Christman in Sebring

This year home for the holidays meant staying in Sebring. . Once again, the kids and grandkids wouldn't be around for the holidays so we decided to spend the holidays in our RV. We had spent our money buying the new RV and truck so Christmas would not yield a heap of presents under the tree like we normally have at home.
We usually decorate both outside and inside the house and stuff presents under the tree. When the grandkids are home, its just such fun to watch them open their gifts.

Now, putting up a tree in the RV was another story. There was no way I could talk Rich into that. I had managed to stow away a sign for the yard and a decoration for the door before we left home. But a tree.?? No tree............why this would be the first Christmas in my ENTIRE LIFE that I did not have a tree. That was not going to happen. I had brought ONE plant from home, that would make the perfect tree. So I pulled out the red tissue paper and covered the stand between the two chairs, decorated the tree with a little tinsel and several pair of my dandling ear-rings. A few small presents under the tree and two full stockings full of goodies and Voila!!! Christmas AND and Christmas tree. Rich was even in the holiday spirit and went along with it!!

Like Thanksgiving, Tanglewood hosted Christmas Dinner in the main clubhouse and this time provided the Ham for dinner. Bob and Kathy Hughes had left for the east coast to spend the holiday with family. But they would be home later in the day. So Marcel and Louise and Rich and I joined 8 other people from the community that we had never met before for Christmas dinner.

Here's Rich and I with the group enjoying our Christmas day feast. The food was fabulous. There was probably better than 70 people in all that came to the event. And several of our picklball friends were sitting at the other tables.

The gentleman in the back with the blue shirt and the lovely bond lady at his side are Bob and Dee. They were beginner pickleball players this year and it was their first year at Tanglewood too. They will be staying just up the road at a park called Reflections next year.

The gentleman with the striped shirt and the lady in red are Patrick and Lois Hotchkiss, from Ontario. He plays pickleball with the group every morning. They have a home in the Outback section of Tanglewood and winter here.

After dinner Rich and I went over to Marcel and Louis's place just to relax , have a glass of wine and wait for Bob and Kathy Hughes to get back.

And they did.........And they joined us in a toast for the holiday...............Christmas with Friends. Thank you all for making our day special

Of course it's never the same as when you spend the holidays with the family, and we missed Dennis and Crystal and Dalton and Chauna. The best present this year was getting new pictures of the kids.

Dalton is 10 and will be 11 in February. Chauna is 9 and will be 10 in April.

Merry Christmas..................and Happy New Year!!