What did you give yourself for Christmas?

[malaise]

A few from my regular group and I walked two laps and then exercised for 45 more minutes
You can't hear the birds, smell the flowers or see the sun rising but imagine if you will.

[eShirl]

1. I gave myself a flu shot + covid booster shot

and let myself rest and not feel guilty for slacking off on holoday preparations.
(I made a typo but rather like it, so I left it in.)

(PS watching the video now -- so beautiful!

[malaise]

2. LOL

Great gifts

[whistler162]

65. Hope you don't get the

infected lymph nodes like I and a co-worker got from that combination. Might have been brought on by having Covid earlier this year.

Selfie, or at least it felt that way -

[AllaN01Bear]

3. a mini lego helecopter and a mini erector set crane kit. slept in.

[malaise]

10. Nice

Stay warm😀

[cutroot]

4. I discovered that it was more fun to be naughty all year

Didn’t even get a lump of coal for myself

[malaise]

77. LOL

That was your gift to yourself last year😀😀

[we can do it]

5. Christmas and my birthday earlier in December.

Trip to Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks.

[malaise]

8. Cool

I turned down a free ticket to Miami - so glad - it is way too cold for me.😀

[we can do it]

12. We went the 8th-13th to avoid the Xmas brouhaha.

[malaise]

13. Very smart

😀

[cilla4progress]

6. Hubby and I gifted each other a

Peloton bike!

Prices have come way down. Love the upbeat, diverse young instructors.

We've biked through India, London, Paris among others.

I've always hated indoor / gym exercises till now! With our continuing ice storms keeping us indoors (except for feeding livestock) it's great to have this option!

[malaise]

7. I have a ten year old stationary bike

Need an upgrade -maybe this year. I ride for at least an hour before going to bed most nights or on those when we don’t walk at MR.
I do hate gyms full of people but love outdoor spots.

[cilla4progress]

14. Wow -

an hour! Good on ya!!👍🏾

Same - never been a gym rat and indoor exercising at home always too boring!

But these guys clearly designed the program to keep it interesting and distracting. And we love the instructors. Hope it gets us strong for outdoor sports come Spring!

[malaise]

16. Watch TV while riding

[cilla4progress]

21. I never mastered this -

Props!

[malaise]

24. The more you exercise the better you sleep

Start and work to the 1st commercial - 15 minutes then 2nd - start slow. You won’t even realize when the hour is up.
Then shower and snooze😀
The only time I’m up really late is to watch international cricket in the sub-Continent or OZ and NZ.

[cilla4progress]

26. I'm listening to an audio book -

"Younger Every Year."

Yep - exercise is definitely the Fountain of Youth!!

[malaise]

30. And the only thing that really keeps you young is sleep to help the body recover

so the more you exercise the more you sleep naturally

[cilla4progress]

31. Yes -

the authors say exercise, nutrition and sleep are the keys!

Also social/ cognitive engagement. Keep learning new things.

[malaise]

33. All of those things and they are interconnected

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/what-happens-when-you-sleep

[cilla4progress]

36. Everything's connected!

Thanks, malaise! Bookmarking!

I have a love/hate relationship with my sleep life.

[CTyankee]

73. I learned that the little nightcap before bedtime is really not good for you...

it keeps you from having a really restful sleep and waking up with energy to face the day. If I do have that glass of wine, I don't feel rested when I get up. I sometimes read a little bit instead. Usually something to do with art history. I bookmark stuff I think will help me write, then I feel kinda good about that and turn out the light.

[malaise]

74. No coffee after noon

And no alcohol just before bed.
You’re so right - stimulate the brain. Happy Holidays - still miss your Friday Art Quiz😀😀

[CTyankee]

81. Oh Malaise, thank you! I loved doing them!

[NNadir]

9. Renewal of my subscription to Science - the journal.

I can access it elsewhere, but it's nice to have access to it wherever I am.

[malaise]

11. Makes sense

😀

[LakeArenal]

15. I bought this guy from a Tico cement artist.

Happy New Year!!🎊

[malaise]

17. Holy Shit

That looks real 😀

[LakeArenal]

19. He has all sorts of cool animals. Including a life size leopard climbings tree.

My friends are like… Really? An armadillo?

But ya know, ya likes what ya likes. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Laffy Kat]

52. That is awesome, Lake!

Armadillos are amazing critters.

