Tell us who is on your naughty list? Who is on your nice list?  Why?

No one is getting a Naughty gift this year.  I would like to say I’m super funny and creative and have pulled wonderful gag gift stunts… but I’m pretty boring in that department

Nice list? Everyone!  My Kids, even though they definitely have their naughty moments.  My husband.  My neices and nephews, some friends…. Why?  Because I love them all.  As I said before, though many of the adults in our family would fit the nice list… They aren’t making the list due to tighter finances.  Family agreement.

Sorry, That is all I got.

Sponsors: Day Seven Blog Party Question is Brought to you by Sillymonkeez and My Baby Bump

We would like to know what is your favorite holiday memory from your childhood.

There are so many memories that I absolutely love and cherish.  I’ll choose one to focus on.  It is perhaps one of my earliest memories of Christmas.  

When I was little Downtown Columbus was abuzz.  I remember people would drive and walk down there just to see all the pretty decorations and store windows.  There was a huge Lazarus department store there (pretty comparable to what Macy’s has become, in fact, I believe they all became Macy’s)  It was 5 stories and the street level windows were absolutely beautiful to little wide-eyed children like me.  We would make a day out of going down there and visiting THE REAL santa.

To see santa there was of course a long line.  To ease the difficulty of the line the store would make it more of a maze where kids could sit at different stations and draw crafts, like paper ornaments.  The Santa would be in a room at the end of the line and when you got close enough you could see him through the window.  I always thought it strange that there were 2 Santas in 2 different rooms that people would funnel in.  The challenge was simply to pick THE REAL one, which of course we always did.

After we finally saw Santa and gave him our many Christmas requests we would go to a part in the store that only little kids had access too.  The doors were half the height of normal doors and we would go in without our parents.  My parents would give us each money to buy the a Christmas present and we would go in and ask which row we could choose a present from (depending on the amount of money we had).  I remember distinctly picking out cologne in the shape of an old fashioned figure (maybe english army man?) for my dad.  We would go pay for the item and then they would wrap it for us so that our parents would not see.

The year my we got the cologne my brother ruined the surprise by giving my dad a big hint.  He said, “It starts with Old Sp—”.  Dad pretended not to know.  

I wonder why there aren’t more of these type of situations anymore.  At least not where we live.  It would be such a wonderful thing to take my children too.  Oh well.

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Today, make a blog post about what you do to give back during the holidays. Do you volunteer your time? If so, please tell us where. What do you do to teach your children the true meaning of the holidays?

Well.  During the Christmas season we (as most people) are pummeled with many opportunities to give. I love that it is such a charitable season.   There are Angel Tree Gift Boxes, Can Food drives,  Salvantion Army bell ringers, etc.  We usually participate in all the requests we get.  The sad thing is the giving should continue all year round.  I don’t believe people are only in need during the holidays.  Two things I’m determined will be part of my families lives when the kids are 10 and over are 1. Working in a soup kitchen for the homeless once a month, and 2. going on a missions trip to a 3rd world country or place in need (like Cuba) once a year.  I think it is so important that my children learn

1. that no everyone has it good like they do.

2. they have a responsibility to do something about that and

3. that God commands them to help out the least among us.

Okay- so that was a tangent.

Aside from that… this year is a really tough one for giving.  I probably have gotten more requests for money lately than any other Christmas before hand.  The problem is we have less to give this year than any other.  Because I know that this is not only my problem this year, but the problem of so many in our country… I’m concerned about the charities.  I’m so concerned that this year will be harder than any other for them to make their goals so they can make their budgets.  The fact is, they will probably hurt the most.  

On a much larger scale I think about the United States and what a generous nation it has been to so many other countries that we help out… and now that the government is not only in such huge debt, but have much more debt on the way, it seems money will have to stop going out as much.  

Then of course I could get into the political part where if our taxes go up dramatically to fund things like socialized health care…. there will be much less to give… but I won’t say more than that.

Anyway,  I love to give.  I do.  I’m not saying that I think I’m a saint or anything, but I love having money to give, and this year I just plain old don’t have as much.  

