Christmas Poem 2011
I know I moan about it and get a little cranky
But Christmas Day is here again, it's not by choice, quite frankly!
All the preparations seem daunting day by day,
I don't do well with deadlines, they make my hair turn grey.
But this year I am trying hard to see what is so good,
And adjust my attitude to match the predominate Christmas mood.
I've been playing Christmas music and decorating the house,
I've even been a-smiling lots at the Daughters and the Spouse.
But still it crept upon me and the cards sit in a pile,
They haven't been sent you see, and won't be for a while.
I guess that after Christmas when things have settled down,
I'll pass an afternoon or two, and post them when in town.
They'll have to be for New Year's instead of Christmas Day,
But still I'll do my best to have something nice to say.
The year has passed so quickly, we don't know where it's gone,
It seems like only yesterday I was out mowing the lawn.
But now there is no grass around, no single bit of green,
Except for our plastic tree, at least... nothing I have seen.
The white is lying on the ground, I'm sure you have it too,
And if I was to be quite honest, I'm waiting for a slew.
Last week, the school closed up again, for Christmas holidays,
We hoped for skiing parties and parties in other ways.
But here the wind is howling, as Solstice came and went,
And so we sit and read inside, and wait for the jolly old gent.
Our lights are shining brightly in yellow, red and green,
And shiny coloured parcels are hidden where can't be seen,
Where secrets are awaiting to see the light of day,
But until then that's how it should be, it is the Christmas way.
Now there you are in your house, no doubt, somewhat like ours.
But it doesn't seem to be at all like Christmas in bygone years.
The excitement of being a child and looking up at the tree,
Seemed something really special to the very youthful me.
Yet Christmas Eve will come, I know, and in the church I'll sit,
And sing the old familiar carols, while the church is candle lit.
And then the time will come, when we'll all stand for that story
Of a baby child, and a star so bright, and a wintry night of glory.
Now if you are a little like me, you'll stand there with a tear.
And sing so faithfully the tune that in our hearts we bear,
Of Silent Night so holy, so quiet, and so calm,
The soothing melody you know, is to the soul, a balm.
So when you are a-singing, think of me and I'll think of you,
And I will pray a little prayer, of good things old and new,
For you and for your family, and peace, and joy and love,
And whisper all my prayers, to the sparkling stars above.
Merry Christmas to one and all......
From Ye Olde Batt, Teapot, and the Daughters
Friday, December 23, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
On Our Way
We are headed off to town to finish our Christmas shopping. I would rather suffer having my finger nails pulled out! But the roads are good though it is dark. I'm looking forward to having this day over. I have finally concluded that my Christmas sock knitting will be given next year. I will have to buy gifts for the knitting non-recipients. It's too bad because the socks that I'm currently working on are truly coming together beautifully. So for now I will sit here in the dark and worry about the knitters party at my house this evening and wonder if I will be home in time to get everything done for that! Arggghhh!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Twas The Night Before A Knitters Christmas
I am up to my ears with no reprieve in sight. Three socks to go and they have to be ready on Christmas Eve morning... I can't even finish them on Christmas Eve day. We will be going for a Christmas brunch at our friends house on Christmas Eve and somewhere in there I need to do a painting and make Raisin bread toutons (pronounced towt'ns). So I'm madly off in all directions as I have to be at the Cameron Lake centre to piss away an hour pick up Teapot and Daughter #1 from their camping trip.... and I'm still not finished all the shopping.... I have AB-SO-LUTE-LY NO-THING for Teapot! Argh..... so it is 6:52 a.m. and I have 3 hours before I go to get them.... I HAVE to knit.
Finished the Christmas newsletter for the PCSW last night late.... you can go here to view it.
In the meantime, I read this Knitter's version of Twas the Night before Christmas, on another blog. I really enjoyed it and thought you might too....enjoy!
‘Twas the night before Christmas and all around me,
Was unfinished knitting not under the tree.
The stockings weren’t hung by the chimney with care,
’cause the heels and the toes had not a stitch there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds
but I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep; he was no help at all,
And the sweater for him was six inches too small.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I put down my needles to see what was the matter.
Away to the window, I flew like a flash,
Tripped over my yarn and fell down with a crash.
The tangle of yarn, lay deep as the snow
And reminded me how much I still had to go.
Out on my lawn, I heard such a noise,
I thought it would wake both dad and the boys.
And though I was tired, my brain was a bit thick,
I knew in a moment, it must be Saint Nick.
But what I heard then sure left me perplexed,
For the names that I heard weren't what I expected.
