CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 18

 A Christmas Wish: "The Children were nestled all snug in their beds While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads." Have a sugarplum or two today.

 

Though Christmas is a week away

I'm running out of things to say

I love your comments, and I'm grateful

That readers here aren't mean and hateful

I've got a few words left to share

It thrills me just to see you care

I'm still shopping, cleaning, wrapping

But today, I'm busy napping.

 

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 17

 A Christmas Wish:

Make new friends but keep the old. Some are silver and others are gold.

Today a group of dear friends and I met at the beautiful Hotel Pattee in Perry, Iowa for a Christmas lunch. We are a group who have been meeting since the late 1970's. Several of us went to school together, or our children went to preschool together. Our numbers have changed over the years, but our core is strong. We started getting together so we could have a minute to ourselves and work on crafts and have grown up conversations. We called our group "Craft Night" and looked forward to it once a month. That's a lot of months we have met. Now we are "Crafternoon's", because we meet in the daytime. We seldom work on crafts anymore, but we all still like to create and catch up. We have been through so many life experiences since we were all young mothers. We are starting to be great-grandmothers now. And still sharing our life stories. We have learned to stay away from politics and religion, because we do not all believe the same. We have overcome sickness, death, divorce, job loss, and just about everything else that life throws at us. We have also shared many happy times together.

And we give each other presents! Today after our lunch we went to Gerry's beautiful house for coffee, dessert, and gifts. Sometimes they are handmade. Some are kitchen made. Zucchini bread and Italian wandas cookies were included and appreciated today, along with several kinds of teas and coffees, and holiday decorations. I used these ten inch bottle brush trees and added a little vintage glamour. All are a little bit different, but were a lot of fun to make. I'm really not as handy with a glue gun as I used to be, but the will is still there.

There are so many different kinds of friendships. Sometimes we bond because of common interests, or of belonging to the same church or school. The parent's of our children's friends become our friends. I met a lot of friends when our children were in grade school together. In fact, I married one of them many years later.  I've made friends that moved away, and we didn't keep in touch, and I do regret that. I often wish I could renew friendships with people I used to know. I guess it is true that some people aren't meant to be in our lives forever, but are there for a purpose. There is a quote, attributed to many, that says:  "Friends come into our life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime."

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 16

 A Christmas Wish:

Are you frizzle frazzelled?  Time to take a little break

Maybe you have everything done and you are all ready for the holidays. Lucky you! But, if you still feel that everything is overwhelming, then here is some help to get away from it all. 

It's time to take a little time for yourself, and do something that relaxes you and makes you feel refreshed, even if it is just for a few minutes.

Take a tea break. I watch a lot of British tv. Tea is the cure for just about everything. If you have a special cup or teapot that just adds to the magic.

Have a mini spa moment. We used to put used wet teabags on our eyes. Or under them. Don't forget to let them cool. The tannin in the tea was supposed to make our eyes feel less tired. Also the caffeine! There are lots of products you can purchase now, but the principle is the same. Adhesive eye patches are placed under the eyes for several minutes or even overnight. Most of them also contain caffeine. This helps with puffy tired eyes. 

Taking a little time for journaling or reading also helps. This is like a little vacation get-a-way.

Listen to some non-Christmas music for a little while. Sometimes we've had enough jingle.

Take a walk. Look at nature. Watch the birds.

Work on a puzzle. It's good for your brain. And it's easy to start and stop. I am always afraid that I will get to the end and a piece will be missing. This year I am trying to conquer that fear. 

Or take a short nap. When she was very young my daughter used to say, "I'm just going to take a little rest." And then she would fall asleep, no matter where she was. She still likes naps.

As for me, I'm off to drink a cup of tea.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 15

 A CHRISTMAS WISH:

All you need is love and gingerbread cookies. And tea. You always need tea.

Back in the late 1980's I did some work as a freelance designer for Better Homes and Gardens magazines. They filmed at my house a few times, mostly as background of our house, yard, and my little workshop. I was never a featured article, but I thought I was pretty special and on my way to fame and fortune. Then the editor I worked with moved to another career, and that was the last I heard of them. The pictures appeared in their books and magazines for at least ten years afterwards. They often re-used photos.

This picture was part of a photo shoot in my house using several different trees. This was in my front room.  I made the ginger bread cookies for them. They were big! Some almost as big as the cookie sheet, so I could only bake two or three at a time. They gave me the recipe and ingredients, and paid $50.00. I thought it was a a really great deal just for baking cookies. What did I know about business? They paid $200.00 a day for filming, and of course paid for any designs they bought. I wish I had kept more of the photos, but I guess I didn't.

The gingerbread recipe was very easy to work with. Since it was such big pieces, I suppose it would work for gingerbread houses. I don't ever expect to make a gingerbread house, even for the vast sum of fifty dollars!