As I said in a previous post, Christmas for us is also scaled down this year.  The great part about that is that the focus will be on the right things.  Jesus.  All he has done for us.  He is our provider and because of him we have life, we have hope (true hope), and we are all blessed with each other.

Sorry to ramble so much.  It’s late and this hit a spot.

Probably Hands down Peppermint Dreams.  Don’t be fooled by the name though.  There is a hint of peppermint, but it’s balanced perfectly so as not to be too minty.  I wish I had a picture!

4 egg whites
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 c. sugar
1 12oz package of chocolate chips
1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Wip egg whites to foam.
Add salt and cream of tartar.
Beat till stiff but not dry.
Add sugar 2T at a time
Fold in chips and extract
Drop by tsp. on heavy paper. (brown paper bags work best)
bake 25 minutes at 300 degrees.
remove while still slightly warm.

This recipe is very temperamental. Do not cook on a moist day or when you have run the dishwasher!

“Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?  Do you budget for the holidays?  Do you always stick to your budget?  Share with us any budgeting tips you may have!”

Wow, what a question.  Because of the economy dramatically effecting our finances… this question is bigger for us this year than ever before.  I’m assuming a lot of you are in the same boat.  The real meaning of christmas will be in full effect this year as the gift giving will probably be at an all time budget low.  In some ways, this is actually refreshing… I’m excited to get back to the real meaning of it all.  Jesus Christ, Love, Family, all the blessings we have that have NOTHING to do with anything monetary… the stuff that is eternal… our relationships with God and with one another.

So on to the questions…

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? Mentally, yes.  Physically no. I have a pretty good idea of what everyone is getting, but that is it.

Do you budget for the holidays? Yes, but in the past we have always spent more than we planned.  This year we won’t be going over planned spending.

Do you always stick to your budget? As I answered above, No.

Share with us any budgeting tips you may have! Well for one this year my family decided to just do kids, We will be giving family photos to the adults but that is it.  This simplifies so much.  There are 8 kids on the one side (including my own) and four on the other.  The oldest cousins (3 of them) just want gift cards, so that makes it pretty easy to stay in budget… unfortunately though their gift cards will be smaller this year.  They are the sweetest girls and not bratty or greedy, so I know they will understand.  The smaller kids wants are always simple and inexpensive.  It should be pretty easy to stay in budget.

For friends?  I’ll be baking.  This is a great way to show people you love and appreciate them but not have to spend a lot of money.  The packaging will stay pretty simple this year, I’ll have to update you on what I come up with… but I probably won’t be buying 20 tins or anything.  

What about you?

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There are an absolute ton of us grandkids and when we were all little the house hosting Christmas Eve would be a zoo!  I remember random dance parties and tons of inside jokes were birthed there.  I wish so much that I could capture all this fun in a picture… but none really captures the scene on the whole.  

Everyone would bring food.  At all our events there was always a feast of food!  And it was always so loud.  So loud we called ourselves “the loud family”.  Our heritage on that side of the family is GREEK, so my husband likes to compare it all to My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  

That was my favorite tradition.  As far as creating a new one?  Hm.  I think for now carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds in the Fall.  It’s the only “holiday” that we are predictably in one place.  BUT I now will be thinking about other important traditions we can start around Christmas! 

As of  4 months ago the Mommy Zabs family is a party of 5. My husband and I have been married for 6 years and in that time have lived in 3 states, 5 houses, and had 3 kids.  My oldest is a boy named Owen who is 4 and 1/2, then there is Lukas who is almost 3, and Avery my little 4 month old girl.  

If you want to learn more about this blog check out my About Page. 

Now for pictures from Christmas Past!

2004- Owen was 7 months and was OUTSTANDING for the picture (in my humble parent opinion)

2005- Owen was PETRIFIED and my husband had to join in.

2006- Owen was 2 and Lukas was almost 1,  I think the picture is HILARIOUS and laugh every year when I get it out.

2007- The boys did pretty well… compared to the year before.  Owen was 3 and Lu was almost 2.