“Move Ashford; move Lopi; move Addie and Clover,
Move Reynolds; move Starmore; move Fraylic–move over”
“Paton, don’t circle just stand in the line.
Come now, you sheep, you're working just fine!
I know it’s hard Noro, it’s just your first year,
I’d hate to go back to eight tiny reindeer.”
I peered over the sill, what I saw was amazing,
Eight woolly sheep on my lawn all a’grazing.
And then, in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa’s feet coming ‘cross the front porch floor.
I rose from my knees and got back on my feet,
And as I turned round Saint Nick, I did meet.
He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe
And his clothes were handknit from above to below.
A bright Fairisle sweater he wore on his back,
and his toys were all stuffed in an Aran knit sack.
His cap was a wonder of bobbles and lace,
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.
The scarf round his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Arrrrrrgyle.
The back of his mittens bore an intricate cable,
And suddenly on one I spied a small label.
SC was stitched, right there, on the cuff,
“Hey Nick," I asked, "did you knit all this stuff?”
He proudly replied “Ho-ho, yes I did,
I learned how to knit when I was a kid.”
He was chubby and plump, a quite well-dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself for I’d thought up a plan!
I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew he was tied to a chair.
He spoke not a word, but looked in his lap
Where I’d laid my needles and yarn for a cap.
He quickly began knitting, first one cap, then two;
For the first time I thought I’d really get through.
He put heels on the stockings and toes in some socks
While I sat back drinking Scotch on the rocks!
So quickly like magic, his needles, they flew,
Soon, he was finished. It was quarter to two.
He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me.
And I heard him exclaim as he sailed past the moon,
“Next year start your knitting sometime around June!
Finished the Christmas newsletter for the PCSW last night late.... you can go here to view it.
In the meantime, I read this Knitter's version of Twas the Night before Christmas, on another blog. I really enjoyed it and thought you might too....enjoy!
‘Twas The Knitters Night Before Christmas
Was unfinished knitting not under the tree.
The stockings weren’t hung by the chimney with care,
’cause the heels and the toes had not a stitch there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds
but I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep; he was no help at all,
And the sweater for him was six inches too small.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I put down my needles to see what was the matter.
Away to the window, I flew like a flash,
Tripped over my yarn and fell down with a crash.
The tangle of yarn, lay deep as the snow
And reminded me how much I still had to go.
Out on my lawn, I heard such a noise,
I thought it would wake both dad and the boys.
And though I was tired, my brain was a bit thick,
I knew in a moment, it must be Saint Nick.
But what I heard then sure left me perplexed,
For the names that I heard weren't what I expected.
“Move Ashford; move Lopi; move Addie and Clover,
Move Reynolds; move Starmore; move Fraylic–move over”
“Paton, don’t circle just stand in the line.
Come now, you sheep, you're working just fine!
I know it’s hard Noro, it’s just your first year,
I’d hate to go back to eight tiny reindeer.”
I peered over the sill, what I saw was amazing,
Eight woolly sheep on my lawn all a’grazing.
And then, in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa’s feet coming ‘cross the front porch floor.
I rose from my knees and got back on my feet,
And as I turned round Saint Nick, I did meet.
He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe
And his clothes were handknit from above to below.
A bright Fairisle sweater he wore on his back,
and his toys were all stuffed in an Aran knit sack.
His cap was a wonder of bobbles and lace,
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.
The scarf round his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Arrrrrrgyle.
The back of his mittens bore an intricate cable,
And suddenly on one I spied a small label.
SC was stitched, right there, on the cuff,
“Hey Nick," I asked, "did you knit all this stuff?”
He proudly replied “Ho-ho, yes I did,
I learned how to knit when I was a kid.”
He was chubby and plump, a quite well-dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself for I’d thought up a plan!
I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew he was tied to a chair.
He spoke not a word, but looked in his lap
Where I’d laid my needles and yarn for a cap.
He quickly began knitting, first one cap, then two;
For the first time I thought I’d really get through.
He put heels on the stockings and toes in some socks
While I sat back drinking Scotch on the rocks!
So quickly like magic, his needles, they flew,
Soon, he was finished. It was quarter to two.
He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me.
