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Send help.. I normally buy cards after the holiday, or at the dollar store ( hey they have Hallmark there too!) So you just put that .50 in the envelope and ... oh wait,,, then they will complain you didn;t send enough! LOL I only send to a greatly reduced list these days. elderly relatives or those we don;t see often. Special family. Mom is upset that 2 years ago she lost her address book,, swears its in the Christmas decor, but I keep the cards and things separate because I do mine right after thanksgiving. Most of the addresses she "needs" are people who have passed or whose addresses I have. We do have one family who moved far from us, and the husband does a letter every year.. but it is hysterical! I love getting it. I also hate the braggy ones...
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Gershun - I remember Christmas with family being a real trial for you. This may be a blessing in disguise.

Like many others, I haven't sent cards in years. I used to send ecards and have stopped doing that too. seems to be the way things are going.
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I stopped sending cards a while back but may start again this year simply cause I doubt with covid that we'll be getting together this year.

I'm not sure if this is a bad thing or not cause I've not really enjoyed family dynamics for a while. Too much personal drama.
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Hailey,

Thanks for responding. Sounds easy!

Do you like sweet potato pie? Oh my gosh! So good!!!
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Send,

So funny! I can relate to what you wrote. I absolutely hate those Christmas letters that are in some cards! Oh my gosh! Some of those are ridiculous!

Christmastime is a beautiful season for many reasons. For me, specifically it is about the birth of Christ and what He represents.

The holidays represent different things to different people. I understand this. I love the spirit of Christmas.

I suppose many of us have favorite memories or traditions that we are fond of. I always loved Santa! So many children are afraid of Santa.

For some, Christmas is just another day.

My daddy grew up in a very poor family and did not receive lavish gifts or have a fancy meal with his family.

Daddy told us a funny story about his childhood at Christmastime. One year they got a whistle but if they blew the whistle and disturbed the adults they received a spanking for it!
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FF,
Bought a box of cards in September, just 10. Well, I already lost them.
The only addresses I have are people who have lived there from 20 years ago.
I gave up keeping an address book, because people communicate by email now. If I can find the addresses, I will need to remember the people who will be upset if they receive a card:
One says: "Don't send me a card, I just throw them away". OR,
"You have contributed to killing a tree". OR,
"Cards are too expensive, just send me the money!"
VS. That same person bragging to all the neighbors about the beautiful card we sent!

Isn't life strange?
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FF,

Good for you! That’s smart. Gosh, I stopped sending cards years ago! I buy cards and place special cards that I selected on gifts that I buy for people that mean the most to me.

I still get cards in the mail! I used to mail a card back to those people but I just got out of the habit of mailing out tons of cards.

I hate feeling any additional stress or pressure during holiday time. It became so commercialized!

I do love seeing decorations but my kids will tease me and call me Scrooge because after they were grown and out of the house I did minimal decorating.

I find that the older I get the less materialistic I am. Not that I ever was a very materialistic type of person. I suppose that I have always appreciated experiences much more than things.
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I bought my Christmas cards yesterday.... wanted to get a jump on the chore before the shops close due to the uptick of the virus..... or before I would be reaching over and under customers to check out Christmas cards, thus too many hands touching the cards.

Regarding holiday postal stamps. How many actually check to see what kind of stamp is on a holiday card they receive? I am thinking I will just use up the scattering of different stamps I have instead of getting into a panic by ordering them from the United States Postal Service website. I have some really cool antique train stamps [$.55] that have gold color borders :)
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Hailey,

I don’t add any sugar at all to sweet potatoes. I love a splash of maple syrup in them because I love the flavor of maple syrup.

A bit of brown sugar can be nice. If I am not making the casserole dish I have eaten a plain sweet potato.

Try baking them longer. You will taste the natural sugars. They even get syrupy when they cook longer. Hahaha, is that a word, ‘syrupy’?

What I mean is that you will see them producing syrup when they bake for a longer period of time.

