Family Tree Frog

Thomas MacEntee from Advent Calendar Geneabloggers says: Some families string up a few lights each year while others go nuclear and are destined to force their neighbors into a brown out situation. Did your family put up lights and outdoor decorations around Christmas time? What about the neighbors? And was it a favorite family activity to drive around to look at Christmas lights? What about any local attractions such as parks, zoos and the like which put up displays of lights and outdoor decorations? In my childhood, Christmas lights were really only placed on the tree.  There was often a lot of cursing as one or two bulbs were inevitably broken which meant none of them worked and you had to figure out which bulb was causing all the trouble. Now we string lights up out the back around the patio as well as some fairy lights out the front over the carport. But nothing major.  Just a token gesture really. There is a Christmas lights competition held every y...

Thomas MacEntee from Geneabloggers says: Do you still send Christmas cards or has electronic communication taken the place of this tradition? Do you remember sending Christmas cards as a child – making a list, sending out your family’s cards and then checking the mailbox for cards sent to your family? How did your family display the cards? I just love Christmas cards.  I know they're not environmentally friendly and I shouldn't still be sending them but I enjoy choosing a design as well as sending and receiving them.  I try to choose cards that support charities - UNICEF used to be a favourite, for example.  This year I am supporting a mix of Kids Helpline, Children's Hospital Foundations Australia and the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. Every year I curse myself for the "trouble" and wonder why on earth I do it.  I send out about 50 and my hand gets very tired from all the writing.   In the past few years I've included a n...

Thomas MacEntee from Geneabloggers writes: What are your memories of your family putting up the Christmas tree? Many of us come from different traditions: some people won’t put up their tree until after Thanksgiving or even on Christmas Eve? Some like live trees and actually go out into the woods to cut their own while others prefer the convenience of an artificial tree. Write about anything related to Christmas trees and your memories of Christmases past. When I was a child, we would buy our Christmas trees from the Scouts Association.  My mother would always insist on the tallest fattest tree my father could find.  Sometimes this meant getting two trees and tying them together.  The tree would be tied to the roof of the car and then, when we got home,  there would be the great exercise of potting it and making sure it would stay upright. Sometimes it would be too big and my father would have to cut some off the bottom. We had three cats when I was ...