And I heard him exclaim as he sailed past the moon,
“Next year start your knitting sometime around June!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Update From Here
In the quiet of the night I am writing to pass a little time till the doggies come in. The old cat is out the new cat is in her box hopefully settling down for the night after having pooped in the front porch and making me clean it up. The new fenced run is finished for the doggies and they hate it.... I can tell. Narmin is oblivious, mostly because he has managed to figure out how to scoot between the wires. But the other two are terribly unhappy. I, on the other hand, am ecstatic. I now no longer have to worry about the dogs heading for the bush each time the door opens. I don't have to worry about a deer goring the hell out of the wee one (unless he scoots between the wires which he doesn't do much especially if the other buggers are out). And I no longer have to worry that the dog catcher will catch my dogs because they are out on the road. Teapot has moved the alpacas closer to the house in a paddock that allows them more safety from the coyotes and also gives them shelter on a cold nasty day. So the animals are safely where they should be and all is well. Even the hay situation is satisfactorily settled and we have a pile of hay.... a mound of hay....a mountain of hay in our yard nicely piled up one on top of the other. It feels good to be so well settled for winter.
Meanwhile Teapot and Daughter#1 are away for their winter survival trip. Daughter #1 headed off with a empty stomach which is her own darn fault since she didn't eat a very good breakfast and she won't be getting food till midnight tonight... unless she catches it herself. They have taken some traps for mice and squirrels... I wonder how that will go over. Each night at midnight, they will have a proper meal, a cooked meal of rations provided by National Defense. They have sleeping bags but only the tent that will act as the first aid centre.... they have to build their own shelter. It is mild.... which is good but it is also bad.... good because it is warm.... bad because they will be wet. Wet snow means wet pants and jackets... wet pants and jackets means cold bodies. Yes, I am a little worried. I would have been happier if it had been about -5 or -6 degrees... then the wet would not have been an issue. Right now the snow is dripping off the roof of this house.... so I'm sure they are all wet and miserable. Teapot brought some extra dry clothes and I'm pretty sure so did Daughter #1, wrapped nicely in plastic so that when it is so miserable that they can't stand it any longer they can change into something dry.... if not warm at least. I will be glad to see them back on Wednesday morning. I am planning a nice meal. Daughter #1 asked for a pan scramble.... I can do that.
Well the doggies have just come in and I am heading to bed... it is too late to write more... but tomorrow I'll give you an update on the current socks... plus I'll give you the low down the PCSW blog that I have been working on....
Night night....
Meanwhile Teapot and Daughter#1 are away for their winter survival trip. Daughter #1 headed off with a empty stomach which is her own darn fault since she didn't eat a very good breakfast and she won't be getting food till midnight tonight... unless she catches it herself. They have taken some traps for mice and squirrels... I wonder how that will go over. Each night at midnight, they will have a proper meal, a cooked meal of rations provided by National Defense. They have sleeping bags but only the tent that will act as the first aid centre.... they have to build their own shelter. It is mild.... which is good but it is also bad.... good because it is warm.... bad because they will be wet. Wet snow means wet pants and jackets... wet pants and jackets means cold bodies. Yes, I am a little worried. I would have been happier if it had been about -5 or -6 degrees... then the wet would not have been an issue. Right now the snow is dripping off the roof of this house.... so I'm sure they are all wet and miserable. Teapot brought some extra dry clothes and I'm pretty sure so did Daughter #1, wrapped nicely in plastic so that when it is so miserable that they can't stand it any longer they can change into something dry.... if not warm at least. I will be glad to see them back on Wednesday morning. I am planning a nice meal. Daughter #1 asked for a pan scramble.... I can do that.
Well the doggies have just come in and I am heading to bed... it is too late to write more... but tomorrow I'll give you an update on the current socks... plus I'll give you the low down the PCSW blog that I have been working on....
Night night....
Sunday, December 18, 2011
More On The Sock Saga And I Promise No Swear Words Today!
They are coming along.... here's a picture of the latest pair...
I'm really liking these socks.... great for a 12 year old gal.... I hope.
I've been having no problems with these socks.... and I'm really hoping it stays that way. (I'm knocking furiously on wood now!) I am starting to dye for the next pair which will be similar to these but for a boy so the colours will definitely be different. I am doing them in grey (background) with blue, red and black. At least that is the plan. But then... with socks... plans are always subject to change with no notice!
I went to the NPSW Christmas party yesterday.... Oh joy of joys.... it was a great day. If you want to see pics you should go here....
I got a lovely scarf as my gift....
...so soft with all those nice pastel colours.... I think it is predominately yellow... but I am told that I am wrong. However, I refuse to believe that it is predominately pink... that would be just wrong. Still it reminds me of Easter and spring... and there is nothing wrong with being reminded of spring.
