There’s only eight days left until Christmas eve.
I just have no idea where the last three months have gone…
Our tree went up just before Thanksgiving and was decorated (more or less) about two weeks later, although the Angel at the top seems to be leaning southeast, and the garlands seem to be tangled around, instead of wound around the tree this year.
I don’t know if our “leaning angel” means anything, but I can’t reach up there to straighten it up and I’m not supposed to climb on anything, not even my stool according to various family members determined to keep this old couple safe (and I only fell off that one time).
Jack is under the same edict – he is “grounded” from all ladders since his plunge down to the driveway while he was power washing above the garage door a couple of months ago.
Anyway, I have decided that I will tell anyone who notices that the angel is leaning, that she is gazing at the baby Jesus in the nativity scene on a table in that general direction.
I always used to have two trees decorated for the holidays, along with a Christmas Village, complete with a train, the Nativity set and many other Christmassy items here and there inside and lights all around the house during the “good old” Christmas seasons on the Tobacco.
In our now “half-size” domain, (we downsized about 1,200 square feet) the decorations seem to be so much less noticeable than when we “lighted up” the old place on the Tobacco, but since Jack and I are now also “good old” residents of our little place out here on the prairie, we couldn’t possibly get all of the 35-year collection of Christmas memorabilia in, and still be able to move around. (you should hear the winds blow in our new location – it happens so often we have taken to calling our place where the “big camper” is parked Little Chicago).
Speaking of crowded, you should have seen the living room over the past two weeks. Jack brought all of the Christmas goodies – the ones we have left anyway – inside so I could decorate. What with wrapping presents and making Christmas goodies to pass around, we are beginning to look like hoarders.
I am a lot slower these days, but with help from the hubby, my wonderful househusband, we have managed to get most of the presents and annual ornaments wrapped and ready to go, at least except for the ones I ordered that were supposed to be here yesterday… I even found time to make ornaments for some of the family this year. I have always treasured the ones made (cross stitched) for us by Jack’s stepmom Martha and use them on the tree every year. I have another from a “bestie” given to me years ago that looks like it was quilted, so I decided, since I can’t crochet, knit or cross stitch, that I would make some ornaments like those this year. Guess what? It was fun and ended up pretty good and actually used up some of my quilting scraps (have so much of that, we have to store it in the garage) and made some pretty neat decorations to hang on their Christmas trees. I would show you a picture if they weren’t all wrapped…
Unfortunately, we aren’t done yet. We still have Christmas Cookies to make and decorate and we should make another batch of Peanut Brittle and Sugared Walnuts for our goodie packages.
We still haven’t gone for our traditional Christmas ride around the area to see the lights. That is an enjoyable event we haven’t missed doing every Christmas since we got married, one that we did with our kids and grandkids as they were growing up. Another must on my holiday to-do list this year is a “Ride through Bethlehem”, so we really have to do that this weekend.
With the New Year coming up, I really should get going on my “End of the Year” highlights for the paper and wrap up the year for our accountant. I always say I will do a little of that stuff every month and every year, I wait until the very last week and do it all at once…
Somewhere in there, Jack and I plan to take a good, long nap.