Bring on 2011!!
I figured what better way to end this year with a bang than to have a giveaway! A few of my metalsmithing friends have done just this and it has gotten the giving spirit flowing in me!
Please watch :-)
Sterling Silver, Copper and Freshwater Pearl
THE RULES:
In order to be entered:
Please leave a comment telling me one of your favorite traditions this time of year. It can be a Christmas tradition, or some other holiday, or a completely non-holiday tradition that you like to do in the winter time!
{For example - every year I HAVE to watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase. It just ain't Christmas until I have giggled my way through this movie.}
Its *THAT* Easy!
Contest runs from now until 9pm PST Dec 30th 2010.
Winner will be announced New Years Day 2011!!!
I look forward to reading all the entries - Good Luck and thank you for your continued support this year!!
94 comments:
Every year my mother made a yule log cake and me and my sister and two brothers got to eat the ends, my favorite! Also, my family watches Christmas vacation, too! We watch it twice, once on Thanksgiving and then on Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
caliojewels@gmail.com
i have a tradition of meeting my best friend for brandy alexanders and we exchange our gifts together at midnight on xmas eve. our own family festivities are over by then and we always have so much fun!
sue
Oooh, I'll play!! Hi Jamie! Up until this year, we had NO Christmas rituals, we were at the mercy of my husband's family and always doing the things THEY did every Christmas. This year, I'm taking control of my Christmas!!! On Christmas morning, I am getting up early and making a special breakfast for my family! I'm making my grandmother's coffee cake, gingerbread waffles and eggs and bacon. Oh, and coffee, lots of coffee!! I'm super excited to start creating a tradition for my kids!!!
xo! Merry Christmas to you!!!
my favorite traditions as a kid (this is in retrospect, of course! as a kid i'm sure it was mostly about the presents...), was caroling with my family. my father played the accordian. lol. my mother said, later on, that the caroling was mostly to get us greedy kids away from the tree!
It's not really a tradition, but last year I got engaged on Christmas Day!
Other than that, the kids always get to open one present on Christmas eve, which is always a new pair of pajamas, so that everyone has a comfy sleep and looks good in the morning :D
Well, in our house it's all about latkes!
(Chanukah potato pancakes) My daughters always help...and we eat them with lots of homemade applesauce and sour cream. Here's the recipe!
Potato Latkes
10 medium potatoes
2 medium onions
2 large eggs
1/4 cup flour
Salt and white pepper
Vegetable oil
1. Clean potatoes well. Keep them in cold water until ready to prepare the latkes.
2. Starting with the onions, alternately grate some of the onions on the large holes of the grater and some of the potatoes on the smallest holes. This will keep the potato mixture from blackening. Press out as much liquid as possible and reserve the starchy sediment at the bottom of the bowl. Return the sediment to the mixture.*
3. Blend the potato mixture with the eggs, flour, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Heat 1 inch of oil in a frying pan. Drop about 1 tablespoon of mixture for each latke into the skillet and fry, turning once. When golden and crisp on both sides, drain on paper towels.
*The steel blade of a food processor or the grating blade are less painful ways of grating the potatoes and the onions. The blade makes a smooth consistency and the grater a crunchy one.
Yum!!!
Happy holidays, Jaime- love your jewelry!!
My favorite tradition is making homemade cookies with my daughter for Santa Claus and putting out my Christmas villages. I LOVE my Christmas villages.
My family has a few family Christmas traditions that are a bit..."unique" to say the least. There is a pink pig tie that gets passed around. The key is that you never remember who has it, and it is always hidden in with another normal present so you are always surprised. Another tradition is that whenever my brother and I would ask what we were getting, my mom would say "socks and underwear" so that's what we get every year. And it is usually the most embarrassing underwear possible! The best tradition is that our Christmas Eve dinner is a Mexican feast. My grandpa used to do all the cooking - tamales, enchiladas, and chile rellenos. After he died my dad and uncle and I took over the tradition and it is my favorite part of the holiday!
Krista
I too love Christmas Vacation, but I also need to watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Conquers The Martians.
favorite tradition? going with my husband's family to cut down our Christmas tree. always so much fun...and this year we got to bring along our baby boy for his first trip to the tree farm :)
Ohhhh!
Every year, for as long as I can remember into my childhood, I've made gingerbread men cookies and decorated them out in style. My mother was an excellent cook, and made it a yearly tradition. She would always invite all my friends over, and have evry possible color of icing and sprinkle available for us to do whatever we wanted to the cookies. I have kept this tradition alive since she passed away around Christmas, over 14 years ago.
