Elisha Orin Photography

December 2, 2009 - 9:35 pm Vicki :-) - When I gave my honey-bunny (Tom) a used acoustic Fender guitar on our third Christmas together and he cried!!!! So sweet and raw!!

December 2, 2009 - 9:42 pm Joelle Conti Washer - Looking back, I wish I could take every Christmas Eve I had as a child and enjoy it as much as I appreciate it today. Coming from a large, extremely close family becomes overwhelming and frustrating at times. However, during the Holiday season I appreciate every moment we spend together. It has been a tradition for as long as I can remember that my mother’s family celebrates Christmas Eve together. We eat dinner together, we spend time together, and we attend Christmas Eve Candlelight service together. As a kid…I remember being at my grandfather’s house for dinner and there would be over 20 of us eating dinner, taking family pictures, exchanging gifts, and “us” little ones would sit on the top bunk bed, stare out the window and wait for Santa to fly by. We saw him every year. Each of these amazing memories is engraved in my mind. As the years passed…the children became adults, those adults had children, people moved away and people passed on. We still continue the Christmas Eve tradition but it is just not the same. Some years the house is filled with 40 people and some years only 20 make it in. Every year we still attend Candlelight service but now we light a candle for our grandfather who is no longer with us. We all sing Silent Night and there is a tear in each of our eyes, as we think of him and miss him so very much. We are all thankful for the children he raised and the values he instilled in each. Without that, we would not have the closeness we have today or the amazing memories of the past. My only wish is that the children I hope to have someday will be able to say these same words when they are 28. I am a very lucky person who has a favorite Christmas every year!

December 5, 2009 - 5:05 pm Michelle - When I was 12, my brother joined the Air Force. I was devestated. He left in July for Basic Training. Growing up, there was 5 of us kids; my brothers Brandon and Alex and my 2 sisters Nicole and Sara. None of us had EVER missed Christmas together, so it was really hard that Alex couldnt come home. As Christmas got closer, everytime I talked to Alex, he would tell me her was really sorry he couldnt make it home that year, and to just remember he loved me. He would call while my mom and I were in the store, and by the time I was done talking to him, I'd be crying. My brother Brandon was in college at the time and was driving up from Johnstown, and when he pulled up, I ran down the stairs yelling "Brandon's home!!!" and when I got to the bottom of the srairs, my mom stopped me and said "Brandon hasn't wrapped your gift yet, so you have to wait." So I waited there, and then I was allowed to go through the living room, and there standing in the living room was Brandon, and by the tree, stood Alex. I gave him a hug, and tears started coming! Come to find out, EVERYONE in my family had known he was coming-except me. It was thee best gift I could ask for, and I'll never forget it. God Bless, Michelle

December 14, 2009 - 5:14 pm Janelle - I don't know if I have just one favorite Christmas memory - I really enjoyed Christmas growing up. We would walk to church, which was just a block away, even if it was freezing since it was so close, and go to candlelight service on Christmas Eve. Then when we got home, we were allowed to open our Christmas gifts from my grandparents, which was always a handmade quilt from Grandma - looking back, I was always so disappointed it wasn't a toy, but I do cherish those quilts today! My brother and I would plan out our alarms for the morning - he would wake up first and come wake me up - he was in charge of getting our older sister out of bed (a teenager who would rather sleep) and I was in charge of getting my parents out of bed. We'd rush downstairs and check out all our Christmas loot! But I think Christmas today is better than when I was growing up. I LOVE being Santa and preparing the house and wrapping the presents. My girls are still small, so it's getting better and better every year. They say there are four stages of Santa Claus - 1) Believe in Santa, 2) Don't believe in Santa, 3) BE Santa and 4) Look like Santa. I'm definitely enjoying stage 3. =)

December 14, 2009 - 6:15 pm Nicky Senske - My story is something that actually just took place last night. I have a 7 year old son, Anthony. He is an only child and because of this he can sometimes be a little selfish. I have always tried to emphasize the importance of giving and sharing with others onto him. Every year for christmas we pick a few names off the tree at our local bank to purchase some gifts for needy boys and girls in our community. In the past, I have always done this on my own because he showed little or no interest. He would always be concerned about his own personal needs/wants as any other 7 year old would. However, this year went a little differently. Anthony recieved an early christmas gift from his grandparents this year. He was given a gift card for walmart to spend on anything of his choice. Last night right before bedtime as we were building a star wars battleship together, I was telling Anthony that I would be going to the mall tomorrow to pick out some gifts for the little boy and girl off our tree. I wanted some ideas from him. He began asking me a million questions. Why didn't their own parents buy them gifts? Won't they be sad if they do not get anything for chrsitmas? Can't Santa bring all the gifts they want? And the list goes on.... I tried to answer all his questions in the best way for him to understand this difficult situation better. After all this, he walked out of the room for a brief moment then reappeared with something in his hand. He handed it to me and said "mommy I want to give this to the boy and girl for christmas, I am sure they could use it more than me." As tears filled my eyes, I opened the envelope he had handed me and sure enough it was his gift card he had just recieved. I love my son so dearly and I was so very proud to be his momma at that moment!! I hope he coninues to grow into a selfless, caring young man with the huge heart that God has granted him. Tonight, we went to walmart togehter to pick out all our gifts for the young boy and girl. I will always cherish this memorie forever and always<3