"Better Homes" Ginger Bread

1 cup dark corn syrup

3 cups sugar

8 oz butter

2T baking soda

3 T ginger 

2 T cloves

2 T cinnamon

1 cup heavy cream

1 egg 

9 cups flour

Melt syrup with sugar and butter. Stir and heat. When mixture just starts to boil remove from heat and pour into large bowl. Stir in baking soda and spices. Stir in egg and cream. Add flour one to two cups at a time. Work til smooth. Chill overnight.  Roll out. Cut around cardboard shapes .  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake on greased cookie sheet, for five or six minutes until dough has stopped puffing. Let cool several minutes, and then remove to flat surface. 

Christmas Countdown Day 14

A Christmas Wish:

Away In A Manger

A few years ago, actually about 37, I sold items made from dried herbs and flowers. I made little packets of these ingredients. They were put into nativity scenes and added a lovely smell. This was before I had a computer, so all my labels were hand printed. I know, it looks a little bit tacky now, but I had a lot of fun with my little business until my allergies took over.

Nativity sets, also known as a creche, (from the word for crib) are an important part of Christmas decorations for many people. They can be a simple depiction of the Christmas story or very elaborate. They have been featured in paintings and sculptures since the early centuries A.D. Many families like to make their own traditions with their Nativities. Some don't place the Baby into the scene until Christmas Eve. Others put a piece of straw in the Manger when anyone does a good deed. Other families just like to play with them. I guess that's why you often see a statue with missing hands. Or heads.

The first "live" nativity scene is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi in 1223. He arranged for a manger to be set up in a cave with live animals. Those who visited were able to see and feel the conditions of Jesus' birth.

This is recreated in the same town of Greccio, Italy every year for the past fifty years. There are several performances each December and January. Many churches today present live nativities with all the characters at Christmas time.

I have several small nativities placed around my house. This one has small plaster figures. The one in the box is heavy cardboard. Some years I set it up and other years it stays in the box.

The tiny one with lots of pieces came from the gift shop in St Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. It seemed like a great souvenir. Below it is one that was sold at the old dimestores like Woolworths. Each piece was individually priced.

A variation of a basic nativity is the Moravian Putz. This comes from the German word "putzen" which means "to decorate". The Moravians settled in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the eighteenth century and brought the tradition with them. A Putz is essentially a village featuring the stable and Holy Family. Houses and businesses and families and pets all become a part of it. Landscaping is done with rocks and moss and driftwood. 

When you shop for a Nativity today, just about anything is available. I've seen them with all the characters as children, or as teddy bears or dogs and cats. The strangest one I ever saw was one where every character was a lobster. 

This one came from Mexico. It is about two inches square, but very detailed.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 13

 A Christmas Wish:

What? It's almost Christmas? Are you sure? Have you finished your shopping???

I discovered a long time ago that the people who ask me if I have finished my shopping are always the people who shopped early, wrapped early, and love to talk about it. People like me just want to keep quiet and panic to ourselves. We are easy to recognize because we are wandering through the stores wondering why the shelves are nearly empty.

At one time I shopped early because I had to. I even used lay-a-way for most of my children's toys. Is there even such a thing anymore? It was so nice to pick out everything early and to know it was at the store waiting for me. And I loved to make lists and plan out what everyone was getting. For children, and there were five of them, I liked to see in writing that everything was practically even. My husband and I would go shopping together once every Christmas, and then out to dinner at our favorite restaurant. We called it our Annual Christmas Fight. He was a much more extravagant gift buyer than I was, and didn't really care about trying to make things even. So after our major shopping trip I would get busy and fill in the gaps.

I used to have a little crafts business, and one year I was so busy with shows and orders that he took over most of the shopping. That was interesting. I made sure it never happened again.

But, by nature, I don't even like to think about the actual shopping until after Thanksgiving. Sometimes, even weeks after. Sometimes now.

Time changes families. And families change with time. They are all grown up and we have added spouses and grandchildren. John and I have a blended family with twice as many people. Yes, he also had five children. And we have simplified. We rely on mail order and gift cards. I like to make a few things or it wouldn't seem like the holidays to me. So I have started crafting and shopping. But, please, don't ask me if I've finished. At our house, it's not over til it's over.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 12

 A Christmas Wish:

Someone to love you enough to give you the Moon.

Everyone has a favorite Christmas movie. And this is mine. It came out in 1946, but wasn't a success at first. In fact, it didn't even make enough money to break even. It wasn't until 1974, when the copywrite lapsed, that the movie became part of the public domain. It was shown on television often at Christmas time and became very popular almost 30 years after its' premier.

The film is based on a short story called "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern. He sent it out as a 21 page Christmas card in 1943. Director Frank Capra read it and knew it would make a great movie. 

