...in addition to the Riordan book already mentioned from the Stocking Post - he got Tales of the Beetle Bard...
...and a brand new mystery series...
...Mom got him this wonderful mask for Christmas
...it fits him well...
...and no exposed skin - although he does look a bit Darth Vader-ish...
...already putting it to good use...
Thanks Mom/Grandma!
...thanks Auntie Karen...
...and the prettiest BOX I've ever seen...
...it's a big box of goodies for the entire family - the curved bamboo item on top is a tea straw - it has little holes in the bottom so you can sip your tea and not get any tea leaves...
...and the most wished for gift of all - a new BOW - Scout will start Archery class in February - you already know how much he loves that...
I know we do - here's Scout tearing into his...
That's a book from the 'Percy Jackson' series by Riordan that he just finished...
...yes, Santa even wraps the little pressies he puts into the stocking...
...here we have a little kit bag for Scout to take all his essentials to camp...
...just inspecting the contents...
...now on to the candy - so we can get a good sugar rush before breakfast...
...oh wait - it's not all candy - there's fruit and nuts in there too...
...looks sort of like Halloween at this point...
...now it's Jack's turn to open his stocking...
...it doesn't look like we'll get the cars out for a while...
...the Rose window at the church...
...Scout clearing the sidewalk in front of the Rose window...
...the south entrance to the church - have you ever tried to open a door with snow piled against it - impossible - you'd think it would be fluffy and move out of your way - but it's just not possible to move it...
...the trench created by a couple of passes with the snow blower...
...the wind blows the snow around so much that you worry that all your work might be in vain...
...but the Man perseveres and clears the sidewalk...
Shalom is finished - it was sort of like a Christmas present from me to me...
Santa definitely wraps - and all of Santa's presents are wrapped in GOLD...this year's hiding place - the corner of my quiltling closet covered with cloth and batting...
3. Coloured lights on tree/house or white?
...All vintage coloured lights - the big bulb kind - given to us the year we married by the Man's Mom...
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Yep, We bought one of the freeze dried packages years ago and we hang it in the archway between the kitchen and living room every year - it's amazing that it holds up so well...
5. When do you put your decorations up? 
...
The day after Thanksgiving we get the tree and then we decorate it that weekend...
6. What is your favourite holiday dish?
Probably Angel Biscuits...
7. Favourite Holiday memory as a child? 
One year when my baby brother was about 3 or 4 - for some reason he was sort of 'pitching a fit' to get to open his presents - and I remember being surprised that my parents 'caved' - Daddy took the little Fisher Price garage out on the front porch and knocked and I think he even rang the little bell on the elevator on the toy - we all made a big deal about Santa being out there - and he happily played with his new garage the rest of the evening.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
My Daddy sat at the kitchen table when I was about 5 and told me that Santa was a good spirit and everyone 'could' be Santa - it really opened up a whole new world for me as I imagined each person acting the part of Santa...
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
YES - but only one - and Scout gets to pick which one...remember - Santa's GOLD presents haven't arrived yet...
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
First we string out all the lights and replace any that don't work 
... then Scout and the Man put those on the tree 
... then I drag out 4 bins full of individually packaged ornaments - and we go through all of those and ooh and aaah over each one and remember when we got it and from whom 
then Scout and I put those on the tree and last of all Scout puts on the topper
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? 
LOVE IT!!! You just about have to in North Dakota - We're supposed to get over a foot of the white stuff this weekend...
12. Can you ice skate? 
YEP - I live in North Dakota - and I don't know anyone here who can't ice skate...
but I knew even before we moved here as there was a rink and even a pro hockey team in Columbia SC...
13. Do you remember your favourite gift?
They're all my favorites...
14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Definitely spending time with family...
15. What is your favourite Holiday Dessert? 
That's got to be Pumpkin PIE...
16. What is your favourite holiday tradition? The Candlelight Service at Church...
17. What tops your tree? 
...
A vintage hand blown glass tree topper...
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving?
Definitely giving - I love to make and choose and wrap presents...
19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum?
YUM - Mom always sends Scout one of the big ones for me to put in his stocking - I can't seem to find those up here...
20. Favourite Christmas Show?
Need I tell you all again about SCROOGE...
...We've just finished the Christmas Eve service at Church and turned off all the lights...
...and we pile into the truck...
...and find some Christmas tunes on the radio - and oooh and aaah over all the pretty lights...
...so - I spied this box and was just intrigued enough by the shiny copper coloured metal peeking out to open it up - and what was inside was not a timbale set...
...but an old Mirro Dial-A-Cookie Press - all for $1.99...
...It appeared to be complete - but alas, it was missing a little screw to hold it all together...
...Never fear - for about 6¢ we bought a new one - and the Man used the Dremel tool to shave it off so that it didn't stand up too high...
...I used my mad cut and paste skilz to fashion a recipe booklet with all the old Mirro Cookie Press recipes I could glean from the web...
...so I got the last of my Willow Run...
...and the last of my Cheddar Teese out of the freezer (Mom had gotten it for me when I was visiting down south this past summer) - to make Cheese Straws...
...we packed it in the cookie press...
...and turned the dial to the star shape...
...and piped some pretty shaky Cheese Straws...
...they baked up nice and crispy...
...and were so good with a cup of tea...
...then we turned our attention to some cookies - we veganized one of the old recipes I had found - really easy - just sub Willow Run or Earth Balance for the butter/shortening and Egg Replacer for the eggs - and Silk Creamer for the cream - this was the original recipe:
...then Scout got crankin' and made tray after tray of cookies - about 6 dozen in all - it was so much fun changing the plates...
...we put a dollop of strawberry jam in the center of this tray of wreaths - and they turned out to be Scout's favorite...
...we ended up with a pile of cookies...
