2016 Christmas Eve Gift

I love it! Thanks Ed and a very merry Christmas to you and your family as well.

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Family traditions are one of my favorite parts of Christmas! That sounds like a fun one you have with your family. Thanks for the give away!
 
I'd like to have a shot at this thanks!

Past couple of Christmases not really been spending anything on presents, family and friends now prefer to make a small donation to the local animal shelter. The cats, dogs and even small animals there all hope for a better life and a decent home. Some of the animals are there because their elderly owners have died and there's nobody left to take care of them, others because cruel and callous people have maltreated them or cast them out to fend for themselves. The people who work at the shelter are all ages & walks of life, but they show the decent side of human behaviour. This is also what Christmas is about, whatever our religious or philosophical beliefs.

Thanks, Will
 
I agree, Will. I hope you have a great Christmas holiday.

In 2009, I had one cat, then in 2010 we adopted a litter of 5 kittens. Then 2 more cats "turned up" here. This year my son and his ex wife abandoned 3 cats next door and in July a little kitten showed up; I think it rode home in one of the trucks from a job site. So all together, I'm trying to manage 12 cats now.
 
I'm in! Thanks sounds cool!

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Ed this is just my second Christmas here but I remember last years GAW well. I was a little bit busier this time last year putting together Bob's fundraising GAW so I don't think I participated. So this year I would love to be considered a participant. Thanks so much for your generosity my friend.
 
Count me in as well. This is an excellent tradition! My family's Christmas Eve evening consisted of my dad reading The Night Before by the tree and then my brothers and I would get to pick one present each to open. Generally we picked the smallest thing wrapped gift in order to keep the big surprise for Christmas Day. Now that I am parent to a beautiful little one year old my wife and I will carry on that same tradition.


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We always open 1 on Christmas Eve and my kids always bicker about who's gift I should open. I am in so hopefully I can open this one!

Thanks for keeping a lovely tradition on the portch.
 
I'm in ED! Thanks for the chance. Great tradition you have there. Traditions are what make Christmas fun.
 
TLARbb said:
I agree, Will. I hope you have a great Christmas holiday.

In 2009, I had one cat, then in 2010 we adopted a litter of 5 kittens. Then 2 more cats "turned up" here. This year my son and his ex wife abandoned 3 cats next door and in July a little kitten showed up; I think it rode home in one of the trucks from a job site. So all together, I'm trying to manage 12 cats now.
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That's a lot of cats, Ed!

We are somewhat in the same boat, albeit to a lesser extent. Four indoor cats, all rescues (one adopted from a shelter, the others we found or found us after being abandoned or lost), and two outdoor cats that we try to support - one where the family moved away and just left the cat, another one that we know very little about but he seems to appreciate the cat food.

I can't imagine trying to deal with twice the number!

I was really torn about posting here because I *really* don't want another knife, and you said you aren't allowing any "no entry posts." I can only hope that someone else wins.

But I did want to post just to say it's good to see you still around. When I first joined the forum here, you were one of the more active posters and were a big influence on my exploration of Case knives. As I have gotten to the point of knife saturation myself, I can understand why you are less active these days, but it's always nice to see an old friend stop around.

Please don't pick me! :)
 
Thanks for creating a wonderful tradition for the Porch, and for keeping it going! Merry Christmas, and I'm in.
 
TLARbb said:
I agree, Will. I hope you have a great Christmas holiday.

In 2009, I had one cat, then in 2010 we adopted a litter of 5 kittens. Then 2 more cats "turned up" here. This year my son and his ex wife abandoned 3 cats next door and in July a little kitten showed up; I think it rode home in one of the trucks from a job site. So all together, I'm trying to manage 12 cats now.
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That is indeed a clouder of cats, good sir!...yes, I googled that;)

I love hearing folks' Christmas traditions. I like hearing how they started and how they morphed and changed with each passing season.

My Christmas Eve tradition has always been to visit my grandparents that evening. They're simple folks with big hearts and their house has always seemed to be filled with laughter no matter how rough light got. When I think of my grandmother, I will always think of her big hearty laugh....and cigarette smoke. SO much cigarette smoke. I remember my grandfather always building a fire in the fireplace and stoking it until the living room he hosted us in was hotter than the gates of Hades. It was a dry heat that sucked the wetness from your eyes like looking into a 400 degree oven, but he always had this little antique Coca Cola cooler chock full of baby coke bottles (a delicacy in his mind as being on a fixed income meant that paying a premium for something of a smaller amount didn't make much sense to a guy who grew up poor and rural during The Depression...but as Grandpa always said, "The little ones just taste better").

My grandmother would make up some sort of convoluted card or word game for us to play. We would win wrapped prizes that were almost always some sort of terrible gag gift. Last year, we drew numbers instead of playing cards, and my wife and I "won" this hideous resin statue of a Native American in full headdress atop a rearing horse....it has neon colored fiber optics in the feathers and the base that flash a rainbow pattern. It's incredibly tacky, but we actually display it in our living room (we aren't fancy folks either). My wife and I call it our "Major Award" for those of you familiar with the Leg Lamp from the modern classic "A Christmas Story".

My grandfolks are both living and north of 90. I know that each year could be our last with them. They can't host the family anymore. It's just too much work for folks their age. Instead, we go over early to visit for a couple of hours. They like watching their great granddaughter open up her gifts from them. I think their favor part is seeing how much our daughter grows and changes each year.

Hosting has now fallen to my wife and me. We have my aunt and uncle as well as my mom and stepdad over in the evening after they all get done doing their "have to" visits with other members of their extended families. The wife and I try to keep it relaxed like Grandma and Grandpa did. Our house is everyone's "Last Stop" for the evening, so gone is the expected stuffiness. We just want to host a good time for everyone to enjoy as they unwind. We play games and laugh a lot....the warm spiced wine and generously doctored eggnog helps. I build a fire, but try as I might, I simply cannot get it as hot enough to roast us in our sweaters like my grandpa does. Maybe one of these years i figure it out;)

It feels good to know that we are continuing a simple family tradition that my 6 year old daughter will remember for years to come. I hope that she too will always associate our house with warmth and laughter.


I don't consider myself eligible for entry in any of the great giveaways here in the Traditionals forum. I just like to poke my head in from time to time as I enjoy slippies more than my modern folders. I enjoy the kindness and generosity so many of you fine folks display every single day...not just at the holidays. You really do have a very special little nook here, and I just appreciate being able to stop by and warm myself by your fires.

It's also Christmastime, and I know my wife and daughter are probably going to get me a new flavor of Case. Our family tradition is that dad (me) has to open his "sharp and pointy" present first. It's usually found in my stocking, and its first official act is to liberate every Barbie, doll, game, and toy from the 9,348 tie downs (yes, I countd them) they use nearly permanently affix each limb to the cardboard backers they are shipped upon. I really enjoy those moments though. It's not every day that your first memory with a new knife is watching your kid's eyes light up.

Merry Christmas.
 
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