Christmas musings...

Ian's snowman

Christmases past. Little snippets of memories, some memories of pictures, like John and me coloring sitting on the floor, a giant paper doll next to me, under the Christmas tree. Skip was there too, if I can remember. My mom and dad organized pictures, it's probably there. I remember they used to have a "Christmas" album but in later years, they were Album 1 and 2 etc. I haven't looked at them much since my mom died, since I took the albums home since she was going through the albums and throwing away pictures. THAT memory was horrifying, a giant sign saying, DEMENTIA.... but it was more than that, it was being somewhere with nothing to do, nothing to think about... and then, there's the guilty thoughts, I should have done more, the I shouldashoulda that does no good.

  

Can't find it right now, the whole Album 1 seems to be missing. It might be in a box still. Hope mom didn't throw it out. The  second album memories start when I was in high school, and when my brother got married. Hope I find the first one.

Anyway. Back to Christmas memories. We didn't "do" the Santa thing. My parents believed that it would be lying to us, to pretend. We had a Nativity scene, and we would put it out a little at a time, and add Jesus on Christmas Eve. The wise men would stay on the other end of the mantle until January 6th, Epiphany, when the arrival of the Wise Men is commemorated. 

When I was in high school, my family did a little vignette for a Christmas program, and I played Santa Claus. Ma and Pa were in their bed. I don't remember if John was there. It was fun. 

Some years, we had lots of people around. Usually my cousins and my Aunt Hazel. Sometimes more. Christmas Eve was a traditional  dinner with oyster stew, and frozen fruit salad. I was always told it was a New England tradition, and that's where The Family came from. It seems like it was a tradition in many places. Here's an interesting little article 

Eating Oyster Stew on Christmas Eve

   Rambling memories. My father often brought people home. I don't really know how my mom felt about it, but she seemed to be a good sport about it. I wasn't always, since I really didn't like sharing my holidays with people I didn't know! But looking back, it wasn't so bad, and we brought some compassion and cheer to people who otherwise may not have had anyone. Later, after I got married, we invited people over for Thanksgiving who didn't have any family around; that lasted a few years until we had kids. 

I just found a box of ornaments, and for some reason, many of them say "Olivia" on them. I think that way back when, we got ornaments for each child, but I don't think they ever got them. Another project.

I feel like I will never get everything done that I want to get done. Such positive thinking...

My favorite Christmas Eve memory was somewhere in the seventies. I was at my parents' house, I don't remember if I was married yet, or anything other than this little bit of a memory. My dad started singing "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" and flipped on the floodlights outside and turned off the lights inside. It was snowing, big white fluffy flakes. We all sat there in awe for a minute but then started singing along. Funny, that's all I remember, other than thanking God for the timing of the snow. It is such a warm memory. 

Another snow memory was looking out the window around 11 pm one night and seeing it was snowing hard but no wind. I woke up the kids, and bundled them up and we played in the snow. I don't know if anyone remembers, but I do. 

Enough rambling. I put a few more ornaments on the tree, and packed the rest in the box. I put out Ian's snowman, and a couple other unbreakable snowmen, but not the glass and ceramic ones, because of a certain cat. 

 

Christmas 2020

    Christmas cards done, hopefully mailed tomorrow if all goes well with addressing them. If you are reading this, and you think you are not on my list, and you want a card, then leave me a comment. 

I haven't sent out cards in a long time. This year, I have not been making them as I go along so I had to do assembly line style, kind of a variation of what Maymay does. https://www.maymaymadeit.com/

She has lots of videos, and is a sweet Southern lady whose husband is her "sidekick". A little corny, but I really got a lot out of watching the assembly line cards, and although I didn't do them exactly like she did, and I had different papers and such, but anyway I did a LOT of cards in just one day, and if I don't use them all, I will put them away for next year, like I did the last time I made cards. 

A few are ones I made awhile ago. The slimline one I made the other day, but using clip art from a company that quit a long time ago, pccrafter. I still have tons of the clip art on a CD and should have a printing party and USE IT. When I made cards before I made a lot of prints of these cuties, I have a box marked "Christmas" and so I can just grab it and go. Here's the slimline one with cluttered background LOL sorry about that, I have a bunch of boxes out that I am STILL trying to empty from when I moved (it would be rude to ask when that was) although in my defense there's been a lot going on.