December 14, 2009 - 7:27 pm Linnea - A story of our Christmas present: Brad and I have lived in Ithaca for almost a year and a half now - he's attending grad school (expensive, to say the least). We started off well. I had a full time job that paid the bills; he had some part-time work and an assistantship. In January, his car broke down and was not fixable. We managed with one car for a while, and then found another used vehicle to purchase. On the way to get that new-to-us car, he was rear-ended in our nice car. When he was driving to get an estimate on the damage, he was hit on the front driver's side by a semi. Brad was miraculously unhurt! The damage was so extensive that the car was not drivable for a four month period. At about that time, we had come to the end of our meager savings. We were living on the money from the auto insurance payment! Somehow, there was enough...a blessing. We live on a beautiful hilltop, with a very dangerous, curvy road that's difficult in the winter. I called AAA three times in the space of two months last winter because I was stuck on the side of our little mountain. Scary, but I was safe. In late May, Brad went to visit my brother in Rochester, and was hit on the driver's side (again), in a construction zone, breaking the window and wrenching the door into a 45 degree inward angle. Then I lost my job. I have been officially unemployed since June. When the new semester started this fall, Brad called me in a panic one day: the car NEXT to his in the parking lot had literally exploded, covering his car in toxic ash. It was undamaged. Another little (?) miracle. Just before Thanksgiving, Brad also lost his job. We have been unsure of where we'll be finding our rent payment for the next few months. And then came the Christmas card from our church, containing a check and a grocery gift card! I started to cry - the generosity of our church to us has been an incredible blessing, especially since we live so far from our families. On Sunday, I got another card from my church choir members, with more money...an incredible Christmas present. We can buy food. We can pay for our apartment. The most amazing thing, though, is that we still have each other. Our crises could have been much worse, tearing us apart, ruining our young relationship. But instead, Brad and I are closer than ever. I have my husband beside me - he didn't die in a car accident. We are not starving or homeless. We have a love that is stronger than the day we were married. And I know that is our greatest gift.

December 14, 2009 - 9:01 pm Lorraine - My favorite Christmas besides my wedding last year would have to be getting my Holly. I had bought a Cocker Spaniel name Spritzle in April 1991, who stole my heart the first time I met him. He was a dog that captured so many peoples hearts. When I met my husband, Spritz & I moved in with him and his two daughters, who fell in love with Spritzle right from the start. He allowed our girls to dress him up, play with his hair, cuddle and love him through the years. He had the saddest eyes that would get him everywhere and anything he wanted. As he aged he had no hearing, couldn't see very well but all of us worked together to keep him going because we couldn't imagine not having him in our lives. He was part of our family but sadly we lost him in Sept. 2006 at age 16. I didn't know if I wanted another dog because I didn't want him replaced. I have a love for dogs that I just can't explain but not having dogs in my life would be hard to bare. Christmas day of 2006 I opened a gift of a little girl Cocker Spaniel named Holly. She is a sweet, adorable, full of attitude, and a little cuttlebug. I couldn't stop crying because of the joy she brought me that day. I will never forget the cocker who stole my heart but I enjoy loving yet another cocker named Hollybear. Someday I hope to see him again, to hold, and kiss. He is still loved and greatly missed! Thanks a lot Elisha for making me cry! That's ok though because its hard not to when I think of him.

December 15, 2009 - 7:25 am Karen Beals - I just happen to be talking to my daughter the other day about favorite Christmas'. What came to my mind was when I was younger and there was, like now all the husle and busle of the holidays and on Christmas Eve we would have our entire family over for Christmas celebration. But as kids it was all about the gifts that the Aunts and Uncles would bring. But at 11:00pm every Christmas Eve my family would go to Church and sit in the candlelit sanctuary singing Christmas Carols and at midnight we would end it on Christmas Day singing Silent Night. It was there that my parents wanted us to remeber the 'true' meaning of Christmas. To go and feel the 'presents' of the God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. As time has gone by and we still fell the hustle and bustle I remember my favorite times 'feeling the presents of the Lord' Remembering why we celebrate.

December 15, 2009 - 9:51 pm Jan - The year was 1973. My husband and I decided to take a trip of a lifetime—to celebrate Christmas in the Holy Land. We had flown to Tel Aviv before being bused to Bethlehem for a midnight mass. Our group of weary travelers was escorted to Manger Square where we were astonished at the security that was in place. Israelis were justifiably nervous because they had recently won a tenuous peace in the famous Yom Kippur War, when the previous September they had been simultaneously attacked by Egypt and Syria on the Jewish high holy day of Yom Kippur. And now every handbag, each camera case, all carried items, were systematically examined by a uniformed soldier. We were told to stand between cordoned lines that extended as far as the eye could see in all directions. The soldiers that surrounded our crowd of pilgrims were carrying machine guns that could be operated at a moment’s notice. As we waited the long, dark, chilly hours before midnight, standing in a mass of humanity, and anticipating the arrival of the archbishop, I reflected on the irony of our situation. Angels long ago had heralded the arrival of the Baby Jesus with the words, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill to men!” And yet, where was the promised “peace?” Where was the “goodwill” that the coming of the Christ child portended? In Israel, at any rate, this peace was a hard-fought one, not to be taken for granted. Nevertheless, a shiver of excitement went through me as I realized that I was able to worship in the very place where God had planned for His Son to be born, where angels had appeared to humble shepherds, and where the light of the star in the east had shone on the same hills around me. It was a Christmas to remember and to cherish!

December 16, 2009 - 5:00 am Lisa Andalora - Wow- Pete and Heidi look like you could be in a magazine ad for anything!!!!! beautiful photos!!

December 21, 2009 - 8:26 am MOM - I waited until the contest was over to tell you that every Christmas since I had children has been special. You and Amanda have been the light of our lives... Then you gave us babies, oh my gosh, the experience has been amazing! Next to Jesus, children and grand babies are the best gift God has given me. I love you more that I can ever tell you honey!