Today is foggy... eew! And... I have an oven to clean since the last two times I heated anything in it, I had a fire... obviously something really spilled over in there and though I've scraped out some crud I'm just not willing for the Christmas turkey to turn into a fireball! Teapot is going to clean off the front deck so that our house doesn't continue to look like a Christmas disaster, and finally get that fence fixed so that the doggies have a proper run and are not running all over the place. That way they can now stop hunting, and eating mice from the hay bales and then promptly spewing them when they come in... yesssss!
But for now I'm heading to the couch to knit the ever lovin' socks.... (sigh)!
I've been having no problems with these socks.... and I'm really hoping it stays that way. (I'm knocking furiously on wood now!) I am starting to dye for the next pair which will be similar to these but for a boy so the colours will definitely be different. I am doing them in grey (background) with blue, red and black. At least that is the plan. But then... with socks... plans are always subject to change with no notice!
I went to the NPSW Christmas party yesterday.... Oh joy of joys.... it was a great day. If you want to see pics you should go here....
I got a lovely scarf as my gift....
Today is foggy... eew! And... I have an oven to clean since the last two times I heated anything in it, I had a fire... obviously something really spilled over in there and though I've scraped out some crud I'm just not willing for the Christmas turkey to turn into a fireball! Teapot is going to clean off the front deck so that our house doesn't continue to look like a Christmas disaster, and finally get that fence fixed so that the doggies have a proper run and are not running all over the place. That way they can now stop hunting, and eating mice from the hay bales and then promptly spewing them when they come in... yesssss!
But for now I'm heading to the couch to knit the ever lovin' socks.... (sigh)!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Survival
For the last few days I have been looking forward to Christmas vacation with something almost akin to pleasure. For five days I have been counting the sleeps until Teapot and the girls don't require a hearty breakfast each morning.... till they would be home and we could really start enjoying home time. There has been a nasty stomach flu circulating the school and rarely does Christmas season come and go without someone biting the dust and spending a night praying to the porcelain god and bugging out on the couch for a day or two. We even have had it happen on Christmas Eve and forget turkey then. So one of the reasons I have been looking so forward to the end of school is because I think that if I can just get everyone to that day then I can get them past the nasty flu. So each morning I wake up and look at Teapot and saying things like.... 4 days left dear... or 3 days left dear.... or two days left dear. This morning I woke up late and Teapot, bless him let me sleep since he knew that I put in a nasty night of tossing and turning. So when I came downstairs the dear ones were just finishing their breakfast of cold cereal (poor ones). Teapot handed me a nice cup of tea because the expression on my face said Caffeine In Some Form Or Bust. I looked at him and said... one more sleep.... and he responded with this... Ah... I forgot to tell you that the JCRs are doing an outdoor survival camping trip for two days starting Monday.
I promptly cried, which I can only put down to not having enough caffeine in my blood stream. So Teapot and Daughter #1 will head off into the bush to sleep on the ground with nothing other than snow and leaves to cover them which means no sleeping at all and will return on Wednesday so tired that they wouldn't be able to fight a bug if it collapsed on their forehead. Anything remotely to do with Christmas that doesn't get done on Saturday and Sunday will have to wait till after Wednesday.... sometimes it just doesn't pay to look forward to something. Sometimes it's better to just stay in bed.
I wonder who will be doing more of the survival training... them or me!
On a brighter note.... Knit Night tonight.
I promptly cried, which I can only put down to not having enough caffeine in my blood stream. So Teapot and Daughter #1 will head off into the bush to sleep on the ground with nothing other than snow and leaves to cover them which means no sleeping at all and will return on Wednesday so tired that they wouldn't be able to fight a bug if it collapsed on their forehead. Anything remotely to do with Christmas that doesn't get done on Saturday and Sunday will have to wait till after Wednesday.... sometimes it just doesn't pay to look forward to something. Sometimes it's better to just stay in bed.
I wonder who will be doing more of the survival training... them or me!
On a brighter note.... Knit Night tonight.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
My Relationship With Christmas
You have, I'm sure, heard me say that I hate Christmas. But actually that is not really true. There are aspects of Christmas that I really hate but there are things about the season that I really enjoy too. So I am here to spin a more positive view of Christmas today for a change.
The Tree:
As you might or might not know the Daughters and I put our fake artificial tree up back at the end of November this year. That for me is extremely early. I have never done it before. I also finally embraced the fakeness of Christmas and bought us a cute little plastic and prelit Christmas tree from Sears last year. Part of mine and Teapot's tradition has always been to put up the tree quite close to Christmas Eve...usually somewhere between the 20th to 23rd. We would, as a family, march ourselves out into the bush to look for a suitable Christmas tree and then spend the next 24 hrs standing it up, thawing it out, watering it, and then decorating the hell out of it. But last year I finally put my foot down and bought an artificial tree for a variety of reasons.
