A CHRISTMAS MEME

12 Questions ! Please go to her Blog for other participants.



1. Christmas is .... phheeww ! (at least now, a few years ago it was very nice)

2. In memories, what was the best part of your Christmases past?
Getting gifts as a child. Later to see the joy of my son's face.


3 years old in 1976, he got a pram to walk around his guinea pig !


and 2 years later at 5 you can see the Christmas crip behind

3. Was Santa ever good to you?
Santa was never good to me for the good reason that he didn't show up on Christmas. In Germany it is Baby Jesus, Christ child, (Christkind) who flys through the open window and brings gifts which are then under the tree. I have never seen little Jesus although I always ran to the open window to look for him before I was looking what was under the tree.

4. Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or both?
Only on Christmas Eve never on the 25th.

5. Is there something you make each and every year? Each year on Christmas we have a "Fondue Bourguignonne (deep-fat fondue). We do that now for many years. It's so nice to sit around the table and dip the cubes of raw meat in the sizzling oil and then in different sauces. It is served with a salad. No cooking to do !


In 1983 the fondue

6. What is your favorite five[5] Christmas songs ? I don't have any. I like "Gingle Bells" but usually I get an overdose of Christmas songs before Christmas eve ! You hear them the whole day around everywhere, during shopping, on the streets, in the radio etc. etc.

7. Is there a new tradition for Christmas since your childhood days? Of course ! Mr. Gattino is Italian and we had to mingle the traditions of both countries. He never had a Christmas tree it was unknown in Italy when he was a child and I never had a native scene. He has a beautiful handmade one he got when he was 3 years old. If you put it up properly it would take the size of a double bed. So we squeeze it a little under the tree.


a little view on the crip, I couldn't find more recent pictures.

8. Describe one of your Christmas trips. [whether it's across town or across country] Last year we escaped to Egypt at the red sea and had Christmas in sunshine and heat, just like the Australians. It was wonderful ! Our son travelled through Vietnam at this time and spend Christmas over there. We didn't want to celebrate alone and it had been a very good idea. Christmas eve was in a beautifully decorated Restaurant, with a big Christmas tree a Santa Claus and during supper wonderful shows ! We enjoyed it very much. I never had spent Christmas that way.


Christmas in Egypt

9. Do you have a special Christmas outfit to wear for the day? Years ago I wore a long dress and the men dark suits for Christmas Eve. Now I wear a cocktail outfit and the men a suit.


Christmas eve in 1984, our son has got new jeans otherwise he would have worn a suit too.

10. Have YOU or any of your family members sat on Santa's lap? Just my son, here in Belgium, but it was on Dec 6, Santa Claus day.

11. What is/or will be on your Christmas tree this year? The usual stuff


it will probably look like this. Over the years the tree has become smaller and the decoration more colorful !

12. Do you/or have you decorated your yard for Christmas?
In Belgium nobody decorates his garden for Christmas like in the States (in other European countries neither) What we do is putting lights around the windows, hedges and trees (a fir tree if you have) and sometimes a lightened deer. Some people put a father Christmas hanging out of the windows.

THE HEATER

After 32 years of loyal services our kitchen heater gave up its soul. I had to buy a new one which I did. I asked Mr. Gattino to please install the thing. Now since he is retired he is also tired when it comes to repair something. For years he had been an "Icandoeverything" man but now he pretends he can't. Knowing that, I ignored the mumbling and grumbling while he went to the basement to pick up the tools he needed.

I quickly also retired but in another meaning. I escaped into my room and read what Bloggers wrote. Years of experience have told me that he is unable to do anything without being from noisy to loud (don't forget he is Italian and quite once don't exist, at least I have never met one).

In the first years of our marriage I was a good wife because I listened, comforted and admired him and above all I stayed with him. But after years of this show, I don't do it anymore, it's like watching Dallas for 38 years. He works like a thunderstorm. You never know when the next thunder is falling. So while I was busy with my computer I heard from time to time @#"§% in italian of course. I was not startled or would jump in the air, I don't even hear it anymore.



Cat Arthur sitting on the kitchen table tried to help him morally, he too doesn't care about these explosions either.

The house was peaceful and quite interrupted from time to time by &@à#% words. But then it started, I knew it would happen. He calls me to have my advice. I don't have any advice I only want the heater at the wall. But he insists "Biiioooondaaa" ! (He calls me Bionda, because I am blond) so finally I get up to see what I have to admire. (Marriage concessions, you know) I don't see anything but the heater still sitting on the floor. Nevertheless I admire his work without knowing what I admire. Then I return to my room. After a little pause, he calls again. This time I have to help him and look if the holes for the screws are on the right level. I look and say yes. Of course he had mesured everything before, for that he is very nit-picking. I returned to my room. Minutes later again, Biiiooondaa !! I sighed and went to the kitchen. The heater was on the wall ! I admired again this wonderful work and returned to my room. But not for long, he needed me to see if the heater worked. Years before I would have treated him with some special words because there is a little red light so you can see if it works or not. I admired the light.

The whole event took one and a half hour.

Later on I heard him telling on the phone to whoever wanted to hear it what a wonderful work he had accomplished this day.



And this is the result !

Cat Rosie immediately decorated the food bowls with her mice toys which she had put in and around the bowls.


Rosie

(Note for the Cruisers, that is the reason I couldn't put up my post concerning the wonderful historical places I visited in Egypt)