Can't wait until Christmas Eve to begin the baking!
LOVELY brooch, I can only hope it can be mine to help keep my scarves around my cold neck ;o)
One of my favorite traditions is that my brother, sister and I exchange ornaments every year instead of presents. I love looking at them and remembering previous holidays when I decorate the tree!
maryleebythesea(at)gmail(dot)com
My aunt makes delicious homemade tamales which I look forward to eating. The funny thing is that we are Japanese!
Jhbalvin at gmail dot com
My favorite tradition is my birthday!
hrfarley at gmail dot com
Since I am Jewish I don't have too many christmass traditions.
The one thing I try to do ever christmass eve is watch Edward Scissorhands.
Dearest Jaime,
I love to awaken way before everyone in our family...I turn on the Christmas lights...soft Christmas music...grab a cup of French Vanilla coffee...bake sweet rolls...and sit...remembering all the Christmas' past, the current Christmas and the ones to come...I pray for peace, health, happiness and wisdom for all of us and then I crank up the music LOUD for Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas is You!"...that's the family's cue for WAKE UP TIME!
Love your brooch...hoping it'll be mine...
Sandy
P.S. I'm doing a GIVEAWAY too...come by!
Every year we make a gingerbread house and decorate it! My son is 7 and sneaks candy off of it everyday, and I pretend like I don't see him doing it...LOL! It's one of our favorite traditions!
Every Christmas, without fail, I would take heaps of pictures of all the pretty lights and decorations on the street, in malls.
I'll have this mass-lights-photo-spam on my blog afterwards, before everything is torn down for new Year. (:
In my country, it doesn't snow, so there is never a white Christmas. We make up for it with all the beautiful and gorgeous decorations, all the nice and catchy songs that always play for at least a full month. (:
P.S: Envious of snowy countries.. :P
chocolates_smiles at hotmail dot com
my favourite tradition is stay at home with family that is priceless.
sherrygo at hotmail dot com
share at http://iluvcontest.blogspot.com/2010/12/story-of-lady-brooch-giveaway.html
We simply HAVE to watch Mary Poppins! A little bit of magic is always very cute around this time of year : )
is_tavrit(AT)hotmail.com
our big family (my mom, dad,aunty,and grandma)just go to pilgrim to Mary Cave,at other town:) its near to my uncle house so we can visited him too:D
I always ask for some kind of board game, and then all my cousins and me play it :)
Well, in Poland we have that funny tradition of watching "Home alone" every Christmas :) However, I have my own "tradition" and it's quite weird - every year, I watch a few horror movies about Christmas ;) This year I've already seen Black Christmas (1974), and I'm also planning to see "Silent Night, Bloody Night". :D
Also, every year me and my father listen to songs sung by a radio band "Przyjaciele Karpia" - in translation, that would be "Carp's friends", I guess. You can check one of their songs out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDLbrmtYxgE
Hope you'll enjoy it :) Merry Christmas! :)
great giveaway
my fav tradition at this time of year is the holidays, and being able to go to my mom's island to visit the relatives and have fun!
shaha
diarygirl at live dot com
My fav tradition is decorating the tree with my boyfriend.
abstufftobuy at gmail dot com
We listen to the local radio station's Heavy Metal Christmas show:)
cyclona66 at aol dot com
Îœy favorite tradition is that every christmas my whole family gathers in one place to celebrate Christmas and we taste the year's wine production of my grandfather.
sophia.komninou at gmail.com
I will watch A Christmas Carol starring Patrick Stewart every Christmas. I'm not sure whether I like this version of the movie, because it's really good or because I'm also a Star Trek fan though ;-) !
danaan at gmx dot at
My favourite tradition is watching The Nightmare before Christmas on Christmas day while eating cookies ;)
erica(dot)terranova(at)gmail(dot)com
Hey Jaime! (You are so cute!! :D)
My family and I are very big on tradition. Every year (since my eldest daughter was born) I give both girls something completely handmade. Some years it will be jewelry, some a stuffed animal, and some years its something as simple as a handmade scarf. The most extreme items have been a "memory bag" that had pictures of them throughout their lives and one year it was t-shirts with stylized portraits on them.
Another tradition is the Christmas tree. Each year it is decorated differently. Some years it represents (and honors) a family member. Other years we use a specific color, ideal, or abstract. We've had trees to honor my Mother-in-law (who died 5 years ago), the victims of 9/11, the art of origami, and the psychedelic 60's! Its something we plan for all year.
