This 2016 Christmas season, I got our outside Christmas yard decor and lights up and running on October 31 which is the earliest to date.  This page is basically a copy and paste from our 2014 Christmas as far as the indoor and outdoor decor but this year without the 12 feet tall snowman and the 8 feet tall Polar Bear and driveway lights.  The blower motor on the snowman apparently lost much efficiency and wasn't able to fully inflate the snowman and the company no longer makes the 12 feet one and down sized it to 8 feet.  Each year we tend to scale back a little due to products of maturity and the date on our birth certificates.........grin if you must.  My bride enjoys the Christmas season tremendously and we both keep elements of Christ in all of our decor both inside and outside since "Jesus is the Reason for the Season."   My bride did have some help this year decorating her Christmas tree from both our East Coast grandsons Trevor Lane Huneycutt and Travis Lee Huneycutt which was a big help to her and really appreciated.  As usual, I did the brawn stuff like setting up the tree and bringing boxes up from the basement, etc., whereas she does the more intellectual and artistic decorating. 

Our Star of David which is 10 feet across and about 40 feet off the ground was still in good shape from last season and only had a few bulbs burned out or broken and still looked excellent.  Our cross in the back yard operated for a week and several sections of lights went out and unplugged it and will refurbish it come Spring when the weather is more conducive.  Pix below of the Star of David above the three Peace On Earth angels: 

Most of our Christmas decor both inside and outside has remained unchanged the past 5 to 10 years and each year we downsize a little more but will continue to display the outside decor as long as I am physically able to do so.  In the future, I might have to employ the assistance of a bucket truck to repair and refurbish the Cross and the Star of David.  My comfort zone above the ground is now around 25 feet and 40 feet above the ground brings about some additional prayer for certain!

My bride and I are thankful for each and every day that the Lord allows and I am going to copy and paste something that I wrote in one of my short stories from five years ago which still sums up my view for our Christmas Holiday and Season.

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!

With all the commercialization of our CHRISTMAS Holiday and so many attempting to get on the Political Correctness Band Wagon of not wishing to offend anyone and to me, they have no backbone and don't stand for anything that really matters and are mere puppets; "Pull my little strings and I'll do anything."  Without Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, there would be no Christmas since Jesus is the Reason for the Season and the reason for every day that we are allowed on this earth!   Whatever your personal Faith and Religion are, it is your choice and right;  I choose to be a Christian!  I have a lighted Star of David and a Cross elevated about 40 feet above ground to give symbolic tribute to Christ and the Christmas Season and several Angels to go along with the traditional seasonal decor.  Laus Deo "Praise be to God." 

With that said, below are some of the Porter Home Christmas Yard Decor pixs taken this year.  Click on the thumbnails for a larger screen view:

The nut cracker "soldier boys" on either side of the carport look as good as when my bride first painted them because they are under the overhang of the roof and don't take a beating from the elements.

INSIDE CHRISTMAS DECOR

The above are archived pixs from last year and pretty much the same this year except she changed the arrangements on some of them.

TRAVIS AND TREVOR DECORATING OUR TREE

My bride had Travis and Trevor Huneycutt decorate our Christmas tree the past couple years and below pixs of them in action last week:

LINDA AND JACK DRIGGERS VISIT AND GIFT EXCHANGE ON 12-18-16

A couple of my friends Linda and Jack Driggers, both retired now from my former place of employment.  Notice I did not use the terminology work, came by for a short visit and we exchanged gifts.  Myself and a Correctional Sergeant were laterally transferred to Brown Creek Correctional Institution on an Administrative Transfer back in 1995 for being bad boys and it was like throwing a rabbit in a briar patch.....grin if you must! 

Jack and Linda had a Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus gig and had their outfits on; pixs below:

Linda brought by some goodies; e.g., perfume for my bride and I gave Linda one of my custom made napkin holders and Jack some golf balls. 

Below a decorative box Linda gave my bride:

I think I must have been a very bad boy again, since I got a lump of coal which was very tasty:

Linda and Jack retired on March 1, 2016 from the NCDPS and they certainly are enjoying their retirement.  Linda is into home gardening and doing renovation home projects, painting, etc.  Linda has a wonderful personality and will keep you grinning!  One of my all time favorites a few years ago when they came by for a visit goes like this.  I had a Food Saver vacuum sealing system sitting on the kitchen island/work station and when she saw it, She said, "Oh, I see you have one of those sucking machines" of which I looked over at Jack and my bride and we broke out into a humongous grin, whereas Jack said, "She certainly has a way with words."  That is the all time classic grin maker for sure.....grin if you must!
 

Below a pix of Linda back in her US Navy days; Jack didn't stand a chance.....grin if you must!

CHRISTMAS EVE FINGER FOOD PARTY AND GIFT GIVING

We normally have finger food for our Christmas eve party, but this year I wanted to do a Spatchcock aka Butterflied turkey using my ugly drum smoker.  My bride assembled the ingredients for the cornbread dressing and deboned the turkey giblets that I had on a slow simmer for about four hours.  Our eldest Daughter Laura, finished up the Giblet gravy since my bride can not stand up very long without her back giving her much pain.

After the giblet gravy was ready, we all joined hands for a prayer, thanking our Lord Jesus Christ for another year and blessed the food.  It didn't take very long before those high dollar China Styrofoam sectional plates and the red crystal "Solo cups" were getting filled.....................grin if you must!

Our menu consisted of Spatchcock UDS smoked turkey, cornbread dressing, giblet gravy, green bean casserole, steamed corn on the cob, sausage balls, clam dip with Town House crackers, Hot sausage dip, cranberry chutney (which I forgot to remove from the refrigerator), Lemon pound cake, cake in a pan, several varieties of homemade cookies, party mix, King's Hawaiian mini-subs, etc.

Click on the below thumbnails for a larger screen view:

TIME TO EXCHANGE GIFTS

After our meal, we all kicked back for a while and then it was time to exchange gifts.

This was a year that hand crafted items were exchanged.  Laura Porter got into crochet the past year or two and made a number of items for Lisa, My bride, yours truly and Lisa's unborn baby girl Lilly.

I made napkin holders, serving trays and candy dishes for our immediate family, Brother and Sister and my bride's siblings.  I made a total of 43 napkin holders.

Travis Lee with a good grin going....I blinded him with the next shot taken and it took him a minute to get focused for the next picture.

PICTURES OF SOME GIFTS

Some of Laura's crochet items she gave my bride.

Two afghans Laura made; the dark colored one is for my "Man Cave."

Lisa with an Eastern Red Cedar napkin holder box and a curly maple candy dish.

Xander McKnight enjoyed ripping the wrappings from his presents.

The Grandboys gave me a watch and Shane Hough gave me a Buck knife collector set.

When Bill, Jr. and Nichol were visiting last month, they left me a bottle of good Moscato wine from Italy.  It looks like some wine has evaporated from the bottle since last month.....grin if you must!  Not really, enjoyed a glass of it late last night/early morning.

My bride's serving tray with some presents.  The curly maple is popping out pretty good with just a couple coats of clear lacquer finish on it.

In closing, we had a great time.  Anytime family and friends can get together over some good food, setting the sails on two of the greatest ships that ever sailed, Friendship and Fellowship, it doesn't get any better than that.

Another Christmas has come and gone and I am thankful for each and every day that the Lord allows.

Isaiah 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Web published by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 12-25-16.