You can also wrap in foil before baking if you like and they steam inside and become sweet and tender!

The trick to sweet potatoes being sweet is to bake them longer. They are naturally sweet.

You mentioned a crockpot before. I haven’t ever tried them in there. How long do you cook them for in the crock?

Roasting them in the oven gives them a lovely flavor. I love sweet potatoes but I am a southern gal! They are well loved here and very nutritious.
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A stunt I've read about has made it to my small town, teens have been lying on the road after dark covered with blankets playing a dangerous game of chicken. Some of the local teens were caught and given a lecture about how dangerous this is. Yeah, that's gonna be a deterrent 🙄
(I'm glad I don't drive at night any more)
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Beatty,

😂 pastafarian!
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I have been googling Christmas alternatives to tease my family.

https://www.oddee.com/item_99548.aspx

Obviously taking on another culture not my own is not a good thing.... but I could go Newtonmas with an apple on top of the Christmas Tree quite easily & I already usually give science books to my son.

Pastafarian or the Seinfield Festivus is also looking good.
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It’s interesting how lots of people start thinking of Christmas even before Thanksgiving.

Soon we will start hearing Christmas music everywhere. It’s so different this year. Maybe I will feel the spirit later on but I haven’t caught the Christmas fever yet.

I love seeing the beautiful decorations. I still love the idea of Santa! I never miss watching Charlie Brown or The Grinch!
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Alva,

It breaks my heart that approximately 37,000 vets are homeless today.

After all they have done for us, and now homeless. No one should be homeless.
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Good on the Marshmellows, Hailey. I have to be adding them while it's too hot, and too early.
NeedsHelp yes, Happy Vets day to all of our vets. Last year my bro was new in his ALF and I was taking down his last home basically; took his Army picture over so he could hang it on the door. He showed it everywhere so they could know what a handsome dude he once was; all the ladies gave him all attention they could give to anyone. He was so proud. A cherished memory now he is gone.
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Hats off to all veterans today! Happy Veterans Day! My father served in WW11. My dad’s brother died while serving in WW11. My mom’s brother served in WW11, Korea and Vietnam. He died at 96 years of age.

I will never forget seeing the Vietnam Memorial in D.C. I stood there in awe seeing so many names on that wall. Then I cried. I lost friends in that war.

My nephew has been in the Middle East five times while in the Army! Thank God he survived and wasn’t severely injured. I sent care packages to his troop and prayed for their safety on a daily basis.

Oh, just too many vets that we all know to mention, right? We love them all! We thank them! We appreciate that they are willing to lay down their lives for our freedom and safety.

If anyone ever has the chance, please visit our WW11 museum in New Orleans. It is a top notch museum that is incredibly moving.

Sending love to all vets today! Thanks so very much for your service.
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Haileybug, you didn't interfere with a thing, as said above, the poster means this to be a "What's on your mind" post. Opens conversations, gives thoughts, musings, and etc. It's for whatever is on your mind; you're in the right place. Now the big question: how does anyone keep marshmellows from just melting into stuff and going away? Mine always disappear.
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I cannot get into the holiday spirit this year. I want to but everything is so different.

Maybe later on, it will change.

Hailey, I make sweet potatoes but I do it in the oven. I have never tried them in the slow cooker.

Alva, I love cranberries! Persimmons are delicious too.
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Countrymouse, perhaps more contributors than you know to Wiki. I am one as is my partner. Every once in a while you are looking something up and you get that little plea; we always contribute.
Hailey, you are early for Christmas. I am with you in the fall weather triggering holiday thoughts. Will be different this year, but I already made a batch of cranberry relish for Thanksgiving that's going to be gone by Thanksgiving, and another batch needed. Am loving the new freeze space that lets me make abundance in these things. So many things now are seasonal wonders for me. Cranberry. Persimmons.
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I'm reluctant to even shop online so the thought of handing over my credit card info to make a donation to wiki is what stops me. (I'm a paranoid dinosaur, I know)
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CM,
Your best donation would be to contribute by editing Wikipedia. You would be good at it, priceless really. imo.
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I have just donated to Wikipedia.