Reason #1:
Having grown up in NFLD, where trees of the evergreen variety abound, picking, cutting and bringing home a Christmas tree was an easy job. Each year we would go out into the bush and we would look for a tree of epic beauty and bring it home to grace our home with ease. But when I moved away from NFLD I realised how spoiled I was. Trees on the mainland grow much faster than they do in NFLD. Trees in Nfld are barraged from the day the poke their first bud through the ground with an onslaught of high winds and cool (if not cold) springs, short growing seasons, and my experience has always been that even the smallest of Christmas trees would have a substantially large trunk. By the time a tree is 6 ft high it has already put on about thirty or forty rings of bark. This makes for standing a tree in the stand quite and easy job. So you can imagine my dismay when I went looking for a Christmas tree the first time on the mainland and discovered that a thirty year old tree is usually about 40 ft high. This will not fit into my living room no matter how hard I try. Therefore all real trees that we have had since leaving NFLD have been spindly and pathetic or doctored with extra branches that turn brown two days after Christmas.
Reason #2:
I've always hated putting the tree up so close to Christmas and then having to clean up the mess when there is wrapping to do and visiting to do and Christmas programs to watch or listen to. With our artificial tree we can put it up when ever the mood strikes, and there is no mess. Daughter #2 and I put up or tree last year as soon as we got it and it took 6 minutes from the time we started till the time we had it ready to put the bulbs on. I loved that... and while I miss finding pine/fir needles in the corners of the room in June, I don't miss the mess they make in December. We decided to put it up early this year, and believe me I've taken some criticism for that, but really it has been truly wonderful. Each night Teapot and the girls have come home from school tired and exhausted (there's flu going around our school and there have been some nasty scares as they have fought not to get it) and we have turned on a Christmas movie or a DVD of a Christmas concert and for 1 or 2 hours as we eat our dinner, enjoy a little Christmas spirit... this has been completed with a glass of homemade eggnog (far nicer than the store bought stuff) or a little Christmas chocolate or cookie. Getting an artificial tree and putting it up on the first day of Advent was the best thing we've ever done. So I think it has become a new tradition in our house. We have even decided to name our Christmas tree. (It's name is now Yawnus). As for real evergreen in the house... I've even taken care of that. We purchase a real wreath from a group in town that sell them as a fundraiser and I always order fresh Holly from the florist. Unfortunately, there is no smell (or very little) of fir, pine, or balsam but if I need it I can always bring in some bows or light a candle. I just love, love, love our cute little plastic Christmas tree. It has been so freeing.
Christmas Gifts:
I love Christmas gifts.... well who doesn't. Still I buy them or make them all. It is a stressful thing to take care of the wants and desires of everyone we know, and make sure that they get it in time for the big day. Recently I've tried to be less uptight about the whole process. I can change my mind about things at the last minute if I want, and if people don't get it in time for Christmas day then I'm not going to give myself a heart attack worrying about it. There's always Old Christmas day (also known as Ukranian Christmas or the Twelfth Night) and if you don't receive your parcel in time for Santa Day then you can celebrate Christmas any day in between.... and you might just have to when my parcel arrives.
Also, while I hate spending a fortune on Christmas gifts, and hate going into debt each year and spending the next 6 months trying to dig myself out, I do enjoy giving gifts. So a few years ago I decided that I would try to make more of our Christmas gifts.... not only to save money but because my time is precious and when I take the time to figure out what you might like and then I take the time to make it, then you know that it really is a gift of the heart. This adds somewhat to the burden of stress before Christmas but I have tried to overcome that problem by allowing myself to change my mind at the last minute. I recently had planned on sending my sister a scarf, and her husband a pair of hand knit socks, and her son a hand knit toque. But when Teapot said he liked the socks it changed the whole thing. My sister and family are receiving gift cards and mugs of goodies, and Teapot will get the socks. I had planned on making socks for a family of four who have been our longest standing friends since moving here to HH.... I've changed my mind on that one too. The two kids are getting hand spun and hand knit toques (less work than socks) and a gift card from Coles book store. The parents are getting a box of homemade bread with jams and herb dipping sauces.
See easy... just change your mind... no stress no fuss. And when people open their gifts on Christmas day and then send you a thank you or give you a big smile it really makes you feel like a million bucks.
