On Friday, I was thinking that I wasn't feeling particularly Christmas-y. In years past, I have gotten the containers of holiday decorations out the day after Thanksgiving. This year, that felt way too early. Maybe it's because the weather forecast has been including 71 degree days. That is way too warm and balmy for me to think about Christmas.
Then, on Saturday, I realized that I did feel like getting ready for Christmas. I don't know what changed overnight, (except the calendar!) but I felt different. So, Kate and I got all 8 boxes of Christmas goodies out of the garage. For Peter Kevin, it's not Christmas until we get out the milk truck
. This is left from train layouts from when he was a kid and it means Christmas to him. I look forward to bringing out a snowman candle that my uncle made when my mother was young. It is older than I am and is irreplaceable. 
He was a crafter and make all sorts of things out of wood and for a time (before I was born) made candles. This little guy is quite old and looks a little worse for the wear but means the world to me.
. This is left from train layouts from when he was a kid and it means Christmas to him. I look forward to bringing out a snowman candle that my uncle made when my mother was young. It is older than I am and is irreplaceable. 
He was a crafter and make all sorts of things out of wood and for a time (before I was born) made candles. This little guy is quite old and looks a little worse for the wear but means the world to me.The year before we got married, 1980, I made PK a stocking. It is embroidered and ba
cked with some red felt. Here is a detail from the stocking. Well, after 26 Christmases the felt has worn out and needs to be replaced. I bought some red felt early in the season because I knew it would be impossible to find now and I can cut out a new back and sew it on. That is this afternoon's project. 
Maybe I'll ask Calvin to help. He was such a help yesterday. 
See how well he holds down those Christmas hats? Good thing he was there!
cked with some red felt. Here is a detail from the stocking. Well, after 26 Christmases the felt has worn out and needs to be replaced. I bought some red felt early in the season because I knew it would be impossible to find now and I can cut out a new back and sew it on. That is this afternoon's project. 
Maybe I'll ask Calvin to help. He was such a help yesterday. 
See how well he holds down those Christmas hats? Good thing he was there! We are also trying to decide what to do with this . 
This is a cedar sappling we found in the middle of our front lawn. Our neighbors have a cedar tree in their front yard that is dying. Well, ok, it's dead. We were saddened by this because we really like cedars. When PK was raking the front leaves, he discovered this little guy, (nicknamed Cedric. what? you don't name your trees?) growning in the middle of our front yard. We want to save him and are afraid he will die in the winter. We are trying to decide whether to leave him out there and take our chances or bring him into the house until spring and replant him in the back yard. You can see the ice crystals on the ground, it is sleeting today and quite nasty. The tree is only 3 inches tall and is really cute. We'll probably dig him up. It's not a good place for him to be.
This is a cedar sappling we found in the middle of our front lawn. Our neighbors have a cedar tree in their front yard that is dying. Well, ok, it's dead. We were saddened by this because we really like cedars. When PK was raking the front leaves, he discovered this little guy, (nicknamed Cedric. what? you don't name your trees?) growning in the middle of our front yard. We want to save him and are afraid he will die in the winter. We are trying to decide whether to leave him out there and take our chances or bring him into the house until spring and replant him in the back yard. You can see the ice crystals on the ground, it is sleeting today and quite nasty. The tree is only 3 inches tall and is really cute. We'll probably dig him up. It's not a good place for him to be. So, I was wondering. What means Christmas to you? Or Channukah? Or Kwanzaa? What special thing do you have that you look forward to bringing out each year? We all have special recipes and traditions and ornaments that bring memories. What are yours?
11 comments:
First comment, score! To me, Christmas is the smell of evergreens. The house doesn't really feel like Christmas until there's a huge, and I mean really, really massive, tree in it. The larger, the better. Did I mention that I like large trees?
I think we should rescue poor little Cedric before he meets the same fate as the Fred's trees.
My son's birthday is December 1, so it's not Christmas until after his birthday, by design. I don't want Christmas-y stuff to detract from his day. Today we went to cut down our tree, and we'll bring out the decorations and make a Christmas countdown chain tomorrow.
Christmas - children and the smell of spice and barbeques (this IS Australia) and champagne -= OK sparkling wine - and the school year ending! And all the Christmas parades starting - oh and TV getting more awful because we're in the non-ratings period!
Christmas is a lot of things to me. Mostly, though, it's spending an entire day unpacking boxes, moving furniture, and reliving wonderful memories about all the things we've accumulated over the years.
Maybe you could just put a little plastic tarp over Cedric? That way you can keep him warm and spare him the pain of transplantation.
And Christmas? Big little eyes from kids who watch me bring a forrest in the house...
Excitement from christmas lists too big for any mortal to fill...
Staying up all night a couple of days BEFORE Christmas Eve, wrapping packages.
Taking a couple of really long walks where I meditate on gratitude, rebirth, redemption, and where the hell I put last year's Christmas paper.
My favorite part--the day after Christmas--the house is trashed, we're lounging in the rubble watching new movies and the little kids keep falling asleep (or being sentenced there) because they have been so wound up for so long.
I'm just not feeling it these days. Dunno why..
Hopefully, I'll get into the spirit soon. We're heading into a pretty big storm at the moment and I'm hoping to use the day to get the tree up. That always helps me to turn the corner!
I've been itching to get my decs put up, but it's been hard finding time--definately next weekend though.
I love your snowman. I've got a snowman candle too that I got from the librarian at my elementary school when I was in 5th grade. I always helped her out in organizing the card catalogue (those old fashioned ones--remember those?!). Chunky took a bite out of the snowman's hat a little after his 1st birthday--so it's even more special to me even though it looks like crap!
The scent of a Balsam fir. Digging out my ocarina or one of the pennywhistles and playing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen".
Butch Thompson's "Yulestride" on the CD player.
Getting the ingredients for apple dumplings, especially the nervous search for the "right" baking apples (Jonathons!).
Isn't it fun to bring out all the things and have all the memories come back? I feel something with just about every ornament on my tree. (It does make things take longer...) Love your stocking! And da keetie... so cute.
Baby trees have been surviving in the outdoors for centuries. digging him up will only shock him. If you are worried about him freezing, give him a nice mulchy blanket. Shredded paper, pine needles, anything fluffy and biodegradable. pile it around and over him, and let him sleep the winter through.
For me, it's sitting in the livingroom with just the Christmas lights on, being thankful in the glow.
This is a great question - I'll post on it next week I think!
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