We have to make cut out cookies! This year we are stretching the tradition a little bit to make gingerbread men. Another tradition is to give homemade gifts. This year I moved away from my usual beaded gifts to mosaic pictures. Merry Christmas! I look forward to reading your blog in 2011. :)
Thanksgivmas. A time when my three girlfriends come over for dinner and eat to our hearts content while we play board games. Falls between Thanksgiving and Christmas... its the only way we make time for each other during the season.
shutterboo at gmail dot com
you have such a beautiful smile! :)
my favorite tradition this time of year is evenings full of making sugar cookie cutouts and decorating them with family. it's a long, delicious process - and an excuse to spend hours of time with dear ones
hope 2011 brings you good health and happiness,
Lynsey x
A literary theme...
My favourite winter tradition is reading the books on CBC's Canada Reads list.
My favourite holiday-specific tradition is reading "The Night Before Christmas" with whichever of my brothers and sister are home for Christmas Eve. Much to my Mother's disgust, every time we get to the line "Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash" we make a collective puking noise.
It kind of backfired for a couple years when one or the other of us actually did get sick (as well as a twisted sense of humour we seem to share an allergy to the kind of cocktail shrimp you tend to run into at Christmas Eve drop-in's) sometime during the wee smallest hours of Christmas morning, but...
Enjoy your holidays Jaime!
Here's mine. Every year for my husband and sons birthday I would make a German Chocolate Cake from scratch for their birthday, which was the same day.
My husband passed away 11 years ago, so now I make it for just my son, but instead of on his birthday which would bring back sad memories, I changed it to Christmas. So, now every year he looks forward to the cake once again.
We have a very special Christmas breakfast on Christmas morning! We used to do it when I was growing up and now I share it with my husband! I love it!
I like giving presents and spending time with family .
tumblemumbo at gmail dot com
Well....I read everyone's wonderful traditions and, try as I might, I can't think of any of my own.
Wow...that sounds kinda depressing but not having any yearly traditions means that I can come up with something new each year!
Every year we wait until Christmas eve to finish wrapping presents for the kids and us adults get to play games and drink!
My favorite tradition is baking gingerbread cookies with my mom (and eating lots of 'em as we go!)
Thank you for the giveaway :)
hurdler4eva(at)gmail(dot)com
Decorating the house with my daughter ranks right up there...it's fun to view Christmas through her 4 year old perspective! Also, making gingerbread men/women cookies, hosting a holiday open house, reading books by the wood stove, and frolicking about in the snow.
My favorite tradition is decorating the tree. We didn't have much money growing up, so our tree always consisted of homemade ornaments, lots of spray-can "snow," and a ton of tinsel. As I got older and my parents made more money, my mom opted for the fancy tree with matching bows and ornaments, white lights, and that organza stuff flowing down the sides. Kinda' made me sad, you know?
So now that I'm 26 with a 4 year old, I've held fast to the tradition I had as a kid even though I could very well have a "pretty" tree. Our ornaments are wacky, our lights are multicolored, and our star this year is literally sideways on top of the tree because we didn't have a decent limb at the top. It's tacky and wild and I LOVE it because to me, a tacky tree means you had FUN putting it up. :]
Sad but true, holidays weren't much fun growing up. But I refuse for that to be the case with my daughter. This year we made a whole day visiting Santa, drove 60 plus miles to the best display, went shopping and had a nice meal as a family (one that I didn't have to cook!). I am also hoping to bake sugar cookies every Christmas Eve for Santa!
egoodson84@gmail.com
both my parents had the tradition of opening presents on christmas eve night. on christmas morning we got to open our stockings and one present from santa.
totally different, and real fun.
juileb82@gmail.com
and this broach is amazing
I just watched that movie last night! I HAVE to bake cinnamon rolls and give them to friends and family at the holidays!
wright.173 (at) wright.edu
My favourite Christmas tradition is the annual Christmas party my mother's family holds every Chrsitmas eve. It's such a great time for all the family to get caught up and share all the funny stories of childhood.
One of our favorite things to do is turn off all of the lights in the house and just have the tree lights and lights we put up around the room on. Then we put on xmas carols and sip hot chocolate and dip candy canes in to the hot chocolate. So relaxing to watch the shadows on the walls and to spend that quality time together
Giveawaymommy at yahoo dot com
Before my son married and now has his own family, we always went to my Mom's/Sister's for Christmas. Being with family during the holidays is so important to me. Now that he is married with two beautiful daughters our tradition is that they come over to my house on Christmas Eve to exchange gifts and then back over on Christmas for lunch. I love having them around!
sperrod@uark.edu
jammies and movies on Christmas Eve! Merry Christmas!
abh2786@yahoo.com
As you know I don't have much of Christmas traditions from growing up but David and I are starting to establish our own. I think my favorite so far was baking the gingerbread cookie house with him :o)
Merry Christmas!