Christmas shopping:
While you have heard me say that I hate Christmas shopping, I can also say that there are things about it that I like. I do like to hold the door open for everyone as I'm entering a store, mall, or boutique..... and that includes that crabby old lady and the burly middle aged man who only has getting in and getting out as quickly as possible on their minds... with a cheery "Merry Christmas" wish and a smile. But you can see them suddenly become human again.... I love that. I love to drop a $5 or a $10 or a hand full of change into the SA kettle by the front door of which ever store that I walk into. I always stop to pass the time with whoever is sitting by the kettle and offer up a cheery "Merry Christmas" to them too. They deserve our respect and heartfelt gratitude for what they do.
I love the bins of colourful wrapping paper and spend long moments choosing which colours will grace the packages under our tree and the parcels we give out at Christmas time. I LOVE the music of Christmas and find myself warbling along as I drift in and out of various stores that I visit. I'm sure those in hearing distance must think I'm a nutter. But that's ok because I usually give them a chipper smile and say something about loving to sing Christmas carols. Then I get a wicked laugh inside when I watch the look of surprise thatcrosses their face because a perfect stranger (me) whose obviously a weirdo, just spoke to them. And then when all my shopping is done including all the online faceless stuff I get a great sense of satisfaction that it is done and I look at all the loot and think how this one is going to love that and that one is going to love this.... etc.
Lights:
I love the lights of Christmas.... it's that simple!
Cozy comforts leading up to, and surrounding the darkest day of winter:
I love the cozy feel of my family, each one doing their own little thing, unknowing of the great surprises I have planned for them, as I tear out the toe on the latest pair of socks, or blend the most recent combination of fibre on the drum carder, or spin the latest thread. I love to get up in the morning and have a cup of jo as the dawn slowly rises on a morning of grey and crystalline frost, or the white downiness of new fallen snow. I love carmel tea with a very small splash of Bailey's (I only allow my self that at Christmas). I love walking in through the door after a cold walk when the heat of the house hits you. I love warm mittens and warm boots. I love crawling into my bed at night a staring up at clear skies full of stars and looking for the Christmas star and wondering what it was like for the three wisemen.
Christmas Eve:
I love church on Christmas eve. I love that a full church sings altogether, Christmas carols as old as memory. I love the miracle of the birth of Jesus Christ. I love the expectation on the faces of children. I love that in the quiet of the night you hear Merry Christmas called out as people leave the church and head for home and a night of surprises and wrappings. I love being the last to leave the church and turn out the lights and lock the door.... I love the quiet of the church and thank God for peace, love, joy and hope. And I love... just love, that as I head to my vehicle I know that a waiting Teapot and Daughters are glad to see me come. I love dropping in to visit friends after church and before we head home. I love hanging stockings... and then filling them. I love that every Christmas Eve Teapot gets out his camera no matter how late it is and takes a picture of the tree and the stockings laying in wait for the next morning.
After Christmas:
I love sitting around on Christmas Day till 3 p.m. in my jammies.... as smells of roasting turkey waft from the kitchen. I love Christmas dinner... turkey... just one word... yum! I love boxing day... it's the best day of the year. One word to describe that day.... relaxation. I love skating (though I don't do it anymore because of my back), I love sliding parties, and I love skiiing (though I find that hard to do too).... More than anything I love when people drop in for a visit.... awesome. I love our Christmas family portrait that we take each year and I love that after we have taken 10 or 12 and everyone is tired, we take one that is completely silly and totally goofy. I love celebrating New Year's Eve with a bonfire and friends. I love ringing in the new year with some sparkly beverage.
December 28th:
I love Teapot and thank the heavens above that we got married.... and I even love that we got married during the Christmas Season. It will be 20 years this year.
Old Christmas Day:
I love that we have special antique stockings that we rehang for that day. I love that we have made a tradition of taking down Yawnus (the Christmas Tree) on that day and putting him back to sleep in his box. I love that for a whole 10 months... we don't have to think about Christmas anymore. I love that at this point you can notice that the days are starting to get longer and the long drowsy days of spring are just a short while away.
So that's it... a bunch of things that I like about Christmas. I hope you can take the time to find all the positives that make Christmas good for you. Remember dwelling on the bad will make you wrinkled and old before your time.... enjoy your friends and family.... and smile a lot even when you don't feel like it because I promise it will make you feel a whole lot better. And if that doesn't work I guarantee that a half bottle of Rye (or Whisky, or gin, or Rum) will!