[Blue Owl]

18. Treat Yo Self!

[yellowdogintexas]

20. a year's subscription to Peacock at a special $19.99 rate

a bunch of E-books

[malaise]

22. Sounds good

😀

[Marthe48]

23. I made a from scratch chocolate rum cake

My friend used to send me Capt. Breck's Rum Cake, but he was out of commission for awhile. He is back, but was sold out. I've been on a low-carb diet for over 3 years, but have my goals met and maintaining. I was longing for rum cake and hard sauce, so I made one and shared it with friends. Yummy

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays! And a prosperous New Year!

[malaise]

25. Fabulous

😀

[cilla4progress]

27. Sounds wonderful!

[yellowdogintexas]

29. How did it turn out?

I have been wanting to try a Chocolate Rum or Chocolate Bourbon Cake

I made a Bourbon Cake for a friend and a rum cake for an auction but they were not chocolate.

[Marthe48]

49. It turned out really good

Not quite Capt. Breck, but very good. I didn't have a bundt pan, so I used a spring form pan, and let it bake about 5 minutes longer than the recipe said.

Here is a link to the recipe: https://cookspacebrooklyn.com/chocolate-rum-cake-recipe/

I used Capt. Morgan spiced rum. I got a bottle for my birthday in Aug. and just opened it for Christmas baking.

To make the hard sauce:
1/2 cup soft butter
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract or 2 TBS rum or brandy

I brew my own vanilla, with rum, so I used that.

[malaise]

61. Didn't even bake this year

Good friends dropped off a fruitcake yesterday. Excellent.

[malaise]

35. Yippie is right

😀😀

[femmedem]

32. A gift for someone else was also a gift for me: I painted a portrait of a recently deceased cat.

I haven't had much time for painting recently: this little 6x6" painting was only my third painting all year. And the family members who hosted us for Christmas are missing their cat who recently crossed the rainbow bridge. I was happy to be able to give them something that would be meaningful to them but also happy to have spent those hours at the easel.

[img][/img]

[malaise]

34. That is absolutely beautiful

both the thought and the painting - Happy Holidays

[femmedem]

62. Thank you, Malaise! Happy holidays to you, too!

And thank you for starting such a warm, inviting thread.

[Bayard]

40. Beautiful job!

[femmedem]

64. Thank you, Bayard.

And from one animal lover to another, I am so sorry for your multiple losses.

[Bayard]

84. I appreciate that

This year has really sucked for losing the fur kids.

[IcyPeas]

56. oh wow. that's wonderful!

so many tones of white.

[femmedem]

66. Thank you, IcePeas.

And I hope you are having a happy holiday season.

[CTyankee]

82. Lovely! A gift of art!

[Different Drummer]

83. Lovely painting, femmedem!

[femmedem]

85. Thank you!

[peacebuzzard]

37. a new stove

last one I had years; bought it at a restore place. It was down to 2 stovetop elements and no oven.
They are delivering the shiny new stainless steel range today.

[malaise]

38. How lovely

I need a new stove myself but will wait for the sales - enjoy

[recovering_democrat]

39. Egg nog

Broke this year, hurricane claim not processed yet. Went to grocery store for cheap bottle of eggnog all sold out, sadly

Went to close by liquor store had bottle of Evan Williams egg nog, exactly same price as the sold out non-alcoholic grocery package!

Absolutely awesome. HAPPY HOLIDAYS, DU friends.

[malaise]

42. Back at yah

I only bought food this year- hope you recover From that hurricane soon

[Bayard]

41. Four new books

And a sheepskin seat cover for my saddle to keep from freezing my hiney. Although, if it keeps snowing here, may be awhile to test it out.

[malaise]

43. Enjoy

Haven’t ridden a horse in 40 plus years.😀

[Sneederbunk]

44. Some bad advice.

[malaise]

46. Ouch,

Hope,it didn’t hurt yah

[Elessar Zappa]

45. A prime rib roast for Christmas Eve.

I’ve never spent that much on meat before, the damn thing was $75! But it was delicious. Yum!

[malaise]

47. I thought about driving to Port ROYAL FOR FRESH SNAPPER

And said nah- too many lunatics are on those streets. Next week will do.
Yum!😀

[Elessar Zappa]

48. Fresh snapper.

My mouth is watering,

[panader0]

53. I went camping in the snowy mountains with my Special Forces son.

Big fire, mummy bag in a hammock, babbling creek within ear-shot and hamburgers.
I think I would rather go to Gloria's too.

[malaise]

55. Sounds fabulous

The crowd at Gloria’s is too much for me now - next week😀😀

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

72. Snapper, yeah. Good to know Port Royal is alive and well ...

... I thought it all went under the sea in an earthquake (long time ago).



Hoping you find fewer lunatics on the streets next week.

