My Christmas wishes to all of you~

~ Happy Holidays and warm Christmas wishes to all of the genea~bloggers and your families ~ and to making many new memories in the New Year for generations to come . May all your genea~wishes come true ~

~The Webb Family~

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Victorian Santa : A visit from Saint Nicholas card is from: The Graphics Fairy

Joyous Noel card is from: The Feathered Nest

Thank you both for such beautiful images.

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All other images are held and owned by Gini Webb 2009~

Victorian Christmas card is from my Uncle Adi. Frohe Weihnachten tag is from my cousin Marion, and in the two lower corners on each side are the inside and back of a Christmas card I made in 2007 that holds a square piece of chocolate inside.

Advent Calendar ~ Christmas Music

Christmas music was always a part of our Holidays when I was a child but I do not recall what particular artist or songs played. My mom was and is very much into classical and choir music so I am sure the music would have been of that genre and very German.

I do remember getting my first record player for Christmas and I know the one record I wanted was "Frosty the Snowman" and I also remember getting "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas".

For me as an adult, my favorite Christmas/Holiday music is the "Manheim Steamrollers" and their version of Silent Night is my favorite song. Manheim Steamrollers versions of traditional Christmas music is done beautifully and is wonderful to listen to - every Christmas I bring out each and every CD I have of theirs to listen to. I have just about all of them.

Music is a big part of my life year around but Christmas music is special and I love listening to most all of it. While I clean or decorate for the holidays - at times I will put the cable music channel on, there is a channel dedicated to just holiday music with a variety of old and new and in-between. It's fun to listen to. I have to say that I very much love listening to Christmas Choirs and each year attend Church Christmas shows.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories 2009

Advent Calendar ~ Christmas Gifts

I remember as a child, I didn't place alot of importance on gifts. Don't get me wrong, I was just like all the other children, but I just didn't expect much in the way of presents . Maybe it's the way I was brought up.

For as far back as I can remember, it was just mom and I. Mom and my stepfather separated when I was young. Mom always made sure I had gifts and usually gifts I wanted or needed. Spending time with my mom and enjoying the spirit of Christmas as it is intended to be, meant much more to me. Mom and the memories became the gift.

I do recall three special gifts that I received as a child that are quite memorable:

Abt: 1959
I wanted a baton and I was so proud to get one! I ended up in a few parades twirling my baton with blisters on my feet from the new white majorette boots.

I wanted a record player. I was so happy when I unwrapped the present to find the neatest record player. I remember the color being a minty green! Mom had given me several records to go with it. The record I remember the most is "Frosty the Snowman". I played that record over and over! abt 1959 >>

My Oma's home with a few relatives I don't have names for. I am sitting next to mom holding a little mini stein I was given as a Christmas gift. It had a photo of my birth city, Augsburg, Germany.

The third and most memorable gift was the trip that mom and I took when I was thirteen years old to Germany for Christmas. What a gift that was in itself. Making memories with all of my German relatives was an experience I will never forget.

Augsburg, Germany

I had been wanting a pair of ice skates so badly. My Oma and mom had made sure I got them ~ they were beautiful! To me they were special because they came from my grandmother, my mom and while I was in Germany. To me, they were different than American ice skates. At some point on our trip, mom took me to an outdoor ice skating rink, it was the best Christmas gift I could have ever imagined. I was a pretty lucky girl.

Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of those skates and the skates have come and gone. I actually had those skates up to a few years ago. I am sorry I had let them go, however, those skates are etched in my memory forever.

I love giving gifts, always have. I love to see the expression on my daughter and grand kids faces, or others when you know it's just the right gift. That's what it's all about, again, the experience becomes the gift.

I also like to participate in a program for children that are in need of clothes and toys. It's such a good feeling knowing that a child out there will have a new jacket to stay warm by.

Advent Calendar 2009

Photos held and owned by Gini Webb 2007