😠

Why do I feel cross? I give a very modest amount every so often, and I wouldn't at all mind their asking, if it were only that. I consider it a genuine bargain.

It's knowing (and I only know because that's what they tell me) that only 2% of users donate that, ironically, makes me feel stupid for doing so and therefore reluctant to do it. I too am a herd animal.

Oh well. It is still a bargain.
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Stay safe, Glad!
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COVID positivity rate here 19.6% over the last week. One of them next door found out today. No, my hermit self, does not socialize other than coffee on Saturday. The state is waiting to see if county imposes more restrictions. That would mean the powers that be would have to acknowledge it is a problem here. Not a chance.
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CM,

He was a fascinating man. Not a likable one! He was brutal!

Thanks for sharing that story with us. I love human interest stories.

I enjoy knowing what makes a person tick. It’s so interesting to know what goes on behind the scenes.

It’s fascinating how some incidents crush one person and another person will triumph.
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Dee,

My daughter just moved to Denver. She is claiming the same thing. Kooky weather!
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2 AM and it is pouring rain...nope, it is sleeting...now it is snowing...raining again...ice is forming on the trees and grass...CRACK--What was that!?!, It's raining again...now it snowing... CRACK, CRACK, CRACK. Was that thunder or a tree branch breaking? Oh, no! The lights have gone out--NO electricity!!!

9:00 AM The trees, bushes, cars, streets, sidewalks, etc. are covered with snow and ice. The temperature was 70 degrees yesterday and is 27 this morning. The sound of chain saws fills the air. The electricity finally came back on. Since most of the trees still have their leaves, there are many branches hanging down to the ground. Will need to wait until the weather warms up later this week. Luckily no tree limbs on my house, just all over the lawn. The neighbors' cars are surrounded by tree limbs, but none of the cars were damaged. This weather is SO crazy this year!!!
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My favourite Henry VIII anecdote happened at the end of his life - it was at the time treason to "prophesy the death of the king" (a piece of legislation rushed in for complicated reasons and really not thought through, just as happens nowadays) so you can imagine that the doctors, courtiers and councillors were all a bit jumpy about getting him to make plans: "Just tell him..." "YOU tell him - !"

Not for the first time he was way ahead of them, and gave instructions to form the Council for his 9 year old son, Edward VI. Somebody said "Er, your Grace, you've forgotten Stephen Gardiner?" And the king growled that he hadn't forgotten Gardiner* at all, he'd left him out on purpose because nobody else could keep the man under control.

*Bishop of Winchester and a really nasty piece of work. Later did his best to get Princess Elizabeth's head cut off but was outsmarted.

Don't forget that Anne of Cleves (wife #4) finished up with a substantial pension, complete independence from her horrible brothers, an honorary title as the King's Sister, and a very comfy house. It was a time when you seriously had to play your cards right, but she seems to have managed it to perfection.
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I love Downton Abbey series. The movie was good too.

Not everyone who played in the series was in the movie. I enjoyed it a lot.

For those who watched the series? Who is your favorite character?

I love Violet!
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Some liked Downton Abbey to study the pretentious social graces of the times.......

Sendhelp
Sep 7, 2020
The T.V. shows derived from the literary classics are amazing, teaching history and the social graces of the times.
Downton Abbey and Pride and Prejudice are but a few.

What amazed me was the sibling rivalry, gossip, and class differences, so very similar to today. Be careful though, one could learn too much about putting on airs accidentally mimicking bad behavior.

In Downton Abbey, one sister wrote to a foreign embassy to cause a scandal about her sister; the other sister ended that sister's engagement prospects with a word to her fiancee. Such hate!

In Pride and Prejudice, the main character was just as guilty of prejudice than those she wrote about, hated for their gossip and prejudice.
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