About Linky Doodles
*Remember Christmas as a little kid? All of those colored lights, shiny ornaments, and the tinsel? Counting down the days to Christmas was an agony. Wouldn’t it ever get here?
Little by little,
Mom would start putting out Christmas decorations
in the living room and dining room. The ceramic
Noel candle holders and the little angels in
red gowns came first. Then the Santa cups,
one for each of us. And finally the Santa and
Mrs. Claus salt and pepper shakers on the big
table.
Even if we had already
put Christmas lights on the house, the holiday
didn’t officially start until we made
a trip to pick out the tree. Endless deliberations
over shape and size; and a family vote in case
there were multiple contenders.
Decorating the tree
was a carefully staged production. We had a
special dinner, put on special jammies, and
listened to Christmas carols to get everyone
in the proper spirit for the big event.
There were special
treats when we decorated the tree --- Nana’s
cookies! She always made 4 or 5 kinds and packed
them in huge glass jars with Hershey’s
Kisses™ and peppermint candies in between.
The silver foil and beautiful red and white
swirls meant the holiday was here!
The tree decorating
always began with the struggle to fit it into
the tree stand, no leaning! Then came the tree
lights. Each string hung by Dad in just the
right place. The lights had to be evenly spread
around the tree, top to bottom. And not too
much of the same color in the same place. There
was always the odd burned out bulb he had to
replace, and those awful clips that held the
lights on the branches.
Next came the ornaments.
We each had our favorite ones and we wanted
them in our favorite spots (which tended to
change each year as we grew taller). There
were always one or two we fought over --- who
had the privilege of hanging it this year.
Usually Nana decided whose turn it was.
For the final touch,
hanging the tinsel. We had to put it on one
strand at a time, no clumps!! So tedious when
you’re a kid, but all of a sudden you
were done. And no matter how much you loved
last year’s tree, we always thought this
year’s was the best ever.
Slowly but surely,
packages would start appearing like magic under
the tree; from this family member to that one.
Little hints of the big day to come, but never
anything from Santa. Of course we shook every
box many times. And almost never guessed what
was inside.
But most of all,
it was the magic spell the Christmas tree cast
when you lay down and looked up through the
branches. It was the lights reflecting off
the shiny glass ornaments, the red and white
candies, the fresh green smell, and the glittering
tinsel looking like icicles. Everything holding
it’s breath waiting for Christmas morning,
just like you.
These are the holiday
memories that gave rise to Linkydoodles. Enjoy!
*Taken from the LinkyDoodle About section.
My Thoughts
I personally loved the idea of Linky Doodles. I am not big on Christmas decorations, but these are one of a kind. They were fun to link together as a family and use as decorations. The cherry was my favorite flavor, but the peppermint seemed to be the overall hit.
Want to win your own box of Linky Doodles?
Open to US residents 18 years of age and older. The giveaway will end on 12/21/13.The winner will be chosen randomly, and will be contacted by email. They will have 48 hours to contact me back to claim their
prize. Living the Paisley Life is not responsible for lost prizes or prizes that are not received. The winner gets to choose Peppermint of Cherry Candy Chains. Entering is simple, just leave your name and a comment below letting me know what your favorite Christmas tradition is.
Good luck!
Disclosure: I received the above item in return for an honest, sincere review. I was not expected to leave a positive review, and would never post something I didn't feel fully confident in. No monetary compensation was provided. The above opinion is the sole opinion of me and my family, and may differ from your own. I am disclosing in accordance with FTC 16 CFR Part 255.
My favorite traditions is baking cookies and decorating the tree with all of the kids in the family!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Mary! You won the Linky Doodles. I hope you get this message, as I did not see an email for you. Have a great day!
DeleteMy favorite tradition in the candle light service on Christmas Eve. ~Angela Ng
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tradition is the candle light service on Christmas Eve. ~Angela Ng
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tradition in the candle light service on Christmas Eve. ~Angela Ng
ReplyDeleteYum! Those look really good! I can't believe there's only 1 other entry for this great prize. God bless and Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteOops! Forgot my favorite tradition. It's definitely going to Holy Mass to thank our Lord for coming down to earth as a baby. We go almost everyday, but Christmas is extra special.
ReplyDelete