The cards are just going to be posted here so I remember what I did. I have enough of the two paper packs, cutouts and stickers to do probably 20 more cards, and I don't like sending people the same ones so I will make notes and hopefully not lose them by next year. HA. 

Both of the paper packs I used this year are from Echo Park, one called "Wise Men Still Seek Him" and the other is called "A Perfect Christmas". There are a few cards that I used Michael Strong's trees. I LOVE that set and have used it a lot. The top tree is from that set, with a background printed on my computer. It's one of the ones I made a couple years ago.

So a satisfying day, and we actually made it to a grocery store with our masks on and did the self checkout so we were good. I actually said hello to someone today, isn't it crazy to not do that every day?? Someday we will be done with this.

The last thing I did with these cards is add shimmer with a Wink of Stella pen. I'm just about out. It is a lovely shimmer, not glittery really but adds just a hint of shine. That really is a fun touch.

So Merry Christmas, and make sure to find out about the alignment of Jupiter and Saturn on the 21st of December. It's the first time that we will be able to see the "Christmas Star" in nearly 800 years! 

This Christmas season is sober. But it's still full of hope, because of Jesus.

 

paper addiction

Paper, rubber stamps, clear stamps, embellishments, markers, pencils, ink... they all leave me weak in the knees, LOL. But this set of stamps by Melanie Muenchinger is absolutely breathtaking!! I can imagine all sorts of beautiful cards and layouts. This set is being introduced tonight on Gina K Design's site... Here is a link to Melanie's blog:

http://melaniemuenchinger.blogspot.com/

My favorite set out of the ones that Melanie has designed is "Gifts from the Sea". I can just see a set of cards made from her stamps. I often do sets of cards for Christmas presents and this would be perfect for my mother in law. I am also very partial to butterflies, and there's a border with them....

what I've been up to... (musings)

DECEMBER 31, 2006

what I’ve been up to…

Christmas began the 17th of December, with stepsons 1 and 2 and their wives, and grandson 1 and 2. We all got together at great-grandma’s house (MIL), SHE says the last time, but she says that every year, she’s 91. And one of these years WILL be the last one; we’re planning on next year here, but if she’s still up to it, I know she’ll insist on there one more time. I admire her greatly. She’s active, both physically and mentally. She runs circles around me as I’ve said more than once. A good role model. Turkey with all the trimmings, including pumpkin pie, fudge, carmel corn… persimmon bars, snickerdoodles… yummy stuff.

Christmas Eve my DD came; we had dinner with DH, DD, DS 19, MIL, and me. Oyster stew. Frozen fruit salad. MY family traditional dinner for Christmas Eve. Delicious. I will put the recipes in my holiday planner notebook (started this year; too bad I didn’t do it years ago! What a help it was!)

Christmas Day, at DS 29’s house. His wife, her mom and stepdad, her grandparents, her cousin and his wife, my DS 23, DD 25, DS 19. All but DS 27. It was good- DIL made breakfast, and it took all day to open presents….

The day after Christmas, my mom and dad came to our house, along with DS 27 and his wife, and DD and DS 19 were there… and afterwards, we played Mystery Mansion. A good time. We need a new Mystery Mansion game, however, it is so old and the cards are soft, and you can tell from the back which are the keys… LOL!!

NEXT YEAR… better plans. But I did pretty well this year, I can see areas of improvement. But I am happy with how things went. We had all the present buying and wrapping done way early. It was nice not to have to rush at the last minute. Next year, we will work on calendars earlier! It was too rushed, and generally a disaster. But they got done, and delivered before New Year’s.

Wednesday we took DD home. It is always such a sad time, I hate having her live so far away, only 8 hours but STILL!!! She’s been my best friend her whole life. I am so thankful for the wonderful relationship that we have.

Thursday we got back here. I am seeing so clearly how I have so much planning to do. Menu planning. I used to have so much planned ahead, we will get back to that.