dual personalities

Tag: Christmas decorations

December 2, 2024

‘Tis the season

by chuckofish

How was your long weekend? Daughter #2 and famille drove home on Friday afternoon after a fun-filled two days here with us. It is so nice knowing they will back in a few weeks!

Then it snowed all day Saturday–enough to change everyone’s plans and stay home. We had started unpacking Christmas things at daughter #1’s house on Friday morning with the prairie girls…

…and then she finished up the next day with the always helpful Mr. Smith…

I started the process at my house alone on Saturday. It is a lot of work! First to put away and clean up all the Thanksgiving stuff; then to haul all the Christmas things up from the basement. But I managed to get the little tree put up in the dining room…

…and did the mantle…

The feral cat in the Florida room watched me the whole time.

Daughter #2 got a start at her house with her helpers…

At church we observed the first Sunday in Advent with Advent hymns and the first in a new sermon series on God’s covenants in the Old Testament. The new adult ed class series is on angels. Thankfully I am not helping with the children’s Sunday School, so I can attend. The twins and their dad were not there because they were at the bud’s birthday party at the Lego Mini Fig store.

Lottie’s (separate) party is next Saturday. There is too much going on for me to keep it all straight. The boy stopped by later with the bud to tend to the cat and to take the extra leaf out of the dining room table. I heard all about the party–good times!

We, of course, watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) on Thanksgiving night, but the next day after everyone had left, we watched Grumpy Old Men (1993) on Friday night. It was pretty funny–even the grumpy OM I live with thought so.

It takes place around Thanksgiving, so it was seasonally appropriate. I recommend it.

This is a really good post about remembering that God is good regardless.
“You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” (Psalm 4:7)

So start decorating for Christmas–it’s not too early! Feel the joy. Watch an old movie. Wave to someone. Happy December!

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November 30, 2023

“How do we keep our balance?…Tradition!”*

by chuckofish

Over the last few days I have slowly but surely unpacked a lot of Christmas decorations. The mantle is done and I was deeply gratified on Tuesday night when the wee twins exclaimed, “Oh! You decorated your mantle!” They noticed and they recognized a lot of old friends. Lottie asked me which was my favorite, and I said, I don’t really have a favorite.

Some of them are as old as I am. They represent a lot of people and places and times.

I also put up the little tree in the dining room and decorated it.

So many ornaments have been given to me over the years and I remember who gave me each one.

The twins have their own little trees in their rooms. I gave them an ornament each to put on their trees the other night–gotta encourage the collecting gene!

Katie also has her own little tree and her own collection of hand-me-down small ornaments from her Mommy.

Cheers to wholesome traditions!

Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. (Jude 1: 2)

*Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof

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November 30, 2020

“Rejoice! rejoice, believers, and let your lights appear!”

by chuckofish

Oh my. Daughter #1 and I had a long “to do” list for Friday-Saturday and we checked off everything! Yay us.

We took apart the crib in one bedroom and moved it to another. Then moved a stationery bike and a desk into the other room. We hung new drapes in the living room. We cleared the mantle and all surfaces in the living room and dining room.

We brought up all the Christmas decorations from the basement and unpacked them.

We put up the little tree in the dining room.

My newest handmade ornament–do you recognize the wee babes?

We took her car to the dealer for new tires and then dropped by the boy’s store with birthday donuts.

Daughter #1 put up the outdoor lights.

On Sunday we got up and cooked the boy’s favorite brunch menu (Episcopal souffle) for a birthday brunch.

Then daughter #1 headed back to mid-MO so she could get some things done at her own home. Phew. I was tuckered out and very thankful for all her help!

Now it is back to work at the salt mine.

“Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the
house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at
dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And
what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” (Mark 13:37)

*Episcopal hymnal #68

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