Decking The Halls

If you're looking for this week's Hodgepodge questions you'll find them here. Today's post is linked with Talking About It Tuesday, hosted by Joanne. 

I like to post a few pictures of our holiday decorations each year a) because it makes me happy, and b) it's a point of reference for next Christmas when I'm wondering where the fat red Santa sat or which ornaments were on my range hood.

We said we were doing less in terms of decorating this year because, while it is our year to have the girls and their families for Christmas, my oldest is still across the pond and my youngest has a baby so we said we'd come to her. 

And I guess we've done less, but we haven't done nothing at all either. Typically we have more than one decorated tree and I've kept it to just one this year. Wait! two...but only one is decorated. The other tree is on the dock and hubs just puts lights on that one which is fun to see from both the water and the house.  

Wait...we have three trees, or maybe 2.5 is more accurate. We always have a little tree on the bar and it does have ornaments on it so I guess that counts but that's it. 

There is also a teeny tiny tree in my powder room but I don't think that counts even though it's cute. 

We did not put a tree on the screened porch like we normally do, nor did we put a big tree in the pool table room so I guess you could say we simplified.  A little. 

I always like to decorate my mantles because they make the house feel Christmasy. Just seven short years ago this was our mantle-

And here we are in 2024-

Love grows y'all. 

My fireplace is two sided and the keeping room mantle is all Santa. Except for the Nutcracker standing guard, but other than that all Santa. 

I like my kitchen to feel festive and we debated whether or not we'd put up the wreaths this year, but in the end we said yes because who doesn't love a kitchen decked out for Christmas? 

It's hard to take pictures in my house. There are so many windows and also I'm not very good at it with my crummy phone camera, but mostly I blame all the glass. 

We have a big piece of furniture in our entry and we put lights and garland on top then hang ribbon down the side to hang any photo Christmas cards we receive. One of my favorite things. 

My king's guard always gets a bow this time of year. I know it's not part of the official uniform, but we make an exception at Christmas. 

I've had my nativity set since our very first married Christmas. The original Joseph broke many years ago and I found a stand in with a slight pituitary problem, but it works. I love getting this out every year. 

Are you sentimental about the ornaments on your tree, or is yours more a 'designer' tree? Mine is definitely heavy on the sentiment, which is how I like it. My favorite British taxi, specially made by the artist for the women's club I was part of when I lived in England. He put our club initials on the license plate. I always hang the taxi near Big Ben which is another favorite. 

The year the Queen passed away I got this one for each of my girls and one for the hubs too. 

This is the kiddie korner...ornaments my girls made in kindergarten-

And now there are ornaments those once-upon-a-time kindergartners own small children have made for us, the grandparents-

I sit in a chair beside the tree in the early morning hours and like to read my Bible there. Seeing all these grouped together reminds me to pray for each precious child, the littles and the bigs. 

Daughter2 gave me this one last year because she knows me. I enjoy choosing a new ornament for everyone each year and that's always part of your Christmas stocking. I try to find something related to that particular year, a favorite hobby, a geographic location that is meaningful, a pet, etc. It's personal in some way and is one of my favorite things to buy each year. 

Wishing you a Christmas that's merry and bright! 

A Holly Jolly Weekend

My blog muscle is a bit flabby but going to try to exercise it a little today. Hubs and I were both a bit under the weather earlier this month so we haven't done quite as much as we normally do in December. We passed on a couple of fun parties and watched movies at home instead. 

If you read here you know logistics are a thing for us always. Neither of my girls live where we live nor do they live near one another. Nor do they live near their in-laws. Bother. What that means come holiday time is we all learn to shift and share. They spend every other Christmas with us and every other with their in-laws. 

This is an in-law year so we try our best to stir up Christmas fun with visits prior to the big day. We had a fabulous Thanksgiving with Daughter1 and her family in one state, then spent this past weekend with Daughter2 and her family in still another state. The weekend before that Daughter2 and her family trekked to Daughter1's house for a visit there so whew!, lots of miles for everyone.

I feel like this is not something you spend any time thinking about when your kids are young. At least I didn't. Holidays? Of course we'll all be together for ever and always amen. The idea that you won't spend the holidays with your tiny pony-tailed little girls once they're grown is not something you need to contemplate when they are still tiny pony-tailed little girls. Parenting is best managed one season at a time. 

When our girls were growing up we spent every single Christmas at one grandparents home or the other.  We packed the car so full you couldn't see out the back window and we schlepped many many hours and many many miles through ridiculous traffic so they could be with their cousins, our siblings and our parents. All of our siblings did the same. 

I know many people dig in their heels and refuse to be anywhere but their own house on Christmas morning, but we never ever considered not spending Christmas with one family or the other. It wasn't easy or convenient, but today my now grown girls know and adore their aunts and uncles. Looking back I can see so clearly how these concentrated blocks of time with extended family helped create the sense of warmth, security, and belonging they carry with them to this day. 

