Good morning and Merry Christmas. What did you find under the tree this morning?
I slept under a tree
Cedars are good to sleep under. They don't allow much to grow under them that could be a bother like molds, and they tend to grow in such a way as to create a sort of den underneath that stays fairly well insulated. and between having decent coverage above from live branches and a good layer of dry dead stuff between yourself and the ground you stay pretty dry. Plus cedar burns well even when it's fresh so you have good fire starter as long as you go far enough away from the tree not to burn the whole operation down! Lol.
@donnjb not sure what part you reside in, but in both the highlands and the plains the cottonwood should be avoided. They randomly drop large branches. Not a pleasant idea when trying to snooze. You folks have plenty of pine, spruce and fir tho. All of those are decent runners up for a resting place. If you are near more deciduous trees try going up a bit in one of your oaks. they are sturdy and have a lot of places you can wedge yourself in so you don't fall. if you do fall there is also peachleaf willow in your area. The bark can be boiled and pulverized for an anti-inflammatory in case you get a bump on the head lol. The evergreens you have are more prickly than cedar but not overall a bad place to rest.
My boys put thier allowance together to get me a gift card. They are with thier dad this Xmas, we exchanged yesterday before they left. They are the sweetest.
Nothing, which is exactly what I wanted. No tree or decorations either. I escaped the gift-giving trap years ago, almost a decade now.
@inthecloset That's what I'm listening right now, off my iPod.
My friend’s kids bought me a present and gave it to her to wrap and put beneath the tree. She lost the present. Nobody will tell me what it is. True story.
Invoice from plumber for the Xmas eve visit to restore my water. This was not the Xmas bonus I was looking for.
@inthecloset no but it was marked "paid in full" so almost as good.
Got the Harry Potter movie collection on Blu-Ray, Game of Thrones 2019 calendar, gift card to GameStop, new shoes and a fancy framed picture of my kids.
My dear brother sent me a very nice and very expensive set of Wusthof knives, which unfortunately was the same gift he sent me last year.
My daughter, who is a bit more attuned to my needs and desires, sent me a bag of NY bialys and a couple of giant deli cookies.
I found some very nice gifts under the Festivus pole.
The tree skirt I placed there a while back.
Absolutely nothing. But I have my daughter, cat, and sappy movies to watch! I hope you have a great holiday!
The tree skirt. But I did get me 3 watches this year.
Oh man you don't wanna know..... ???
I do
For a good many years now, I seldom get any presents other than from my brother (much of the rest of our family has passed away now, and I live far away from most of my old friends). However, Tom usually gives me something nice -- money, or something like a nice watch. That's usually enough to satisfy me, although it would be nice to be able to exchange presents with one or two other people. But $50-$100 is still nice to get!