~tess
I listen to Christmas music almost non-stop from Thanksgiving to New Year Day! And of course my parents' Christmas tree, baking cookies and my dad's Christmas Day Milk Punch (a NOLA tradition).
Thank you! I love this broach!
em9499 at gmail dot com
We have a huge Italian dinner every Christmas eve. I love it even more than actual Christmas dinner. Then we get to open one present late Christmas eve night.
i gotta cook. i feel like it's not a holiday if i haven't made something!
My favorite tradition is my husband taking me out driving to look at the lights and decorations with a thermos of hot chocolate and me singing carols to him....
Happy Holidays and thanks for a lovely giveaway
~Sharon~
lunrei(at)yahoo(dot)com
My favorite tradition is getting together on Christmas Eve, eating way too much, and palying board games.
I have two favorite traditions: Every year since I was a wee one, my mom would have my brother and I take part of our savings from the bank and divvy it up between 25 envelopes. We would write Merry Xmas on the front of each one and take them into downtown Seattle where we would quietly pass them out to the homeless. She taught us about the importance of sharing our good fortune and blessings with others.
The other fav is Watching Scrooged with Bill Murray and eating waaaay to much chocolate. I love Christmas!!
Happiest of Happy Holidays!
When I was younger my granny always made everyone of the grandkids flannel nightgowns for the girls and p.j.'s for the guys. The nightgowns were so detailed with pin tucks and ruffles! I looked forward to them every year. We've always kept that tradition and like some who have already commented we usually open them Christmas eve. Whenever I open mine my granny never seems that far away. :-) Another tradition is food related. Every year for as long as I can remember someone made a cranberry salad. It's not really a salad...more like a dessert but it was served with the main course. Chopped cranberries folded into sweetened whipped cream. It's simple but it is always an expected favourite. Thanks Jaime for creating the space to reflect back on tradition. I wish for you and your family the very best of this holiday season!
On Christmas Eve, we watch "Miracle on 34th Street," drink mulled wine, and open one present each. It is my favorite part of Christmas. :)
Decorating the tree while listening to John Denver and the Muppets CD with the kids! Also, baking cookies with my kids! Then, enjoying my husband's homemade pizza all day that he bakes from scratch AND cleans up the mess!
My favorite tradition is being with dad and family Christmas morning. My dad makes cinnamon rolls from scratch with a caramelly glaze and pecans. It isn't Christmas for me without cinnamon rolls. When I lived in NM and I couldn't get home for Christmas, I begged my dad for the recipe, cause honestly I saw no reason to get out of bed that day if I wasn't with my family having cinnamon rolls. The homemade cinnamon rolls that day, made it a little more special for me.
Love getting together with the family to have supper :)
I love having time to sleep in. And eating latkes.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Rachelhwallen@gmail.com
Umm...my mom's buttertarts...she only makes them at Christmas. My butt doesn't like them, BUT I DO!! hahah! ohh boy. :o)
We have an old family receipe for caramels that we make each Christmas. We then pass out the goody bags to our friends. Everyone loves them and it's fun to do as a family. ambrerose at(aol) dot(com)
I simply have to watch "A Christmas Story" I just love that movie! I wish I had a leg lamp, I would put it in my front window for Christmas. LOL! Hushgirl at juno dot com
My Christmas tradition is trying out new recipes! I love to taste different types of chocolate cookies!
aikychien at yahoo dot com
Mine is sitting in front of the Christmas tree looking at the lights.
mail(at)jennystamos(dot)com
24 hours of A Christmas Story!!!
My family and I always open our christmas presents on christmas eve!
I don't know why, but we always do that! haha We also always have a pizza party right before.
Cerena Leigh
Luckycldh(at)aol(dot)com
etsy.com/shop/cerenaleigh
I love baking cookies with my kids when it's cold out!
rach62803 at yahoo dot com
Watching the Christmas Story marathon on Christmas eve! love it!
for me, its the Home Alone movies, lol, I just have to watch them every year:D
landofpoppies at gmail dot com
My favorite tradition started this year ... we did not exchange gifts and instead simply enjoyed eachother's company and some good food. It was just me, my husband, along with my Mom and Dad.