I hope my girls will always schlepp. I hope they will load up all the boxes and bags and the bazillion pieces of equipment babies and kids require, and they will inconvenience themselves for family. That they will do whatever it takes to be with grandparents, in-laws, cousins and each other for special occasions or no occasion. 

That their own children grow up knowing there is a great big circle of family who will be there to celebrate and soothe, to support and nudge, to shower them with so much love it makes a scary world feel less scary. They will know it because they've slept on a pallet on the floor in an overly full house, they've eaten too many Christmas cookies while playing Dominoes with people aged 9 and 79, they've worked jigsaw puzzles on a card table, had an aunt do their hair, learned to shoot pool, and have talked about everything under the sun while sitting beside someone who shares their DNA. This is a gift whose value cannot be overstated. 

Back to this past weekend, which we spent with the cutest little 18 month old boy we know. Y'all this little guy is just brimming with personality. He is so cheerful and talks a blue streak and we are positively crazy about him. 

Saturday was gray and chilly but we braved the Little Debbie Park anyway, mostly because we wanted to see what it was all about. It's a great play spot for children, better for those just a little bit older than sweet baby J, but he had fun watching the bigger kids on the zip line and climbing walls. There's a lot of open space for running and playing too. 

I don't know if Little Debbie Cakes are everywhere, but in this part of the country they are a popular sweet treat. Hubs ate his fair share of oatmeal cream pies when we were dating and there's a giant one you can stand on in the park. There's also  a cosmic brownie you can climb, and the Christmas Tree Cake too. 

It was freezing so we didn't stay long before heading home for lunch and naps. I won't say whose lol. 

We gave him our big gift later that afternoon, and it was a hit. He climbed right on and was ready to go. 

I think I did about 40 laps around the kitchen-dining room-hallway-living room while I was there, but when someone calls you NeNe you jump. 

Yes I'm Nana, but NeNe is how he says it and I am here for it. 

He can't quite pedal it himself yet, but three cheers for the genius who came up with a long handle for the adult walking behind. I'm betting it was a mom or dad whose back ached from bending awkwardly over a tricycle trying to make it go.   

My son-in-law is king of the grill and made us a delicious steak and lobster dinner. And Daughter2 is the original 'star baker' and had made (literally) dozens of cookies so we ate our fill. Who else loves The Great British Baking Show? It's our favorite and we watch it together apart lol. She's in her house and I'm in mine and we text each other the whole time we're watching. Our favorite! 

Sunday morning we went to church, then later in the afternoon their neighborhood had a little holiday light contest followed by cocoa with Santa. Little man was fine watching from a distance, and he didn't cry immediately upon sitting on his lap. He did decide pretty quickly though, that this was not for him. A photographer was there capturing the moments, but we're grandparents so of course we snapped a few hundred of our own too. 

Maybe not officially Christmas but it felt an awful lot like it. 

Ten On The Tenth

There's a blog link up every month known as '10 on the 10th' (hosted by Marsha In The Middle) and I never participate, because normally by the time I realize it's the 10th it's already the 11th. Not this month! The theme for November is easy peasy-'10 things you love about Thanksgiving'. I'm going to throw a few recent pictures into the mix too because it's my blog and they gotta go somewhere. 

What do I love about Thanksgiving? 

1.Everything. I mean what's not to love, except maybe the slightly tighter waistband the day after? 

2. I love that in a world where everything under the sun has turned into an Event (yes, with a capital E) with themes and decor and planning starting months in advance, Thanksgiving remains relatively simple. 

3.You don't need to rack your brain trying to come up with an original menu, because what you're eating is (wonderfully!) pretty much the same year after year. I mean my family better not be messing with the sides too much because they're what I like best on the day. 

4. Dressing. Stuffing. Whatever you want to call it, is the best part of the meal in my opinion. It's not something I make any other time of the year so feels like a treat on Thanksgiving. I make my mama's cornbread stuffing and my girls do the same. I'm not cooking this year, but there will be dressing. 

5. Leftovers. I'm not a huge fan of leftovers normally, but somehow a turkey sandwich with dressing and cranberry sauce, eaten the day after, doesn't feel like leftovers. 

6. Family. And if you can't be with your actual family you can have a wonderful meal with friends who feel like family. One of our favorite Thanksgivings was spent in England where it's not even celebrated. We shared a traditional meal with another American family, some Canadian friends, and our two Young Life leaders. I have such warm memories of that day. If you can't be with family, or friends who feel like family, there are lots of places to volunteer and serve a meal to folks who need one, which is also gratifying. 

7. No gifts=no pressure. 

8. Naps are for everyone. 

9.Thanksgiving lands in the middle of my most favorite season of the year-autumn. Ours has been particularly lovely this year, and every afternoon for the past couple of weeks I've been taking my cup of tea and my laptop out on the back porch and enjoying the afternoon sky. The color, the temperature, and the light....it's pure gold. 

10. Perhaps what I love best about this day is the way we pause for a minute before December comes barreling in. This holiday is a gentle reminder to count our blessings, and acknowledge there's an awful lot to be thankful for. In these troubled times it's comforting to stop and recognize God's goodness...to rest in the knowledge that He holds the future. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! 

