What is you favorite HOLIDAY memory?

 I started this  2 years ago and always get such a great response I wanted to do it again this year.  Post your favorite holiday memory to share with us.  I will be bumping this post up a few times between now and Christmas so we can enjoy all the great and wonderful stories.

Here is a link to this years post from a couple days ago with others memories so far:

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/CA/a,messageboard/action,r eplies/board_id,4806/cat_id,4406/topic_id,3814978/




Here is mine,   please share yours:
My favorite has not changed so here it is again for the new folks and everyone

Growing up every Christmas morning we would go to my Grandparents. Their house was a huge 675 sq feet and here is where they had raised 6 children. Imagine if you will all 6 children plus spouses, grandchildren plus spouses and great grandchildren. 45 or so would enjoy Christmas breakfast together shoulder to shoulderStarting at 7am the crowd would start arriving. The first to arrive would start cooking breakfast. Full on eggs ham bacon biscuts toast coffee, you get the idea. After you ate you took your turn at the stove. Plates would be passed over heads and under tables, thru the windows and out the back door. Everyone ALWAYS showed up and there was always more than enough for everyone the more we ate the more food there seemed to be. It was hot and everyone bumping into each other. The hugs were never ending and the noise, a loud roar. Grandpa would spend the day looking around with his silly smirk and beam at the mob scene he had created. Grandma would radiate with the love she felt so deeply for each and everyone of us. after breakfast came the presents. The tiny front room would be filled to the ceiling with gifts for everone. Grandpa would shop every year and pick out the gifts for each of us. One year while I was in my twenties, he bought me my first power drill. He loved the fact that I worked on my own car and had asked him to teach me wielding, (which he never did, he said that a pretty young lady should never be burned) yet he was so proud of my ambition. Grandma would always hand make something for each of us. Imagine if you will 45 handmade bedsize quilts, or 45 handmade dolls. Each one lovingly crafted with us in mind. She saved old clothes and used the fabric in theses crafts. She made me a doll in a gown made from the fabric of my aunts wedding dress. I have each doll she has made me to this day. I hold dear those memories, the first 30 years of my life were embedded with the love of my grandparents, though they are gone now, I know that they are with us as we carry on our version of the tradition with my own family.

I want to play!! 

My favorite memory was last night.

I've been so sentimental the last few days. I blame the WLS making my hormones wacko. It's very rare that my entire family gets together. This year my brother and his entire family, including my nephew and his brand new baby girl are here. We had dinner last night.

She's already a year old, and we missed so much of her growing up since they're so far away.  Last night I got to see her for the first time and I simply started crying because she was so beautiful. :)

Meet Stella....

Thanks SueBee
I love family time! just sitting watching a movie by the Christmas tree and fireplace or DDR! I love my family

Jack Frost Ripping off My Nose!!!!!!!!

My family is Jewish and we lived in NY when I was a kid. It would snow just about every Christmas and my neighbor- whether it was blizzardy or mild would come out every Christmas Eve at midnight and put the Baby Jesus in the Manger on her lawn. I'd sit up at the bathroom window, in the dark- freezing my butt off and waiting for her to run out in her bathrobe and slippers and place the plastic Jesus in this cradle. Christmas was upon us!

Now being Jewish, I didn't understand why the Bearded one didn't come to MY house. I thought we needed  a Hannukah Fairy or SOMETHING (which I created for MY kids when they were born). The same neighbor who would but the Baby Jesus out on Christmas Eve would come over to my house in the morning, give me a present and tell me that Santa left it for me at her house because I was special! She did that every year until we moved to California!

Miss Rocky...you might appercat this tomorrow we are going out to Chinese food for Christmas...Just me and my Mom. Most Jewish New Yorkers understand this...I think.

HUGS
JOY