Really.... I don't drink... ; )
The Tree:
As you might or might not know the Daughters and I put our fake artificial tree up back at the end of November this year. That for me is extremely early. I have never done it before. I also finally embraced the fakeness of Christmas and bought us a cute little plastic and prelit Christmas tree from Sears last year. Part of mine and Teapot's tradition has always been to put up the tree quite close to Christmas Eve...usually somewhere between the 20th to 23rd. We would, as a family, march ourselves out into the bush to look for a suitable Christmas tree and then spend the next 24 hrs standing it up, thawing it out, watering it, and then decorating the hell out of it. But last year I finally put my foot down and bought an artificial tree for a variety of reasons.
Reason #1:
Having grown up in NFLD, where trees of the evergreen variety abound, picking, cutting and bringing home a Christmas tree was an easy job. Each year we would go out into the bush and we would look for a tree of epic beauty and bring it home to grace our home with ease. But when I moved away from NFLD I realised how spoiled I was. Trees on the mainland grow much faster than they do in NFLD. Trees in Nfld are barraged from the day the poke their first bud through the ground with an onslaught of high winds and cool (if not cold) springs, short growing seasons, and my experience has always been that even the smallest of Christmas trees would have a substantially large trunk. By the time a tree is 6 ft high it has already put on about thirty or forty rings of bark. This makes for standing a tree in the stand quite and easy job. So you can imagine my dismay when I went looking for a Christmas tree the first time on the mainland and discovered that a thirty year old tree is usually about 40 ft high. This will not fit into my living room no matter how hard I try. Therefore all real trees that we have had since leaving NFLD have been spindly and pathetic or doctored with extra branches that turn brown two days after Christmas.
Reason #2:
I've always hated putting the tree up so close to Christmas and then having to clean up the mess when there is wrapping to do and visiting to do and Christmas programs to watch or listen to. With our artificial tree we can put it up when ever the mood strikes, and there is no mess. Daughter #2 and I put up or tree last year as soon as we got it and it took 6 minutes from the time we started till the time we had it ready to put the bulbs on. I loved that... and while I miss finding pine/fir needles in the corners of the room in June, I don't miss the mess they make in December. We decided to put it up early this year, and believe me I've taken some criticism for that, but really it has been truly wonderful. Each night Teapot and the girls have come home from school tired and exhausted (there's flu going around our school and there have been some nasty scares as they have fought not to get it) and we have turned on a Christmas movie or a DVD of a Christmas concert and for 1 or 2 hours as we eat our dinner, enjoy a little Christmas spirit... this has been completed with a glass of homemade eggnog (far nicer than the store bought stuff) or a little Christmas chocolate or cookie. Getting an artificial tree and putting it up on the first day of Advent was the best thing we've ever done. So I think it has become a new tradition in our house. We have even decided to name our Christmas tree. (It's name is now Yawnus). As for real evergreen in the house... I've even taken care of that. We purchase a real wreath from a group in town that sell them as a fundraiser and I always order fresh Holly from the florist. Unfortunately, there is no smell (or very little) of fir, pine, or balsam but if I need it I can always bring in some bows or light a candle. I just love, love, love our cute little plastic Christmas tree. It has been so freeing.
Christmas Gifts:
I love Christmas gifts.... well who doesn't. Still I buy them or make them all. It is a stressful thing to take care of the wants and desires of everyone we know, and make sure that they get it in time for the big day. Recently I've tried to be less uptight about the whole process. I can change my mind about things at the last minute if I want, and if people don't get it in time for Christmas day then I'm not going to give myself a heart attack worrying about it. There's always Old Christmas day (also known as Ukranian Christmas or the Twelfth Night) and if you don't receive your parcel in time for Santa Day then you can celebrate Christmas any day in between.... and you might just have to when my parcel arrives.
Also, while I hate spending a fortune on Christmas gifts, and hate going into debt each year and spending the next 6 months trying to dig myself out, I do enjoy giving gifts. So a few years ago I decided that I would try to make more of our Christmas gifts.... not only to save money but because my time is precious and when I take the time to figure out what you might like and then I take the time to make it, then you know that it really is a gift of the heart. This adds somewhat to the burden of stress before Christmas but I have tried to overcome that problem by allowing myself to change my mind at the last minute. I recently had planned on sending my sister a scarf, and her husband a pair of hand knit socks, and her son a hand knit toque. But when Teapot said he liked the socks it changed the whole thing. My sister and family are receiving gift cards and mugs of goodies, and Teapot will get the socks. I had planned on making socks for a family of four who have been our longest standing friends since moving here to HH.... I've changed my mind on that one too. The two kids are getting hand spun and hand knit toques (less work than socks) and a gift card from Coles book store. The parents are getting a box of homemade bread with jams and herb dipping sauces.
See easy... just change your mind... no stress no fuss. And when people open their gifts on Christmas day and then send you a thank you or give you a big smile it really makes you feel like a million bucks.
