Last year was my first Christmas in our new home. I always had a beautiful tree in our rental house so now with my gorgeous fireplace and open floor plan, I just knew my tree would look great.

I lugged the platform for the tree in from the shed in the freezing cold on Black Friday. Sure I had been up since 5 for all the shopping deals but I always put my tree up then. I tried three different places for the tree.

But my nice tree was so small in my new huge living room. I called my sister frantically. She lives 10 minutes away and said I could have her extra tree! Off I went. Her tree was a gorgeous artificial Spruce. It was so full and over 7 feet tall. Read More »

We are finally spending Christmas in our very first new home. After living in a two bedroom apartment for so long, this will be a Christmas of a lifetime.

My dear mother won a lottery and bought me the house of my dreams. It is a three bedroom home with 3 bathrooms and a basement.

I also have a fire place, which is one thing I always wanted to have in a home. On the main floor you have a living room, den, kitchen, laundry room and dining room.

The first floor also has a screen room. I love this feature as we can sit outside in all kinds of weather. All the floors are ceramic tile. I have cathedral ceilings and all appliances are stainless steel. Read More »

I love the Christmas season and try to decorate the house indoors and out. Outside we use nothing but small white lights and outline the house and the porch and twine the lights around the columns of the porch.

Our house is pale green with dark green trim so it adds to the seasonal look. We have a lighted green and red holly display that we attach to the patio fence. The patio is just off the porch and between it and the garage so it is easily seen from the street. The porch has a bench on it and a small table.

We usually put a flower pot with artificial poinsettias on the table to add a splash of color. We hang 3 windsocks on the porch – a Santa, a Nutcracker and a reindeer. We have 3 wooden reindeer made from logs that we place in the upper yard near the patio and porch and a sign that reads ‘Reindeer Crossing’. Read More »

My all time favorite Christmas song is without a doubt Happy Christmas (War is Over) by the late great John Lennon. I know this song from way back, when television was still mostly black and white (at least at was at our house).

I first watched it as a kid. The song came out in the early seventies, so I must have been an early teenager when I first heard it. It made a big impression on me back then, and to this day it still manages to touch a nerve.

Because in all it’s corny simplicity this song says it all, by asking a simple question: what have you done for anybody this year. And to top it all off, it’s a great chant as well.

Happy Christmas (War is Over) Lyrics Read More »

When my grandfather died he left a house to each of his three sons. I think it would be a wonderful gift to receive a house. My dad and his brothers knew for years which house they would inherit and so they could plan in their minds what they would do with it. I think if someone were to give me a house I would like a little bit of a choice in what kind it would be.

I actually don’t know anyone who could afford in today’s economy to give me a house but it would be a great dream of mine to own a house outright and not to have a mortgage on it. I think I would like a condominium in a major city.

One that would be near all the shopping and theaters and exciting things that that city would have to offer. It would have a very secure security system and a doorman to collect packages and help with carrying things if I needed any help. I would have an area secluded from the street where the residents could sit under the trees but there would be enough privacy so if you wanted to be by yourself you could be. Read More »

The ideal house for this Christmas season would be practical and thoughtful. It is not possible to gain individually when our stepping up is taking away from others in any way shape or form.

My wife and I would like to save and take a small loan for an eco/mini house. These are pre-made from sustainable, natural, non-toxic materials. It would be designed for energy efficiency and conscious living.

We would have one floor with 2 bedrooms, a small kitchen, living area and one bathroom. I would have one extra room attached to the side of the house which would have its own porch and screen entrance. This room would be used for massage, yoga and other applications bringing space to the local community. Read More »