rather funny how your parents will cook the food they know you will miss . How parents do this I will never understand ! As supper came to an end Pop’s mentioned going to the games room in his building . Well were the kids excited to do that , our nephew was so excited that he challenged his uncle in a game of pool . He stated he was defiantly going to kick his uncles butt . Sure enough he did ! Then it was on to the darts , and all the other fun games in that room .
The evening was coming to an end and I wanted a Monette family group shot . Out came the tripod ! It only took us 3 attempts for me to be satisfied this time around .
A Christmas that I am sure we will hold close to our hearts !
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