[Marthe48]

50. Glad you posted this question

It was fun to read the replies

[malaise]

54. Glad you like

the thread - Happy Holidays 😀
What did you get yourself?

[Marthe48]

60. Made a rum cake

Answered above

[mnhtnbb]

51. A new casual winter coat

best for temps in 40's or below and a new watch.

I've worn both many times since they arrived several weeks ago. The coat has been particularly useful the last few days when our low temps have been in the teens!

[malaise]

58. Prescient

Stay warm 😀

[IcyPeas]

57. a very groovy car trunk organizer made from recycled water bottles

[malaise]

59. Love it

Nice colors 😀

[3catwoman3]

63. I gave us a heated birdbath to put on our patio.

We set it up a couple of hours ago, and "our" birds have already discovered it.

It is made in the US, from recycled products, and turns itself on when the temperature is below 45 and off when above 60. The company is a member of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology group.

I recently read that the more birds people see, the happier they are, so this birdbath will be making both "our" birds and us happy.

[malaise]

67. How lovely

I was telling a friend yesterday that there are more birds here from overseas this year because of the cold- I’m hearing lots of new sounds at dawn.

[femmedem]

68. That's wonderful.

I'm thinking of doing the same. I've been refilling a shallow container of warm water every half hour for the birds in my backyard. Even in this cold, they drink it dry before it freezes. They're lucky the cold hit while I was off for Christmas and that I can often work remotely. But now that I see how much they depend on it, I want to be able to take care of them on days when I need to be in the office.

[LLC]

69. Honestly

…..my gift to myself was to join DU. 👍🏼

I’m glad I did! I lurked for almost 10 years, and finally decided to go ahead and join the forum.

I live in NW Montana. Originally, I spent the first 42 years of my life growing up and living in Oklahoma.

I am a Civil Service retiree and have been voting for Democrats since I first voted for Jimmy Carter! ❤️

Looking forward to everyone’s posts!

Thanks for reading!

LL

[malaise]

70. Welcome to DU LLC

[LLC]

71. Thanks!

Glad to be here! 😊

[Buckeye_Democrat]

75. Since I received a Walmart gift card...

... from my boss at work, and I used it for a gallon of automatic transmission fluid and car detailing brushes for a planned drain-and-refill in the Spring, I guess that's it. (The long-handled brushes are to wipe off the area around the refill plug before doing the refill with a thin funnel.)

[malaise]

76. Good use of the Gift Card

Take care of the car and it takes care of us.
Happy Holidays 😀

[ironflange]

78. A cruise

It was wonderful, and we didn't get sick.

[Luciferous]

79. New kitchen appliances. We bought a new house over the summer and the appliances weren't

the greatest. So I waited and got a deal on a bundle that included the induction stove I've been wanting. They're being delivered and installed this week.

[malaise]

80. Lovely

So much fun outfitting a new place😀

[Prairie_Seagull]

86. I suppose my gift was to share the idea of giving from someone half way around the world.

I asked everyone to watch as I donated money to buy a helmet for a Ukrainian soldier, In solidarity with a 9 yo girl named Oksana, who cut off a large chuck of her beautiful hair. To by a helmet for a soldier in Ukraine. All the young people over for Christmas witnessed this an I hope came away with the real idea of giving. Not the money we donated but the gift of Oksana. She has given us all a gift. Just 9 yo.

[Prairie_Seagull]

87. p.s. I said kids, they are all in their 20's and early 30's nt

[malaise]

88. A beautiful gift

Thank you.

[Niagara]

89. Alright Malaise, you asked for it.

3 weeks before Christmas I bought myself a flu shot.


2 weeks before Christmas I made an appointment for the latest Covid-19 booster. Currently, I'm all caught up.


Out of nowhere, I suddenly caught the blanket collecting bug. I purchased several around Halloween and purchased a red, white and black plaid blanket a few days before Christmas. The newest one is resting on the back of the sofa.


I made it out the house today (I live in Buffalo) and I found the cutest owl Christmas ornaments and purchased several boxes. I also purchased Christmas stockings. I didn't really need anymore stockings, but I love 50% off post Christmas sales.

[malaise]

90. Nice gifts

Glad you got more blankets for that nasty weather.
Happy 2023😀😀

[Niagara]

93. Happy 2023, Malaise!

[debm55]

91. Malaise, I got myself real wool socks. It keeps my feel nice and warm while I walk Dolly.

[malaise]

92. Stay warm

Happy Holidats

[Niagara]

94. Real wool socks are awesome!

Enjoy, debm55!