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!"
1 Chronicles 16:34

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 442

Hello Hodgepodgers! Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog then hop back here tomorrow to add your link to the party. Please note- I'm taking a Thanksgiving week break next Wednesday so no Hodgepodge on November 24th. We'll be back in action the following week, December 1st. 

Okay, here we go-

1. It's often said we should be grateful for small blessings. What is one small blessing you are feeling especially grateful for today?

2. How do you feel about leftovers, not just on Thanksgiving but after any meal? Favorite thing to make/eat using your Thanksgiving leftovers? 

3. Sherwin Williams unveiled it's 2022 Color of the Year-Evergreen Fog. Are you a fan? Would I find this mid-tone gray green shade anywhere in your house? Does your house need painting? Inside or out? What one space is most in need of a paint job? Are you a do-it-yourselfer or do you hire a professional? 

4. What is one aspect of the way you were parented that you are grateful for today? 

5. Write an acrostic for the word-thankful

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Christmas Snapshots

I spy a hedgehog, a soccer ball, and Big Ben-

So this was the situation here earlier today. Ugh. I'm not a fan of taking it all down and putting it all away and the sweeping and the dusting and the sawing that needs to happen. Yup you read that right. Without his future son-in-law here to help get the tree outside and down the stairs hubs got creative and sawed it in thirds. Job well done! 

Normally the week between Christmas and New Year is my favorite because everything is bought and wrapped and cooked and done. It's when I like to exhale, sip my tea beside the twinkling tree lights, and savor the small things. Except we're traveling early in the new year and I could not face the idea of coming home to a house still decked out in all her Christmas finery. 

So how was your holiday? Take any blurry pictures? We always seem to have a couple, but what's Christmas without some out of focus photographs?

Hubs mom was with us for Christmas this year, and his sister and her family also made the trek south from several states away.

Lest anyone's confused, they did not come by kayak-ha! My mother-in-law has been here several times, but this was my sister-in-law's first trip to the lake.

It might be December and the air might be cool, and they might have jumped in anyway.

I think this will be a new tradition, our own version of a Polar Bear Plunge. I volunteered to wear my winter coat and take the picture because somebody had to.

Along with new traditions there were also some of the tried and true. Like too many cookies, new board games played around the dining room table, stockings filled to overflowing, and your mom waking you up way too early because she doesn't want you to miss the gift of a Christmas morning sky-

This girl might be getting married in 120 days, but a daughter is never too old to snuggle up next to her Daddy for the annual reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

120 days!!

I know!! 

photo cred: my sister-in-law

Hope your Christmas was merry and bright!

OH! Christmas Tree

Your Christmas tree...white lights or colored? One tree or more than one tree? Live, real, or artificial? Argue with your husband about that last bit or everyone on the same page? Ha! I kid! Sort of.

We have not had a 'real' tree in over fifteen years, but hubs got it in his head that this would be the year of the real tree. In hindsight it should have been the year of the live tree because we need several more trees on one side of our property. Sadly that idea didn't occur to me until after the tree was already trimmed but maybe next year.

Also, hubs did not want just any real tree. He wanted a GINORMOUS! real tree. Our family room ceiling is about eighteen feet high so that sort of ginormous. And fat. No chic skinny tree would do. The tree he had in mind must be fat and it must be tall. As fat as the room can tolerate (fatter in fact) and as tall as the ceiling will allow.

Let's just say that initially I wasn't 100% on board with this plan but I came around.

We've done artificial trees the last several years because we're normally not at home for the Christmas holiday. I feel like you need to be home if you have a real tree so you can water it everyday. For the first time in a long time we're celebrating Christmas in our own house, so we went with a real tree.

And it's ginormous.

We drove up into the North Carolina Mountains to the cutest little place called Tom Sawyer's Tree Farm. I think the trip there is what changed my mind, because it all felt very festive and Hallmark Christmas movie-ish.

The people who own the farm are so nice and when hubs described what he wanted they directed us to a particular side of the hill. They said to watch for baby deer scampering about and I mean how can you not love a real tree when there are baby deer scampering about?

We did not see baby deer, but I like knowing they were there somewhere.

The tree farmers gave us a big pole painted in various colors which you could hold up next to your tree to determine it's height and then it's cost. Hubs was not sure this pole would be tall enough for what he had in mind, but it did the trick.

The tree guys came out and chopped the winning tree down, wrapped it up, and tied it to the top of the truck for the trip back down the mountain.

The plan was to set the tree in a bucket of water for a few days before bringing her in the house. I won't mention here that the tree trunk was so heavy it crushed said bucket because alls well that ends well, right?

Hubs realized pretty quickly he was going to need some manpower to get the tree in the house and fortunately our future son-in-law was coming to town for the weekend. This is why you have daughters-so they can grow up and marry boys who help you carry heavy stuff.

And we had to move all kinds of furniture and I kept asking where are all the people going to go???,
but hubs made it work and she's a beauty.

Our Christmas spirit still intact.