 I think I saw it in the 1970's for the first time and fell in love. Of course, it may have been because I already had a mad crush on Jimmy Stewart. When I was in high school I actually wrote him a fan letter, telling him he was the kind of man I wanted to marry someday. I did get an autographed picture back, but no personal message.

Some people say that it is a depressing movie, and I guess parts of it may be, but it has the most wonderful happy ending where everything turns out just as it should, and Angel Clarence Oddbody finally gets his wings.

  I've had little touches of A Wonderful Life around my house for years. My children have been able to find unique items for gifts.  I had a large framed copy of the movie poster and a picture of the entire cast. I have most of the Christmas houses from the Bedford Falls village. I used to set them up every year, but they have been packed away for a while. Christmas villages take a lot of space. My friend, Donna, made the pillow. I have a few more books too. And this sign always reminds me that no matter what, it's a wonderful life.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 11

A CHRISTMAS WISH:

Lots of paper packages tied up with string, and days that are Merry and Bright

A Very Paper Christmas

The holidays aren't always happy. When grief comes to stay, it is very difficult to hold on to old traditions. Today I am reprinting a post from December, 2011 when it was all I could do to put up a tree. I couldn't bear to open any boxes of ornaments, or to hang stockings and decorations. This was my first Christmas of being alone. I kept busy by making all new paper decorations, from old book pages and Victorian scrap pictures

I was trying so hard to be cheerful in the original post, but this is also the year I sent out the Christmas card poem that made everyone cry.

Blog Post  December 2011

I've decided to have a very simple Christmas this year, so I bought a skinny tree of the very cheap variety. I set it on a box to make it look taller and proceeded to embellish. Most of my decorations are made from one old book. I pleated rosettes, glued them together and added old fashioned Santas. A large one forms the tree topper. Other pages were rolled into cornucopias, filled with red berries and rosemary. Birds were cut from cardboard, book pages, and scrapbook paper, with pleated wings. And sticks from the yard are stuck randomly into the tree. My most favorite decoration is the long chain. It's made from many bits of fabric, sewed onto a heavy interfacing, decorated with all sorts of fancy stitches and ribbons, and then cut into strips and all buttoned together. I've used lots of sentimental pieces
and written names and dates and sayings on them. I even had some fabric from the clothes I made from my girls when they were small. And from doll clothes. (I was always going to use them for a doll quilt or something. Now, I finally have.) I still have more to finish, but this works for my tree and is a great memory chain. I spent a lot of time creating it, and trying out the stitches on my sewing machine. The grandkids like looking for their names. I will probably keep it out after the holiday. It may become a window garland.

There is also a wreath made of book pages. So far, that's it, except for the Advent calendars. I do need something for the fireplace.

I do miss seeing all my ornaments, and other decorations, and Christmas village, and the big tree, but this just isn't the year for them. Next year: happier times and more decorating.

I really have to apologize for the terrible quality of the photos. I am just never home at a decent time of day to take pictures lately. And I knew, if I didn't add this now, it wouldn't happen in December. Happy Holidays!

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 10

A Christmas Wish:

Take time to indulge in simple pleasures.

A visit to any decorating store this time of year shows us an extravagance of ways to bring Christmas into our homes. Every color we can imagine is there to transform our ordinary space. And I am sure you can find any theme you can dream up.

 I have always been one to indulge in the simple pleasures when it comes to decorating. I like to reuse what I have, add a surprising touch, and move things around just a bit.

I love to do the traditional colors of Christmas. I've never had a theme. I think if you use the things you like, everything will come together. 

Making arrangements in kitchen  tools is always good. A mini

chopper grater like this one is ideal because it has a jar below for a holiday scene and the top can hold greenery.

The celery salt bottle is the perfect Christmas color and holds some colored baubles.

I especially like my sifter with the arrangement of flowers, berries, greens, and red birds.

None of these are permanent, so after Christmas I can just empty them, and actually use them for grating and sifting if I need to. I don't have extra space in my kitchen so for the holidays they are on a shelf in the dining area's china cabinet. They look a little bit crowded in this picture, but it works.

There are so many other things that can be used. Old spice tins are really fun to turn into little arrangements. Craft stores have lots of tiny Christmas trees, Santas, toys, deer, beads, and bells that can be mixed with greens on top of a small tin. Cups and saucers or coffee mugs are also good for arranging little scenes. Try a wine glass turned upside down to make a faux snow globe. Some of the cutest snowmen I've seen started life as salt shakers. Old serving spoons or ladles can be turned into something clever. 

 

Stacks of books are fun to place around the room. These are red and green and make a nice little shelf for Santa.