My son and I cook something new every Christmas season! I have tons of cookbooks and he looks through them and we make whichever new recipe he picks...we trek to the store and get the ingredients we need! It's fun to try something new together each Christmas!
christinaalmond at gmail dot com
I love exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve ( :
A_C_E_ at hotmail dot com
My winter tradition - I watch movie Love Actually before or right after Christmas!
xlacrimax[at]gmmail.com
Every year my boyfriend and I go on a mission to find the perfect mint chip ice cream that is as close to the kind he would have as a kid as possible.
ArtbyJessercat at hotmail.com
I look forward to going sledding with my little one! Thanks!
bridgestranslation at yahoo dot com
My favorite Christmas tradition is decorating my wheelchair with Christmas lights.
stephy905@hotmail.com
I stopped sitting in front of the television watching the New Year's Eve shows years ago because they all seemed boring. This year I am starting a new tradition. After many years I am going to actually be sitting in front of the television to ring in the new year. I will be watching the first Bravo Network Andy Cohen New Years Eve Show! I can't wait to see the first wig drop. I won't be "Tardy for the Party". I will be drinking my traditional holiday Southern Comfort and sprite. I don't know what Andy will be drinking.
I have to put NY`s Tree
lusizova at gmail.com
My favorite holiday tradition would have to be making and decorating sugar cookies with the kiddies. It just wouldn't be Christmas without that!
I just found your blog...your work is stunning. Happy New Year!
Every year during winter time I meke some cakes for birds that no have food.
For Christmas I make homemade decoration for tree and wreaths that giive to friends
I make a liquor made with tangerine peel that we drink with Christmas cakes.
Your follower as wolfsrain
igea777@gmail.com
Every year as a child, my Mum would take us to the shops and let my brother and I choose a special ornament to hang on our Christmas tree. We looked forward to it every year!
Now I have children of my own :-) This year, I let my three year old daughter pick the ornaments for our little Christmas tree. It is so special to be able to carry on traditions through the generations!
B.
-xo-
My favorite tradition each year is to give all the children in the family (now, grandchildren) an ornament. My hope is for them to have a decent number of ornaments to start out their adult life with once they're out on their own.
lfeb@ma.rr.com
My favorite Christmas tradition is going to Christmas eve candle light service at our chuch.
Pral47 at aol dot com
My favorite Christmas tradition is wearing Christmas pajamas Christmas Eve. It makes the night that much more special. Plus, I can never resist buying a new pair every other year or so... I love just about everything about Christmas so it's only fitting I wear Christmas pajamas. We did this as kids my entire life so it's something I will always carry on! :)
Every year , all my friends and i go carroling , on christmas eve ...
Please enter me if this is open to Europe.
raluk.93 at gmail (dot) com
Each year on Christmas, my family turns on the "Christmas Story" marathon on whatever channel runs it for 24 hours and we watch it literally all day. I was sad this year when some stupid person turned on Lifetime instead and we watched sad movies about children and man-hating instead. Bleh. Also, my grandma makes lasagna on Christmas Eve. Delicioso!
http://one-girl-vs-world.blogspot.com
laurelah90@gmail.com
My favourite tradition of late is making my grandmother's sugar cookie recipe. I used to make them with her for valentine's day, but since moving away I have started making them for both Christmas and Valentine's day. Sharing them is the best part!
beautiful brooch - someone is going to be very lucky!
jkuyek at gmail dot com
My very best Christmas Tradition is going into my dad's bakery and just smelling. It always smells like rum and chocolate at Christmas time. I love it.
nicolthepickle(at)yahoodotca
dear Jaime, the tradition here is to dig up a little douglas fir tree that is growing in a bad spot, like in the road or a turn around; somewhere where it will not make it to BIG tree, and put it in a pot and that's the tree we decorate. They usually have the look of the charlie brown Christmas tree, lol, being small and spindly. But after we're done torturing it, we go out and plant our little tree somewhere AWESOME. And they grow big.
cheers, dear, have a fabulous year!
Our tradition (well, for the last six years anyway!) is that we keep christmas day for the two of us and then see all the family from boxing day onwards.... this means that christmas day is calm and peaceful! I always get to open my stocking as soon as we wake in bed, but then have to make breakfast before we open our "proper" presents.....
Gorgeous brooch btw!
My favorite holiday tradition is eating yummy clam chowder on Christmas eve before attending midnight mass........Happy holidays to all my favorite people here and abroad.Sally
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