Christmas shopping:
While you have heard me say that I hate Christmas shopping, I can also say that there are things about it that I like. I do like to hold the door open for everyone as I'm entering a store, mall, or boutique..... and that includes that crabby old lady and the burly middle aged man who only has getting in and getting out as quickly as possible on their minds... with a cheery "Merry Christmas" wish and a smile. But you can see them suddenly become human again.... I love that. I love to drop a $5 or a $10 or a hand full of change into the SA kettle by the front door of which ever store that I walk into. I always stop to pass the time with whoever is sitting by the kettle and offer up a cheery "Merry Christmas" to them too. They deserve our respect and heartfelt gratitude for what they do.
I love the bins of colourful wrapping paper and spend long moments choosing which colours will grace the packages under our tree and the parcels we give out at Christmas time. I LOVE the music of Christmas and find myself warbling along as I drift in and out of various stores that I visit. I'm sure those in hearing distance must think I'm a nutter. But that's ok because I usually give them a chipper smile and say something about loving to sing Christmas carols. Then I get a wicked laugh inside when I watch the look of surprise thatcrosses their face because a perfect stranger (me) whose obviously a weirdo, just spoke to them. And then when all my shopping is done including all the online faceless stuff I get a great sense of satisfaction that it is done and I look at all the loot and think how this one is going to love that and that one is going to love this.... etc.
Lights:
I love the lights of Christmas.... it's that simple!
Cozy comforts leading up to, and surrounding the darkest day of winter:
I love the cozy feel of my family, each one doing their own little thing, unknowing of the great surprises I have planned for them, as I tear out the toe on the latest pair of socks, or blend the most recent combination of fibre on the drum carder, or spin the latest thread. I love to get up in the morning and have a cup of jo as the dawn slowly rises on a morning of grey and crystalline frost, or the white downiness of new fallen snow. I love carmel tea with a very small splash of Bailey's (I only allow my self that at Christmas). I love walking in through the door after a cold walk when the heat of the house hits you. I love warm mittens and warm boots. I love crawling into my bed at night a staring up at clear skies full of stars and looking for the Christmas star and wondering what it was like for the three wisemen.
Christmas Eve:
I love church on Christmas eve. I love that a full church sings altogether, Christmas carols as old as memory. I love the miracle of the birth of Jesus Christ. I love the expectation on the faces of children. I love that in the quiet of the night you hear Merry Christmas called out as people leave the church and head for home and a night of surprises and wrappings. I love being the last to leave the church and turn out the lights and lock the door.... I love the quiet of the church and thank God for peace, love, joy and hope. And I love... just love, that as I head to my vehicle I know that a waiting Teapot and Daughters are glad to see me come. I love dropping in to visit friends after church and before we head home. I love hanging stockings... and then filling them. I love that every Christmas Eve Teapot gets out his camera no matter how late it is and takes a picture of the tree and the stockings laying in wait for the next morning.
After Christmas:
I love sitting around on Christmas Day till 3 p.m. in my jammies.... as smells of roasting turkey waft from the kitchen. I love Christmas dinner... turkey... just one word... yum! I love boxing day... it's the best day of the year. One word to describe that day.... relaxation. I love skating (though I don't do it anymore because of my back), I love sliding parties, and I love skiiing (though I find that hard to do too).... More than anything I love when people drop in for a visit.... awesome. I love our Christmas family portrait that we take each year and I love that after we have taken 10 or 12 and everyone is tired, we take one that is completely silly and totally goofy. I love celebrating New Year's Eve with a bonfire and friends. I love ringing in the new year with some sparkly beverage.
December 28th:
I love Teapot and thank the heavens above that we got married.... and I even love that we got married during the Christmas Season. It will be 20 years this year.
Old Christmas Day:
I love that we have special antique stockings that we rehang for that day. I love that we have made a tradition of taking down Yawnus (the Christmas Tree) on that day and putting him back to sleep in his box. I love that for a whole 10 months... we don't have to think about Christmas anymore. I love that at this point you can notice that the days are starting to get longer and the long drowsy days of spring are just a short while away.
So that's it... a bunch of things that I like about Christmas. I hope you can take the time to find all the positives that make Christmas good for you. Remember dwelling on the bad will make you wrinkled and old before your time.... enjoy your friends and family.... and smile a lot even when you don't feel like it because I promise it will make you feel a whole lot better. And if that doesn't work I guarantee that a half bottle of Rye (or Whisky, or gin, or Rum) will!
Really.... I don't drink... ; )
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