Sometimes just tying bows on objects is enough to give them a little flourish. I worked in a historic Victorian house for several years and did a lot of natural decorating. We used a lot of red ribbon and greenery. I saved leaves and dipped them in wax for arrangements. We used lots of pinecones and branches. I really enjoyed researching in old magazines for authentic decorations. The results were simple but effective. If you just look around, I'm sure you will find something that needs a red ribbon.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 9

 A CHRISTMAS WISH:

"You do too much. Go and do nothing for a while. Nothing"

Lillian Hellman

Today I am doing nothing. No story. No picture. Nothing.

I will be back tomorrow.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 8

 A CHRISTMAS WISH:

Have a jolly holiday filled with surprises.

I spent five Christmas seasons (2015-2019) as House Mom for a fraternity. I lived there with 25-30 young men. I always thought of them as boys. It would be an understatement to think of my life as an adventure. The House never looked the same when I woke up in the morning as it did when I went to bed!

I always decorated for the holidays and I think most of them appreciated it. I didn't have much of a budget for decorating so I borrowed a tree and made most of the decorations myself.

Of course, the tree decorations were unbreakable!

My bedroom, sitting room, and bath were on the main floor at the end of the hall. I lived there full time. Oh, the stories I could tell.

I had a little tree in my room .

One year I pretended it was a big tree and placed it on top of a cabinet.

I always felt pretty proud of the young men (boys) and hoped that I made a small difference in their lives. I got married in 2019 and when I was undecorating after the last Christmas, and feeling very sentimental, I found these black bikini underwear hanging on the tree right in front of the window. And that's what it's like to be a House Mom.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 7

 A CHRISTMAS WISH

It was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well.

Charles Dickens

What does it mean to keep Christmas well? The most obvious meaning involves goodness and kindness to all, but I want to talk about the mechanics of getting things done today. I am still in the process of decorating this year! Usually by St Nicholas Day on the sixth I will have the tree up, and maybe even have some wrapped gifts under it. This year I am a little bit slow. Boxes are scattered everywhere, and we are still bringing decorations up from the storeroom. I love going through the boxes, because each one is like opening a gift. Some years I am more organized than others, but I always keep most of my ornaments in small tins, and wrap them in tissue paper, or even paper towels or napkins to keep them safe. I even enjoy wrapping them back up again when it is time to put everything away. I don't really decorate a lot compared to some people. I think my key word is probably Simple. I don't have a lot of shine. The colors I like best are still green and red and gold. I don't like to start until after Thanksgiving. Years like this one make me feel behind before I have even begun.

I have several small vignettes around the house, and parts of it look almost finished. But I'm afraid the tree still needs a bit of work. That will be my plan for the next few days.

I like this vintage store sign I bought years ago. It reminds us to do our Christmas shopping early. I never have. If I start early then I will buy more. It is as simple as that. No control. Really, we are not extravagant gift givers. Back when I was much more clever I made a lot of Christmas gifts. We have a large blended family now, and each one gets one gift from us. 

There is a saying about gifts for children. I can't remember it exactly, but it goes like this:

ONE TO READ, ONE TO WEAR, ONE TO PLAY WITH, AND ONE TO SHARE.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 6

 

A Visit from Saint Nicholas

A CHRISTMAS WISH:

FIND TRADITIONS YOU LIKE AND

MAKE THEM YOUR OWN

 Happy Saint Nicholas Day! This is the feast day of Saint Nicholas of Myra. He was an actual bishop in the fourth century. Stories of his generosity and devotion to the poor were the inspiration for our modern Santa Claus. He was known as the patron saint of travelers, the clergy, and school children. He devoted his life to serving those in need. Some stories say he often sold his possessions and gave the money to the poor. The story most often told is that he left gifts for three girls whose father could not afford to pay their dowries. Legend says he would leave gifts for children in their shoes.

In many countries, it became the custom to leave shoes outside the door on December 5, and to discover a gift the next morning. Typical gifts were often small toys, candies, and oranges to represent gold.

We are all a mixture of many customs and traditions. There is no better time than the holidays to choose and adapt these different traditions to our own families. I had never heard of this tradition when I was growing up, but I liked it so much that we began celebrating Saint Nicholas Day when the children were very young. We would all leave our shoes outside the bedroom doors on the night of December fifth. Often straw and carrots would be left for Saint Nicholas's horse. He would take those treats and leave chocolate gold coins, other candies, and a new Christmas ornament in each of the shoes.

On the next day, we would draw names for our own  "Kris Kringle". This was the parent, brother or sister that each one would be personally responsible for during the holiday season. This meant buying a present, and also doing secret good deeds for that person. Some years it worked out better than others. On Christmas Eve, we opened our Kris Kringle gifts.

     

I still have the tin and little cards that we used every year. As the kids grew up and left home, they continued the tradition with their own families. They were able to start trimming their trees with the ornaments they had received. Of course, our own trees became a little barer every year!

(Reprinted from December 2021)