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Originally Posted by swanie

I may not be able to stop their grandparents from going overboard, but I can make sure that they will always understand the meaning of "giving" this time of year.
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When they put them together, they'll figure out that their Christmas present is a trip out to DL on New Year's Day where we'll be meeting up with Katiesue if she doesn't kick it by then .

Both of those are awesome! My hubby read something that people cherish memories and experiences more than things, so money is better spent doing rather than getting stuff. I love how your kids have to cooperate to find out the solution to the riddle!

Originally Posted by Snowflake

My mother had a fake tree that had recirculating fake snow (tiny eeney beeny styrofoam balls) and at the bottom of the tree was basically a cardboard trough and the vacuum thing would suck them back up the central tube to fall again. Our poodle loved to leap into the trough and the damned little styrofoam balls would get all over the house/ This was a full size tree, btw.

My mom had one of those! The cat would climb it until it fell over. Repeatedly.

In cheerful news, my brother put up the (old) tree that mom gave him from her garage. It's good that it's seeing the light of day and being decorated and loved. This is a different tree, not the one with the styrofoam. I don't remember what happened to that one.